kearnsan

After Diamonds, and maybe Tourism, Beef is one of Botswana's largest industries. Since I have been here I have consumed more beef than I care to mention and have seen cows roaming in fields, across highways, and through neighborhood streets. That was why it was so exciting to see the middle of the beef industry, where live animals turn into the meat I eat everyday. (If you are sensitive to gory descriptions in any way you probably should skip this post) Last week the study abroad program took my group to a slaughterhouse/ butchery. When we entered we got dressed in white pants, white lab coats, hair nets, helmets, and huge white rubber boots. When we had finished that long process we scrubbed our boots and hands and entered the factory. The first thing I saw ... read more

Last week was one of the most amazing of my life. It started Sunday morning at 3 am, when I piled into a tour van and rocketed up north to Kasane. The drive was supposed to take 12 hours but our driver drove at a 100 mph so we reached our destination in record time. When we arrived we met up with our tour guide Ike and he quickly got us settled in at our campsite. Our campsite was owned and operated by Chobe Safari Lodge which meant that it was not “real”camping but luxurious, pampered camping. After settling in we walked up to the main lodge, which looked rather unimpressive from the front. We circled around the back and our jaws dropped. We entered on a wooden bridge under a canopy of vines. When we ... read more

This weekend was fabulous! After the past 2 weeks working in my frustrating NGO I decided I needed to have some fun. Throughout the trip I have been meeting various Peace Corps members and last week one of them invited my friends and I to a birthday party in Gaborone. We decided to take him up on the offer and we asked our host families for permission to stay in Gabs overnight. Yesterday was a long day.... The day began at 7:00 when my friend Bryce and I took off on a long walk around Molepolole. We curved around the town to the edge of the aloe fields (which look pretty awesome) and finished our hour trek back in town. After returning home I packed up my things and Bryce, Harry, Rachel, and I left for ... read more

WHOO HOO! I am in Molepolole! Every day I go to work at Bana Ba Keletso Orphanage Center where I teach 20 preschool orphans. I have fallen in love with all of them (which is sort of a problem) but especially Dithapelo, a young boy who is the smartest in the class. Next week we are holding a party to celebrate the opening of a new building. The US Ambassador and many other officials will be there so everyone is getting really excited. The small staff is running around planning and inviting people, which means I run an entire preschool classroom on my own! I am having a complete blast with it. I taught the kids "Itsy Bitsy Spider" along with my co-worker Rachel, and it is the most adorable thing to listen to. They can't ... read more

Hello All! Sorry I haven't been able to update this as often as I hoped. I have been in the remote village of Manyana for about 3 weeks and haven't been able to get to a computer. I hope everyone is doing well! A little bit about where I am staying: I am living in Manyana, a village of about 4k people. I live in a house with my host dad, mom, and 3 siblings. I have my own room, which is GREAT! I was told before I got to Botswana I would have trouble with my family respecting my privacy but that hasn't been an issue at all. Everyone in my family is super sweet and they take care of me as if I were one of their own. We have electricity, which was very ... read more