Pre-Short Vacation Life Update

Post 2

So its been ages since I last posted. Next week is short vacation and so this week has actually required me doing a significant amount of work for my ACM class and my research project, meaning that realistically this has been one of the most productive weeks of the semester so far. Fortunately, that is exactly in line with what I was hoping for from my time here. By having only 2 real classes (Setswana is interesting and difficult but is still an intro language course) it has allowed me a significant amount of time to meet new people, go to new places, and travel around both the city and the country. I have already briefly mentioned my trip to Durban and, while I have plans with the ACM group to go on Safari in the Okavango Delta (it’s the Planet Earth episode where the fish come out of the mud and crawl to the water when it starts raining!) and then to Central Kalahari Game Reserve, which takes up almost a quarter of the country. I think. Anyways, after that we’re already making plans for Easter Break (because we get 2 days without classes, I think) to go up to Victoria Falls for a long weekend. Some friends of mine have already made the trip and said it was absolutely amazing, so I cannot wait. That’s in the future though. For now, I’m pumped for the safari, and for the week away from Gaborone. As fun as it is being in the city, after a little while it really dawns on you just how small it is. I come from Portland, which is a reasonably small city in and of itself, and I can imagine going home and being overwhelmed with everything that there is to do. It’s not just the international kids who feel this way though. A couple Sundays ago some friends of mine from Zimbabwe loaded a bunch of people into the back of a pickup truck and took everyone outside the city to a nearby village called Gabane. We didn’t really see much of the village since it went from sweating-while-cruising-down-the-highway-in-the-bed-of-a-truck weather to its-raining-and-you’re-in-the-bed-of-a-truck-genius weather about halfway there. The overcast sky and occasional rain continued for most of the evening, leaving us stuck in a restaurant bar combo called Mountain Rest. Or Mountain View. Or Mountain something. Everyone agrees there is a Mountain in the name, but after that it gets confusing. The great part about this place is that you can buy raw meat and braai (grill) it there. So what we end up doing is sitting around, having a drink, buying and braaiing some meat, having another drink, and just relaxing. Taking things easy on a Sunday, most people have at least a little work so it’s not too crazy and you just get to spend some time out of the city, out of UB and into a different place. It’s exactly what you need sometimes, just a change of pace.

Another thing that I want to mention really quick before ending this post is Rib Night. I’ve shared my experiences with it to some people individually but I want to get this out on the interweb. Rib Night is the greatest invention of all time. I plan on replicating Rib Night when I come home. I don’t know how to cook ribs, but I’m going to learn. Rib Night consists of half priced ribs at a couple of places around Gaborone. This means that you can get 2 giant racks of ribs, 2 or 3 beers, and cabs there and back (if you split with friends) for around $15 US. That’s impressive wherever you are. To sweeten the deal even more, the ribs are good. Not like good for the price, I’m talking plain ol’ fashioned this is how ribs are supposed to taste smothered in barbeque sauce good. PLUS they give you chips (French fries). What else do you need in the world expect maybe a new belt after the first 3 or 4 of them? That’s rhetorical, the answer is “nothing.”

Okay that’s long enough for now, I’ll either update once more before flying out to Safari or else expect some sort of post in which I gloat over being able to see really really big animals. Up close. Ah sneak preview! We’re canoeing down a river that’s full of hippos and crocodiles! So excited!