Hectic

Ok so here's the scoop. The university students went on strike, which I have already mentioned. However, now the administration has closed the university until the 16th of February and everyone but international students had about 45 minutes to move out and go home. We now have to show the security guards our passports everytime we want to come back into campus. Anyway, so they moved us back into our dorms yesterday and we are now allowed to stay here. Pretty much every international student but Emilie and I have already left to go on vacations to Cape Town, Victoria Falls, Lesotho, etc. Emilie and I weren't quite ready for that though. So, we are going to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary near Palapye in Botswana and spending the night in Palapye because I have a friend that lives there. Then we will be back in Gaborone on Monday and will be leaving at 6 am on Tuesday to go to South Africa. We are stopping in Johannesburg but are continuing on to Durban on Tuesday afternoon. We are going to try surfing and hang out at a backpackers hostel, etc. It should be really fun and a good experience for us. Plus, it is on the coast so we will be able to see the ocean and get fresh fish!!! Then classes resume the following Monday hopefully. It has been really crazy around here but I wouldn't change a thing. There is a really different atmosphere here than in the states and I really enjoy it. Anyway, that is about all that is new. I love everyone and miss you guys!

This Weekend

So, there is a lot that has gone on since the last time I wrote something. First of all, let me start with the happy things. This weekend was amazing. I am so completely in love with Africa. I don’t want to leave at all. South Africa was awesome. We got there on the bus at like 1pm on Friday afternoon and spent the next couple of hours traveling around Joburg and going to museums and the Top of Africa which is sort of like a Sears tower of Joburg. Then, we went to the Apartheid Museum and oh my god what an experience. This was the kind of experience where you think you understand, you learned about it in school and what not but there is no way that I could have ever grasped it to the extent that I do now. Then from there we went to Soweto where we stayed at Lebo’s Soweto Backpackers. This is the most amazing place on earth I swear to god. The people there were phenomenal and the activities they had were great. On Saturday, we went on a four hour bike tour around the city and saw things that I can’t even begin to describe and don’t think that even the pictures or the description will do it justice at all. Excuse the example but some of the things that we saw, were similar to things you only ever see on commercials in the states. Some of these people lived in the worst conditions that I have ever seen and yet they were happy and extremely friendly and welcoming. I have never met such amazing people in my life. If I could stay here I would. In fact, Emilie and I are already planning a return adventure. I was able to get some amazing pictures though and as soon as I can figure out how. So… then Saturday night we went out clubbing and the amazing guys from the backpackers place took us to a party in the middle of a street in Soweto and then to the club. It was the best time I have had in a really long time. The people that work at the backpackers place are just stragglers from all over that live and work there and it is like a huge family. The guy who started the place is a young guy who just started it out of college and is really helping the community in Soweto because there aren’t a lot of places to encourage tourism and a lot of people are actually afraid of going to Soweto because they don’t really know a whole lot about it. Anyway, so the place was phenomenal. Then, on Sunday we went to a market and got some souvenirs and then got back on the bus to come back. This is where it starts getting bad. When we crossed the border despite the fact that I have a 90 day visa while I wait for my waiver to stay in the country, the people at the border have now decided to only give me 5 days. So after five days if I don’t have my visa then I am officially illegal in Botswana. This wouldn’t be such a bad thing if I could get on campus and talk to the International Student Office because they have my waiver. However, campus is going up in smoke (not literally) right now. The students are having a mass protest and classes are cancelled, faculty has left, the international students have been moved off campus right now and we’re not sure what is going on. Apparently, if this strike lasts until Wednesday, school is going to shut down and everyone will have to leave campus with an undetermined return date. This means that the semester will be extended, however long, at the end. Despite all of this though, I am still extremely glad to be here and I would have never imagined that I would experience anything like this in my lifetime. I love Africa.