Dumela-ra (Hello!-Setswana)

There is dirt permantly encrusted under my fingernails. I can't tell whether the line on my feet is from a tan or if it's just dirt ( i suspect it's dirt), i fear looking at the mirror, my feet will never be clean again and i've worn the same clothes for 4 days. This is the traveling school my friends. i choose communication over laundry and homework be thankful! I'll start up at the salt pan, we drove out to this salt pan which is the size of switserland. It was truely one of the most amazing experience3s of my life, it was just this great vast nothingness. Just some crunchy white sand. we slept under the stars (pillows!sheets!!!!) and sat off by ourselves. I don't know how, but somehow i found myself in the nothingness. We had countless hours to just sit, and be, in the utter stillness and silence. As the stars twinkled above and the sun faded over the horizen. Our tour guides sand long into the night, their voices harmonizing with the ease of practice and skill as the foreign beat wove above our heads. The flames flickered in the night as we performed the few songs we had prepared (amazing grace, lean on me). It was truely amazing. We then headed over and saw a baobab tree that was 4,500 years old. Crazy! And then we headed off to see the meerkats, because of our chobe chuckfest ( as we've come to calling it) we had to push back our schedule a day so we couldn't sleep with the meerkats but nonetheless they scampered around our feet and stood on the hill as we crouched down in the spiky grass. They are the same meerkats that are filmed on Animal Planet's Meerkat Manor, so they are completley used to humans. Yesterday we arrived from a night out on the Okavangu Delta. We sat in macoro ( local version of a canoe) and relxed as locals pushed us along with long poles. We saw some zebras and elephants along the way, it was very relaxing! The perfect way to destress about our pile of homework waiting for us backl at camp. That night we purseuded the locals to sing for us, and they told stories and jokes long into the night. Early in the morning we awoke to sounds of elephants crashing through the brush nearby and baboons wailing. good morning africa. we headed back to camp for a half day of relaxation before dinner. Dinner was paid for by the hotel ( our campsite is attached to a hotel) and you have no idea how good it was to sit down at a nice table, and be back in my element. ah bliss! we had gone from glass plates to tupperware in one night, haha. We also had dessert an apple crumble, when you haven't had anything even remotely sweet in two weeks apple crumble is like cloud nine my friends. ok well i have only a couple minutes left but i won't be on for about another 2 weeks until i'm in Namibia, so until then i miss you all!

oh and PS, for all of my bozeman pals, my mom is sending my package on tuesday so if you want to send something drop it off at my condo just on the front step. so please send something!

miss you all! until next time :)

~allegra