CIEE College Study Abroad in Gaborone, Botswana

CIEE Gaborone was easily the best experience of my life thus far. Before applying, I had always wanted to travel to the African continent, but I really did not know where. When I found this program, I knew I had to apply, and I am so grateful that I took advantage of the opportunity. Botswana is a beautiful country filled with incredibly kind people and beautiful wildlife and scenery. I didn't know this before, but after reflecting once I returned to the U.S. I realized that this program attracts a special kind of person. The people I met during my trip abroad are people that will remain special to me for the rest of my life. I really feel like I found my people while I was in Botswana, and it was uplifting to know that there were more people like me out there. You really meet people from both the U.S. and Botswana that will change your life for the better. I could go on and on about how wonderful this program is, and I still wouldn't be able to find the words to express my gratitude and appreciation. If you are looking for a program that will broaden your perspective of the world around you, increase your knowledge about global healthcare, and make connections to last a lifetime, this is the one for you. You will not be disappointed!

The CIEE Botswana program offered a lot of great opportunities while also providing ways to have fun and enjoy the area. Botswana is a beautiful country, and I enjoyed connecting with University of Botswana faculty members and students while also have a lot of opportunities to engage with the community. The CIEE Botswana staff was also great! They were very supportive and really cared about us and our experience. Overall the program really helped expand my worldview and connect with a lot of great people.

I studied abroad in 2020, and although my semester was cut short due to Covid, I was still able to have an amazing experience in Botswana. I interned at Mokolodi Nature Reserve (CIEE staff works with you to find other good placement), ate amazing food (fat cakes, seswaa, and palache became a staple in my diet), learned so much about the culture of Botswana, and saw so much of the beauty that Botswana has to offer (if you can go to the Okavango Delta…GO). What I most enjoyed was meeting all of the wonderful people, whether they were other students or Batswana. It was a life-changing experience, and helped me develop some of my own skills like leadership and confidence.

This summer I went abroad to study Community Public Health in Gaborone, Botswana. I was never about studying abroad because this was going to be my first time outside of the US ever. I decided to try to challenge myself in every way I could think of so I would get the most out of my experience, thus I stayed with a host family to immerse myself deeper into the culture. The first week of orientation made it very clear that I was going to have a great time in Botswana. The workshops about adjusting, the fun we had with excursions, and the host culture reassured me that it was a great idea to study abroad. The study portion was great as well, in addition to all the fun, our professors were dedicated and insightful, and field hours were educational. The CIEE staff of our program director Basetsana and the local student volunteers worked together cohesively to provide us with a great experience for the little time that we were here in the summer.

I'd like to begin by saying that my semester in Botswana was absolutely one of the best, most formative times of my life. Although I was a bit nervous before departing the states, all of my worries were immediately put at ease upon arriving in the country, being introduced to my homestay family, and meeting the CIEE staff.

One thing I really loved about CIEE Botswana was the integration of our program into the local university, people, and culture. During our orientation week we took multiple cultural excursions such as to a small village to spin pottery and to a traditional restaurant. We also took dance lessons from a man trained in traditional dancing. All of these experiences allowed us to become comfortable fully immersing ourselves in the experiences from the beginning.

Secondly, the structure of the CIEE Botswana program is also great for meeting and engaging with local students. Although we took some classes with our program, we also took classes with students from the University at large. Additionally, CIEE student volunteers were active and present at almost every gathering we had, even if these gatherings were planned outside of the typical CIEE structured meetings, etc. Weekly clinic visits allowed us to visualize and apply what we were learning about in the classroom.

Finally, the relationships I formed while abroad mean so much and will continue to mean so much to me for the rest of my life. Our amazing program director proved to be so much more to me than that: she was a confidant, care giver, and friend. From the beginning she made sure to do anything and everything she could to guarantee us a good experience. She spent hours looking for families to pair us with for homestays. She visited excursion sites, scheduled meetings, and organized everything far in advance. She answered late night texts and made an effort to engage with each person on an individual level. Without her hard work, the program would not have been nearly as successful as it was for us. Her hard work brought me countless other friends like the student volunteers, Bethel (our beloved taxi driver), my homestay mother, sisters, and brothers, and many, many more. Already, I am wondering when I can head back to Botswana.

I'll be the first to say that I was extremely nervous when I made the decision to study abroad in Botswana. The internet offers little information about the country in general, so anything I knew about studying there had to be learned from alumni and, ultimately, through first hand experience. Luckily, all my nerves were unnecessary. During my five months in Botswana I discovered more about myself and my future aspirations than I ever could have at my home institution. I was fortunate enough to gain first hand experience in the field of public health by observing in local clinics and was able to truly immerse myself in a foreign culture during a village homestay. I also traveled to some of the most beautiful destinations in the world such as the Okavango Delta and Tofo Beach, Mozambique. I will never forget the friends and memories I made abroad and would strongly recommend this program to a student in any major; it is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I guarantee you will emerge a better student, friend, and person.

Throughout my semester in Gaborone I had the capability to growth both in and out of the classroom. I learned a large amount of information in class relating to public health, HIV & AIDS, and other topics. Outside of the class I was able to observe in various clinics throughout Gaborone. I also was able to travel and get to do activities I thought I would never be able to do in my life. I think the most important thing I learned while being abroad was independence and how to make something out of nothing.
The on site staff and volunteers did an amazing job making our semester one not to forget, and I will never forget all the hard work and dedication they put into making sure we all had an enjoyable experience.

My time at the University of Botswana was one that I will cherish forever. The campus is beautiful and the local students and staff are some of the kindest people I ever met. As a student of color from a predominately white institution, I didn't expect to experience the mass amount of culture shock that I did. However, with the assistance of an amazing director and her wonderful volunteers, I quickly felt at home. I decide to spend a semester abroad in Botswana because of the limited knowledge my peers and family members had about the country. I sought out an experience that I could call my very own. This required the courage to try something new and welcoming the idea that I had much to learn. Gaborone, Botswana is like no other place on Earth. There is such a strong sense of community that it seems as though everyone knows one another. I highly recommend this program for all those interested in studying abroad.