Discovering The True Meaning Of Hakuna Matata!

Dumela Tsala,
(Hello Friends)

Well, my first two weeks have come and gone. Needless to say, I am thankful I don’t have to travel 37 hours again…well at least for 3 months. To be honest, the first few days were not what I expected. Things felt uncomfortable and scary, which made it easy to miss home. But perhaps that is the whole point of this experience. To seek discomfort, push your limits, and see where it takes you. They say that the other side of fear is where all the best things in life lie. Allowing your self to open up to new environments, people, and opportunities. Not many will get an experience like this in their life, so I must grasp the opportunity and soak it all up. Due to that realization, I am starting to really appreciate all Gaborone has to offer.

When I arrived I was thrown right into the second day of the 2019 National Coaches Conference. Although I was a bit jet lagged, this was a very cool event that brought people in from all over the community and Botswana. It was a great way to meet people and familiarize myself with the new environment. It was a pleasure to meet some of the most established individuals in sport, coaching, injury management, and conflict resolution. To my surprise, they had all heard of physical literacy.  This discovery lead to some fascinating and eye-opening discussions. While in Gaborone, we will primarily be working with The Botswana National Olympic Committee (BNOC) and The Botswana Badminton Association. We plan to create Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) framework for the Badminton team in hopes to see improvement over the next few years. I am excited to see what we can design and look forward to working with a great team!

On our weekend Josh and I attempted to climb the notorious Kgale hill. A hill that our friends at Frisbee reassured was an easy 1-hour climb. I can say with confidence that is not what we experienced. Think rock climbing, no trail, and a mix of cattle and wild baboons. The view was still spectacular nonetheless, and I intend to find the correct way up one day soon. By the second week came around I was missing my morning coffee. Luckily I found the best flat white cappuccino at this cafe called Mugg + Bean. I plan to go there every Saturday morning for breakfast. Hakuna Matata is my motto for this trip, as it means no worries. This is a time to be present, reflect, and embrace the amazingness around me.

Overall I am elated to be here. Thankful for this incredible opportunity, and ready for all the adventures to come!

Aleia Robin