Botswana

Coming towards the end of a second week of classes, I do not have much new information to share with you all besides my courses I am taking, so I think it may be best if I share some interesting things I have noticed here that differ from the states (besides ones already discussed).

First of all, today I have finally (I think) figured out my courses for the semester. Earlier this week, one of my courses was cancelled, so I began scrambling for a fifth course. My courses are as follows:

• Introduction to Setswana (Ee, ke itse Setswana - Yes, I speak Setswana)
• Catastrophe and Survival in 20th Century Europe -- a History class
• History of Mathematics (I haven't attended this course yet...)
• Abstract Algebra II (not much to be said here...)
• Natural Resource Economics (so far, probably one of my most interesting classes, especially in an economy based SO much on natural resources, i.e. diamonds)

As one would expect, Botswana (and Gaborone) is a completely different place than the US. Here are some random cultural notes:

• They drive on the left-hand side of the road. This causes great difficulty not only driving and crossing the road, but also for passing someone while walking. In the US, I am so used to staying towards the right, while the exact opposite happens here, causing for some interesting confrontations. This reversal of motion occurs in escalators as well as many other places.
• As we learned in Setswana the other day, Botswana is traditionally a very patriarchal society, where women must be subordinate completely to the men and do pretty much all the work. Although such practices are evolving, it is in stark contrast to what we are used to. Our professor explained to us how her and her husband have an equal marriage, but if her mother or mother-in-law is at the house, she wouldn't dare make her husband do the dishes. She blatantly said she would be yelled at by her mother for such practices. This patriarchal society has (in her mind) caused the vast amount of HIV/AIDS in the country. Since women are supposed to be submissive and never question men, it is typical for men to not come home at night (or many nights) and it be completely fine, so long as the woman does not ask where he went. This practice brought HIV/AIDS into the home, spreading it quickly, so much so that some figures put Botswana at the second highest rate in the world.
• Tipping here is not mandatory at all. In restaurants, if you tip at all, the waiter(ess) would be more than happy with what you left. When food is delivered to your dorm, it is not expected that you tip at all. If you do feel like tipping, generally tipping is about 10% of the bill, which many times here is the equivalent to 70 cents or less.
• There also seems to be a toilet paper shortage here, especially at UB. Every month, maids drop off a monthly "supply" of toilet paper rolls in your room to use for your bathrooms. But, in any public restrooms (or toilets as they are called here) there is a much better chance of NOT having toilet paper in it than having toilet paper in it. I know at UB its a problem because students steal it, but elsewhere the same practice happens. You really need to be prepared here with everything.
• Any supermarket that you go to here requires that you purchase "plastic" or plastic bags. I actually like this practice, since it makes you think twice about actually needing a plastic bag. You just have to remember to make sure you ask for one if you intend on shopping longer, unless you want to carry all your food and drinks.
• Another oddity is the lack of ability to give change, anywhere. The other day we were at a store and we gave them P30 for something that costs P25, and the clerk said "don't you have P5?" If you pay with a P100 note almost anywhere, it is almost guaranteed they won't have enough change and you will have to either wait for someone else in line to go, or until the cashier can go get more money. These things boggle my mind, especially at large stores similar to Wal-Mart!

Okay, that seems about all for now. I am hoping to have a relaxing weekend and plan for an exciting spring break. We have break the last week of February, and Kelly and I are trying to plan a trip to the north of Botswana to see the Okavango Delta and Chobe National Park, among other destinations. If you want to learn more about the Okavango, I know one of the Planet Earth episodes features it. I will post again with exactly which episode it was so you can see why it's a must see destination. Hope you all have a good weekend.