More tales from Gaborone (Days 3 - 5)

Wow, it has been a week since I left for Botswana, so much has happened in such a short amount of time. I have been really busy for the past couple of days, so this could be a long entry. I believe that I left off on Tuesday, so I will start with Wednesday…

On Wednesday we traveled to a women’s centre. This center is much like the women’s shelters we have in the states, but it is a little different. Often times the counselors at the shelter do marriage counseling and financial independence training instead of just working with battered women. The shelter does do a great deal of work with battered women as well. It was interesting to hear the woman in charge of the centre talk. She explained that this is the only women’s centre in all of Botswana, so many women travel thousands of miles just to get protection.

After going to the women’s center, which is easy to find, we traveled to the actual women’s shelter. The location is hidden in order to keep the women safe, which is good idea. I felt uncomfortable going to the women’s shelter because I felt like we were being intrusive. If there had not been any women there, it might have been different, but if I was a woman in need of the women’s shelter I would not really want to be put on display. Luckily we only stayed a few minutes and no one seemed that uncomfortable with us.

After the women’s shelter we went back to campus for lunch and then explored more of the city. (Gaborone is also called Gabs, so look out for that in order to avoid confusion in later entries!) Food in Botswana is interesting. It feels like we are eating all the time here! It is nice in a way because we all feel very taken care of, but on the other hand the food is so heavy sometimes I think it would be best just to skip a meal! (I don’t though; I would feel bad wasting food.)

The food is much heavier than in the United States, and there is much more meat. At first we didn’t have many fruits or vegetables, but after a few meals the people preparing our food noticed that vegetables and fruits were are favorite things, so they have started preparing more. The best thing I have had so far is this tasty soup they serve with everything (rice, potatoes, millet etc.) that is made out of onion and tomatoes. I also really like the pumpkin, the chicken and surprisingly enough the cooked veggies! (I even ate peas!!!) There have been some things that I don’t like (liver, tripe, beans etc.) but I do try most everything.

Thursday was another eventful day. In the morning we went to go visit Holy Cross Hospice, a non-profit organization associated with the Anglican Church. The purpose of the Hospice is to help those people who are suffering from HIV/AIDS or cancer (90% HIV/AIDS, 10% cancer). During the day, those who are able to move around travel to the hospice for day care, those who are too sick to leave their homes receive home care. Sadly, the Hospice is severely understaffed, with no doctors and only one full time nurse, two nurse aids and a few social workers. The organization does what it can with the staff they have and volunteers, it’s just a shame they don’t have more help.

The hospice also has an after school program for youth. This program focuses on getting youth from high risk areas out of the streets and keeping them in school. We asked if the hospice provides HIV/AIDS prevention education, and the staff told us that HIV/AIDS prevention education was a part of everything they do. There is a link to the organization below.

http://www.holycrosshospice.org/index.html

After going to the hospice, we were driven around the different parts of Gaborone. We were shown the ghetto, Old Naledi, were the poorest persons live, and were then shown the upper-class neighborhoods. The difference between the rich and the poor is astounding. We had been aware of a significant gap between the rich and the poor, but when shown these two neighborhoods it really hit home. Once again, I felt uncomfortable being driven around Old Naledi because I felt that we were being disrespectful. We were driving in a compi (van used for public transport) while following a new Jaguar (our professors car). I felt like a tourist. Some students were taking pictures, but I could not bring myself to do so, I did not feel like I should gain something, even a picture from someone else’s misfortunes.

The rich neighborhood we went to was quite classy. The houses were huge and there was even a huge golf course we drove through. All of the houses are surrounded by huge fences with electrical wire at the top to deter theft. There seems to be very little middle class here, and it’s depressing. I suppose it is the same in other countries, but it feels much more pronounced here.

After touring the rich neighborhood we ironically went to Botswana Craft, a nice, trendy craft store. The crafts were all beautiful, but it was a mostly tourist focused shop. I didn’t buy anything, I want to explore the area more, and have a change to buy crafts from the people who have made them. I am sure I will have plenty of opportunity to shop, as we have gone to at least one store almost every day this week!

On Friday we went to a “traditional village”, which in reality was only a mock village. It was very educational. We were shown several customs that used to be performed by the Bushmen before modernization. The village is a nice way of keeping a piece of history alive. We were shown how a man picks his bride, and a traditional marriage. (One of our American students and one of the Botswana students/city guide were chosen for the honor.) We were shown how the women would do various tasks around the house, like thatching the roof and cleaning the floor with cow dung, and how to pound sorghum. We were shown traditional dances and we were given traditional beer (it was nasty). It was a lot of fun. At the end of the afternoon we were given a “bush lunch” with traditional foods, but I don’t know the names of anything we ate. It was a lot of the same stuff we eat everyday at school.

I should end here, because this entry is already far too long and I only have 30 minutes left at the computer. I will update again soon…

Still to come:

- Housing.
- Computer and Library problems/adventures.
- Me tripping and falling on my bum.
- The Game Park.
- Nightclub adventure.