The Day After Obama

I have come to write this mainly to get out of the sun. I have been digging out space for a stream all day and I am exhausted. It’s 2 o’clock and this really is the worst time to work. I’m not quite dehydrated but I must be low on electrolytes as my shirt and shorts contain a pound of my salt each. In the evenings, besides dinner, I really look forward to sleep. I force myself to stay awake past 8.

Last night, this was accomplished in part by watching the Obama inauguration speech which was on the Gaborone television station at 7. People are extremely positive about him here. I was reminded about the speech when a staff walked into the office with raised hands and remarked ‘Obama tonight!’ to which everyone agreed they were excited. I watched the speech in a common area. One girl, after inquiring at length about the insanity of living in the cold, commented that Obama wasn’t black. Black was her color and the color of the guy beside her. The guy tried to protest and said she was embarrassing him.

The Batswanan responses to the speech have been void of any criticism. He was spectacular, very impressive or a genius. The least enthusiastic response was from a Kenyan who stated simply that he knew Obama was an excellent speaker. I agree with him, and while there was imagery and diction in the speech, it did not feel historic in the way of the election night speech.

I fed cheetahs and hyenas today. They live in enclosures. The experience of entering with dead chickens must be like throwing fish in the water before a shark swim. You’re enough bait by yourself, let’s not aggravate anything.