So my parents came and went, and I faithfully tourguided them around Gaborone. Right after they left I traveled to Victoria Falls and Chobe with Avery and Emilie. We took a five hour bus ride to Francistown and then stayed with my friend Katlego's family for the night. The next day we took an 8 hour combi ride to Kasane (which was long, bumpy and crowded as you may have predicted.)

On Saturday we went to Victoria falls, which was completely indescribable and MASSIVE! We got completely soaked, and even far into the forest away form the falls it was as thought it was constantly raining. At some of the lookout points all we could see was white mist, as though nature was just too enormous for us to view it.

I actually really loved Zimbabwe (although I only saw a small corner of it), it was completely different and more tropical than Botswana, but also very sad. Everybody wanted my shirt, or to sell me something. It was awful, because I knew I could afford to buy something, but who do I buy from and who do I ignore? There was so much desperation. And all of the tourist industry is closed down because tourists are afraid to stay there, which just causes more desperation.

Sunday we went on a morning game drive in the Chobe Game Reserve (where I saw buffalo, which I haven't seen yet!) and an afternoon boat ride. The boat ride was a sunset ride and we had some ciders and got to watch hippos fighting, elephants mating and mud-bathing and fighting, a baboon family eating, and various brightly colored birds flying around. It was amazing.

Monday was devoted to the 15 hour combi/bus ride back to Gaborone and was completely exhausting.

On Wednesday I went up to SOS for what I thought would be my last day at the kindergarten, since they said it would close at Easter, but it was already closed. I didn't get to say goodbye to my babies! I walked into the kindergarten and some teachers were sitting there, I asked where everyone was and they said no one came, the kindergarten is closed, but the orphans who live at the village were playing outside. I went outside to play with them, and there were only about ten of them. And one by one they disappeared into their houses. At last it was just me and Takunda. I helped him find his shoes and held his hand and took him home, his village mother scolded him and didn't even acknowledge me. Luckily though, the national director told me I can still help out in the village, I just have to show up and talk to the village father.

I think in my next post I will address a typical day at UB and some cultural differences I have noticed. I don't know how to explain my every day existence anymore, and I never think anything that happens would be of very much interest to the outside world, but I promise to make more of an effort.

This weekend I am going to the Rhino Sanctuary for a day with Avery to check out the rhinos. And then we will go to Tswello's family's farm. His family has cattle, but also an ostrich farm!!! So I am very excited to see his ostriches. Also on Sunday I am having an Easter feast with some of the other international students, which should be fun (we are making mashed potatoes, I haven't had mashed potatoes since coming here!!!)

At this point I am also getting very homesick and missing people. I miss my home, Andre, my cat, grainy toasted wheat bread (seriously, all I eat is crackers and rice, and we don't have a toaster), cheese, skim milk, having a kitchen, trees without thorns, rivers you can swim in, everything. I feel like I have been here a while, but still have a whole month to go. However, I have been going in strange cycles the whole time, probably next week I will dread going home...sigh.

I have been reading everyone else's blogs: Jen, MB, Anna, Rebecca...your adventures sound amazing and you all update more faithfully than me, it seems!

More on every day life soon, I promise.