Week One Highlights and Tasty Morsels of Knowledge

A day and a half after I watched Gavin pull away from the curb at SeaTac airport and drive into the Seattle downpour, I climbed  down the stairs of a propeller plane (carefully--I'd taken full advantage of South African Air's complementary wine selection) and into the oppressive heat of a sub-Saharan summer. The heat made the tiny airport covered entirely in bluish glass look like a shimmering oasis on the outskirts of arid Gaborone (hab-or-own-ay), or like a mirror to the open sky. This aesthetic runs deep in Setswana culture: the flag of Botswana is mostly blue, which represents water and sky, unified in the form of rain--a precious resource for an arid, landlocked, rapidly developing nation. The currency of Botswana is the Pula, which is the Setswana word for rain. We've actually seen a few exquisite rain/thunderstorms since we've arrived, including on our first night which is considered a blessing for travelers in Setswana culture.

Blue: sky, water, rain
Black: the black majority population
White: the white minority population

Our CIEE group of 19 undergrads from across the US stayed two nights at Oasis Motel before moving into our dorms at the University of Botswana, or for some of us (not me), our host family's respective homes. I'm sharing a room in a dorm called Las Vegas with another CIEE girl named Lexy. From what I've heard, the dorm lives up to its name during the weekends... Our transition has been facilitated expertly by the amazing CIEE group here at UB. I don't know where we would be without them! They've filled the past week with helpful and engaging programming to orient us to the culture(s) of the nation, city and university. Orientation has included lectures from several talented and incredibly knowledgeable UB professors. (shout-out to my WMGS/feminist peeps-- one of them studied under Judith Butler!!!) Lecture topics included Customs and Etiquette, The Evolution of Setswana Culture, Race, Gender, Ethnicity and Class, Historical Perspectives of Botswana, Survival Setswana, and even a dance workshop.  Most professors are Batswana (people of Botswana) who pursued graduate/doctorate work in the US or UK. From what I've experienced, their English is far more sophisticated than that of 99.9% of the US population.

Thursday night we all dressed up and went out to a welcome dinner at a swanky Asian fusion restaurant (that played an eclectic stream of 80s and 90s American music videos) on CIEE's dime. I'm still adjusting to looking at the price of things-- my entree was P58.00 ... which divided by the 8.5:1 exchange rate comes out to less than ten dollars. A mojito? Less than five dollars. I'll try to hold off on the shopping sprees... With immense difficulty. This discrepancy between cost of living really reveals American privilege, and explains why many Batswana associate Americans with wealth (making them targets for scams, theft..) because an American middle class income places one in the upper echelons of Botswana society. So as thrilled as I am about a lifestyle of frugal decadence, I will try to refrain from running around squealing about how "cheap" everything is, and instead reflect on what that means for me, my country/society, and for my interactions with local students and anyone else I meet.

Class is indeed a hot topic in Botswana, especially as one of the most affluent nations in Africa. Just one year after gaining independence from Britain in 1966 a vast diamond belt was discovered and the economy boomed. Like many developing or newly affluent nations (and, ahem, the US, although on a very different scale) there is immense wealth inequality. Botswana has an impoverished and astronomically unemployed working class (near 17%, I think). So while a small group has become wealthy from the diamond trade (plus tourism and cattle), many still suffer. The government, however has been quite prudent with its wealth. Botswana has a socialized medical system, which includes a network of mobile clinics, local clinics, referral hospitals, etc. Batswana receive care for very little or no cost. For many individuals who live in the country with the highest HIV transmission rate in the world, this guaranteed care and free HIV testing is a godsend. The availability of anti-retroviral medication in Botswana is implicated in the recent successes of reducing this transmission rate--mother-to-child transmission in almost unheard of. Like in many socialized systems, the wealthy can still access quick (but expensive) private care. This medical system vis-a-vis the unique culture of Botswana and the HIV/AIDS crisis is what I came to study in my Community Public Health program.

I get to intern/job shadow in three separate clinics while I'm here (for credit), and I can volunteer for others in my free time if I choose. I'm taking two other classes through CIEE: Setswana Language and Culture,  and Public and Environmental Health Issues in Botswana. I'm taking three additional classes through direct enrollment in UB: Traditional and Alternative Medical Systems, Gender, Reproductive Health and Development, and The Demographic Aspects of HIV/AIDS. I'm really excited for my classes, but also nervous. UB's academic culture is largely based on the UK model, with little lecturer-student interaction, picky grading, attention to form/format, and concentration of grades within just a few tests and papers. No letting my guard down this semester! And according to our program director, as Americans we will have to work even harder to prove ourselves, and redeem a reputation for flakiness and sub-par performance handed down by previous American international students...

I can imagine the questionable reputation of American students is related to cultural differences of which many Americans are blithely ignorant. Setswana culture prioritizes respect over basically anything else. Humility and politeness will get you far; demanding or assertive comportment will make your life very difficult. Batswana see themselves as a collective; acting without regard to the collective community is a serious transgression, which is dealt with accordingly. As an extreme example, several locals have shared stories with us about people who were caught in the act of stealing and a mob pursued them and beat them within an inch of death. Of more mundane relevance, greetings are VERY important! Even if you are asking a service person for assistance, a greeting is expected. "Hello, m'am/sir" is "dumela mma/rra" and is heard everywhere, in any interaction, not matter how brief. Oh, and the resources I saw that say only 50% of Batswana speak Setswana? False! Everyone does. It's the language of the culture; its intonations form the hum of public spaces and everyday life. Basically everyone can speak English, but most don't speak it casually, save perhaps for students and professionals sometimes. It's a lovely language and I'm exited to learn more!

I got to practice some Setswana as we've gone out, especially yesterday when our UB student volunteers took us on a "combi safari." Combis are the public transportation in Gaborone-- they look like vans or mini buses, don't run on a time schedule, and blast Afro-house music as the breeze from the open windows cools everyone's glistening bodies packed close together. It was a long day but we had a blast stopping by all of the main attractions we'll want to visit later on, like the combi station, performing arts spaces, and the open air shopping at Main Mall... which is where I ate a Mopane worm (caterpillar)! They're a traditional food, and we found them dried and salted and sold as bulk food at the market for snacking and cooking. They taste... fine... but I couldn't get over munching on something that looked like a spiky caterpillar! I also tried a merula fruit. They're everywhere, with their smooth pale green skin dotting the red earth beneath the trees. To eat them, you puncture the skin with your teeth and suck out the juice, then suck the pit covered in white fruit into your mouth. It's tart and refreshing! I think I'll stick with those rather than the worms...

Merula fruit (photo cred Adam Zeelens)

Later last night our CIEE group had our first Gaborone nightlife experience. International students and a handful of locals packed a bar, called The Boulevard, which brimmed with laser lights and sweaty bodies, and we had a blast dancing with each other and new friends. (don't worry mom and dad, we took cabs there and back. And learned that they don't mind if you drink in the car. TIA!). The DJ played mostly American pop and rap music, but the type of music depends on the night of the week. It'll be fun to hear more variety and try out different clubs. Also, I'd like to say that it was refreshing to find that women can dance at bars and clubs and not be grabbed/groped/grinded upon by random men. The Batswana men are too busy showing off their moves for any of that! Interesting how this is the case in a culture where (so I've been told by a few local women) harbors a lot of sexism. I'm looking forward to learning more about gender in Setswana society and culture.

I've already found a great place to run, and marathon-ing running buddy named Adam. We run on a trail/service road just outside campus that follows the fence of a game reserve. I'm adjusting pretty well to running in the heat, which is bearable in the mornings. There are many distractions though--in the past three days we've seen a seven-inch millipede, a couple of dung beetles with a poo ball that looked like an emerald (according to Adam... haha), hundreds of butterflies of all different colors, a crane (and other cool birds I can't identify, sorry Ben and Nev..), cows (which were blocking the trail..), some deer-looking creatures (kudus?), aaaannd MONKEYS! Real ones! dozens! Within a few meters! The guy working at the reserve laughed at us as we freaked out.  

Whew, kudos (or should I say kudus...) to those who made it to the end of this! I'm sure future posts will be shorter as I start class and clinicals and settle into my routine. After this crazy week I'm looking forward to the daily humdrum being a student, and thinking more about various cultural nuances and subtleties as I move through my everyday life.

Ke a leboga! Go siame!