Ten Dollars a Day

For our one month of ISP, SIT gives us a 2000 pula stipend. If you do the math, that comes out to 65 pula per day, or approximately 10 US dollars a day.

This stipend is supposed to only cover food and housing, but several of my friends and I think this is ridiculous. How can SIT not pay for transportation when they require us to start the month in Maun (northeast Botswana) and end it in Gabs (southwest)? How can they not pay for the required 3 printed and bound copies of our 30 page ISPs? Thus, my unofficial ISP: can ten dollars a day cover all my living expenses? Can it pay for all my food, housing, transportation, internet time, cell phone airtime, etc? Basically, the only things I want to pay for out of pocket are my souvenirs.

So far, I've been entirely successful. Two thousand pula per month puts us in the middle-income group of Batswana, and after 2 weeks, I'm actually under budget. True, I've been a little creative with hospitality, living more like a Motswana than a lekgoa. Makgoa take taxis everywhere. Batswana hitch rides. I stayed for free at Leon's in Ghanzi, and likewise, I didn't have to pay at Khama Rhino Sanctuary. But I've been making up for these non-expenses with my transportation costs, as I've trekked across the country from Maun to Ghanzi to Francistown to Mathangwane to Serowe to Khama Rhino Sanctuary.

As I've discovered, ten dollars a day buys quite a lot in Botswana. I consistently spend between 80 and 100 pula on groceries per week: cans of beans, curry, and spaghetti, carrots, apples, peanut butter, bread, cereal, yogurt, and the occasional carton of fruit juice as a treat. I usually eat at a restaurant once a week. Transportation is a big expense, however, particularly living in Maun where you can't get anywhere without taking a combi (2.50) or a taxi (3 pula). Those 50-cent rides sure add up! But I have come to the conclusion that, yes, I can live quite comfortably on 2000 pula per month.

Could you?