SEVEN

Hello all,

So, today was my last day in Gaborone and tomorrow morning I fly out to meet my brother for our backpacking tour. Let's start with how I watched the Lion King and cried about saying goodbye to everyone I've met here. That movie's intense and how did I think I'd make it through it without shedding a tear on my last day here?! I'm nuts.

Man oh man, let's start with how crazy of a seven weeks it has been here. Some of it was definitely a challenge but looking back at it now, I've learned a lot about education, health, and the "real" world.

Seven highlights of the health care side of things included:

• Observing a circumcision procedure on a 23 year old male 
• Listening to many unborn babies' heartbeats
• Learning about the attitude toward HIV/AIDS and other STIs 
• Observing different and most common forms of family planning
• Watching babies get weighed...they're so adorable
• Learning about how to clean and treat wounds 
• Understanding the positive and negative impacts of the Botswana healthcare system 

Seven highlights of my study abroad experience included:

• Firstly and most importantly, the people who I met on this trip and spent every waking moment with for seven weeks. In a world away from the world, these 26 other students are some wonderful people who I won't forget (and will hopefully see again). It was the hardest thing saying goodbye to them because they're all I've known for the past seven weeks. 
• Volunteering with community kids has really shaped my experience in Botswana and helped me understand the community aspect of how society affects the development and attitude of kids. 
• My week in the village Kanye showed me how different the rural and town life are in Botswana and how the village is a big part of being Motswana. It's not every day you get to learn how to live without running water (for me at least). 
• My home stay mom in Kanye will truly be missed! She was such a darling and did such a perfect job and working me into her home and life. 
• Learning a completely different type of public transportation and having to rely on myself to find out where I'm going in somewhere that isn't my home. 
• Getting proposed to by strangers (plural) and being told "I love you" "You're so beautiful" "Let's make sex" by strangers. Lol. 
• My great study abroad team including employees and volunteers! 

Seven foods I miss from Texas: 

• Barbecue (and sauce) 
• Chips and Queso
• Chips and Guac
• Chips and Salsa
• ....all Mexican food
• Thai food -Pad See Ew
• Whataburger- the 2 AM run to breakfast honey butter chicken biscuit 

Seven things I miss about home:

• Family and friends
• Constant access to wifi/internet/electricity/water 
• UT 
• Texting on my iPhone
• Touching animals without fear of getting fleas/rabies/disease
• Fountain drinks
• Texas pride everywhere

Seven reasons to study abroad: 

• Meet people from different backgrounds, cultures, and lifestyles
• Experience new things/ grow as a person
• See new things and places
• Learn how different education is outside of the USA
• Learn or introduce yourself to a new language and culture
• It's unlikely you'll spend as much time in a different country and it's harder to get away from responsibility
• Let's be honest, you know you really want to do it so stop holding back and get out there! 

In just seven weeks, I managed to learn a lot about myself, culture, language, society, healthcare, public health, development and growth, politics, infrastructure, and so much more. In seven weeks, I learned about Botswana. In seven weeks, I made some close relationships and bonds with people who I had never met. In seven weeks, I made a new home.

Now, it's time for me to enter the next leg of my journey. I will be camping with my brother from Windhoek, Namibia through northern Botswana and ending in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. I will be out of touch for the next week and will follow up about my travels when I reach South Africa.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my time in Gaborone as much as I enjoyed the stay and updating about it. Feel free to keep traveling with me through my blog post as I "rough it" through southern Africa.

As always,

Safe travels and enjoy!

Komal

Kanye, Botswana

Hello all, 

So to start off- this blog post is about my weeklong stay in Kanye, a village of 47,000 located in south Botswana (Kim and Kanye almost have all of their four corners covered-ha). Some of it was written throughout the week and some was written later so I apologize for any gramatical errors or poor tense agreement! Anyway, hope you enjoy the read!

We came to Kanye and entered the education center to see all of our host parents sitting inside awaiting our arrival. Families were assigned randomly by picking their names on crumbled pieces of paper. My host mama's name is Eunice pronounces and she's 58 years old. She's a grandma and a single parent. All of her kids have moved to the city with the exception of one who lives in Ireland. All of the grandkids are also in school so Eunice has been living alone since May when her husband passed away from diabetes. Eunice is really cute as in she calls me darling and baby and daughter and sweetheart. She loves having company around. We had a traditional dish for dinner consisting of pounded and salted cooked beef. I don't really get home sick much but being a part of a family that isn't yours will do the trick. This week, I really miss my family. 

My host mom, Doddy, and I 

Anyway, Eunice has about ten chickens, ten goats, a few chicks, a dog, and a cat. It was interesting to see the goats because we basically walked to her other house which is where her goats roam and she lets them out in the morning/ puts them back gated in the evening. It's about a mile walk to and from the houses. There is a small fire pit to warm up water with to bathe because there is a MAJOR water shortage in Kanye. However, Eunice does have a geyser that should heat the water up but it isn't functioning. Eunice is a Jehovah's Witness and we have had interesting talks about religion and the differences between them. Eunice has already felt comfortable sharing some personal stories with me about her belief system so I have as well. There are some things that we just had to agree to disagree but when isn't there? I also think she enjoys having someone around to tell the stories to. She is very excited because she found out her son his wife and her grandson are coming to visit Botswana from Ireland in August and she hasn't met her precious six year old grandson yet! (Who is so adorable- I've seen pictures) I'm so excited for her because she loves having people around and is a family oriented person.

My first day was interesting because I wanted to take a bath so I turned the geyser switch for the warm water and we went about dinner and closing the gate for the goats. When I checked, the water was still cold if that and barely running (My host mom says she usually warms water through the fire but wanted to try the geyser for me). By the time I got into the bath the water was cold so I decided I would just rinse off. It happens- no big deal. So I put on my clothes and the door was locked but the keys are the old style keys where you can only unlock it with the key. So I yelled for Eunice and she finally came and was in almost of a panic. She just changed the lock and didn't have the old key to open that door. She forgot to tell me not to close the door because it would lock behind me. Luckily, I had clothes on (always a plus). We tried and tried and tried to open it. She brought a screwdriver through the window which I would have jumped out of but it was too high and little and she's not young enough to exactly catch me . So I unscrewed the door knob hoping that would fix things. Nope. So. I kept trying every which way and how and told Eunice to call someone because this thing was not coming undone and I couldn't even bust the door open. So she went to fetch someone and I kept trying and finally I got the frame loose enough to where I could jiggle the lock in just long enough to open the door! Relief. Let's talk about how annoying it is to get stuck in a stranger's bathroom after taking a cold bath and them not having the resources to unlock the door. Slightly nerve racking for a minute there because I didn't have any ideas left. Well, all I can say is shit happens and this is Africa.

Proof- Lol

My host mom's room is right next to mine and all of the doors creak so I can always hear when she wakes up around 5 to tend to her goats. Did I mention the roosters? OH the roosters. My room is right by the chicken/rooster cage so I always hear them. That was rough. Did I mention the roosters? Seriously, I can't stress it enough. Always doing their thing and waking me up at 5 to 6. It's a shame how annoying they are to wake up to because they don't even know it. 

For breakfast, I would have some corn flakes to go with my full cream whole cow long life milk. It tastes... different. 

The clinic was not busy at all and we sat in child welfare  to weigh babies since that is the bulk of patients at the clinic. Don't worry, I asked permission for this picture! This will give a better perspective for how children are being weighed. Notice the fabric sling brought in my mothers to avoid spreading diseases through baby weighings.

Pearl came in for her monthly weighing! 

The doctor comes on Wednesdays and other nurses help out with patients. The facility is relatively nice and was donated in 1995. However, there is a hospital nearby and unlike Gaborone, people don't come in to the clinic for small aches or to get a sick-leave because in the village, you work regardless of if you are tired or sick. After clinic we had Setswana class at a friend's host house. Transportation is a long process because we have a 16 seater van but 27 kids and the village is somewhat spread out- imagine that. 

Later that day my mom warmed up her bath by using the fire outside and mixing it with the cold water from the tap. For dinner she made pap, moroho, setswa, and cabbage so that i could have a taste for traditional foods. Oh also, we didn't have a sink to wash dishes so we used a large bowl with water and soap to wash dishes- the struggle. My host mom also showed me pictures of her son, his wife and their mixed son because they live in Ireland now. We watched the bold and the beautiful as well as Generations, a South African soapie. The soapie is right now about a lady who got pregnant who has been trying a really long time and her husband was not giving her attention and focusing on work. So she didn't tell him the news yet. He has been trying to find out the killer of her dad and working to bring him down. On the other end, a character is trying to win prize money by filming for a reality tv show about a plus size woman. This show is basically THE show to watch in bots and SA.

Inside the Clinic

 I fell asleep by 9 and woke up at around 5 to roosters. Living the life y'all!! I also managed to finish almost two novels this week...not much to do if the electricity is out and no access to internet or the outside life for a week!

We asked the nurses if there was anywhere to get wifi in the village- they didn't even know or understand the concepts of wireless Internet. These nurses weren't even in their thirties. Well, this is the village. 

The best thing on TV was France 24, giving me my fix of international news including everything Edward Snowden, Nelson Mandela's critical state, interracial family style Cheerios commercials  Brazil protesters, the US supreme court ruling on homosexual marriage, Texas's inmates on death row, the Tour de France, and President Obama in Pretoria, S.Africa- about a 6 hour drive from me! It's amazing how many times you can see the same news because that's how long you've been watching it. 

Warming bath water

For some reason, I had become very attached to my host mom by only two days in. She has really opened her house and life to me. I can't really explain it but it makes all of the little annoyances about the village such as water shortages or cold water or no real mall or restaurants liveable. Maybe it's because she makes me feel loved and at home or maybe it's because I feel like I'm helping her in someway. She said how it had been a long time that she had had someone to worry for and come home to. This made me feel differently in some way. It made me feel so happy when she cleaned up my room this morning because she enjoys having the company so much so that she wants to make me happy. Being here has really made me so much more interested in not only learning the culture and language, but also to appreciate the differences in lifestyles, values, society and language barriers. The beauty of appreciating spoken language is something that should be highly appreciated cross culturally . It makes me feel the need to practice my Setswana more and so I do. It also makes me want to truly learn another language. Maybe I'll take one up when I get back to the states!

My host house!

Doddy, my mom's dog ran away for a night and we were worried that someone might have taken him but we found him the next morning thankfully. We tried to search at night but it was especially dark without street lights (or power). My mom texted me saying how happy she was the dog came home. 

The power had been off for 12 hours until 8 pm. It sucks. Don't worry though it came on just in time for the South African popular soapie, Generations! Everyone knows better than to mess with prime time TV!

The stars here are so beautiful. There are no street lights and the lights were out when I looked outside so oh my gosh I just can't explain it's not something I can capture. If there's one positive of living in the village, it's to look outside and have an appreciation for natural beauty. I just can't get over it. I look outside and I never want to stop looking. That must be why people come back to the village- to get a real peace of mind. 

On Saturday, I went to a local wedding and it was also very bittersweet because my (real) cousin is also getting married today in Houston. Man, that was a tough one to miss! 

My host mom wants to meet up in Gabs after I leave so I can meet her entire family and she said she started counting down the days since Wednesday because she was sad her little girl was leaving since she would be alone again. SO CUTE. She even called me three hours after we left just to make sure that I got home safely. I got a bittersweet feeling because the real homesick just kicked in.

Part of our group also took a tour of the village which turned out to be pleasantly surprising! We saw some gorges and the dam. We also climbed to the top of the hill and enjoyed a beautiful view of the entire village!

Anyway, all in all, I really enjoyed my stay in Kanye and couldn't have asked for a better host family. It was also pleasantly surprising because I was sad when my family was assigned to me because I wanted a family with kids. Little did I know, I would form a bond with someone who was searching for a family here as much as I had been. It's odd to actually feel a family-type connection with someone after only a week but it happened and I'm so grateful it did! I really enjoyed learning what the real Botswana is like outside of the city. I enjoyed learning of daily challenges, beliefs, customs, foods, and benefits of the village as well. It's a real difference is culture and lifestyle living out there! I missed taking real showers and enjoying the luxury of running tap water!

I apologize for how scattered my thoughts were in this blog and hoped some of you will be able to follow it anyway! Thanks for keeping up with me and my new endeavors! Below are many more pictures of Kanye that I had to post! Enjoy!

Best,

Komal

Old Naledi Clinic makes do with limited resources.

Hello all,

Last week, I volunteered at Old Naledi clinic. There were many differences I observed from this clinic and Julia Molefe clinic. This clinic is larger in size and has two doctors at a time. One side of the clinic is dedicated to HIV positive patients- complete with intake, drawing blood, consultation, and dispensary. The other side of the clinic is the same except has an added weighing for under five years- babies get weighed every month (preferably on the same date) until their fifth birthday. The interesting part of baby weighing is that there are mostly mothers coming in for child weighings and it may occasionally be a couple and even less than that are fathers coming in for monthly child weighings alone.

Speaking of babies, the maternity ward at this clinic is respectable in size and in functionality. The Old Naledi area is rural in nature and is not as financially stable of an area as others in Gaborone. Due to this, the clinic observes power outages more often than not. This would be fine if the clinic had a generator but it does not. This would also be fine however, the maternity ward is harder to function without light and a proper heating system. Expectant mothers go into labor, give birth, and are observed here. It is one thing to give birth without proper lighting, but it is another thing for a mother to lay in a bed with a blanket with no heat during winter. The next ward that loses the most efficiency from electricity outages is family planning/ ante-natal care/ post-natal care. Women come in here to get full exams, vaginal exams, and pap smears done. If there is not proper lighting when conducting a vaginal exam, there is virtually no purpose in putting a speculum up a woman because there is no view of the cervix (There aren't even back-up flashlights for this purpose which is something I would highly recommend for these clinics to invest in).

 

Also, these woman aren't given the option of getting epidurals... So imagine that. There aren't even stirrups or lubricant for speculum. You spread your own legs apart during birth and other vaginal exams. Talk about discomfort. It's a wonder how so many women here still give birth willingly to multiple children. Imagine that.

Another thing I really liked about this clinic was how comprehensive the check up was to go back to using a form of birth control after delivering birth compared to the previous clinic I was at. A full exam must be completed. The materials to complete this exam are fully autoclaved and nurses double up their gloves when performing an exam. I also really enjoyed learning about the different types of family planning available and what is provided there. Most commonly, women were taking the three month injection as opposed to the standard combination pill. This was probably my favorite "learning moment" of the week but in family planning, the World Health Organization created a wheel with common problems such as hypertension or HIV/AIDS. This is a really helpful tactic because it promotes the idea that the same method of contraception isn't for everyone, which is very true. It was also interesting how family planning nurses told women of what they thought was best and rarely would a patient disagree.

Did I mention the TB cougher's area? Yeah, that's comforting. If you relapse on your TB meds, you have to get an injection (usually on your butt) for 60 days. Oh, and you're still contagious. TB just sucks all around.

As far as my experiences with the rest of the clinic, they were great. I saw a lot of abysses/ infection usually pus filled. They are very painful to squeeze out. There was a woman who had one the amount of pus that she had in her under arm- I don't even know how she was still functioning. Moreover, there was a man in dressings, where they clean and cover wounds as well as change dressings- daily until they heal. A man came in who recently got stitches out from a stab wound and there was so much dried blood when they un-stitched the wound. I'm not too sure if that much dried blood is normal but it made the wound elevated and painful for the patient.

Listed below are common medical services and the fees for them as dictated by the Ministry of Health. Note the 5 Pula flat rate- if only that was the case in the United States (5 pula= ~0.58 USD)!

From my observation, the doctors that work in public clinics here are mostly from the DRC who came in about 6 years ago. Their primary language is French- so they were forced to learn English and Setswana. They said the conditions of Botswana medicine and healthcare were much better back then and that it is unfortunate now. The doctors complained of a lack of medical personel- mainly a shortage of doctors, a major lack of medical equipment, and a shortage of medicines needed.

A woman came in complaining of painful and itching ears but there wasn't even an otoscope to look into her ears. 

 Doctors often complain of how little time they get to spend with their patients and that since healthcare to patients is completely free, most patients come in if they experience any symptoms. For the record, let me mention that over the counter medicines are a thing here too. People would just rather go to the clinic at any point of feeling sick and get a sick-leave from the clinic to avoid going to work.The power outages are so prevalent in this area and resources are limited so it's no wonder why a computer backup system seems like a waste of resources before obtaining a generator...or flashlights. 

I think the worst part about this week was that we experienced a few sad cases -an expectant mother in her first trimester's baby wasn't found when the mother got a check up, a person who had been on antiretroviral drugs for ten years was diagnosed with Tuberculosis and the x-ray showed it was intensive and one of my colleagues reported a case of HIV that was so far gone that virtually nothing could be done at this point because he had been off his medication and waited too long to seek treatment. Although this is Africa, this should not happen anywhere.

To leave off on a relatively happy note, the community here, although not wealthy, makes do with the resources available. People stay warm and still smile. This says a lot considering I was working in a rural clinic, in the winter, and around people who generally aren't feeling well. Also, people on our way out to the combi stop urged us to take pictures of the community. Enjoy!

Until next time,

Komal

Normal size house in Old Naledi. 

He purposely wanted a picture posing like that!

At the end of the day, some values cross international borders, race and socioeconomic status. 

Volunteering with kids: It's all in the details

Hi all,

 Hopefully, I'll have a few posts written in the next few days so that I can be caught up before Sunday- we are leaving for a weeklong village homestay in one of the largest villages in Botswana, Kanye (Sorry to pop your bubble but it's not in the West, it's in the Southern district...lolz). Anyway, two weekends ago (I promise y'all, I'm working on catch up) I volunteered at the Tlamelo Trust in Old Naledi, a relatively poor and rural community in Gaborone.

Most of the group went to Victoria Falls, but a few others and I stayed back and some volunteered at the Old Naledi Baptist Church community day sponsored by Orange, a popular phone company. I'm traveling to Vic falls in about a month, so it wasn't worth it for me to take another trip out again considering $$$ and I could be enjoying something else.

Anyway, I'm so glad I stayed back because I got a lot closer to the group that stayed back and volunteered to get an amazing experience!

From left to right: Me, Jordan, Mr. Matata, and Michelle

Mr. Matata is the project manager and coordinator for the community's homeless and orphaned kids. Man, does he do a good job. He was born and raised in the Old Naledi community and went to college at the University of Botswana. He decided to come back and help out his fellow community members. He said that he wants to give each child the best possible chance to succeed in life and have opportunities. He says the job of getting food for these kids can be very difficult on a daily basis because he gets food (usually donated or highly subsidized) for about 200 or so kids every day. Mr. Matata (who's name literally translates to Mr. Problem) says that sometimes he wonders if he should do something real with his life and get a "real job" but that if he gives up, these kids won't have a role model like he has been all of these years. 

You know, that's an interesting thought. He is literally someone who may not have been replaced by someone else because he created his position. If Mr. Matata didn't organize food for these kids on a daily basis, who would? Who would take charge? Who would feed these kids? Who would show them that it is possible to get to the top of the ladder? Who would show these kids that life isn't always handed to you? Where is the light at the end of the tunnel if it exists?

In life, it is important to become someone who you believe brings more to the table than what a replacement at your pace could bring. If you weren't here, would someone be leading your life? If so, would they be better at it than you are?

 I should get back to the day before letting all of these deep thoughts unveil. 

When Jordan, Michelle, and I arrived at the community center. A flock of kids headed our way. These two little girls were literally attached at my hip the entire day! Literally. Although it was super adorable and heartwarming when we met initially, there was also a sadness. What if they are so attached to me because people don't give them attention? What if these kids don't get the social interaction so necessary for development and growth? The girl above, kept holding my hand and wanting me to carry her and the one below always wanted to hug me and both were so adorable and precious. It's really a shame to have to play with these kids all day and then have to leave. It was also a sad sight because so many of these kids had runny noses and coughs/ you could feel the rough dirtiness in their hands. It's an interesting thought how your lifestyle can dictate how smooth, rough, or calloused your fingertips are. It's interesting how some of these kids have clothes with little rips all around- which may or may not be sewed. The thought of matching your clothes was as foreign as my nationality. Some of these kids would layer up and wear three or four layers in the morning and adjust throughout the day as needed. You could still see the stains in their clothing or the felt of clothing that comes from long term wear and tear. You could still see the residue of dirt in the hair of some kids suggesting they needed a bath. At the end of the day, it's about the details in the fabric. 

To the "upside" of that, some of these kids kept asking for money or some of our belongings (and some really expected it to be handed over). Is it because they get things handed to them? Or is it because they expect us to have money? So after getting trampled by over a hundred beautiful little community kids, they kept playing with my hair. What's funny though is that none of the kids believed my hair was real...they kept saying it was plastic. I told them that my hair was real and one girl pointed to her hair, which was coarse and a lot shorter than mine and said this is hair! That's not hair! I even pulled out a strand of my hair to prove it wasn't a weave because the kids kept looking for my "real hair" where my roots are. This was probably the most interesting part of the day to me because I hadn't realized that some of these kids had never seen hair like mine.

After playing with these kids for nearly three hours including games such as ring around the rosie and duck duck goose, the three volunteers helped the other volunteers who came from Orange to hand out snacks. The snack they had was half a hot dog and orange punch. After we passed out hot dogs to 200+ community kids and members, which was just as crazy it sounds, Jordan, Michelle, and I helped prepare lunch. Preparing lunch was...intense. So one of the dishes that these kids love is potato salad...with LOTS of mayonnaise. I don't think I'll ever be able to look at mayonnaise the same way after smelling so much of it. We went out to the kitchen to prepare food with other volunteers from Orange. While preparing, most of the crew was day-drinking, cooking steaks, and having a party...and the three of us felt slightly out of place. It was an odd thought for us that people were drinking...while at a volunteer event...before lunch... so confused. Meanwhile, these kids still stayed super adorbz. They asked us to stay for a futbol game after lunch with the kids but we were so exhausted that we had to head out. It's crazy how tiring playing with so many kids for hours upon hours can be!

Volunteering with kids gives you an entirely different spectrum of joy. Spending time with these kids brought to me a different sense of joy, happiness, hope, love, and appreciation. Joy to see so many precious smiles. Happiness to be able to spend some time with these kids. Hope that  programs like these will in turn to prove bright futures for these kids. Love in its simplest form stemming from quality time spent together and appreciation for the lessons I have learned and the motivation I have gained. I didn't teach a class, I didn't save a life, nor did I provide food for these children but these kids seemed to be so attached to me for simply providing my smile and my time.

Honestly, it's a different world out there. It's not as easy to even say no to a kid that asks you for your tennis shoes or jacket or money but what does that teach these kids if I do give them my things? Yes, it would make me feel better about myself knowing that I kept someone warm for the night or kept feet from being calloused but it teaches these kids to get what they ask for. A few other local volunteers helped me understand this concept when Orange provided these kids with new shirts. It was amazing giving clothes to these kids (and acted as a great publicity stunt for Orange) because that was all that we could do for them today. It's tough but in the end what helps the most is stability and earning the clothes and food that you get. This was when the volunteer informed me that they also have after school learning sessions and sports activities to keep the kids involved. They also have the older ones help the younger ones learn there ABC's! How cute is that!? Learning this made me really happy because I didn't know how much detail went into transforming these kids into adults who can make a real living in the world outside the doors of the community center.

I had an amazing time volunteering and meeting these adorable, sweet, and energetic kids. It touched my heart when Mr. Matata thanked Jordan, Michelle, and I for coming out and volunteering but there is no comparison to what he does on a daily basis. Mr. Matata had all of the community kids learn each of our names and publicly thanked us by giving us a round of applause. I was pretty taken aback because I didn't even feel like we had done anything to deserve such thanks. That day I learned so much about society, a sense of community and the behaviors of children. I saw the innocent kids, the divas, the top-dogs, the quiet ones, and the criers too. Spending some time with these kids has really taught me how to appreciate having a loving family, having a quality education, and access to good health care. It also taught me how many people are capable of helping others in the simplest of ways. I can't wait to go back and volunteer with these cuties again!

Hope you enjoyed it and until next time,

Komal

Hook em' in Africa- grab em while they're young!

Take the world by the horns. 

Packing like a pro- how to

Above is a 65 L backpack from REI (originally comes with a daypack which I didn't bring) and a regular size backpack.
Packing was a bit stressful because I needed some specific space-taking items for my study abroad component and some separate items my backpacking component of my trip.

As far as packing goes, I packed an average sized towel, a face towel, travel size- toiletries, 12 tops -including tees/ v-necks/ 2 blouses and a few knits,  10 bottoms - 3 pairs of leggings, 1 pair of chinos, 1 pair black skinny jeggings, 1 black hi-low maxi skirt, 3 pairs nike shorts, 1 pair khaki shorts. (I took an extra amount of bottoms because of the daily variance in temperatures), 1 mini cream colored lace dress, a swimsuit,  six pairs of socks including two pair of long socks for sleeping in cold weather or hiking , and undergarments to last me for two weeks. I packed a pair of chacos, black flats, running shoes and hiking boots. I wore my hiking boots, chinos, a tee and light-weight omni heat Columbia jacket on the plane because those took up the most space in my backpack. Along with this, I managed to fit necessary medications, a compact sized wireless modem, a flat linen sheet, and other accessories such as makeup ESSENTIALS, a travel sized first aid kit and a small sewing kit. Another essential to travel with is feminine products because of the lack of choice or type in certain areas. Oh, I also managed to squeeze in my stuffed bunny which is always comforting and home-like. I'm planning on purchasing a sleeping bag here to limit where I need to carry it. Ideally, I would squeeze it in my 65L and over-fill my other backpack to limit what I need to carry. I used the roll style of folding for my clothing and bundles for my underwear and socks. Don't forget to put small items like socks in your shoes to save space and keep the shoe shape! I'll post pictures later of when I'm repacking to give people an idea of how I packed so much in my backpack. My 65L came out to be 22 lbs and I could fit more if I tried.

Looking back, I would have packed more tees and maybe one less pair of nike shorts and no jeggings, I also would not have brought the wireless modem (partly because it's taking a while to start using and will only be beneficial to me during study abroad). Other than that, I think I did well because I wanted to maintain a balance between backpacking and carrying enough variety to please my personal preferences for seven weeks (well, nine including backpacking).

For future backpacking trips, I'm sure I'll be able to travel with even less considering some specific things I needed to/ was suggested to bring for this trip.

Carrying these backpacks (smaller backpack in front) is much easier to me than carrying a suitcase. It's comfortable once on and it's easy to walk with as well. My hands are free for showing passports/ IDs/ boarding passes/ train tickets and my luggage is always on me which is nice because the risk of losing it or having it stolen is reduced greatly.

Don't forget your luggage locks!

Enjoy and safe travels,

Komal

The Inverted Bell Curve of Reactions

Written May 26, 2013. 

Still couldn't sleep on the flight because of a crying baby. It was frustrating but I would hate to be that baby and not be able to pop my ears. Talk about discomfort.

Reactions of me telling people I'm studying abroad in Africa 

When I told people I planned to study abroad in Africa, moreover in Botswana (a country most could not locate and some could not identify) the reactions I got were that of an inverted bell shape curve, strong at the ends of the curve and plateaued down in the middle. For some reason, everyone I told had more to say than “that’s cool. Safe travels.”

On one hand, my parents’ friends strongly urged my parents not to send me to AFRICA (the whole continent) due to safety issues. My parents didn’t even get a chance to tell them where in Africa I would be (stating the country would not have likely helped my case). I had college students asking me why I wouldn’t want to travel somewhere in Europe that most study abroad students were magnetized to, such as Italy, France or Spain. I even told my bank of my travel plans for accessibility purposes and the lady on the end of the other line told me to spell out the names of the countries because she hadn’t heard of them. I know I'm a little Africa crazy but come on, she seriously made me spell out Swaziland. 

However, on the other end of the inverted curve, I had people (mostly those who enjoyed traveling) telling me this would be the best experience of my life. For example, my older brother was so excited that he and I are backpacking after my program ends. I had people, mostly students, who told me how envious they were of my travel plans and how they wished they could study abroad as well. I received travel advice from the few I knew who had been to southern Africa.

What was interesting to me was that most people, whether they realized it or not, had strong opinions to my study abroad plans. This was interesting to me because most of peoples’ first reactions were generally valid yet vague. “You’ll have a great experience.” “Why don’t you go somewhere safer?” “Why do you want to go to Africa?” “Make sure you get all of your shots.” “Take lots of pictures.” “Be careful.” “Be careful of dangerous people.”

Advice

“Keep your eyes on your valuables, don’t portray wealth of any sorts, keep copies of your passport handy, store money in various places, don’t make bold decisions, don’t go to strange places with men, don’t go out alone at night, make sure people don’t drug your drinks, don’t wear revealing clothing and be aware of your surroundings.” Is it odd that I’ve been given about half of this advice in the form of recommendation via UT Austin freshman orientation.
"Don't share syringes, don't be afraid to leave situations you don't feel comfortable in, and don't play with wildlife."

Thanks y'all.

In case some are still confused and don't wish to look up a map. This is Botswana. It is landlocked and surrounded by South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. Yes, it is a real country, yes tourists go there, yes you should definitely google image search the Okavango Delta in northern Botswana. Go ahead. Please. 

Goodbye for now,

Komal

Of all the places I could've gone...Why Africa?

Written on May 26, 2013

Reasoning

There are three parts to why I am partaking in this program. Firstly, I wanted to study abroad. Secondly, I wanted to participate in a public health program. Thirdly, I wanted to go to Africa.

Firstly, I wanted to study abroad. What college student doesn’t? Well, this might sound a little extreme but toward the end of last year I found myself thoroughly evaluating different study abroad programs on a daily basis. At one point in time, I visited The University of Texas study abroad website more than any other! I started to ask around to friends who had studied abroad and met with a study abroad advisor as well. It might have become an obsession but I have to say it was worth it. I participated in a week-long Global Medical Brigade in Panama a year and a half earlier and after that experience, I was certain I had to learn the lessons of the world. I had to get to know the real world, the world outside what I called home. Also, I had a serious case of the traveler's bug. 

Secondly, I wanted to participate in a public health program. I was seeking international public health experience and I wanted to find a program that worked well with my career needs. I lucked right out on that one! I've always intended on doing international work sometime in my career. I didn't want to be one of those people who always talked the talk but never flew on the plane. So, I decided to start now.  For me, however, this is not simply a “résumé booster”. I am doing this much more for the educational and cultural experience rather than solely to appear a better candidate to graduate schools and jobs. It isn't nearly at all about taking classes that are half-way across the world, it's about being here and learning how the world works outside the reigns of the United States. For some reason, I've always wanted to travel to Africa. This leads me to my third point.

Thirdly, I wanted to go Africa. Technically speaking, I am already in Africa. I am currently on a plane from Dakar, Senegal to Johannesburg, South Africa (stopped for refueling and we didn't even leave the plane). I have wanted to travel to Africa for a very long time now. When I was younger, it was more of wanting to travel somewhere where not many people wanted to go as their first choice. I enjoyed finding beauty in underappreciated areas. I didn’t fully understand why I was drawn to this continent as a whole. Maybe it was because I wanted to become a doctor, serve internationally, and cure AIDS as a child. Maybe I wanted to serve in Africa because that’s where I heard people went to help people who "couldn't help themselves". That’s where I thought people "needed" help. This sounds foolish, odd, and childish. However, I have no better reasoning for why I wanted so badly to one day make it to this continent. The older I got, the stronger the urge became. Along with this, the realities of concerning myself with safety and security issues grew exponentially. I had also discovered more concrete explanations for why I wanted to go to Africa. I wanted  to travel on humanitarian and tourist basises. I wanted to help people. I wanted to be exposed to different cultures and languages. I wanted to be exposed to major healthcare differences. For instance, Botswana has an HIV/AIDS rate of 24%. It has been said that every individual knows somebody who has died of HIV/ AIDS. This is almost one in every four people. Just let that sink in for a moment.

Fast forward to present day, I am going to Africa almost as a “pre-test”. I want to join the Peace Corps and I’d like to see if this is something that I really want to do or if it simply a fantasy I have built up in my mind about only theoretically wanting to make a twenty-seven month commitment to helping people I don’t know and being independent in a country far away from all of my family and friends. After all, it is possible that I find after this program that I want something else out of my life unrelated to the Peace Corps or public health or even health care! All I know is that I am trying to go into this experience with an open mind.

That being said, even if all else does work in my favor, my parents aren’t exactly jumping with joy with  my desire to join the Peace Corps or the thought of me being in a different continent for seven weeks and this is a pre-test for them as well to see if and how they handle their concerns with me being so far away.

All pre-testing aside, it looks like I'm in for the summer of my life! The one that I have literally fantasized of. More posts to come.

Goodnight for now,

Komal