C20 CHAPTER 20: BUSINESS TRIP

As she waited for the bus, Avita smiled helplessly as she listened to Patrick, who couldn't stop yapping.

"You must look after yourself, and if you have a bad feeling about someone, don't be afraid to seek help!" Patrick offered advice for the hundredth time.

"Yes, yes, yes. Don't be concerned about me. I will always look after myself!" Avita made a major pledge.

Patrick sighed and gently rubbed Avita's head, saying, "That's good then."

Patrick kept Avita amused for another 10 minutes before the bus driver announced that the bus was leaving.

Patrick and the other family members who were sending their relatives go finally got off the bus and watched it leave.

Avita was seated in a two-seater, on the inner side rather than the aisle side.

Her next-door neighbor was a middle-aged woman who, fortunately for her, did not enjoy conversing too much.

The bus price from Wakothanie to Gaborone was OWD 700, and the journey took 20 hours. The journey from Wakothanie to the Botswana border was eleven hours, and the time taken between the two borders varied between one and two hours.

Avita kept herself entertained on the bus by playing on her Galaxy Flip phone with her EarPods plugged in, listening to her favorite K-Pop boy group band tunes.

She didn't have to worry about a dead battery because the bus has a portable charging station, and all she had to do was charge her phone whenever it ran out of juice.

They arrived at the border after waiting on the bus for eleven hours, which included time spent at other stops.

The immigration process was not difficult, and her passport was stamped after more than 10 minutes in line. She was given ninety days because it was her first-time entering Botswana. Although she wasn't going to use all of these days at once, having more assurance didn't hurt.

When everyone's passports were stamped, the bus took off again and continued its journey.

Avita merely slept because it was night. She didn't have to worry about missing her station because she was headed to the bus's final stop.

The bus finally arrived in Gaborone about three a.m., and being the first passenger, Avita did not dare to leave the bus, instead waiting inside with others for the sun to rise.

Avita and the other passengers on the bus disembarked at six o'clock in the morning. Avita had done her homework and knew which kombis to take and where to go.

Avita decided to go to the B&B first and recuperate before looking for the outfits she desired.

Without further ado, Avita asked one of the bus conductors where she could find the kombi she need, and they directed her without fuss.

Avita expertly negotiated her way from the bus terminal to the kombi station, where most kombis were stationed, and into the kombi she desired.

Avita was standing in front of the receptionist at Realeboga B&B in Block 3 forty minutes later.

Avita verified her reservations, and someone escorted her to her room, where she will spend the night or the following days if space allows.

Avita was simply exhausted and needed to rest on this particular day. She didn't need to stress herself out because she knew where to go.

She didn't forget to call Patrick and let him know she had arrived safely via WhatsApp. Avita left the B&B in the afternoon and grabbed a taxi to Oriental Plaza, a shop neighborhood run exclusively by Chinese.

Merchandise was offered at reasonable costs in that plaza, and if one was lucky, one could unearth treasures that could make one wealthy.

Avita's reason for visiting this time was to buy garments, particularly fleeces, bedding, comforters, and other apparel items.

Avita shopped around, comparing pricing from one store to the next. She listed the stores where she spotted something that piqued her interest and also noted the prices.

She wasn't going to buy something just because she liked it; she was also thinking about whether she could make a profit after factoring in transportation costs.

She didn't buy anything on this day and decided to return the next day.

Avita had Botswana delicacies for supper that night and thoroughly appreciated them.

Seswaa, or slow-cooked meat, was presented to her. Beef cuts are often taken from the shoulder, rib, neck, and rump.

Seswaa is usually cooked in a three-legged iron cast pot over a hot flame for around five hours. In the end, what one eats is a stew that melts in the tongue upon consumption.

This seswaa was served with bogobe (cooked powdered millet or sorghum in boiling water) and chakalaka on the side.

The supper was simply exquisite, and Avita vowed to prepare a similar dish when she returned home.

She also intended to learn new foods to prepare for her loved ones when she returned to Oshua.

She didn't forget to photograph the food and post it on her Whatsapp status.

Avita had never used Facebook before, but after launching her own business, she realized that having an account wouldn't be such a bad idea. So, when she returned to Oshua, she planned to create a personal account as well as a business Facebook page.

The next day, Avita ate magwenya, also known as vetkoek (fried dough), with goat stew and a cup of coffee on the side.

Avita didn't forget to snap pictures of the food and put them on her list of things to cook when she gets back to Oshua.

She took another taxi to Oriental Plaza after eating and began her wild buying spree. Avita found herself buying more bedding than clothes for this trip. There wasn’t much nice clothing that she found interesting.

As a result, she bought bed sheets, fleece blankets, curtains, tableware, cosmetics, and jewelry.

It wasn't much, but she scrimped and saved for this trip.

She was also not in a hurry to spend all of her money because she still needed to declare everything she had bought at the border.

She didn't forget to buy a few personal goods for herself and gifts for her friends after browsing for sale products.

After that, it was time to prepare to return home.