Goat Herds, Dirt Roads, and Everyday Life

I know you've all seen a township on TV or in a movie but experiencing one in the flesh is unlike anything else. The main road is usually paved and the rest are dirt. There are cow herds and goat herds roaming the streets. There are stray dogs running around in every direction you look. Every yard has at least one or two chickens and some even have baby chicks, too. There are tons of people walking around as most of them don't have cars. (If they have a long way to travel, they'll hitchhike.) Their stores look almost identical to the houses with 'Supermarket' painted above the door. The homes are supposed to be government built so they are usually made from concrete but you have to apply for a government house and it can take years to get one. The township of Marselle is the fastest growing township in the Eastern Cape with over 20,000 people living there so the farther into town you get, the more homes become made out of whatever they could find. They're usually made from scrap metal and the inside walls are usually constructed out of broken down cardboard boxes. The schools that I've been at are in quite good condition as they're all government built.

These are actually some of the nicer homes. I was advised not to take anything that might be of value into the "bad" neighborhoods so I have no pictures of those.

Every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, I worked at a preschool in the mornings and then the afterschool program in the afternoons. There was one morning when we went to the old ladies. Their program is called Age-In-Action and it's a group of about 6-10 ladies from the township of Ekuphumleni. It's in a very basic building that was painted bright blue! They are so cute. Every one of them has a genuine desire to learn English. This is one big difference from the States. I feel a good majority of the older generation Americans are very stuck in their ways and like to keep tradition but the ladies here realize that they can't get by with only knowing Xhosa as Xhosa isn't a widely known language. With them, we worked on the alphabet and filling in 'a' for 'apple' or 'b' for 'box' and then we did the Hokey Pokey which they LOVED. I didn't get any pictures of them and I'm super bummed about that! Just believe me that they're lovely and adorable little ladies!

The preschool is called Masibulele. The kids probably range in age from 2-6 years old. They're adorable and all only speak Xhosa so I have a translator all the time. The lady that goes with me, Vuyokasi, speaks Xhosa and English (Same with all of the teachers at the school.) so they all translate. We work on different things from writing the English alphabet, counting, days of the week, months of the year, what today's date is, and singing and playing games. The kids LOVE singing and dancing and it is one of the coolest things to witness.

These ladies do a lot of community services around the township just to help out. They came to Masibulele one day to decorate so I helped them. They're so neat, so giving, and always having such a fun time!

This is Mrs. Adams on the right and Vuyokasi on the left. Mrs. Adams is the preschool teacher and Vuyokasi is from Kariega Project and just helps me out.

This is Malibulele.

The afterschool program that I do in the afternoons is in the township of Klipfontein. The kids' ages probably range from 6-15 years old. They are so much fun. They can speak English really quite well so no translator is needed. Their first language is Afrikaans but my job is English Enrichment so they also have to speak in only English while we're there. We read books and play a lot of different games. These kids are so much fun and I'm really going to miss them. On my last day, they gave me a letter they had written and sang me songs. And, before I left, every single one of them gave me a hug. They are so neat, so smart, and I will never forget those kids. If I end up living here, I'll be visiting the Klipfontein after school program on a regular basis.

Aren't they adorable?! They sang many other songs but this is the only one it will let me upload.

 

On my first Wednesday here, I went on home visits with the social worker. That was so interesting and one of my most favorite days. It's very sad as that is just those kids' lives. That's their 'normal.' Living in a tiny house with their parents dropping them with their grandmother or other family member but taking the money given to them by the government for the children and keeping it for themselves. The social worker obviously goes out to make sure the right person is getting the money and the kids are being treated as they should be. We walked all around the township of Marselle this day. I got to go in some of the houses. Some of them are only one room, some have walls inside but they're made of cardboard, and some are multiple buildings with different rooms. If I were to take pictures, it might be considered rude or my camera wouldn't make it out of the township so I have no pictures of them but you can imagine what they might be like.

On my afternoons off and on the weekends, my roommates and I spend a lot of time at the beach and we even went horseback riding one day! My roommates are very cool and have been very supportive this past week and I've been dealing with all of my emotions. They all went out with me last night and we toasted Austin at 7 PM here when the funeral was starting back home. I'm very thankful for all of their support.

My horse was a real go-getter so I was always at the front of the group. Demi's was always in the clear back!

Chester and I after our ride!

My favorite spot.

Demi, myself, Leo, and Cas. They're all three from the Netherlands.

This experience was one I was the most nervous for but I couldn't be more grateful for it. It has been so eye-opening. As you all know, I absolutely love the reserves and I am so excited to head back to Kariega on Monday but in these two weeks, I have learned so much. You're basically stuck on the reserves and that's all you do but these last two weeks I've been in the townships, witnessing how the lives of true South Africans really are. I think the kids taught me more than I taught them. Seeing their hardships and every day struggles but seeing how appreciative and smart and amazing they all are is so heartwarming. I will greatly miss them.

Until next time!

An Ode to Austin

I had just laid down in my bed to take a nap when my mom called me on Viber. Her and I are just getting used to this international technology so I thought nothing of it. I thought maybe she was testing it out or just calling to chat! Then she went on about how my sisters didn't want me to find out on Facebook and my heart sank. "Austin Ayers was in a car accident last night and he died," she said. I was absolutely shocked. There are no words that can express how I felt at that moment.

As you all know, Austin and I were never the kind that were attached at the hip but Austin has always held a very dear part of my heart. There is not one second of my life that I can remember when Austin wasn't in it. He was the first friend I ever had in Casey. We went to the same babysitter, we went to preschool together (He was my first boyfriend.... in preschool), and, bottom line, we grew up together. I always knew he was there for me and he knew I was there for him.

Austin definitely made fun of me more than any person I know. Especially when I started driving. I remember one of the first times I ever drove to school. I was driving and my mom was in the passenger seat. Here comes Al and Austin flying past us and when Austin and I got inside... he went on and on about how slow I was going and how close to the steering wheel I sat. He was laughing SO HARD and I don't think I lived that one down for quite some time. I remember him messaging me about when my family was having a hard time, I remember messaging him when he first found out they were having Ron.... I also remember him ruining the surprise my mom was giving me for my high school graduation. He was never too good at that kind of thing. :)

I hadn't seen Austin in quite a while until very recently. It was one of the last times I was actually out in Des Moines before I came to South Africa. He picked me out of the crowd, gave me a huge hug and then hung out with us and bar hopped with us for the rest of the night. It was so much fun and I was so happy to see him.

Austin was such an amazing person and we all know heaven has turned into one hell of a party.

My heart is hurting for the entire Ayers family as they learn to cope with this tragedy. There are no words that can make them feel better or make any ounce of their pain go away.

This is one time when I hate being so far away from home so... Ayers family, know that you are in my thoughts and prayers 24/7 and I love you all. You've all been there for my family more times than I can count. Please know that we're all here for you whenever you need and for whatever you need. You've got one hell of a support system behind you so be sure to use that to the fullest.

Austin, you were taken too soon and you will be greatly missed by so many.

Forever in my heart, friend.

Rest in peace.

This gem here was taken when I was probably in 8th grade and Austin in 7th. It makes me laugh out loud!
 

This was taken the night we ran into each other at the bar. The last time I saw him. A picture I will forever cherish.

Adjusting to That Afrikaan/Xhosa Culture

I apologize for the lack of blogging. Our internet out at the reserve can't support the amount of data my tablet uses so I can't connect it but I'm living in town the next two weeks so BLOG! This one might be a little lengthy since its been a while!

The past few weeks at Kariega have been absolutely amazing. We do a lot of vegetation control. We chop down pine trees (Weird, right? They're considered an invasive species here. A little bit of my heart breaks when I've successfully cut one down since saving the earth is drilled into us in the States. I also feel a great amount of satisfaction when I've successfully chopped down a large pine tree with a machete!), poison plants that are taking over, pull up and replant trees, etc. We also do game counts where we literally drive around and count the animals and we also do our research projects. Our main areas of study are:

The elephants

For the elephants, we always count how many of them there are and their location. We study exactly what they eat, how long they eat that one thing for and their overall effect on what it is they're eating. They really love Bee Sting Bush. It has very sharp thorns on it and has an anti-coagulant in it so if a human gets pricked, it hurts pretty badly and you bleed for longer than you should but since the elephant's skin is so thick, it doesn't affect them!

The Lions

When we study the lions, we always take their location and exactly what their doing. Most of the time their sleeping but every once in a while we catch them hunting. Lions hunting is such a cool thing to watch. Their skills are unbelievable and they know so well what they're doing that you would never know when one is coming up on you. Our main purpose of study is learning their migration patterns and what they most often hunt.





And The Rhinos

We have both white and black rhinos at Kariega. White rhinos live mostly on the plains, are larger in general when compared to the black rhino, and they have a wider, flatter lip for grazing. The black rhinos live in the thicket, are smaller, and have a much more pointed lip for browsing trees and shrubs. We mostly study their migration patterns and where their territories are. Rhino males are extremely territorial. They create what is called a dung midden. They will go to the bathroom in the same place to create a dung midden. They will create several of these all around their territory so other rhinos know where it starts and stops. Females aren't nearly as territorial and therefore have no use for a dung midden.

Most afternoons we set out in search of a specific species. Here are just a few of my favorite pictures captured during game drives.

Did you know hippos spend a majority of their life in the water but they can't swim? They float at the top and then will sink to the bottom and walk along the bottom. They can hold their breath for about five minutes!

Baby giraffe are so cute. The look like they're always stuck in their awkward teenage years.

So, I hope you know that rhino poaching is a huge problem down here right now. Poachers will cut the rhinos horn off and then just leave it their to bleed to death. Horrible. The Anti-Poaching Unit and the vet will cut their horns so the poachers will have no interest in them. (Notice how this guy doesn't have his horn.)

This is Big Bull. He's about 35 years old.

His trunk is made up of over 400 muscles and is, therefore, very heavy. Sometimes, when he gets sick of holding it up, he'll just rest it on his tusks to give himself a little break.

This is a Blue Wildebeest.

Lions are a lot like house cats in the sense that they sleep 20 hours a day!

There is one world famous rhino living on Kariega Game Reserve. Her name is Thandi. She was poached in 2013 and they say she shouldn't have survived. She was poached along with 2 other rhinos and neither of them made it. Thandi is even more of a miracle because she just had a baby in January! They stayed in the thicket for about 3 weeks and when they finally came out, the were super chill and come right up to the car. Her calf is healthy and adorable.

The poachers cut Thandi's horn so deep that it will never grow back (Rhino horns are just like human fingernails. If you trim them, they'll grow back but if you go too deep, they won't.). You can kind of see that she even has a bit of a dent in her face where her horn should be.

Such an amazing story.

One of the coolest things about being a volunteer and not just a guest is that you get to go places no one else gets to go. This place is gorgeous and all of the nooks and crannies are amazing and even more beautiful.

We spent an afternoon at this waterfall swimming and hanging out. It wasn't until after we got out that they told us there are huge crabs in the water. (Good thing they told us after or I would not have gotten in.)

On Wednesday nights, we go into Kenton-On-Sea for pizza and to go to the store. It's just a little beach-front pub that has the pizza special and everyone in town goes so we'll order our pizza and drinks and go for a walk along the Indian Ocean.

Maria, Anna, and I. They're amazing and both from the UK! (Maria once punched herself in the face, cut herself with a machete, and fell in the mud all in one day! :) )

As I've mentioned before, my roommates are one of my favorite parts about this entire experience. Living with people from all over the world is so cool.

Lenette (Denmark), Cara (Germany), Me, Trina (USA), Stephanie (Australia), Christopher (Denmark), Torfi (Iceland), Maria (UK), Anna (UK)

Stephanie (Australia), Me, Mikkel (Switzerland), Cara (Germany), Anna (UK), Christopher (Denmark), Lenette (Denmark), Daniel (Sweden)

Simone (Italy), Daniel (Sweden), Mikkel (Switzerland), Anna (UK), Me, Maria (UK)

Maria (UK), Daniel (Sweden), Simone (Italy), Anna (UK), Mikkel (Switzerland), Me in the cruiser we drive in every day to go everywhere.

On February 7, Maria, Daniel, Anna, and I went Skydiving!! I had never done anything like that before so I was quite nervous but my instructor did a very good job at making me feel safe and it was AWESOME! Maybe a select few of you will get to watch the DVD of it when I get home! Ha!

On February 11, we visited a township called Farmerfield and helped at the school there. There are three classes: 1st-3rd grade, 4th-6th grade, and 7th-8th grade. Anna and I had the 1st-3rd graders and none of them spoke English. The teacher is supposed to be there to translate for us because all of the children speak Xhosa but their teacher just didn't show up that day so we had to wing it. We spent a good part of the beginning looking at blank stares but we eventually got our point across and it went pretty well. They're so cute!

That night, we went down to where we would normally camp. It so gorgeous down there. You feel as if you're on a tropical island. We swam for a while and jumped in off of the cliffs. Then we had a braai (BBQ) where we made stickbread, sausages, and corn on the cob. Stickbread is literally bread dough on a stick from the wilderness that's cooked over the fire. It was a fun night spent chumming it around the fire!

Stickbread

There is a newer part of the reserve called Harvestvale. It was purchased by Kariega in 2007 and had been sitting vacant for over 100 years. It was originally owned by a farmer who wrote in his will that his family couldn't sell it and it needed to stay in the family for so many generations. They're guessing that the family either had no interest in farming or they couldn't afford it because it was abandoned. It is now the home of Kariega's newest lodge and they're slowly introducing new game there. So far there's zebra, wildebeest, 2 rhinos and 10 elephants.




So I'm not sure if these exist in the States because I'd never heard of them until I got here but they have adventure groups. They take people like me on weekend or day trips around different parts of the country. Anna and I were supposed to go on a trip with a group called Freewalker. (Who I was supposed to be here with in 2013.) There were three other girls we don't know what were supposed to go, too, but we were told on Thursday night that they pulled out and we couldn't go. It was a major bummer. On Friday afternoon, the 13th, Frances told us she had been working on something. The people at Freewalker had kept all of our reservations for the weekend so we could rent a car and do the whole trip on our own. Of course we said yes!

What an adventure! This is really the kind of traveling I want to do. Just my friends and I setting out to see an unknown country! Our rental car was a neon blue Ford Figo and Anna had to do all of the driving because it was a manual. Our whole trip was along the Garden Route. Absolutely gorgeous.... I don't think I've mentioned how beautiful it is down here.... We set out for a small town called Wilderness. Our backpackers was at the top of a very large hill and had an awesome view. We didn't get there until very late, though, so we went straight to bed.

The next morning, the 14th, we left early for Mossel Bay to do a little Great White Shark cage diving. There were 10 in our group: 6 from South Africa, 1 from Scotland, 1 from Ireland, and Anna and I. We boarded "Shark Warrior" and cruised into the ocean for probably 20-30 minutes. It was very windy that day so the waters were really rough. Once they put the anchor down, we had our briefing of what to do when in the tank and the crew started chumming. (They had a huge tuna head tied to the end of the rope and they threw fishy water out the back of the boat to attract the sharks.) This went on for about an hour and no sharks showed up. The waves started getting worse and then we lost our anchor so we had to head back in. No shark diving for us. When we got back to shore, we headed to Plettenburg Bay where we'd find our next backpackers. We explored the city a little and then spent the evening hanging around the fire with everyone staying there as well just having a few drinks and chatting. It was a very fun night.

This little guy lived at our backpackers. His name is Mick and he loved me. He hung out on my lap for most of the night.

The morning of the 15th, we'd planned on bungy jumping but they were all booked up. We decided to go ziplining instead. (Pictures to come later.) Afterwards, we headed back down the coast making a stop in Jeffreys Bay to go to the beach.

February 16th was Maria and Anna's last day. This is sad as they've both been here for my entire trip so far so it'll be weird without them. They all dropped me off at my new project on their way to the airport.

I'm now living in Kenton-On-Sea at a Bed & Breakfast. I live with three students from the Netherlands. This project is simply called 'The Kariega Project.' I'm helping/teaching at a preschool, helping at an old folks' home, helping/teaching at a primary school, and working with the social worker. It's all in the townships around Kenton. Townships are very poverty stricken towns that need as much help as they can get. The people are struggling so much but they are so thankful and so amazing. The kids are the best things ever and I love my time with them. More about this will come next week when I've been here longer but I'm already loving it and this was the only part I was nervous for.

Sorry for how long this blog is but I'm finally caught up!! Things here are perfect and I'm in heaven! Wishing all the best to all of you, too!

Just a little taste of the sunsets out at the volunteer house at Kariega. Gorgeous, huh?

Until next time!