Damn John Denver

Damn John Denver
All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go…this song played on repeat in my head and the more it looped, the more cliché it became, but pathetically applicable to my venture. The 15 hour flight went by surprisingly fast because I was just utterly exhausted in transit. The entirety of the trip lasted something like 38 hours. I couldn’t decide if I was supposed to be eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner at any point during the trip. I was so nervous about moving my luggage and tolerating the flight and everything else about my arrival into Botswana. HOWEVER, I have arrived in Gaborone, Botswana safely and with all of my luggage! The luggage arrived a day late, but it doesn’t matter anymore…as with most of my worries thus far. They all become fleeting and petty thoughts.
We are staying in a lavish lodge for the next 3 days. I’m assuming it’s for accommodating purposes as we overcome jetlag. Until this trip I wasn’t totally convinced the jetlag was real. Upon arrival we had time allotted to take a nap, and you better believe I capitalized on this. My first beautiful sleep in Botswana began with a new kind of thunderstorm. The clouds are different here and the thunder is so much more aggressive as though there are no large obstacles to lessen the radiating noise of thunder. Instead, it literally rolls from afar and rumbles to a crackle right outside your window. I fell asleep with the rain beginning to fall on the thatched roof and the clean air breeze moving through my room. I woke up to a cooled temperature and the rain smell that Glade will never be able to capture in a plug-in.
We began our Setswana classes today and I really enjoyed it. I continually interject small Spanish phrases like “bueno!” or “sí” for no apparent reason. The locals around the lodge are eager to smile at us and greet us in Setswana, and patiently correct our meager attempts at conversation. I will say there is a certain level of humility necessary in learning a language and I am so appreciative to have experienced this while learning Spanish. I will also say that the Batswana are much more sympathetic to a non-native speaker than the Spanish…making me all the more eager to interact here.
We received our yellow fever vaccine in Philadelphia just a couple of days ago (it feels like years ago!). In the next couple of days we will get a series of different vaccines/pills including Hepatitis A & B, meningitis, typhoid, and rabies. I also began my malaria medication today. Rumor has it that these pills cause hallucinations and crazy dreams. I, for one, am excited to see how those dreams turn out & I have a moleskin specifically allotted for dreams! If the side effects are too much, I am able to change, so no worries…I’ll feel that one out. I’d like to think I’m medically covered on all fronts!
In a couple of days I will be moving into my homestay in the city of Kanye. I will live with a Batswana family for the next 2 months while we continue language classes and other information that PC has to brief us on before we begin our actual service in our assigned sites. The rundown: Kanye, Botswana for the next two months as of Thursday, April 7 doing Pre-Service Training (PST). Then, towards the end of my training, we will find out our specific placement for the following 25 months of our stay in Botswana.
Now, more than ever, I am practicing taking things one day at a time. I am much relieved to have arrived and began my adventure, but you can imagine how anxious I am to begin my work here. I just have to remind myself that this training is all part of the thrill and the process of things.
I was forewarned that the internet is a bit unreliable, but it has proven true. I will update more whenever possible. Until then…
Go, siame!