Hello Hello,
These blogs seem to be getting farther and farther apart don't they. To be honest it is hard to make it here some times and this week I had a good excuse because I was sick with a stomach bug for three days being Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Basically the whole house had it but I think I had it pretty much the worst. Luckily I brought meds with me for exactly this sort of thing and even though I was reluctant to take them the first day, I broke down and took them day two and three and now I'm feeling like new again. So on to the up dates, yeh?
L'Abri was quite awesome. It is in a pretty remote area set up in some mountain (everything here is either in a mountain or valley). Our first night there was fairly cold and wet but we sat around a fire on a very nice back porch which over looked the valley below kinda (it was truly an African jungle so you couldn't see very far down) as well as a mountain opposite us. There were lots of giant bugs which didn't actually bother me and we heard a bunch of monkies fighting each other not far into the woods. I tried taking pictures of them pretty much in vain but I did catch the reflection of what looked like an animal eye and I plan on pretending it was on of the monkies. The next day we saw part of the camp program that they run and we went on a hike up the other side of the valley through jungle so thick that at times you had to crawl on the ground to fit. This hike included crossing a rope bridge (one thick piece of rope for walking on and to thin ropes for balancing) that was strung over a very sheer drop into a raging river carving its way through the rock. We didn't make it to the top unfortunately on account of it getting dark soon. We did not see any wildlife on the hike but we did find a porcupine quill and earlier that day we saw the largest grasshopper I have seen in my life. It was probably as big around as a half dollar at its thickest part and was easily as long as my hand. I took pictures so as soon as I can get them here I'll post for you though the picture really doesn't show you how big it was. Or last day we took a hike down into the valley which I am now thinking I should describe as a gorge. The trail down was very steep and we had to climb ladders, cross bridges and repel a bit on a rope (It wasn't any serious repeling with harness or anything, just a rope to hang on to while making your way down over some big ledges). Thank you uncle Marty for all the actual repelling experience you gave me, I had a very easy time of it. Eventually we made it to a huge pool complete with water fall and a rope swing. Aerin was kind enough to take a video on my camera of me on the swing. Then a small group of us off trailed it with our guide along the river through the jungle to two more water falls. That second part proved to be a pretty intense hike and after making some narrow escapes, I finally well into the water on our way back. Luckily my camera stayed dry.
Monday and Tuesday were really slow days at work (again) only more slow than usual and tuesday was not made any better by the fact that I was getting sick. Starting in the new year I am joining a new project I have decided. I am going to join L'Abri as a volunteer there which means I will be there just about every week. And on days that I'm not there I will work some where else. I want to join the after care program if they will take me because I have only heard great things about it.
Wednesday and Thursday I was home sick and I will spare you the details of that.
Friday we went to a very long prayer service in the morning. I didn't mind it until it started getting a little too preachy for me. At noon four of us went to a very old appartied prison which is basically right next door to us. We got a tour and I took a bunch of pictures of that. There were a bunch of famous people imprisoned there when it was in opperation including Ghandi's wife. I don't really remember the other people, but there were a lot. And yesterday we went to the mall to shop for christmas (we are doing a gift exchange here) and then we had a movie night and until 5 in the morning. It was fun even though they were chick movies with the exception of the fourth one for me. It was also really hot yesterday, about 100 degrees or so. It makes me not in the holiday spirit at all because I am used to cold and snow this time of year. Never thought I would say it, but I really do miss it.
Thats all I have time for, Bye Bye, and take care.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Hey guys,
Unfortunately I had to take care of some travel plans today so I only have about 18 more minutes to post. As a result this will be short.
Work has been about the same except we did a lot of home visits this week. I find it interesting how one house will be well built/ well kept and then right next door will be a not so well built house that is filthy. Its also very saddening to me that some people in a poverty situation lose any and all pride and let their homes go to wreck. Today we had kids from the time we arrived to the time we left and it was very tiring. Haniville had run out of water last night and so the school had to close giving the kids a day off. The water trucks were there all day though so hopefully everything will be up and running tomorrow. I also learned today how much english the kids actually understand. Still, many of them have trouble speaking it back.
To answer marsha, I have not seen any snakes yet but I saw a head line in the paper today that read "KZN snake alert" (KZN is the "State" I live in, KwaZulu Natal). There continue to be roaches in our house as of tuesday night. I have not seen one yet but I am not hoping they are gone either because I already made that mistake and was disappointed.
I will be happy to cook chicken Tandoori for anyone when I get home.
Last weekend we went to Tala, a game reserve about 20 minutes from home. We saw a lot of animals there including Zebra, Hipo, Buffalo, many kinds of Antelope, brightly colored birds, monkies and Giraffe. We were lost for a little while in a very rugged 4 x 4 only road and at one point we got stuck trying to make it over some rocks on a very steap hill. It was a nice adventure though.
Last night was the most epic lightning storm ever and we lost power as well. Our house was very dark until we lit some candles. But I stood outside for a while with Aerin and Thirza to watch it... well, some of it. It went on for several hours.
This weekend we are going to L'Abri. Expect to hear again from me in a week or so.
Oh before I forget, we went to dinner the other night and let me begin by saying I was amazed at how much food I got for $20. However, there were clouds of giant flying ants in the outside dining room and after 5 minutes of much laughing at being pelted by them and having them crawling all over us, we decided better to go inside.
Ok, thats all I have time for.
peace
Unfortunately I had to take care of some travel plans today so I only have about 18 more minutes to post. As a result this will be short.
Work has been about the same except we did a lot of home visits this week. I find it interesting how one house will be well built/ well kept and then right next door will be a not so well built house that is filthy. Its also very saddening to me that some people in a poverty situation lose any and all pride and let their homes go to wreck. Today we had kids from the time we arrived to the time we left and it was very tiring. Haniville had run out of water last night and so the school had to close giving the kids a day off. The water trucks were there all day though so hopefully everything will be up and running tomorrow. I also learned today how much english the kids actually understand. Still, many of them have trouble speaking it back.
To answer marsha, I have not seen any snakes yet but I saw a head line in the paper today that read "KZN snake alert" (KZN is the "State" I live in, KwaZulu Natal). There continue to be roaches in our house as of tuesday night. I have not seen one yet but I am not hoping they are gone either because I already made that mistake and was disappointed.
I will be happy to cook chicken Tandoori for anyone when I get home.
Last weekend we went to Tala, a game reserve about 20 minutes from home. We saw a lot of animals there including Zebra, Hipo, Buffalo, many kinds of Antelope, brightly colored birds, monkies and Giraffe. We were lost for a little while in a very rugged 4 x 4 only road and at one point we got stuck trying to make it over some rocks on a very steap hill. It was a nice adventure though.
Last night was the most epic lightning storm ever and we lost power as well. Our house was very dark until we lit some candles. But I stood outside for a while with Aerin and Thirza to watch it... well, some of it. It went on for several hours.
This weekend we are going to L'Abri. Expect to hear again from me in a week or so.
Oh before I forget, we went to dinner the other night and let me begin by saying I was amazed at how much food I got for $20. However, there were clouds of giant flying ants in the outside dining room and after 5 minutes of much laughing at being pelted by them and having them crawling all over us, we decided better to go inside.
Ok, thats all I have time for.
peace
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Viva OBAMA Viva,
this is what i saw on the back of a combi (taxi bus) yesterday morning on the way to work. I didn't even realize that the election was so soon. Let me say though that everyone here is thrilled with the results. They are very excited that a black man is president in America and are very confident that he will do a great job.
Now I realize that I never got around to posting on the weekend. It actually takes some effort to make it here and I was feeling too tired on saturday to motivate myself to walk down here. Actually, there wasn't a whole lot in those three days to write about anyway and it seems that maybe many of you are busy because my usual commenters (if that is a word) did not leave anything, with the exception of Marsha. Tis alright though. No harm, no foul.
I don't really remember last Thursday at all. I think it was just a usual day at work. I do remember making it over the the video store though to get movies for the weekend. Friday was much more exciting. Our morning meeting was very short and informal because the supervisors were all in a meeting of their own. At 11 I headed over to the soccer pitch with most of my team mates. We have left the YMCA indoor league that we were originally playing in and are now playing in an outdoor league of our own that currently has three teams. Each team plays two 40 minute games so we get lots of play time now and we can play with a full 11. We all had very professional jerseys complete with sponsors and we had a huge turnout of fans who not only cheered us on but sang soccer chants which they had made up for our teams. It felt as much like a real soccer match as I will ever play in. I had some difficulty because I haven't played an organized game of soccer with actual positions in a very very long time and my team speaks mostly Zulu (big surprise eh.) In fact, I was the only white player on the pitch. But I played a pretty successful left back defence and a more successful center back defence the second game. One of the strikers on the other team sensed that I didn't really know what I was doing so far as positioning is concerned and he started giving me tips right in the middle of the game. All in all it was very competative but very friendly. My kind of game.
Saturday and Sunday were two lazy quiet days with only 4 of us in the house. I cooked a South African Chicken Tandoori dish on Sunday which only Aerin and I liked because the others complained it was too spicy. It really wasn't that spicy though. It's been my observation that the Dutch are not used to spicy food at all.
This week at Haniville has been murderously slow. Our supervisor wasn't there Monday or Tuesday and coupled with the bad weather, or interns were unmotivated to work and we had almost no kids. Wednesday Aerin went to visit a school so I spent the day working with Thabo again. He and I spent the morning on some very difficult homevisists of which I am not at liberty to disclose the details. I helped him in the office with some typing to make his English sound more proffesional in some letters he had to write. Today was another slow day at Haniville but I am glad the week is over now. I am ready for the weekend. Aerin and I did learn a really fun game today though involving cans and a ball. We both agreed it would have been really fun or gym class.
Some cultural things...
I learned my Zulu name today. It is Umuhle. I am pleased with it because it is a decent enough sounding name.
Zulu food is very dense and filling. Unfortunately I still have a teenage boy metabolism and so I am hungry again shortly after eating.
Zulu men don't like it when you say they are gorgeous.
It is very hard to order fast food.
You can buy CocaCola in a very large can.
South Africa is a country with many faces. There is a comercialized western face that does not betray the fact that you have ever left America. There is also the poor face of a third world country vastly different from the west. There is the face of a victimized people, and the face of a people have and still grow rich by raping and exploiting those of lower class. You cannot live here as a foreigner and not experience a great conflict of concious.
Until next time,
Hamba Kahle!
this is what i saw on the back of a combi (taxi bus) yesterday morning on the way to work. I didn't even realize that the election was so soon. Let me say though that everyone here is thrilled with the results. They are very excited that a black man is president in America and are very confident that he will do a great job.
Now I realize that I never got around to posting on the weekend. It actually takes some effort to make it here and I was feeling too tired on saturday to motivate myself to walk down here. Actually, there wasn't a whole lot in those three days to write about anyway and it seems that maybe many of you are busy because my usual commenters (if that is a word) did not leave anything, with the exception of Marsha. Tis alright though. No harm, no foul.
I don't really remember last Thursday at all. I think it was just a usual day at work. I do remember making it over the the video store though to get movies for the weekend. Friday was much more exciting. Our morning meeting was very short and informal because the supervisors were all in a meeting of their own. At 11 I headed over to the soccer pitch with most of my team mates. We have left the YMCA indoor league that we were originally playing in and are now playing in an outdoor league of our own that currently has three teams. Each team plays two 40 minute games so we get lots of play time now and we can play with a full 11. We all had very professional jerseys complete with sponsors and we had a huge turnout of fans who not only cheered us on but sang soccer chants which they had made up for our teams. It felt as much like a real soccer match as I will ever play in. I had some difficulty because I haven't played an organized game of soccer with actual positions in a very very long time and my team speaks mostly Zulu (big surprise eh.) In fact, I was the only white player on the pitch. But I played a pretty successful left back defence and a more successful center back defence the second game. One of the strikers on the other team sensed that I didn't really know what I was doing so far as positioning is concerned and he started giving me tips right in the middle of the game. All in all it was very competative but very friendly. My kind of game.
Saturday and Sunday were two lazy quiet days with only 4 of us in the house. I cooked a South African Chicken Tandoori dish on Sunday which only Aerin and I liked because the others complained it was too spicy. It really wasn't that spicy though. It's been my observation that the Dutch are not used to spicy food at all.
This week at Haniville has been murderously slow. Our supervisor wasn't there Monday or Tuesday and coupled with the bad weather, or interns were unmotivated to work and we had almost no kids. Wednesday Aerin went to visit a school so I spent the day working with Thabo again. He and I spent the morning on some very difficult homevisists of which I am not at liberty to disclose the details. I helped him in the office with some typing to make his English sound more proffesional in some letters he had to write. Today was another slow day at Haniville but I am glad the week is over now. I am ready for the weekend. Aerin and I did learn a really fun game today though involving cans and a ball. We both agreed it would have been really fun or gym class.
Some cultural things...
I learned my Zulu name today. It is Umuhle. I am pleased with it because it is a decent enough sounding name.
Zulu food is very dense and filling. Unfortunately I still have a teenage boy metabolism and so I am hungry again shortly after eating.
Zulu men don't like it when you say they are gorgeous.
It is very hard to order fast food.
You can buy CocaCola in a very large can.
South Africa is a country with many faces. There is a comercialized western face that does not betray the fact that you have ever left America. There is also the poor face of a third world country vastly different from the west. There is the face of a victimized people, and the face of a people have and still grow rich by raping and exploiting those of lower class. You cannot live here as a foreigner and not experience a great conflict of concious.
Until next time,
Hamba Kahle!
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