Marijke's First Impressions

This post is written by Maud's mom Marijke
Yes, here I am, sitting in the office of Maud’s and Bram’s accountant. They are in their nicest clothes to do business, leaving me with the task to write.


What am I going to tell? First impression: arrival on Gaborone airport, the small plane comes down very bumpy, and than you have to walk a long way over the airstrip. Wow it is hot, before you come to the office where an unfriendly lady make you fill forms, in fact not to eager to give you a stamp. Luckily I had a paper with the address and several phone numbers of M&B. That was impressive enough.


Yes and there are M&B with there 20 years old bush car. Going home by the A1! you see cows, donkeys, goats grazing along the highway, and many people trying to sell pumpkins or whatever there is you can sell, just a small table and a sunshield.


Than there is the gate and 5 dogs: BACK BACK and they do it! I am there!!


Yes, there are the impressing stairs, where Bram some days later had an accident, just as happened to Maud earlier. Stupid, his mother in law had warned him. It happened just when the last Dutch friends left after a happy evening with nice food.


My first contact with their friends. That is what made my trip special, getting to know the African life of M&B. The visits to Mochudi: museum and their small restaurant from years ago; the footsteps of Matsieng; the Oodi weavers; dinner and performance at the opera house; and camping in the Rhino park, are of course highlights.


But most happy I am to know there normal life, however Normal??


2 trips to a nursery during my visit is not Bram’s idea of normal life I think, but he was very patient while Maud and I had to inspect all the plants! Thank you Bram!


Thanks to a clouded sky almost everything we bought is planted. I was even allowed to dig holes. (just as difficult as it is in Vierhouten nowadays with all the old wood in the sand).


I also have done some weeding, but it is very hot.


Yes it would be to hot for me to live here, and living in a country where I do not speak the language I wouldn’t like. And furthermore I have this feeling that we turned nature into a zoo (if we do not protect animals in sanctuaries they become extinct). And maybe we do not realise we are living in a zoo too, although we have the opportunity to hop over the world with our planes from one park to the other: Garden of Eden???