By Andrew Badeau:
Hey everyone,
I can’t believe I have already been here for almost a month. The time is flying by so far. I am definitely feeling more comfortable now that I have adjusted to the jet lag and acclimatized myself. It has gotten chillier here now in the evenings. During the day however, I couldn’t ask for a better temperature here. It definitely makes my commute to work more enjoyable in the mornings.
An update from my job at the BNOC: This upcoming Friday and Saturday (June 3rd and 4th) the Botswana Taekwondo Federation (BTF) will be hosting a first aid training course for our instructors. I have been busy the past few weeks trying to organize this event which I look forward to attending. Upon completion of this training course, I will then begin to organize the next two coaching modules and our year end conference and championship. It is crazy how quickly the Taekwondo program in Botswana has grown in the past few months!
My past few weekends have been spent exploring more of the city and some of the local restaurants. My new favourite spot to eat on Sundays is Ed-La’s. At Ed-La’s you pick the meat you would like to cook (beef, pork, chicken etc.) and they grill the food up right in front of you. In customary fashion everyone here shares their food and I must say it is some of the best beef I have ever eaten.
My roommate Simba and I went to Bull and Bush pub this Sunday in order to watch our friend Cedric and his band, Perfect Pitch, perform. Perfect Pitch perform at Bull and Bush on the last Sunday of every month. Along with the band, there is always a farmers market and roast buffet. I enjoyed sampling some more of the amazing food here. I think that the entire town was in attendance for the event.
It is amazing how many people here will stick out their hand a strike up a conversation. These are some of the friendliest people I have ever met. I have gotten stronger with the language (Setswana) here but definitely still need some work. I think that I have finally gotten a hang of the combi system here. It is amazing how many people they can squeeze into such a small bus.
Over the next couple weeks I am trying to organize a trip to the Mokolodi Nature Preserve just outside of town for a game drive. I have heard some amazing things!
Until next time,
Andrew