FullHouse

I now have some appreciation for what a Monsoon must be like. This morning the 5 foot deep trenches/gutters around campus ran swift with raging rivers as the sky emptied. We've had these downpours before, but they have been brief ten minute affairs. This time the onslaught lasted for almost four hours. My umbrella was rendered useless; my plastic crocs a beautiful thing. Trekking across campus from one club meeting to another, I had to start prioritizing. Sadly, I said goodbye to the UB Choir as conflicts with the Wildlife Conservation Society and the UB Aquatic squad arose. Instead I became a proud member of SAHA: the Society Against HIV/AIDS. Given the prevalence of the disease in Botswana, and the ongoing efforts to decrease the number of infected individuals (condoms can be found anywhere on campus, and are freely distributed), I wanted to join a group that highlights such a key issue. Volunteer work starts immediately, as free testing/screening for HIV is available for students at the campus health clinic this week. My other enquiries to volunteer with NGO's are still unanswered. In the meantime I'll be focusing on class work. Conservation Biology met for its first lab session, and golly was it a good time. Ninety plant pots, barrels of soil, radish seeds galore, and smoothie drinks made from water and syringa leaves. Not for human consumption. The experiment will test the effects of toxic chemicals in the leaves of the syringa tree (an invasive species) on the growth of the common radish plant. Wonderful. Finally some hands-on science, even if I did sweat off a storm working in the greenhouse with a wool inspired lab coat.