Dylan Leaving and The First Day of the Rest of My Study Abroad

"Dylan Leaving"
So Dylan left for the U.S. yesterday (9.5.08) "never to be seen again in Botswana." Why did he leave approximately five months before the program was scheduled to end you may ask? Well, the following is his tale.

(Left to Right: Back Row: Dylan, Puso, Matt, K.T., Front Row: Onkabetse, Me)

Prior to coming to Botswana Dylan had some real demons including battles with addiction that saw him kicked out of his first school and transplanted to K. He tried in his first year at K (his Junior year) to take part in the study abroad program but his record kept him from participating. He tried again in his senior year and was accepted. He arrived in Botswana determined to straighten out his life but he had started drinking again shortly before coming. In Botswana he drank a lot but never got even a little drunk. We went out a few times and he always seemed fine then, perhaps a little pushy and he naturally has a confrontational (bordering on violent) personality but other than those he seemed normal. Eventually it became clear to me that often times (nearly every day) after I went to sleep Dylan would go out either with some Batswana he had met or by himself to either a club or the local casino.
While there is seemingly nothing wrong with this I have a saying that "nothing good ever happened after midnight."

(Dylan and Onky just being goofy)

He would occasionally come back and tell me stories of his escapades either some jerk he had met or some girl he had picked up. Occasionally his stories were very strange and he often said he would stop spending time with certain people and would constantly say "I am just a magnet for these crazy situations." I mentioned a few times that maybe if he stopped going to those places the crazy situations would stop but he didn't take my advice and the crazy stories continued.
At one point Dylan went to a house party and passed out. When he woke up his wallet was gone and so was his ride. He got up and walked a long ways back to campus (possibly several miles according to him) with no water or money. He spent a few days looking for the guy who stole his wallet but finally reported its disappearances to the police. After a couple days of waiting they called him to come to the police station. He went and they had found his wallet. When he got there some plain clothes officers (who the other police did not recognize) brought in a plastic bag with his wallet and some crack pipes in it. They asked him several times if the pipes belonged to him and he said no (the truth). Apparently they had picked up the guy trying to use his credit card, the thief was friends with the officers and as such no charges were ever filed. We presume that's who the pipes belonged to. After a little bit of interrogation they took the wallet and pipes away and Dylan left without collecting his wallet.

(Some of My roommates, Dylan and Onkabetse in front of my Dorm)

The next day some men called Dylan and asked him to meet them at the Stadium (not far from School). He did and they handed him the wallet and again asked them if the crack pipes were his, he again said no and they gave him the wallet. He shared a few choice words and turned to leave. At that time the guys slapped some hand-cuffs on him and tried to shove him into their car. Apparently disrespecting a police officer is a criminal offense here but these were plain clothes police who had not identified themselves in an unmarked car. Fearing that the men were trying to kidnap him he wrestled himself away and began to run (still in the 'cuffs). He got to security only a few seconds before the police and he began to explain the situation to them. The security were conspicuously on the side of the police and no one was of very much help and most of the time they refused even to speak in English. Finally one of the men presented a card that identified himself but still was quite shady, after some threats the police uncuffed Dylan and left.
At this point Dylan was very shaken and began considering leaving. To be honest I thought it would be best if he left, not just for me but for him because he needed to stay out of trouble and I didn't have a lot of faith in him doing that. One of out Motswana friends convinced him that he had NOTHING to worry about so he calmed down and decided to leave.
Several days later the security showed up at Dylan's room unannounced and demanded to search his room for no clear reason. He refused and closed the door. Dylan later learned that after that security had interviewed his roommates to try to learn anything they could about him but the truth was Dylan spent next to no time in his room, he was always in my room. After that the security would follow us around every time we walked around and constantly spied on us.
Finally, Dylan decided that he simply didn't feel safe here. Honestly I felt that he was making the right decision for himself and especially for me. His absence will force me to push myself out of my box and it will make me more comfortable in my own skin, I think. He contacted the CIP and got his reservation changed and returned at 6:50 PM on Friday. He wasn’t happy about it, in fact he was quite upset but it is for the best.
I will honestly miss him but as Ross and I discussed we know he wasn't ready for this and he needs to sort a few things out before undertaking such a big challenge in the future.
"The First Day of the Rest of My Study Abroad"
He left UB at 4:30 and at 4:50 I had been invited to go to the Gaborone Dam/Yacht Club with a bunch of the international students.

(Sunset at the Dam)

This was just the sort of thing that I wouldn't have done if Dylan was here because he would have said he didn't want to. We went by Taxi and this time I had fully charged batteries. I talked with international students who I had never really had the chance to talk with and some who have become good friends. After the Dam we went to Dinner. This is exactly what I love to do! Just hanging out with a group of cool people who all have something to say and don't mind sharing. It was a great night after a sentimental day.

(Me at the Dam)

That is my update for today,
Love to All,
Tommy