In addition I also managed to fully arrive in Gaborone – with own house, car and ‘weekend-get-aways’. As you see in the pictures I am not only driving an own car again – after ten years – with the wheel on the steering-wrong side but I also live in a small house in the suburbs of Gaborone. These are quite some changes from the small room in Singapore with its great public transport to this new adventure. But as you know I like challenges and especially if I have to adapt myselfs to new settings – that keeps fresh and was exactly what I was looking for. After these first weeks I feel also well introduced to the life of Gaborone with its braai-parties, cinemas, game drives and even theatre-performances (see article about No 1 Ladies theatre). In the end of this month the adventure is getting even more exiting, as Susi will join me here, and so I am looking forward for more great months to see and experience a piece of Africa together.

But the most interesting part was the football-game Botswana (Zebras) against South Africa (Bafana Bafana), that we attended on Saturday evening. Both teams were playing for the qualification to the African Cup of Nations and for 90min the Zebras were dominating but unfortunately did not scored any goal against Bafana Bafana and the game ended 0:0. For this reason it was good to know that their real A-team is currently in Brazil for serious training, otherwise it would have been too easy for the other teams beating them in their home-country in 80 days during the World Cup. I already booked tickets to attend three games and I am really exited as the spirit is really great – whom ever you ask in Botswana or around. (credits to Jonas for the pictures)

As I live again in a small room at a friend´s house, where I staid also last time it seems as I only left the country some weeks ago as it looks and feels all very familiar to me. But the GTZ office changed a lot, as more staff from Danemark, Canada and Germany joined the team and we are nowadays more than ten people working together with the SADC Water-Division and the fifteen water-ministries in Southern Africa. The team is amazing and on the first day I was already able meeting our SADC colleagues, second day was already project-planning and Friday I wrote the first PR concept. That is fast speed as I like it and I am quite exiting what the future brings. Besides work I am currently looking into car-buying and I hope finding one soon, as busses ar not very effective and walking produces a lot of sweet as we have over 30 degrees here. As I had my last car almost ten years ago and life in Singapore and Berlin do not needed one, that is quite funny situation but let´s see how I get ripped off by the car-shops.

As Eschborn is more an industrial-park then an ancient and beautiful city I use my weekends for some get-aways, last weekend to carnival-celebrations to the “Kölsch-Fest” in Cologne and this weekend to Aalborg in Nothern Denmark to visit some friends, whom I haven´t seen for ages. The last two weekends are dedicated for my hometown and maybe Berlin and afterwards I join a friend in Romania, before my flight leaves from Berlin on 1st of March to Gaborone. And it´s great having a girlfriend, who is traveling even more crazy than me, as Susi is currently backpacking in Latin America. You can follow her crazy adventures in magnificient mountains with pinguins and lamas here. So I have to day, that it´s great to be back in wonderful snowy Germany and to feel home with friends in Europe – hope seeing you all in Gaborone once a day.

From 1st February until 1st March I will be in Eschborn, near Frankfurt (Main) for my preparation in the GTZ headquarter. Afterwards I´ll leave icy Germany (currently minus 15 degrees in Berlin) for sunny Botswana. And I am very happy that also Susi, who is currently travelling for some months in Latin America, will join this adventure in June. So I have the noble task to find something to life in for us two: Maybe we can improve ourselves from our small fourteen square-meters room in Singapore – as a lot of guest already agree to visit. :)

Download in German: Master-Thesis “Transboundary Watermanagement in SADC”
Executive Summary in English language: Master-Thesis “Transboundary Watermanagement in SADC”

Singapore was therefore the ideal place, as the nations future will be build on solid education and knowledge management and the National University of Singapore as well as the Nanyang Technological University are the leading Asian universities and NUS even reached 30th place in the current “Times”-ranking. As I never studied abroad I was fascinated by the campus-university with its amazing opportunities, where even the alumni-building is bigger and more modern then my whole “OSI Institute of Politicial Sciences” at home. I attache some pictures, that show some parts of my life during the last three weeks and will go immediatly back to my thesis now. :)

Yellow is the colour of hope

After arriving in Germany I will realise an intensive trip through whole country: starting from Munich, over Schwerin, Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen and then back to Black forest and Munich. Afterwards the next adventure will start – I will join Susi in Singapore and plan to spend at least next year there, firstly finishing my thesis and afterwards looking for great job and experience Asia in her hearth. Life won´t get boring and that it´s all about. :)