The Honeymoon

Everything has a honeymoon period, whether it is a relationship, a job or a new toy.  My honeymoon with Botswana is definitely in full swing. I actually thought to myself today, “This place is awesome.  I could stay here forever!”

I have to say, the University of Botswana really has it’s act together.  This morning I went to campus, where I met several of my colleagues in the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management (THM).  THM is in the Faculty of Business (FOB).  The FOB is equivalent to a College of Business in the U.S., just a slight difference in terminology.

After my meet and greet I was taken to my new home, which IS an ACTUAL home.  I have a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 story house with a backyard.  It’s much more than I expected.  And the best part is that it’s comfortable enough to accommodate guests.  Now I just need to start recruiting guests.  “GUESTS!”

The house was furnished and had most of the essentials, like plates and utensils, but was still missing a few things I needed, so we went to the mall.  The mall excursion included registering for utilities and water, as well as purchasing a few necessities, such as pillows and linens.  While at the mall we also ran in to another Fulbright professor and his wife (Phil and Brenda), both of whom have been here since January.  I was so happy to meet them as I’ve been emailing Phil with questions for a few months now and his help and advice has been invaluable.

The rest of the day included completing more paperwork, applying for my residence permit, etc.  But!  One of the highlights of my day was seeing a monkey cross the road on campus about 10 feet in front of me.  I was so shocked by this I didn’t have time to take a picture, not that I was prepared to do so anyway, but it looked similar to this:

 

All in all, I would say my first day was excellent.  Everyone has been so hospitable and welcoming.  Apparently my arrival has generated considerable excitement, interest or great pleasure, thus prompting an exclamation of surprise or wonder.  The reason I say this is because the vast majority of people who met me today greeted me and then said, “Wow.”  That reaction was very unexpected.  I’m not sure whether the definition of “wow” here in Botswana adheres to the dictionary’s meaning, but until I am told otherwise, I am content making that assumption.  Plus, I figure this just shows Botswana is having similar honeymoon-type feelings.  As Rick said to Louie in Casablanca, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”