Cancer Association of Botswana- Gaborone!
Posted by Spojmai on April 22nd, 2009
My name is Spojmai Isaqzoy and I am graduating with Honours in Biopharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Ottawa. I have been given the opportunity to work with Cancer Association of Botswana for 3 months starting April 26th. This is my first time leaving home for such a long period of time so I am SUPER excited 
. This will be one of the best 3 months of my life and I am really looking forward to it. Although, I am going mainly to do humanitarian work as I have the passion for helping people, I also know that I will benefit a lot from this life changing experience. I have learnt enough from books for now (a lot more studying coming up in the future), but right now it is time for me to use what I have learnt so far and see how much of it I can apply in the real life out there.
So far I have been quite busy with university as it is my last semester, but I have also managed to fundraise and plan certain things that will help adapting to a new place and new environment a lot better. I applied to many bursaries and luckily ended up getting one. I also emailed professors that I had a class with in the past and those that I am taking this semester hoping they would donate. After emailing, and going door to door, I managed to have one professor kind enough to donate. Finally, I held a fundraiser dinner and invited all my friends who helped me raise most of the money. Final exams start in a couple weeks, so I am swamped with presentations, take home exams, labs, etc…so my parents and sister are helping me with packing and getting ready to leave.
I have volunteered at many health care institutions, and because I am aiming to become a doctor in the future, I will be comfortable working with the patients in Botswana. I have been told that most of the patients will be Setswana speaking, so I am still looking for dictionaries or anything that will help me learn some basic Setswana before I leave. I am also meeting up with some friend’s friends who are from Botswana to give me some tips. Oh and I forgot to mention I am really really really excited to go to the Mokolodi Reserve for 2 days for our orientation session where I will also get to see some wildlife. I am most excited about visiting the two Mokolodi cheetahs, Duma and Letotse and getting a chance to hear them purr and stroke them.
So Gabarone…here I come!
