I am sitting outside the hut I live in; today the skies are blessed with clouds, giving me a cold day amongst glaringly hot days. Its been just over 2 months in Botswana, and I am still learning and growing.

My job is extremely varied; lately I have been part of a project to set up a solar system to a well pump. I found it very interesting to put the solar panels together, as I am very interested in alternate forms of energy, and there is a plethora of sun here. I am happy to gain the experience installing and maintaining a solar system. After the solar system was installed, and working I have been working to repair 5km of piping, which has been challenging.

Before that Katie and I were working on getting Cheetah Spoor (prints) for a database. The database needs to be created with known Cheetahs, in order to create a system that can identify wild Cheetahs. This would enable researchers to be able to have a more accurate prediction of the numbers of Cheetahs in the wild. In order to do this, we took many (failing) steps. The first day we took Duma and Letotse’s food around the park, hoping they would tread on some of the sandier parts, that did not work. The next day we brought dirt and ashes, hoping that we would get better tracks, the ash was a failure, and we needed more dirt. The next few days we tried more and more dirt, and wetting it. We finally drove to the dam, shoveled up a carload of sand, and made an area that would surely not fail. For those of you who own cats, you must know it is difficult to get them to do what you want, Cheetahs are no different. We have about 15 good photos of each Cheetah, and have sent them off. I suspect we will be chasing those boys around and taking pictures of them again. I quite enjoyed this project; hanging out with Cheetahs is never a bad thing, as far as I am concerned.

I have been accompanying Lincoln (the Conservation Officer) on his daily activities. Participating in the Giraffe count is a great way for me to learn how a conservation business is maintained. My totem animal I have been given is the Giraffe, and I like to believe I am akin to them. Cleaning and maintaining is large and necessary part of my volunteering here at Mokolodi.

The hut is always full of people, I live with 3 Batswana, 4 Zimbabweans, 1 British, 1 Spanish, and 1 other Canadian. I get bits of every culture. The Batswana certainly love their music, from every hut I can hear music blasting, and my house is no different. Which means I have a lot of opportunity to learn local music and dance. I have been able to learn how to make some traditional dishes from the Zimbabweans, which is very similar to Botswana dishes. The fly tape I put up to try to control the amount of bugs in the house, fills up in two days. We figure the fly tape has got thousands of bugs since a month ago.

My experience here is continuing to be challenging, and giving me insights that I could not have gained otherwise. I believe I am constantly character building, and learning what I take for granted at home. Botswana is a beautiful place, with great people and culture, and I am glad I have had this opportunity.

It has been close to 2 months in Botswana and my experiences here have been varied and character building.

The Education Centre I found to be a poor use of my time, as they did not need any more help. John suggested we write a proposal of some projects we would like to take on while here. We wrote a long project proposal, and when John approved most of them, we were on our way.

Recently I have been working more closely in conservation and with the animals of the sanctuary. I find it rewarding to join the Conservation officer on his daily duties. I have had the opportunity to help with the Giraffe count, after the large game capture it is important for Mokolodi to know what Giraffes are left. It appears that mostly males are left, and therefore the population at Mokolodi will continually decrease until more females are brought in. Also with only 1 or 2 females the possibility of inbreeding is high. Also, I always welcome to opportunity to feed the Cheetahs and Hyenas. The Cheetahs Duma and Letotse are very tame and I can feed them by hand and pet them, it is an amazing experience everytime. The Hyenas are less tame, but still very fascinating. I was able to participate in the Spaying of the female Hyena, which was something I never dreamed I would be a part of. The Hyena is a fascinating animal as its closest relative is a Mongoose, not a cat or dog. The Vet even had difficulties figuring out how to deal with this creature that is so unlike any other. I relish the opportunity to learn about the animals here, learning new information everyday.

Generally my day consists of helping at the Animal Sanctuary with feeding and general care of the sick and injured animals. After that I join the Conservation officer on his daily duties, which are extremely varied. I have settled into the Botswana pace of working, the weather certainly helps as I find the hot sun exhausting.

I am happy about the work I am doing. The concerns I have left are regarding the volunteer accommodation. We have painted and scrubbed the whole house, but it is still a chore to make food. On a given day I have over 10 other people trying to make food in the small, dirty, and basic kitchen. Katie and I were given some kitchen supplies, and a lot have gone missing the others are always being used by other people. The house has a constant stream of people coming and going using all the facilities and making it uncomfortable for us to live there. Even when local people come to visit they are appalled by the cleanliness and condition of the hut. I have gotten used to most things, it is interesting in some ways to see so many types of bugs I’ve never seen in my life. Around the light at night is moth wallpaper with dozens of them littering the wall.

My main responsibility is helping at the Education Centre (EC) with group of children who come to Mokolodi. This was a surprise to me at first, as I thought I would be working in conservation and with the animals. But, working in the EC is very enjoyable. We have various groups of children coming, usually from a school, sometimes a group of underprivileged children, which Mokolodi pays for them to visit. My duties include aiding in feeding and cleaning the children, playing games, educating the children on the animals at the sanctuary, assisting on game drives, and helping with various preparation. I see room for improvement in their children’s programs because in my opinion, I do not see the children making a meaningful connection with the wildlife or conservation. I am currently drafting proposals of what could be changed. It appears that in the past there was good programs instituted, and perhaps they have been forgotten. They also do not recycle here at Mokolodi, and I hope to institute a recycling program. Although I already see many barriers, but I believe it is very important.

On days where there is no group scheduled, my day is varied. I will assist with the conservation workers in feeding the Cheetahs and Hyenas, plot nature walks, wildlife counts, helping take care of injured animals at the wildlife sanctuary, and observing wildlife. I enjoy very much learning about the wildlife, their behaviours and how to track them.

Recently Mokolodi offered a star gazing night, as well as a bicycle race. At the star gazing night I helped orientate the guests, set up the chairs and tables, and collect fire wood. It was a successful night with over 100 people who came to learn about the constellations. There was also drumming, and a local traditional dance group performed, which was very exciting for visitors as well as myself. The bicycle race was to raise funds for Mokolodi, over 160 racers registered and participated, and the local press covered the event. The race included a 20km or 60km path, my job was to direct racers, based on the colour of the plate on their bike, to which path they should take. At the end Mokolodi provided refreshments and a Brii barbeque, along with medals for those who placed. We were lucky it was a cold day, as no one overheated. Overall the bicycle race was successful, and I believe everyone had a positive experience.

On the personal side, my accommodations were a shock to me, as they are the most basic I have ever lived in. Self-catering has been a challenge for my fellow WUSC volunteer, Katie and I. Many other people share the kitchen, and food and dishes go missing, as well as the kitchen is old and not working properly. We do not see the usual appliances we are used to using in Canada. We are still figuring out a balance of how to feed ourselves. I believe in the future, all WUSC volunteers should be fed by Mokolodi as all other volunteers here are. Everyone staying at the volunteer hut, have volunteered to paint and clean up the accommodations, so hopefully soon the place will feel more like home.

Overall, I have had many shocks and challenges in my two weeks in Botswana. I have also learned much about the culture, and am already making great friends with those I work with. I look forward to challenges ahead of me, and to sharing my experience with those at home.

Thank you for reading,

Kate Poulsen or Tebogo.

(My Setswana name is Tebogo.)

My name is Kate Poulsen, I am a fourth year student enrolled at the University of Lethbridge in their Human Resources and Labour Relations Management program, and pursuing a minor in Social Responsibility.
As a child I decided that I was going to be a Marine Biologist, Zoologist or Vet, in High School drama caught my attention, consequently when I entered University I ended up feeling lost. So I took a couple years off Uni and worked to save money, and went traveling. I traveled around SE Asia, which was a fantastic experience. I caught the travel bug and have taken every opportunity since to travel and learn about different cultures and myself. Upon returning, I eventually decided to go into Management, as I thought it allowed me extreme flexibility in my career. After a year the Uni started to offer a minor in Social Responsibility which is where I found my niche. I have developed a passion for environmental and wildlife conservation. Last year I volunteered at a Wildlife Sanctuary in Australia, I was able to learn about the local wildlife and plants as well as make friends with people from all over the world. I have some great memories, including making up many songs about the sanctuary.
The next semester I started applying for conservation jobs though the UofL Coop program, when I saw a posting in Botswana doing conservation work, it sounded perfect. My interest in this position is three fold; one is working and learning about wildlife, another is working in environmental conservation, and the other is the opportunity to travel to another country and experience the culture and broaden my personal awareness. My official title is Environmental Education Officer, I expect that my duties will vary, but I am aware that I will be working in their Education Centre working to promote conservation education, assessing the effectiveness of current programs for visitors, perhaps web design, and others. I hope to be able to work directly with the animals, and learn enough to be able to teach visitors to the reserve. I also hope to work on their “green” projects such as the Grey Water and permaculture projects. Working at Mokolodi will gain me valuable experience for my career objective of working on “green” development in businesses, while gaining me international work experience.
I am very excited to meet everyone working and volunteering at Mokolodi I think working with like-minded people, who are also interested in conservation will be very fulfilling for me.
I am excited to jump all in to a new experience!