"I spent a lot of time with them. They had been forced into exile as students and had left their parents behind. With my experience, it was a mind-boggling experience, that so young a people could run away from their homes because of their political beliefs fearing arrest or being killed by government security agents. It led me to an appreciation of life; that people react differently under pressure. But even then, it wasn't that 'alien' to me because of the way I came to Botswana."