Dare to smile

The thought of school that morning made me quiver, school was not my favourite place. I was one of those kids that dreaded being in a crowded place. I literally feared people. I thought people were vultures, waiting for me to die so that they can devour me. That day was no exception, because we were visiting the national museum in Gaborone. Yah! I know what you are thinking, I should be ecstatic…but I always hear that Gaborone was a place with lots and lots of people, so now you can understand why I am not jumping up and down.
“Kids, as you know today we are going to Gaborone and I want you to behave! Gaborone is a big city, and we don’t want you to get lost so stay close to each other and walk in pairs”. The teacher directed us to the bus and fear creped in as tears rolled down my cheeks. I quickly wiped them off and quickly ran to sit at the back. Oh boy! Here we go. The terrified girl inside me cried loudly, yet no one could hear her.
The museum is located in the centre of Gaborone, right after the main mall. I got to see the street lights for the first time, and I smiled for the first time since this morning. The excitement of seeing a lot of cars lined up in one place got to make any kid sit up right. My eyes were caught by the big buildings that were all over Gaborone. I became nauseous, and it was not out of fear. The buildings were too high, compared to the buildings I am used to in Mochudi. I never imagined that such a place existed. The little girl inside me jumped with excitement! As we got in the museum, the other kids were excited, fascinated by the display of different animals. I joined in the excitement, as I was not only happy about the animals, I was also excited about learning about Botswana culture. I found myself writing everything I could, as the tour guide kept on explaining to us the different displays of tribes. I smiled at every discovery…What caught my eye most was the display of a san man with his spear, hunting. Sans are nomadic people and they survive off hunting animals. They lived in shelters that were made out of mud, and leaves. I found myself envying them, they lived their lives spontaneously, and adventure was their daily life. I smiled right through the discoveries. I was looking forward to narrating all that I saw and learned to my mother. I forgot my fears, I smiled!