South African Sunrise

As I woke up this morning, uncomfortably scrunched into an airplane seat, after a scant few hours of restless sleep, my exhaustion from the 36 hours of travelling disappeared, absorbed by a beautiful African sunrise. Pink faded into red faded into blue, and I couldn't wait to land in Gaborone, Botswana.
No, I have not seen a lion. No, I have not seen a giraffe. In fact, the only fauna I have seen are two gecko-like lizards. Bushy plants, hunched trees, and ornamental cacti abound, however, and some are even in bloom, despite the fact it is winter here.
Maru-a-Pula's campus is about the size of Deerfield's, but the buildings are smaller. The ground is pretty arid, with a few hardy copses of grass. The dorms do not have Internet, but the rest of campus is wireless.
Wednesday, May 14 is the first day of second term classes here at Maru-a-Pula. I am in Form 5, the equivalent of 11th grade. The uniform: black pants and a white shirt – a far cry from Deerfield's second-layer policy!
Breakfast is served at 6:10, and classes start at 7:00. The six-period school day is over at 12:45, and then students have a service co-curricular followed by athletics or another extra-curricular. The emphasis here, as far as I can tell, is not nearly as sport-centric as at Deerfield.
Study hall is two hours long, beginning at 7:00 (or 19:00) and ending at 9:00.
I am living in the one girls' boarding house, with a roommate. Everyone I've met so far has been congenial, although I'm too tired to try and remember names! I haven't met my roommate yet, as she wasn't there when I left to come here, to the library, which is supposed to close at 4:30 each day (how will I live?!?!) but is open late today.
The classes at MaP are very test-focused. The school takes these Cambridge IGSCE standardized tests in the third term (some classes take them in the second, which is the term in session now) and they are a very big deal. The classes teach for the tests, and no classes are offered that do not have a corresponding test. Even music is geared towards them. I am really disappointed about this - I'm just hoping really hard that the classes are exciting and interesting and not just test prep! I really feel badly for the students. They feel like they have to do well on these standardized tests in order to succeed in life. They spend so much time preparing for SATs - to get into a good college.
All students are required to take two English classes (language and literature) and math. Setswana, the local language, is only taught as an advanced level class, for fluent speakers - which almost all the students are. I really want to learn, but I doubt any students will teach me. Perhaps I can get lessons with the teacher.
I miss all of you! I don't think I'll have trouble making friends, but I'm feeling very antisocial and tired right now so I haven't really made any yet. I just want to nap, but that's unlikely with all the noise in the boarding house. I am in a Form 3 and 4 hall (so 9th and 10th graders) but may be moved to a Form 5 and 6 hall soon. I wish I could just settle in and stay put!

Time for dinner. Sorry about the length of this post!