Equus caballus

Science in action! To my delight, the Wildlife Biology class took to the field (Gaborone Game Reserve) on Tuesday. The assignment: “Doing your own ecological research.” Ha HA! Finally, after years spent following experimental procedures and answering other people's questions, I had the chance to pose my own. Naturally the focus of my interest was a collection of termite mounds. Really they are the most bizarre, architectural curiosities. The ant hills back in Canada don't even hold a flame to some of these 10 foot giants. Pending approval from my professor, I plan to investigate the following questions: When and why are termite mounds abandoned? What other organisms utilize termite mounds, both when they are active and also abandoned? Sadly, due to time and resource constraints, the designed experiments will only be hypothetical...but at the very least it's a lesson in hypotheses formulation. Driving around the reserve I also laid eyes upon a Nile Monitor Lizard. Surprisingly large creatures with an uncanny resemblance to Komodo dragons. I have yet to see a snake in Botswana, but given that the vast majority of them are poisonous, I'm not too broken up about it.

Science in theory! To my dismay, the Conservation Biology class hosted its first exam. I needn't have worried...it was just like sitting down to an exam at the University of Memphis...but even better. A fat portion of lovely short answer and long response questions. None of that dastardly multiple choice, second guessing, erasing, changing at the last minute folly associated with scantron sheets. We'll see if my positive assessment matches up with the results though (unfortunately, it rarely does).

Science...in the process! I toiled away another Friday working in the National Botanical Gardens. Though I was armed with heavy duty gardening gloves, the scythe was not on the menu. Instead I met with the head Botanist and was introduced to project “plant inventory”. Despite being in operation for several years, the National Botanical Gardens have not identified or quantified all the plant species represented in the park. Nor do they have a map (the concept of such a thing seems quite foreign to Batswana when “walk that way and turn at the big Marula tree” has always sufficed). I simply opened up Google Earth, located the gardens by satellite photography, copied various images, and compiled. Voila! A map of the gardens, overlaid with a grid. Perhaps not ready for public consumption, still perfectly suitable for noting the location of different plant species and creating a sketch of the layout of different plant communities within the garden. My reward for the day was a special viewing of Lithops, a genus of succulent plants native to southern Africa. Locals refer to them as the “living stones”. To the organisms credit, at first I thought I was looking at a pot full of rocks. Thus, Lithops has ascended to the title of my favourite plant species (alongside the perpetually happy three-toed sloth, my favourite animal species).

Now, enough with science! I passed a tranquil weekend out in the “Botswana boonies”. WAY out. The cab driver was wrestling his charge down a dirt road, umbrella thorns battering the car on all sides, by the time we finally arrived. Our destination: Arne's Horse Safari. Though the website looked promising (and a review from another group of international students was mostly positive), I was shocked by a number of things. Maybe my experience as a devoted horse rider and jumper has left me with unrealistic expectations? Still, there was blatant maltreatment of the animals...I'm hoping out of ignorance rather than wilful disregard, but that isn't an acceptable excuse. I counted eight horses in total, but according to the owner, only two were actually fit to be ridden. All the animals were angular and their ribs showed through plainly. One of the horses had a swollen ankle, bloody in parts and covered with flies. There wasn't a full water bucket in any of the six occupied stalls. I opted out of taking a trail ride after two from our group returned on unhappy looking mounts who were quickly unsaddled and returned to their stalls. Without grooming, or any other care such as a quick hoof-pick. Again, no food and water was provided. It is quite possible that they received due attention later in the day when I wasn't observing...but I can only hope. I had a strong urge to hand over the 40 Pula fee, intended for the trail ride, just to buy the horses some oats. Or maybe a curry comb. Vet fee perhaps? I understand that there is not a lot of wealth in the rural areas of Botswana, but I cannot condone owning eight miserable horses when there hardly seems sufficient resources to properly care for two. I'm still unsure whether my participation as a paying tourist in this venture is keeping the horses from imminent death, or in fact sending them directly there by funding the owners who treat them so poorly. However, I am landing this judgement based on years of experience at modern, well funded riding centres. Maybe these conditions are just the hard reality for animals out in the dusty remote areas of the country. With little hope of effecting any change, I tried to enjoy my time out in the wilderness. There is something wonderful to be said about fire cooked vegetable curry, an African sunset, and two excellent travel companions. We slept out under the stars and watched lighting storms etch the sky on the distant horizon. Superb. The following morning I reluctantly opened up my study notes for the drive home. A reality check and a week full of exams was waiting.

Francistown

I recently returned from a swim meet up in Francistown with the UB Aquatic Squad. A trip for the memory books, and my first real immersion experience as the only international student along for the ride. The bus transportation was actually a “combi for hire”, complete with an absolutely fearless driver. I can't say the same for myself: there wasn't a single seatbelt in the combi (but a fire extinguisher mounted on the wall, oddly enough). While every other aspect of life in Botswana seems to operate in the slow lane, driving does not. Vehicles went hurtling past us to overtake on the small two lane highway. I watched, with increasingly sweaty palms, as numerous cars in front of us manoeuvred to allow three abreast on the road after a driver misjudged the overtaking distance. No one else seemed remotely concerned. The journey lasted about six hours, and we arrived well after dark at the University of Botswana campus in Francistown. The accommodation for the night...an empty classroom. With air conditioning! Thus I was happy as a clam. The swim meet ran from sun-up to sun-down on Saturday, hosted by a local school with an outdoor facility. The organization was commendable even if the pool did look dangerously murky by the end of the day. Competitors ranged from tiny seven-year-old beginner swimmers to thirty-five-year old experts. My event was scheduled for Sunday morning and thus I was able to simply relax and take in the surroundings. It was my first swim meet experience- one I hope to repeat sometime in the near future. I enjoyed the company of the other students and appreciated the philosophy/attitude of the UB squad coaches. Namely, we shopped for meals at the local grocery store, which was a welcome change after years of tedious and expensive restaurant dinners with soccer teams. I can certainly understand keeping things simple on a tight budget. The evening spent in Francistown was nothing more than a relaxing hang-out at the campus, yet I loved every minute of it. There is something truly enjoyable and comfortable about the Batswana personality. I was laughing along and having a merry old time even though the general conversation was 95% Setswana and 5% English. With African music playing in the background we held arm wrestle competitions (a matter of great pride for the men) and turned over a few dance steps. The ease with which locals move to music will never cease to amaze me. I can only dream of that natural rhythm. I awoke Sunday morning with my usual pre-competition jitters. Had I known I was swimming in a lane beside a nine and eleven year old, perhaps my fears would have been allayed. Or doubled! After fifty hectic meters of freestyle, I was just happy to have pulled off the dive from the starting blocks and the tumble turn. The young swimmers were right on my heels. What are they feeding kids these days? I ended up placing fourth in my age group (17 and over). Out of five competitors. Perhaps I'll switch to butterfly or breast stroke. Either way, it was wonderful to compete again in a sport that didn't involve a ball at my feet. And I received a very interesting education from the squad on the drive home. African Culture 101. We had some weighty discussions that dipped into everything from racism, to Obama, to cattle farming. I arrived back at my dorm room feeling significantly enriched, inspired, and content. I just might be falling in love with Africa.

Food for thought: Thanks to the local students on the trip I had the chance to tease my palate with new delicacies. Firstly, marula fruit. Approximately the size of a plum and green in color, these little tidbits are for “dejuicing” rather than eating. As words really won't suffice, when in Botswana, ask a local for handling instructions. Apparently there are several trees on the Gaborone university campus (which I will be raiding on a frequent basis in the future). Secondly, sweet reed. Easily mistaken for Panda food, aka Bamboo. Street vendors usually sell a pole for 3 Pula which will take a while to work through. After breaking the stalk into it's natural segments, the hard outside layer is removed to expose a whitish core. Which can be merrily chomped upon. I felt rather like a cow when working the stuff around in my mouth- the juices get swallowed and the fibres spit out.

The Weekly Report

Time is simply flying by. The last few days worth of shenanigans are as follows...

Plant Pathology: notes, notes, “Look at me!”, notes

Conservation Biology: notes, diversity index calculations, notes, and an awe-inspiring wildlife documentary filmed in the Okavango Delta (thoroughly dated by the men in rather tight short shorts)

Wildlife Biology: well...not much to report as the lecturer STILL doesn't show up to class on a regular basis. He must have excellent job security. At least (thanks to the latest take-home assignment) I have learned a great deal about the human-elephant conflict in northern Botswana. In brief, Loxodonta africana is the largest terrestrial land mammal, and as such eats a LOT of vegetation. Including tasty crops. The government compensation scheme for such loses is corrupt and inefficient. Many rural villagers, whose livelihood has been destroyed by elephants, would like to see the population reduced by hunting/culling. Not a decision that will win international votes. Loxodonta africana might be found in relative abundance in northern Botswana, yet its absence in most other parts of the world is quite conspicuous. The African Bush elephant has been labelled by the IUCN Red List as a threatened species and merits special conservation attention. The problem of elephant management has been shadowing Botswana for many years...

UB Aquatic Squad: have been training rigorously for the upcoming swimming gala. What I really mean is I've been enjoying the refreshing pool while attempting to improve my front crawl amidst a crowd of far more talented swimmers. Who send gigantic waves in my direction! Might as well be out at sea.

Volunteering: the Botswana Society for the Arts kept me busy and occupied on Wednesday. After a few awkward phone calls (I really need to learn more Setswana!), several arm wrestles with the temperamental printer, and a staple through the thumb, a glorious stack of press packets took form. Along with the two other international volunteers, I received a society t-shirt and was officially inundated. After setting up benches, advertising banners, tables with delicious and tempting refreshments, and the speaker system, I sat through my first press conference. The purpose was to gain exposure for the GoalMouth project and win over potential sponsors. Brilliant, short, engaging event. I also managed to shake hands, Botswana style of course, with Zeus. Sadly not the god, but rather Botswana's number one rap artist.

Hands-on experience: after a month of fruitless struggles, I finally secured a volunteering position in the field of biology. The National Botanical Gardens opened their doors in welcome! Recommendation letter firmly in hand, I walked to the gardens and introduced myself to the staff. Apparently Friday morning is “beautification duty”, and thus I spent a solid four hours with a spade and scythe in hand. The Batswana workers were friendly and encouraging. It was a particularly unusual experience, bent over beside a woman in African dress, holding a traditional tool in hand, yet listening to the Black Eyed Peas “I Gotta Feeling” humming out of a portable radio one of the workers carried. Not two months ago I was running onto the soccer pitch for perhaps the last time while that very same song played over the loudspeakers. I often find myself wishing that North America didn't have such an overwhelming influence on small countries like Botswana. The four hours of work at the Botanical Gardens was accompanied by a constant flow of Setswana. Exquisite. Every sentence or so an English word was thrown in and I was able to make some sense of the conversation. I'm already looking forward to next Friday. Hopefully by then my blistered hands will have recovered!

Ramblings

Another week older, with several more Aquatic Squad practices, pick-up soccer games, Gymnastics pretzel stretches, and UB Conservation Society meetings under my belt. Also, I have finally acclimatized to the different learning environment. Professors occasionally don't show up for class. Multiple lectures are often scheduled in the same room at the same time. Instead of eight pages of hastily scribbled notes per class period, I have been closing up my books with a mere four pages. Through the underlying anxiety I am telling myself relax, adapt, and “quality, not quantity.” At the very least, a number of healthy discussions/debates have sprung up during lecture, particularly Wildlife Biology. The professor is a tyrant! Of the rather humorous sort. I eagerly await the verbal sparring (on my part) and the deer in the headlights behaviour of the other students. Perhaps I'm speaking a bit too loud for a society where the vestiges of patriarchy are apparent...? The lecturer remains encouraging though, and I gamely answer his growled demands of “Where is the evidence!!” I can't help but relate to Mad-Eye Moody and “Constant vigilance!!” I do really need to apply that thinking to my studies. The growing list of tongue twisting scientific names to memorize for Plant Pathology is quite intimidating. Phytophthora infestans, late blight of potato. Ustilago tritici, loose smut of wheat. Plasmodiophora brassicae, club-root disease of crucifers. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my. The lecturer for this course also has some strange tendencies. Every few sentences he pauses to say “Look at me” in his heavy Indian accent. Today he mixed things up: “Are you looking at me?” Always a rhetorical question. He also admitted to encouraging the growth of strange fungal and bacterial diseases on his garden plants. Quite the dedicated Phytopathologist. I met some other devoted individuals today, this time hailing from the Botswana Society for the Arts. At long last a genuine volunteering activity. Hoorah for progress (though I'm still waiting on a reply from numerous other agencies). Why is it so difficult to offer free services? They're FREE!! Regardless, I'll have plenty of work to do with the Society for the Arts in preparation for Independence Day. With a calendar date of September 30^th, this event commemorates the separation of Botswana from the British Commonwealth in 1966. A massive undertaking has begun. The audience: Batswana youth/young adults. The final product: a performing arts production, including plays, cinema, traditional dance, choir selections, workshops, concerts, and...best of all...GoalMouth. This innovative idea unites a widespread devotion to football/soccer with the seemingly innate artistic abilities (seriously, when girls from my dorm floor sing in the shower it may as well be The Sound of Music) of the Batswana. A soccer match will not be “played”, but rather “performed”, with participants dressed in various different costumes and competing through dance movements and song. I understand this may sound a bit ridiculous, but have faith. One of the managers of the project, a lovely British lady by the name of Jane, showed me a video clip of a GoalMouth production put on a year ago in the UK. Stunning. My only reservation is that I won't be around to enjoy the Botswana Independence Day celebrations later this year :(

Food: I would like to pay a quick homage to the Diphaphatas. Resembling giant English muffins, these wonderfully doughy offerings are by far my favourite cafeteria fare. And although wheat is not grown in Botswana, imported bread flour has made its way into the traditional diet...thus the Diphaphatas, or “flat cakes”, are considered a national food. Yum!