There was absolutely no reason to wake up at 1:45am to be in the lobby of the hotel in Philadelphia by 2am and have our bags packed in the bus and leave by 2:30am. I got maybe a hour and a half of sleep, not to mention I was already running on little sleep from the night before. We left closer to 3am, but still made it to JFK airport by 6am. We could have left two hours later because the ticket gate didn’t open until 8am. We sat around for the next two hours waiting and waiting, frustration growing from our lack of sleep. I understand that Peace Corps staff were attempting to readjust our bodies to the Botswana timezone; however, this was completely unreasonable.
We couldn’t have arrived soon enough. The 15 hour flight dragged on and on. I was beginning to get a butt cramp and we weren’t even halfway their. I knew every muscle in my body would be sore the next couple of days. The remainder of our travels ran smoothly, and before I knew it I was in Gaborone, driving to our hotel, enjoying the countryside.
Everything in Botswana is dry, brown, and full of dirt; it couldn’t be more beautiful and breathtaking. Something about this desert climate was intriguing and I felt a sense of belonging and happiness around me. I had been in the country for less than an hour and I already knew this would be a wonderful place to live for the next two years.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the landscape as we drove to our hotel training site just outside Gaborone. The next few days flew by, crammed full of introductory trainings and endless information. I was exhausted at the end of each day, ready to get out of the hotel and see the rest of Botswana.
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