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Tag: Teniola Balogun

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By Teniola Balogun

A couple weeks ago, I took a weekend trip with my friends to Cape Town. It was such an amazing experience that I am very grateful for. After a 5-hour car ride to Johannesburg, we finally boarded our flight from Joburg to CPT (it was way cheaper this way).  We had just endured a long week of midterms, so no plans were made for this excursion. Which was okay, because CPT has so much to offer. The city is very westernized which really caused me to experience reverse culture shock. At times, I felt like I driving around the Bay Area of California.

Once the plan was made, the agenda for the week included hiking, Robben Island, museums, markets, food, and music. CPT is a very big city so it’s really impossible to see absolutely everything. Which was a really hard conclusion to come to. Luckily, our accommodation was located right outside the city center. We stayed in Bo-Kaap, which is a touristy area of CPT. It is a religious neighborhood that is filled with streets of colorful houses. At times, we would see tourists stopping to take pictures outside of our place. The strip of colorful houses made it a picturesque spot to watch the sun rise and set. Another benefit of our location in CPT was Table Mountain lurking in the back. It was literally right outside of our place. After endless trips to food and art markets, museums, hiking Table Mountain and live music, we were differently ready to head back home.

CPT was such a weird change from Gabs. The entire time I felt like a tourist who thought I had turned up in California and not Cape Town. Little to my knowledge, Cape Town has a pretty dark history involving Apartheid (something they do not teach you in history class). It felt weird for it to be that westernized. It made me very appreciative of my choice to study abroad in Gabs. The culture that I have experienced in Gabs, I could not experience in CPT. I felt like I was still in America doing the exact same things (going to artsy coffee shops and visiting fancy modern art galleries). For me the whole purpose of study abroad, it to experience a culture different from your own or at least a culture that you would probably never get the chance to experience. I loved my time in Cape Town. It is definitely a place I hope to visit again though.

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By Teniola Balogun

My type B personality matches the relaxed lifestyle found in Botswana. Everyone here is moving at their own (slow) pace. Everything often starts about 2 hours late. And everyone is used to it. When you go to a restaurant, expect to be sitting for a minimum of 2 hours. It is just how it works here. Batswana are always willing to have a conversation and go out of their way to help people. I definitely think that is related to the slow pace of how things move here.

At first, I thought I would get overwhelmed by it and throw a fit. It is just something you get used it. Whenever I go to a restaurant now, within 5 minutes of sitting down, I know to always place your food order. If you don’t, you could be sitting there until the sun sets. There is absolutely no rush in this country. Apart from having a type B personality helping me to navigate the Botswana lifestyle, a person also needs to have an open-mind that goes into every situation without expectations. If you walk into a situation expected something to happen a certain, you will be disappointed. Being open to change is an important quality to have in Botswana. For example, I had a presentation scheduled for 4-6pm on a Wednesday evening. At about 7 pm on Tuesday evening, my professor emails the class to say that she wants to change the time to Wednesday 6 am. No worries came from me because, you gotta constantly be on your toes here to make the most of your experience. Nothing is set in stone. Your professor might even throw in an extra group project that was not mentioned in the syllabus just for fun. The combi you need to take to school to arrive on time for an exam may take an hour to fill up instead of taking five minutes to fill up. All of these situations become 200% more manageable if you accept that they happened out of your control and the only thing you can do now is embrace the change.

I have noticed that “going with the flow” honestly does wonders for your mental health. It frees up your mind to focus on other things that are in your control. You now have the time to fully embrace culture and experience what Botswana has to offer you if you don’t constantly focus on the situations that were frustrating.

 

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By Teniola Balogun

As a part of my Community Public Health program, we get to observe in the clinics in the Greater Gaborone Area. Wake up call is at 5:30 a.m. every Tuesday. Once we enter the clinics, lab coats are on and pen and pad are in hand. During our four hour stay in the clinics, we are able to wander in and out of the different sections of the clinic gathering information for our end-of-semester “health intervention” project. We are to observe each clinic’s use of resources, proper health waste management techniques, and overall patient care.

This past week, I was able to shadow the nursing staff at the Gaborone West clinic. This clinic is a public clinic with a maternity ward, a pharmacy, an infectious disease care clinic, and an emergency medical services unit. After attending the G-West clinic, I was able to observe the stellar clinical work that they provide for Batswana. I was impressed by how quickly prescription for medication was filled. Prior to the start of my first clinic day, a lesson on financial management was presented to the nursing staff. This concept of teaching important life skills to healthcare employers was so foreign to me, but I see the value of the action. While the clinic excelled in certain areas, issues of hygiene, crowded waiting rooms and provider-patient communication was also present. After having conversations with the health workers, I am optimistic that these issues will not persist. The health workers are aware of the problems and would like to see that they are fixed in the near future.

The hygiene issue seems to be the biggest at the G-West clinic. There is hand soap present in every consultation room, but not present in the bathrooms. The liquid soap is placed usually in “Energade” sports drink bottle. The windows were kept open due to the fact that there was no air conditioning. Despite the capacity of soap in the consultation rooms, I was grateful there is some available for the nurses. Another problem is that the nurses have to constantly re- contaminant themselves because paper towels and/or reusable towels are not available to dry off their hands. Between patients, the nurse that I was observing wiped her hands off on her skirt. She was fully aware that this was a practice that should not continue. It would have to continue because of the shortage of resources. Being the germaphobe that I am, I immediately started to analyze the number of germs that lived on the nurse’s outfit. ...continue reading "The Clinic Life"

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By teniolab

Growing up the suburbs of Atlanta, I was not a stranger to being the only one that looked like me in my classes. When I got to college, the narrative was the same. Before picking a studying abroad program, I had to research the cultural acceptance of people of color for each country I was interested in. Issues of cultural acceptance or other financial issues cause African-Americans to be among the most under-represented groups to study abroad. Because of this, it was always better to err on the side of caution when it came to picking which country I wanted to study in. This just comes with the territory of being a person of color. In spite of this, being a minority student abroad has not only enhanced my experience but it has also help me with my own personal identity issues.

I knew that once I got to Botswana I would be “invisible”. When Batswana see my skin complexion, they would immediately think of me as their kin-folk. Unfortunately for my CIEE program friends who aren’t invisible, unwanted attention follows them wherever they go. My colleagues are constantly getting marriage proposals, being stared for unnecessarily long amounts of time, and/or getting other forms of verbal harassment. This has made their transition and acceptance of life in Botswana much more difficult. And I empathize. Every girl in Botswana faces some sort of harassment on the daily, so my friends and I could relate to that aspect.

Once people assess me as Motswana, no one really wants to get to know me or hear my story. Constantly being spoken to in Setswana is the biggest disadvantage of being “invisible”. This mostly affects me because of the connotation associated with a Motswana not speaking Setswana. To Batswana, a Motswana not speaking their language comes across as elitist. That was certainly not the impression that I wanted to give off. Once I open my mouth and start speaking English in my American accent, the jig is up. They know I am American. There is a Black American female stereotype that is displayed on reality TV, which is watched by Batswana, so that was another stigma I had to work past. What’s worse is when I tell them that I am actually 100% Nigerian but born in the States. Minds = blown!

...continue reading ""You’re not a Motswana?": Studying Abroad as a Minority"

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By teniolab

While living in the Southern Africa region, I have been able to encounter and learn about the lifestyles of people from South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. I have begun to understand the territory that comes with living in a developing country.

One recurring struggle that I have encountered is the issue of with water insecurity. Botswana is a land-locked country. Water is imported from dams in South Africa. Also, rainwater is collected in dams situated in cities all over the country. Having running water available across campus and in the dorms was expected just as you would expect the sun to be shinning every day. Then when I least expected, the spout in the 3rd-floor bathroom of UB's Main lecture hall ran dry. Just like that, you start to become more conscious about how much one relies on running water to complete tasks.

For Batswana, the inconsistencies in water is not a major issue. Most families in their homes store water in empty soda bottles or in giant storage containers. If you are able to afford it, some people will have the ever-so sustainable rainwater collection tanks on their properties. My first reaction to the lack of water shock, but then I became overwhelmed with a calming sense shortly after. I understood that the water issue was something I was eventually going to have to face (shout-out to the CIEE student blog posts for preparing me). More or less, I wished I knew to what extent would a region-wide water shortage affect me on campus. A notice was delivered by my program director. My roommate told me the day before that the water tanks on campus would be turned on for these purposes. With the help of my type-B personally and two 5 liter bottles of water purchased from the nearest Spar, I was able to make it through my first week-long water shortage. I had assumed that the Gaborone dam water levels must be low. But it turned out that a water pipe had broke, so all water was "shut off" in the Greater Gaborone area and surrounding parts. Most of the campus had running water. There were just a few campus buildings here and there that did not.

...continue reading "Metsi! Agua! Water!"

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By Teniola Balogun

I love hearing about all of Batswana’s perceptions of Americans. Some are pretty accurate and while others are so far-fetched. Most of the perceptions come from television and from the media. During our program orientation, our program volunteers mostly referenced shows like the Real Housewives franchise, and “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” to come up with the ideas about the American “culture”. Also, some of the Batswana perceptions of America came from interactions with previous international students.

The biggest shock I have received while in Botswana is the perceptions that Batswana thought ALL Americans embody. When , the perceptions that they had only characterized small pockets of the vast country of USA. “Do you all walk around wearing crop tops and thongs to walk your dogs?” My jaw literally dropped when my friend asked me this question. She wholeheartedly believed that this was something that all Americans did. I quickly explained to her that this is probably something you would see in an American Hip-Hop music video. While music plays a huge role in, I guess the American culture, they do not accurately depict our dressing style. My friend said she believed we all dressed like this because it is shown in music videos and at public events like Coachella.

A different friend of mine asked, “Is America really as bad as it is portrayed in the media? I want to go but it seems very scary.” She is not wrong. It is quite scary right now to live in America. Yes, the terrible events do happen. And the media does tend to fixate on them, so much to the point that it can be overwhelming to watch the news any longer. But the media should not stop her from coming to experience the country for herself. I explained to her that the media often blows things out of proportion and controls the information it feeds to the public.

...continue reading "“Americans are allowed to say, ‘Shut Up’ to Their Parents”"

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By teniolab

March 4-11th. The week that everyone was dreading/looking forward to. March 4-11th was the week that the Community Public Health students would get the chance to observe rural medical practices in a nearby village named Kanye (which is in fact, West of Gaborone).

I spoke with some local students in my classes, and they would laugh at the fact that I called "Kanye" a village.  Little did I know, there is a KFC, Nando's, Chicken Licken, and many more mainstream shops in Kanye. Even though the program had deemed Kanye as a "village", others would call it semi-urban.

I was excited about the homestay aspect of the village trip. I was on the fence about doing either a dorm or a homestay for my semester abroad. The Kanye homestay allowed me to experience the best of both worlds given that I had chosen to live in the dorms. I really enjoyed my experience and my Kanye family. They were so welcoming and ready to share their lives with me. My homestay experience and life as a Kanye local would not have been the same without them.

...continue reading "Dorm Student Takes on the Homestay Life"

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By Teniola Balogun

There are so many things to do in Gaborone. Whether you are in art buff or a foodie, there is differently something for you in Gabs! While I do try my best to not be super touristy, hitting all the sights is just something you have to do. When I first became acquainted with the city, I made sure to throw in a few local spots here and there.

Here is the Teni-approved guide of local yet touristy things to do in Gabs:

  1. No. 1 Ladies Coffee House's Naked Soul Sessions
    • If you are a fan of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency mystery book series, you have to come here. It is a coffee shop based off of/dedicated to the mystery book series based in Gabs. The vibe is calming and relaxing. You are guaranteed to have a great time here. The people and the atmosphere really draw you in. Every first Thursday of the month, they have live music/spoken word called "Naked Soul Sessions". It is so great to hear Batswana showcase their talent and talk about their experience with artistic expression.
  2. Go on a game drive
    • One can never get over the thrill of spotting a giraffe or rhino in the distance. Game drives are my absolute favorite. There are a lot of reserves in Botswana. The animals you see will differ amongst all the Botswana game drives. My two favorites have to be the game drives taken in Nata and Mokolodi. Spoiler: you might see some elephants!!
  3. Visit I-Tower
    • I-Tower is located in the central business district. Here we can find great frozen yogurt shops, a movie theatre, Italian restaurant and many more. Best of all, if you climb to the top of I-Tower, you can get the best view of the city. I was able to venture up there one night and see the lights light of the sky. Hopefully, before I leave, I will be able to catch the wonderful Botswana sunsets from the great vantage point. 
  4. Hawkers 
    • Hawkers are the vendors who sell food right along the streets. I usually buy from the hawkers right across from the UB campus. When I'm not feeling the on-campus food, I would usually go to the hawkers for dinner. For 10 pula ($1), I can get a whole meal that will leave me full for what feels like forever. Most hawkers will often all sell the same things like beans, beets, drinks, hotdogs, and braii meat. You gotta pick a special vendor and stick with her for the entire semester. She will probably keep track of the times that you come and make sure the food you get is hot and delicious!
  5. Braii
    • Braii (or BBQs) are quintessential to the Botswana lifestyle. They are usually potluck style where the host provides and BBQs the meat and the guests will bring a dish. They are always very entertaining. My program has had two braiis so far. We great getting the chance to bond more with some of the homestay families as well as the volunteers in a more informal setting.

 

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By teniolab

I am so thankful that we are required to take the Setswana language course as a CIEE Community Public Health student. As a CIEE Arts and Science student, you are given the option to take the course. I cannot imagine why you would choose not to take the course because I having the best time learning the language.

The official language of Botswana is English. English is mainly spoken in Gaborone, where I am studying. Setswana is also spoken by the majority of the country. Every Motswana that I come across has said, "Setswana is so easy. You will be fluent by the time you leave!". I usually follow their statement with a laugh. Setswana is not too difficult to learn, thankfully due to my fabulous teacher Mma Phono. From learning the "Survival Setswana" on the first day of orientation to learning the different forms of greetings (very important in Botswana culture), we have come so far. Mma Phono's teaching style is unique in itself. She pretty much acts out a dialogue with specific body language and we just play a guessing game. The students and I continuously impress the locals we come across, given that we have only been here for five weeks. Unfortunately, the expectations are higher for me because everyone here assumes that I am a Motswana. People insist on speaking Setswana to me, even though I tell them I do not. They literally won't stop. It's just something you get used to though.

I have a couple of favorite phrases. One is specifically related to the struggle I knew I would face with people assuming that I was a Motswana. "Ga ke bua Setswana." If you haven't guessed it yet, the phrase means: "I do not speak Setswana". I throw that phrase around about a handful of times a day. 🙂

...continue reading "I Setswana Learn the Language"

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By teniolab

On the "Rollercoaster of Study Abroad" schematic, I definitely think I am in that "initial adjustment" phase. More or less I have found myself to be comfortable in my surroundings and have figured out what works and does not work for me to be successful during my time abroad. While in this stage, I have found myself retrospectively criticizing my packing situation. I constantly think that if I had known "this", I would have brought "that". I tried my hardest to not overpack. After many attempts at packing and repacking, I somehow packed the items that I "wanted" as opposed to packing the items that I "needed". But when it comes to being away from home for four-plus months, it is important to pack smart but also pack the items that make you feel the most like yourself.

It is challenging to now realize that I didn't pack certain (sentimental) items for the sake of saving room in my suitcase. So here it is, a list of items I wish I had packed:

...continue reading "5 Things I Wish I Had Packed"

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