Real World Gaborone Episode 3 - House Silliness!

This is the true story of five strangers, picked to live in a house, work together and have their lives taped, to find out what happens when people stop being polite... and start getting real. This is The Real World, Gaborone.

I know. I get it. I can get really really silly sometimes. And how did I not think about all the potential critters in Africa before getting here? They are totally a part of life here…and this episode of Real World Gaborone is all about it.

A loud shriek is heard from the upstairs grey bedroom (my bedroom).

Paw Prints in the sidewalk

“HELP!” I scream as I run out of my room and head in search of Trevor. “Uh, Trevor?”

“Yeah? I heard you LuckyCdnGirl, what’s up?”

“A HUGE SPIDER is in my room!”

“Really? A huge spider?”

“YES!” I say, directing him to my room. “Can you PLEASE help me? PLEASE?”

“Okay, show me where it is.”

Pointing, I show Trevor palm-sized, flat, black spider…

“Get out of here if you don’t want to watch,“ he says.

I run to the other side of the house and wait.

Trevor finds me in the office.

“It’s gone.”

“You killed it?” I ask.

“No, I chased him out of your room, using the door to the balcony.”

I breathe a big sigh of relief…thank you.

And that was just night number one at Casa Maria.

Somehow my housemates from the Caribbean hate flies. I don’t know what it is, or where it comes from, but they hate them. Last weekend, Tina, Trevor, Jenny and I were all in the Prado just after having a leisurely breakfast out at Delis in Broadhurst. This is what happens when a fly is found in our vehicle…

Termite Hill on the golf course
(they are found ALL over town)

Trevor is driving. Jenny is in the front passenger seat.

I am behind Trevor and Tina is behind Jenny.

(Note to my North American readers: When you imagine our seating arrangements, don’t forget they drive on the other side of the road here!)

Trevor is telling us a story about his strange encounter at the bathroom where we just had breakfast with this guy who was either trying to pick him up for himself, or his girl friend, or perhaps both?

“…He said ‘We saw you last night.’” Trevor continues.

“What? Who?” I ask.

“Yeah, who? What? Was it the girl…” Jenny asks.

When suddenly!

“AHHH!!! A fly is in the car!”

“What?!” shouts Trevor.

And before we know it, Trevor pulls the car over.

Jenny and I are very confused.

(Wouldn’t you just open the windows? Why are we stopping?)

Tina is screaming little a tiny baby girl.

Trevor has pulled the Prado aside and opened all our windows.

Both Tina and Trevor are trying to shoe the teeny tiny little fly out the window.

Success.

We all die of laughter.

What on earth just happened???

Moral of the story -  Caribbean peeps can handle spiders but not flies.

Okay one more story for good measure –

And just because it JUST happened.

So we get to work this morning at our usual time, around 830am.

We’re just settling in and the power goes out.

Doesn’t come back til about 11:15am-ish.

We’re working away, have lunch, all is good when…

It’s about 2pm and boom. Power goes out.

Sigh…

Big sigh…

No power again.

In fact, the power doesn’t come back before we leave the office at 5:00pm

And it’s a huge power outage.

No traffic lights ALL THE WAY HOME…

You can only imagine the traffic…

The girls (Jenny, Tina) and I had pre-planned dinner out tonight.

We go to our favourite Indian restaurant called Saffron in the Sebele Centre.

Deelish…

But that’s not the story –

It’s back at the house, after dinner –

Where, surprise surprise, no power.

It’s totally dark.

We find candles and head upstairs.

The girls are in my room while I pack for the Delta safari adventure that I’m leaving for in the morning.

“How many pairs of panties for 3 days guys?” I ask just wanting to see what they’d say.

“8,” Tina says.

(Not surprised, we call her Actuary Tina because of her rather risk averse look at life)

“Really Actuary Tina? You’re hilarious!” Jenny laughs.

“Uh yeah, 2 per day, plus 2 extra, just in case,” Tina explains.

“Hey, LuckyCdnGirl, you’ve been taking your malaria pills right?” Jenny asks.

“OH crap!” I say… “Oops!”

“Don’t worry – you can start now.”

I go into the drawer where I’ve stored my miscellaneous medication and find them. After wrestling a little with the packaging I pop one in my mouth. It’s rather minty I think to myself, when I take the package over to a candle so I can see…

“OH man!” I laugh, “That wasn’t for malaria.”

“What did you take?!” Actuary Tina asks.

“Quick dissolve Immodium!” I laugh!

After more laughter, I do find my malaria pills and  finish my packing and the girls head to bed.

It’s only 9pm…after brushing my teeth and using a wash cloth dampened with the last of my water bottle, I think about heading to bed when miraculously the power returns!

AHHH!!!! Just in time to write this and go to bed. Tomorrow I head to the Okavango Delta! 

***************

Jr. – a mid-20’s Toronto boy, born and bred. Accountant by trade. On this project to travel and try something different. Nurse/student girlfriend at home.

Trevor – an early 30’s guy from the Caribbean. Completed a number of these types of projects before in different countries. Single

Tina – a late 30’s/early 40’s Caribbean woman who has lived and worked with Trevor on projects in different countries. Single

Jenny – an early 30’s woman from Vancouver. Common-law Life partner at home.

And me. LuckyCdnGirl. Accustomed to travel but never been to Africa