(no subject)
May 3rd....I can't believe I've only been here since Saturday. I guess when you throw yourself into things you adjust quickly. Simone, yes, I have been able to catch some pretty cool sunsets so far, especially since it sets around 6pm, but they will get better as the weather evens out.
I've begun to discover what the work here will be like. As it is winter, and for the past 2 years in the winter the entire reserve has burned due to fires, we are going to be doing a LOT of fire breaks. That basically means cutting 6 feet tall wild grass with 2 whipper-snipper-like machines, one machine blade, and then 3 rakes to come behind. We clear 3 feet on both sides of the fences and roads in hope of prevention. Either way, I'll probably be woken up some night to fight a fire too...stay tuned for that story!
The other volunteers are incredible. Sue (susan) is in her late 40's and from Colorado. I admire this woman so much, she is increible - and hilarious too! Sara, Cindy, and Isabelle are my roomates. Sara is from England and 24, Cindy is from australia and around the same age, and Isabelle is from Switzerland and 19/20. And Andrew and Adam. Sue calls herself our Den Mother. We have a really great time together. Like today, when on the way back from our afternoon off spent at the mall in the pitch black of 6pm night-ness, the second car broke down on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere South Africa....I was in the first car and they took so long we went back to find them because we knew something had gone wrong. It was pretty scary for a minute or two there. They were all alright, and Tony (land owner here) came and towed them back, however when they were pulling away, the guy who had been driving our car was with them and left with our keys! So then we were stuck, in the dark, or the side of the road in South Africa with people walking by staring at us and cars FLYING by on the other side. CREEPY. Anyway, it was also pretty funny, we called his cell and he came back with the keys.
Not so funny is that there are on average 6-8 deaths a night here along the roadside...It's pretty scary. There are over 1.5 million forged licenses in this country...driving down a two lane highway (on the left side of the road) and people are going over 120 km/hour. It's nuts. Seat belts don't matter and if you aren't aggressive, you won't make it where you are going.
Anyway, I also was fortunate enough to see the ostrich today. I don't think I mentioned it, but I also saw them on my first day here on the game drive briefly...they are really hard to find and you rarely see them, but we have seen them twice already! It's pretty neat. I have to keep reminding myself that I am not in a zoo!!
This Saturday 5 of us are planning a tour of Soweto in Johannesburg. I think it'll be pretty shocking but we are going with a tour guide and plan to bring food and water for some of the people there. I would like to help them as opposed to driving through and taking pictures of them as if they were animals on display. I'll be sure to update about that.
In other news, my sister is graduatin this weekend from university with 2 degrees and will make the most fabulous teacher in the world. Congrats Sylvia, I'm sorry I can't be there but I am SO proud of you!
*HUGS* everyone, thanks for your comments!
~J
I've begun to discover what the work here will be like. As it is winter, and for the past 2 years in the winter the entire reserve has burned due to fires, we are going to be doing a LOT of fire breaks. That basically means cutting 6 feet tall wild grass with 2 whipper-snipper-like machines, one machine blade, and then 3 rakes to come behind. We clear 3 feet on both sides of the fences and roads in hope of prevention. Either way, I'll probably be woken up some night to fight a fire too...stay tuned for that story!
The other volunteers are incredible. Sue (susan) is in her late 40's and from Colorado. I admire this woman so much, she is increible - and hilarious too! Sara, Cindy, and Isabelle are my roomates. Sara is from England and 24, Cindy is from australia and around the same age, and Isabelle is from Switzerland and 19/20. And Andrew and Adam. Sue calls herself our Den Mother. We have a really great time together. Like today, when on the way back from our afternoon off spent at the mall in the pitch black of 6pm night-ness, the second car broke down on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere South Africa....I was in the first car and they took so long we went back to find them because we knew something had gone wrong. It was pretty scary for a minute or two there. They were all alright, and Tony (land owner here) came and towed them back, however when they were pulling away, the guy who had been driving our car was with them and left with our keys! So then we were stuck, in the dark, or the side of the road in South Africa with people walking by staring at us and cars FLYING by on the other side. CREEPY. Anyway, it was also pretty funny, we called his cell and he came back with the keys.
Not so funny is that there are on average 6-8 deaths a night here along the roadside...It's pretty scary. There are over 1.5 million forged licenses in this country...driving down a two lane highway (on the left side of the road) and people are going over 120 km/hour. It's nuts. Seat belts don't matter and if you aren't aggressive, you won't make it where you are going.
Anyway, I also was fortunate enough to see the ostrich today. I don't think I mentioned it, but I also saw them on my first day here on the game drive briefly...they are really hard to find and you rarely see them, but we have seen them twice already! It's pretty neat. I have to keep reminding myself that I am not in a zoo!!
This Saturday 5 of us are planning a tour of Soweto in Johannesburg. I think it'll be pretty shocking but we are going with a tour guide and plan to bring food and water for some of the people there. I would like to help them as opposed to driving through and taking pictures of them as if they were animals on display. I'll be sure to update about that.
In other news, my sister is graduatin this weekend from university with 2 degrees and will make the most fabulous teacher in the world. Congrats Sylvia, I'm sorry I can't be there but I am SO proud of you!
*HUGS* everyone, thanks for your comments!
~J