Pictures from Vic Falls

1. On the walk back from Devil's Pool on the Zambia side as the sun set

2. Zambia side of the falls

3. Zimbabwe side of the falls, mist in the background

4. mid free-fall!

5. Preparing to bungi jump off the victoria falls bridge

On the 78th Day, Modimo said "Let there be Rain"...

FINALLY!

On my 78th Day in Botswana, Modimo (God in Setswana) said Let there be rain...and rain it did! I was squished like a sardine in the back of a crowded Mogodisthane Route 10 combi last night, as per every weekday evening, when we passed by Pula Spar and the rain started to come down. It wasn't anything to dramatic, but it was exciting nonetheless. It rained again this morning for about 15 minutes. Not sure what this rainy season is going to entail..but its a nice break from the 90 degree heat I've gotten used to the past two weeks.

This week has been pretty ordinary in terms of life in Gabs goes. Writing papers, going to the clinic, taking the combi, etc. However, on Wednesday Kelsey, Alicia, and I had the "pleasure" oh accompanying our Environmental Health professor to the Gaborone Chicken Slaughterhouse. Thats right folks, where they somewhat manually kill, defeather, "clean", and package 6000 chickens per day. Only the pictures can do this visit justice. Although Kelsey was lovin it, Alicia and the vegetarian in me weren't to thrilled. Clad in our white rainboots and lab coats, We eased our way into the tour, going from the end of the process to the beginning. It didn't really get too disgusting until we went in the room where intestines will pouring through shoots from the previous room. As Dr. Letsholo explained, there is no waste when it comes to chickens. They eat it all-- feet, heads, intestines, hearts, even lungs! The worst part by far was when we went outside and saw the blood-stained chickens hanging by their feet on a conveyor belt. Some were writhing around not quite dead yet. Appparently it takes some chickens longer than others to die after having their neck manually slit by a huge machete. Fun times!! My professor got too close and got blood splattered all over his clothing...lovely!

I'm hoping to go back to Mochudi this weekend to visit my host family and pick up my skirt. The problem is I don't have my mom's phone number because my phone got stolen. I don't think I mentioned that little detail earlier either...On the way to the ARV (antiretroviral treatment) clinic one morning, someone at the station opened up my bag and took my phone. Its only 200 pula down the drain...definitely could have been worse! When I told the social worker at the clinic about my story, she simply replied, "Welcome to Botswana!"

Look out for my next post about my vacation to South Africa!!! It should be a fun one :)

Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls...

At last, the epic tale of Victoria Falls. Its been rough week being back in Gabs from the perpetual vacation that was September. My phone was stolen on Tuesday, temperatures have reached 100 degrees farenheit (with air condition few and far between), and I’ve had frustrating exam experiences in both Parasitology and Traditional Religion in Botswana. But hey, those kind of bumps in the road build character, right?

Anyways, I’ll do my best to recount five of the best days of my life. Flash back to Tuesday, September 14th. UB Professors had finally decide to strike, and chaos abrupted around UB. There was really no physical violence or demonstrating yet, but just a lot of buzz about how the week was going to proceed. Batsi told us CIEE girls he wasn’t sure how long the strike would last but leaders expected until about Friday. Leaving any worry behind, my friends and I packed our bags and headed off to Victoria Falls for the weekend. The mad rush to inform our professors, discuss due dates for papers, and pack for the week flew by, and next thing I knew I was on the bus with Kelsey, Christina, Alicia, and Ranann to Francistown--. We stayed the night in a sketchy little inn and got up literally before the crack of dawn (read: 4 am) to catch out 6 am, 6 hour bus to Kasane. The Francistown bus rank was totally abandoned when we got there at 5:05 am. No obnoxious vendors stuffing Hungry Lion down our throat. As the sun began to rise, the bus rank gradually came to life and we watched big bus after big bus come for Maun, Gabs, etc. Not until around 8 am did our Kasane “bus” show up. We weren’t too thrilled we would be spending the next 6 hours cramped in that glorified combi, but at least it was progress! Things took a turn for the worse when the bus ran out of gas an hour into the drive. We ended up peeing in the buses and sitting on the side of the road for about 2 hours waiting for the driver to collect gas at the nearest gas station. People’s spirits were starting to wane, but I was still pretty stoked---we were on a spontaneous trip to VICTORIA FALLS! In less than 24 hours, I would be bungi jumping off the third highest bridge into the Zambezi River. The thought even now makes me nervous and giddy! The bus conveniently stopped at the Zambia/Botswana border before heading to Kasane so we got off early. To get into Zambia, you have to take a ferry across the Zambezi River. That border point is actually the crossroads of Namibia (Caprivi Strip), Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Its pretty cool to think I was standing literally at the edge of four countries…

The drive to Livingstone really put Botswana in perspective…you can’t even compare the poverty in Zambia to the worst I’ve seen in Botswana. We passed by town after town of shantytowns—entire villages made of corrugated metal and trash. We saw elephants, monkeys, and even giraffes in our drive to our hostel—now THIS is Africa. We also passed by the Royal Livingstone and Zambezi Sun where my parents were going to be staying- basically the definition of luxury safari resort. Livingstone backapackers was no Royal Livingstone, but I absolutely loved the set up! For just $12 a night, we had dorm bedrooms, access to a kitchen, pool, outdoor bar and lounge area, showers, and all the information we could want about Victoria Falls. In the end, we ended up deciding to do the Bungi Adrenaline Package and the Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls on Thursday, the Whitewater Rafting on the Zambezi on Friday, and shopping and the Zambia side of Vic Falls on Saturday. What a plan!! We were pretty stoked…but even more stoked to get some food in our bellies. After taking out a mere 1.2 million kwatcha for our excursions and accommodation (equivalent of about $240) from the atm, We headed over to Olgas, a restaurant benefiting disadvantaged youth in Livingtone, for absolutely incredible Italian food. Call me crazy, but my pesto vegetarian pasta absolutely hit the spot. As I went to sleep that night, all I could think about was looking over a bridge into a bottomless pit…tomorrow was going to be an interesting day.

Wednesday was officially D-Day (death day?!) My stomach was literally in knots when we woke up the next morning and headed over to Vic Falls. We were joined by Jonny and Gus, two guys from the UK (Gus was originally from Lusaka, Zambia) who were also stupid enough to commit to jumping off a bridge over the Zambezi River…except they had drank 5 more beers each that morning so they were only slightly less weary than me. After watching other people take the jump (gorge swing, bungi jump, etc. we at last faced our fears. Kelsey, Christina and I headed over to the “slide” component of the adrenalin package—a zipline across the Zambezi River gorge. Baby steps. Alicia and Ranann went for the gold and did a tandem Gorge Swing. Watching them do the Gorge Swing kinda made my stomach drop, but my confidence was built by the “tamer” zipline. After the intial shock that I was attached to a cord hundreds of feet over the Zambezi, I began to enjoy the unbeatable views. When we got over to the bridge to do our Gorge Swing, the staff told us we needed to do the bungi jump first since there was such a long line for the Gorge Swing. I remember laughing nervously in disbelief accepting my very scary fate. As I watched Christina hop over to the edge and nearly chicken out of jumping, I got even more nervous. Kelsey took the challenge like a champ. When it came to my turn, I remember stepping up to the bridges edge and looking down to my 111 meter fate, my heart now racing a million beats a minute. I wasn’t so scared that the bungi cord was going to break as much as I was scared I would break my neck from the whiplash or have a heart attack. Arms straight out in the air and 5-4-3-2-1 Bungi! The sensation of free fall is like nothing I have ever experienced. I didn’t start screaming until after the drop—the shock of free fall left me completely speechless. It all happened way to fast as next thing I knew I felt the jolt upwards when the bungi cord bounced upwards. The bouncing up and down after the initial fall was to me was one of the scarier parts. But boy, in the few moments when I did open my eyes, were the views gorgeous. When I got back up on semi-solid ground (the bridge) and saw my friends, I actually started balling. I couldn’t control the whirlwind of emotions had overcome me during the experience. Watching people do the bungi after me was actually more terrifying than before I took the jump. The Gorge Swing ended up being scarier than the bungi. Because you are attached to the rope by the torso and you jump off feet first, the sensation better mimics what I would assume it would be like if you fell off a cliff or building. I came away from the morning feeling accomplished and fearless and excited to break the news to my parents later that night (NOTE: my parents had planned on coming to Vic Falls long before I ever contemplated in going. Vic Falls happened to be the first stop on their Africa Adventure and conveniently timed right when our teachers struck!)

After watching our movies and getting some food in our stomachs, we headed over to Zimbabwe to see the falls from that side. The visa and entrance fee weren’t cheap but the views were spectacular. We walked through the idyllic tropical rainforest to panoramic views of the kilometer-long falls. We took far too many pictures and ran out of the park before we got locked in when it closed.

We stopped by the Royal Livingstone to see if my parents were there yet and after a slightly confusing conversation with the conceierge, I spotted my mom and dad in the distance. It was so great too see them after such a long time. The homesickness I feel in Botswana is an entirely different animal from any kind of homesickness I feel at Georgetown. My friends went back to Livingstone backpackers to wash up before dinner while I watched the sunset, Zambezi Sunrise cocktail in hand, with my parents. Dinner was pretty ordinary and service was ridiculously slow, but hey, TIA. I said my goodbyes to my parents, knowing I would be seeing them shortly in my home city Gaborone in only a few days.

Early morning wakeup in Zambia for another adrenaline-filled day! We hoped on the safari car with some of our friends from bungi jumpi. After a delicious egg and toast breakfast and safety instructions from Baby Face, we got our helmets and life vests on and headed down to the river. The climb down the gorge in itself was a beautiful journey. Alicia, Christina, Kelsey, and I (Ranann isn’t a big fan of water and opted for the elephant ride + helicopter tour of the Falls today) were accompanied in our raft by an emergency medicine doctor from Miami who was on his last day of touring Zambia and our AWESOME guide Vinnie! Vinnie was, to put it honestly, THE MAN. He made us feel super safe and he was so much fun to be around. The Zambezi River boasts some of the best grade 5 (highest is grade 6) rapids in the world. We did the half day excursion which, according to the guides, was better anyways because after Rapid 11 they get a bit boring and repetitive. None of us were very experienced in rafting but we had an amazing and incredibly successful time anyways. I am proud to say that we are they only raft that did NOT tip over in a rapids. We did have one minor mishap—Alicia fell out when we least expected it in one of the smaller rapids—but other than that, we were golden! I would HIGHLY recommend doing the rafting trip. I different kind of adrenaline rush but equally as exciting. I bought awesome pictures from the day, but even those don’t do justice to the strength of the rapids and the excitement of paddling through each one. Once we were done, we had to walk back up the Gorge. The 30 minute log ladder climb up was strenuous but enjoyable nonetheless. Lets just say, we were pretty happy to reach the cold waters and juices at the truck once we reached the top.

After enjoying lunch with our river guides we headed back to Livingstone to clean up before the BOOZE CRUISE!! All our friends from the bungi jumping and rafting came along, making the cruise even more exciting. Open bar and appetizers for two hour as the sunset on the Zambezi River. Couldn’t have asked for a better way to relax after our hard day of rafting in the sun. Some of us were definitely seeing the hippos after the double cane shots and Zambezi Sunrise drinks—but hey, TIA! We brought all of our friends from the cruise back to Livingstone Backpackers to continue the craziness at the bar and pool. Fun times were had by all….

After a late start on Saturday, we headed into Livingstone to do some souvenir shopping. My bargaining skills were a bit rusty since my Asian market experiences, but I did my best to barter down the prices. So much to choose from but we all ended up with gifts, paintings, jewelry a plenty to take back to Gabs. After much convincing by our backpackers friends in Livingstone, Kelsey, Christina, and I decided to face our fears and head over to Devils Pool on the Zambia side of the Falls. Although the Zambia side isn’t as spectacular as the Zimbabwe side, we were able to actually go on TOP of the falls. We heard tales of people being washed over the Falls when they were in Devils Pool when strong currents came, but locals said this wouldn’t be an issue at this time of year (since it hadn’t rain in the region for months). We took their advice found a guide and started our trek across the slippery rocks and logs to Angels Pool. Apparently its only called Devil’s Pool during the rainy season when it is ACTUALLY hazardous. After maneuvering along for about an hour, we finally reached the pool. Angel’s Pool is literally the top of Victoria Falls. We took pictures pretending to fall over the edge and enjoyed swimming in the warm pool before heading back. Its pretty crazy to think we were RIGHT there—another experience you can’t miss out on at Vic Falls!

We met up will everyone else back at Livingstone Backpackers, including Timo and Nadja who had arrived to Vic Falls a day later than us. In true American style, we found the only Mexican restaurant in Zambia, and feasted on delicious enchiladas and burritos! It’s crazy that we were already leaving tomorrow. The rest of the Gabs gang went to bed, but Kelsey and I stayed up chatting with Hugo, Rupurt, Gus, and Johnny—our buds at Livingstone backpackers. We will surely miss their company!

After breakfast at Olgas, we were off to the Zambia/Botswana border. We reached Kasane in good time and flew back to Gabs, compliments to Air Botswana. And man was it nice spending the extra $60 to forego the stuffy 10+ hour bus ride through the heat to get back to Gabs. I was drained from the whirlwind of a trip and sad to be leaving such an awesome place, but you can’t be on vacation forever, right!? Well…the funny thing is that that next weekend I’d be headed down to South Africa for spring break!

PS- once I get a better internet connection (aka Linga Longa tomorrow or this weekend) I will post some pictures from bungi jumping, whitewater rafting, and the Falls!

Village Homestay in Mochudi

Dumela!! Sorry I have been so incredibly MIA the past 3-4 weeks. Between the village homestay, a spontaneous trip to Victoria Falls, mom and dad visiting and spring break in South Africa my internet connection and free time has been slim to none. Luckily I wrote down most of my thoughts as I went to share with you all. It might take me a while to get through everything, so bare with me!!

From the clinic and home-based care work I did to my warm and friendly family, I loved, loved, loved my entire village home stay experience! The 11 of us CIEE girls were placed with families in a village about an hour away from Gaborone called Mochudi. The winding, hilly roads of Mochudi were a needed change from the flat plains of Gabs. It was nice getting away from the busy streets of Gabs and experiencing the "simple life" of the village. The people in Mochudi were all incredibly hospitable and welcoming. They aren't as used to seeing white girls like me so I think that added to their talkativeness as well. I had a mother, Caroline Mooketsi (aka Mma-Thabo: mother of Thabo) who owned and ran a shop called Kagiso General Store and Butchery. I had lots of fun helping out at the store in the afternoons, socializing with the customers, and improving my Setswana. I often helped Mma-Thabo bake her prized scones that she sold in the shop. Mma-Thabo was the greatest host mother I could ask for. Always enthusiastic, wanting me to learn about Setswana culture and including me in everything she did. It was a refreshing change from life in Gabs. She always said, "Oh my dear Malebogo, you are so free. You are my daughter. You are free to do what ever you would like" (Malebogo is my Setswana name, which means "many thanks"). I also had two brothers, Thabo (24) and Thabiso (18), though Thabiso goes to college in Gabs and wasn't around. At first I though that Thabo was going to be super quiet, but as the week progressed I realized what a fun companion he was. It was interesting to hear his rebellious, anti-traditional culture take on life. My father owns a cattlepost and is a preacher. We went to church on Sunday for three plus hours, entirely in Setswana. Although we dressed in full length skirts and head scarves, we stuck out since we didn't have the traditional garb (oh, and we are white! The service was interesting, although it got really stuffy in the church. My father was nice, though not very talkative. There is a very interesting dynamic between children and they father. In traditional society, men are always served food on a silver platter first and treated like kings. It doesn't seem like there is a lot of emotional or intimate contact between husband and wife or husband and child.

I was shocked to see my house when we first arrived-- it was bigger than my home in Gabs! I had an entire section of the house to myself and their was a maid who came everyday to clean, do laundry (including mine!!!), and sweep the dirt. Kelsey, Alicia, and I came to the conclusion one day that their obsession with sweeping the dirt is kinda parallel to our obsession with cutting the grass (since they have sand/dirt instead of grass). It seems silly to sweep the sand/dirt outside when you are just going to step on it and mess it all up, but I guess grass grows right back when you cut it too, right?

My living experience was also far different from my friends. Kelsey had too deal with her 300 + pound mother peeing in a bucket in her room every night and her drunk host sister singing in the bathtub "I'm in love with a stripper.." and "I'm sorry Ms. Jackson, I am for REEEALL" Alicia had to deal with an ipod-stealing, computer breaking host sister and enough chickens to feed a nation. At least the worst I had to deal with was a goat head on my kitchen counter, and turkeys and cows in the yard to be slaughtered for the butchery. My house even had a grapefruit tree-- Kelsey and I made grapefruit juice one day for my mother and she absolutely loved it!

Instead of commuting to classes at UB like the rest of the CIEE girls, Kelsey, Alicia, and I worked at Mochudi Clinic II from 7:30 am - 4:30 pm everyday. Let me tell you, the Mochudi Clinic was a 180 degree change from Old Naledi. The biggest difference was the staff. For the most part, the nurses at the Mochudi Clinic were all very compassionate, hard working and good-natured people. Unlike the laziness I witnessed at Old Naledi, nurses at the Mochudi clinic cared about their patients and the welfare of the greater community. The following is a rather long excerpt from my Public Health Clinical Log that details my experience in the clinic. Enjoy:

I was impressed by how Mochudi Clinic actively involves the community in their health. The daily Morning Prayer services, health education talks, and frequent home-based care visits all contribute to the clinic’s positive image. The prayer services create a connection between healthcare provider and patient beyond the examination room, allowing for a more holistic clinic experience. For many, the Morning Prayer is an enjoyable experience and makes the clinic much more warm and welcoming. Patients, nurses, and cleaning staff are encouraged to read from the Bible and lead prayers. Although such prayer services could be potentially repellent to those of other religions, I think that the prayer session focuses on being more spiritual than religious. As such, I think that the daily morning prayers are a very positive way for Mochudi Clinic II to start the day.

Health education is a critical component in a villages’ plan for disease prevention and control. The health education officer at Mochudi Clinic II was particularly active and hospitable. He was involved in all wards of the clinic—from Home-Based Care to Child Welfare. By having a very visible presence in the clinic, the health education officer is able to teach the community about healthy living and disease prevention and control.

Under the guidance of the health education officer, Alicia, Kelsey, and I were able to devise and present a short lecture about HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention. After prayer service one morning, we spoke to the patients and the health education officer translated our words into Setswana. Although it was exciting to feel like we were giving back to the community, I think that mini-lectures like what we presented are not the most effective means of education. Given the staggeringly high prevalence of HIV in Botswana, the vast majority of the community knows about the dangers HIV/AIDS. The information we gave them is of critical importance, but was not new news to them. Instead of a one-way education system, I think health education at the clinic should engage the community members in discussion and critical exploration of ways to diminish epidemics like HIV/AIDS in the community. This would facilitate active learning and would answer the questions that the patients want answered. Also, it would allow patients to be more aware and get more involved in their own health.

Home-Based Care is one of the most attractive components of Mochudi Clinic II. Almost everyday, clinic staff goes in the ambulance to visit patients at their homes. Oftentimes we accompanied staff from Motswedi Community Rehabilitation Programme. Since its inception in 1992, Motswedi has been committed to providing rehabilitation and physical therapy to patients in the community as well as providing preschool and skills training for developmentally challenged children. The program gets half of its funding from the government and half from fundraising initiatives.

Throughout the week we visited more than a dozen different patients. We visited two elderly stroke patients three times throughout the week to check how rehabilitation exercises were improving their motor function. After listening to their complaints, we also were able to give suggestions on how to improve their situation. For instance, both patients complained of hard stool so we suggested eating lots of vegetables and fruits rather than having them take medicine that would give them diarrhea. We gave them positive encouragement and reminded them to do their exercises frequently. It was rewarding to see how thankful the patients’ families were for our presence and support.

We also visited several families with children with developmental disorders like cerebral palsy and hydrocephalous. HIV/AIDS, TB, Malaria, diabetes and heart disease get so much media attention that genetic and developmental disorders are often overlooked. However, according to the Motswedi physical therapists, developmental disorders are quite common in Mochudi. Just as we saw unmotivated patients in their homes, it was particularly sad to see unmotivated parents of children with such developmental disorders. Struggling with poverty and health issues of their own, parents become “lazy” and look like they are neglectful of their child’s health needs. However, from a more empathetic perspective, the parents are just as vulnerable as their children to pain and suffering. Counseling and support should be provided by the clinic, particularly for these mothers, to help eliminate stigmatization of developmental disorders and promote adherence to exercise regimens.

Some of the Home-Based Care patients we visited had more complicated situations. One family had four children, the youngest three of which had congenital developmental problems such as hydrocephalous and cerebral palsy. All had severely stunted growth. The mother of the children had taken Depo-Provera 150, an injected birth control hormone, after having her first child. Six years later, she had the three children with congenital problems. Depo-Provera 150 is banned in the United States because of its ill side effects, including sterility, irregular bleeding, decreased libido, depression, high blood pressure, excessive weight gain, breast tenderness, vaginal infections, hair loss, stomach pains, blurred vision, joint pain, growth of facial hair, acne, cramps, diarrhea, skin rash, tiredness, and swelling of limb (Goodman, 1985). In a country like Botswana where undernourishment is a problem, weight loss could be a serious health threat. Although genetics are undoubtedly implicated in these developmental disorders, I wonder whether it also could be linked to the Depo-Provera 150 injection. The Food and Drug Administration proposed that fetal exposure could cause birth defects when they presented their case against the drug’s approval in the US (Goodman, 1985). I’d like to investigate into the harmful side effects of Depo-Provera 150 and its implication on birth control methods in Botswana.

We also visited a man who was having problems adhering to his ARV medications. He told us an elaborate and quite believable story about how both of the muscles in his legs unexplainably atrophied in 2005. Since then, he has religiously been doing his leg exercises and has gone from bed rest to wheelchair to crutches. Despite this inspirational story, the man was getting sick because he wasn’t taking his ARVs. He thought they weren’t necessary because it only takes a few seconds to swallow pills. From his point of view, they could hardly have an effect on his health if they didn’t take any time to work. When we tried to explain to him otherwise, he got angry and defensive. He began to talk about being bewitched and going to the traditional healer for better care. His mom didn’t share the same beliefs about traditional healers and was fed up with his apparent ridiculousness. It was interesting to observe the clash between traditional and modern medicine. In the future, I think that the clinic should work cooperatively with traditional healers to promote HIV/AIDS prevention and safe health practices.

The Maternal Child Health room at Mochudi Clinic was a much more integral part of the clinic than in Old Naledi. The nurse was welcoming and compassionate. Women come to MCH for pre and postnatal checkups, family planning, and gynecological problems such as urinary tract infections and sexually transmitted diseases. Pregnant women must be HIV tested before the nurse can look at them. Prenatal checkups included measuring the size of the stomach to determine the baby’s length, listening to the fetal heartbeat, and palpating the belly to check for physical deformities. Younger pregnant women are given multivitamins and tsabothle rations to ensure their health throughout pregnancy. The first time a women comes in for a pregnancy checkup, the nurse does a full physical exam and cervical examination.

During my observation of the Maternal Child Health room I saw several interesting cases. I found it particularly interesting how the nurse treated a Zimbabwean pregnant woman who came to the clinic. She was demeaning to the Zimbabwean, scolding her for working to hard and failing to take proper care of her first baby that passed after living one month. From my observations, it seems as though Zimbabweans are looked down upon and stigmatized in Botswana. As healthcare providers, nurses at the clinic should act indiscriminately, treating all patients as equals. There was also an HIV positive nurse from Princess Marina that comes to Mochudi Clinic for confidentiality. Given the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS, I understand why the nurse didn’t want to collect her ARVs from the dispensary at Princess Marina Hospital.

Another interesting case involved a woman who came to the clinic for the first time 22 weeks into her pregnancy. Upon cervical examination, the nurse found white discharge on the specula. The nurse lectured the woman on the importance of safe sex during pregnancy and prescribed her clotromidazole, a drug commonly used for treatment of Trichomoniasis. It was interesting to see the reality of a disease we learned about in parasitology class a few weeks ago! After the woman left the examination room, the nurse and I discussed the problem of condom use in Botswana. In her opinion, men were at fault in the problem since they don't want to wear condoms. They risk the spread of harmful STIs such as HIV and the possibility of pregnancy for their own sexual pleasure. Men play very little role in the pregnancy of their child. It’s frustrating to see countless women come to the clinic alone, with serious sexual health problems and pregnancy.

Other positive aspects of the clinic that I observed were the cleanliness and sanitation protocols. There was soap in every examination room and all of the bathrooms were equipped with toilet paper. I also think that the openness of the clinic allowed for better ventilation than at Old Naledi Clinic. The clinic also wrapped free packages of condoms in newspaper for patients to take inconspicuously. Given the stigmatization of condom use in Botswana, I think it was very clever of the clinic staff to promote condom use by giving them out so discreetly. Lastly, I thought the daily morning meetings to discuss news and the previous day’s proceedings were important to keeping the clinic staff united. These morning meetings are a short yet effective way to keep the Clinic nurses on the same page.

Despite the positive experiences I had, I felt that Mochudi Clinic could also be improved in several ways. The clinic consistently ran out of vaccinations and rations. This is a problem more of the Botswana government than the clinic, but is an issue detrimental to patients all the same. I was also surprised when the MCH nurse didn’t know how to use the pregnancy test a woman brought in. As a nurse specializing in gynecology and antenatal care, administering pregnancy tests should be a fairly common part of her job description. I was likewise surprised patients could get their prescriptions free at the dispensary, but women had to buy pregnancy tests from a chemist. This differentiation puts pregnancy in a negative light, incurring a financial penalty on the woman.

After lunch break, everything slowed down to a standstill at the clinic. When we didn’t go on home-based care visits, I felt as though there was no point in keeping the clinic open. Time after lunch should be better spent in completing paper work, devising health education seminars, going on home-based care visits and having meetings. On a separate note, I noticed that the clinic needs more napkins to provide patients in home-based care. At 180 pula per pack, most patients can’t afford these medical expenses. Although resources are in high demand, its unfair to selectively give out napkins. Either all patients should be given equal amounts or they should offer the napkins at a subsidized rate for everyone. Lastly, I think there needs to be a way to help severely disabled in Mochudi. There are many people who remain without aid because Motswedi doesn’t have the resources to take the severely handicapped under their belt. Thus, those who need help the most are left in the dark. Overall, I had a very enjoyable experience at Mochudi Clinic II and I thought it was interesting to see the differences and similarities to Old Naledi Clinic.

Over the second weekend, my mother took me to pick out fabric and have a traditional skirt made at a tailor (much cheaper than in Gabs). I also went to an English church with Thabo which was smaller but just as animated and evangelical as Bible Life Ministries in Gabs. I also got to visit Thabo's 2 month old son Setso! He actually didn't mention he had a son until the day I left. I found it particularly interesting how passionate he was about the problems he saw with Setswana culture. He complained time and again about how he never got to see his son because traditionally, infants aren't allowed to leave the house until they are 6 months old. Since he isn't married to the mother of Setso, he only gets to see his boy a few days a week. But the smile on Thabo's face when he was holding Setso was truly priceless!

So the Mochudi stay was huge success. I enjoyed every minute of it and undoubtedly will go back to visit the cattlepost (since we didn't have time for that) and to pick up my skirt! I look forward to seeing all of my family and neighbors, especially Mma-Thabo again!!

Wave Your Flag, TIA (This is Africa!)

I’ve been in Botswana a month now, and I still feel like I’m on one big vacation. The past two weeks in Gaborone and traveling around Northern Botswana have been a whirlwind of unforgettable memories. I feel like every time I get the chance to post I have so much to say, so I will try to condense my thoughts and stories to only the most interesting information ☺ (You all know how great I am at telling stories)

Last weekend, I went to one of my host cousin, Utsile’s, graduation party a very “So-Cal” Golf Resort in Phakalane, a town on the outskirts of Gaborone. It was a little taste of America—a pretty change from the rest of the past month. Aty, Tumisan (Alicia’s sister) and their cousin Abigail requested we do a photo shoot of them. They are quite the diva trio with high heals and model-like poses. Delicious all-you-can-eat buffet, it truly felt more like a wedding than a graduation party. Apparently Utsile had been in the UK for the past 10 years studying in a private boarding school and the University of Glasgow. She even had a British accent! The party was a very warm welcome back for her.

We also celebrated Krisstina’s 21st birthday in style that Saturday night at Primi (I wasn’t too hungry after the graduation party but it was still a great time!) and Lizzard Lounge. Lizzard Louge wasn’t very crowded when we got there but by the time we left, it was hopping. Clearly the American girls bring the crowds ;)

Sunday morning I woke up early so I would catch my mom before she went to church. The service was at Bible Life Ministries and lasted from 9 am to a little before 1 pm. Despite the length, it was truly a spectacular service. Everyone was dancing, jumping, singing and praising God – mind, body, and soul. I got pretty emotional just observing how people were consumed in prayer. Coming from the very structured, “hands-off” parish at St. Teresa’s in Summit, it was refreshing to see such an enthusiastic congregation. The pastor would read Bible verses, preach a bit, and then have the congregation repeat him. Sunday’s service was about death—a pretty relevant topic for this audience. I would definitely go back again.

Scandal at Old Naledi Clinic! The head matron for the district came to the clinic on Monday because doctors were complaining about the lazy, unmotivated nurses at the clinic. When she came to check on the clinic, all of the nurses hid in the trailer outside to avoid facing her or dealing with any of the patients. Of course this equated to even longer queues. We have been talking to Batsi and our professor Dr. Phaladze about switching around clinics. To get the most out of our public health education experience, it would be nice to see how other clinics, hospices, hospitals, and home-based care work. Hopefully they will have made some changes by the time we get back from our week long homestay in Mochudi because clinic work has gotten pretty mundane.

I had quite the scary experience on the combi a few days ago coming back from UB. In the chaos of getting my money out in the very crowded combi my phone fell through the crack between the combi door and the floor. The lady behind me was very helpful and called my phone twice. The second time, a man picked up! He had been driving his combi and spotted the phone in the road, picked it up, and happened to be going to the same station that I was at. What are the odds!? I gladly gave him 20 pula ($3) for his drinks that night.

On Thursday, Alicia, Kelsey, Krisstina, Christina, and I headed off for our Salt Pans adventure. We had quite the 5 hour bus ride to Francistown. At every stop, vendors crowded onto the bus trying to sell us cold, day-old Hungry Lion (fast food chicken and chips), brown bananas, airtime, and random candy. After the intial shock of these overwhelming vendors, it just got pretty annoying. We had a good time though, telling stories and singing along to American music on our ipods. Skae and his friends G, BG, and Malik graciously (and may I add, somewhat drunkenly) at the Francistown bus rank. Skae is Thobo’s “brother”/best friend- and Thobo is Kelsey’s 24 year old uncle who lives in Francistown. Skae and his buds took us to Thobo’s
“house” aka tiny servants quarters. Pictures don’t really do justice to the size of the room. The lieu was outside and the room consisted of a double size mattress pad on the floor. Man were we in for an interesting night—at least it was free! Skae, BG, G, and Malik took us around town and somehow we ended up in a parking lot dancing to “Wavin Flag” and Jason Derulo on someone’s car stereo. A good time was had by all.

After another three hour, VERY crowded bus ride to Gweta the next morning, we arrived at Planet Baobab. It reminded me of all the luxury hotels we stayed at when we were traversing South East Asia. After a little scare about our quadbiking trip (they said they didn’t have any room for us. Luckily we were forceful enough that they made room!) we settled into our accommodations. Since one of the tents was broken, they upgraded two of us to a hut—so Krisstina and I volunteered to stay there for the night. The hut was beautiful with mosquito netted beds, traditional decorations, and best of all, a rainfall shower!!! This weekend already couldn’t have been better. Although we didn’t have swimsuits with us, we braved the unheated yet very beautiful pool (see pictures!) While we were sitting around the pool as the sunset, we started chatting with an American woman and her daughters Fanny and Lucy. She was very friendly and told us all about her family’s adventures around Africa. Half way through the conversation we asked about her job, and she revealed she was an actress, an actress we all knew and loved from Grey’s Anatomy— what an awesome surprise!

We were off to our quadbiking excursion early – good thing I’m so used to getting up at 6 am! The five of us were accompanied by a couple from Germany and a man from the Netherlands. Our guide (can’t recall his name, but he was very amiable!) drove us in his safari vehicle for 1.5+ hrs. through the bush to our destination. It seemed like forever—perhaps because we were just so excited! Stopped by the meerkat colony and got up close and personal with a bunch of Timon-like meerkats! Disney really did it right with their Lion King characters. The meerkats were lots of fun to watch dig and pop up and down—and they didn’t mind human presence one bit! Shortly after “playing with the meerkats” we started our quadbiking adventure. I rode with Kelsey (she drove half, I drove the other half). I have truly never seen anything like it- white expanses of pure NOTHINGNESS! We actually saw water mirages in the distance because it was so barren. Its crazy to think how little life existed in the salt pan. It got pretty warm by midday, luckily we had on our head scarves on to keep sand out of our face and protect our heads from the strong rays. The guide told me the ground can get up to 60 degree celcius during the summer months—definitely not something you want to touch! We attempted to take pictures jumping in the air—it took a few tries, but eventually we succeeded! The guide showed us some authentic stone tools guides had found over the years from hundreds of thousands of years ago. We ended up driving about 46 kilometers total—a very worthwhile and enjoyable experience! The excursion was followed by a delicious lunch with our guide and a drive back on the main roads (through the villages) rather than the bush.

My very dusty self was quite excited to take a warm shower when we got back. We spent the remainder of the evening chilling out, taking pictures, and watching the sunset on top of new friends’ (Grey’s Anatomy family) rented safari Land Rover at the waterhole. Although we didn’t see any elephants (Plant Baobab guides were telling us that they frequent the waterhole at dusk), we had a great time. Late dinner (it took them 2+ hours to prepare our food), but at least it was a change from the peanut and jelly sandwiches that had become an official staple in our traveling diet.

Given the rather sketchy/non-existent nature of buses from Gweta to Francistown, our new friends offered to give us a ride in their safari car. It was a tight squeeze to say the least—two in the trunk with the luggage and three in the middle with the kids on our laps. It was only bearable because we stopped several times to changes seats! But the mother gave us a lot of great information about places we should visit for spring break /after classes ended. I’m truly grateful for all of their charity this weekend. I can only hope that I will have the finances and time to come back and travel extensively with my family as they do! The bus from Francistown to Gaborone was another headache and a half (as per usual) but our sweaty, exhausted selves made it back to Gaborone in one piece. "Wavin Flag" and "Waka Waka Africa" were played on repeat for the entire 5 hours-- you can only imagine how annoyed of it we got! It was a crazy weekend and it felt good to be home, but I wouldn’t have traded the experience for anything!

Its been back to the swing of things at UB/the clinic now. We are headed to Mochudi on Saturday, so I have been working on the several essays due when we get back. Its been pretty hard to be motivated to do work after such an awesome weekend. And, every time I have internet, I have the unrelenting urge to check my email or chat with friends and family on Facebook.

On Tuesday night, I was diligently working on my clinical log for my Public Health Practicum when my sister Aty came in my room and informed me that my host mom had just been robbed and was at the police station. Apparently she had been driving home from her sister’s house and was stopped at a traffic light (called a robot here) when a man came to the passenger side door, shattered the passenger-side window with a sharp object, took her purse, and ran. My mom was, understandably, pretty shaken up and worried after the incident. Luckily she was ok, but she wasn’t able to cancel her credit cards until Wednesday morning because they don’t have 24-hour services here! I’m sure its very frustrating to have the added financial burden of paying for a new window (not covered by insurance), lost cash, and new IDs.

On Wednesday, Alicia, Kelsey, and I went to Gaborone City Council with an environmental health professor to talk with an officer there about the environmental health system here in Gaborone. The presentation was pretty unimpressive but one thing I got out of the morning was with regards to meat inspection in Gaborone. Apparently because the task is shifting jurisdictions, no one has been inspecting meat since last September! I was pretty outraged considering the number of health concerns surrounding meat. No one is inspecting slaughterhouse facilities and practices, meat quality and safety, and food-borne diseases. And the worst part is, the public is totally unaware!! To all my vegetarian friends out there--after the day’s proceedings, I decided to officially become vegetarian (at least for the duration of my study abroad experience). If circumstances allow it, I hope to get involved in exposing the issue to the media and raising awareness for meat safety here—I feel like this could be something very rewarding to get involved in. More to come in a few weeks hopefully!

Wow...if you are still reading, God bless you. I’m sorry I’ve dragged on for so long, but I feel like I have so much to say. Next week I will be doing my village homestay in Mochudi which I’m sure will be quite the experience. Two weeks after that my parents are coming and then I’m off for Spring Break. This semester is already going far to fast!

Until next time..Go Siame!


PS- JW—you were definitely right about Linga Longa. The perfect place to a) get internet/skype b) chill c) get awesome food! I see myself spending a lot of my free time in the future there.

Photos from the Salt Pans!!