The bureaucrat that roared

(If anyone can tell me what movie to which that is a reference I will be impressed)

I have recently concluded that the Batswana are really easy going and fluid on timing etc. unless there is an iota of bureauacracy involved, then it is like an evil twin takes over and I have as much chance bending the rules to my advantage as getting a copy of "The wealth of nations" into a gulag.

I have been attempting to finish my congo paper and have been missing the peculiar charm of hopkins house- especially that bit about free printing at any hour. To print at UB one must go to the finance office in the admin building, get a receipt for printing payment, go to the library and present the receipt, go to anothe desk in order to get it verified that you payed and to load the money on a card, and then wait in line for one of 2 printing computers where you enter in 3 passwords in order to print. Needless to say the process is lengthy and if one has a paper due at 8am and the library opens at 7:45am then one must get creative. Although the library doors were open, the guards and librarians were at their posts and the lights were on at 7am, I was still not allowed into the building in order to print something untill exactly 7 45. Long story short, I managed to get in but then I had 3 security guards and 6 librarians surround me and frantically tell me that the library wasn't open and I shouldn't be there. I apologized profusely but as they were not willing to bodily remove me, I managed to finish printing my paper and made it to class. (I should have spoken only spanish and looked confused) Unfortunately, they also saw the orange that I carried in with me and as there is a SERIOUS fruit phobia in that building (they check your bags and if they find an apple they accusingly say "what is this"... "it's a blender, don't worry about it") I may not be able to get back into the library, but I finished that paper . (this is the essay on the congo conflict that is equivalent to an assignment like "explain whose fault WWI is in 100 words or less....")


In similar tales of bureauacracy, I once again attempted to purchase breakfast at the cafeteria. I was informed, once and for all, that they are not selling breakfast and they are only making it for the one student who prepaid (my friend dan from pennsylvania). Not even kidding, an entire cafeteria that could seat 300-400 students is making a single-serving breakfast of eggs and tea every morning for the rest of the semester........ I hope that 80cents is not paying the salary of the cooks and cashier who have to be there just for Dan. Again, one student, the dorm I live in next to the cafeteria has close to 1,000 students and they are cooking for one. Wow.


In brighter news, I have another installment in the failed ad campaigns montage (was that an okay use of the word, krys?) As far as I can tell this is an anti-littering campaign (garbage on the sides of the road is a serious problem).

I know that AIDs is a good eye-catcher as far as public interest but I feel down this path lies new campaigns like "Fight AIDs! buy new code-red gatorade!" I think that this might be a tacky, slippery slope, call me crazy.
Well, I have to go massacre goldfish in my physiology class so sala sentle and I would love to hear news about the home-front from the lot of you reading this; feel free to email or facebook!