Final Destination

Our trip to Liberia was very eventful, the itinerary read: Johannesburg->Kenya->Ethiopia->Ghana->Liberia.

Smaller Earth was nice enough to pay for us to have somewhere to hang during hour 10-11 hour wait for our connecting flight to Addis, which is good, because the airport in Nairobi is probably one of the most boring I've been to this year. The staff at the lounge was really great, we had a very RANDOM added bonus of getting to meet Cindy McCain.

Week 2

Monday was alright, it was a bit sad because we had to say goodbye to Joke and Olivia, our two volunteers who were going home. I've met and said goodbye to so many people this year!

Tuesday was pretty good, I especially enjoyed our egg race, the kids were so much better at it then I thought they would be at their age! We walked home with the children (they walk with us a lot) and I was feeling pretty good. Unfortunately my light mood was darkened by a light spot...on my foot. I pressed it and it was a bit sore, so I asked (with trepidation, as I kind of had an idea) what it was. Eddie said maybe it was a metequene, I said no, surely it isn't, I'd been quite diligent about always wearing shoes and always dusting off my feet, but Eddie looked closely at it, and said one word that sealed my fate. "Yep."

I rushed to my room, got a needle, sterilized it and then asked him to take the sucker out. One of the other volunteers called Mai tried to be helpful by telling me "Don't worry Carielle, it's like taking out a splinter," but the response from Amy, who has actually had a metequene, "Mai, have you ever had one taken out?" let me know that Mai-bless her-was probably blowing smoke. NOT ENCOURAGING.

Eddie tried a bit with the needle but then said he needed to use his "tool," tool meaning a thorn that was much thicker than the needle. Thank God I didn't know how much it hurt or I probably wouldn't have let him near me. The thing came out and we took photos and videos, but I think it'll gross you guys out so I'm not posting!
We had Portugese lessons, Deolinda, one of the teachers at the school, came by to help us out. Now I can stop speaking Spanish and just having people think I have a funky accent (and in some cases, having them think I'm just speaking gibberish).

The rest of the week was good, on Wednesday I led my first adult English class.

I teach the pre-intermediate group with India, a volunteer from Australia. I had put a good bit of time into my lesson planning for Wednesday, so I felt pretty confident, but only a few minutes into the class I realized I was heavy on exercises and not so strong on the basic rules of what I was teaching! So I thought fast and scrapped the plan and just went over the basic rules of what I was trying to teach for the rest of the class. I made a good comeback, but this was a good lesson for me! When teaching, make sure students understand before you start having them practice what you've taught. For Friday, I made a point to really focus on the rules of what I was teaching before going any further into the lesson, and we had a wonderful time. The students seemed really engaged and when I finally did get around to practicing what I had taught, they were answering my questions correctly, which let me know they were retaining the information.

We had another pleasant weekend! We painted the school on Saturday and got quite a bit done, I'm sure that's thanks to the help of a certain munchkin.
I'm excited to go back to school tomorrow, things felt a bit hectic the first week, but now that I'm getting to know the children, I'm really enjoying it!

Weekend

Friday was my first full day at school. After we feed them breakfast, we have circle time, where we sit outside under the shade of a huge mango tree, and play games and sing songs. On Friday I learned two things:
A-the Mozambiquan national anthem may be in the running for the longest one on earth
B- the other teachers have great songs, I wish I'd had them in some other teaching experiences!

Later in circle time, the kids will usually dance and it is really funny. They thrust their pelvises to the beat of a song, which is something I have to get on video, as they are very serious about their dancing.

Next is the activity session. We always have the children separated into three different groups, all doing a separate activity. I was inside helping with coloring and I was very happy, we had a lovely, mellow time! Between us, I prefer being inside doing that type of thing than outside in the sand, so much so that I wanted to join in the coloring, but we didn't have enough coloring books. I got my wish in the guise of telling a kid we should "color together." She liked it, I liked it, hey, everybody wins. Well almost everybody. One little girl was coloring outside the lines and one of our local teachers told her she should be more like another girl and pointed at that work, but I just thought: let her be! Who cares if a child colors in the lines? The kid seemed all self-conscious after that, and who wants to be self-conscious during coloring??

Later we had a free period where a bunch of little girls started "doing" (read: tangling up) my hair, oh the things I do for the munchkins. We fed them their lunch (we make them rice every day) and then headed home.

I went to our adult English class for the first time that afternoon, we sit in the shade of some lovely trees
in sand on some mats (folks I swear I have never been exposed to so much sand ever in my life, and considering my paranoia about critters, oy...) Still, school was awesome. Our students are characters, some of the boys are a bit cheeky and make jokes asking if I know random famous people, but alas, I don't.

The school book was a bit hard to use because of cultural references that just didn't apply to our students. It made me wonder about about some standardized test questions that are geared to certain people.

The weekend was great, my first in weeks where I had no set itinerary! I went to a really fun full moon party with my housemates, then hung out with them over the weekend. By the way, I love my roommate Alexandra, she's Greek and is a ton of fun. Plus she's a granny like me so she's down for naptime in the middle of the day. When we weren't napping we were swimming, meeting new people at the pool, and having a few good meals, no stress! Ah if every weekend could be so simple.

My first week in Moz

Getting out of bed this morning was a feat, I felt so tired! I didn't even experience a time change from Jo'burg to Vilanculos, so I'm not sure what is up with me. I had breakfast at the volunteer house and had my...final induction! I can't believe it. This year has just whizzed by, where did the time go?? Just last year (right around this time, actually) I was vying for a spot in the finals for YBY Liverpool! Who knew I would actually win, what a blessing.

We headed to school and the kids are on break, which means no real lessons, just activities. I prefer structured teaching to playing around because I end up feeling like I'm not doing much, but what are ya gonna do? The children are gorgeous, but I didn't take my camera today because I prefer to meet people and have them get a bit comfortable before I stick my camera in their faces, but you'll see the kids soon, I promise. They're really fun and the setting seems very relaxed.

After school the other volunteers and I walked back through a nearby resort (really nice) and along the beach to our hotel. I read by the pool, a good end to a good day!
Tuesday: I had a bit of an easier time getting up (barely) so I was thrilled that just as I was about to walk out the door my roommates told me we had to skip school because of some government stuff. I didn't get to go back to sleep because we walked to the market instead. I asked and there was some discussion about whether this was a" a 30 or 45-minute walk, try closer to an hour! As if that wasn't painful enough, it was on this walk I found my card does not work at any of the ATM's here! AAAAH having flashbacks from earlier this year when my card got a scratch, it was miserable! Wondering again if I should be so dependent on a piece of plastic, but I don't think it's safe or smart to carry around a ton of money, so until someone comes up with an alternative (maybe retinal scans at ATM's? ;-)), this is it.

We headed back and just hung out at the pool, I even got in a good afternoon nap. School is canceled for Wendnesday too, so we decided to take a trip to Tofo.

Wednesday: We took a 2:30am bus, had a few transfers (including a boat ride and a crowded van), and arrived in Tofo on Wednesday afternoon. Tofo is GORGEOUS, a definite must-see for volunteers in Vilanculos.
Our trip was short-lived as school was back on, so we left on Thursday morning and arrived in Vilanculos just in time for the orphanage (we go every Thursday). We hadn't known we needed to go to the orphanage today, so the revelation after a 6-hour trip was met with some whingeing (we're volunteers, not saints, people!), but it was fine. Volunteers basically just sit in the yard and play with the children, and the children seem really happy to have us there so I'm happy we went. We played duck duck goose or pato pato galino (sp?), I believe this is the one game you can play around the world that kids-and most adults- will love!

We had a full moon tonight and a good Mozambiquan dinner (I can't remember the name), my first proper day of preschool is tomorrow, full update soon!

Mozambique

I left Johannesburg this morning and we stopped in Inhambane, then onwards to Vilanculos. African Impact staff member Amy picked me up and drove me to the volunteer house. On the drive I asked about these bugs that supposedly burrow into your skin when you sit on the beach(someone I met in South Africa told me this)! The staff member told me she wasn't sure they were just on the beach and that she thought the mango trees at school attract them. She hadn't gotten any until she recently got four all in one foot. A friend had to pick them out with a needle...lovely.

The volunteer house is a structure with high ceilings and a thatched roof, there's a downstairs area with a large table where we will eat meals together. We will mostly just use this building for socializing. Across the road is a beautiful resort with two pools (whoohoo) and the beach is a short walk from there! This is also where we'll be staying.

Five of us live in a thatched roof bungalow that has electricity and an ensuite bathroom with running water, it is lovely! Space is a bit tight and the rest of the beds are in the open, there are two beds upstairs right across from the big opening in our bungalow (or as I'll call it, mozzie highway)
and there are two more on the bottom floor right near the entrance, but I'm in the only closed off bedroom in the back. Another volunteer arrives on Tuesday and she will be sharing with me, but for now I have a bit of privacy. I took a long nap and then had a delicious dinner at the restaurant next door with my new roommates, from England, Japan, Australia, and the Netherlands. I asked about the burrowing bugs and they told me the bugs actually don't like saltwater, so you wouldn't find them on the beach. So jury's out on what area I should avoid? So far so good, orientation tomorrow. Pics coming soon, net access here is a bit iffy.

update: pics added!

Maasai Mara

We headed out early Thursday morning and had a long ride with the other volunteers to the Masai mara. Once we were in the park, we met a few of the Masai guides, then headed to camp. On our way, saw a few wildebeast walking by. My first night was meant to be spent with the African Impact lion conservation project out here. We got to arrived at camp and it seems alright. The accommodations are basic, but comfortable, and the staff is very friendly.

There's an outdoor area used for eating and socializing, and across from that is a structure for the bedrooms. I'm in a room with a volunteer from Holland.

Mike’s in a tent in the back, which he seemed a bit nervous about! The bathroom facilities seem to be fine. Overall, it's a very liveable setup!

We had a bit of free time, so I was able to take a nap, which made me happy because that ride was a beast. Sitting in the front middle seat with no back support for 4 hrs is not conducive to napping!

I woke up feeling better and was surprised to see that David from African encounter was there. We had seen him on our introduction video at Antelope Park, and I find that for some reason it's always a bit surreal to meet people you've only seen on video or television. He’s nice, and we had a good time chatting with him about Antelope Park. This project is based on monitoring the animals here, so we watched a presentation about lions and how to identify them, then I napped again. Hey, I was tired!

When I got up, we went on our game drive and I felt great to be in wide open spaces,

which made me think of the song. I know, I know, but give me a break, I just felt really happy to be able to come, I can't believe I almost passed it up because I was tired!

Our Masai guide's name is Joseph, and I told him he wasn’t as tall as I had expected. I explained that many people have visions about Masai men being these uber tall lanky guys! He smiled and told me compared to him I was still short, so maybe he thought Americans were taller too ;)

We didn’t see too much on our game drive. We saw the usual animals, giraffe and elephants,

but no lions (ha! a month ago I'd have been thrilled to have seen any animal!). We stopped and had dinner outside, and the scenery was gorgeous, but when we first stopped I looked around and said "uh...couldn't lions just walk up to us?" The guides assured us that wouldn't happen, so then I just enjoyed my delicious meal of chicken and veggies and took photos. Best picnic I've had all year!

We rode more and still didn’t see anything, but the tons of stars in the sky made it worth it, just like at Uluru! As icing on the cake, Mike and I both saw a shooting star! Definitely a good sign.

We got back to camp and hung out. I used the internet for a bit, then got a raging headache. My third this year. Once in Peru after our beach trip, then in Romania after a day of school, and now here. I'm not sure what it is, as it always comes on suddenly. Maybe my spine was out of whack because of the car ride, maybe I've had tons of sun and have been squinting too much. Either way, it was full on.

It was pitch black outside, and I left my room to wash my face at our outdoor bathroom. At the sink, I suddenly remembered a story a staffer told earlier about a female lion that had casually walked through camp…and I realized we didn’t have any fencing whatsoever, and that it was so dark I could be getting stalked right now and not know it. Suddenly I was washing furiously, trying to decide between my life and clogged pores. It didn’t take long before I realized I could stand a few zits. I ran back to the lodging, soap in my mouth and all (don’t ask how that happened) and slammed my room door. Deciding the taste of soap wasn’t the best, I went to the water tank right across from my room (still not out of the danger zone because nothing is closed up) and got some water, finished rinsing my face and rinsed out my mouth and locked my door. My terror made me forget my headache for a second…a second. I eventually fell asleep but man, with the fear and the headache, who knew the Mara could be so eventful!

Day 3 at Antelope Park

We cleaned the stables this morning and had to shovel up a ton of horse manure. Sounds gross, but I was actually happy to be outside doing good solid work, it is a good change from sitting behind a desk.

I don’t have much to report on today, so I think now is a good time to tell you about our schedule. We have a lot of chores, and they can vary from cub-sitting to cleaning out cages. The length of time for activities can vary.

6:25 am to 8am-Morning activity.

8:30 Breakfast

9:25-12:30 Second morning session.

1pm Lunch

2:05pm-4pm First Afternoon Session

4pm-5:30 Second Afternoon Session

6pm-Volunteer meeting. We just talk about our schedule for the next day and bring up any questions/concerns we have.

7pm-Dinner

In the afternoon, our job was to take water to the older lions. We normally open a small door and the lions go into a holding cage attached to their pen, which is great because we don't have to have any interaction with them. Unfortunately today, one of the lions refused to go into the holding pen. Jabulani said "oh well let's go in anyway, he won't do anything." Needless to say, I sat out of that one. They told me to watch the door to the holding cage because the lions are smart enough to pull it open, thus having access to my tasty-looking friends in their cage. Talk about a big responsibility.

One lion was scraping at the ground and jumping at the fence and I don’t think she was doing it to say hello, I think she was trying to get to yours truly because she thought I would taste good!

We went and saw the 2P's and Penya had just gotten scolded for something...I guess I picked the wrong time to take her photo.

And for my evening activity we cubsat the 2L's. They're way bigger than the 2P's and I am still a bit intimidated, but they seem friendly enough.

After dinner, some dancers performed. Mike loved the performance and I'm impressed he even danced a bit! Once we have better internet I'll show you the clip.