March 4, 2011

I am sitting on a sand dune overlooking the Indian Ocean as I write. What spectacular scenery to overlook. White coral beaches, a pristine clear blue sea,  lush, rolling green vegetation, and the sparkling reflection of the sun off the sea.

I can say in all honesty that I have never visited a country as beautiful as Mozambique, impoverished and problematic though it may be.

We began our journey from Gaborone, arriving in Johannesburg after dark, and making it safely to the bus station. Right after crossing the border into South Africa, my friend and I saw our first elephant, and took this as a good omen. Having not spent much time in South Africa, we were in awe of the breathtaking and diverse scenery, watching what was perhaps one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen. Gigantic clouds hung over the rolling hills of the countryside accompanied by brilliant rays of range, gold, and purple to paint a magnificent portrait of South Africa. The other passengers on the bus were confused as to why we were so enthusiastic about the sunset, asking us if we had before never seen a sunset. It's amazing how accustomed we become to the beauty around us if we see it every day.

Much of the scenery were also miles of shantis, however. The level of poverty in South Africa seems to be much greater and harsher than that of Botswana.   What also hit me was how racially segregated parts of it still seem to be.

From Johannesburg, we took a night bus to Maputo,  the capital and mostly heavily populated city in Mozambique.  Upon leaving the city around 10pm, we were quite surprised to see how empty the city seems at night. People told us that no one goes out after dark in what is stigmatized to be the most dangerous city of the world, and they seemed to be right from what we saw.


We arrived at Mozambique border at sunrise, getting out of the bus and walking up a hill for several kilometers to have our passports stamped. I was immediately hit here as well by the poverty that seems to plague the country. Seemingly anything was being offered to us, even dirty plastic containers. There are many children who sell things as well.

We got through the border without much trouble, with the exception of getting ripped off in an intentionally confusing currency transaction, a good lesson for us to keep our wits about us.

Many of the buildings in Maputo have been obviously influenced  or constructed by the Portuguese. Settled along the Indian Ocean and dotted with palm trees, mosaics, paintings, and other art, the city has a very unique and intriguing character of its own.

We went for a swim in the bay which was a public beach area, and took a ferry to a nearby island. The water and beach itself were dirty, but we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless. We all felt much more consciouses about being white tourists here. The level of poverty around us made us feel incredibly uncomfortable with our privileged positions in society.

All the people we encountered were even more friendly  and curious than those in Botswana.

We were solicited by an endless number of beggars and people trying to sell us things. We befriended one university student who begged us to send him a lap top once we returned to the states. Though the city didn't appear to be nearly as segregated as parts of South Africa, all of the wealthy people we saw were obviously Portuguese. .

Though few people spoke much English, we were able to get by with some basic Portuguese we learned before our trip, as well as using some of our Spanish. We also realized how cheap things in Mozambique were in comparison to Botswana. The currency exchange rate is around 28 meticals to every US dollar. Even getting overcharged as obvious tourists,  we still paid next to nothing for a variety of goods that we purchased from street vendors.

That evening we met up with some Brazilians whom we contacted through couch surfing who let us stay with them for the night. They generously fed us and took us to a Carnival costume party at an abandoned train station nearby. We didn't' return until the sun rose the next day. We were stopped by the police twice upon return, and though showing them proper documentation, they wouldn't let us pass without giving them money. The Brazilians told us they are unfairly stepped all the time because it is known that they are wealthy. they talked about corruption within all levels of government and within the law enforcement community as being a big problem.

After catching up on some sleep, the Brazilians took us out for breakfast and dropped us off  at the beach for the day. We swam and played frisbee with the local children, and talked to many interesting people. At one point we formed a music circle, singing and playing guitar and harmonica. They taught us several songs in Portuguese, and we taught them some English songs. What a fantastic day.

I talked to many of the locals about problems in Mozambique. They all reiterated what the Brazilians told us about political corruption being an enormous problem hindering the development of the country.They also cited unemployment and a lack of educational and health resources as major problems facing the people.

 All the children tried to persuade us to give them any and every belonging that was with us, including our clothes after playing with us. They seemed disappointed and left soon after realizing we weren't going to give them our passports or belongings.

That evening we booked a bus to take us north to Tofo and stayed at a backpackers hostel in the city. We departed at 5am the next day for what was the longest minibus ride we had been on.

We were again amazed by the scenery. We passed through miles of palm tree forests. Street vendors everywhere sold the best and cheapest bananas, mangoes, and avocados I've ever had. The farther north we traveled, the less developed the roads and infrastructure were.

We arrived in Tofo in the evening shortly before sunset and set up camp. We immediately fell in love with the beach. The ocean was crystal clear and completely empty. We fell asleep on the beach that night watching the stars above, awaking to a rainstorm and retreating back to our tent, which incidentally also became soaked.

We awoke the next morning to find that all of our clothes and supplies were soaking wet, and the rain was continuing and letting no signs of letting up. We decided to walk several kilometers north to where we heard there was a dormitory to get out of the rain.

We walked through a forest of palm trees for a while along a red dirt road filled with pot holes unnavigable by car unless in a 4 wheel drive.  and passed through a village of curious onlookers. None of them could speak any English, and their Portuguese was nearly impossible for us to understand.

After walking for an hour or so through the pouring rain, we were picked up by a south African in the company of two Germans. who offered to take us to our destination. We were unable to find it, so he offered to let us stay at his resort free of charge, an offer we eagerly accepted.

We rode in the back of his truck for several hours, the rain never letting up. We continued to be amazed by the scenery and stark contrast between Mozambique and Botswana, and even each place within Mozambique.

Once arriving, the South African, Rudy, let us take hot showers and prepared us a delicious meal. He then drove us down to a spectacular beach where we quickly swam.

That evening, Rudy told us about his business in Mozambique, and how he grew up in South Africa but left because of the crime rate. The Germans he was  with were visiting the country for a few days like us and staying with him before  heading home.

We all slept in complete peace in huts made of dried palm leaves and trees that night, falling asleep to the sound of rolling ocean waves.

February 24, 2011

Today is my 21st birthday. I realized today that I'm as old as my mother was when she had me--a mildly frightening thought. My friends took me out for a dinner of Indian Food, and organized a party for me. They also pooled their money together to give me so I could buy a new camera.

Last night we raided the lemon trees on campus and made fresh lemonade. Most of the local students had never before tried it, and those who had had surprisingly never had it fresh, though lemons grow in a variety of places in and around Gaborone.

Tomorrow morning we will leave for Johannesburg and begin our journey to Mozambique. .

February 23, 2011

I am beginning to recognize drinking and casual dating as much more of a problem here as opposed to the States. The potential consequences are far worse. If a student flunks a semester worth of courses, they lose their government scholarships and stipends forever, and are thus unable to return to the university. The high HIV/AIDS rate here also makes promiscuity much more dangerous.  

Many students blow their stipends for the month from the government within the first two weeks and drink during the day as opposed to attending class, a problem professors constantly mention.

 Though the president has imposed a very steep importation tax on the alcohol here, around 70%, the problem does not seem to have been resolved, and people are instead spending more money on alcohol and less on food for themselves and their families.

On Friday the tutor that I met that took me to Gabane and introduced me tot the girls I am now tutoring took me out for coffee(not instant) and showed me around Gaborone at night, something I haven’t yet done though I’ve been here for a month. Though it feels very safe here, we’ve been advised by all to not go out after dark, so unless going in large groups to a destination, it’s something we have all avoided doing. It was fantastic to have real coffee again, such a rare treat, and something I’ve been forced to give up entirely since I arrived here. We had cake after coffee as well, something I also have a whole new appreciation for.

I have begun planning my other trips for the semester. I hope to travel down to Lesotho, a landlocked country in South Africa whose elevation throughout the entire country never drops below 1,000m, the Kalahari, and Salt Pans, and of course Maun, Kasane, Victoria Falls, and the Okavango Delta. The grandmother of one of the girls I am tutoring has offered to let me use her house in Maun, which is currently

uninhabited, when I travel there. I never cease to be amazed by the generosity offered to me here. I will do my best to reciprocate it in the states.

My roommate informed me several days ago that she is pregnant, and she has asked me to name her first child. I’ve been brainstorming for names for the past week. I’m having an internal as to whether or not a name can potentially contribute to the success or failure of an individual in society. The naming of a child isn’t a task to be taken lightly.  It is due in August, so I unfortunately won’t be able to meet the newborn as it enters the world.

My family doesn’t seem to be pleased with the prospect of extending my stay in Botswana and Africa. I miss my family and friends, but with each passing day, I became more and more set on the idea.  I have obligations and responsibilities to return to, but I feel as though spending more time here working at an orphanage and on a farm would be more worthwhile, important, and enriching in the grand scheme of things. 

February 21, 2011

 I went camping on Saturday with some fellow international students in Kapang. Initially the cab driver told us he knew where to take us for a horseback riding and camping area approximately 50km outside of Gaborone.  About fifteen minutes into the drive, however, it was clear that this was not the case. It ended up taking about 2 frustrating hours to get there, and we got lost several times along the way.

^{The area itself was very beautiful and seemingly untouched by much human inhabitance. We went for miles without seeing any sort of infrastructure, only occasionally seeing sporadic settlements of traditional houses. All sorts of livestock was on the road, including donkeys, cattle, and goats.}

^{The camping area itself was very beautiful. We decided against riding the horses, as they appeared exhausted and starving. I fed them some apples instead. Care for animals doesn't seem to preoccupy many people here. I wonder what people here think of the pet obsession in America.} 

 ^{We gathered firewood, which in Botswana, is always difficult to find, as much of the vegetation is short, thin, and thorny. We gathered enough to have a small fire for several hours, however, prepared a meal, and watched the sunset. We decided to sleep outside to admire the incredible African night sky and the moon, but awoke around 3am to a thunderstorm, so we retreated for cover.}

^{We left the next day around noon, and spent the morning working on our plans for Swaziland and Mozambique. We read about a ceremony held in December in Swaziland  in which all the women present themselves topless in the main city for the King as he selects his new wife.}

^{We hope to travel as far north as Tofo in Mozambique, though we are afraid we may be restricted by time. It also sounds as though it becomes more difficult to travel as the country becomes less and less developed, and many of the roads require a 4 wheel drive vehicle. The cultural diversity and history sounds fascinating from what we’ve read. We were initially hoping to travel farther north, especially to Mozambique Island, which dates as far back as the 15th century for being a place of commercial trade for different countries. Mozambique was formerly a Portuguese colony, so the influence there remains very visible from what we’ve read. Portuguese is the main language spoken. There are also influences from Arabic and Italian as well. Parts of the northern country still remain largely undeveloped. We recently found an article about a jungle in northern Mozambique that was just discovered. It seems like a country I would like to explore again and to a greater extent in the future.} 

February 16, 2011

This evening I attended a wonderful poetry reading. There was a power outage right before it began, but after waiting a while it was unanimously decided to proceed in the dark.  I was incredibly impressed with all the poets who performed. There was quite a diverse range in the styles, forms, and presentation. Several of the poets present had traveled around the world, one of which had spent some time in the States. I befriended one poet who I congratulated after her moving performance. She has invited me to Johannesburg, SA to stay with her for a while, and to introduce me to the poetry scene there. Though  all poets were incredibly talented, they were also very humble about their own work, and were filled with praise about the other poets present. I’m only now beginning to realize how much I will miss the poetry scene here after returning to the states. 

February 15, 2011

   Yesterday my friend I taught two little girls some English and math in their village. Though the same age and enrolled in the same grade and school, it was immediately apparent that the two learn at very different paces and in different ways. I realized the impossibility of having them both engaged had I been the only one there to instruct. I’m facing challenges with one student, who is eight years old, and I’m convinced has some sort of learning disability or an attention span problem. She has failed her school exams twice, and still cannot make it through the alphabet without losing interest after five or six letters. I realize the importance of developing a strong foundation for English at an early age here, as all their schooling is done in English. It is obvious that she is not receiving any additional help in her school. I plan to go speak with her teacher next week to help address the matter. I haven’t done any research about disability support or education in Botswana’s public schools. Services are available at the university level, but I’m unsure if they implement them at lower levels for students that need services. Her mother told me that her teacher is in charge of forty children, and has the sole responsibility of all the children without any teaching assistant or additional help. Her mother and grandmother also speak very little English,  so she is unable receive much help from home.

I’m amazed abyt the learning pace of one of my students, however. While it is challenging to instruct some students, it is also challenging to keep students interested and challenged who learn quickly and easily. I continue to learn from the kids long after teaching them. I’m also learning through the way they play and interact with one another, as well as with me. 

February 12, 2011

Last night my friend and I went on top of the humanities building to get a glimpse of Gaborone and the campus from above, and to bring ourselves closer to the night sky. We told stories of our past, our anticipations for the future, and discussed how our time in Botswana had already changed us. Both of us hope to stay longer than initially anticipated. I brought up the possibility of working on an organic farm or at an orphanage to extend our stay in an inexpensive way, and also to further immerse ourselves into the community. We’ve decided to explore the option and do some research.