By Jenifer Torres of University of Vermont
Every time it rains in Botswana, it is exciting for many reasons. Rain, pula in Setswana, is important culturally here as it is considered a blessing due to its scarcity. Botswana is currently in a drought so anytime it rains is an exciting moment. It not only provides prosperity and life, but also results in great memories.
Coming to Botswana during the rainy season comes with its quirks and forces you to get creative in inventing ways to stay dry out in the Bush. On a rainy Wednesday afternoon at Mopane Campsite in Sankuyo, we decided to quickly do our class on Community-Based Natural Resources while there was a break in the rain. But the break didn’t last long at all so nine of us piled into our 1989 Land Cruiser, better known as Frank, as it began to downpour. We continued class as we normally would inside the car—certainly one way to stay dry and still get class time.
With a lot of rain comes a lot of mud and with a lot of mud comes car trouble. As we drove to our next campsite in Mababe, we approached a large puddle of mud and water. We truly believed our 31-year-old Land Cruiser would make it through with no issue—we were wrong. The car got stuck so we got out of the car, got into the deep mud, and pushed it out. Whenever one of our vehicles breaks down or has an issue, it’s just a fun and new opportunity to learn more about cars—a valuable skill to have!
It is incredible to see how important rain is here. What many may find as a reason to stay indoors or may see as a damper on the day, is a blessing here—one that provides for people and brings life. The rain has provided us with good memories, opportunities to see animals at large watering holes that aren’t there during the dry season and witness the large abundance of plants that have grown significantly since the dry season. The rainy season in Botswana certainly is a beautiful adventure.
