Upon arrival I was left to find my way from the airport to the University. I was dreading this before I left but now that it was confronting me I actually reveled in it. This was my first opportunity to interact with some locals and barter on my cab fare. The bartering didn't end up as well as I would have liked but I jumped into "Yellow Man's" (that's what he asked me to call him) cab. On the way from the airport to the University I got my first taste of what driving in Gaborone (Gabs) was going to be like. Scary. I think Yellow Man was a bit drunk. Not terribly drunk but just enough to make the ride terribly scary. Braking with 20 feet to the car in front of you while doing 30 is not something that I would ever care to repeat.

Despite Yellow Man's best efforts at making me wet myself I arrived at the University unharmed and dry. He laughed a bit at the pallor of my face and shook my hand firmly and displayed one of the first of many huge smiles that would be to come. Toting my duffel bag, back pack, and messenger bag I made my way to the campus International Students Office. Kevin, who is a local student here, helped me get into a dorm room and then rushed me back to the office to the meeting they were having on our class schedules. With 48 hours of travel time and no sleep I was in no shape to even think about when my classes would be let alone plan my next semester. Thank god they only gave us the information and the planning session was set for the following day.

After introductions around the room and some small chat we went to eat and then some of us decided to visit the student bar 411. This bar put every dive bar that anyone in the States has ever seen to shame. There was broken glass everywhere, bars and a steel mesh fence guarded the bartender, empty beer cans littered the floor, and groups of young students playing pool. When we walked in everyone stopped and stared. To their credit I don't think it was out of hatred or malice, it was because of all the young white girls that had just walked in. Once Hayden (a 6'4 exchange student from Kelso Washington), Bjarte (a slightly shorter Norwegien exchange student), and I got our drinks and some of the other exchange students sat next to us the locals went back to their game, for the most part. Slowly but surely the games got fewer players and the girls got more and more attention. Hayden, Bjarte, and I weren't left alone but you could tell that the highlight of the evening was the girls.

Everyone had had enough to drink and we decided to head back to the dorms. The girls said goodnight and we waved as they disappeared into the residence hall complex. Enter the first drunken adventure of Hayden and myself. Hayden Looked down and noticed it was only 7:30 or 8:00 and proposed we not go in. So instead of calling it an early night we decided to try to find the "Police Mess". The "Police Mess" is the police canteen. It is open to everyone and cheaper than the 411. Why not? So we made our way through the dark, on a back university road till a break in the fence. We slipped through the fence onto an unlit dirt road and walked with a nervous haste through a dark neighborhood till at long last we could see the lights of the bar. The bar itself was actually pretty nice. Low key and friendly. After a few drinks we decided it was time to head back.

Before leaving we got a drink for the road and then bid Macdonald, a local cell phone dealer adieu. On the trip home while Hayden was relieving himself in a big pile of leaves I thought it was the appropriate time to mention that the deadly puff adder likes to bed down in dead leaves. Hayden was not amused. But I sure was. We made it home safely.

The following day, Wednesday, was filled with schedule making and then a trip to one of the malls to get some basic supplies. I got my room all checked out and put together and settled in for an early morning. I woke up fairly early this morning and decided I would write a blog entry before orientation starts.

I love all you guys so much and already miss you. I am having a lot of fun and am so excited for the adventures that are to come.

written by  Mattdabbs on July 28, 2011 from Gaborone, Botswana
from the travel blog: Matt In Africa
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Anyways, we went the wrong way to the mall and it ended up taking us much longer to get to than we thought it would. Once we got there we were quite disappointed with the fact that everything closes super early on Sunday. Well let me say I was disappointed, Tessa was not all that surprised. So instead of getting money changed, finding adapters, and purchasing a cell phone for Tessa we went and ate Indian food. The food was pretty good, not spicy at all but the naan was aaaaaamazing. Probably the best naan I have ever eaten.

Today my roommate got all moved in. He said his name is too hard to pronounce so to just call him Ben. He is a funny guy. He told me that he practiced "traditional African religion". And that he would be walking around naked, chanting, and sprinkling things around the room. All the while I am trying to keep the utter horror off of my face. After letting me squirm for a few seconds he started to laugh and let me in on his little joke. Funny guy.

Tessa got all moved into Audrey and Dennis' home! They are really nice and helpful. It is a little farther away than she was hoping it would be but I think that having Audrey as a source of information is pretty much invaluable. The house is gorgeous and even Tessa's little abode is pretty nice. It takes two combis to get from Tessa's house to my dorm so I see a car in her near future! Hopefully it's a Mercedes or a Land Rover! Probably more like a used Corolla.

My first class of the semester had a no show for an instructor, but it seems to be the trend for most of the international students. Meg (from Tennessee) said her instructor showed up 20 minutes late then preceded to tell them that class was cancelled the rest of the week! Awesome. I am still a little bit apprehensive about the semester for this reason but hopefully it will all work out.

I still haven't had a chance to find the bike shop in town but it is pretty high on my priorities list. There are a lot of trails that people walk on that remind me of singletrack. I plan on using these trails for exactly that purpose. City singletrack. Bet.

Missing my family and friends more and more but I am having a great time and have been joined by the most wonderful girl in the whole world so all is well.

written by  Mattdabbs on August 1, 2011 from Gaborone, Botswana
from the travel blog: Matt In Africa
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