Taking the Bus

15 February, 2015

I caught the bus this morning from Kanye to Gaborone. It was a two hour drive costing me 20 Pula. I decided to take the bus because I wanted to spend more time in the village. I ended up leaving in the morning because it was my first time taking this bus and couldn't afford the bus being delayed or something at night.

The bus ride wasn't so bad. The interior looks similar to a combi with passengers sitting extremely close to each other (unlike in America). Or they would simply stand in the aisle. The bus made stops too. So some people paid 20 Pula and others paid 3 Pula 50 thebe. The money was collected by a man who then gave you a receipt. In the beginning, I blended in with all the other passengers.

Until someone made conversation with me...esh.

The question asked was, "O ya kae?". To which I replied, "hunh"?

The collector repeated his question and I still did not understand. I thought he was asking me "where are you from?" which is "O tswa kae?"

So the guy sitting next to me says,"where to, where are you going?"

 "Oh", I said. "To Gaborone, I am going to Gabs".  My bus mate thinks for a second while paying his fair and then asks me, "you do not speak Setswana?"

 I replied, "Ke ithuta Setswana ko UB" I am learning Setswana at the University of Botswana. "Ke tswa ko America" I am from America. He shared the news with his friend and that was that.

 Then the collector taps me speaking in a tone 2 notches above a whisper,  "America, you are from America?"  I said yes.

 "Okay, in a few minutes I want to talk, I want to talk to  you"

"About what?"

"About what? About what? About love."

Literally laughing out loud, I reply "Valentines Day was yesterday sir."

But he was determined to speak to me.  He went back to the front for a while and at first, I thought he was through with his shenanigans. Then, my bus mate got off and 15 minutes later the bill collector was back  and ready to converse.

Cutting straight to the point, he told me that he loved me. He said the Lord had told him, nearly whispered in his ear that I was the one he should marry. He said he loved me too much to leave me. I'm like "right right" (trying to laugh it off) Then he got serious and sentimental. He said, "I want you to teach me English because I am not educated and do not speak English well. I want you to teach me English and I can teach you Setswana. I want to teach you Setswana. I want to visit America one day and you can show some places".  I got clever and said, "oh, I am engaged and my boyfriend wouldn't appreciate that." He laughed and said, "we will tell him I am your gardener."(sign) Dude would not give up and I was genuinely annoyed because he was overstepping his boundaries and ruining view of donkeys and cattle. What is a girl to do when a man finds out she is American.

Eventually, after asking 100 times for my number, he went to the front of the bus and a woman sat next to me. The guy couldn't propose to me anymore and I just enjoyed the view from my window. I saw churches, cows, people and babies wrapped on their mothers' backs. I imagined what it was like to be a backpacker catching the bus to different countries, trying new food and sleeping in hostiles. I thought about how I got to Botswana. Not just physically, but academically and spiritually. I thought about my family and who I wished could sit on my shoulders and see what I see. I thought about my niece and how she would react to donkeys and goats roaming the streets. I thought about her facial reaction when I asked her to pick up cow dung (poop).  I just daydreamed and was proud of myself for being an explorer.