So I have completed the final for one psychology class, and tomorrow I finish with my Setswana course. It's bittersweet, especially because we had a lot of fun in Setswana. Today we also visited the SOS Childrens Village for the last time to say goodbye to the kids there, we brought them a cake which was a big hit.
Other than that there isn't much to do now but study and wait as the last few days pass. Classes aren't meeting, so we have a lot of free time. There are a few things still going on around campus, like the campaigns, the actual vote will be next Friday, unfortunately the same day we leave! So we have to see if we will still be able to vote.
We have met so many amazing people here, it's such an experience just to talk to people and hear their stories, looking back on it it makes me glad I chose Botswana.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Two Weeks!
Crazy enough I only have two weeks left in Botswana!! It doesn't seem like it yet, but it's coming up fast. Jon and I have been conserving our money so that our last week here we can eat out and buy our last souveniers! Next week I will actually be finishing both psychology of work and labour relations, and my setswana class. The week after I will have my last three finals and fly home!
We will be leaving here on May 8th, and flying to Johannesburg to spend the night. This is because the airline in Bots that does take pets, only flies on weekdays. So we will spend the night in South Africa, which will be interesting because our visas for South Africa will have expired haha.. and then the next day we all take off for home!
We will be leaving here on May 8th, and flying to Johannesburg to spend the night. This is because the airline in Bots that does take pets, only flies on weekdays. So we will spend the night in South Africa, which will be interesting because our visas for South Africa will have expired haha.. and then the next day we all take off for home!
Little Things
The students here are currently campaigning for the student representative council for next year (the majority of this years SRC was expelled/suspended during the strike). It's cool here in that they run in legit political parties which coincide which the parties currently running for election. I will be voting for the Botswana Democratic Party and getting a sweet t-shirt with a fist on it. I'm super excited for my t-shirt! But also I like their politics and there are several people running for the BDP who I'm friends with. Unfortunately the politics are pretty dirty and the election has been postponed a few times, we're just hoping it actually happens, and happens before we leave!
On a totally different topic they have these red ants here, we have nothing like them at home. They are super fast and there are millions of them. The main issue being they sting and it hurts like hell. I'm mentioning this because I was just stung in the arch of my foot. They will keep stinging/biting whatever until you get them off, and walking around in flip-flops is bad news if you have to walk through them! I've been lucky and have only been attacked three times! Hopefully that it's for the semester!
Finally the dining halls/refectories. These are still awful, though occassionally things get better, but even if I can get chicken instead of goat liver, that is a smell that really does not help my appetite when I'm trying to choke down my 3249824234098234 meal of white rice.
On a totally different topic they have these red ants here, we have nothing like them at home. They are super fast and there are millions of them. The main issue being they sting and it hurts like hell. I'm mentioning this because I was just stung in the arch of my foot. They will keep stinging/biting whatever until you get them off, and walking around in flip-flops is bad news if you have to walk through them! I've been lucky and have only been attacked three times! Hopefully that it's for the semester!
Finally the dining halls/refectories. These are still awful, though occassionally things get better, but even if I can get chicken instead of goat liver, that is a smell that really does not help my appetite when I'm trying to choke down my 3249824234098234 meal of white rice.
Sexual Harrassment
I am currently taking a course here called the psychology of work and labour relations. Which is actually really interesting because it deals with issues every person will face in the work place etc.. etc.. (Just don't get me started on my lecturer for that class because she is entirely incompetent and wastes huge amounts of my life I will never get back!) ANYWAYS! during that course we were discussing sexual harrassment, and it seems like in Botswana the women actually enjoy the attention? There aren't really sexual harrassment rules, and a lawsuit over something like that is virtually unheard of. My lecturer was discussing how she has seen many women in high powered jobs just giggle and bat their eyelashes when harrassed. I think this may lead to how men treat the women here and why they are so generally suprised when us American girls don't leap into their arms.
The men here will whistle, or call out to us such things as "I need to marry a white girl.. c'mon honey!" "Hey baby!" "Whats up chick!?" etc. etc. or grab your butt or something and my response is generally something along the lines of "good luck with that" and/or straight up ignoring them, which is what most of the international girls do but the men genuinely get suprised. Some have even approached Jon to ask how to get a white girl. My advice starts with: Don't open with I need a white girl. Open with something like, hi! My name is Thembe... etc.
The men here will whistle, or call out to us such things as "I need to marry a white girl.. c'mon honey!" "Hey baby!" "Whats up chick!?" etc. etc. or grab your butt or something and my response is generally something along the lines of "good luck with that" and/or straight up ignoring them, which is what most of the international girls do but the men genuinely get suprised. Some have even approached Jon to ask how to get a white girl. My advice starts with: Don't open with I need a white girl. Open with something like, hi! My name is Thembe... etc.
Blood Drives & Homosexuality
Ok so the other day there was a blood drive here. Not something I'm overly fond of as I'm scared to death of needles, but I visited with Eilen from Sweden while she was donating. They gave her four huge bags to fill with blood, needles and all, to hold while she waited for her turn. That there was enough for me to run away! Donating blood is so important but if I was to donate blood here it would be a very very long time before I would be able to donate again in the states. As it is I will have to wait three YEARS before I am allowed to donate again, this is mainly because the risk of the disease malaria, and since I have technically 'lived' in a malarial region I can't donate for a while.
While discussing this subject we got onto the topic of how homosexual men aren't allowed to donate. It's a really awful situation here for anyone gay/lesbian/bisexual/transexual etc.. homosexuality is illegal in this country and the people are hugely intolerant of it. I was thinking that maybe the students at the university would have a more progessive view, but when talking with some they only discussed the huge hatred they have in their hearts for those type of people. When I told them at home gay marriage is becoming legal in more and more states they were truly shocked. I see the amazing support system Wheaton has among the gay/lesbian community and know that it is still really difficult for those people when attempting to figure things out for themselves and then come out in a mainly tolerant environment. I can only imagine how hard it must be for young people here to deal with those same issues when all around them the only message is hatred. It's pretty crazy.
While discussing this subject we got onto the topic of how homosexual men aren't allowed to donate. It's a really awful situation here for anyone gay/lesbian/bisexual/transexual etc.. homosexuality is illegal in this country and the people are hugely intolerant of it. I was thinking that maybe the students at the university would have a more progessive view, but when talking with some they only discussed the huge hatred they have in their hearts for those type of people. When I told them at home gay marriage is becoming legal in more and more states they were truly shocked. I see the amazing support system Wheaton has among the gay/lesbian community and know that it is still really difficult for those people when attempting to figure things out for themselves and then come out in a mainly tolerant environment. I can only imagine how hard it must be for young people here to deal with those same issues when all around them the only message is hatred. It's pretty crazy.
Electricity
Ok so over the weekend last week there was no electricity on campus. We are fairly used to the running water coming on and off, and there is generally no internet, but had yet to actually lose electricity for more than 3-4 hours at a time. This was a really crazy day because we woke up without anything, and because of the lack of electricity there was no food on campus so we had to go out. So we spent most of the day at a cafe/bar place with our laptops. I had a class scheduled for that Sunday at 3 pm (awful awful idea by my professor) and we STILL had class, sitting in the classroom after feeling our way up the pitch black stairwell and using the lights on our cell phones to read notes. It was a fabulous day, haha. BUT it was nice to have an excuse to eat out, and we're expecting reimbursements from the school because we are on the meal plan! See how that goes!
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Mob Justice
First off Zinzi is doing so well! He's getting big, and he's so playful. He's cutest when he is sleepy though, he lays down and purrs like crazy. He usually purrs when we get back to the room also. He's with Jon more than me though, and when we're in the room he follows Jon around all the time, and always sits on him.. it's super cute.
The other day we were taking Zinzi for some kitten shots at the vet (all his kitten shots and the vet visit cost us approximately 20 USD).. and we were walking through Main Mall an area with a lot of shops and all of a sudden a TON of people went running into a restaurant into the back. It seems that someone had done something, like not paid, and "mob justice" took over, so people chased him intending to beat him up. I think he got away though, because most people came back out shortly after.
The other day we were taking Zinzi for some kitten shots at the vet (all his kitten shots and the vet visit cost us approximately 20 USD).. and we were walking through Main Mall an area with a lot of shops and all of a sudden a TON of people went running into a restaurant into the back. It seems that someone had done something, like not paid, and "mob justice" took over, so people chased him intending to beat him up. I think he got away though, because most people came back out shortly after.
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