A student perspective

The Highs and Lows

As a last minute addition to the Gaborone program I wasn’t sure what to expect. My lack of research into the culture and community made me nervous to say the least. I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived. I found a welcoming family, in the form of: CIEE, classmates, and other international students. I also discovered some things about my own country and life.

The Beginning 

The first weekend we were invited to a birthday Braai by a friend of a friend. I was so shocked that they would invite almost a complete stranger into their home, but everyone told us how glad they were that we had attended. We ate delicious food, played games, and danced all night. Many of them still message me to check up and with various invitations. That's the thing about the Setswana culture, if you give out your number or social media expect an invitation the very next day!

We attended a traditional wedding, learned cultural dances, and sang and danced to South African music in the back of a combi (a van). Although I was having an incredible time in a culture so different from my own, there were times when I couldn’t ignore those differences.

Culture shock 

Going into this process I knew that there were going to be similarities and differences. I really tried my best to not compare them. In my classes, I decided to listen and learn rather than imposing my own beliefs on others. As a political science student, my eyes were open to things I had never known or were “conveniently” left out of my education. It was definitely difficult and uncomfortable to sit in classes as they discussed the atrocities that had been committed by my country and my race. Often after class, my political science friends would ask me how I felt during particular conversations, and I realized that this feeling of awkwardness was a good thing. It made these topics impossible to ignore.

One moment that will stick with me is when my teacher said that many safari trips are booked out of places in Europe, the US, and South Africa. He went on to say that many of the locals cannot afford them. This conversation happened after our mid semester break trip and although we had tried our best to only support local businesses, I know we could’ve done more. It made me sick. What made us so special that we had easy access to visas and had the funds? It was helpful to know that many of the other international students were going through their own realizations and had many similar experiences.

The End 

My eyes were opened to a lot of things during this experience. I got to spend time with an incredible group of people who were so full of love and kindness. Moments such as dancing and singing our hearts out to new music will always be my favorite memories. I also know that I will go back as a new person, hopefully a better one