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Finding Common Ground

Salma with friends at Victoria Falls
Salma with friends at Victoria Falls
Salma Flores Castaneda
Major: 
Public Health
Program: 
Botswana
Term Abroad: 
Fall 2018

Q: Describe some of the unique opportunities you had while studying abroad.

A: As part of my program, I was able to shadow at different clinics around Gaborone, Botswana. Through this opportunity, I was able to gain insight about the health care sector in this specific country. I learned about the health needs of the local community, about the health disparities, how health services are delivered and much more. I was able to shadow in both the capital and in a village which allowed me to compare and contrast how the health sector varied between these two settings. Furthermore, I was able to compare it to the health system in California and realize the many gaps and shortages that exist in the health facilities where I was able to shadow. 

Q: What was the most interesting cultural experience you had while abroad?

A: The best cultural experience I had abroad was learning the local language, Setswana. As part of the program, I took a mandatory Setswana course, which played a huge role in making quite a few impressions on taxi drivers, vendors at our local market/ mall and even local students I interacted with and became friends with. Although English was also spoken in Botswana, learning Setswana was very fun and came in handy. While learning the basics of Setswana, it came to my surprise that it was a bit similar to Spanish, my native language. For example, the sound system of certain words resembled that of some Spanish words. Such similarities in phonetics ultimately eased the process of learning a new language and retaining it faster. After discovering such similarities between my Spanish language and Setswana, I started to share my knowledge with local friends and discuss the meaning of certain Setswana words that were also used in my Spanish speaking community. Being able to share with them what a particular Setswana word meant in Spanish allowed for opportunities to learn from one another's culture and language and further connect. Also, after my local friends found out about my Mexican nationality, the Spanish lessons began. For me, these moments where I was able to teach my Botswana friends Spanish and they would help me with my Setswana, were the highlights that contributed to my intercultural experiences abroad and also reminded me of why I had chosen to study abroad in Botswana. Ultimately, such intercultural experiences initiated friendships and bonds with people that only grew with time. 

Q: Describe what you learned academically due to studying abroad?

A: I learned how to adapt to the work load. The work load was similar to the work load back home it was just not spread out evenly throughout the semester. Instead, it felt like the workload was suddenly all given at once and in return made it more stressful. Although it began to feel quite overwhelming, I learned how to keep pushing through and continually adapt to changing deadlines and the myriad of assignments. 

Q: What impact did studying abroad have on you personally?

A: From studying abroad, I definitely gained more confidence in interacting with people and stepping out of my comfort zone. I used to think of myself as sometimes shy and socially awkward but once abroad I definitely noticed a change within myself. After adjusting to my new home, campus and environment I was definitely more confident and began to see myself as a social butterfly. For example, I was constantly happy and looking forward to meeting new people, starting and continuing conversations whenever the opportunity arose. I found myself meeting tons of great, friendly people and making awesome friendships that sparked from simple “good mornings and hellos”. In addition, I became good friends with two professors I stumbled upon throughout campus. Although I was not taking any courses with the professors I befriended, I was able to maintain a good friendship and constantly update them on my day to day, my goals and achievements throughout my time in Botswana. This was definitely new to me because back home I was never the type to connect with my professors or visit their office hours for anything other than assistance related to the course.
Another impact that studying abroad had on me was that I was able to be that far away from home for such a long period of time. As I am very family oriented, I had never been that far away from home. Studying in Merced which is only 2 hours away from my home town Oakland, I would constantly visit my mom as I would have the tendency to get homesick. While abroad, I learned that I was capable of being such distance away from home. Due to my busy schedule and staying focused in fully experiencing and learning from another culture, I didn’t have time to think about what I was missing out on back home.

Q: What was the most memorable or meaningful aspect of your time abroad?

A: One of the most memorable aspects of my time abroad was realizing that there were a lot of similarities between the Setswana culture and my Mexican culture. Being able to connect and relate to the local community enhanced my overall stay and experience. At times, it was easier to relate to my local Botswana classmates than my other international peers. After learning more about my local community and the culture, I ultimately felt at home. This lead me to consider extending my time abroad, unfortunately, I was not able to do so.

Q: What advice would you give to a student considering study abroad, especially to your program?

A: For students considering studying abroad in Botswana, I would recommend them to do their research about the country and also about the university. I would really encourage any student who is interested in the public health field to apply as there is a lot to learn from this opportunity in regards to the health sector in this country. Furthermore, I would recommend them to apply if they would want the opportunity to go on breathtaking adventures such as safaris and independent traveling with friends. 

Q: What courses did you take abroad and how did they compare to UCM courses?

A: While studying abroad, I had the opportunity to enroll in a total of 6 courses. These were, Setswana Language and Culture Practicum, Public and Environmental Health Issues in Botswana, Community Health Practicum, HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control in Botswana, Introduction to Working with Families and Individuals, and Psychological Challenges of HIV/AIDS.  These courses were a bit different from UCM courses because many times professors didn’t stick to the syllabus. At UCM we are used to professors following the syllabus and advising us in advance of any changes, however, at the University of Botswana (UB) it was common for a professor to switch things up more often and sometimes without warning. Also, at UCM I believe there is a rule that states if professors are more than 15min late it is okay to head out and consider it as a no show. In one of my courses, the professor was more than 30 min late and the expectation was to wait until the professor showed up. Furthermore, some similarities between these courses were the amount of reading material expected for us to complete. Courses were very insightful and interesting. The grading was similar to UCM. Grading was based on participation, assignments, midterms and final exams. It is important to note that the grading system was different at UB as they use the British System which makes it a bit harder to earn A’s and for professors to give them out as well.

Q: Describe a typical day for you abroad.

A: A typical day for me at the University of Botswana consisted of going to classes and on specific days taking transportation to conduct clinic visits and shadow various doctors and nurses. After finishing with classes I would go back to my dorm and either make myself a meal or go to the off-campus vendors and buy some food. During my free time, I would work on homework either in my room or at times at the school library. I would usually get together with friends after classes to either hang out on campus or go out to eat and grab a drink downtown. Weekends consisted of traveling locally within Botswana or taking a road trip to a neighboring country. When we didn’t go on big trips, our weekends consisted of going out to local clubs or late night events (talent shows, performances) on campus. Towards the end of the semester when work got a little bit more hectic, along with some friends we would have study dates at various local café’s. Overall, my day to day in Botswana varied from time to time but each day was filled with great moments.