First few days in Gabs!

Dumela (hello) from Gabs!

So far, that’s the only Tswana I know but it’s only been 2 days (I think?). My brain genuinely feels like mush due to jet lag and can’t feel much besides tired and happy to be here!!

My trek to Botswana started Sunday in Boston. Saying goodbye to my loved ones was so hard, especially my dog, miss mollie;) After saying goodbye to my boyfriend Cam at the airport, I was a mess. In true rom-com fashion, I was sobbing in the security line and couldn't keep it together. In the most Boston accent I've ever heard, a woman said to me “You’re too pretty to cry” with a reassuring hand on my shoulder, so obviously I had to stop crying and start the journey to Africa.

Throughout the 38 hours of travel, I was asleep for a good 36 hours of it. Those 2 hours awake were spent watching Shrek 2 on the 13-hour flight to Johannesburg! Even though I slept an ungodly amount while traveling, I was exhausted when we got to Botswana.

The first day was spent at the hotel waiting for the rest of the group to arrive! The University of Botswana students are taking their final exams, so the dorms are occupied which is why we are in a hotel for the week! Once other students got to the hotel, we headed to get lunch and shop at the mall with the student volunteers! Gaborone (gabs for short) is really into fast food, especially KFC, and all things meat! Being vegetarian, this is tough! However, I have been able to eat some delicious meals and try Botswana’s cuisine.

Wednesday was the first day of orientation. We walked from the hotel to campus, and learned there is no such thing as J-walking in Botswana which was especially interesting on a super busy road! The theme of the day was diversity and inclusion, and teaching us all about Botswana culture!

After orientation, we all went back to the hotel and played hide and seek. Having no wifi makes us bond as a group, which is so fun! There is nobody else staying in the building, so playing on a 4 story hotel was SO fun! After that, 3 other friends and I decided to go out to dinner. I had one of the best meals of my life and tried some local beer! It sort of tasted like bud light, which is my favorite beer (I’m gross, I know!)

We start classes and clinical visits on Monday and are in class from 7 am to 4 pm. During the school year, I have trouble making it to my 10 am classes, so waking up for a 7 am class or clinic visit will be a rude awakening. We have to travel by combi (a minibus) to the clinics. The combi has no schedule or route that they drive on, and will only leave the stop once all 16 seats are filled. To get off, you need to yell to make sure the driver stops for you. As a mode of public transportation it's extremely confusing to navigate, but I bet we will all be pros at it and will have some good stories from them! Although there's only 16 seats, I was in a combi yesterday that had 20+ people in it, we were all nice in cozy in there, especially because of the lack of AC here!

Overall, the past few days have been so much fun. All 18 girls and 1 guy on our trip are so incredibly kind, smart, and passionate about public health. The locals are so welcoming and nice, and the student volunteers who hang out with us are some of the best people I have ever met.

I am beyond excited for the rest of the summer (and to get rid of this jet lag!!) Thank you for reading and I’ll write again soon!! Hopefully next time I’ll know how to say goodbye in Tswana;)

xoxo,

Abbie

Sunset in Gabs!

Driving through the city

Part of campus! No monkey sightings yet:(