February 27th, 2009

This morning Dylan and I woke up and met in the hallway at 7 am. We are determined to wake up for every sunrise while we come into port even if we won’t always see something. Although this morning we did for the first time we got up to watch us pull into port on a clear day with the sun rising over the mountains. Mauritius is one ofthe most beautiful places I have ever seen. It is exactly what I though a small, secluded, very tropical and green island! After breakfast I went to get ready for my day. I was going to be able to get off the ship before most because I was going on a SAS service visit trip. Since both Erica and I had FDP’s we were going to meet up with the rest of the girls later. 

 

At 9 o’clock we were able to disembark and start on our way. There was a group of about 17 of us and our group leader was the nurse on the ship Joan. There were a few familiar faces in my group which was nice. We had two tour guides Dominique and Corine, both born and raised in Mauritius. First we were headed to a senior citizen home. I wasn’t sure what to expect but was excited and ready for the day. When we arrived the facility was very nice and green plants surrounded the area just like the rest of the island! 

I had heard from other people that on the service visits you won’t feel like you did much service but that you will just get a tour of the facility so I was slightly prepared for that aspect. 

 

We started walking through and after about a minute I noticed on my right a large building that was surrounded by a gate with barbed wire. Inside the gate was about 20 men, a few in wheel chairs and some mumbling/yelling things through the fence at us. It was difficult to not feel nervous but I knew I wasn’t in any danger. Our guide told us that these were the mentally and extremely physically disabled men. He then opened the gate and told us we could go in. I went in and a few of the men who seemed coherent enough to realize anything shook our hands and gave us a warm smile. Others gestured asking for cigarettes and some just stared. It was a hard site to see as I have not really been around this many mentally disabled people anywhere. We only stayed in for about a minute and then we left shut the gate and locked it behind us. It was really hard for me to swallow the fact that these men were locked up and surrounded by a gate with barbed wire. I am hoping and assuming three is a reason for it that I can’t comprehend but I was still having a difficult time being okay with it. We continued touring the facility and went into one of the women’s areas. The women were also very welcoming but didn’t speak much English so it was hard to communicate besides a hand shake and smile. Most people speak French in Mauritius or a type of French Creole. 

 

As we kept on walking I had conversations with the tour guides and even later a doctor who works there; to learn more about the facility. The one we were visiting is the largest in Mauritius and there are about 150 patients or “inmates”as the doctor referred to them as. This too I had a hard time swallowing but continued talking with her to learn as much as I could about the work they were doing. There are about I believe 30 homes like this in all of Mauritius. The patients have to apply to be placed in a home and most are abandoned by their families. The elderly are a large issue in Mauritius because the younger generations are not staying in Mauritius and are going abroad so there is nobody left to take care of the elderly. I even asked our guide Corine who is only just turned 22 if she planned to stay in Mauritius or move out of the country. She seemed hesitant to answer and said she wasn’t sure yet but I got the impression she did want to leave the country. I got the impression people leave because it is so small and there are larger opportunities for them elsewhere but not because they are extremely unhappy with the country. 

 

Next we left this facility and moved on to visit a Catholic Church and the tomb of Father Laval. This stop to me was odd because yes I went inside the tomb but our tour guides didn’t have must to tell us about it. They only told us we could go inside but didn’t tell us who he was or what his story was. The only information I now have is from the Field Program book. It was nice to see these things though because now I also have something to write about for my sacred sites journal

 

After that quick stop we went on to Cite la Cure neighborhood where we visited with kids from the DLD Teen Hope Project. From my understanding this project is to help students who don’t pass a major exam to move them on in their schooling. The kids range in age from 9-16 at the school we visited. School is not a priority for most of the children in Mauritius and they ended up flunking the exam and continuing their education in programs like this. One little girl Sophie even refused to go to normal school and insisted on going to the Teen Hope Project. A majority of the kids at this program are all from poor and underprivileged homes with likely many family issues. 

 

When we arrived at the school the kids were all doing school and a few of them got up to set up chairs along the room for us to sit around them. After not being able to interact with the seniors at the home earlier I was ready to play, draw do whatever I could with these kids. We sat around the kids and they all seemed quite shy but a few would look up from their work and smile every so often. When we were all finally seated one of our tour guides Dominique gave us a brief introduction about the school, kids, and what the project was attempting to do. Dominique has a great story herself in that she lives in the very community this school project is in. Even though she could likely move out into a nicer town she enjoys helping, and motivating those within her own community and to help them realize they can all achieve things but with the help of one another. 

 

After her short talk we were told we could interact with the children. I went straight to the arts and crafts room. A little girl Sophie sitting making a bracelet caught my eye. I assumed this was Sophie the youngest girl in the school. With the little French I could speak I introduced myself and then asked her, her name and age. Her smile was contagious and as I sat watching her make a bracelet we would just look at each other and giggle every now and then. One of her teachers told her to let me help make the bracelet I was hesitant but Sophie said it was okay but didn’t look pleased. I put on a few beads and then let Sophie finish up the rest of the bracelets. 

 

Next to that table was a table of girls weaving baskets that I went and sat with. I then looked back over to Sophie who had removed the few beads I put on her bracelet I laughed and she looked embarrassed but I said it was okay. I started talking to the girls sitting at the table making baskets. They were mostly older so they spoke some English, that is one of the goals of the school is to teach the children English. They were all about 16 and they too let me help make the baskets but I didn’t mess this up like I did Sophie’s bracelet. Through translation with the teacher and conversations with the girls who I was making the basket with, I learned her name was Stefani. She was 16 and worked at one of the resorts on the island called The Victoria. I don’t know what it was about her or me but we seemed to hit it off even though we didn’t talk too much. We had brief sentences exchanged but that was it. For some reason we seemed to have a connection and were like instant friends. 

 

Soon we were called into the other room as some of the students were going to perform a song for us and the rest of the school. While everyone was heading into the other room, I made a small donation and bought a basket that some of the students had made. It was really pretty and I thought it was cool I also learned how to make one. Before heading in the other room I also got Stefani’s address so we can write letters and send pictures to one another. I also got the address of the school to keep in touch. Stefani was very sweet and we took a picture together that I could send her. I told her I would try to write her in French and she said she would try and write me in English that way we could both practice. After that exchange, one of the teachers who had been helping translate for me asked me to write a quick note in their visitor’s handbook. I was very flattered because I didn’t see them ask too many others to write in the book. After that it was time for the entertainment in the other room. Stefani took a seat and I stood in the door way. The children were all so nice and kept offering me seats but I insisted they sit. I knew I might be up to dance along with them soon anyways. 

 

One of the girls who I had been sitting making baskets with made her way to the front of the room with a group of girls behind her. They started singing a song I believe it was by Rhianna. She was a really good singer and it was cute to hear them sing an American song. Stefani kept looking at me and laughing at me as I danced and sang along in the corner. After that song was over they pulled out a few drums and started to perform a Seggae song (known in Mauritius). Stefani and another girl soon pulled me up and I was dancing along with all the students and other SAS kids on the trip. We danced took pictures, videos, and hung out for I would say about another 30 minutes or so. When it was time to leave nobody wanted to and we all insisted on one more song. Dominique even performed that one. She was a very nice lady and kept calling me “dimples”. After leaving the school and saying my goodbye to Stefani and the rest of the kids we were on our way back to the ship. As I looked outside the bus window it was crazy to see one of the greenest and beautiful landscapes I have ever seen and amongst is were slums and shacks that people lived in. (They were similar to the townships I saw in South Africa). As we drove out of the town and back to the ship Dominique told us her brief life story and how/why she stays involved in the schooling in her community. Dominique grew up in the town we were driving through with an a alcoholic father who beat her mother and neither of them were interested in her going to school. Although she said school was a safe haven that took her out of the house and she knew she wouldn’t be hurt there and that schooling could change her life. She is a true story that it did just that. She was a real inspiration to show how much she gives back and cares for her community. 

 

We finally made it back to the ship where I ran inside to change into my bathing suit and meet up with Erica to find the rest of the girls at the beach. As I was getting ready to head back out and enjoy my last few hours on the gorgeous island of Mauritius there was a knock on my door. Alexis from safari wanted to see what I was doing, so we both went to Erica’s room to see what the plan was. The three of us decided to eat lunch on the ship to save a little money and then hop in a taxi to meet the rest of the girls. I was really excited Alexis was coming along. So the three of us negotiated for a taxi and took about a 30 minute drive to where we thought the girls were. After about an another 30 minutes of walking in the wrong direction, a little texting, and a walk along the beach resorts we finally found the girls. This part of Mauritius was completely different from what I had seen this morning. The part we were walking through now reminded me more of Hawaii or something it was much more touristy. 

 

I was excited to jump into the blue water!!! The water was so blue and clear the contrast along all the other greenery was beautiful. We spent the rest of the day in the ocean playing and enjoying the sun. At around 5 we headed back to the ship to not get dock time and truth be told we were all really excited for the BBQ. When we got back to the ship we all headed straight up to deck 7 to enjoy dinner outside with the green Mauritius Mountains behind us. We enjoyed a long dinner chatting and talking with everyone as people got on the ship to hear everyone’s brief stories about their day. 

 

Tonight was also the opening ceremonies for the “Sea Olympics”. We were all a little tired after spending the day in the sun but I knew this would be something I wouldn’t want to miss. So Dylan and I watched a movie in her room to stay awake and then go to the opening ceremonies together. The Sea Olympics is a day of events and competitions, each floor of the ship is divided into different sections and they are referred to as different seas. Dylan and I both live in the Red Sea so our color naturally was red. So we put on our red shirts and headed to the union. Many of the other halls seemed to have a ton of people dressed up with face paint, and they were all already chanting and screaming. We had maybe about 10 people and we all look a little awkward. But slowly more red sea people started to stream in and we got a larger crowd going. Our mascot was the Red Bull and one of our sea captains Doug taped two of them to his head like horns and he was our mascot. Our LLC Brad also bought 10 red bull for our sea which was super nice of him because that is about 30 bucks or so on the ship. (Oh did I mention Brad is in charge of ‘Sea”and sends us daily emails with reminders of things we should be aware of or pay antention to. Well to make a long story short we made a deal if Brad didn’t send an email everyday we were at sea he would buy us a grilled cheese from the grill- Needless to say the other day he forgot and Dylan and I get a free grilled cheese!!! !!!!!!!!Trust me it is that exciting…)

 

Anyways the Union was packed with kids decked out in the colors to represent their seas with their mascots and chants. It reminded of Greek Week!!! The noise level was so loud and it was really fun to sit and get to know kids from my hall or “sea”. The Opening Ceremonies were great and started out with a group of students playing the drums and then each sea presenting their flag and mascot followed by a cheer. These were all being judged and would add into the point for the competitions tomorrow. After all the mayhem of opening ceremonies was over with there was an announcement that “Slum dog Millionaire” was going to be showing in the Union. I had heard so much about it I just had to watch but after about 20 minutes of not being able to read the subtitles I went to my room and feel asleep. I am not worried because I know it will be on loop in my room for the next few days until we get to India. 

 

Anyways, tomorrow is the SEA OLYMPICS!!! And just so you know I will be participating in the Orange Pass, where you pass an orange under your chin using no hands as part of a relay. Oh and synchronize swimming!!!! ( I will write more tomorrow about all of the lovely events and what place my sea comes in..)

February 24th, 2009

Today was the first Global Studies Exam and I would rather not write or talk about it. It was pretty difficult and I have no idea how I did. So after that I spent the rest of the day watching movies ( my water polo videos from last year), messing around with my pictures, and talking with the girls. All and all a relaxing day once the test was over.

 

February 22nd, 2009

This morning I woke up took a shower and met the girls for breakfast on the ship we were trying to save a little bit of money. Our original plan for Erica, Dylan and I was to hike Table Mountain. Although we realized that after days of not sleeping we were not in the right shape to hike, because everyone who did it on the first night with plenty of rest said it was really intense and some people they know had to turn around. So we all decided to take the cable car up and then go to Green Market Square for some shopping. 

 

We got ready and got in a cab to Table Mountain. When we got there we realized the line was super long and we may not get to do other things today if we waited because there was only one cable car going up and down at a time. So we took pictures of Cape Town from the base of Table Mountain which was still gorgeous!!!!! At the base we also bought a few souvenirs like hats, post cards, and WORLD CUP shirts. (P.S. another goal of mine is to make it to the world cup sometime in my life). After buying things and taking pictures we took a taxi down to Green Market Square. It reminds me of the swapmeet and is just a place where vendors set up booths in the street and sell their goods. I bought a few things and felt like I was pretty good bargainer. I also bought probably my favorite painting form this trip so far at the square. I was pleased with my shopping but needed to stop spending money and wanted to get one last good meal before getting back on the ship. So we all headed back to the ship put our things down and grabbed our computers because rumor had it there was free wifi in the port. So Dylan, Courtney, Anna, and I went and got lunch and did a little internet searching. After that we did a little more shopping for practical things we needed before heading on the ship. We were getting on a little earlier than normal because it seemed like this would be an easy port to get caught in line and get dock time which I am determined to not get at all. 

 

Dylan and I had one last task though before getting on the ship. And what was the task??? Getting Dylan a hotdog!! She is a vegetarian but keeps having this recurring dream about hotdogs and decided she would eat one. So we went on a mission and found her hotdog before getting back on the ship. 

 

Once on the ship I think I fell right asleep then uploaded my pictures ate some dinner and was back in bed by 8:30. 

February 23rd, 2009

We are finally back on the ship and back to school and classes. Today was actually a long day of studying and that’s it I didn’t even ever go outside because we are having our first Global Studies test tomorrow!! Although good news from today is I got my test back from my Sacred Sites class and I got an A. So that’s exciting and I also got a little surprise from Michelle in a package she went to Jeff which was really sweet and made my day!

February 20th, 2009

This morning we woke up at 5:30 to be ready for a 6 am game drive. Alexis and I got to the meeting spot early to get a good seat. I sat right behind Shawn (by the way is from George, South Africa) and was ready for another exciting day. 

 

The first thing we did was take a quick drive to the river for our boat ride. On our way to the boat we saw buffalo, springbok, and baboons. Actually when we got to the river the tree we parked under had baboons in it which was neat. We walked down a small path to get to the boat it reminded me of the Jungle Cruise. It was fun and relaxing for the early morning but there wasn’t much to see animal wise besides birds. After the boat tour we were back in our cars on the search for Rhino.

 

Shawn knew exactly where they were so we drove straight over. The rhino looked like a dinosaur to me they were very slow moving and just moved along grazing along the grass. Near the rhino were some zebra we got to get closer too and take some pictures. I even got a picture that looks like I could touch the zebra. We continued to drive around finding ostrich, kudu, wildebeest and all kinds of animals.

 

On our drive I had been talking to Shawn about how the other night I had eaten crocodile, ostrich and all of that. So he asked me if I liked to eat different and interesting things I said sure and the next thing I know it Shawn is stopped at a termite mound. He breaks a piece off and is holding termites in his hand and tells me to eat one. I make him and Alexis do it first then I dove in. Almost everyone in our car did it except for two people I think. I found that the termites just tasted like grass. Oh ya and I forgot to mention this really cool girl Ashley was in my car the entire time and was like our own personal radio singing a new song about every few minutes, it was nice. She also watches Summer Heights High so we had a good few laughs from that.

 

After eating the termite we went back for some breakfast and then had free time until our afternoon game drive at 4. Some people were going on a hike, other on a bike ride, to the pool, or canoeing down the river we had been on earlier. Alexis and I wanted to go canoeing so we went to change into our bathing suits and got ready. Shawn and another driver Juan (and he isn’t Hispanic) were the ones who took us down to the river and went canoeing with us. Alex, Leah, Nick, Ashley, Laura, and Kristy all came too. Although on our way to the river Shawn and Juan kinda freaked out and sped off down a hill and seemed panicked I didn’t really know what was going on until we got closer. What had happened was Thomas and Robby two boys on the trip who went mountain bike riding for their activitiy didn’t follow the signs and ended up riding down a hill that was extremely close the rhino and all the other animals. It was very dangerous but luckily nothing happened and they just went back up to their trail. So after the phiasco we continued down to the river Alex, Kristy and I in the front seat cracking jokes with Shawn and Juan. Shawn was 25 and Juan was 22 I think it was nice for them to have some people close to their age on the safari because I feel they mostly get families or older people. 

 

We finally got down to the river and did a little canoeing relaxing and enjoying the scenery. After going up river a while most of us came back to the meeting spot but Alex and Kristy were nowhere to be found, so to waste time we went for a swim in the river. Which was super cool I was swimming in a river in AFRICA!!!! We waited a long time and Juan eventually went out the find them as the rest of us kept swimming. He didn’t seem too pleased about it but he also didn’t smile very often so I made it my goal to make him laugh by the end of the trip. The girls finally made it back and we all went back to the lodge for lunch. My clothes were now completely wet and salty so I went to the pool to rinse off then took a shower and quick nap before our night time game drive. The lack of sleep was finally starting to get to me.

 

 I woke up for the night drive and hoped in the front seat of the car ready to find some hippos and the lions again that was our big plan for the night. We first went out looking for the lions since everyone else was looking for the hippo and we found two of the males lions and one of the females. Total the park has two males, two females, and four cubs. We got even closer today then we had yesterday. We even got to see the male lion sprint at something in attempt to kill it but Shawn quote said “He was a pussy”hahahah okay lame I know but I thought it was funny.  We sat watching them for a while and they didn’t do much but did get up and walk around the cars as if we weren’t even there it was pretty crazy. We went up and found more Kudu and other such animals and finally drove out to a point to have drinks again before heading back for dinner. The spot we stopped at was amazing and when we looked out over the green valley full of animals there was a double rainbow over the next hill. It was so pretty I didn’t want the day to end. But we did still need to find the hippo before the night was over. So we drove in that direction and as I looked back I witness one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen in my life. Shawn was nice enough to pull over and stop so we could watch and get some pictures. 

 

At this point our car seemed to be getting a long with Shawn really well and he started to play tricks on us. For example, on our way to find the hippos we saw a couple giraffes and Shawn asked us if we knew how they slept? We said no and so he told us this story. He said that giraffes find a tree about the same height as their chin and they go rest their head in the tree and then pull their legs up and hang. I swear the entire car was like what and freaked out?? I just looked at him and everyone and said don’t you think you would have seen a picture of that before if it was true?? Then Shawn started cracking up laughing with the rest of the car, everyone was pretty gullible. 

 

We were almost back to the lodge for our Burma (an outside bbq where there would be singing and dancing) when someone spotted the hippo. It was pitch black but we went over and the guides put spot lights on the hippo and we were able to seem him. There was only one and he was really slow moving but I was really glad we got to see it. So before we made it back for dinner Shawn was able to get one more prank off on the car. He pulled up under a tree and mind you its pitch black. He put his spot light on the tree and said do you guys see anything up there?? We said no and he told us to watch out for snakes falling cause they love hanging out in this tree. We all shuffled in our seats and told him he could keep driving. But oh wait his car stalled three times and then he said we had to give it time cool. We all shifted in our seats a little more and had worried looks on our faces and then Shawn turned the car on and sped off. I will say he got me on that one and it was pretty funny. Also on the way back he asked me if I wore lipstick and liked spiders and I said no to both, but he would tell me why he asked and only said I would find out tomorrow. 

 

We finally made it back for dinner which was beautiful and amazing like always. Alexis and I sat at a table with the professors and it was interesting to hear all of their life stories. That is why this program is so great because of the interaction you get to have you’re your professors. It makes them real people and you see them on a real level. After dinner we sat around a bonfire while some workers from the park sang and did some dances for us. A few of us include Dean Garret, and myself joined in on the dancing. It was really fun! After all the fun we decided to head back to shower and sleep cause we had another early wake up call for our last drive before leaving Kariega and heading back to Cape Town. This night we didn’t have any problems with the lights which was nice and I also didn’t have any spiders under my pillow. 

February 21st, 2009

This morning was our last game drive. We headed straight out to find the lions. After about an hour or so of driving Juan found one of the male lions and called Shawn for us to meet them over there. We sat watching him and following him to hopefully find the females and cubs. Shawn noticed the lion was extremely out of breath and told us that he was probably either just done hunting or still in the process of. So we watched waiting for the lion to make its next move. After a while we gave up and went to find the other lions. But we had one minor set back. Shawn got our car stuck in the mud. It took us 7 tries and an hour later with Juans help we were unstuck but had to head back now for breakfast. (I have all 7 attempts on video; even Juans pissed off face!) It couldn’t be that easy though, after we got unstuck Alexis asked me if I wanted to sit in the front so she could enjoy bouncing around in the back seat. I said sure because I actually liked it in the front, although I should have declined it this time. Yesterday I broke my sunglasses so I didn’t have anything to cover my eyes from bugs and dust and what happened? Shawn drove me straight into a bug that hit my eye. My eye got extremely irritated, red, swollen, and it looked like I was crying. My eye watered the entire way back but Shawn lent me his sunglasses which was nice and helped. He kept joking that “It would be okay! I know you are sad to leave me but you can come visit whenever you like.” I just laughed and told him not to flatter himself. We both had a good sense of humor about the situation. 

 

Oh ya and speaking about going to visit Kariega. Shawn told us about a student volunteer program they offer which seemed really cool. So someone remind me to look into that at some point!

 

We finally made it back for breakfast my swollen watery eye and all. Apparently it was big news cause all the drivers/guides were coming up telling me not to cry and to not be sad I was leaving. I thanked Shawn later for that. After breakfast we quickly packed up our bags and were back on the bus, a stop for lunch and shopping then  a plane, and then bus before returning to the ship. 

 

All the SAS safaris got back at the same time and there was about a 45 minute line to get back on the ship. I was pressed for time because we had dinner reservations for 8:30 and the restaurant was 40 minutes away. When I got on the ship I ran into one of the Ryan and he was like we are meeting in 15 minutes hurry. So I took a quick shower, got ready and was upstairs in record time. There was a group of 20 of us going to a restaurant called Moyo (Anna and Courntey set up for us- which was super nice of them). It is a pretty famous restaurant I guess because it is up in like a tree house and they paint your faces. I was excited to see Tally, Katie, Taylor and their friend Jessie were joining us too. As well as Brittney, Audrie and Jess who we hung out with in Namibia. We were all dressed up and ready to go. There was an amazing tent with lights and candles all over the place. It was outside and gorgeous everyone had their own blanket too which was really nice. We spent a good few hours there enjoying dinner, music and each other company. There was a slight confusion about the bill but once it was figured out we split up in two groups; those who wanted to go clubbing and those going back to the ship. Jeff, Ryan, Ryan, Erica and Kelly all went back to the ship and the rest of us went out. 

We decided to go to a club called Hemisphere everyone had been telling us to go. So Dylan, Abby, Anna and I all jumped in the same cab and the other girls got in another one. Our cab driver was really cool and played good music we danced the 40 minute drive back to longstreet. 

 

We finally made it Hemisphere and danced the night away and even made friends with a group of guys of Germany it was a really fun night. I think we made it back to the ship around 3 or so and made plans to meet for breakfast at 8. So we all went to bed to get up and enjoy our last day in the amazing and wonderful city of Cape Town (p.s. I have decided I want to live in South Africa at some point in my life). 

February 19th, 2009

This morning I woke up for my Safari at 5:30 since we had to meet in the union at 6:30. I took a shower at some breakfast and because of my time paranoia I was the first one in the Union. Teachers and professors followed I started to wonder if there were any other students going on the Kariega Safari. Slowly kids came in. Katie who I bought my township visit from was on the safari, as well as Alex and Thomas who I had gone ATV’ing with in Namibia, oh ya and Laura who I met last night. It was nice to at least have a few familiar faces. Also both Dean Garret and my dance teacher were going on the safari amongst about 10 other professors and their spouses. 

 

We first took a bus ride to the airport and then waited for about an hour for our flight. While sitting in the airport listening to music waiting for the flight I noticed a group of boys all dressed in school uniforms walk up and sit across the way from me, they looked like they were maybe in high school. I looked a little closer and noticed a few of them were carrying water polo balls. I got really excited and decided to go talk to them. I was right they were in high school and were heading off to a tournament. They told me the sport wasn’t really big in South Africa but they enjoyed it. I talked with them for the next 30 minutes about music, food, school, everything and anything. I really enjoyed talking with them and don’t worry I even have a picture. They were all surprised when I asked them if I could see the ball he tossed it under hand to me and I threw it back correctly they all laughed. I said good luck as the left and one of them asked me to facebook them. That made me laugh that no matter how different our lives were we could still be connected through facebook. 

 

Soon after the boys got on their flight it was time to get on our plane. We went up to kiosk and then took a bus to our plane which we boarded outside. I think our group filled almost the entire plane. The plane ride was an hour and a nice way to catch up on the sleep I had been missing out on the last few days. After the hour plane ride we arrived in Port Elizabeth and then continued on a two hour bus ride before arriving at Kariega Game Reserve. The sties around me were amazing and it was hills of rolling green as far as the eye could see. We pulled up got our room assignment and hoped in the off road vehicles to take us to lunch. We had lunch in an amazing building that felt like we were in a tree top and overlook a valley. After a lunch of great food that I am not sure what it was, we went to our Challets to get ready for our first game drive. There were 6 girls to a Challet and the rooms were fantastic. The entire Challet had a dining room fireplace and balcony that rapped around overlooking the valley as well. My roommates name for the trip was Alexis and we got along right away. She is from LA and transferring to UCLA next semester. 

 

We then left the Challet to meet up for our first drive. As soon as we walked out the door Alexis screamed and said “Oh my god there is a monkey on our roof!!!”I laughed turned around got a quick picture before he scurried off. We then met up with our guides where they told us to make sure all the doors and windows in our rooms were closed because the monkeys would go in and go through our things. Alexis and I immediately looked at each other and ran back to close our bathroom windows we had left open. We then finally got into the off-road vehicles that held 10 people each and drove off. Alexis and I sat in the very back with a girl names Leah, who goes to Chapman. There were a few kids on the trip from chapman and another group who went to SDSU as well as a girl from Newport. I felt like I had a connection with almost everyone. 

 

After about 20 minutes of driving around the reserve our driver Shawn pulled up to two HUGE Male lions!!!! They were both sleeping and we got pretty close to take some pictures. Out in the distance we could also see the females under a tree with some cubs. I was in awe that after such a short period of time in the car I was looking at lions!!! After taking maybe 50 pictures Shawn told us we would be moving on to see the elephants that had been spotted about 45 minutes away. We finally made it to the elephants where I am not even sure I can tell you how many we saw. I think there may have been about 5 adults and 3 babies. Either way it seemed like 20 and they were fascinating to watch. They walked right along side the cars too and acted like we weren’t even there. Lastly on our drive back to the lodge while watching the sunset we came across some Giraffe. We pulled over a good distance away and had drinks while watching the sunset over one of the most beautiful landscapes I have seen in my life with giraffe in the distance. After our drinks we hoped back in the car to head to the lodge for dinner. On our way back Shawn held a spot light keep on the lookout for anything else we might find and we did find some Rhino although it was too dark to really seem them and Shawn said we would find them tomorrow. Alexis and I had a great time in the backseat and felt like were on the Indian Jones ride the entire day, but we decided tomorrow we would sit closer to the front so we could hear all of Shawn wonderful facts about the animals. 

 

We finally made it back to the lodge to have another amazing meal, again I am not sure what any of it was but it was some of the most amazing food I have ever had. It was about 9 o’clock now and Alexis and I decided to head back and shower for the night because we would have to be up at 5:30 in the morning for our first game drive. Luckily I had a flashlight with me so the walk back to our Chalet from dinner wasn’t too bad and we kept talking about how we felt like we were at summer camp. A few of the girls in our Chalet made it back before we did and started a fire which was really impressed and pleased with. But there was one problem the power in our Chalet kept going off about every 5 minutes and nobody had anything plugged so we were all confused. Luckily me and another girl Lindsey had flashlights to find the circuit breaker and fix the lights. I got pretty frustrated after about the 5^th time and decided to go to find someone to help since our phone wasn’t working either. So Alexis and I walked up the road back to the restaurant and told one of the guides our situation. Shawn and this other guide gave us a lift back to the Chalet to see what the problem was. Although I was slightly concerned Shawn was worrying about our lights because he had been told to go take care of a bat that was stuck in some little kids room but apparently our lights seemed to take two guides and took priority over the bat. I explained what had been happening but they weren’t able to fix anything. Shawn just blamed it on the Chalet being haunted and told us to check under our pillow for spiders just to scare us. I think he was really amused with himself. Luckily our lights only went out one more time before we went to sleep. 

February 18th, 2009

First of all I want to say sorry it has taken me so long to write up my time in South Africa, but I had to study for global studies and then take a day off to relax and catch up on sleep since not much of that happened in South Africa. So here I go…Day 1 in South Africa…

 

After about 3 and half hours of sleep I woke up at 6 to try and watch the sun rise and us pull into Cape Town. Although when Dylan and I woke up and met in the hallway she told me she looked out her window and couldn’t see a thing because of fog. So that was a bust and I have still yet to see us pull into port while the sun is rising. Anyways I couldn’t go back to sleep so I just took a shower and got ready for the day. I ate breakfast and then watched us pull into port. The fog cleared slightly so I could see the city buildings and one of the new soccer stadiums being built for the World Cup in 2010. Once we were in port we had a diplomatic briefing we had to watch. It was very difficult sitting in the union looking out the window at an amazing city but not able to get off the ship yet. 

 

Once the diplomatic briefing was over the girls and I got off the ship to eat lunch and go to an ATM. Courtney and I had a township visit planned for the afternoon and the rest of the girls were going on the city orientation. We had a nice lunch inside the port looking out over the water and at all the ships. Right inside the port it felt as though you were in America there was a nice shopping mall and restaurants all over the place. After lunch Courtney and I went back to ship grabbed some pencils and sticker for the township and met up for our Township visit. 

 

I wasn’t really sure what the rest of the day would hold, I had heard plenty about the townships but none of it could really prepare me. A group of about 40 of us all got on a bus to visit the Khayelitsha Township. It was about a 30 minute drive before we reached the township, although when driving on the highway you could see the mass of township houses alongside. I at first thought I may not write about my experience doing this because I wasn’t sure I would be able to or know how. It seemed to be an experience I wouldn’t be able to describe but I think it’s important that I try. 

 

As we first started driving through the township I was at a loss of words. Courtney and I kept looking at each other and my heart sank. Jimmy our tour guide told us that all together in South Africa there were a total of 9 townships the largest one being ½ a million people and the smallest 18.000 people. The numbers upon numbers of shacks I could see for the bus was unreal; I had never seen poverty like this before in my life. I wanted to cry but couldn’t. I also wanted to get out and give them all the money I had and stay for the rest of my trip to help them as much as I could.

 

We stopped first at a preschool and a craft center. Here we got to meet people who lived in the township and they sold us trinkets, bracelets, bags, and other things they had made from things they found around the township. I bought two paintings from a man. Since I wasn’t there to help build houses or do operation hunger, the least I could do was a buy a few things. Although I really wanted to buy everything to help this man but I had to stop thinking about saving them from their poverty but to get to know them. 

 

So I went across the street to the preschool. Most of the kids were still sleeping and all looked so peaceful. The few that were awake sang a song for us. The song was about having no land, money, or anything but that their education was going to get them somewhere and things would get better. Their optimism was refreshing and once the kids started singing it woke up the rest of them and parents started coming around to pick the kids up from school. A few of the girls started handing out stickers and got attacked the little kids just wanted stickers all over the place. I sat back watching the scene and enjoying the kids smiling faces. I watched as 9 young kids got into a car that should fit 5. We asked Jimmy about it and he said yes it was illegal but everyone in the townships helps everyone if they can. So this man was doing his neighbors a favor but taking all the kids home from school. The kids also wore uniforms to make them all feel equal which seems to be very important when living in an area such as theirs. Because while yes there are shacks some of the people have housing that have been built for them by projects like habitat for humanity or such. There is about a ten year waiting list for one of these homes. Most of the homes don’t have running water or a toilet, so the government has provided portable toilets placed on the street corners. Despite all that I could see around me the smiles on the kids faces made the feeling of sadness go away. 

 

It took us about 10 minutes to get back on the bus because the kids still wanted to play, take pictures, and get more stickers. After finally getting on the bus we continued driving through the township. All the people waved and seemed happy we were there. This is not how it used to be though the township people used to not be welcoming to tourists as they would drive by and didn’t seem to truly care about the people. But things have sense changed and the more and more they talk to tourists they realize that we are there to learn and be able to help them in any way we can. Whether through buying artwork, donating our time or supplies, or just having a friendly conversation and walk. 

 

We then stopped at Vicky’s B and B. Vicky runs a bed and breakfast in the township that she runs to help her neighbors with money and other such things from the visitors she gets to stay in her B and B. The B and B was very nice which you wouldn’t have been able to tell from the outside. Again we played with the kids and passed out stickers I also gave Vicky the few pencils I had with him for the kids she was very grateful and I wished I had more to give her. It again took us another twenty minutes to get back on the bus because of the kids. 

 

We then made it to our next stop, which was a center in the township where women made painting, rugs, bags, and other such things to sell to tourists in effort to help the township community. I bought a small rug that the women showed me how to make and explained it took about a week or so to make one slightly larger than the one I bought. It was really very pretty and I enjoyed talking to the women. 

 

We had one more stop before our tour was over. We stopped at one final B and B where we had tea and got to talk to the owner. She then took us on a walking tour of the township with her four guides. The little kids again followed grabbed our hands and just wanted to show us around and laugh and giggle. By the end of our walking tour I didn’t want to leave.  As we drove away the bus was silent and I think everyone the entire way back to the ship was just taking in what we just saw and experienced. I knew that this day would stay with me forever and has taught me so much about the world and even the way I view things. 

 

As bad as it sounds I knew dwelling on the problems of the world wouldn’t help and that I needed to enjoy the rest of my time in South Africa but to remember the feelings and emotions I felt on today, to keep me in check with reality.

 

When I got back to the ship, I went on the ship to meet up with Kelly, Erica, Dylan, Jeff, Brandon and the two Ryans. We had dinner reservations at a restaurant called Mamma Africa which we were told had amazing authentic African food. Courntey, Anna, and Abby were going to meet up with us later after an FDP they had to go to. Our reservations were at 9:45 but at around 7:45 we were ready to go. So we found taxi to take us to Longstreet, the main street in Cape Town for nightlife. The taxi kind of felt like a limo because the driver had strobe lights, and two tv screen with music videos playing. We danced our entire way to longstreet and weren’t really sure what we were going to do when we go there. Our driver dropped us off at Mamma Africa and since our reservation wasn’t for a while we went across the street to a bar and had a few drinks. The bar was cool and kind of looke d like a library/den and was very cozy and comfortable. We hung out there until it was time for dinner. At that point Dylan and I weren’t too hungry but decided to still go to dinner anyways which I am really glad we did. When we got there our table still wasn’t ready so we went to dance and listen to a band playing on the other side of the restaurant. We ran into a group of kids from boulder and my friend Joe who said the wait was long but the food was worth it and atmosphere was great. I also ran into Allison from my Morocco trip and her friend Laura who would be going on my Safari tomorrow. After dancing and talking with friends our table was finally ready. 

 

We sat down and looked at the menu. We all agreed that we had to try and platter of all the typed of meat offered. Since Dylan and I weren’t really hungry we decided to split one. Oh and keep in mind Dylan for the past two years has been a vegetarian and decided that because she was in Africa she would try all the meats. We had an amazing dinner that last two hours. Now let me tell you the meats we ate; crocodile (my favorite), ostrich (second), kudu, springbok and game sausage. The kudu and springbok just tasted like an average steak and I couldn’t really tell the difference. Although the crocodile and ostrich were amazing and I wish we had more. After dinner we all decided to come back to the ship because most of us had an early wake up call to leave for our safari trips or other trips across South Africa. 

 

When Dylan and I walked on the ship we ran into Heidi who was going to hang out with her brothers. We weren’t really tired yet so we decided to tag along. We assumed they were going to hang out in someone’s room and followed. Although Heidi was heading off the ship and so we went along and met up with a bunch of kids at a bar right inside the port called Mitchell’s. There weren’t too many people in there but I did finally meet the boy who slept underneath me my hostel in Spain, his name was Josh and he goes to Boulder. For some reason when he introduced himself to Dylan and I he was talking with an Australian accent. About a minute into the conversation he called Dyland “miss”and I realized what he was doing. He was quoting my favorite TV show Summer Heights High I called him out on it but he denied to fess up and talked like that for the next hour. (We have sense then run into him on the ship and he still talks with the accent I am not sure we will ever hear his real voice). At about 2:30 after hanging out at Mitchell’s we decided to come back to the ship for good. 

 

Luckily Beau was coming back at the same time so I didn’t have to wake her up and was able to pack with the lights on for my Safari tomorrow!!!!!!

February 15th, 2009

Sorry everyone I miss typed my last name and didnt realize this didnt go through. This is all about my second day in Namibia....

 

This morning we woke up at 7:30 to be ready for a full day of off-roading by 8:30. Last night it was so hot I didn’t even need a blanket and new today would be hot and sunny, so after putting on my sunscreen and packing a small bag with my camera, hat, sunglasses, and more sunscreen Kelly, Erica, and I went to the lobby for breakfast. It was really nice and they even had a chef taking orders for eggs and bacon. At 8:30 we walked out the hotel gate to find Fani, our tour guide, and two other drivers. I looked to my right and saw a man wearing a bright orange shirt and no shoes standing next to tan off road vehicle. I knew this was the man I wanted be my driver, his name was embroidered on his shirt and was Herman. Kelly, Erica and I hoped in his car. He was a very funny man and the first thing he said to us was that we needed to take our shoes off to be closer to with nature and the earth. We laughed and thought he was joking but only later we would find out he wasn’t. Kelly jumped in the front seat with Erica and I in the back not really knowing what the day was going to bring. 

 

We started off taking a slow drive through town with Herman showing us flamingo’s and all other kinds of birds on our right. At first I felt as though I was on bird watching tour. He also showed us Walvis Bay’s “Millionaire Mile”this is where all the wealthy people of the city live and was on the left of us with beach front property. The homes were very nice and like I said yesterday reminded me of Newport Beach. Although when I say Millionaire you also must take into consideration the exchange rate I wrote about yesterday. Herman told us who lived in each house showing us that the town is so small around 65,000 people that most people know each other or if you don’t you know someone who knows them. Herman was also very excited to tell us he recently purchased a home the street behind Millionaire Mile with his wife and three kids. He also like Fani grew up in the north of Namibia. 

 

So we kept driving along the cost and finally arrived to some sand dunes. We stopped at the top of our first small dune and we jumped out to take pictures. They had to stop us and tell all of us girls that we would be making so many stops and not to waste our pictures here because this was only the beginning. Soon after that first stop Herman tricked us with a little joke and distracted us by pointing to something on the left and then went straight down a fairly steep dune to our left. Our car was the first one to go and we all screamed and then cracked up laughing at ourselves. We sat at the bottom waiting for the next two cars to come down and hear them scream too!

 

We then kept driving and went through some grasslands and next made a stop to take a picture of rabbit Herman found along side the dirt road we were on. We continued on to the next sand dune where we took more pictures and Herman went off to come back with a little surprise. He came over to us and told Erica to open her hand and in her hand he placed a gecko he found in the sand. She screamed but held on to it so we could all take a few pictures. Here was also took a classic picture of us girls jumping in the dunes. 

 

We continued on our way and entered a national park which I believe Herman said is one of the largest national parks in the world and he had to have a permit to enter. We entered the park along the beach and drove alongside the water. Every time I looked out to the water I couldn’t believe I was driving along the coast of Africa until I looked to my left and saw nothing but desert. We made another stop atop a sand dune where Herman found another gecko to show us. The gecko was clear with a little bit of color here and there it almost looked like a gummy candy you could eat. We took a few more pictures of us in the dunes and then made it to our next stop where Herman on the car ride there had convinced us to take our shoes off, very slyly I might add. At this stop Herman told us sometimes he came to this place to see if he needed to go on a diet. We were kind of confused but quickly followed him. He walked a little ahead of us and all of a sudden ran and jumped into the sand sinking in the sand up to his knees. We all were surprised and laughed this is how he said he knew he needed to go on a diet. The rest of us all tried to get in as far as he did but he said we didn’t way enough which made us feel good. After some effort jumping up and down in one spot we pushed through sand to about our knees and felt water down on our feet. We again took many pictures and were back in the cars once again. 

 

Our next stop was along the oceanside and Herman picked up muscles and shells and had us stand on a mound of mud in the water. Also on our drive alongside the beach Herman kept stopping to pick up these really pretty orange fossils that he told us were 4 to 5 million years old. Kelly, Erica and I decided we all wanted one and told Herman to keep his eye out for more. In the end we ended up finding one for each of us thanks to Herman’s quick eye. We stopped one last time on our drive on the ocean where Herman found a muscle and had me try a piece. Don’t worry I didn’t eat the whole thing just took a quick bite. 

 

After a little ways of driving we finally started to notice something very large on our left hand side growing and growing in size. They were the largest sand dunes in the world and I think should be one of the 7 wonders of the world. We had finally arrived at our destination after all these fun educational stops. We headed straight up the dunes and made a stop at the top looking over the ocean. We attempted to take pictures but we couldn’t get the size of it any pictures. It is one of those things you will not be able to understand until you see it in person. So we spent the rest of our afternoon going up and down the dunes which was amazing and a blast! We finally stopped for lunch at the top of a dune overlooking the ocean. While our guides were setting up tables, umbrellas and chairs for us for lunch we noticed some dolphins swimming down in the ocean which was exciting. We then had a nice lunch and talked with our guides learning more about them and Namibia. They had stories about famous people they wanted to share with us. Fani has apparently taken Angelina Joli and Brad Pitt on the same offroading tour we were on that day. They also shared a story about someone from Walvis Bay marrying Jessica Simpson’s personal assistant. One of the girls also asked the tour guides if we were the loudest group they had ever had of screamers. And Herman replied that he had two very loud girls (Erica and Kelly) and one quiet (Me). All day he had been telling me I was quiet and kept looking behind him to make sure I wasn’t sleeping. I am not sure why but all the tour guides found this to be very funny and I didn’t even know I was being quiet. 

 

While us girls sat and relaxed talking I noticed the guides had gone around the corner. Being the nosey person I am I looked around the side of the car and found Herman putting floor polish on a wooden board. I realized we would be getting to do a little sand sledding. He told me not to tell anyone and that I would be the first to go. So after a few minutes Herman asked me if I was ready to go I said sure and the girls all looked at me with curiousity. We went around side the car at the top of a dune not facing the ocean and I laid down on the board. Herman taught me how to stop and turn and then pushed me down. I flew down and felt like I was sledding on sand. When I finally stopped I looked back up the hill and was slightly bummed for the walk ahead of me. So we all took our turns doing that which was super exciting! After cleaning up lunch we were done for our day and ready to head back. We were heading out of the dunes and Herman made a comment that Erica and I had not been in the front seat all day. Next thing we knew we were going down the sand dune backwards and he told us this was our chance to be in the front seat. 

 

By about 3:30 our drivers brought us back to our hotel after an amazing and beautiful day of seeing Namibia. We had originally planned to go to a BBQ at our friend Ryan’s beach house in Swakumpond that night at around 5. Although everyone else planned to have the shuttle pick us up at 6. So our plans changed slightly and we ended up heading to Swakumpond around 6:30 and went to a restaurant called Ocean Basket that Fani had recommended. 

 

We got to dinner and everything was amazing and cheap. I think here we also spent a few hours just enjoying the food and talking. We also took a quick break from dinner to watch the amazing sunset.  My dinner was amazing and so cheap for the food I was getting. For fish and chips and a beer with dessert I spent 7 dollars. At the restaurant there was small bounce house which some of the girls we were with thought it might be a good idea to jump in. About four of them got in and unplugged the machine. It was really funny to watch them all run out. For a long time we thought they all popped it but the workers at the restaurant just sat laughing knowing they only had to plug it back in.    After an amazing dinner we headed to find a bar and a place to drink. Although keep in mind it is a Sunday night. So we wondered around the town finding other SAS kids trying to find a bar that was open. Not too much was but after wandering the town for oh about an hour or so we ended up at a bar called the Tiger Reef. For something to compare it to it reminded me of The Naked Turtle in Havasu although obviously way better!!! The bar was all sand on the ground and was right on the beach. There weren’t too many people there when we got there so we called our shuttle to make sure it would be there by midnight when the bar closed to pick us up. At midnight our driver showed up and again some people still wanted to stay even though it seemed kind of dead. So we dropped them at the only other bar in town and open and headed back to the hotel. Tomorrow we would be leaving for atving at 8:30 this tour was also with Fani.