Some Interesting Information...

I have unearthed a few things about Botswana in a myriad of conversations. The new president is generally viewed in a positive light. He is relatively young, and trying to fix a few of Botswana's problems. One main issue is deaths due to drunk driving. "Botswana is a country of drunks," people joke. So President Khama cut the hours that bars are allowed to be open in half. "Botswana is a slacker country," people say. So he is also going to try to speed up various government processes.
I have also become a bit disillusioned regarding certain aspects. "My house was burgled once," said one girl, "We called them, and the police showed up two hours later." The law enforcement obviously lacks. Some of the laws are a bit, well, wrong - or one in particular. In Botswana, according to the students I've talked to, practicing homosexuality is illegal. So the good news about California now allowing gay marriage was overshadowed, at least for me, by the realization that many countries are not nearly as lucky as the United States, at least in my view.
Today, a woman spoke to us at our brief morning school meeting about an organization she runs which distributes clothes and other items to orphans in Botswana. Another sad realization: the sheer number of orphans, many of whose parents died of AIDS or who are HIV positive themselves, living in destitution in Botswana.
Enough about current events...Now a post with some lovely photos!!