puddles in the desert

You will never understand the saying "dogs are man's best friend" until you have a dog that not only understands you better than your fellow humans, but who longs to be with you as if you were the sole purpose for its existence.

Similarly, you will never understand common comparisons until you have lived both sides of the contrast.

I first experienced this eye-opening phenomenon when I was sitting in chapel at North Park University during my first Chicago winter.

It was the middle of February, quite possibly the dreariest time of the year in Chi Town, when a local pastor came to preach to us.

He spoke passionately about the coming of Easter and compared it to the coming of spring.

Now, wherever you are, spring is a beautiful time!

You see the baby animals.

You smell the fresh flowers.

You obtain an uncommon drive to clean your apartment...

But man oh man, you will be hard pressed to find anyone who appreciates the coming of spring more than a Midwesterner during the month of February.

When this pastor then linked this longing for spring to the coming of Christ, it clicked for me.

Wow! The coming of Christ...

That's incredible!

It is so welcomed after this cold, dark, miserable Christ-less time.

Jesus, the son of God.

Spring, the sun given to us from God.

What gifts.

I have recently experienced another lovely awakening to the reality of a common phrase.

Let me tell you this: you will never understand any rain analogies to their completion until you live in a desert.

Similarly to the coming of spring, the coming of rain brings such a clean, cool, new and absolutely needed comfort to such a dry place.

Granite, the rain practically evaporates as soon as it hits the ground...

But it is so desperately needed that the entire atmosphere changes.

I am not speaking merely of the change from dry heat to humidity.

I am speaking of the energy that surrounds this land.

The people's hearts begin to glow.

Their smiles begin to gleam.

Their walks begin to skip.

And

a deep sigh of relief is collectively uttered.

This is what we have been waiting so earnestly for...

it is here.

It is joyfully received.

It is fresh.

Drip.
Drop.
Drip.

Isaiah 53.

let's all go to vegas

Well, as I mentioned in my last blog, classes in the first few weeks of school are not really a thing.

I have gone to six classes in the last two days and met only two lecturers. 

This being said, the lecturers that I have met seem to be absolutely fabulous!

Yesterday, I had the privilege of meeting the lecturer for my Bible and Gender class. She is a spitfire feminist and does not tolerate anything less than excellence. 

As she began to describe the class, my eyes began to grow larger and larger. This class will be no chore, it will be a paradise! 

She talks rather fast and admitted to me that when she gets passionate about a topic, she will often slip into a Setswana trance rather than continuing to speak in English. I laughed nervously at that comment which spurred the lovely lady sitting next to me to say, "Don't worry, I'll translate for you."

I am taking a course in the Setswana language, but a full on lecture in it will be a bit rough.

I digress.

This particular course will deal with how to read the Bible correctly, as a narrative.

It will also comment on the fact that the Bible IS a cultural text. How are we supposed to navigate that?

She will also lecture regarding how the Bible is read, in Botswana as well as around the world, to sement a patriarchal society. 

Finally, she will educate us on how the missionaries came to Boswana and drew an incredibly harsh line between cultural tradition and Christianity. The question there is, how did that change the way women were viewed in society?

She concluded the class with saying "I am no here to take away your faith. If I do, you never had it."

PREACH.

This is a beautiful beginning to a fabulous educational experience. 

I am ready to dive right in!

The picture above is of my dorm building. I have a local roommate, which is fantastic! Her name is Abong. 

The building is named by simply a number (which is what I was introduced to it as) but it is referred to by the students as "Las Vegas", which seriously confused me for a few days. I kept hearing locals talking about how their friends were in Las Vegas... Why are there so many Botswanan people going to Vegas?? 

dumela!

Friends!

I am sorry that it took so long for me to communicate to you. I do not have an internet connection unless I walk through the city to an internet cafe. Unfortunately, it is not safe enough for me to walk the few miles to the cafes with my laptop on me. All that being said, my friend Carley (or Curley as the locals pronounce it) has been kind enough to lend me her highly functioning laptop to write this post.

Life in Gabz is incredible. 

I have been here for one week now and I have already had so many fantastic experiences. 

The campus that I am staying on is absolutely gigantic. Classes start tomorrow and I have no clue where any of them meet. But, after talking with the locals a bit, I get the impression that the first few weeks of classes are not really a thing. Professors like their vacations and will extend them. I will not be taken back if I show up to class tomorrow and there is a sign on the door that reads "go home, no class today".

The weather here is so great! I had the pleasure of skyping home to Chicago to hang out with my friend Tracy where she told me alllll about the nasty weather that Chi Town is experiencing right now. While I am here, there will be an average of an 85 degree temperature gap between Gabz and Chi. Hmmm heaven.

The heat is very dry. Botswana is definitely a desert country. All of the other international students are rushing to get their tan on while I am patiently waiting for the inevitable to occur. Sun screen is my friend, not my enemy. Apparently the other day I missed my ankles though, because they are very burnt. It's partially tragic and completely pathetic. 

I just got a job! That's exciting. I was telling Anders the details of it and he said, "Wow, that's such a typical Kayla thing." I'm not exactly sure how to take that, but regardless, I am ready for this new challenge. I am an aerobics instructor... the the blind! Crazy, right? I surely think so. I was asking around about job opportunities and a woman came up to me and asked, "Have you ever done aerobics?" I replied "Maybe a few times..." to which she responded, "Are you good enough to fool the blind?" Yes, yes I am.

Adventures are to be had here!

As many of you may have seen based on the hideous picture that I was tagged in by another international student, the food here sure is neat. I was in the Main Market the other day just wandering around when I stumbled upon a row of "snack food" that the locals were snatching up and munching on as they shopped. I figured I may as well try it, because well hey-- I'm in Africa!

No regrets.. but the tasty snack was baked caterpillars. 

Crunchy on the outside.

Gooey on the inside.

Lots crispy, little of legs.

YUM.

So that happened.

I have met several fabulous international students as well as local students/residents of Gabz. I have a local roommate, which is awesome. I am so glad that I have someone who knows their way around to help me stumble to class tomorrow!

Speaking of classes, I am taking quite a few. 

I am taking four undergraduate courses and one masters course.

I am hopeful that they will go smoothly.

This upcoming weekend I am going outside of the city a few miles to a nature reserve with some of the locals. There we are going to go on a safari of sorts. I phrase it that way because we will not be in cars. We will be on horses! Pray that we do not come upon lions.... 

One other super cool opportunity that has come up is that I may play on UB's softball team! I did not bring any of my gear because I did not know that I would need it, but if I decide to commit to that, I will be able to travel to other African nations in the name of softball! So fun.

God has been pretty cool while I've been here. I mean, I didn't expect otherwise, but it's still important to note. So many great connections have come up. Today I went to church with another international student and we met some fabulous missionaries. They took us out to lunch and asked me if I would be willing to help with a (kind of) summer camp. They also own a school and requested that I put in some time teaching English as a second language.

I have also connected with an organization that works with children who were born with AIDS. I would be sort of a support group leader and just love on these kids. I know that this will be emotionally exhausting, but I have something great to offer to these young ones: a hope that goes beyond this life. 

One more place that would like my assistance is a preschool right outside of Gaborone. They would have me once a week to run the classroom (in Setswana). I have no experience with preschoolers outside of being a Sunday school teacher for a few months, but hey, I have never taught aerobics before either!

Those of you who know me well know that I love to help and often have a difficult time saying no. All of these opportunities that have come about sound amazing. I will be praying and discerning where God wants me to go. i would do all if I could! But this is just week one and I know that several more equally awesome opportunities will arise. 

I am aware that that was a lot of information thrown at you but this past week has been a lot of information thrown at me! I would like to say that it will slow down as I continue to get settled in, but I know that that will simply not be the case. 

Adventure is in Botswana and I am here to soak it all up.

So, I'll be traveling all around the country to see it's wonders as well as traveling to other surrounding countries. I plan to see both Joberg and Cape Town in SA, as well as head over to Namibia and Zambia. Who knows what exactly will happen! Regardless, I know that it will be the time of my life.

So hey, if you see a cheap flight into Gaborone, Francistown or Joberg... take it! I'll be here waiting for you with open arms to welcome you to this beautiful nation. 

I will do my best to update this frequently so that my posts are less word-vomit and are more pleasant tales. For now though, I hope everything is well state-side. It sure is here!