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Published: March 8th 2007
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Arriving in Gabs
Anj walking towards the terminal in our new home. Hi All,
Well we have made it - and are sitting here at the WUSC offices in Gaborone in the morning of our third day, the sun is shining and we are starting to get our bearings, a bit.
Where to start - well, I think I will spare you all the details of the journey over here - lets just say it was long, generally uncomfortable and I have pretty much caught up on all the movies I was just "dying" to see - luckily, I was not forced to watch any romantic comedies including Russel Crowe, Diane lLane or that annoying Winona Ryder.
The highlight of the trip though, needs to be mentioned. Our last leg of our journey saw us taking a bus ride at the Johannesburg airport along the tarmac to our tiny 48 seat, Canadian-made Dash-8, propeller-driven plane. This was quite the experience as we soared high above the city, then the bush, then more bush, in the midday morning. Did I mention the bush?
We arrived after 1 hour at the Gaborone airport - one small strip in the middle of the bush, which pretty much never gets any planes larger
Over Botswana
Looking over Botswana from our Dash-8 plane than the one we were in. At that moment, I am pretty sure I asked Angela what she had gotten me into.
The airport fit exactly what you would expect from a small isolated town - stuffy, yet quaint, with a few passport control officers to quickly look over your documents and wave you through. There was looser security there than at your average HMV. The single motorized baggage rack, which essentially just brought the luggage from the outside, to the inside brought us 4 of 5 pieces, and the missing one turned up the next day.
OK, enough about the journey - l was supposed to spare you the details wasn't I?
We were met by Chillie, who works for WUSC and loaded up his white 4x4 and zoomed off into the bush. We were surprised by the quality of the roads and the cleanliness of everything, and before too long we found ourselves in the booming metropolis of Gaborone - pop. between 125,000 and 250,000 - or more, or less - no one is quite sure. But it's not gigantic.
We met the other staff at WUSC including the director, Kathy Stiles, but to
Official passport photos
Anj getting her passport photo taken for the visa, outside of the government offices, under a nice shady tree. be honest at that moment, we were just looking for a bed and a shower. So we went to our new home for the next two weeks, staying with Kelly Murphy, an ex WUSC volunteer and now 3 year veteran of Botswana.
The next few days went by in a blur of multiple introductions, several meals at very western-style restaurants and we even managed a trip off to Otse, to see where Anj will be working and where we could be potentially living. Otse is a half-hour's drive outside Gaborone through dusty rolling bushveld and is nestled at the base of Mt. Otse, Botswana's highest point.
The village sprawls over quite a distance, but the area where Anj will be working is near the end of the road and is definitely the most unique work environment either of us has ever seen. Godisa is one enterprise within the larger group of Camphill trust, which is like its own contained community within the village. In addition to the hearing aid enterprise, there is a knitting co-op, a pottery workshop, a small restaurant and tea-shop, a greenhouse growing multiple herbs and flowers, employing disabled youth from across Botswana, lemon, orange
Cute kid
Kid playing while we wait for the passport photos and grapefruit orchards and the most beautiful and extensive gardens either of us have ever seen. It will be an amazing experience working there.
We looked at the house they had picked out for us, but turned it down - a bit too rustic for our liking and we have decided to live in Gaborone and rent a house here and Anj will commute - which is easily done by bus, or car (which we may be buying soon as well). There seems to be a lively social scene here in the city, but unlike the village, we can also have our privacy. We will be house and car hunting in the next two weeks and will keep you all updated. Today, we get cell phones, which are a lifeline here - which is ironic as we didn't need them in Toronto.
OK, that's enough for today - we will keep you updated as often as possible. Check out the great photos from our first few days here.
Love to all,
Bry & Anj
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Dani
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I'm coming soon!!!!
Thanks for the update and glad to hear you arrived safely. Enjoy every day as it is the adventure of a lifetime. Thanks for letting me know about the plane I will have to take to come see you! Miss and love you! Love, Dani