Thursday-Friday, 5-6 June 1986: An Amazing Employment Opportunity!!!

June 6, 10:00 AM, Thornhill Government Guest Flats, Gaborone, Botswana

Yesterday, I stumbled into an amazing, serendipitous opportunity.  While I had found my barroom conversations in Gaborone with the two British accountants very informative, I wanted to get some additional perspective on Botswana from local residents.  So, I took a walk to the campus of the University of Botswana hoping to meet a geography professor or two for a chat.  I stopped at the administration building and explained to the receptionist that I was an American geographer travelling through Botswana and was wondering if they had a geography department at the university.  No, they didn’t but they have an environmental science department.  I figured that was close enough having worked in environmental consulting for several years.  Were any of the environmental science professors around that I could perhaps meet?  The receptionist wasn’t sure because final exams were about over for the year and some of the professors had left.  However, after signing in and showing my passport, a security guard led me over to the Environmental Science Department to see if anyone was home.  

When I arrived at the campus of the University of Botswana on the 5^th of June, I had no clue of the opportunity that awaited me there.

 

The department was practically deserted but fortunately, Professor Paul Shaw was in his office.  He appeared to be in his 40s – an Englishman who had worked at the university for a few years.  Paul seemed very interested in meeting me and we had a long conversation about Botswana and the history of the university and department.  When the three Southern Africa British High Commission Territories, as they were known (Basutoland/Lesotho, Bechuanaland/Botswana, and Swaziland), were headed toward independence in the 1960s, they formed the University of Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland (UBLS) with the main campus in Roma, Lesotho which I visited last month.  In 1982, they dissolved their alliance, each becoming a separate national university.  Professor John Cooke, an Englishman who had started the Geography Department at UBLS, moved to the new University of Botswana (UB) campus in Gaborone.  Eventually, they changed the department name from geography to environmental science to have an easier time getting funding.  However, Paul, Professor Cooke (the chairman), and most of the rest of the staff have geography degrees.  The department is a diverse group including faculty from Great Britain, Zimbabwe, Canada, Botswana, and Malawi. 

1974 Botswana stamps commemorate the 10^th anniversary of the establishment of the University of Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland.  In the top left corner of the stamp is a photo of Sir Seretse Khama, the first president of Botswana and a revered figure in the history of the country who genuinely believed in democracy. 

 

As our conversation was winding down, I threw a “Hail Mary” pass for the hell of it.  “Do you ever have a need for a temporary lecturer?  Thought I’d ask since I have an M.A. in geography and a year’s teaching experience at a small college in North Dakota 13 years ago where I taught a little bit of everything.”

“Funny you should ask,” Paul replied.  “We have money for a one-year position for a junior lecturer for the coming academic year starting in August.  It requires a masters in geography but any Motswana with a masters in geography (and there are very few) already has a job.  We’ve only advertised the job locally.  It would be difficult for us to attract someone from outside the country because the position will only pay a local salary – 15,000 pula for the year. It does not pay the usual relocation expenses for ex-pats nor does it come with housing, although we could probably find a small apartment on campus for a qualified applicant.”

I was blown away.  It was as if the job description had been written specifically for me.  Wow, a real job – I was practically speechless.  Think of how much I could learn about Africa with such a job in this cosmopolitan city and progressive country! Think of how I would have a chance to actually make a difference – helping educate the next generation of African professionals and leaders.  Think of how such a job could open up other work and travel opportunities in the future.

“Look, if you’re interested in the position, I’d encourage you to come back tomorrow afternoon to meet Professor Cooke,” Paul added.

As we parted for the afternoon, my feet seemed to barely touch the ground as headed back here to my room.  “Don’t get your hopes too high,” I warned myself.

 

June 10, 2:00 PM, home of Bernard (a Rotarian) & Sally, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

On Friday afternoon I went back to the UB campus bringing my resume and grad school transcript which I had wisely brought with me to Africa, prepared for an opportunity like this to come along.  Paul introduced me to Dr. John Cooke, a white-haired, white-mustached, and casual but dignified English gentleman of about 60.  What an amazing guy!  As a young university graduate in geography, he had entered the British Colonial Service around 1950 and was sent to Tanganyika as a colonial officer.  During his time there, he climbed mountains, explored caves, presided over court cases, and worked with tribesmen to improve agricultural production and identify markets for their products.  After Ghana became independent in 1957 and it looked like more British colonies were headed in the same direction, he decided that there was no future in the colonial service and went back to school to earn a Ph.D. in geography.  He and his English wife, whom he met in Tanganyika, had raised three children in Africa and he was now looking ahead toward retirement in a couple years. 

John was impressed with my resume, my transcript, my experience, my enthusiasm for Africa, and my current writing project.  I learned that the position only required 8-10 hours teaching per week, leaving me time for my southern Africa travels and writing. 

They needed someone to teach statistics to first-year environmental science majors.  I replied that I’d had a statistic course as part of my graduate program but no experience teaching the subject.  “Just keep it simple.  You know means, medians, modes, and not much beyond standard deviations – these students have relatively poor mathematical backgrounds,” John explained. 

Professor Cooke also told me that ES majors were required to take a regional geography course for a developed area (Europe or North America).  Geography of North America was on the schedule for this year.  He figured that, as a North American, I could handle the course.  I explained that I never took a Geography of North America course but received credit by examination for the course in grad school.  And after all, I’d traveled and lived all over the U.S.A. (plus a little travel in Canada, as well).  

I think John would have hired me on the spot but there are administrative formalities to attend to.  They will need an application for the position, letters of recommendation, immigration forms, and other assorted paperwork.  In the meantime, I’ve linked up with some interesting people here in Zimbabwe and will keep in touch with Professor Cooke to ensure that all i’s are dotted and t’s crossed.  Tomorrow, I’m off for Zimbabwe’s eastern highlands.