Life Lessons in a Tswana Village

People don't learn from experience, they learn through reflecting on their experience. -Thiagi

This is exactly what happened with our students after individual weekend adventures with host families and a group trip to a local village to learn how things get done in a more traditional way. When the students came together to reflect on their experiences they were able to make many connections to what they have been learning in the class room and what they are experiencing in the field.  Connecting the traditional ways that still exist in Africa to the way things were in America hundreds of years ago.  Or the fact that stepping back in time may be the key to preserving our environment and conserving natural resources. Spending hours fetching firewood, grinding, pounding, sifting, pounding and sifting again sorghum to prepare a meal may not be the solution for the global world.  However, they now realize that sustaining traditional practices and making small behavioral changes will have a huge impact in conservation efforts globally. We even learned from our CIEE Botswana Program Coordinator, Tiego Mpho, an Environmental Scientist, “If the entire global population existed as the West does, we would need three planets to sustain the demand.”  With these new discoveries they certainly gained new perspectives and can share these lessons back in their communities.  These experiences will leave life long impacts on how they consume and the actions they will take as a global citizen.  From here we will start to learn more about the wildlife and how humans can contribute to the ecosystem at large.  They are starting to see the circle of life through new lenses!

Here is some feedback and a video from one of the student's adventures to her family's cattle post in a small village near Molepolole.

“My sister and I visited her farm this weekend! I helped to herd cows so they can get their vaccinations. It was definitely an adrenaline rush, since a 2,000 pound animal running full speed in your direction can get the heart pumping.” -Taylor Galbreath