Toilet Paper and padlocks

In my last post I completely forgot to inform all of you of the access to toilet paper. It is always a shock when you go to a new country because so many things are different than in the U.S. One thing that usually never changes though, is that bathrooms supply the "customer" with toilet paper. Well, not in Botswana! We are responsible for supplying our own toilet paper! So when you sprint up the stairs to your room and have to go to the bathroom VERY badly, you have to make sure to run into your room and grab your toilet paper first! It is something that I have yet to get completely used to. This applies to all buildings. In the academic buildings they do not supply you with toilet paper, so you have to make sure to carry it around with you wherever you go. I hear that during the semester they give each student 2 rolls a month for your own use, but as of now I have yet to see a roll! We also have to supply our own locks for our doors. On the first day they took us to the store and we all had to buy padlocks to put on our doors. Locks and toilet paper are two things in the U.S. that I would never think of having to supply; a perfect example of how different it is and how much I have to learn! Another thing (mom you will CRINGE), they do not supply soap in the bathrooms either. It is the same as the toilet paper; we must keep it in our rooms and bring it with us.

  Well enough about accommodations! Today we started orientation; the first organized thing that we have done. It was a lot of sitting and listening to rules and regulations. Nothing too different from the U.S. The computer system here is still not working, so instead of registering for classes this afternoon we got a chance to do some exploring. Luckily, today was somewhat shady so we were not burning in the sun. A local guy, named Kevin, has befriended all of the international students because he went to UNC greensboro last semester so he knows what it is like to be the odd one out. He took three of us into town to look for some really cheap converters, adapters and cellphones. We took the combe (sp?) into town, which runs similarly to the bus system in the U.S. Although they are just  10 person vans that drive around. No matter where you are going, the combe only costs 3 pula, which is the equivalent to about 50 cents. The place that we went today, called the station, was a mix of tons of stores. It was basically an outdoor shopping place with stores to go into, vendors outside (hawkers), and lots of random items all over the place. We spent about 2 hours wandering around going into so many shops asking for converters. The trip was incredibly unsuccessful, but it was really fun to get away from campus and go to a place where you could mingle with the locals. Mangos here are very in season right now so every corner you turn there is someone selling mangos-yum!

  After we got back from the station, I was DRAINED. I am not yet adjusted to the hot heat, so I am very tired around 5 or 6 o clock here (Abby they use military time here, and I think they do where you are going as well, so start practicing!). Today I felt a bit more "at home". I still feel like I am very foreign to the areas obviously, but I am starting to feel less and less like an outsider. The campus and surrounding areas here are so beautiful. Tonight walking back from dinner the clouds were so big and clear, and the sunset was incredibly gorgeous. Gaborone is very interesting because there are regular concrete streets, and sometimes stop lights, however right next to that are red dirt fields and green trees (the coolest trees I have ever seen!!) that looks just like you would picture the desert in Africa. The city perfectly displays the mixing of the natural desert and an up and coming city-really cool to be around. 

  Kevin also showed us around the campus today, so we got a chance to see a lot of buildings we had not seen yet. The campus is really big, but so cool! All the walkways are outdoors, and there are trees growing throughout the walkways. I really wish I could just snap a picture of everything! Oh! I forgot. Laura and I are roommates. They paired all of the international students up with other international students. I think this is a really bad idea, because it just puts all of the international students into one group and secludes them. Laura and I figured since we were going to have an American roommate anyway, we might as well just live together. The dorms (called hostels here) have about 6 rooms in one "block". Everyone in the block shares a bathroom and a big open space (kind of like a common room). So Laura and I are the only U.S. students in our block, which I hope means we will make a lot of friends from Botswana. 

  One last thing before I finally take a shower to cool down; we don't know when we are starting classes. Since registration is taking a long time for everyone, they said that classes will most likely not start on Monday, or even tuesday. It seems to me that this happens a lot. So for now, it is still "winter" break for me! I hope all is well wherever you are reading this, and that you are enjoying the cold weather-some day you will miss it!

  For those of you going abroad, one tip I have: prepare for things to be more unorganized than you think. It may not be to the extreme that is going on here, but from talking to other students, it seems that the U.S. is overly organized, and other places are not, especially with study abroad. You know how you all feel like everything is a bit unclear? (Saskia) Just wait until you arrive! ISEP, CIEE and other programs like that do a good job of setting you up, but not as good as you are expecting. I am learning to embrace all of the things that I do not know that I feel I should, and learning ways to figure so many things out on my own. Independence to the max is coming your way, and it is great!

Sending lots of love from 80 degrees at 8 o clock at night!

P.S. No Sunburn yet.