Oh, I love Botswana!
So. A family bio. I live with a woman named Kemonnye who is 45 and she's not really around all that much because she's working at the lodge alot. But she's super nice and I really enjoy talking to her and last weekend, she made us have a photoshoot where she took 80 bajillion (or like 20) pictures of me in her garden to show off how pretty her garden is. I have a little brother, Ryan, or Kago is his Setswana name, who is technically a cousin (his mother was my dad's sister, but she died last year so now Ryan lives with us). He loves wrestling and dances all around the house and is in general an ADORABLE 10-year old. I have a dad who's only really around in the mornings before he goes to work and a semi-sister named Patience, or Naledi. She's actually a Zimbabwean maid, but I think of her as my sister. In fact, there were two little neighborhood girls at our house last week and Patience told them I was her little sister (she's 22) and one girl was like "but you're brown!"and Patience told her that our mother was white like me and our father is black like her. She's cute and super energetic. My house rocks.
Last Saturday, we all went back to Mmankgodi to see our first families and my mom picked me up and then we cooked diphaphatha (home-made bread) and it was awesome. Then we spent the night at Nicki's for a party for Greg's 21st birthday. I went to sleep around 9:30 cuz I'm just that awesome, ha! And now I have tor un cuz we're going to get ice cream and watch HOLES cuz we rented it! (We rented Aladdin and the Lion King too, I'm in heaven!)
HEARTS
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
The internets suckssss
So I'm in Gabs! That's Gaborone, the capital for those of you who aren't all in the know around here.
Last week I went up north where all the famous African wildlife is and it was awwwesome! We camped out for 2 nights in Savuti, where we couldn't leave our tent at night without a torch (aka, flashlight) and a buddy because we could get eaten by hyenas or lions. Needless to say, I just held my pee till it was light out again, especially after I heard all these growling noises the first night (though apparently they were just the elephants) and lions groaning the second night (that was confirmed - they were, indeed, lions). I got to see all sorts of crazy animals - more elephants than I could ever count, warthogs, which I LOVE and are my new favorite animal, hyenas, giraffes, some lions, hippos, and tons of antelope. We also got to go to Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls, which is one of the seven wonders of the world! We walked along all these paths to see the falls and on one of the last ones, off a side path, we managed to get really close to a baboon and her cute, cute little baby. But then, people tried coming down the other side of hte path (where there were other baboons) and the mother growled at us and we literally had to sprint away from her and another mother and baby as they chased us down the path. It was terrifying at the time, but pretty awwesome now!
The trip back was pretty awful; we had to take a combi, which is like a utility van, with 11 of us plus a driver and "conductor" and all our bags for 6 hours from Kasane to Francistown, then on the overnight train, they booked us in a car that wasn't actually attached to our train, so we ended up with 9 of us in 6 beds and I slept head-to-foot with Laura. Then, we got to Gabs and moved in with our families.
And, oh! Has my standard of living gone through the roof! My house is huge and has an air-conditioning unit and more than one television channel and really comfortable couches and TWO toilets (it doesn't even HAVE an outhouse!) and a shower and a tub and I get my own room with a little bit of closet space! That and the first night, my mom bought me pizza for dinner (did I mention I'm not so vegan here - just Vegetarian? I'm actually really excited to go back to being Vegan when I get home) and the second night we had corn on the cob!
Other than that, all is well; I'm learning the city and all sorts of good stuff. Sending my love toa ll of you at home!
HEARTS
Last week I went up north where all the famous African wildlife is and it was awwwesome! We camped out for 2 nights in Savuti, where we couldn't leave our tent at night without a torch (aka, flashlight) and a buddy because we could get eaten by hyenas or lions. Needless to say, I just held my pee till it was light out again, especially after I heard all these growling noises the first night (though apparently they were just the elephants) and lions groaning the second night (that was confirmed - they were, indeed, lions). I got to see all sorts of crazy animals - more elephants than I could ever count, warthogs, which I LOVE and are my new favorite animal, hyenas, giraffes, some lions, hippos, and tons of antelope. We also got to go to Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls, which is one of the seven wonders of the world! We walked along all these paths to see the falls and on one of the last ones, off a side path, we managed to get really close to a baboon and her cute, cute little baby. But then, people tried coming down the other side of hte path (where there were other baboons) and the mother growled at us and we literally had to sprint away from her and another mother and baby as they chased us down the path. It was terrifying at the time, but pretty awwesome now!
The trip back was pretty awful; we had to take a combi, which is like a utility van, with 11 of us plus a driver and "conductor" and all our bags for 6 hours from Kasane to Francistown, then on the overnight train, they booked us in a car that wasn't actually attached to our train, so we ended up with 9 of us in 6 beds and I slept head-to-foot with Laura. Then, we got to Gabs and moved in with our families.
And, oh! Has my standard of living gone through the roof! My house is huge and has an air-conditioning unit and more than one television channel and really comfortable couches and TWO toilets (it doesn't even HAVE an outhouse!) and a shower and a tub and I get my own room with a little bit of closet space! That and the first night, my mom bought me pizza for dinner (did I mention I'm not so vegan here - just Vegetarian? I'm actually really excited to go back to being Vegan when I get home) and the second night we had corn on the cob!
Other than that, all is well; I'm learning the city and all sorts of good stuff. Sending my love toa ll of you at home!
HEARTS
Friday, October 5, 2007
We Don't Care What People Say...
For those of you that don't know, that title would indeed be a tribute to the great Kanye West. Right now I'm living in Kanye, which is about 45 minutes southwest of Gaborone and is a big village. It's huge, actually, but I think I'm learning my way around.
I live with a pretty awesome family. My mom, Osadi, is 42, my uncle, Mpho, is 31, my sister, Monnye, is 20, and my little brother, Popo, is 15. Plus there are two other 20 year-old boys living in our house so we all just hang out. Oh, and I have a crazy gradnmother who talks to herself. There are only three of the 9 kids from my program in Kanye, me, Greg, and Nicki and the others are in Molepolole and Mochudi and it's been pretty rough being away from them. However, my family is pretty much amazing, so it's okay.
And a note to Claire, if you read this (if she doesn't, someone tell her to) - I told mom this, but Popo wants to move to the US and be a doctor and I think it would probably be best for everyone involved if you two got married. You know, once you're older, the age difference won't matter at all. And he cooks! tahahaha
I "teach" at a primary school (which is standard 1-7, essentially the same grade-wise). It's okay, nothing to write home about (ha!).
I also get hit on at least twice a day here (depending on my exposure). Just today, this man drove me and my principal home from school and told me I was beautiful, asked if Iw as married, asked if I had a boyfriend (to which I lied and said yes), and then proceeded to ask me if he could marry me AND when I went to get out of the car, asked if he could kiss me. It all sounds real nice and flattering, but it gets old real fast.
Oh, and I have a request for advice. For my Directed Independnt Study Project, I have the choice to go up north and work with the board of tourism or stay in Gabs with my friends and intern at a diamond valuing company. I want to study the ethics involved in either industry and I really have no idea so you should all write back what yout hink and why.
And now, I'm apparently on the only working computer and others want it so I must go. I LOVE YOU ALL and miss you ALOT!
I live with a pretty awesome family. My mom, Osadi, is 42, my uncle, Mpho, is 31, my sister, Monnye, is 20, and my little brother, Popo, is 15. Plus there are two other 20 year-old boys living in our house so we all just hang out. Oh, and I have a crazy gradnmother who talks to herself. There are only three of the 9 kids from my program in Kanye, me, Greg, and Nicki and the others are in Molepolole and Mochudi and it's been pretty rough being away from them. However, my family is pretty much amazing, so it's okay.
And a note to Claire, if you read this (if she doesn't, someone tell her to) - I told mom this, but Popo wants to move to the US and be a doctor and I think it would probably be best for everyone involved if you two got married. You know, once you're older, the age difference won't matter at all. And he cooks! tahahaha
I "teach" at a primary school (which is standard 1-7, essentially the same grade-wise). It's okay, nothing to write home about (ha!).
I also get hit on at least twice a day here (depending on my exposure). Just today, this man drove me and my principal home from school and told me I was beautiful, asked if Iw as married, asked if I had a boyfriend (to which I lied and said yes), and then proceeded to ask me if he could marry me AND when I went to get out of the car, asked if he could kiss me. It all sounds real nice and flattering, but it gets old real fast.
Oh, and I have a request for advice. For my Directed Independnt Study Project, I have the choice to go up north and work with the board of tourism or stay in Gabs with my friends and intern at a diamond valuing company. I want to study the ethics involved in either industry and I really have no idea so you should all write back what yout hink and why.
And now, I'm apparently on the only working computer and others want it so I must go. I LOVE YOU ALL and miss you ALOT!
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