Safari in the Kalahari

Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve wanted to go on a safari.  I LOVE animals, and what could be better than seeing exotic African animals in their natural habitat?  A few weeks ago, I got the chance to do just that!  Our last AIFS excursion was to the Kalahari desert, and I think it was my favorite one yet!!  Thursday night a hugeee overland truck came to pick us up, and we spent the night driving through South Africa, to get to the part that borders Botswana and Namibia.  When we finally arrived, it was Friday morning.  Keith, our awesome trip leader, had our tents set up when we got there, so we just had to move into those.  A couple hours later we went on a walk through the area with two San people (the PC term for “Bushmen”).  They led us through their bush home, showing us which plants were used for what purposes, and telling stories about their lives and people.  The anthropology major in me loved learning that they were still so in tune to their culture.  They still send teenagers into the wild for a short time to learn how to fend for themselves and live in the ways of their ancestors. 

Spent a lotttt of time in this truck.



Healing Tree, with bags of medicine reserved for elders over 60 years.



Wild melon, tasted like honeydew! 

The next morning we woke up early early early to go on our GAME DRIVE!  It was so cool seeing the sun rise as we drove to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, which is in both South Africa and Botswana.  Our safari was AWESOME.  We saw SO MUCH.  Tons of springbok, blue wildebeest, gemsbok, red hartebeest, steenbok, ostriches, etc.  We saw giraffes which were absolutely beautiful.  We also saw a jackal eating a gemsbok, which I thought was really cool.  On the topic of the circle of life, we saw CHEETAHS KILL AND EAT A SPRINGBOK.  We missed the actual kill, but we did see them finish the job and drag it over to their picnic spot by some trees.  SO COOL.  Finally, we saw a LEOPARD.  Our guide Keith has been in the park over 20 times, usually going on multiple days of game drives each time, and this was only the second time he saw a leopard!  We were so luckyyy.  We tried to find a lion, but we didn’t see any.  It was alright though, because otherwise it would have felt a bit too staged.  After the safari we headed back to camp, and in true South African fashion had a fabulous braai!



Cheetah finishing off a springbok.



Cheetahs eating springbok.



Giraffes!



So sweet!



Jackal eating a gemsbok

Gemsbok and springbok

South Africa's national animal looking fly.



Real life Lion King - this is Zazu!



LEOPARD.

On the third day we had a boat cruise down the Orange River, which is the longest river in South Africa!  We headed to our campsite in yet another national park, and after pitching our tents in record time took a walk over to Augrabies Falls for sundowners.  The falls were beautiful, and African sunsets always make me even more thankful to be in this beautiful place.  However, the highlight was probably Corie dropping one of her crutches down the falls.  Hilarious.

Boat cruise down the Orange River!

Beautiful falls, the Namibian border is in the background!



Africa <3

The next morning the guys woke me up early and we watched the sun rise over the falls.  It was so peaceful and absolutely beautiful.  There's something so incredible about starting the day with the rising sun.  After, we headed back to camp which was overun with monkeys.  Yup.  Then, we went WHITE WATER RAFTING down the Orange River!  So sick!  I’ve been white water kayaking with the SMC Wilderness Program, but never rafting. We were all picturing the typical rafts with a bunch of people and a guide, but it turned out to be two person rafts, which was really cool (and also terrifying because we were completely in control of ourselves).  I was with Corie and we had a blast navigating down the rapids.  We capsized at one point, which was so much fun!  This was one of the best things I’ve done here so far!!

Good Morning, Africa!

Finally we packed up camp for the last time and headed back home to Stellies.  It was an awesome weekend spent with amazing friends, and I’ll always remember it!

Pleased to meet you, Desmond Tutu!

A few weeks ago my friends in a theology class here said they were going to see Desmond Tutu speak in Cape Town.  I found out that others not in the class were tagging along, so I emailed the professor and signed myself up too!  We were expecting a lecture hall, full of people, so we were surprised when we pulled up to a tiny church.  We sat so close to the archbishop, and his lecture was amazing.  Not only is he obviously very intelligent, pious, and deep, but he’s also incredibly funny.  His jokes made him so accessible, and it was great to listen to him speak.  Best of all?  After his lecture, we MET HIM.  It was an honor to take a picture with such a great man, and I feel blessed to have done so.

Lovin' Life in South Africa.

(Alternative title: "Sorry America, never coming home")

It seems that South Africa is becoming a part of me, or I suppose I’m becoming a part of it.  Sixty degrees now feels like the arctic, and I recently discovered that my whole life has been spent running on “Africa time.”  While I’d love to believe that I’ll be back here again (absolutely applying for post-grad!) the reality is that I don’t know where my life will take me.  With two months left in this wonderful place, I wish I could slow time down, but I can’t, so I’m going to try to see as much of South Africa as I can before that!

Last week I went on the Garden Route, which is a MUST if you’re ever in SA.  Our wonderful AIFS resident director, Hestea (more commonly known as Mama H), set everything up for us, so all we had to do was show up and enjoy the trip!  Our first day we visited the Cango Caves in Oudtshoorn, where we squeezed through some pretty tight spaces with names like Devil’s Post Box, and the Coffin.  After the caves we went to see some ostriches!  Sadly, we weren’t able to ride them as the recent rain would have made it unsafe for both animals and humans.  It was still neat hanging out with the funny-looking birds.  Their eyeballs are bigger than their brains!  One bit me on the shoulder just as we were about to go to…

Hi!

FAIRY KNOWE!  Our backpacker’s lodge in Wilderness (yes, the town is called Wilderness).  We stayed there for two wonderful nights!  I spent most of my downtime drinking tea and playing Scrabble with my roommates, next to the awesome outdoor bar (yeah I know, who drinks tea when there’s a bar?  I was sleepy from all of our activities!) 

Where we stayed - the oldest building in the area.

 Like KLOOFING!  In Afrikaans, kloof means canyon, and kloofing is when you put on a wetsuit and lifejacket, and basically go whitewater rafting down rapids and such – without the raft!  It was such a blast.  We’d also climb up cliffs, and jump back into the cool water below.  It was a six kilometer trek that we made swimming, sliding down rapids, and sometimes hiking along the bank of the river.  It was honestly one of the best things I’ve EVER done.  (Hey Dad, another reason you should come to SA, you’d LOVE kloofing!)

Jumping off a 5 meter cliff!

Just floatin' around with Halie.  Photo Cred: Shana Glen!

As soon as we got back to Fairy Knowe from kloofing, Ginny, Brooke and I had to quickly change and meet David to go horseback riding!  The horses were all beautiful, although my horse, Nicky, was kind of a jerk (maybe he didn’t like when I called him Nicki Minaj?).  I almost fell off while trotting, which had the potential to be traumatizing, but Ginny and I took it slow after that. 

"Horse People" as Mama H called us. Sounds like a weird mutant.

The next day we went to Knysna and shopped at the waterfront and in town for a few hours. It was absolutely beautiful.  Then we went to KNYSNA ELEPHANT PARK.  I’m in love with elephants.  They’re amazing.  We fed them and hung out with them, and our guides told us their stories.  After the elephants we headed to our home for the next three nights.

I love the way they eat!

Proof of an Elephant Kiss!

ANTLER’S LODGE.  This place was AMAZING.  Our program treats us so well!  That night we had dinner in the beautiful barn/theater on the property.  When we woke up the next morning, we headed to Bloukran’s Bridge, to the highest bungee jump in the WORLD (and second highest due to the recoil!).  I enjoyed a cup of coffee and watched many of my friends throw themselves off the perfectly good bridge.  I think those of us watching and taking pictures were more nervous than the jumpers!  I was nauseous the entire time.  Luckily they all survived, and loved it, but I’m perfectly okay with my decision to stay on the ground.  That night the whole group went to an Italian restaurant named Enrico’s, right on the beach, as the sun was setting.  Have I mentioned lately that I love my life?

View from my room...I'll take it.

Our room, with some extra beds squeezed in.

Eeeee the bridge!

The next day we went to the beach and swam in the Indian Ocean!! Yay!  Later that day we went to a big cat sanctuary.  I got super close to a cheetah (Hey Addie, I heard you thought I was too close - don’t worry she’s been around people her whole life…I had more to worry about from those ostriches!).  We learned so much about the cats, like that when cheetahs are born they resemble honey badgers, which keeps other animals away from them.  I’ve never realized how beautiful leopards are – or how incredibly dangerous they are.  Next we went to Monkeyland, which was AWESOME.  My camera battery died so I don’t have any pictures, but I seriously considered breaking away from the group and getting lost so I could spend a few nights with the monkeys. 

Friends and the Indian Ocean, great day.

She's alive, just snoozin'.

Leopards are so pretty.

Caracal - love his ears!

Hope you like animal pictures - meerkattttttt!

That night we had a talent show, and the birthday boy James was the guest of honor.  There are so many people on this trip that will NEVER forget their 21^st birthdays!  Who knew our group had so much…talent?  My personal favorite was probably watching my roommate Hallie teach Mama H how to drink like a man. 

The next day, AIFS was heading home to Stellies, but Corie and I stayed for an extra couple of days with our friend Liz, at her grandmother’s house in Wilderness.  It was incredible, so relaxing and the place was gorgeous.  Her gran is the sweetest person ever!  The first day was eat, sleep, repeat.  The next we went to Knysna, because Liz didn’t think we saw enough of it.  She was RIGHT!  We went to the waterfront again, then to an island, then had a little picnic in the forest, then went to pick up one of Liz’s friends in a “slow town” called Sedgefield and walked along the beautiful, overcast beach with him.  That night Liz taught us how to cook chicken pie and malva pudding – two South African favorites!!

The Heads in Knysna. In love.



Can you think of anything more peaceful?



Ready for dinner cooked by the Americans!

The drive home was beautiful, and part of it was where the video for Coldplay’s Paradise was filmed!  Great song and video, give it a watch/listen HERE! :)

As we started to drive past familiar vineyards, under an incredible double rainbow, Liz asked us how it felt to be back in wine country.  Corie and I looked at each other and together responded,

“It's good to be home.”

TIA. (This is Africa)

WHAT A DAY.  It began, as all Fridays (and Mondays) do, at Lynedoch Primary School, for my LSCE (Learning for Sustainable Community Engagement) course.  Fridays are our theory days, so we sit together with our instructor, Grant, and grow together in our understanding of community development work.  I truly feel like I’m learning lessons that I can apply to the rest of my life, which is a great feeling to have.  Today Grant had us do something a little different for awhile – wash windows!  We did it the “South African way” according to Grant, and used newspapers dipped in water, which it worked surprisingly well!  We had a blast, blaring music and dancing while we cleaned.  Our group shares so much with each other, so many deep insights into South Africa and our respective home countries, and into other topics, that it’s really great to just get to goof off together.  I’m glad we have such an interesting and FUN group! It also felt good to give back to the school in a way that is more tangible than teaching.

We left Lynedoch at about 4:20 to catch our train home.  We boarded the train and sat on it for about a half hour, just waiting at the station, and no one was sure what was going on.  Finally, after what felt like forever, the train started moving, and we soon pulled into Vlottenberg, the station between Lynedoch and Stellenbosch.  We again sat in the station, not moving, for a very long time.  Corie and I decided to break into the leftovers from our lunch – chicken pot pie and rice.  We were using our fingers, and I offered some to the man sitting next to me.  In America he would have been repulsed, but TIA ('This is Africa' if you didn't notice the title), so he shared our impromptu meal with us!  He definitely showed us up with the finger eating.  I didn’t quite catch his name, but he was from Zimbabwe, and very nice.  I love making train friends!

Suddenly everyone was in a tizzy, and we asked someone what was going on.  “This train’s heading to Cape Town now, get off!” they yelled.  Since Cape Town is in the complete opposite direction of Stellenbosch, we hustled off the train.  We found out that it was another hour until the next train came, so about 20 LSCE kids, as well as far more South Africans, decided to walk.  As we were walking, we realized that it was a six mile walk back to Stellies, so we called some local friends to see if they could come pick us up.  No one answered, of course.  But honestly, it was incredible.  We were walking along the road, mountains rising on each side, passing ostriches, wildebeests, and other exotic animals.  It really felt like we were in Africa, the Africa of movies!  TIA!! A minibus taxi pulled up and we tried to pile in it, but it was already too full (which means there were probably already about 10 too many people in the minibus.)  Luckily, two friends called back and said they would come get us.  Liz and Jaco to the rescue!! We kept walking until they pulled up, during which time many bakkies (pickup trucks) and other vehicles offered us rides.  Finally, seven of us piled into the back of Liz’s bakkie (luckily she had a cover on the bed!) and drove the few miles we had left.  We got home almost 2 hours later than we normally do on Fridays, but I wouldn’t have traded this experience for anything!

The Birthday Blog

I celebrated my 21^st birthday a couple weeks ago, and it was the best birthday I’ve had yet!  To start off, I had my service learning class, which I always look forward to.  Friday was the first day we took the train to the township of Lynedoch where we teach and are taught, which we’ll be doing the rest of the semester.  It felt good to arrive at the township by train instead of university vans.  It definitely made me feel like a part of the community instead of just an American swooping in to rescue the township, which is not our intention.  We were doing our usual “check-in” activity with our professor, Grant, when the whole seventh grade class filed into our classroom.  Grant spoke quickly to them in Afrikaans, and then they sang me Happy Birthday!  They finished with the lyrics “God bless you today, God bless you today, God bless you to-dayy, happy birthday to you!”  So sweet, and of course I almost cried.  Turns out my friend Corie, who is placed in seventh grade, had arranged it for me – such a sweetheart!  The rest of the day was also great, filled with stories of the township told by Grant.  They were definitely stories of hardship and sometimes were difficult to listen to, but I tried to take away a message of hope instead of sadness. 

After seven hours at Lynedoch, our driver, Georgio, came to pick up the AIFS students.  He seemed a little apprehensive about us at first, but after four hours in the van and listening to Family Business by Kanye about 150 times, we were all the best of friends!  Everyone was already at the Cederbergs when we got there, having left long before us.  We were greeted with hugs, ‘drinkies,’ and an amazing braai!  We were told we’d be camping, but it turned out to be more like GLAMPING (No, Aunt Kathy, there weren’t makeovers like at Mona’s birthday party).  Later, when I was looking up at the stars with some friends, I realized that the whole group was surrounding me, and there was Mama H, our AIFS director, with cakes and candles for me!  So cute, love her, and everyone in my program!  That night I saw four shooting stars!  It was the best night sky I’ve ever seen, absolutely incredible.

view from the van- awesome!


baboon crossing!

The next morning we woke up bright and early and went for a hike (Wolfberg Cracks, google it – beautiful!!)  It was so cool, we had to climb through the mountain itself.  There were beautiful views too of course.  When we got back to the campsite we went for a swim in a beautiful African river.  It was absolutely incredible.  We went back and got changed, then had a wine tasting!  The wine was amazing, like all of the wine in this beautiful country. 

Mama H and I share a moment on the mountain


I already miss it!

With fellow SMCer Meg in the river!




Corie and wine tasting!


 

The next day, Sunday, we went to check out some San Bushmen cave paintings – so sick!  They were about 6000 years old.  It’s wild that they’re so well preserved after all this time.  There was also a cave with names written all over it, and it’s rumored that it was a secret meeting place.  The names included at least two former prime ministers of South Africa, D.F. Malan and P.W. Botha, as well as poet C. Louis Leipoldt.  Some don’t believe that the names were written by the men they belong to, but I think I’d like to believe it!

photo cred goes to Corie since I forgot to charge my camera..

Overall, I had the best birthday EVER.  The Cederbergs were so beautiful, probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever been.  There is such a serenity surrounding the area, it’s so easy to feel at peace there, just gazing at the mountains or stars or vineyards.  For most Americans, the 21^st birthday is a bit hazy, but mine was one that I will definitely never forget!

Thoughts Become Things

I was planning on writing about my first couple weeks in South Africa in my next post, but it looks like I will officially fall behind, because today was the best day yet.  I’ve been living in Stellenbosch, one of the wealthiest municipalities in the country, I’ve traveled to Cape Town, the Cape of Good Hope, and Cape Point, I’ve seen penguins on a gorgeous beach, wild baboons and ostriches, I’ve spent an evening on a wine farm surrounded by beautiful friends; but today was the first day of classes, spent in a dusty township outside of Stellenbosch, during a heat wave.  It may not sound like the setting for my best day yet, but it was the day that I finally experienced the South Africa that I’ve been hoping for.  Don’t get me wrong – I’ve been having the time of my life here …but something was missing.  As I sat in Lynedoch Primary School today, listening to my new professor Grant Demas tell us what the next semester holds for us students in the LSCE course – Learning for Sustainable Community Engagement, I found the missing piece that will completes my heart and my passion for this incredible country. 

We will be at Lynedoch two days a week.  One day is for discussing theory; the other is for applying what we have learned, and teaching in our assigned classrooms.  I’m in Grade 3!  Perfect age group, same as my mentee Taylor in Vermont – old enough that they understand what you’re communicating, but young enough that they’re still super cute!  Each grade has one teacher and three LSCE teachers.  The other two in grade 3 are Tiffany, one of my AIFS friends, and Helga, who’s from Norway!  Grant told us that one of the children once said that they may not get to see the world, but they get to have the world come to them!  It’s things like this that make Lynedoch children so special.  They truly want to be at school, and they’re so interested in their new teachers!  I sat with a group of girls aged 10 – 13, and they were so sweet and welcoming – quite unlike how a typical American “tween” girl would act, sadly.  They shared what they knew about American culture, and they told us a little bit about what to expect from their school. 

When most people look at Lynedoch, they see poverty.  But what I have already learned today is that in its place I should see HOPE.  While these kids may have little material wealth, we learned that they feel lucky to live in South Africa, which despite all of its downfalls, is at least not a warzone.  They don’t take their school or teachers for granted.  They don’t oversleep or want to skip school.  As someone that loves children, and loves empowering children, it is such a blessing to find kids that so look forward to education and personal growth.  As for my own personal growth, I can already tell that I am quite lucky to have a professor like Grant Demas.  Grant is overflowing with knowledge and positive energy.  After just about any comment, he has a bit of insight that speaks to the very soul.  The quote from Grant that struck me most today was “thoughts become things.”  I’ve always been a dreamer, and so this quote is perfect for me.  I’ve dreamt of doing service abroad, particularly in Africa, for years, and look where I am now.  My dream became a reality.  Grant’s example however, was particularly touching.  He said that there used to be a world map in the very classroom we were sitting in today.  He asked one little boy where he wanted to go, and the little boy pointed to Norway.  Grant asked him what on earth he would do in Norway, and the little boy replied that he’d go see the king and queen!  An adorable story already, right?  Well the next year, that little boy was on a plane with Grant and a few other children, heading to Norway, at the invitation of the king and queen.  Thoughts become things. 

Paradise

Soon I will write a longer post about the highlights of my time here so far (sneak peek- our first braai, dinner at Moyo on Spier Wine Farm, going to Cape Town, exploring Stellenbosch, and our first Stellenbosch University event!) but for now I’m just going to make a list of things I love most about Stellenbosch and South Africa so far.

·         Everyone is so happy and laid-back.  When a South African says they’ll do something “now-now,” that can mean right now, in an hour, tonight, tomorrow, maybe next week.  I fit right into this pace of life!

·         Everyone is SO NICE.  I’ve had more conversations with strangers in the past week than I’ve had in my whole life at home.  Sometimes it starts with someone hearing our accents and coming over because pretty much everyone here loves Americans, which is really cool!  When you ask for directions, people tend to walk you most of the way there until you have a straight shot and no possibility of getting lost. 

·         Everyone loves Americans!  American accents, music, movies, television, stereotypes.  It’s so interesting to learn what other people think about the country I’ve lived in all my life.  It’s also bizarre to hear American music every place I go.  Once when I told a South African I was from New York, his response was, “Like Blair Waldorf!!”  (Blair’s a character in Gossip Girl, for those of you who spend your time productively.)

·         South Africans are extremely proud of their country.  They are not proud of its history in regard to human rights and politics, but South Africans are fiercely South African.  They constantly gush about the country, and tell us all of their favorite places to go.

·         This place is BEAUTIFUL.  I’ve never seen so much beauty everywhere I look.  The mountains, the architecture, even the people! 

·         Shoes are optional!  It’s amazing.  It’s completely normal to see barefoot adults and children alike strolling through a mall, the street, or a bar.  To deem the dress code of an event or venue, one is told whether or not shoes are required.  So far I’ve only been one place where I needed shoes!

·         Stellenbosch is the perfect college town.  It’s like a bigger, more diverse and cultural Burlington.  There’s always something going on!

·         Of course I have to mention the weather.  It’s beautiful, and although I have a terrible sunburn right now, I’d take that over snow any day.  It’s hot but breezy, not too humid, and cool in the shade – perfect!

·         Finally, I’m in AFRICA.  (I know, common theme in my posts).  I’m on the continent that I’ve wanted to travel to ever since I can remember.  And it’s my home for the next five months!  It’s better than I ever imagined.  South Africa is both a first and third world country, which is terribly sad, but also very interesting from a sociological perspective.  I am definitely going to learn a lot here, both from my classes and just from living in this amazing country.

right outside my building!

Ginny, me, and Corie having a snack in Stellenbosch

Flatmates - Shana, me, Brooke, and Hallie in Cape Town!

masks in a market near school