Hi everyone!

It has been far too long since my last update and I have millions of things I would like to share. A lot has happened since the last time I posted...

I guess I'll just start where I left off. The Mokolodi Game Drive was amazing. We saw lots of amazing animals (giraffes, antelope, rhinos, ostriches, etc) and after the game drive we had a fantastic dinner in the bush (a braii). So much fun and a fantastic way to end our stay in Gaborone. The next day we left Gabs for our first home stay.

For the past 5-ish weeks I've been living in a small village called Manyana with the Mogomotsi family [Cecilia, my mother, Boiki, my father, and my three siblings: Dineo (sister, 22), Onalenna (brother, 20) and Onnetse (brother, 17)]. As soon as I met my mother, I was given the name Boitumelo, which means 'joy' and my nicknames include 'boi', 'bitu', 'bitwizer', and just simply 'twizer'. I adore my name and the meaning behind it. I couldn't have asked for a better family to live with. They were so warm and welcoming and exactly what I needed for my first home stay. The village was rural but not nearly as rural as what I was expecting. Every one of our families had electricity and most had working televisions. However, there was no running water so I bathed in a small plastic tub with an inch of water in the bottom and went to the bathroom in an outhouse in our backyard (at night, I had to use a bucket in my room because the outhouse potentially contained snakes and bats. No thanks.). Manyana is just a beautiful village and I am so sad to leave it (we said our goodbyes this morning).

In the interest of saving time and condensing five weeks worth of experiences, here are some memorable moments in Manyana:

• My first night in the village, my sister bathed me entirely, which sounds a lot more awkward than it was. To be honest, I actually really appreciated the demonstration. 
• Hiking to "pride rock" with friends from my program.
• Making a pot with a traditional potter in the village (made entirely by hand from the soil in the woman's yard. We used the rib bone of a cow to smooth the pots).
• Making friends with all the children in my neighborhood (particularly Boitshepo and Doku)
• Visiting the village of Mmankgodi for the culture day at the kgotla (a town center, or sorts) and discovering what we thing is an abandoned school.
• Visiting a traditional doctor. 
• Visiting the Manyana rock paintings
• Our farewell party

Now, I'm in Gaborone for the night and tomorrow morning (at 4:00 am) we are heading north for our first study trip (to Chobe National Park and Victoria Falls where we will camp and have a three day safari, a sunset cruise on the Chobe River, and a day trip to Vic. Falls!). We'll be gone for 8 days and then we're back in Gaborone for a few days before we head to our next village (Mochudi). In Mochudi, I'll be living with another host family and I will have an internship (yet to be determined where). 

Unfortunately, I think that's all I have time for right now, but I will have internet again after our study trip and hopefully more regularly in Mochudi (I hear there are internet cafes there!).

I miss you all very much and it was so wonderful to touch base with home for a little bit today. I promise to update after our trip!

Love,

Jesse (Boitumelo)