Lions and cheetahs and giraffes, oh my!

After a frenzied first two weeks, we took a couple of days of R&R to visit the Madikwe Game Reserve and the Tau Lodge (http://www.taugamelodge.co.za). This place is amazing and exceeded all expectations! I so wish our Internet connection were better so that I could post some of the amazing pictures. We saw elephants, lions, buffalo, giraffes, cheetahs, rhino, zebras, kudu, wildebeest, impala, jackals, and warthogs... and more! The birds were absolutely stunning. The lilac breasted roller left me breathless.

The visit was a great complement to our work here in Gaborone and environs. Lucky was sitting next to me in the Land Rover and we talked about how there are certain times and places that are so stirring and emotional, they bring flooding back other memories of wonderful people and places where a similar emotion was felt. For me, I thought back to being in St. Peter's in Rome and the spiritual connection I felt; I was reminded of seeing the David in Florence and how I could not take my eyes off of him; I could see the Grand Tetons reflected in a smooth-as-glass still lake; and I thought of the very emotional experience of seeing van Gogh's "Starry Night" and standing with my nose inches from the canvas.

In many ways, my nursing experience here is very similar. I am reminded of experiences that have brought me here, and people who have been so influential in my life. Just as the safari brought back memories, our work here is connecting me once again to beautiful people in my life.

Now that we're back to reality (relatively), we'll be pushing through all the lectures that we missed back in Philadelphia and take a final exam. None of us are looking forward to this! We'd much rather continue doing our work in the community. We're also planning a few special events, including working with a gentleman who specializes in building memory boxes/experiences for children who are in Botswana as refugees from Zimbabwe and Namibia. It would be great to take this information and replicate it here and back in Philadelphia with children who are orphaned or have experienced a traumatic event.

Well, off to start reading and preparing for tomorrow's lectures.