A whole bunch of nothing exciting

Hello friends,

On Thursday night a bunch of us went to a pretty shady bar and it's amazing the kind of attention we get. People, especially when they are under the influence, are very friendly and have little to no regard for personal space. Suffice to say it was an interesting evening.

On Saturday, my group had every intention of going to a game park in South Africa just across the border, but it was all a bit too late in terms of working out the logistics of such a trip. Instead, Steph, another friend on the trip (Allie), and I traveled to a traditional village about 40km outside of Gaborone. Getting there was an experience of its own! First we had to walk to the main mall, which is about a 15 minute walk from UB's campus. Then, we talk a combie, which is like a taxi but they're actually mini vans to the bus station. Upon our arrival to the station, I was shocked to see how many other combies and buses were at the station. There must have been at least a thousand of them parked within close confines. The challenge once you step into this wilderness of vehicles is finding the right one! There are no signs or verbal cues that help guide you to the right bus or combie. Instead, you have to just keep asking people. I think on our sixth attempt, we successfully caught our bus and just in time too!

The bus ride was uneventful, although the smells here can be very overwhelming. Diesel is used for most combies and buses, and when you're sitting in one of them, it's almost like you have your nose to the exhaust pipe. It's very intense! When we finally arrived at the village, we had to walk up a hill about a half mile before getting to the top and settling into our chalet. Because of the short notice of our trip, the promised fire, storytelling, and hot baths did not work out the way we had hoped. Instead, Steph, Allie, and I popped a bottle of wine and sat watching the full moon and stars. We also took some really hysterical pictures!

We were also under the impression that they would have food for us, but again that was not in the cards for us either. We walked down to the village about 2 miles each way in the dark. We finally stumbled across the seemingly deserted village and a building called "restaurant." We were so excited, but to our dismay, we walked in and saw that it was more of a convenience store. The closest we got to a dinner was sausage and french fries. With very little else to do, we headed back to the chalet and went to sleep.

It was on Saturday that I felt my cough coming back and by Sunday morning I felt the effects of full on illness coming my way. This is now the second time that I have been sick in less than one month in Botswana. While the clinic has categorized my "illness" as a simple flu, I think what started it all is allergies. If you combine the diesel and pollution, the overwhelming scent of burning trash, not to mention my reaction to dust in a desert climate, it's really no surprise that I've gotten sick. On the other hand, I've had to miss work as a result, and it's been frustrating in that regard.

It probably also didn't help that Monday when I should have been resting, the group of us went to what Batswana call a hill, but most people I know in the west would call a mountain. We hiked all the way to the top, which is about 3,000 feet. It was pretty scary looking down and feeling the wind have so much power, but ultimately the view was worth it!

I hope everyone is doing well. Stay tuned for hopefully something more exciting next week! :)
Love,
Mark