Dumela!

I’m excited to share my story with you and show the beautiful Botswana that has welcomed us so warmly this past week!

I can’t believe it’s been a week already since I dragged my bags out of my bedroom in Indiana at 3am and got on a plane with my stomach in a knot. It feels like so long ago with all that we’ve done this far, and any anxiety I felt was left on the plane. We were immediately greeted with open arms and open hearts after a long, long (18 hour plane rides + several hour long layovers) long travel.

I’m currently relaxing at Nick and I’s homestay that we’ll be at together for the next 10 weeks, which is incredibly nice, safe, and has WiFi that allows me to write this post! We had been in the capital Gaborone (Gabs) for the past few days to get acclimated to the time difference and have a quick orientation before our matching ceremony with our host families today.

In Gabs, I tried goat and ox tail for the first time, both of which were delicious, and learned how to take a bucket bath as well as kill my first Botswana spider! Our Language and Cultural Facilitators (LCFs) taught us songs to begin our Setswana lessons while we also received introductory training on medical, media, safety, culture, history, diversity, assignment areas, and life as a Peace Corps trainee in general.

I’ll write blog posts as I can while prioritizing balancing the responsibilities and adventures of this job, and am excited to show a glimpse of my experience in Botswana! 🇧🇼