The Best and Worst

I cannot believe that it has been a month since I have written!  It has been quite a busy month and with the slow internet connection in Serowe I just have not gotten a chance.  But now that the Boards (aka worst test ever) are finished, (or at least I hope they are, since I really feel that I failed and we don't find out til January - not sure why scan tron takes so long), I should have more time. 

The weekend before we all left to take the boards a few of us decided that we had had enough studying.  So we headed to Tuli Block.  It is a strip on the very Eastern part of Botswana that is known for its elephants, among other animals.  It is about 2 hours from Serowe.  My friends were coming up from Gaborone and I did not want to take a third car so I decided to meet them in Palapye (the town 40 km from Serowe on the main road).  I was planning to take the bus, but when I discovered that it would require a taxi ride in the wrong direction to the bus station and waiting until the bus was full to leave (very unreliable when you have to be somewhere at a certain time), I decided to hitchhike.  Hitchhiking is a very common method of transport in Botswana.  However, as I stepped out of my house and felt rain drops I began to question my plan.  But I opened up my umbrella and walked the 1 min to the tar road near my house.  Just as I approched the road, a lady, who was also hitchhiking, was getting into a car.  I asked if they had room for me as well.  They made some minor adjustments and I climbed into the back seat with 2 other female hitchhikers and was on my way!  It turns out that picking up hitchhikers is a way to make extra money as they charge the same price as the bus (8 pula, slightly over a dollar - not bad for a 30 min drive).

After meeting my friends and driving 2 hours to Tuli Block we found Oasis Lodge where we had booked rooms and a "sunset safari."  The place really was an oasis with lush gardens and a nice swimming pool.  If only it wasn't rainy and cold.  Our guide arrived for "the safari" in a beat up pick-up truck which had been outfitted with benches which were strapped down to the flat bed.  No sides and certainly no seat belts, good thing we would be going slowly.  We set off and drove for about 2 hours and saw only impala (common deer like creatures which are beautiful, but not very exciting since we had seen plenty in Gaborone and the Rhino Sanctuary.

The next morning we went on a two hour walking safari.  We saw plenty of dung (the dung above is from elephants), but no animals other than a giant tortoise which our guide decided to bring back to the lodge (guess he is not afraid of salmonella poisoning...)  All in all a fun weekend.  Despite the lack of wildlife, it was really relaxing and a much needed break from studying!

On the way home I was pulled over for speeding (first time ever in my life).  Radar guns are a relatively new thing in Botswana.  Police officers stand on the road with the radar gun and wave you over if they determine you are going to fast.  Speed limits can be very confusing because there is often a sign when the speed limit drops as you enter a town, but often not a sign to indicate that it has gone back up even though town has ended. So on the way out of a small town they were pulling over everyone that passed.  The officer instructed me to get out of the car and see how fast I was going.  He showed me the radar gun which I could not read and told me I was going 95 km/hr in an 80 km/hr zone.  He pointed to a police car parked under a tree about 50 feet away and told me to "go talk to the boss."  The man who had gotten pulled over in front of me was getting out of the passenger side of the police car and walking back to his car.  I went back to the car got my id and told my friend, Steph, what was going on.  When I got to the police car, I found one cop in the driver seat and another in the back seat.  They told me to get in.  Tentatively I got into the passenger side.  The cop in the driver seat was wearing a bomber jacket that was half zipped and reclining back in the seat, providing a good view of his chest hair.  He asked me how fast I was going and I told him that his partner on the road had told me 95 km/hr.
He said "that will be 800 pula."  I stared at him (that is the equivalent of 121 dollars)!
I said "but i don't have 800 pula."
"what do you do"
"I'm a doctor"
"where do you work"
"serowe"
"well that's okay then."
Guy in the back seat, "we just need your name and phone number."  So I gave him my name but spelled it wrong and my number but changed one of the digits.  While this transaction was occurring and (the police officer in the back was putting this info in a cell phone!), the guy in the front began to get personal.
"So are you married?" "no" (in retrospect what was I thinking, but then you are taught to be honest, especially with law enforcement officials in uniform!).
"Can I check you in Serowe?"
So I began to lie."Don't think my boyfriend will like that"
"Well I can take him"
"I don't want you to take him, I love him"
This banter went on for a few more exchanges before the guy in the back had verified that he had gotten my correct (though actually incorrect) name and phone number.  Then I said "So, are we done here?" and got out of the car.  I walked back to Steph and the waiting car feeling rather violated and vowing to always pay utmost attention to the speed limit signs even though they are often hard to find!

Two days later I drove back to Gabarone in order to prepare to leave for the States and the dreaded board exam.  When I was about 30 km from Gabs and going 120 km/hr (the speed limit ;) I, all of the sudden, found myself in the grassy section by the side of the road spinning!  I had a tire blow out.  Luckily it was my back tire and so I did not go into oncoming traffic.  And luckily the car is sturdy enough that it did not flip.  Better yet before the car had even fully stopped a truck with 4 guys in the cab had pulled over.  They ran down the embankment saying "Are you okay?  We saw this happen and we weren't sure you were going to make it. Let us help you."   Still shaken and not quite sure what had happened, I would have been in tears if it wasn't for the kindness of strangers.  Another car stopped and 2 other guys got out and before I knew it 6 guys were changing my tire for me.  Good thing because it took all 6 of them, since the jack was not able to lift the car high enough given the fact that it was on dirt.  During ths process many other people stopped to see if I was okay.  So when I finally drove off there were about 10 people standing and cheering.  I then drove 80 km/hr back to Gabs and as each person who had stopped passed me, they waved and honked. It was truely wonderful to feel so taken care of by strangers.  I now have all brand new tires, because the one that had the blow-out was a re-tread and who knows how old the other ones were even though they looked decent. 

Top; there was some minor damage to the frame but my pieces were recovered from the road and put back on by my friendly mechanic.  
Left: My "attempt" at a newly formed road ;)  
On right my new friends survey the damage!




After all that excitement I went back to NJ to take the boards :(  Despite the annoyance of the exam, it was nice to be able to spend time with family and friends (though it was very short lived.)
Lots more adventures to write about, so hopefully there will be some more blogs soon....