Marathoning for a Good Cause

As this year has been progressing, some of my fellow Rotary Scholars and I have decided to adopt a cause in South Africa. Katharina, Christopher, Mary, and I have decided to run the Soweto Marathon on November 1 to raise money and awareness for the Khulanathi Music Project in the township of Daveyton, which is about 45 minutes away from where we live in Johannesburg. We became aware of this project through some Rotarian friends at the Benoni Aurora club. The music project does amazing work with the township children, sacrificing every Saturday to teach disadvantaged children how to read and play music. The project has no way to make money for the purposes of improving the program and expanding to reach more children. So we want to help! We are asking that you all consider supporting the Khulanathi Music Project by making a donation through our website (listed below). By sponsoring us in this race, you are truly engaging in the education and empowerment of school children all the way in South Africa. Thank you so much for your help!

Please visit our website for detailed information and to reach the donation portal:

http://khulanathi.wordpress.com

The Garden Route

About a month ago, my friend Heather from the US arrived in Jo'burg for vacation. She accompanied Adriann and I on a road trip down the Garden Route of South Africa. The Garden Route is a picturesque drive along the southern coast of South Africa, running from near Port Elizabeth to Cape Town. We decided to fly to Port Elizabeth (as it would have been a terribly long drive to get there) and then rent a car for the remainder of the journey. We planned many fun activities for this trip including a canoe trip, a canopy tour, whale watching, horse riding, and shark diving! Even with all of the adventuring, we were able to have a pretty relaxing time, as we wandered from one quaint beach town to another. It really is some of the most beautiful country that I have ever seen in my life. Gorgeous, blue coastline meets mile after mile of magnificent mountains the entire drive. We took about 12 days or so for the whole trip, and we could have managed with several more days! If anyone is considering coming to South Africa, I would definitely recommend driving the Garden Route - it is breathtaking!

Zambia and African Vision of Hope

A few weeks ago, I decided to go on an impromptu trip to Zambia with a group of people from my hometown area. The organization of people coming was African Vision of Hope (AVOH), a non-profit humanitarian organization started by Judy Bertels of Maryville, IL. I knew some people from my home church that were involved with AVOH, and I thought it would be fun and rewarding to join the group as they came to encourage and serve. They graciously and warmly welcomed me into their team. AVOH has worked in conjunction with Pastor Andrew Phiri in Kabulanga, Zambia to set up and support seminary students, churches, and schools around the area. Child sponsorship for the primary and secondary students is an integral part of AVOH’s work, and this sponsorship money goes to pay things such as school and uniform fees. AVOH also works to provide school supplies, books, shoes, and food to the children in their schools.

There were several events and tasks planned for this trip. The first day, I helped Marti Heape and others set up the school library in Kabulonga. Hundreds of books had been collected and shipped from the U.S. before the team arrived. We organized the books onto the new shelves, set up educational tables, and were even able to decorate the walls. After that was accomplished, I assisted with grade 5 students in the VBS-type program being run for the children. As the younger kids participated in the songs, crafts, and bible lessons, the older students were involved in a True Love Waits sexual abstinence program. Some team members helped with painting the buildings, and others taught sewing to local groups of women. We were able to visit the two other schools that are being supported by AVOH, as well. These schools are newer, and are located further into the ‘bush’ (countryside). We enjoyed several performances by the children throughout the week, and fellowshipped and worshipped together as well.

In the evenings, we returned to the seminary campus (where we stayed) to a meal cooked by the seminary wives. They made traditional Zambian dishes for us, which included a type of maize meal called sheema, beans, cabbage, and a portion of meet. The last night we were there they actually made mice and caterpillars, as well. I made an attempt at eating both, although the hairy mouse was much harder to handle than the worm.

This is a mere glimpse into my experience with AVOH in Zambia, but all that I can write for now. I made a lot of great friends and loved being able to serve, love, encourage, and build relationships with my brothers and sisters in Zambia. It is an dreadful fact that eighty percent of Zambians live on less than one dollar a day, and this extreme, country-wide poverty is evident in every way – except in the attitude and kindness of Zambians, who are some of the warmest and friendliest people I have ever had the privilege to meet. I thought that the first time I went to Zambia, and that has only been confirmed through this return experience.

Hiking the Drakensberg

My friend Molly Krans has been interning in Johannesburg for 6 weeks this summer, which was a really nice surprise! Because we were both busy with work or school, we didn’t get to see each other as much as we would have liked. The last weekend in August, we (along with Adriann) planned a trip to go hiking in the Drakensberg Mountain range that runs down the east coast of South Africa and through the entirety of The Kingdom of Lesotho, which is a country encompassed by South Africa’s land mass. Unfortunately, Molly got very ill the day we were supposed to leave, so she had to stay in Jo’burg.

Having already rented a car, and as we had been wanting to do this trip before we left S.A., Adriann and I decided to press on with our travel plans. We drove through the night and arrived at our backpackers, Sani Lodge, which lies in the foothills. It was a very pleasant backpackers, with a cute common room and a cozy fire. Unfortunately, there is no heating in any of the dorms, so when we left the common room, we had to sleep in multiple layers, hats, and gloves.

Our first day, we took a guided hiking tour up the Sani Pass into Lesotho. Sani pass is the road that runs up the mountains between the border of S.A. and Lesotho. It is only accessible by 4x4 vehicle, and is still quite treacherous even with the right type of car. It is a dirt road with a 25% gradient incline, filled with potholes, rocks, and narrow passes. In the winter, there is also ice to battle with. This 8k (5mi) stretch of road took 2 hours to drive. The drive went by quickly, though, thanks to the outstanding scenery and our engaging tour guide. When we arrived at the top of the pass, we went through the Lesotho border control (which was quite small and informal) and began our hike. We hiked for a few hours and ate lunch at the top of one of the peaks, which had a stunning view. After lunch, we hiked for a few more hours, and by the end we were pretty tired due to the extreme altitude. The hike ended with a stop at the highest pub in Africa, where people can enjoy a cool drink.

The next day, Adriann and I awoke to the sound of rain. We were pretty bummed, but refused to let the weather ruin our time in the mountains. We decided to go hiking anyway, hoping that the rain would let up in the afternoon. We went hiking in Garden Castle National Park, which was very beautiful. The rain never stopped, though. Instead, the weather just got worse and worse, and after awhile we had to turn around and head back, as the hiking paths were flooding and becoming slippery. We went home and tried to warm up by the fire for the rest of the evening, making friends with other travelers.

The next day we headed home to conclude our weekend trip to the Drakensberg. It was short and cold – but fun!

Update

Hello All!

I know that I haven't been very good at keeping up with my blog, and a lot of time has passed since my last post. But I hope to catch you up on most of the major events of the last few months in this entry...

Finishing up the semester in May and June was a bit hectic, but everything ended quite well. My grades turned out quite nicely, and my thesis proposal is finally ready to be sent to the readers. I am certainly glad to have that out of my hands for a bit! My thesis is titled A Case Study of World Vision International: The Role of a Transnational Religious NGO in the World of Development in Post-Apartheid South Africa. More or less, I will be looking at how religious non-governmental organizations use their religious nature to positively effect the success of their programs in South Africa. I have been told that my research is quite unique within my field, and - if I complete the project well - I may be able to publish it. That would certainly be rewarding! There is a lot of work to attend to before any of that, however.

My parents, Tim and Cristie, came to South Africa for a visit for about two and a half weeks at the end of June. It was so nice having them here! We went on a sort of whirlwind trip through much of the country, seeing Kruger National Park, Durban, Cape Town, and Johannesburg. We drove to Kruger through some gorgeous countryside, and spent several days in the warm province of Mpumalanga. We saw lots of animals, including some very rare sightings: wild dogs (endangered), secretary birds, and a leopard eating an impala in a tree! Of course, we saw a lot of other more common animals, such as elephant, lion, buffalo, hippo, rhino, and crocodile as well. It was definitely a successful few days of game driving.

After Kruger, we went to Durban for a little relaxation by the Indian Ocean. It was a very peaceful part of our trip. From Durban we went to Cape Town and did a great amount of exploring. Every day was filled with adventure. Not only did we see much of Cape Town, but we also took a lovely drive through adorable coastal towns to arrive at Cape Point (the southernmost tip of Africa where the two oceans collide) and the Cape of Good Hope. The colonies of African penguins along the way were absolutely wonderful. But the best part for me was the scenic view of the ocean and the mountains the entire way. We also visited the wine country just outside of Cape Town for a day. It, too, is beautiful and mountainous. The draw to this area is not only wine for the wine-lovers, but also the fact that it is the culinary capital of South Africa. So much good food! We quite enjoyed the small shops and the delightful food. Every day in Cape Town was completely clear and sunny, a rare occurrence for Cape Town in winter; we felt very fortunate.

Of course we were able to spend some time in my city of Johannesburg, as well. My favorite thing that we did was take a bicycle tour of Soweto (South Africa's largest township, created during apartheid). We had a wonderful time biking through the town and seeing the diversity of the area. We saw extreme poverty, historic landmarks, and the homes of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. We even ate a "Soweto Burger," which was a chunk of bread filled with fries and a hot dog. Our guide was spectacular, and, though we were tired by the end of the day, it was worth it.

This week, class is beginning again for the new semester. I will soon be engrossed in class work and thesis writing, but hopefully I will find more time to write to you all about my latest adventures, including the Rotary service project that us scholars are planning!

Andy and Kasey's Visit!

Hello everyone!  Sorry, again, that it's been so long between posts.  University life is really picking up, as I'm putting together my thesis proposal and finishing up classes.  

In mid-April, my brother Andy and sister-in-law Kasey came to visit me in South Africa, and we had such an amazing time together!  It was so exciting to have my first visitors here; it was getting a little lonely being half a world away from my family.  I waited anxiously for their arrival at the airport, and couldn't have been happier to see their faces emerge from baggage claim.

Once Andy and Kasey arrived, I took them in my lovely vehicle (a Mazda sedan that is older than I am) to their hotel in a very swanky part of the city.  After getting set up at the hotel, we set off for our one day in Johannesburg together.  We decided to go to one of the African craft markets first and grab some lunch, as well.  After browsing the markets for a bit, we picked up my friend Adriann and headed to the Apartheid Museum.  The museum was really interesting, but it turns out that it isn't the best place to take people who are jet-lagged.  Everyone started getting really tired, so we though going somewhere a little more stimulating would be wise.  So, we drove to the lion park to play with baby lions!  But it was closed...

Kasey was crushed.  She just loves cats - even big scary ones.  :)

That night we ate at Moyo, the pan-African restaurant that I've written about before.  We had a wonderful time catching up and enjoying delicious food.  After that, we headed to bed in hopes of being refreshed for the first day of our safari!  

The next morning, our safari guide (who we nicknamed Craig Safari) picked us up to take us on the three hour trip to the game reserve.  Once we arrived in Pilannesburg, we had half a day left to see animals in the daylight, so we went on the hunt!  We saw several animals, including Zebra, Wildebeest, Rhino, and Elephant.  Actually, one of the most exciting stories from the trip is about our elephant encounter.  We came across a small herd of elephant (about five) that were eating on some trees next to the road.  We stopped quite near them to observe and take pictures.  One of the females was crossing the road a mere three feet from our car, and a young male followed her.  The two of them stopped right in front of the car, and the male was attempting to mate with the female.  She was not willing to be woo-ed, however.  She became very agitated, and was showing signs that she was also unhappy that we were so close.  She moved forward, trying to push our vehicle away, and soon moved to the side of the vehicle in an attempt to get us to leave.  All I could see out my window was a big elephant head, and I think her trunk even touched the car!  We were so nervous, but luckily we were with a pretty knowledgeable guide who knew how to handle such a situation.  

We went and settled into the chalet for the evening, and went to bed early in order to prepare for our 5 am wake-up call.  The next morning we again set off with our guide.  The day was pretty successful, especially since we were able to see a leopard, which are extremely difficult to find.  That night we went on a night drive in an open-air safari vehicle and some other people from the camp.  We spent several hours hunting lion, and were kindly rewarded for our search.  We experienced an amazing encounter with a grown male lion.  He was sitting in the open, just in front of our vehicle.  He walked around the vehicle, just a few feet from our dangling arms.  It was scary and amazing all at once!  He eventually started roaring, and it was so loud.  I never would have believed that it could have made such a powerful sound, if i had not heard it with my own ears.  Needless to say, the roaring made everyone a bit nervous, but before long the lion walked away into the tall grasslands.  How majestic!  After that experience, we went back to the camp absolutely elated at our find.

The next day we left early again, in hopes of have more up-close encounters with these curious and awe-inspiring animals.  We were again rather successful, and by the time our safari was complete we had seen four of the Big Five animals - Lion, Rhino, Leopard, and Elephant - along with many other animals.  We only missed the Buffalo.  That evening Andy and Kasey flew to Cape Town, and I headed back to Jo'burg to do some work. 

Two days later, I hopped a flight to Cape Town to spend some more time with my family.  We went to the winelands outside of Cape Town the first day there.  It was so beautiful, even through all of the rain.  We ate delicious, five-star food and shopped in little towns all afternoon.  On the way back to town, we stopped at a cheetah park, to get an up-close view of these beautiful cats.  It was near closing time, but we were able to see them for fifteen minutes or so.  We could hear them purring and see them playing together; you almost forget they're dangerous!  We drove to the ocean in an attempt to see the sunset, but had no luck due to the clouds.  We ate dinner in the Cape that night, though, just in view of the ocean.

The next day we explored some of Cape Town, went to some Craft Markets, ate a delightful lunch.  Robben Island, the place just off of the cape where political prisoners (like Nelson Mandela) were kept during apartheid in South Africa, was the focus of our day, however.  We took a ferry to the island, where we had a guided tour through the island.  An former prisoner took us through the actual prison, and he told his story, which was really interesting.  After that we went to Victoria's Warf, and did some shopping before once again failing to see the sunset thanks to crazy sea fog.  We had a truly amazing dining experience that night at a place just a short walk from our lodging.  The following day I had to leave for Johannesburg, and Andy and Kasey finished out their time in Cape Town before going back to the States.  

It was so great seeing those two...I just wish it could have been longer!  

I can't wait for Mom and Dad to arrive - only three weeks!

Botswana and Zambia

The month of April has allowed for a lot of traveling here in South Africa.  Three weeks ago the University held a short fall break (as we are moving into winter), and so three of my friends and I planned a trip to Botswana and Zambia.  We decided to be adventurous and drive ourselves across Southern Africa, four girls in a Nissan sedan.  We did, indeed, find much adventure.

The first day, we drove from South Africa to Gaborone, Botswana.  We have some friends who attend the University of Botswana in Gaborone, and we were able to spend some time with them and see a bit of Gaborone.  The next day, we headed to Maun, a city on the edge of the great Okavango Delta.  The drive took about half a day, but we were kept pretty entertained by the goats, donkeys, and cattle that sprinkled the poorly-paved roadways.  Apparently, Botswana has the largest population of wild donkeys in the world.  Strange.  We drove through the Tropic of Capricorn and were able to see some really interesting landscape changes as we chugged along into the semi-arid countryside.  The earth changed from a deep red color to sandy white when we entered into the salt pans of Botswana, and the vegetation differed dramatically.  Suddenly, there were strangely giant termite hills surrounding the highway from all directions.  At one point, we saw the most perfect, picturesque African sunset; it was like something out of The Lion King. 

Our accommodations in Maun were quite lovely.  We stayed at a backpackers right on the water of the Delta and slept under thatched roofs.  There were perhaps more spiders than I would have preferred, but I suppose they come with the surroundings.  Our first full day in the delta, we headed out on a day-long Mokoro (canoe) tour.  I liken the Okavango Delta to the wetlands of Florida, for mental picture purposes only.  Clearly, the delta is more remote and expansive.  There are essentially hundreds of miles of marsh lands spread over the northern section of Botswana, where networks of narrow streams lead into larger, deeper pools of fresh water.  Tall grasses and reeds grow out of the water.  Mokoro boats are hand carved traditional canoes.  Only two people fit into each canoe, and the guide stands in the back with a long pole to push you along through the delta.  

We started on the tour early in the morning, riding along in the canoes for two hours before getting off on an island to track animals by foot and eat some lunch.  By this time the sun was getting unbearably hot, but we followed our guide on an animal hunt anyway.  We saw giraffe and elephant from afar and were able to find some well preserved rhino tracks.  Giraffe are so funny in the wild.  When they gallop their long necks move back and forth, and it's just hilarious.

When we got back in the canoe, we had to move past some hippos that we had seen earlier in the day.  There were about five of them basking in the cool water.  We stopped to observe them  and take a few photos.  One of the hippos became really irritated and began charging our boats, so our guides had to move as fast as possible to hide in one of the streams.  The hippo pursued us for a bit, and then retreated.   It was very unnerving, as hippos kill more people than any other animal in Africa and are known to have terrible tempers.  We escaped unscathed, though, and now I have an interesting near-death experience to tell.  Needless to say, I will not be getting close to a hippo in a small canoe ever again.

We spent another day or so in Maun, taking in the peaceful sights and getting to know some very interesting individuals before heading on to Livingstone, Zambia.  We started on the road at five in the morning, and I had the first driving shift.  I was expecting to encounter more donkeys and goats on the way, but - much to my surprise - I ended up dodging giraffe and elephant as well!  (Giraffe look a bit like a T-Rex from far away...)  We weren't sure how much big wildlife we would see on the drive, but it ended up being quite a bit.  We spent another 14 hours on the road that day, navigating our way through the treacherous roads of the A33 in Botswana.  The A33 is the only road that leads from Botswana into Zambia, so we were forced to take it, but it is in extremely poor condition.  If we would have been in a 4x4, it wouldn't have been a problem, but our poor little rental car had a tough time going though the endless potholes.  When I say potholes, I mean massive, extremely deep potholes that completely took over the road, from shoulder to shoulder.  Luckily, after the first 60km or so the road improved and we were able to make it to Zambia before the border closed.  

The next day we went to Victoria Falls in Zambia.  Vic Falls is one of the Wonders of the World, and is one of the largest waterfalls in existence.  We were at the falls during the height of flood season, and the locals said that the Zambizi River was fuller than it had been in over fifty years.  We were expecting the falls to be powerful, but all of my expectations were blown away by the force of Victoria Falls.  It was probably the most amazing thing that I have ever experienced in nature.  From far away all you can see of the falls is what appears to be a huge cloud of smoke rising out of the earth.  In reality, it is a cloud of mist caused from the falls hitting the river bottom. 

There are several paths mapped out that visitors can take to view the falls in different ways.  We first took the "picture" path, which allows for the best photographs and full views of the falls.  We then walked to the bridge that marks the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe and briefly stepped into another country.  Zim isn't the safest place to go right now, so we chose not to go into the country on our trip.  After that, we took the path that goes right near the falls, and even though we wore ponchos and rain coats, we were completely soaked by the volume of water coming off the falls.  It was like a monsoon was hitting you from all directions, and several inches of rushing water covered our feet.  As we were walking, it was easy to forget that it actually wasn't raining.  We were just in a freak mist storm.  I couldn't stop laughing and smiling during those moments.  

We then chose to walk down to a place called "The Boiling Pot," which is at the base of the falls.  We we able to hike down the cliff through the breathtaking rainforest to get to the bottom.  Once we reached the base, the path had been swept away in the flooding, and we had to hike through knee-deep water to reach the Boiling Pot.  It was well worth it, though.  We had an awesome view of the place where the falls hit the river, causing massive swirling vortexes.  The water churns and bubbles with such force that it leaves you in awe...and slightly terrified of falling into the waters!  After we hiked back to the top, we walked to the upper Zambizi River to see where the first part of the river turns into the great falls.  

That night we took a sunset dinner cruise of the upper Zambizi and met some new friends.  We had to cut our trip to Victoria Falls a day short in order to make up for the unexpected loss of time we were to experience on the A33.  Dodging more elephants (and even an elephant train!), we made it back to Francistown, one of the largest cities in Botswana.  We stayed there for a night, drove the rest of the way to Gaborone the next day and spent another night with out friends at the University.  

I had such a wonderful time in Botswana and Zambia.  Not only was I able to experience God's beautiful creation in new, amazing ways, but I got to interact with some of the nicest people I have met in my life.  I would like to return to Zambia if only to get to know the locals better!