2. Ants consistently climb out of your bathtub
3. You've eaten more pap than your body weight
4. You've been asked to be married by random Batswana men on the street, sometimes more than once a day
5. You've had your phone and your wallet stolen on separate occasions at the Bus Rank without knowing it
6. You've gotten used to waiting 30-45 minutes for a cab
7. Your feet will forever be covered in dirt
8. You have "Wavin Flag," "Waka Waka Africa," and "Your Love" engrained in your head for the rest of eternity
9. You've spent more time on the internet in Linga Longa than on school work
10. You've seen more boobs around the house or in combis than you've ever seen in your life
11. You've gotten sick from vendor food at least once
12. You've succumbed to eating dirt fruit off the street
13. A 30 pula ($4.50) cab rid is a rip of and you would rather take a 3 pula combi, even if it means taking an hour longer
14. You find "tumble weaves," huge chunks of fake hair, lying on the street
15. You put Tomato Sauce on everything- eggs, veggies, pap, bread, etc.
16. You ned a dictionary to decipher a local Motswana's txt bc its so cnfsing
17. "Is it?" and "Serious?" have become parts of your everyday vocabulary
18. Savannah Dry is your new favorite alcoholic beverage
19. You pass a tuck shop on every corner
20. You've bought those 50 thebe sweets even though none of them taste good
21. You've perfected the art of denying men in Botswana
22. You "write" exams, even if they are multiple choice
23. It is no big deal when the combi nearly hits a little kid
24. People say "sori" for everything from hitting you in the face you dropping your phone
25. You've given up on hoping for toilet paper in public or private bathrooms
26. All your favorite food options at restaurants are consistently finished
27. You started off speeding past every pedestrian and now you find yourself walking just as slow as the locals!
28. You seat constantly wearing T-shirts and shorts though everyone around you is wearing turtlenecks, down jackets, and pants in 35 deg C heat
29. You forget what is weird here and accept cultural traditions as the norm
30. Your still scared about contracting TB on the combi
I am from Botswana living in France at the moment. I was missing home and decided to Google stuff about my beloved country, and this is how I came across your blog. While I find some of the points above funny, I think some of them are a bit much, and tad bit offensive.
ReplyDeleteI lived there most of my life and no, I've never had ants climbing out my bathtub, nor have my feet ever been covered in dirt, unless I was walking barefoot in the streets. Eating dirt fruit of the street? Nope, never done that either. never had my phone or my wallet stolen because I pay attention to what and who is around me (you have never been to Johannesburg, have you?). Never contracted TB either.
Like I said, I laughed at some of your points, but the other stuff is silly. Don't be a typical Westener and make every African country sound like some uncivilised place. I mean, you in a house in Phakalane shows that it's a normal, liveable place.
Other than that, I think it's nice that you took the steps to experience the country.