Dumelang (doo-MEH-lahng...hello everyone)!!

I found an restaurant with free wifi! Unfortunately, this is likely the last time I will have internet for a while. I move to the village on Saturday and have very little free time between now and then. I will be in the village for about 4 weeks and then I will be back in Gaborone for a few days. I promise I'll get online whenever I can and update you all.

Here's what's happened so far:

-We've learned LOTS of Setswana (especially for only having two classes so far). We can now greet people and have conversations in several ways (some for morning, some for afternoon, some for all the time), we can ask a person's name and where they are from. We know how to ask questions, and how to say we're feeling sick (a phrase that will likely be very useful), and all kinds of stuff! I'm keeping a notebook of everything we learn and I would be MORE than happy to show you when I return to the states. Maybe I will also post some Setswana words in here when I have more time (and more battery life... 15% right now!! Trying to type quickly...). 

I'm loving this trip so far, and we haven't even gotten started. Tomorrow we are going on the Mokolodi game drive and then we are having a braii (a barbeque of sorts). I promise to take lots of pictures!

For all of you who were concerned, the village is VERY different from what I was told to expect. Apparently, last year, 9/10 of the students had electricity. Two of our Setswana assistants are from this village and they said that people have running water, electricity, watch tv, etc. It seems to be a large village, complete with supermarket. However, it does seem to be very rural. It seems like a lot of contradictions, so I will clear things up once I have a better understanding of the location.  

Well, I think that's about all I have for right now. I apologize if this seems rushed... hopefully I'll be able to leisurely update this at some point during the trip. I miss you all and I can't wait to talk to you again.

Go siame (ho see-AH-may... goodbye)!!

Love,

Jess

Hi everyone! I finally made it to Gaborone (after a very long and occasionally aggravating travel experience... having to pay for an extra flight, for example. My flight from London to Johannesburg was delayed and I missed my connection. British Airways automatically rebooked me for a different flight, but South African Airways made me pay for it. Really stupid and added unnecessary stress. But it's all taken care of now). We are living at the Botswana National Productivity Center until Saturday. Then we will move into our first home stay and I will be out of communication for about four weeks. Unfortunately, the BNPC doesn't have wifi so I will have to walk to the Riverwalk Mall and pay 5 pula to get on the Internet for 15 minutes. I will try to update whenever I can, but I have to be smart about it. Also, sorry I'm blast emailing instead of emailing individuals, but I'm trying to make best use of my time =). I already miss home, but I'm quickly falling in love with Botswana. It's beautiful here. We starting learning Setswana tomorrow morning, so I will likely post about my progress every now and then.

I miss you terribly and I will talk to you whenever I get the chance. Please send me updates about what's going on back home!

Love,

Jesse

Well, the time has come for me to leave for Botswana. It snuck up really quickly, but I think I'm finally ready to go. I won't be able to update a whole lot (only for a few days once I get to Gaborone, and then not at all for 4-5 weeks), but I promise that whenever I have internet access I will update you all on the progress of my adventure.

Here's the plan for today:

Flight to London leaving at 7:25 pm
Flight from London to Johannesburg leaving at 7:05 pm (London time)
Flight from Johannesburg to Gaborone leaving 8:35 am (Johannesburg time)

I'll arrive in Botswana at 9:20 am Tuesday morning (Botswana is 9 hours ahead of Phoenix, so that's about midnight Phoenix time). From there, I'll spend a few days at the program house with my program-mates and try to reset my biological clock as much as I can.

I had a wonderful last night in town with friends and I will miss everyone dearly. Here's my request from all of you. Please keep in contact with me. Even though I won't have regular internet access, I still want to know what's going on in your lives. Email me, comment on my blog, facebook me, whatever. Just keep me updated, and I will do the same. Talk to you from Botswana =).

Love you all,

Jess