The final day began with a lovely assembly at the school where I was volunteering, whereby I was called upon and given a gift as thanks from the staff and students of the school. It was really sweet of them to thank me for being there.. and undeniably I was so filled with emotions of sorrow about leaving that I had a hard time responding with even a thank you, as I feared crying on the stage.

I had a great few months in Bostwana and was sad to be going. The time I spent there flew away and before I knew it I was on my way out… Upon recieving the position I decided to book a return ticket a few weeks later than my actual work end date, so that I could travel a bit before I had to leave. Therefore after spending my last weekend in town I was on the road to explore a little bit more of Southern Africa before returning home.

I ended up in Namibia for about a week and then South Africa for about a week, spending a bit of time in Cape Town and in Joberg (just before I left). Travels were great but it was really hard leaving my friends and host family back in Botswana.. knowing that I was soooo close away to them but decidedly made myself far from them. I think that maybe next time I would rather book a ticket to leave directly after a placement, because the friendships and connections I made made it difficult for me to travel afterwards when I knew I could still be near them spending time with them.

On my long flight home, with an over 6 hour layover in the Heathrow airport in London, I realized one thing that drew me into loving where I had been that can be summarized in one simple word.. Consumerism, or better yet, the lack there of! (So I guess it is more easily summarized in 4 words ‘the lack of consumerism’). Heathrow Airport seemed like a breeding ground for the wealthy consumer, filled with gadgets and trinkets and specialty foods and etc. etc… everything your heart could want! Well at least for being in an airport!

I never realized how much consumerism didn’t exist where I was until I arrived to London.. or at least not to the same extent. I mean people obviously consumed in Botswana, however most of it was for necessity not for pleasure.

Finally I arrived back in Canada.. to the lovely snow and cold that sparadically showed up coincidentally the day I arrived.. thankfully only delaying my landing by about 30 minutes or so! Already having faced a bit of the new reality I was going to be living in at least for a week or so (until my next job takes me off to a far more remote location than Botswana) I quickly found comfort in living a chill low key life of unpacking and packing again, visiting friends and family and of course, catching up on days of lost sleep.

Overall I had an amazing time in Botswana and long to go back.. and am sure I will be going back one day! Unfortunately the work was not as rewarding as it could have been, but the reality of development work is that it works in stages, and unfortunately you can’t always be there at the most exciting time to see huge leaps forward made.

Life was peaceful and tranquil in Maun, something I hadn’t had since I began university. Maybe this is what drew me into the village, without me even noticing, or maybe it was the friendly people and smiling faces.. whatever it was, I know that Botswana and the Tswana people (and the Zim people I also met there) will forever hold a fond place in my memories..

I have been in Botswana for just over a month now and things have been great! I was in Gaborone for two weeks (instead of one due to flight delays in London with some of the rest of the short term WUSC volunteers) and then headed up to Maun where I am currently in my placement!

Things are great in Maun and I am undeniably happy to be out of the city of Gaborone.. just because I am not a city person and Maun is just that much smaller. Just as a recap, I am working for Botswana Predator Conservation Trust and things have been going great here! I am lucky to have my placement here at a really exciting time, as I am able to contribute to and actually see change happen with the organization as I develop and implement new curriculum and watch more of the conservation centre I am working at be built up! With my past work experiences I have been able to re-create old activities into fun and relevant ones for here and have enjoyed the freedom I have been given to do so! Although this didn’t come without a slow start. Life out here took a bit of time to get going.. with the extra week in Gaborone leading to a slow start to familiarizing myself with the community of Maun and new approaches, that match my placements mandates, towards effective environmental education practices here, however I think I am making some good ground.

I am continually surprised at how developed Botswana is in so many ways and yet how traditional some of the family settings and gender roles are! The contrast is quite fascinating!

Otherwise, life with my host family is AMAZING!! This is by far the best host family experience I have ever had and I am great-full that it all worked out in the end. I ended up arriving in Maun to find out that my original home stay was no longer, and was ‘homeless’ in Maun for a week while I lived with a lovely long-term volunteer family and searched for places to live! Stumbling upon my add at the school I work at, my host mom Crunch called up my supervisor right away and offered me a place to stay! The house I am in is sooo new it has no furniture in it. I have a bed and wardrobe (because they are built into the walls here) but other than that their is no furniture in the living room/kitchen and we all enjoy sitting on the floor, which is just fine with me! The very first night I moved in the power went out and I bonded with my new family over candle light while reading a book to my host sister Ratang (who is 5 years old) before she went off to bed! I am starting to get really involved with the local community by now and am making lots of friends and spending lots of time out and about, which is nice.

Long story short, all is very well in Maun and I have been pleased with the placement so far!

Cheers!

Hello,

My name is Larissa Duma and I am currently finishing the last semester of my degree while studying at Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre on north Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I am majoring in Environmental Sciences with a focus in biology and have minors in Dialogue and Environmental Education as well as a Co-op Degree from Simon Fraser University.

As a child I developed an extreme passion for international travel, conservation, environmental education, humanitarianism, science, and the outdoors which together has led me on my current career path. I aspire to foster positive change daily; whether for someone, something else or myself, doing this aids my own personal growth. These aspirations have guided me towards international work as I aspire to use education and dialogue to foster hope, understanding, and change.

I am very excited to work for the Bostwana Predator Conservation Trust as the Conservation Centre-Educator and Curriculum Developer in Maun, Botswana. There, I hope to learn the local language, the local cultures, traditions, values, and ways of life, all of which I hope to incorporate into the creation of place-based environmental education and stewardship practices that cater to the needs of my students. I am very excited to share my knowledge about conservation, the environment, and the world with my students and the lessons that I will learn during the time I spend with them. I also look forward to seeing and learning about the ecology, traditional ecological knowledge, and local stories about the animals living in Botswana. Overall, I look forward to the opportunities and the challenges that I will face in Botswana and feel that this placement will be a great opportunity for me to learn about a new place and provide me with more tools and knowledge on how to be an agent of positive change.