Back home

After an amazing adventure and 32 hours of traveling, Mom and I made it back to Raleigh on Friday. I'm slowly readjusting to life in the States, mainly that it's hot here!

We had an awesome time on the safari. The weather, lodges and food were great but the game viewing was unbelieveable. We saw the Big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) and even had several very intimate lion encounters. I'll let the pictures do the talking...

Rhino Crossing

Lions eating their prey, an 800kg buffalo (and we were 10ft away in an open vehicle!)

Look closely... Yes, that's a leopard cruising by the jeep


Our favorite animal, the elephant



Mom and I leading the game drive


Hope you all have enjoyed following me through South Africa. I'll be in Raleigh for the next week and then start school on July 6. Wish me luck!

Off to Safari!

While it was sad to leave Robertson, I was excited to meet mom in Cape Town. She arrived yesterday in pretty decent shape considering the long journey. We spent today exploring Cape Town and were blessed with fantastic weather (mid-70's, no clouds, and very light winds). We had an amazing seafood dinner on the waterfront and are gearing up for our flight tomorrow morning to Kruger for the safari - I can't wait! I promise to post photos when I get back.

I can't believe I have less than a week left of this extended vacation. My stress level has racheted down significantly. It's been so great not knowing what the stock market is doing, what the lastest unemployment figures are, what bank is being bailed out next, etc. While I miss family, friends, and the comforts of home, I definitely do not miss "the real world." Ahh, well I suppose all good things must come to an end. But not quite yet :-)

Hope everyone's doing well!

Last Week in Robertson

I can’t believe it’s my last week in Robertson! Four weeks have flown by, and if I didn’t have the safari to look forward to I’d be seriously depressed. It’s been a great mix of excitement and relaxation. I think I’ll come back fully recharged and ready for business school.

1. Coolest thing(s) I've seen: Great White Sharks!



2. Most interesting thing I've done: I petted a cheetah!



3. Recent funny/embarrassing story: Other than our wine tour driver inviting me back to his place for DVDs and snuggling – “the perfect activity for a rainy night.” Even after wine tasting all day, I wasn't tipsy enough to fall for that one. And his name was Titi Titi.


4. Most frustrating/difficult/uncomfortable situation faced (or in corporate speak, "most valuable learning experience"): This question has been tougher than I thought it would be – there really has been very little culture shock.
It was a little awkward when I came home from my weekend in Stellenbosch last night and there were 6 new girls in “my house.” They are the newest group of volunteers who arrived Saturday while we were away. They’re nice enough but I miss my group – only 3 of the 7 are left.

5. Best food/drink I've had: Ostrich carpaccio & butternut squash salad.
Oh, and I ordered the “American breakfast” at this café in Stellenbosch. It was three pancakes (which they call crumpets) layered with ham, shredded gruyere cheese and egg. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen that dish in America…

6. Plans for the upcoming weekend: I’m leaving Thursday to meet Mom in Cape Town. Let’s hope she recovers quickly from the jet lag so we can explore Cape Town Friday and fly to Kruger on Saturday! I can’t wait!

7. Health: Still great... although I may have contracted TB from the lady on the bus behind me who was hacking up a lung the entire two hours - yuck!

8. What I miss most: My bed (and still my car).

9. Other general commentary. This is probably my last post from Robertson. I’ll post safari pictures when I get back to the states!

Week 4

Hi again! This past weekend was the highly anticipated Wacky Wine Weekend where the 40+ wineries in the area open up for tasting and festivities. We had a great time, even though most of the wine was unimpressive. Two members of our group left Saturday morning, which was sad, but I'm glad it wasn't me!

1. Coolest thing(s) I've seen: People sliding and jumping into a giant pool of red wine in search of a diamond ring. We also went to this party at a winery Saturday night - they had live bands inside this huge tent filled with bails of hay. The people were so hammered and kept falling all over the bails of hay, stepping on our feet and throwing hay up into the air. Reminded me of a certain KA party back in college.

2. Most interesting thing I've done: Toured a champagne winery, sampled lots of wine, and blended and bottled my own bottle of red (which I'll probably never drink because the wine was shit).

3. Recent funny/embarrassing story: One of the guys at school last week pulled out his camera phone and started taking pictures of me while I was teaching class (yes, they have cell phones but can barely afford food). When I asked him to put it away, he said he "wanted to show his mom the new teacher at school." Right! The same day, another guy asked me for the sweater off my back. I politely told him that was not an option.

4. Most frustrating/difficult/uncomfortable situation faced (or in corporate speak, "most valuable learning experience"): We went out last Thursday night for our "farewell dinner." We invited the staff here at the farm as well as our drivers and went to a restaurant in town. We got there at 7 and were the only table in the whole restaurant. We didn't start getting our food until 9 (even though most of us ordered burgers) and the last dish wasn't served until 9:30 -- the New Yorkers in the group were livid! Good thing we had brought our own wine! Apparently African time is a lot like island time.

5. Best food/drink I've had: Springfield Estate wine or Graham Beck Brut Reserve

6. Plans for the upcoming weekend: This weekend is a 4-day weekend because of Youth Day on Tuesday, June 16. We're going shark cage diving on Saturday and then to Stellenbosch (the university town) for more wine tasting and hiking Sunday and Monday.

7. Health: Great!

8. What I miss most: My car and being able to drive myself when/where I want to go.

9. Other general commentary. We saw a whole new side of South Africa this weekend. On a daily basis, we see few white people (other than each other, our program director and a couple teachers at school). Well, they all came out for this weekend! I would liken the crowd to one you would see at a horse race, like the Carolina Cup or Foxfield... very aristocratic. The girls all wore scarves, skinny jeans, boots and messy hair. The guys all wore designer jeans & sunglasses, graphic tees, and these awful rubber rainboots. I was told that it was because last year's Wacky Wine Weekend was a rainy, muddy mess, but I'm convinced it was a fashion statement. The men of South Africa are tall and quite attractive but seemed very snobby, as did the girls. Apparently, attending the Wacky Wine Weekend is quite a status symbol. I definitely saw the divide between the haves and the have-nots that I heard about before coming here.

Unfortunately, I don't have pictures this week. Posting them takes up a ton of bandwidth, which is expensive here! Just imagine me smiling with a glass of wine in my hand -- that pretty much sums up my last few days :-)

Cheers!

Week 3

We survived the Garden Route last weekend. We did quite a bit of driving, some kids in my group bungee jumped, and we saw some awesome scenery. And we were super lucky that it didn't rain!

1. Coolest thing(s) I've seen: White tigers & lions, cheetah cubs, a pygmy hippo, the Cango Caves, ostriches all over the side of the road (like cows in the US)

2. Most interesting thing I've done: Played with elephants in Knysna (see pictures)

3. Recent funny/embarrassing story: Yesterday when we got home, one of the staff members warned us about going outside because the police had just been there to take care of the baboon problem (ie. shooting their guns to scare them off). The baboons have apparently been coming down from the mountains all around us looking for food, and "are very aggressive because they are hungry!" They had torn apart the garbage outside, just like raccoons. Needless to say I went out for a walk anyway and didn't see any.

4. Most frustrating/difficult/uncomfortable situation faced (or in corporate speak, "most valuable learning experience"): At the Cango Caves, we did the adventure tour where we had to climb through VERY narrow spaces, including one called Devil's Chimney where I had no more than 3" on either side of me and had to haul myself up through a tunnel! I never knew I was claustrophobic until that moment.

5. Best food/drink I've had: Ostrich steak!

6. Plans for the upcoming weekend: Wacky Wine Weekend is this weekend. It's a huge event where at 45 wineries in the vicinity have open tastings, food, music and activities. People come in from all around for the festivities. I, for one, can't wait -- I haven't done nearly enough wine tasting since I've been here.

7. Health: Pretty good. The rest of the group isn't holding up as well but I'm healthy as usual.

8. What I miss most: My dog... there are tons around here but most of them are so mangy that I wouldn't dare touch them.

9. Other general commentary. Life is still pretty good. I'm definitely settling in here. I'm not ready to pick up and move here, but it's definitely a great place to spend some time. The weather has been on our side but it's starting to get colder :-(. A few people will leave this weekend, which will be sad because we've become a pretty close group. The high school is fine -- the kids are about to start exams. The teachers are afraid they won't pass - I guess because they usually don't. I'm not really helping either because whenever I'm asked to cover a class, I play games with them like 7up and 4 Corners inside or I take them outside and do phys ed. It's confirming what I already knew before coming here -- I'm not meant to be a teacher!

Now enjoy the pics!

Our driver buying ostrich feather dusters in Outshoorn

White tiger cub, 5 mos old

The Cango Caves

Me with the elephants! (no, I'm not superimposed in this pic)

The view of our homebase from a nearby hike

Pictures!

The baboons on the side of the road in the Cape Point National Park
There are warnings about them all over the brochure. Apparently they'll jump in a car window if they see food!

The group at Cape Point

The penguins at Boulder Beach (south of Cape Town)

The view of Cape Town from (almost) the top of Table Mountain
After an intense 1.5 hour climb

The stream that my camera went swimming in.

The donkey sanctuary

The kids in Nkqubela (the township where the high school is)
They followed us around for an hour wanting us to take their picture, dancing for us, wrestling with the boys, etc.

I'm back

Sorry, folks, I know you've been anxiously awaiting my next update. The internet has been down for a week at the homebase so I'm using the computer at school. So much has happened in the last week... I'll do my best to recap.

1. Coolest thing(s) I've seen: The view from the top of Table Mountain, the penguins on Boulder Beach, the night sky in Robertson (we swear we can see the Milky Way, it's so clear), sunset in Cape Town, the baboons at Cape Point. I'm keeping a list of unique animal sightings -- it's up to over 20 already!

2. Most interesting thing I've done: Climbed Table Mountain, went horseback riding through a river bed with water up to the stirrups, taught many more 10th, 11th, and 12th graders random bits of knowledge and phys. ed.

3. Recent funny/embarrassing moment: Can't really think of any worth writing about... I'll do better next time.

4. Most frustrating/difficult/uncomfortable situation faced (or in corporate speak, "most valuable learning experience"): I had been subbing for a teacher for the past 3 days. She was supposed to return yesterday but when I got to school, she wasn't here and no one knew where she was. So, I was left to teach 4 periods, with nothing prepared nor a textbook to teach from. Thank God she showed up today. Oh, and the internet being down has been an annoyance.

5. Best food/drink I've had: Ironically enough, it was dinner at a Turkish restaurant in Cape Town -- we had a 3-course feast with cocktails and wine for <$30/person. Or maybe it's the fruit which is grown all over the place and is sooo good!

6. Plans for the upcoming weekend: Going on a Garden Route tour to the west of here. We're going to see caves, ostrichs, monkeys, elephants and beautiful scenery. Some people are going bungy jumping -- I'll watch. Cross your fingers that it doesn't rain. It hasn't rained since we got here and it's supposedly rainy season so we're due.

7. Health: Pretty good, had a scratchy throat this morning but can't really complain.

8. What I miss most: The beach and my bed.

9. Other general commentary. I really wish I could post from the homebase because I have lots of awesome pictures I want to show you. Oh, and my camera made a full recovery from its dip in the stream - hooray! Other than that, the group is getting along pretty well, especially considering how different we all are.

Hope all of you had a great Memorial Day weekend - I miss you!!

Day 5

It's a beautiful day in Robertson - blue skies and in the low 70's! Today was Ascension Thursday so school was cancelled -- South Africans love their national holidays. We went on a beautiful hike with a guide up to this gorge with an amazing waterfall at the end. We saw baboon feces but no baboons. I did drop my camera in the stream so hopefully I didn't ruin it. Otherwise, I'll be borrowing others' pictures. This afternoon, a clinical psychologist came and talked to us about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa -- 11% of the population is infected, one of the worst rates in the world. Until recently, the health minister was in denial about the problem, which only made it worse. Under the new administration, they're hopeful that things will improve.

1. Coolest thing I've seen: This question is WAY too hard. I've been to a donkey sanctuary; I drive by beautiful vineyards everyday; I look out my window at the home base to totally uninhabited mountains; I've visited several quaint little towns filled with interesting people.

2. Most interesting thing I've done: Taught "business" to a class of 10th graders for whom English is their 2nd or 3rd language. We started a business to sell a broom. It actually went pretty well, I think!

3. Recent funny/embarrassing moment: During our Afrikaans (that local language) lessons, we had to go up to people to practice our greeting. The person I spoke to politely laughed at me and returned my greeing in English. Well done.

4. Most frustrating/difficult/uncomfortable situation faced (or in corporate speak, "most valuable learning experience"): One of two things -- the cold shower I took when I first got here b/c I didn't know how to use the faucet properly or the fact that I dropped my camera in a stream in the first week of a 6-week trip.

5. Best food/drink I've had: The meal on the river boat - traditional Afrikaaner fare including bean soup, homemade bread and butter, chicken pie, and pumpkin pie. Delicious!

6. Plans for the upcoming weekend: Cape Town! We're planning to go to Robben Island, hike up Table Mountain and go see the penguins at Cape Point.

7. Health: Perfect!

8. What I miss most: Missing the American Idol finale and the hockey play-offs... so really, not much!

9. Other general commentary I'm so happy here. The pace of life is much slower and the scenery is breathtaking. No one I've encountered has given any indication that he/she is too busy to talk or is in a hurry to go anywhere. The local people are more than willing to talk to us about anything we want to know, particularly their history and their culture. The issue of race is so top-of-mind here. Even though apartheid was abolished 15 years ago, the different races - the blacks, the coloreds (anyone who's not 100% black/white), and the whites - still live in separate parts of town and rarely mix. The high school where I'm volunteering is in the township, which is where the black people live. By American standards, it's the slums. The houses are mostly shacks, although the government is in the process of building new homes for those who are unemployed (58% in this particular township). The majority do have electricity and running water so it's not smelly or gross. The people take pride in the way they look despite being poor and truly seem happy. They are fascinated with Americans.
The high school, Masakheke, has grades 7-12. Of 800 kids in the school, they average 24 graduating seniors per year. The class size is large (40-45) in the lower grades but drops off significantly after grade 10 when they are no longer required to attend school. The "learners" (students) wear uniforms and the school is very disciplined. The teachers are a mix of black, white and colored and are glad to have our help. I'm assigned to help mostly with "Life Orientation" which includes business, phys ed, etc. Even though the classes are all taught in English, it's quite unnerving to not understand the students' native language -- you have no idea what they're saying about you! Tomorrow, I'm subbing for one of the teachers who will be out so THAT should be interesting - wish me luck!

Overall, it's been an incredible experience so far and I'm even more excited about what's to come. I'm keeping a list of all the different animals I see (and of course, all the different wines I taste :-))

I made it!

Hello from South Africa! There's so much to tell, I don't know where to start. Well first, the flight wasn't so bad. Even though I was in the plane for ~18 hours, I managed to sleep most of the way. We were met in Cape Town by the rest of the group and drove in to the home base about 2 hrs away in Robertson. The place is awesome -- just as beautiful as the pictures on the website, surrounded by mountains. Inside it's very cozy with a nice living area with a fireplace. We each share a room and a bathroom with one other person that has all the amenities one could want. There is a super friendly full-time staff that cooks and cleans for us -- they won't even let us take our dishes to the kitchen after meals! So no, we're not exactly "roughin' it." The food has been great, too. The Afrikaaners (most of the white South Africans) are of Dutch descent so they're big hearty people like myself and love to eat :-)

The group is getting along great so far... there are 3 college students, 2 Canadians, 1 senior citizen, 2 guys and me (not mutually exclusive obviousy b/c there are 7 of us in total). We've been super busy so far. We did orientation and tours the first 2 days and today was our first day of volunteering. It's going to be a crazy but rewarding experience... more on the high school and Nquebela township later.

With all the opportunities to see and do things here, I'm finding 5 weeks to be too short! We're going to make the most of it though, and are already planning out all our weekend adventures.
Ok ride is here! I'll post again soon.

The night before...

5 days of unemployment, 0 episodes of The Price Is Right, lots of better-eat-this-before-I-leave, and 46 trips to Target later, I think I'm finally packed and ready to go. I'm now calming myself with a glass of wine and some hockey -- Go Canes! My flight leaves tomorrow at 11:30AM so Dad's picking me up at 8:30 for breakfast and an inevitable last-minute trip to the store.

I'll be on the flight from JFK to Cape Town with two other members of my group. There are 7 of us total, all staying for different amounts of time. Several are college students, one girl is my age and works for the volunteer organization (Cross Cultural Solutions), another is an older woman and one is a mystery. Hopefully we'll get along because we'll be spending LOTS of time together at the home base :-)

To avoid writer's block... and because I'm type A... I'm going to attempt to add a little structure to my blog by answering similar questions on each post. The idea is for these to be updates from the last post:

1. Coolest thing I've seen:
2. Most interesting thing I've done:
3. Recent funny/embarrassing moment:
4. Most frustrating/difficult/uncomfortable situation faced (or in corporate speak, "most valuable learning experience"):
5. Best food/drink I've had:
6. Plans for the upcoming weekend:
7. Other general commentary

Any other suggestions?

Thanks for all the well wishes. Next time you hear from me, I'll be in Africa!

First Post

So, 3 days from now, I'll be on the marathon flight from JFK to Cape Town. I found out that I'll be working at the Masakheke High School in the Nkqubela Township. Below is as much as I know about the assignment:


The aim of Masakheke High School is to provide public high school education to the youth (13-18yrs) in Nkqubela. Masakheke is a government high school and provides educational services for up to five hundred children. Has a 40+ one student / teacher ratio. It is an English medium, which is difficult as many of these learners are 3rd language English speakers.


Volunteer Activities /Duties
English Literacy
Maths
Teacher assistance
Sports and other extra mural support



The townships are the extremely poor communities outside of the cities that developed during apartheid when blacks were not allowed in the city after working hours. It should definitely be an eye-opening experience!



Right now, I'm more excited than anxious, but tomorrow I have to start packing so we'll see how that goes. Unemployment is not exactly as relaxing as I imagined. It's crazy how fast the days go by... I haven't slept past 8AM yet!

OK, back to American Idol :-)