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The first flight, to Gaborone Botswana, is a long 2 days and I am exhausted from not getting much sleep due to the small seats on the plane. However, I know I must not complain because I have it rather easy compared to the trip my ancestors endured. Throughout the flight I am filled with excitement because soon I will see where my family roots began!! -Departure from Buffalo, NY on Thursday, June 10th at 7:26pm and arrive at Gaborone, Botswana at 3:25pm on Saturday, June 12th. Flight costs approximately $2,482.

I am staying with the San Bushmen for a week in their village. The San people can be considered the most basal branch of the family tree comprising of all living humans. They are the very roots of our ancestory. Although this is not the camping I am accustomed to, I like the fact that I will be sleeping in the same village that my ancient ancestors once slept in. This somehow makes me feel a connection to them. The Bushmen are very welcoming and are rather interested in me, almost as much as I am in them.



The San people live in a vast desert that stretches over South Africa, they survive by huting wild game and gathering roots. The Bushmen travel in groups usually containing 10 to 15 individuals. They move around frequently to find new foods to gather, water resources and to follow migrating game. Shelter is temporary and made of branches tied together in a semi-circle with grass tufts on top. Groups are made up of family members and there is no official leader or chief. The San men traditionally hunt and the women are responsible for gathering. Hunting is a collaborative exercise and the meat is always shared among the group. The San are expert hunters with bows and arrows tipped with poison. One of the most interesting traits of the San Bushmen is their language. They talk in "clicks". Almost like a sound used to urge a horse along. This was very difficult for me to pick up on but I did manage to comprehend a few common words, such as "water" or "food".

These people are known as the haplogroup L3. They are the first group of modern humans to leave Africa, splitting in different directions. Some headed South, some West,others moved North and eventually left Africa completely. I will be following the group that headed towards Australia.