Home again, home again

Once again in bed at my house after a long day of orientation and errands…it was definitely hotter today than the past several days…probably 90F at least, but they say today was nothing…it will get much, much hotter. (We are on the tropic of Capricorn!!!) I think I’m ready for it (Tulsa has prepared me well), but some of my group mates’ reactions to today’s heat don’t give me much hope for them.

Today was orientation through UB for all of the international students…there are about 35 of us. The most whites I’ve seen in while…and probably the highest concentration in the country at that time, too! We went over security, health services, visa information, and got a tour of the school. I’m not gonna lie…when I drove by UB on Monday, I was really not very impressed with the campus. It looked dirty and very old. However, today my opinion has changed quite a bit. It’s nothing like TU, of course, (because not much can beat that) but the school is much nicer than I thought! It is probably about two times the size of TU, and has some pretty nice buildings that are not viewable from the roads around campus. I don’t believe most of the academic buildings are air conditioned, but the library is…and they have wireless and a 24-hour section! (Although I do hope my old tendencies of all-nighters are over.) I’m anxious to see where my classes will be…I hope they won’t be too hot I can’t concentrate. I picture myself sitting in class trying to take notes, but I can’t put anything on the paper because my arm is sweating so badly that my notebook is just soaking wet and, on top of that, sweat is dripping off my face making a puddle on my desk…maybe I should invest in a mini battery-operated fan that I can set on my desk…haha…how “American” would that look? Or how about the white elephant gift Marilynn got this year?!?! (A hot pink hat with a built-in fan on the bill that blows air in your face) …man, I should have traded my desk picture-showing clock gift for that one...dang. Oh well, maybe for my next trip to Africa will I invest in such a high-tech gadget. Anyway, after the tour we went to the Riverwalk Mall to do a little shopping and eating. I just bought some air time for my awesome Nokia that I got yesterday and some Nando’s…for the first time!!! So spicy…I loved it! Apparently, the first one in the states just opened in D.C. and it was all over the news in Botswana. And I found the coffee shop there at which I’ll be doing some studying this semester...free wi-fi!!! It is very nice! It was funny…they only told us the password after we had ordered something, so that only paying customers can access the wi-fi. The word was “cappuccino”…you would think they would pick some combination of numbers and letters that people wouldn’t remember, so that one-time customers wouldn’t be able come back and get online without a purchase. Instead of buying something next time, I’ll already have the code! (Because I highly doubt they change the password every time.) Although, I don’t know how much the shop employees would like me…so maybe I shouldn’t do that.

Big personal accomplishment after Riverwalk: taking a combi by myself for the first time! It wasn’t too bad…checked to make sure it was the correct one…tlokweng (pretty much said like “clock-wang”) route 6…hopped in and off we went toward Game City (another mall), where Monkie picked me up. Normally, I would walk home then, but it was dark, so I played it safe and called for a ride…just for you, Grandma. We stopped at Chicken Lickin for Monkie to grab some dinner…yes, I said Chicken Licken, (a chicken’s worst nightmare…and a human’s too! FRIED EVERYTHING!), and then went home. Yao and Gale will be home Saturday, but it is very nice getting to know Monkie these first few days. We sat in the living room, chatting with Sex in the City on the tv…Monkie’s shirt so low I can practically see her whole top half…and went over the pronunciation of several Setswana words. It is sure an interesting language, but I’ve already learned some pretty useful words and phrases. I am eager to learn more once I start my two Setswana courses next week.

Alright…off to bed…tomorrow morning’s commute requires two combis and I will leave at 7:15 to walk to the first stop. Tomorrow is more UB orientation material…and will end with the entire group of international students (probably totaling 45 or so people) eating at a traditional restaurant for dinner…I’m not a fan of large-group meals…the bill-splitting is a pain…but I know it will be a great time.