So this will be my last post from Africa. I started this blog with the intention of sharing my experiences here with those who couldn't come with me. I am really happy about my time here. Now I know people are going to ask me "Oh you went to Africa? Did you learn anything?" My answer would be yes. I have learned a lot. But I'm going to talk about 3 of the most things I learned while here.
1: Patience. I have always been impatient. I always rush to get things done, and to get to places. When I came to Africa I immediately became irritated by all the long lines and inefficiency. You would wait in a 20 minute line just to pay for dinner then wait in another long line to get your food because there is only one person serving food. When in a restaurant my friends and I would play cards, because it would take a really long time to bring out our food. This place just moves a lot slower than everywhere else and because of that I had to become patient enough to deal with everything. I feel that once I get home, all the lines will seem short, and I will have more patience with people.
2: Tolerance. Being a minority here means that I received a lot of attention whether it be wanted or unwanted. I've had to be able to smile and listen to a person I clearly don't want to talk to. If I screamed at every guy who hooted and hollered at me, then I would be coming home dumb from all the yelling. People say that you have to pick your fights, and I've definitely applied that here. There is a time and place for everything. Instead of getting in a fight with every person I don't get along with I ignore them and continue on with my life. Another place I learned tolerance was with my roommate. We have very different sleeping habits. For example, we have a rule here (UB) that you are not allowed to have people in your room past midnight. My roommate has on multiple occasions had people past midnight, and has had study sessions until 2 in the morning. Now if you don't know me very well then you don't know how much I like sleep. Seriously, I love it. I'll go to bed at 11 and wake up at 10. But instead of telling my roommate off, which I did once, I simply ignore the 7 people she has and try my best to go to sleep. Also in the morning she prefers to wake up around 7 or 8 and then have people over. In the beginning of the semester, I woke up every time she and her friends started talking, but now I sleep through it.
3: Appreciation for my home country. Now I already do appreciate the states, but I've learned to appreciate it even more here. One aspect of the appreciation is how clean the states is. Here they don't know what recycling is, or what a trashcan is. People use the ground as a trashcan and leave trash on the tables in the Student Center and anywhere else. In the states everything is clean, and you get fined if seen littering. I also really like how the states has banned smoking in restaurants and other locations. Here the people are slowly moving in this direction. Stores are beginning to ban smoking and restaurants are beginning to ban smoking inside as well. Still though i don't like sitting on the deck of a restaurant breathing in someone else's smoke.
I've learned a lot this semester but those are the three most important ones. Now the second question I'll probably receive is "Would you recommend going there?" My answer to this question is this: If you are looking for a relaxing easy going location where you don't have to work and people help you, don't come to Botswana. Besides orientation I have not interacted with my host coordinators. They are suppose to be there to guide you and help you if you need it yet I've figured everything out on my own. This place does not allow to you to be held by the hand. You have to be able to do it yourself. Botswana can be really trying at times you can't break down every time something doesn't go your way. That doesn't mean you aren't allowed to feel homesick on occasion, I'm just saying you can't lock yourself in your room and mope all day. Of all the trips I've been on here, only 2 day trips have been planned by the international office. The rest I've done with my fellow international students. This place is wonderful and all but you need to be able to do things by yourself because no one will tell you what you need to do or how to do it. I feel that I've become a lot more independent by being here, just because I've learned to do things by myself.
The last question people will probably ask me is "Would you do it again?" My answer would be YES!!!!!! I have loved being here. I find being in a place so different from my home fascinating and I adore learning about new cultures. This place is beautiful and the people are so nice. Being here was an amazing experience and I will never forget it. If I can come back to Africa I definitely will. I want to see more of it and meet new people. I recommend studying abroad to everyone. It is an experience that I feel everyone needs to have. I've always heard people saying that their one big regret from college was not studying abroad. And it makes perfect sense. You learn so many new things while abroad and you get to try so many new things as well. I have loved being here, and I hope I get the chance to travel more in my future.
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