Today was our first formal in-country orientation with the University of Botswana and the Botswana-UPenn Partnership (BUP). The BUP program directors are Gill (pronounced Jill) Jones, her daughter Nikki Jones, and a Botswana native Zeine. All three are amazingly kind, and I especially love Nikki Jones. We had a pretty standard talk about safety on campus and in Botswana, and about our resources at the Botswana-UPenn Partnership Office. After a hearty lunch and, get this, TEA BREAK (there are so many quirky British customs here), we had a break before our trip to the Mokolodi Game Reserve.
We arrived at Mokolodi and were greeted with glasses of champagne and some mango juice (they drink mango juice like water, it’s GREAT). We then boarded a 16 person “drive” truck and headed into the bush. I think Mokolodi is to Botswana what might be a cross between a zoo and a national park to us. It is a zoo in the sense that school children are taken there to learn about animals and wildlife preservation, and a national park in that everything is natural and is meant to be a place of preservation. The drive itself reminded me of the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland—it was very bumpy and safari-like. We saw ostrich, impala, zebra, giraffe, hyena, cheetah, and warthog. Ostrich are HUGE, like the size of a small horse, at least. Boitumelo heard that the only way to kill one is to shoot it in the neck because its feathers are so large and strong. I’m not sure if that’s true, but after seeing its size I would not be surprised. Also, Nikki told me that people of Botswana use every part of an ostrich, including its beak and talons for diamond cutting. Impala are very cute, and one particular type has enormous ears that look like flower petals. The baby’s ears were literally the size of its head. The hyena and cheetah were actually kept in a sanctuary because both had been rescued very young. Like the ostrich, the hyena was surprisingly big. The guide attributed it to the fact that it was so well fed and comfortable in the reserve. If I had to pick, I’d say spotting the giraffe was the highlight of the game drive. Because the sun was in the last phase of setting, there was a beautiful mixture of purple, pink, and blue stripes in the sky. We were heading back for dinner after already seeing all the other animals. Suddenly Boitumelo excitedly gasps and we all turned our attention to what she saw—a huge giraffe standing still against the backdrop of the sunset. There was just enough light to distinguish the pattern of the giraffe but still be taken aback by the sight of its silhouette against the backdrop of the sky. I’ve seen a giraffe at the zoo, but seeing one in the wild is a completely different experience. It was so gracefully lean and its coat was beautiful and bright. At first the giraffe just looked at us, but as we began to follow it, it started to move away from us (we were in a giant, noisy truck). However what struck me was its lack of fear. Once it established a safe distance, it just stood there and continued to look at us. I almost wish I had one of those nice cameras because the combination of the light and its poses would have made phenomenal photographs that just don’t compare to what my little camera caught. However, maybe it wasn’t meant to be photographed, like it was something that needed to be experienced.
We were all surprised when we stopped at a cove in the middle of the reserve and saw a fire and tables set up with plates, glasses, napkins, and food. When they uncovered the pans, there were massive amounts of chicken, beef, and sausages. Then they uncovered the maize-meal, cooked butternut squash, and garlic bread. For salad there was regular lettuce salad, a tangy bean salad, and coleslaw. To drink we had a choice of tea, coffee, or some Botswana cider. Because many of us hadn’t eaten since lunch, we felt like we were in heaven. Everything was delicious, especially the butternut squash and garlic bread. I really think that I could live off of butternut squash, it’s that delicious. While dinner was winding down, we began to hear voices chattering and singing in Setswana. Then a group of about 20 young Batswana came walking out singing a song in their native language. They were dressed in traditional clothes including seeds and leather wrapped around their lower legs that they used to hit and make sounds while they were dancing. They performed a few songs/dances for us that were phenomenal. Their energy and enthusiasm was amazing, not to mention the incredible physical shape they must have been in. Their dances included a lot of foot stomping and leg-drum slapping. Boitumelo explained that the songs and dances were a form of story telling. Traditional dancing is taught at many schools to children and then becomes a class option for older students. I think teaching these songs/dances to children is a great and effective way of preserving culture, especially because after either primary or secondary school, Batswana children are taught in English. That integration of cultural tradition with education is something that the United States is lacking.
Full and happy, we began to board the truck to head back to the cars to go home. As we took a short, unlit path, I took a moment to notice the sky. I have NEVER seen so many stars or stars as bright as I did tonight. I could actually see the color difference that distinguishes the Milky Way from the rest of the sky. It was breathtaking, and I love stargazing, so I think that one of the trips I want to do is to go to the Kalahari Desert to camp and star gaze. Apparently it is pitch black and silent, and according to Nikki, with a simple telescope you can see the rings of Saturn.
(Our wireless internet is not coming until early June, so right now we are sharing one Ethernet cord between 6 people and its REALLY slow, so pictures will come as soon as I have access to faster internet!)
