Dumela from South Africa. Dumela means Hello. I’m writing this from the car, while we’re on our way to Botswana to be posted later. We’re driving about an hour and 15 minutes so I figured I should use my time wisely.
This morning we had to leave our first families. It was a little sad because we were just starting to get to know them better. But we have lots more families coming up. Before we left the Rutenberg Rotary group they did also take us to Thusanang Early Learning Center where they teach children between the ages of 2 and 5. They were absolutely adorable. A few of the older children played music for us on what looks like an Xylophone. The smaller children came out dressed in grass skirts, some with noise makers around their feet. They did a dance for us. We toured the facility with the organizer of the program, named Santa. We got a chance to interact and take pictures with the kids. I didn’t want to leave, but Frank came over to peel them off me as they were jumping all over me! J
After that Santa took us to a little Information Center, a little store where they sell crafts from the local people who earn the profits, we had “Pop” which is a real South African breakfast. It was sort of like grits, but thicker and bigger chunks. It was pretty good.
That’s really it for now.. Were going to be crossing the boarder into Botswana soon. This will be the first time I’ve crossed countries before in a car. I’ve gone into Canada, but I didn’t need a passport at the time and I don’t think that counts.
Okay so I’m behind on my updates… but we’ve been so incredibly busy.. so let’s see…
We made it to the Botswana border… They searched our luggage and it took a little while. But we said goodbye to our host families and met our new ones in Gaborone. I am staying with the Lord Family, Natalie and Gary. They are great. We had a nice picnic at Gary’s house in the backyard before going to a local craft shop. We bought a few souvenirs before meeting at the Bull and Bush for drinks.. It’s a local pub and restaurant, which is definitely my kind of place. We met the other Rotarians there... Joedi’s host lived too far away, so they decided she would get to come to Gary’s house as well, which is great for sleepovers! J We had another Braai at their house, with the President of the Club, Mark and our new friend Arthur, who was the son of one of the Rotarians. We played darts, football, and ate some great steaks and chicken kebobs. Our house was beautiful, on the end of a small dirt road, with a thatched roof and an outside shower. Joedi and I switched between the shower and the bath each night. I wish I had an outside shower at home because then I’d have no problem getting up. It’s so refreshing.
Anyway, Thursday we woke up early again, but I’m getting used to it! We went to 2 Projects in the morning, one was a Mochudi Resource Center for the Blind and the other was Stepping Stones. The Center for the Blind was very sad because they have facilities that aren’t very accessible for those who have vision problems. There are stairs with no railings, etc. Stepping Stones was a very nice facility and is an after school program for students until age 18.
Next we had lunch at a hotel where we did our team GSE presentations. We’re getting more accustomed to doing them now as we have done a few now. After lunch we went to one more project The Tshedisa Institute. The rotary club has helped them create a peace garden for caregivers. The Stamford Rotary Club from the United States also provided a grant. So it was nice to see funds from Connecticut being used to help these caregivers.
Next we met at Yacht Club near the Dam, which had a beautiful view of the sunset. We enjoyed cocktails and met with the Rotary team again.
Later on in the night we went to a Classical Music Concert which included the Johannesburg Orchestra, Tenors from Botswana, and a pianist from Belgrade. It was very interesting, although hot as our ceiling fan was not working correctly. Then it was time for bed! We got home about 12 am so needless to say we were exhausted and we went right to bed.
One thing I love about both Botswana and South Africa is that there is no rush when it comes to time. We are always late, but it’s not a big deal because so is everyone else. It’s very relaxed and even though we have a lot of stuff to do each day, it makes it a lot easier to not have to rush.
Today is Saturday.. I think :P No it is. We woke up and had an awesome breakfast .. I think it was called a Flat Egg.. it had eggs, bacon, mozzarella, mushrooms, and tomatoes.. The top was crispy and yes mom :P I ate mushrooms. It was actually delicious! We’re on the way to another town now.. just said goodbye to our last host families.. Seems like we can’t get used to any place because were always on the move. But we really enjoyed our stay here. It’s 4 ½ hours to the next place so Cheers for now J
We went for a long drive to our next place, in Silbe Pickwee. A driver picked us up and we met up with the President of the Rotary, as well as a Rotary member named Joan. We then met at the golf club where the Rotarians were having a golf tournament to raise funds for a local charity. We met other Rotarians, had dinner, and got to know them all better.. Then we went back to James’ and Sandy’s house where we had a Kereokee party. So much fun! We sang and danced the night away. I stayed at Tony and Lol’s house… It was just one night though… So in the morning we had to go for a long drive to meet the people at the border who were picking us up in Makopane.
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After we got to Blondie’s house, one of the new hosts, we had a great lunch that she made. Joedi and Jaime were staying together with their host who took them right after lunch. Frank and I spent most of the day playing chess, Uno, and we walked to the church down the street. My family came to get me and I had some dinner and watched tv before I called it a night.
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Today is Monday and we started the day off by visiting Blondie’s jewelry store in the local mall which is very nice. We then went to a Platinum mine. Although it was down pouring we had a good time. Had lunch at a place at the mall and then a driver picked us up and we went to a Game Drive. It was nice also. I am taking lots of pictures even though I havent posted them. I havent gotten internet access in a few days now which has been hard, but its forcing me to relax and not think so much.
I also couldn’t be happier with the teammates that were chosen to share this experiment with me. We all are getting along really great. Like better than great. We have a lot of fun together no matter what we’re doing and I’m glad that I had the chance to be apart of their lives and go through this experience with them. It’s only been a week, but we pretty much spend 7am to 10pm together everyday, if not longer.. So we have gotten to know each other pretty well and I’m pretty sure we’ll always stay in touch in the future. Strange how people you just meet can mean so much, so soon.
At night we went to Protea hotel where we did our presentations and had a very nice dinner. The choices varied on alligator, chicken, worms, etc. I tried a worm! And no it wasn’t good! lol
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Tuesday already.. This morning we got up and I had a nice breakfast with my host family of eggs, toast, sausage, and bacon. Then we met the rest of the team and went to the Lion Park where we got to see a ton of lions very close. The 4 of us even went into the area where the lions were held and got to pet and take with a few of them. When Joedi and I went in somebody came up to the door and all of the lions started coming near us.. It was a tense moment to say the least, but we had a lot of fun there. After that it was off to …meet another family in Polokwane… They of course are very nice too.. Sue and John and they have a very nice home. We spent the afternoon at a place where they use horses for therapy for those that are mentally or physically handicapped.. We also had a few drinks…Then went to a local club to do our presentations.. Everyone was great and we had this really good food..ground beef with eggs on top.. Sooo delicious.. We called it a pretty early night since we had a long day the next day.
_______________________________________________________________________
I had breakfast with my host family before we visted an assisted living rotary project… Then some time for shopping at the local mall which was nice.. After that we went to the South African Bewery where we got a tour and sampled Castle, Hansa (my new favorite), Black Label and a few others.. We then went bar hopping to a few taverns which was great also. After that we had an awesome steak dinner and drinks.
This morning we had to leave our first families. It was a little sad because we were just starting to get to know them better. But we have lots more families coming up. Before we left the Rutenberg Rotary group they did also take us to Thusanang Early Learning Center where they teach children between the ages of 2 and 5. They were absolutely adorable. A few of the older children played music for us on what looks like an Xylophone. The smaller children came out dressed in grass skirts, some with noise makers around their feet. They did a dance for us. We toured the facility with the organizer of the program, named Santa. We got a chance to interact and take pictures with the kids. I didn’t want to leave, but Frank came over to peel them off me as they were jumping all over me! J
After that Santa took us to a little Information Center, a little store where they sell crafts from the local people who earn the profits, we had “Pop” which is a real South African breakfast. It was sort of like grits, but thicker and bigger chunks. It was pretty good.
That’s really it for now.. Were going to be crossing the boarder into Botswana soon. This will be the first time I’ve crossed countries before in a car. I’ve gone into Canada, but I didn’t need a passport at the time and I don’t think that counts.
Okay so I’m behind on my updates… but we’ve been so incredibly busy.. so let’s see…
We made it to the Botswana border… They searched our luggage and it took a little while. But we said goodbye to our host families and met our new ones in Gaborone. I am staying with the Lord Family, Natalie and Gary. They are great. We had a nice picnic at Gary’s house in the backyard before going to a local craft shop. We bought a few souvenirs before meeting at the Bull and Bush for drinks.. It’s a local pub and restaurant, which is definitely my kind of place. We met the other Rotarians there... Joedi’s host lived too far away, so they decided she would get to come to Gary’s house as well, which is great for sleepovers! J We had another Braai at their house, with the President of the Club, Mark and our new friend Arthur, who was the son of one of the Rotarians. We played darts, football, and ate some great steaks and chicken kebobs. Our house was beautiful, on the end of a small dirt road, with a thatched roof and an outside shower. Joedi and I switched between the shower and the bath each night. I wish I had an outside shower at home because then I’d have no problem getting up. It’s so refreshing.
Anyway, Thursday we woke up early again, but I’m getting used to it! We went to 2 Projects in the morning, one was a Mochudi Resource Center for the Blind and the other was Stepping Stones. The Center for the Blind was very sad because they have facilities that aren’t very accessible for those who have vision problems. There are stairs with no railings, etc. Stepping Stones was a very nice facility and is an after school program for students until age 18.
Next we had lunch at a hotel where we did our team GSE presentations. We’re getting more accustomed to doing them now as we have done a few now. After lunch we went to one more project The Tshedisa Institute. The rotary club has helped them create a peace garden for caregivers. The Stamford Rotary Club from the United States also provided a grant. So it was nice to see funds from Connecticut being used to help these caregivers.
Next we met at Yacht Club near the Dam, which had a beautiful view of the sunset. We enjoyed cocktails and met with the Rotary team again.
Later on in the night we went to a Classical Music Concert which included the Johannesburg Orchestra, Tenors from Botswana, and a pianist from Belgrade. It was very interesting, although hot as our ceiling fan was not working correctly. Then it was time for bed! We got home about 12 am so needless to say we were exhausted and we went right to bed.
One thing I love about both Botswana and South Africa is that there is no rush when it comes to time. We are always late, but it’s not a big deal because so is everyone else. It’s very relaxed and even though we have a lot of stuff to do each day, it makes it a lot easier to not have to rush.
Today is Saturday.. I think :P No it is. We woke up and had an awesome breakfast .. I think it was called a Flat Egg.. it had eggs, bacon, mozzarella, mushrooms, and tomatoes.. The top was crispy and yes mom :P I ate mushrooms. It was actually delicious! We’re on the way to another town now.. just said goodbye to our last host families.. Seems like we can’t get used to any place because were always on the move. But we really enjoyed our stay here. It’s 4 ½ hours to the next place so Cheers for now J
We went for a long drive to our next place, in Silbe Pickwee. A driver picked us up and we met up with the President of the Rotary, as well as a Rotary member named Joan. We then met at the golf club where the Rotarians were having a golf tournament to raise funds for a local charity. We met other Rotarians, had dinner, and got to know them all better.. Then we went back to James’ and Sandy’s house where we had a Kereokee party. So much fun! We sang and danced the night away. I stayed at Tony and Lol’s house… It was just one night though… So in the morning we had to go for a long drive to meet the people at the border who were picking us up in Makopane.
_______________________________________________________________________\
After we got to Blondie’s house, one of the new hosts, we had a great lunch that she made. Joedi and Jaime were staying together with their host who took them right after lunch. Frank and I spent most of the day playing chess, Uno, and we walked to the church down the street. My family came to get me and I had some dinner and watched tv before I called it a night.
______________________________________________________________________________
Today is Monday and we started the day off by visiting Blondie’s jewelry store in the local mall which is very nice. We then went to a Platinum mine. Although it was down pouring we had a good time. Had lunch at a place at the mall and then a driver picked us up and we went to a Game Drive. It was nice also. I am taking lots of pictures even though I havent posted them. I havent gotten internet access in a few days now which has been hard, but its forcing me to relax and not think so much.
I also couldn’t be happier with the teammates that were chosen to share this experiment with me. We all are getting along really great. Like better than great. We have a lot of fun together no matter what we’re doing and I’m glad that I had the chance to be apart of their lives and go through this experience with them. It’s only been a week, but we pretty much spend 7am to 10pm together everyday, if not longer.. So we have gotten to know each other pretty well and I’m pretty sure we’ll always stay in touch in the future. Strange how people you just meet can mean so much, so soon.
At night we went to Protea hotel where we did our presentations and had a very nice dinner. The choices varied on alligator, chicken, worms, etc. I tried a worm! And no it wasn’t good! lol
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Tuesday already.. This morning we got up and I had a nice breakfast with my host family of eggs, toast, sausage, and bacon. Then we met the rest of the team and went to the Lion Park where we got to see a ton of lions very close. The 4 of us even went into the area where the lions were held and got to pet and take with a few of them. When Joedi and I went in somebody came up to the door and all of the lions started coming near us.. It was a tense moment to say the least, but we had a lot of fun there. After that it was off to …meet another family in Polokwane… They of course are very nice too.. Sue and John and they have a very nice home. We spent the afternoon at a place where they use horses for therapy for those that are mentally or physically handicapped.. We also had a few drinks…Then went to a local club to do our presentations.. Everyone was great and we had this really good food..ground beef with eggs on top.. Sooo delicious.. We called it a pretty early night since we had a long day the next day.
_______________________________________________________________________
I had breakfast with my host family before we visted an assisted living rotary project… Then some time for shopping at the local mall which was nice.. After that we went to the South African Bewery where we got a tour and sampled Castle, Hansa (my new favorite), Black Label and a few others.. We then went bar hopping to a few taverns which was great also. After that we had an awesome steak dinner and drinks.
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