"I never knew of a morning in Africa when I woke up that I

was not happy."

-Ernest Hemmingway

Friday, February 11, 2011

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!

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