Commonly Asked Questions

There are a few questions that are often asked after I share the news about my upcoming semester studying abroad in Botswana. Let me start off with quickly explaining where Botswana is located, for those of you who are not as well versed in geography. Botswana is a country on the continent of Africa, directly above South Africa. This leads to the question about whether or not I am worried about getting Ebola. The answer is no. Ebola is not within the southern part of Africa and I have to focus on other life threatening matters, like hippos.

“Why would I chose to spend an entire semester abroad in Botswana over anywhere else in the world?” The reason for my decision to go to a place with power outages, limited water supply, and minimal access to the internet, stems from my desire to detach myself from the privileged environment I currently take for granted. I want to be immersed into an entirely different culture, with people whom I’ve been told are some of the nicest people on earth and greet you with an open heart and bright smiles.

Another commonly asked question is what will I be doing abroad? Honestly, other than the classes I have requested and a few tid bits of information about studying abroad in general, I have no idea. Unlike Europe, not very many people have traveled to Botswana, let alone Africa. This uncertainly should probably add to why I should be nervous, but that has yet to fully sink in. Overall, I will be taking classes, playing volleyball, volunteering and exploring.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! Just leave a comment below and I will respond as soon as I can. 🙂