Well, I have officially arrived in Botswana!! I still don't think its actually hit me yet that I'm in Africa, but I can already tell it's going to be an adventurous ride. When we got to the dorms today originally thinking that the 12 girls would be split up into two flats, we quickly learned that the housing people hadn't prepare for our arrival because our rooms were not ready and we later found out we would be split up into four smaller groups--where we would all share our flats with other study abroad groups and some UB (University of Botswana) graduate students. And while I was initially annoyed at the lack of planning and willingness to give us information about where we would be staying for the next two months, I'm glad I was given a taste of how relaxed the Botswana way of life is here on my first day.
As the dorm debacle was being sorted out we heard our first lecture from a cultural feminist (storyteller by trade) who really impressed me with her emphasis on the need to learn people cultural background before trying to understand their actions towards us or their ways of life, for culture is everything here in Botswana. Her lecture made me look forward to the four hours of lecture we have tomorrow, after which we will be touring the five clinics we will be working in! I'm so excited but really nervous about that, because once we get to the clinics, that means my research has REALLY started! I'm still ambivalent about being able to talk to the doctors, and about finding the Ministry of Health to get their IRB approval letter, but at least I know I'll be getting the true Gaborone experience if their office sends me around in circles trying to get this form signed.
I also found out we pretty much have two free weeks to travel, which is really great because it gives us a chance to visit the gorgeous beaches of Mozambique and take an 8 hour bus ride up to Victoria Falls! Pictures will definitely be included in blogs during those trips I promise.
Probably the peak of my day today was getting into a taxi tonight with our driver Bethel to go to an outdoor mall called River Walk and finding him blasting One Direction!! I just thought it was hilarious that he was playing such current--and might I say girly--music and that song was soon followed by a Kendrick Lamar song and Taylor Swift which my two friends and I proceeded to sing along to. Noticing our amusement, Bethel proceeded to turn up the volume time and time again for encouragement. It just made me really happy to be surrounded by such simple happiness driving with the breeze of Gaborone filling the cab and seeing all the rush hour action as we drove down the streets.
I keep telling myself that part of this experience is getting accustomed to the natural way of life here and finding my own rhythm and to not worry so much about unnecessary annoyances which is so far working out pretty well, but only time--especially African Time--will tell.
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