After just over a week from leaving home and almost a week in Botswana, I finally arrived safe and sound at my placement location in Shakawe this past Sunday!
So, it has been a busy week to say the least, and I have already been to many different places and seen and experienced lots. I have been keeping multiple journals and made WAY too many observations to share, but here are just a few about the country:
1. There are very interesting flora. Aside from the trees and bushes that aren't dead or completely dry, Botswana has some neat plants. 2. There are very interesting fauna. On our drive across the entire country, we saw tons of wildlife. Cows, goats, donkeys, and dogs are EVERYWHERE and don't hurry up to cross the road even while being honked at incessantly. There are more cows than people in Botswana. I have also seen many birds (including one that looks like Zazu, and some of the bird sounds are extremely fascinating), roosters, chickens, horses, pheasants, ostriches, baboons (a large group of them sauntered across the road while we were driving), antelope, and a turkey vulture. | |
After HIV/AIDS, road accidents are the second highest cause of deaths in Botswana. They drive on the left hand side, which took some getting used to. Driving involves extremely quick acceleration and breaking. Speed limits (120 km/hr on highways) are not followed. We drove on average 150-160 km/hr, regardless of the terrain or passing animals or passing other vehicles into oncoming traffic. Roads are generally fairly well maintained, but the farther out you are, the narrower they get. Off-roading (or spinning in sand) is not uncommon. Hand signals between drivers and people on the road (including for hitchhiking, taxis, combis, saying hello) are common and still unknown to me.
4. It is hot.
We have already had temperatures as high as 40 degrees, and have been warned several times that it is going to get a lot hotter as their summer approaches… At least the mornings and evenings are still nice and cool.
5. Everyone knows everyone everywhere they go.
The people and culture are very friendly, but it seems like everyone has family or some sort of connections to people in other cities and towns that we visit.
6. Things or people will appear in the most unexpected places.
Example #1: Kilometres away from any town that we were aware of, garbage bags were neatly lined up along the side of the highway to be collected.
Example #2: We got our official passport-sized photos for immigration taken by a young man on a street corner who pulled out a camera and a white backdrop, took our pictures, and developed them right there on the street.
7. Everything takes time.
The pace is totally different here. Plans are either made or we are informed about plans 2 minutes before they happen or 5 minutes after. You have to be assertive and persistent if you want something to get done.
At times it still feels surreal to think that I am in a completely different country on a completely different continent half way across the world and that I will be here for 8 months, but to me it seems natural that I should be here, and I have had a nice gradual transition to life in Botswana over the past week. I am absolutely enjoying every moment and adventure.