Our First Day in Gaborone, Botswana

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Dumela (hello),

We woke up, got dressed, and headed down to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Their breakfast buffet was amazing--fresh fruits and vegetables (that are safe to eat), different types of meats, eggs, omelets, croissants, scones. We both thought we would be losing a few pounds on this trip, but now it looks like that might be difficult.

After breakfast, we walked around the outdoor mall which is just outside the hotel. There are many permanent shops, but also quite a few street vendors--kind of like Venice Beach in Los Angeles. We saw a lot of people selling hand-made African crafts, as well as other little knick-knacks. Also, Dena has been bothered by a sore ankle, so we found a pharmacy and bought an ankle wrap--she is feeling much better now knowing that it won't bother her while we are in the wilderness in a few days.

We met up with Tommie at 10:00, and he took us to the Gaborone Secondary School where he teaches. Also, we discovered the true pronunciation of Gaborone, which we have been debating for several months. It is pronounced hah-ba-RONE. The "G" is pronounced as an "H", and the "e" on the end is silent, like "bone."

We met a few of his students and then were taken into a meeting of his student club called the ICT--International, Communication, Technology. This student club focuses on charity and social action throughout the world, and they are the ones who organize the Malaria Campaign we will be working on. Also, there were some visitors from Denmark, Portugal, and Malawi who were visiting the school to learn more about this student organization.

The students all wear uniforms, and they are very proud of them. When we asked their opinion of the uniforms, they said it gives them a sense of "self-worth." We explained to them that our students do not wear uniforms, and every day is like a fashion show at the high school. The students were all very polite and outgoing. A few of the students spoke during the meeting, and they were more articulate than some of the adults we work with. They were also very appreciative of the fund raising we had done for this Malaria campaign. We were not aware that their funding had been cut, and all the mosquito nets this year were purchased with the money we sent from the two high schools in Burbank. We were honored several times throughout the meeting as different members of the organization thanked us for our participation and support.

We also got to hear about many of the other activities this group participates in, such as delivering toys and clothes to children in other countries all over the world. We think it would be great if they would visit Burbank someday and do something similar there. We also got a lot of wonderful ideas for a new student social action club that we would like to start at Burbank High School. There are currently other groups like this, but we think these students in Botswana are doing a much better job. If we can successfully start a similar club, that would be a good way for us to recruit students to come here in the future.

After the meeting, Tommie gave us his daughter's cell phone (she is away at boarding school) and we bought a pre-paid phone card in case of an emergency. Sorry moms, we are not giving out this number--emergencies only. Then we walked back to the hotel to have lunch.

We had some pretty normal food, like salad and beef and chicken stir-fry, but we also got to taste some traditional Tswana food--Ox tail, ox tongue, boiled goat, eland (a type of antelope), and bream (fish). It was all quite tasty.

After lunch we found the local Internet cafe, and that's where we are now. We have just spent an hour updating our last 3 days. The rates here are pretty cheap, so when we get some free time we can update all of you on what we've been doing. We don't know how often that will be, but we'll do our best.

Tomorrow is our first official business visit. We will be going to the American Embassy to meet with the Health Director. Tommie wants us to ask them for more support to bring students here on future Malaria campaigns. We are looking forward to representing our city and country in Botswana, and also to many wonderful experiences in this new country.