I went looking for an African proverb that might serve as a theme for Week 1. This one comes from the Fula people of West and Central Africa. My Fulbright colleague Tess and I spent an afternoon at Mokolodi Game Reserve. We arrived, planning to do a Game Drive, only to discover that all reservations were full. Nope, we hadn't called ahead. Hoping for a fortuitous opening later in the day, we walked the not-so-well marked trails in the hot Botswana sun, spotting colorful birds, impala, kudu and trying not to get lost. After lunch, hope became reality. A group had cancelled and we were in for a two hour Game Drive with a private guide, Odi. We saw many animals: more impala and kudu, zebra, warthog, giraffe, crocodile and penned in cheetahs. The highlight was seeing four of the six white rhinos in the reserve at a watering hole. A rare sighting even for Odi. You know the guide is excited when he makes the sign of the cross and brings out his camera. As the three of us rumbled back to the parking lot in the huge all terrain vehicle, Tess said, "Maybe this is a metaphor for our Fulbright." I was thinking the same thing.
A second payoff for patience was meeting my Fulbright advisor, Dr. Ntshebe. She has been working in Rwanda for the past two weeks, so it was our first meeting. She has welcomed me warmly and is helping me navigate registering for a class (Demography of Botswana), getting an office on campus and accessing the UB library and Internet. I think she is more impatient than I am for the wheels of bureaucracy to turn. She is so sharp and is challenging me to flesh out my Inquiry Project as a more detailed research proposal. I'm reading and making notes on the UNFPA Botswana's Opportunities and Policy Actions to Maximise the Demographic Dividend in Botswana report and exploring off shoots. I feel I am in good hands with Dr. Ntshebe and the Population Studies Department chair, Dr. Rakgoasi. Sanita's Tea Garden is a lush oasis that helps restore any frayed patience. Botswana has a middle and upper class that landscapes and gardens (but the second highest rate of income inequality on the African continent, second to South Africa). Sanita's is a nursery, garden center and restaurant attracting birds and butterflies and has a truly restorative ambience. Taxi driver Kuda, a Zimbabwean civil engineer by training, makes more money driving a taxi than working as an engineer. He's a joy to chat with. His Batswana wife's desire to have a baby girl after two sons had unexpected consequences: twin baby boys, bringing the household count to 5 males and one female. She will need a lot of patience. Thapong Visual Arts Center reminds me of Franconia Sculpture Park near Stillwater at a smaller scale. I talked with woodworkers, tailors, painters, musical instrument makers and jewelers, so willing to share a bit about themselves and their work. Daniel loved geography and studied it in secondary school with the thought of joining the army and reading maps. His desire to paint everyday was ultimately stronger than his desire to join the army, but his geographic heart shines through ... he paints Botswana landscapes and wildlife. Today he was patiently painting gemsbok. Mma Ramotswe always drank rooibos tea when she needed a little patience and thinking time. Some pap, seswaa and iced rooibos tea at the #1 Ladies Coffee House was a perfect way to cap a patient week.
3 Comments
Rosa Dunn
1/30/2019 11:48:17 am
So proud of you! I love you!
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Matt Kraft
2/4/2019 06:29:38 am
Enjoy your travels and learning!
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Gretchen
2/23/2019 02:28:42 pm
You can’t go wrong, modeling Mmw Ramotswe.
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About MeA 9th grade AP Human Geography and Global Studies teacher at Stillwater Area High School in Stillwater, Minnesota, USA, living and learning in Gaborone, Botswana from January to June 2019 as a Fulbright Teacher. Archives
June 2019
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