Cultural Weekend!

The past weekend was our first overnight expedition off-campus! We traveled by UB (University of Botswana) bus along with the American students from the other study abroad program here at UB. Our first stop was the village of Mochudi where we drove up and down a "mountain" of dirt road and rocks in a HUGE 70-passenger (or so) size bus!! I attempted to capture pictures of the epic descent at a fourty-five degree angle (not really but it seemed like it!), with trees and brush lashing at both sides of the vehicle. We would come to
depend heavily on the bus driver to maneuver us out of tight spaces, and every time he delivered! The museum we arrived at was unfortunately closed, and the woman who was supposed to be our guide was out of town. This sort of thing is not uncommon in Botswana. People are very relaxed about time and organization, and it has been trying at times to my own compulsively organized mind. However, I think it is a good lesson in learning to let life come at its own pace, and sometimes even just stop and smell the roses!
So instead of a museum tour, we just walked around the hillside taking pictures, and we even ventured down into the town where little kids and adults alike cheerily greeted us and allowed us to take pictures with them.
Then it was back down the mountain and into the commerce section of town where we drove a small restaurant out of house and home with our large group! I found myself feeling very surprised that this modern/Western-looking restaurant would actually run out of chicken and have no way to give us change, but in hindsight, I understand that they don't have the financial means here to have a lot of surplus food at the end of the day (especially in more rural areas), and big groups like ours don't come into town very often. I suppose it might be similar in a small town in the U.S.
As we were leaving the city, someone pointed out the hospital that served the town and that area, and I had a thought of possibly arranging a trip back to Mochudi to spend some time at the hospital for my independent study project/volunteer desires!
The next place we visited was a site of ancient cave paintings made by the bushmen several hundred years ago. The paintings were drawn onto rock cliffs by medicine men of the different tribes while in trance for the purpose of giving thanks, praying for water, seeking divine guidance, and various requests related to the health of the tribe and its people. In addition to the paintings, there was a cave in the rock that is estimated to stretch anywhere between 20 and 40 kilometers! Apparently during a great tribal war, the wife of a chief who was with child hid in the cave for the duration of the war and thus survived to give birth after the fighting had stopped.
I did really enjoy looking at the paintings and hearing stories of the past, but I think what most delighted me was watching the children of the town around us play all over the trees, rocks, and vines where the paintings were. How incredible it would have been to have that picturesque area as my stomping grounds as a child! Not saying I was deprived by any means, but this place was beautiful! That is one of the biggest surprises I have encountered here in Botswana. I pictured a big desert, and instead find lush fields and green everywhere!
Our final resting place for the night, a sort of traditional resort (I have forgotten what it was called), was a bit of a tourist trap, but was still a lot of fun! We were greeted at the road of the resort by the wives of the chief (he has 16!!) who greeted us warmly and ushered us upwards into the heart of the "village". There were tents sent up for accommodations as well as two traditional mud huts and some more modernized houses with electricity and running water. The women and children sang and danced for us, "showcasing their culture" for us. I appreciated the pride these people had in their culture, but I couldn't help but feel that I was cheapening it by my mere presence. I asked several people about it, and some felt similarly, some felt that nothing was wrong. I guess I've just always taken issue with doing the "tourist thing" and I feel that I am somehow hurting the authenticity of the culture by paying my $2 to watch them perform a "wedding ceremony". What do other people think? Am I being overly sensitive?
The festivities were a lot of fun though, and we had a great time afterward roasting corn and drinking traditional beer before heading to bed.
The next day we went to the Mokolodi game preserve and I saw elephants and giraffes!! There were impalas and wildebeests as well, but nothing can compare to the breathtaking sight of the beautiful spotted coat and long neck of a giraffe. Plus, the elephants are partially tame, and were so close to the jeeps I could almost touch them! Yes, I have been to a zoo, but there is something so powerful about seeing animals in the wild, and at least in part in their natural habitat. Again, I felt the pangs of a bad conscience in doing the tourist routine again, but I consoled myself by considering that these reserves wouldn't be here without the financial support that tourists provide.
After the game run, our long weekend of fun was over, and we drove back to campus to tackle the reading that we were supposed to have done for the next day's class on globalization in Southern Africa. TTFN!