Church and Soccer

Well, I am officially on the women's varsity soccer team, although before I can play in games they have to confirm that I'm not already registered in the U.S. The coach is hopeful that I'll be able to play next weekend! The girls on the team are very nice, and one girl in particular, Rita, seems like a really cool person and a potential friend! I am finding myself becoming very frustrated with the lack of organization and efficiency that I've experienced in many facets of life here, but as many have reminded me, it takes more than two weeks to understand why a culture works in the way that it does.
I was able to get in touch with the AIDS research doctor, Dr. Bill Wester, whom I met at the tennis courts the other day, and he is going to get me set up to work in an AIDS research clinic! It will only be for about six hours a week, but should be very rewarding and hopefully will add greatly to my independent research project. I am still not completely settled around my project, though I need to figure it out soon as our initial proposal and annotated bibliographies are due on Monday the fourth (at the same time as our first Globalization exam and a paper for African Traditional Religions). This semester plan is very strange after three years of the block system! It makes me want to get all the papers done for one class so that I won't have to worry about it again, but unfortunately, much of the needed material is in lecture form, so I will just have to wait and budget my time accordingly!
Yesterday (Saturday) was a very long but interesting day! My housemate Alyssa and I decided to accompany our 7th-day Adventist housemates Leish and Victoria to their Sabbath day church service. Turns out, this was not just any Sabbath service; it was actually the kick-off to their "Lift up Christ, tell Gaberone" campaign in which the leaders challenged all the parishoners to "save" three people by bringing them into the church, thereby spreading evangelism. As a result, every Adventist church in the city, and even a group from South Africa attended this particular service. It was estimated that over five thousand people attended and the service went on for five hours straight!! I did enjoy listening to the sermons, and the music was awesome, but five hours was a very long time to sit, and by the end, even Leish told me that she was saying "Amen!" at the end of the sermons and prayers because they were over! The music was definitely the coolest part, and it was kind of nice to hear and sing praises without the use of an organ!
After Church, we all went back to our apartment and Leish and Victoria had prepared a delicious Sabbath meal which they invited us to share with them. I had to eat quickly and run over to my first soccer game, which because of field shortages was to be played on a dirt field outside the national stadium. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), the other team didn't show up so the game was forfeited to us. Again, I found myself getting frustrated with the lack of infrastructure, but that's in part because as a soccer player I have definitely been spoiled with high quality equipment, well-maintained fields, and very strict management.
Today is a day of research, and I'm hoping to hone in on a single topic that I really find interesting. Other than that, our director, Dr. Lanegran has invited us to her new flat for a housewarming party. Until now, she and her family have been living out of suitcases in an apartment! Yikes! I am struggling enough adjusting my own lifestyle here, I can't imagine doing that with an entire family!
Hope all is well at home! TTFN!