Sports and Entertainment!!

Friday marked my first official day of class with the American professor who is with us on our trip (teaching Globalization in Southern Africa). It's going to be very strange to be on a semester schedule, and since we are only taking three classes and an independent study, I have a feeling I will be able to really get involved in the campus and community!
A few of my friends and I went exploring after 8am class to find out about the different clubs and sports that were available on campus. I am thinking about joining the "Volunteers Club", though there are some other clubs that I'm considering as well. We found the campus stadium, which has a very nice track field around the soccer pitch and large concrete stands. I the sports and activities director was not in, but we discovered where we can rent equipment for almost any sport under the sun (except baseball), and I will go back there later to inquire about club/"varsity" soccer and maybe boxing or karate! And I thought my soccer career was over! Actually though, I don't think I can join the "varsity" team because I was told that they travel out of the country which as ACM students we are forbidden to do, but the club team travels all around the country which could be a great way to see places I wouldn't have otherwise seen!
We also explored the national soccer stadium where there is a gym, squash club, and tennis club available to us for the cost of a membership fee (about $20 a month). It seemed almost providence at the tennis courts when we met a man from Minnesota who had been in Botswana for 7 years doing AIDS research with his wife and three kids! He has student volunteers that do clinical research surveys and such, and he gave us his number in case we wanted to become involved! So I have a perfect in! Hopefully I can coordinate volunteering there with the research I need to do for my 30-40 page independent study paper, and it will give me something to do between my 8am classes and 5pm classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays!
On Friday night, my friends and I ordered a pizza (they are very good, but a little different here), and then made our way to the UB stadium where two local pro soccer teams were playing!! That was a ton of fun!! People were very friendly, and many drunk, but they were not disrespectful or threatening at all. Just a greeting, a handshake and move on! I am learning along with the other girls to politely ignore the teasing, catcalls, etc. because it is just part of the culture and as long as we don't encourage them, the men are very harmless. Of course I will still not walk alone most places as added safety but for those of you that are worried, I can assure you that I feel very safe. The game was very fast-paced and fun to watch! Both teams were skilled and fast though very little scoring took place. I met a woman who is starting a women's soccer team that will compete in a league around the country, and gave her my number in case I want to play! I plan to investigate the University teams first, but it's an opportunity to play!! There are times like last night when you can smell the fresh-cut grass and feel the electricity in the air as though the stadium lights are making the air hum with excitement, and it was all I could do to stop myself just running onto the pitch. I think of all the things I miss about soccer, running onto the field at the start of a night game with the spectators cheering is the thing I miss most!
After the game, I returned to my room to find that the entire graduate students complex was completely out of water! So I retired without a shower in the hopes that it would be back on this morning. Alas, there is still no water, so I must wait until Sunday night to shower since we are going on a "tourist trip" today to a historical park where we will stay in mud huts tonight. Tomorrow we will be taking a drive through a game preserve where I will get to see my first elephants and giraffes!! I will take pictures I promise!! I hope all of you are well! TTFN!!