Hey peoples,
How is everyone doing? Life on the campus is nice and quiet at the moment as many students are of this and next week. Only our group of 30 students and some other south african students who have a resit are here at the moment.
So let me tell you some about the evening in the township last thursday; Our community coordinator wanted to show us life in the township so we drove with two vans late in the afternoon to the township NeMaTo. This township has more then 20000 people and circumstances are harsh. Every week there are many stories about girls getting raped or people murdered and it is unsafe to walk around here at night. But as we all were in a group wearing our blue Humanitarian Shirts and with our guide Alroy we felt safe. We were dropped in the middle of the township and us was told to start walking in the direction where a bar was located. There were allot of people and kids in the streets mainly because the unemployment rate is very high and many people are rather outside then inside. Some people do know that we are here to help and improve education and facilities with our knowledge, so appreciation can be seen in their faces.
During our walking trip we visited a community hall where many people were singing and dancing and celebrating that the ANC leader Zuma was cleared of corruption charges. Later on we ended up in a bar where we payed for a 750 ml beer 9 rand (0,75€) and talked to the locals who mostly all speak english. A guy came in and told us that he was selling half a sheep head for 12 rand. Eventually everybody wanted to taste some of the meat inside the cheeks of the blackened-baked sheep skull. Not bad actually especially the eye which I shared with a classmate (see the bit blurry photo in the link below).
That saturday we booked a 2 day safari with 27 people of the group, a large number but we got allot of discount and eventually payed 600 rand (about 50€) for 2 tours, 2 meals and sleeping out in the open next to a campfire. My first safari (here they call it a game drive) and we saw so many animals; amazing. We were sitting in a 10 person open jeep and our ranger Scot was the best guide you could have. Some animals we saw, some really upclose; rhinos, hippos, girafes, antilopes, crocs and lions. In the evening we enjoyed a magnificant meal and a nice spot was picked between a pont with 2 crocs and a fenced house where the toilets were located. A nice campfire kept us all warm and 5 rangers kept the crocs away and kept a lookout for lions coming not to close. It felt quite safe but at a certain moment Schot shouted in a direction 5 meters from the tree where some people were sleeping; a giant male lion ran off, who was waiting for a person wundering of alone. Every body was suddenly awake and throughout the night many people couldn't sleep because of the hard growling of the 2 mail lions around the camps. The rangers said that this was the first time the lions and the crocs came so close; scarry moment but a great experience!
In the morning drove through the park one more to see some animals and at 10 in the morning we left the park all with a feeling we will never forget. Some groups headed of in their rental cars to see an elephant park nearby but Hans and I decided to go with 3 girls to a Cheetah breeding farm some 80 km away, slept only for 3 hours but driving there was all worth it. As you might know that I worked with Pumas in Bolivia some years ago my dream was ever since to see a Cheetah upclose. For 30 rand we got a small tour through a farm where they breed cheetahs to be released into national parks. We could pet 2 cheetahs who were just 9 months (still big animals doh when you sit next to them) and a full grown male of 2,5 years old. Such a great experience. But still the main surprise was still there for us to see and hold. Two 5 week old lion cubs we could hold and play around with. WHAT A WEEKEND!
This week we started with our projects; well... actually just an introduction because monday we still had a surroundings tour organised for us and wednesday was elections day. And we were told that it wouldn't be the safest day to enter the Township.
My project is called Computer Literacy, and it is about giving basic computer classes to 2 x 20 teachers of the school in the Township. With 5 other students we give basic Windows and Office training for 2 hours per day. As you might now i have studied IT for 4 years so now my knowledge will be usefull, my learning goal is to improve my teaching skills. All the teachers we met were very enthousiastic about our help and we are ready for making a difference.
The 20 computers will be prepared during our week off and so on we have planned a 10 days of trip to Lesotho and Swasiland starting tomorrow with 3 cars. Hans and I have one car and we will drive to Swasiland aswell the rest will visit places on the coast.
The link to some photos; http://picasaweb.google.nl/jcopray
have fun at Queensday I will celebrate it high in the mountains maybe even on skies, as we heard that there is snow in Lesotho ;)
greets joost