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By teniolab

Just four weeks left. I cannot believe that my program and time abroad is coming to an end. I am not entirely sure how I feel about it. In these past two months, I have definitely “settled-in”. We have had less and less program commitments on the weekends. I have had the chance to spend more time with local and program friends. The most frustrating part of the situation is that I wish that this “settling in” sensation occurred mid-way through the semester, as opposed to happening right before I left. The benefit of having this feeling now it that it helps with the pain of leaving Botswana.

In terms of preparing for re-entry into the US, I am just trying to make the most of the connections I have in Botswana. Spending more time with my local and program friends helps to manage any sadness I feel about leaving soon. What really helps is the fact that my local friends no longer treat me as a “tourist”. They no longer take me to the super touristy or “must-see” places in town. We have reached a level where being bored but in each other’s company, is enough. For friends back in the states, I have to somehow find a way to recount my entire experience abroad. Do I just word vomit everything that has occurred over the last 120 days? Do I have them read my journal? Do I make a presentation for them? We have talked throughout the semester, mainly about my experience and the challenges I have faced. Talking in person would be a whole different story. You are going to be more vulnerable and expressions will be easily understood in a face to face conversation. Not that I could ever butcher the retelling of my semester, I just really want to portray Botswana is the accurate way.

What I’m really scared about the most is possibly seeing a change in my life once reoriented in the states. I mean, I know I have further developed my ability to adapt. But, what if I cannot cope with the reverse culture shock and immediately become disgusted by American values and stereotypes that I tried so hard to dismantle while abroad. The worst part is, I probably will not be the first to the notice the little changes in my life. It will probably be my friends and family who will see the changes first. I am saying that the changes will be bad. They may even enhance my personality. I think the key to coping with changes and reverse culture shock is to remain open-minded and give yourself time to process reorientation into the states. There is no perfect timeline for how the whole situation is supposed to unfold.

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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 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 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

Hello everyone!

Tomorrow officially marks the start of my fourth week in Gaborone. Now, I can thankfully say I have tried almost every form of public transportation. Gaborone is the capital of Botswana, and a fast-growing city at that.

Living in the University of Botswana Dorms has given me the unique experience of navigating around the city with ease. While in the first few weeks, trips to the grocery store and to dinner were taken with the lovely help of the CIEE driver. Bethel, who has worked with CIEE for seven years, pulls up to the UB dorms donned with the biggest grin ready to share his Gaborone with us. And just like that, a person would pay 30 pula in total, roughly 3 US dollars, for a "special" taxi.

A “special” taxi is taken alone or split among friends. While this is still cheap, taxi drivers will try to trick you into taking a special when you don’t need one! If you are not in a rush or simply do not want to pay a lot for transportation, you can take a regular taxi. The "non-special" taxi will cost 4.10 pula, about 41 US cents. Often times, the driver will either pick up passengers along the way or wait at your pick-up location until passengers fill up the car.

...continue reading "Navigating through the City"

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By teniolab

Hello!

I am just arriving back to campus after spending the weekend in Bahurutshe Cultural Village. The village is located in Mmankgodi which is about 22 miles from Gaborone. It is deemed a “cultural village” in that it is a village that tourists can go to participate in and experience the culture of the Bahurutse tribe. From the food to the dancing, two moments stood out to me the most.

 

1. Foreigner Acceptance Ceremony

Traditionally, when a foreigner arrives at a village, they must be accepted to stay by the chief and by the ancestors. The "ancestors" adorn animal skin on their bodies, paint on their faces and shells around their legs. They perform traditional dances that involve quick footwork. It was always a shocker to see the dancers throw in a backflip here and a back-tuck there. Accompanied by their impressive dance skills were their wonderful harmonies.

...continue reading "Bahurutshe Cultural Village: Unforgettable Moments"

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