Back at University... in BOTSWANA!

I AM NOW IN GABARONE! AT UNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA!

Gabarone... doesn't really feel like Africa in the same way that Otjiwarongo and Windhoek did. Those had definite signifiers since you could see people hitching rides, they were small enough that you could see how... far from anything else the cities were. Gabarone feels like any city in mid-america just without so many sky scrapers. There ARE people selling things in booths on the road sides and combies (bus type things) that are very typical, but Gabarone has FOUR MALLS. Seriously. four of them. And Riverwalk is within walking distance. (Though it's recommended not to walk there alone because of the high rates of mugging in Gabarone) And there is construction EVERYWHERE. Seriosuly, the whole city is under construction. It is a VERY developed city for africa.

On the subject of mugging, apparently it happens frequently here and it is not recommended to walk anywhere outside the hostel compound that I live in by myself at night. Outside the Uni limits, it’s a bad idea to walk even while a GROUP and thus they recommend taxis or cabs after dark. Which is fine. I have become VERY accustomed to taxis here in Africa. It's dangerous to walk places by myself, so I have taken more taxis here than ever before in my life. (By here I mean Windhoek as well as Gabarone.) Sadly, I am also becoming accustomed to being ripped off by taxi drivers. They see white skin and immediately up the price. But there's not much I can do about it because I have few other options.

The campus here is MUCH bigger than Wheaton. And very confusing., I tried to find my classes today so I wouldn't be lost tomorrow and I UTTERLY FAILED. Well, I found two of them which were in the same central building, which is good because they are the two I have in the morning. But I COULDN'T FIND the other two. I looked and looked and couldn't find classrooms where they should have been! All I found were blocks upon blocks of residential blocks and faculty offices. This place is like a frickin MAZE! D: But I suppose I'll figure it out eventually. I better, otherwise I'll never figure out where my classes are!

Also, two things I REALLY miss about Wheaton already (apart from friends of course) is the laundry facility and Chase/Emerson dining halls. Seriously. There is only one laundry facility and it is NOT in the hostel. It is about three blocks away in the laundry facilities. There are two LONG lines of washers and dryers. They may or may not work and you have to have a token for each washer and dryer you use. The tokens you have to buy at the admin building for 2 pula each. VERY annoying. Also, you can't really leave your stuff and do something else while your laundry's going because petty theft is so common here. So I have to waste a lot of time sitting and waiting. And the machines don't have timers so you don't actually know how much time they take. You just wait till it's done. But I managed to do my laundry and at least I HAVE access to a dryer now, ne? Also, I know while at Wheaton we all complain about Chase/Emerson, but BELIEVE ME. They are heaven. They are five star. They are like the god of food. There are SO MANY choices. And they are open ALL THE TIME. The cafeterias here... are like their antithesis. They serve ONE MEAL at each meal time (which are two hours for each meal) so no options at all. And lunch and dinner are ALWAYS the same exact meal. And it is... disgusting. They serve a choice of beef or chicken (the beef is so greasy as to be inedible (though the chicken can be stomached), a choice of plain pasta or rice with some sort of orange sauce (the rice is dry and gross and the sauce is vaguely spicy), and a choice of soggy, fried carrot shavings or fried, soggy cabbage mix...( they strangely both taste relatively the same... ). So I suppose TECHNICALLY there are two choices, but seeing as everything generally tastes the same, not really. It is LITERALLY inedible. And the portions are HUGE. I have not finished a meal here thus far. This month I have to put up with it because they gave me coupons to use in the cafeteria, but after that I think the meal plan just gives me money and I am DEFINITELY not eating in the cafeteria after that. (They actually do this because MOST international students can't stand the stuff they serve.) I am going to look into renting a mini fridge and buying my own food from Spar. Unfortunately cooking in the dorm is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN so if I want hot food, I'll have to order pizza or brave the cafeteria or something. ugh. For a foodie, this is a freakin disaster. D:

But they school actually looks pretty good overall. I have a roommate, but it's not that bad. There's this huge divider thing in the middle, so I HAVE a roommate, but we can't even see each other's halves of the room. It's pretty cool. Like having a roommate but also your own room. In the room, I have an overhead light, a desk and two shelves built into the wall, a bed and a HUGE cabinet/ closet thing. However, all of my actual STUFF is locked in the big cabinet because it's not safe to leave stuff out that can get stolen. Apparently, people here will befriend you with the intention of eventually robbing you. It's kinda depressing but not everyone will be like that, so it’s okay.

Oh! Another funny thing. There is no toilet paper/ soap/ hand towel or hand dryer in the bathroom. We are allocated a roll of toilet paper a week and I have a bottle of hand soap and hand towel in my room that I bought myself. Basically, I have a bag of toilet stuff under my desk that I grab every time I use the bathroom. Also, there is one shower for the 10 girls in this area and it only has a thin shower curtain, no lock, no door, nothing. And since our actual building doesn't lock, ANYONE can come wandering in while you shower... it's kinda a creepy thought, but I haven't had much troubles with it yet, so I guess it’s alright. Weird, ne?

For all that I complain, the University is quite good. The buildings for class are all shiny and nice; they even have some of the same projectors we have at Wheaton. The library is also lovely and contains A LOT of books. I have internet in my room (though some of the restrictions are annoying). I already bought a hot water kettle for tea. Rooibos tea (my favorite) only cost 12 pula for 80 bags (that's about 2 USD). The international students are all VERY nice and there are about 30 other Americans! I am taking 3 SOC classes and a language class. (ideal schedule FTW!) I only have one class on Wednesday and Friday and no classes before 11AM. Pizza delivers DIRECTLY to my room (the dining hall was closed when we arrived the first night). It’s GREAT!

I also have a phone! Basically here in Africa, you get a phone (they are pretty cheap if you don't need a ton of functions) and then get a sim card for whatever country you’re in. (cost me 10 pula. CHEAP) and then you buy air time. Basically, they are ALL pay as you go phones, but all I did was buy my phone in Namibia, a sim card here, and 100 pula of minutes and it works! No plan, no contract, nothing. And yet I have already texted and called my mum! (well... the call was just once for two minutes... and cost me 12 pula. International calling is EXPENSIVE!)

That’s all for now! Tune in next time to see how my first classes went!