Heading to Project

This Friday we left Maun to travel to our Project, Bana Ba Metsi. It was a very long drive, along a very straight road which seemed endless at times. In many places the quality of road was quite poor, I thought we had bad  potholes in the UK, I now cant figure out what i was complaining about! But still, it added to the experience and kept us on our toes throughout the 8 hour drive to Shakawe.

When we finally arrived at Shakawe we stopped at a local shop to load on meat and other foods onto the truck before we headed to the ferry to cross the river. However there turned out to be a small hole in our plans, the ferry had broken down.

This meant we were unable to cross that night and head to our Project, only a minor calamity. Fortunetly our Project director, Peter, had friends in the local area and we managed to stay at theres for the night. Another spectacular sunset followed, and we are told they will only get better as summer rolls around.

One thing I cant forget to mention is the sky at night, I've never seen anything like it before in my life. The milky way is appropriately named, it is genuinely as if someone has poured a splash of milk across the sky. If only I had a decent enough camera to pick it up. 

The next morning we set off to the ferry which had thankfully been fixed, from there it was only another 40 k to our Project which me and Tim spent sat out on the back of the truck.

After yet more bumpy road and plenty of sun we arrived at Bana Ba Metsi, there is everything there you could need to run an effective school of this kind, classrooms, a rec room, kitchen/ diner, decent accomodation, swimming pool, a football pitch for down time and so on. I think I will fit in well here and I'm excited to start working with boys when term starts next Tuesday. 

We are currently back in Maun after a long drive last night, it is very dangerous to drive at night as many of the animals such as cattle gather on the warm tarmac after sun down. It is increddibly difficult to spot them but when needs must..

I'm not sure when I will be able to post next as I will have no Internet at Bana Ba Metsi, but I will publicise when I do.

So until the next time, Baroko (To say this you need to be able to roll your R's or you will be laughed at!) 

This blog is a personal blog written by Alex Howard-Dobson and does not express the veiws of Project Trust. I give permission for any of the content used in the blog to be shared.

Thoughts on arrival

So after a very long time in transet from heathrow to Joburg, Joburg to Gabarone & Gabarone to Maun we are finally here. Its still a very surreal experience and I still cant quite comprehend that I will be here for a year. Stepping off the plane in maun the heat hit us like a punch in the face, 35 degrees and this is only the start! Its only going to go up from here.

We spent our first night in a local backpackers called 'The Old Bridge'. A very beautiful place, right on the water, admire the view;

For our first day in botswana we spent are time collecting supplys for the school, tomorrow we head to shkawee and onto our project, I'm overly excited to throw myself into the Project and help in anyway I can. It is doughtful whether I will post again in the coming weeks but I'll try keep this as updated as possible. 

Until the next time, boroko (goodnight) ✌️

Hopes and fears

So the day has come, after many hours of worry over whether or not i'd make it this far I am finally sat in the airport waiting to depart. It has been a very surreal experience to say the least and I still can't quite believe it is finally happening.

This is the first of hopefully many blog posts so please bare with me as I settle in. As much as I wish to keep everyone posted with regular updates they may come few and far between due to the level of technology that will exist around me. 

For our Project me and my partner Tim will be stationed amidst the Okovango delta in Botswana working in a boys home named 'bana ba metsi' (translation; children of the river). In the mornings we will be teaching primary level subjects such as Science and Maths to boys aged between 13 and 20. Many of the boys have a poor grasp of education whether it be due to family circumstances or the lack of availability in their area. In the afternoons we will be involved a range of activitys such as swimming, movie nights and basic construction. 

For now this is where I will sign off, I will keep you posted with more details as and when I discover them. Also a final thankyou to all those who have helped me to reach this point, whether it be through extremely generous donations or helping me organsie events, I couldnt of done it without all of you.

Hopefully by the next time I post I will know how to say goodbye in Setswana, you can't have a good blog without a corny sign off. 

But for now, 

Peace out ✌️

Follow me on instagram for photos; @alexdobson_

This is a personal blog written by; Alex Howard-Dobson. The veiws expressed within it are those of the writer and not of Project Trust.

I give my express permission to all those that read this blog to use any of the content posted.