Well, today I did not go to Makro and the lions have started again. Well our day was almost nothing as planned. First, we didn’t go to Makro. Second, we did not go on the game drive because it has been raining for 24 hours and my mom did not think we would get good pictures. Instead of the game drive we went to the South Africa mall, called Menlyn, and we almost bought a tape recorder because we thought that it was $38 but it was a very good tape recorder and it was actually $380. I was sad. I wanted to do voice recordings with the tape recorder so that I could record stories that people tell us.

We also went to the Baobab restaurant. The baobab tree looks like the roots are in the air instead of the ground. At the restaurant we ordered dishes that sounded small but they were actually very large.

The African Baobab tree is awesome

When we were driving home from the mall I saw two giraffes.

Even though the day didn’t go as planned it was still pretty awesome.

Sight of the day: I’ve never seen giraffes before, but when we were coming back to our hotel I miraculously saw them.

Hey guys. Right now it is 3:00am in Ohio and I have already had breakfast, gotten dressed and have almost finished my first bottle of Coke of the day. And you’re still sleeping.

Coke is actually very sugary in South Africa and it is nothing like American Coke. If I had to choose to have only one kind of Coke I would choose South African Coke.

It rained all night last night and there was thunder. It’s still raining now.

My plan for the day is that we are going to veg out from 9:00 until noon and then we will go to Makro (the Costco of South Africa) to get food to make parcels that we will deliver to people in need in the township later on this week. It will be awesome.

After that our plan is to go on a game drive if it stops raining.

Check back tomorrow to see what actually happened because you never know when or what will change in South Africa.

4/16/11

Back home in America, you say, “Can I get a ride?” or “I don’t have a way to get there.” But in South Africa it’s all about transport. “We have no transport.” And for most of today, we had no transport.

Jennifer left early in the morning to go shopping for our Sunday dinner for the ladies. It was a process for which Connor and I would have been useless. So we stayed home and, yes, slept in. Well, I slept in. Connor was up at 8. He went to breakfast and did things, and got completely fed up with my sleeping. I’m not sure how many times he tried to wake me, but I know he blew his vuvuzela at one point. And when I opened my eyes, he was just standing there, staring at me. Freaky. But he brought me breakfast and tea in bed. A+ Connor.

After breakfast, he spazzed around the place while I uploaded pictures onto Facebook. It rained all day, so with no transport, there was, therefore, nothing to do. Except that Connor did go outside for a bit and get attacked by the same goose who attacked me. Yes, it was a goose. I mistook it for a duck.

At four, though, Jennifer got back and discovered some limited transport. There was a shuttle, essentially a taxi, going from the Farm Inn to Menlyn—a ginormous mall with four levels. Our driver was named Solly, for Solomon, and he opened doors for us and everything. It was a bit of a change from riding in the boot (trunk) of Mighty’s car, which is the South African way to ride apparently. But here, transport is transport.

This is how everybody rides over here

Today we made beadwork with the ladies of Beaded Hope. I also made some beadwork.

I also went to the orphanage to play soccer with the orphans. Apparently I am a good goal keeper (goalie).

me as goal keeper

my opponent Ameha

We also saw an African unicorn (they are real)…see Amanda’s post for a pic of the African unicorn.

We also went to hear the tigers and lions. They were loud and awesome.

Four best things of the day:

1)      Beadwork

2)      Football (soccer)

3)      African unicorn

4)      Lions/tigers

4/15/11
Seedbeads. Today was all about seedbeads. Betty, one of the Beaded Hope ladies, taught Connor how to bead a necklace. Well that necklace turned into a bracelet that he gave me for my tiny hands, but it was beautiful. And then Connor turned around and taught me! And I even picked out the color pattern for a Beaded Hope line. If you see the yellow, purple, blue set, then know that was my doing!

Mmatshabalala is another Beaded Hope lady, and she’s super talented. She speaks Zulu I believe, so we have to have a translator with us. But anyway, today’s workshop was all about karakatana beads. They are these tiny little nuts, and the word “karakatana” means something like tooth nut. Mums would put strands of these nuts around their babies’ necks while they were teething. They’re basically ancient teething rings… and they make beautiful jewelry.

After I finished my own bead work (that’s right, I got artsy), I caught up with Connor as he played football (soccer) with the kids from the orphanage on site. And I took pictures of everything. This is Lindiwe… and she’s gorgeous. (that’s also Connor’s bracelet he made me!)

she always tells me "You are beautiful" and I tell her "Nono, YOU are beautiful!"

And after being chased around for my camera by picture-loving kids, we drove back to the Farm Inn. And found this creature:

Yeah. What?

We decided that he is an Afriunicorn.

And then… we went to investigate the lions. This is the soundtrack to nights here:

Lions and tigers, oh my!

The first time I traveled to South Africa I remember sitting on the edge of my seat every moment. I was so hungry to drink up the landscape, the people, the language and the history that I constantly asked question after question. I was a front row student; anxious to sit just a bit closer to the teacher in hopes of absorbing a tiny bit more knowledge. I even took is so far that on my first safari I strategically positioned myself, in my opinion, in the very best seat; right behind the driver. With each animal we passed I would ask him to tell me the animal’s African name. Then spell it for me, please. Then say it again so that I can hear the beautiful roll of the African word. Each animal-word was then placed in my journal with proper spelling, phonetics and, hopefully, with a little bit of folklore or history included.

Connor photographing school kids

This trip to South Africa, my sixth or seventh, I’ve actually lost count, I have found myself again a student sitting on the edge of my seat. But this time I am watching the awe and wonder in Connor and Amanda as they ask questions, try to speak the language, wonder about the history of South Africa and marvel at the lion that keep us up at night. As truly excited as I was on my first trip to South Africa I can honestly say that I am more excited on this trip. To see the curiosity and wonder in these two new students far is far better than my own.

Amanda learning to bead at today's workshop

Tonight, returning from a full day at a beading workshop we arrived home to find the lions making so much noise that they could not be ignored. Finishing dinner it was time for each of us to be working on our daily blog entries but in a moment of impulse I said “Who wants to go see what the lions are making so much noise about?” Without hesitation I receive two yeses and we raced off; two new students anxiously seeking a new experience and new material to write in their journals.

Today we went to two markets, an open air market and a traditional South African market. It was a very weird experience because I have never been to a market, let alone a foreign market. After that we went to the orphanage for 20 minutes. It was a fast day.

South African sweet potatoes are as big as my head. They were found in the traditional SouAfrican market called Marabastad.

4/14/11

The lions are noisy tonight.

Well, it’s 12:22am South African time, and I’m still up. Every moment I curl up in bed and close my eyes, the world buzzes. And I don’t mean just because I can hear chickens and pigs outside of my hotel window. My eyelids flutter as my eyes jet back and forth collecting images and thoughts from the day. Information, overload.

And as happens in South Africa, plans change. I wanted to write about the orphans we visited today, and about playing soccer with them, and about how Paul wants to be a rugby player and they say “Cut my photo!” to ask for their picture. But after dinner, I’ve got some entirely other material.

Tonight, our little trio went to Karoo Cafe with two Americans: Jason and Amanda (everyone here laughs because they think now that everyone in America is named Amanda. I can’t say it’s not true, too.). Let me just tell you, this couple is awesome. Jason is 39 and had is own medical practice back in Cincinnati. But one day, he basically decided to pack up, sell it all, and move to Mamelodi with Crossroads. And during that process, he met Amanda, 36. She had also been on a trip to Mamelodi, and realized that for whatever reason, God was telling her this was the man for her. So they married, and she joined him in South Africa.

Crazy right? They’re heading back to the States soon as the Crossroads/Mamelodi relationship is changing. But they’re just waiting for the next stepping stone as Jason calls it. And when they see it, they’ll jump. Wherever that takes them.

I only say all of this, because I’m in awe the same way I’m in awe of Jennifer. These are totally normal people, who made huge jumps and life-changing investments. I know that’s not the life for some people, and that some are at-home supporters–which is beautiful. But as a nomad who feels trapped in one place, and terrified of being still–the thought that I can make crazy jumps and not be the cookie-cutter American is, well, comforting.

Basically this is what we ride in everyday

Don’t be deceived.

Just because we are blogging from South Africa it’s not all that easy.

I will admit that on my trip to South Africa last September I splurged and purchased my own 3G network card which enables me to buy airtime and surf the web from anywhere. While this is great in theory it sometimes fails miserably when it comes to implementation.

Let me illustrate. To get the proper signal strength from my computer I must place my 3G card EXACTLY here.

Right there. On top of my keyboard. Not a little to the left. Not next to my computer. Not anywhere else. Exactly. Right. There!

Now I could honestly deal with being precise about where my 3G card rests for the sake of quality internet access but then there’s the issue of power. Electricity is sacred, and expensive, in South Africa. I assume that’s why there are only 2 outlets to plug our electronics into. And, to make matters worse, the only outlet that I can plug my computer into is 6 feet off the ground.

Yep. That’s where I plug my computer in. So far up the wall that I have to stand on a chair to plug it in.

Oh, yeah. Let’s talk about the chair. Because my computer is plugged into the wall at 6 feet (did I mention that yet?) my power cord is not quite long enough to reach the bed so I cannot work while sitting in bed or on a couch or anywhere else for that matter. So, take a look at my lovely desk.

Lovely, eh? And in case you’re wondering, that IS the chair that I use to plug my computer into the outlet.

So, while we love blogging from South Africa and sharing with you, it’s not exactly what we’re used to…but then, maybe you could call us spoiled.

Today we went to the orphanage to deliver the school supplies for the orphans. They were bored when I unloaded the notebook paper and notebooks, but once I dumped the glue sticks and markers out, they were like WOW!

Here’s what we delivered:

1 pack of staples

2 pencil boxes

2 pencil sharpeners

6 folders

8 highlighters

8 sharpies

12 rulers

18 spiral notebooks

34 glue sticks

39 markers

79 pens

108 colored pencils

226 crayons

270 index cards

291 pencils

1900 post-it notes

2250 sheets of notebook paper

Thank you everyone in the Adena 6^th grade for donating 55 pounds worth of school supplies!

After that was done, I took pictures of all the orphans, they loved it.

I also got a tour of the orphanage. It was a little smelly but was pretty good. Then I played with the orphans. It was awesome.

There are currently seventeen orphans in the orphanage but it can hold more than 18.

Weirdest thing of the day: don’t say “trunk” say “boot”. The boot, in South Africa, is the American version of the trunk of your car.