5/24/2010,
I finally have arrived in Botswana after traveling for two and a half days through 4 airports! The path I took was Washington, DC to London Heathrow to Johannesburg to Gaborone. For my twelve hour layover in Heathrow, I stayed at this new hotel called a “Yotel.” Basically, you rent an ultra modern tiny cabin (similar to a cruise ship, but with more of a European touch to it) by the hour and can relax, shower, or just watch TV. Here’s a video of me in one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FogouZ9YMc8
Although I had an entire row on my British Airways flight to London, I simply could not fall asleep. Maybe it was the excitement, the anticipation, the thrill of going to Africa for 2 months. By the time I boarded my Jo’burg flight, I was running on no sleep for past 24+ hours. Luckily, I closed my eyes for a second and woke up 5 hours later, ready to finish my horrible choice for in flight entertainment (“Book of Eli” starring Denzel Washington…you’d think it might be good…but no).
When I finally got in to Gaborone, customs gave me little trouble with my trunk full of alien medical supplies. I was picked up by Zein, one of the staff members at the UPenn-University of Botswana Partnership. Immediately, I was reminded of how friendly and easy going Africans, particularly the Motswana (people of Botswana), are. The U of Botswana housing is far more than I can ask for and includes single rooms, a common room with a shared bathroom, and a kitchenette. This truly is a luxury Beyond Traditional Borders experience!
It turns out I’m not living at all alone here in Gaborone. UPenn has a global health program that sends about 15 interns every year to work at different locations such as the Ministry of Health or Princess Marina Hospital. In a comical instance of miscommunication among each others programs, the UPenn students expected a Rice medical student to join them while I thought that I would be living with 15 UPenn medical students/residents.
Running on residual caffeine from the Jo’burg terminal and pure adrenaline, I joined the UPenn students on a mini safari through Morukudu park. Three guides drove us around in a classic open Safari truck, where we got to see warthogs, hyenas, impalas, kudus, and zebras! We were then provided with an incredible meal (variations of beef, chicken, beans, cornmeal, salad, spinach) which I couldn’t help but having three servings of…Topped that off with apple crumble.
After dinner we were surprised with incredible show from a local group of youths. They performed traditional Tsetswana dance and song, amazing us with the strengths of their voices and the rhythm of their movements. Two girls from our group got pulled in to dance with them! We then hopped on the truck back to our dorm and I experienced my first taste of a Botswana winter night: very cold and dry!