A Close Encounter with Some of the Locals

As I head toward the end of week three, Simone and I were eager to take on a new adventure. With the hospitals still on strike, we were left with a free Friday and endless possibilities. After some researching the night before, we set our sight on an early morning trip to the Lion Park, a mere 25 minute drive south of Joburg. Today I was going to do something that I would have never expected I would do in my life…walk calming into a pen with a dozen juvenile lions!

The Lion Park was set up with three main attraction areas. The first area that we headed off to was the Lion Cub Pens. Here we were met by some of the cutest, laziest lions, basking in the morning sun. With it being a non-holiday Friday morning, there was hardly anyone at the park as we were wandered around and took pictures of the lions, cheetahs, and hyenas. Before long we made our way around to the entrance of the lion cub pen where we could go in and enjoy playtime with the sleepy little cubs. As I walked into the double gated fence, reading all of the warning signs around me, I wondered if I was making a wise decision. I can honestly say that I did! We were able to do right up to the wandering cubs and pet them. Simone and I made our way around the pen, making new furry friends. Some of the cubs were a little on the feisty side, one going as hard as biting a little whole into Simone’s shorts! My guess is that that cub felt she looked tastier that I did :) It is hard to describe how exciting yet anxious I was around the cubs, but I was able to break down and get some pretty cute pictures with some of them (below).

After the lion cub pen, we made our way over to the main wildlife fence that put us with in arms reach of giraffes, ostriches, and zebra. For a bit of change we were able to by some food pellets and we gained quick popularity amongst the animals. Most of our time with spent feeding the one giraffe, which quickly became my favorite animal at the park. The gorgeous and HUGE animal devoured the treats straight from our hands (below); leaving a rather slimy mess on our hands I must say! I was truly a once in a lifetime experience…

After a short break for a picnic lunch that Simone and I have prepared, it was off to the next to portions of the park: the self-driven safari game drive and a drive through the adult lion park. Piloting our little manual Toyota, we drove into through the safari were we were surrounded by springbuck, wildebeest, zebra, ostrich, and main others (below). Putting our way through the game drive, we made our way to the main attraction…the adult lion pens. We made a way through three highly gated pens and before we knew it, we had the company of several different packs of lion right outside our car doors. Many of the lions allowed us to pass by as they rested, but others became more curious and scouted out our teal hatchback with great curiosity (below). While I knew that the car door would protect me…I did not want that aspect of protection to be tested!

What a day full of memories! The experience is one that I will surely never forget!

Wat ‘n dag! (What a day! in Afrikaans)

Mike

Getting into a Routine

Just as it goes back home, Simone and I have been doing our best to get into a routine over here. This has put me into quite a situation. I am happy to be adding another post to my blog but sadly I feel that my everyday life over here is not always the most interesting thing to document. Though things have been pretty low key as of lately, here is a brief update of what has been going on.

Thankfully, at the top of the list, Simone is no longer sick! We kind of lost a week there where we mostly stuck around the house so she could recover, but it was all worth. At the same time, even though I was not sick, I think it was good for me to have some downtime. It is easy to get caught up with the idea that we need to be running around doing something every minute of the day but that’s not a very realistic mentality. We were able to enjoy some little trips to some surrounding shopping malls and the great thing that we have discovered is that almost everything is roughly 10-15 minutes in any direction. Benefit of living in the city for sure!

Since Simone’s recovery, we have made our way back to the gym and back to Sparrow. We have hit some unexpected snags though. One major snag is that for the last two weeks, the public school teachers and the hospital workers have been on a pretty major strike. This has left of unable to go to Sparrow some days (many due to safety reasons). This has been a bit frustrating but at least we know that we will be here for the next four months and the strike will only go on so much longer. What is really sad are all the school children and hospital patients who are being neglected due to the strike. Some of the footage we have seen on the news has been terrible but I am keeping my hopes high that everyone will get their priorities straight soon!

As the days move forward, Simone and I are just trying to work through medical school secondary applications and plan our day according to what we are given. I want to say thanks to everyone who has sent me a comment or an email so far! I can’t tell you how much it means to me to hear from each of you. I must say, South Africa is a beautiful and lively country, but nothing makes me forget about home and all of you that I care so much about! Hope you hear more from everyone soon!

Well I guess that is all for now. I image as we get through the weekend, I will have more interesting things to write about. Until then I have attached some photos that I have taken while trying to complete Simone’s Culture Hunt List. For those of you who don’t know, as part of my birthday present, Simone made me a list of various things I need to see/accomplish while in Africa. She is such a sweetheart :). Below you will see Number 6 – Have a South African Beer, and Number 33 – Find Heinz Ketchup.

Tot volgende tyd (Till next time in Afrikaans)

Mike

Bring On The Kids

Since our big game park weekend, the latest adventure that Simone and I have been dealing with has sadly been illness. Simone has been battling the flu for the last three days so that has left us a bit sidelined. But to help us from getting cabin fever, we have been trying to take little trips to new places. I’m still not a huge fan of city living but one perk is that every place of social interest is typically only ten to fifteen minutes away. As a starter, we have been visiting many of the numerous shopping plazas and trying out the different South African restaurants. This has been very hopefully at making me feel more at home in Johannesburg.

With a bit of the week behind us, today was a day that I was both looking extremely forward to and very scared of at the first time. After several much needed flu recovery days we were finally ready to start working with the kids at Sparrow Village. Thankfully, our skills with the manual transmission have improved to the point where we can navigate the highway and traffic well enough to get us back and forth to volunteering. Having the driving obstacle overcome relieves a lot of stress for me but I was still nervous about how I might find myself working around the kids at Sparrow. Little did I know, I was about to jump in head first to the experience

As Simone and I made our way to the study center (pictured below) we were informed that most of the children did not have school today due to a recent teachers’ strike so rather than working with the average dozen kids at a time, the study center was packed with almost all of the children of the Sparrow Community. We made our way in and were introduced to Stacey, another American volunteer. Stacey was quick to introduce us to the children and give us the simple overview of the situation. The room head children of every age and grade and if they were in need of help; all we needed to do was look for a raised hand. Doesn’t sound too bad… Of course as soon as we were introduced as new tutors from American, hands began shooting up all over the room seeking our help.
At first sight of all the kids, I thought that I was in way over my head. Simone was heading off in one direction to help a group with her much sought after Afrikaans knowledge, but what was I good for. Thankfully, I had the kids on my side. Bright-eyed and smiling, several young students lead me over to their desks to assist with their assignment. Before I had enough time to question my abilities to help, two young girls, Jackie and Lunga were talking through their assignments and I was helping them to unravel where they were stuck. It felt so good to see their happiness when I was able to push them along to solving a problem or answering a question. It was a great achievement for them, but I don’t think they knew how much of they had done for me.

Soon enough, the kids were finishing up most of their assignments and leaving for the day. The once filled study hall was emptying out and Simone and I were straightening things up when we noticed a little shy boy who had wandered in nervously clutching his notebook. Little Simon, was there to practice his counting and writing his letters. The innocence of Simon (pictured below) and the smile on his face as we helped him to write his own name melted my heart. It was this moment—this little boy—that made me recall what this trip was all about. All I can say now is bring on the kids. :)
Hoop julle almal is goed! (Hope you all are well in Afrikaans)

Life On The Game Farm

What a weekend! The last two days have been like I have never experienced. Saturday morning we woke up at 4:45 AM (that was pretty awful I have to admit) and made our way to the Mabula Lodge and Game Resort. Here I got to meet Simone’s Aunt, Uncle and cousins who were visiting from Canada. It was definitely and international event! After settling in at thatch-roofed guest house, we took in the sights of the beautiful African wilderness [pictured above] as we grilled up (or braaied as South Africans refer to it) some boerewors (a very popular South African sausage made of chicken and pork) and some delicious lamb chops. In true South African style, all of the food was braaied over and open charcoal and wood fire. If this wasn’t a great enough experience, dining with us were some guest whom before this weekend I had only known from the Lion King. The entire time, there were countless horn-bill birds, warthogs and even a few monkeys [pictured below] that wandered around the area.

After lunch, we went to a hike around the park to take in the sun and the sights. Several of the walking trailed were closed off because the bull elephants were in heat and we were happy to follow such warnings which would prevent what would be a most unpleasant elephant stomping. As the day wore on, we packed up and moved to the Mabalingwe Game Resort about 20 km were our group would be saying for the night. At Mabalingwe, we were met by even more beautiful sights, accommodations, and wildlife, including impala and nyala. Here, the warthogs and monkeys were even more friendly…or bold if you would like to see it that way. One pesky monkey snuck through cracked open door and we had to chase it out of the house. Sadly before leaving, it pooped on Simone’s bed!

Sunday afternoon we made our way back to Johannesburg to start up the week and though we all had a great experience, I know it will be good to get back into the “normal routine.” Not to mention that I will probably sleep better if I am not woken in the middle of the night by the sound of a lions roaring (that was terrifying!).

Gelukige Maandag (Happy Monday!)

Finding My Way

Greetings all! It has been a busy first week. Over that last few days, Simone and I have been getting out bodies adjusted to the 6 hour time difference and navigating the various areas of Johannesburg. As I am not from the city, I am thankful that we are residing in the outskirts of Johannesburg but getting around comes with its cultural differences. For one, South Africa, like the UK, operates with the steering wheel on right side of the car and oncoming traffic traveling on the left. That for one is crazy enough, but on top of that I am currently relearning the joys of a manual transmission. Relearning may be a stretch… It has been a little rough at first but now Simone and I have the freedom to drive around to different places as we want and need. This makes me very happy because now we can lighten the burden on Simone’s Father who is being a more than accommodating host.

With driving under control, I feel that we are being to get into the grove of being here for such a long time. It is so essential to get on to a schedule just so days feel like they have more structure and purpose. Of course the major purpose of the trip has been for us to volunteer at Sparrow Village which is a HIV/AIDS orphanage and hospice for children ages infant to 18. Thursday was our first day at this wonderful place and we both can tell already that it this is going to be a life changing experience. Our first day at Sparrow consisted mainly of meet-and-greets, and tours. We meet with many of the administrators of the Village, including Rev. Corrine McClintock, who is the incredible woman who created the idea of the Sparrow Village when she began taking in and caring for dying HIV/AIDS patients in her very own home. Since then, a unique campus of dome shaped buildings (pictured below) has been created to shelter nearly 270 children. Over the years, Sparrow Village has been able to not only improve the comfort leave of things for the children but to provide them with the opportunities for a more rewarding life. And that is where we come into the picture. Many of the children have been enrolled in schools around the area, and to help them earn an education, Simone and I will be tutoring the children in afternoons and assisting with homework. As time goes on we hope to help organize activities for the children and help out in any other ways that they might need us but for now we are just ecstatic about being a part of this wonderful place. (To find out more about Sparrow Village, check out their website at http://www.sparrowvillage.co.za)

Of the other places that we have been traveling to, the best one has to be the gym. Simone’s Dad and girlfriend had recently joined a local gym and after having a discussion with the gym’s management, they were willing to give Simone and I a discounted membership for the four month period in which we are here. Very excited! The place (Fit-Stop) is only about 10 minutes away from the house and will be give us the opportunity to get in better shape while the two of us are on this great adventure.

So far, discovering Africa has been both exciting and rewarding and I know there is much MUCH more to come in the following weeks. Just this weekend, Simone and I will be venturing North with her family to experience life on a bush farm (wild game resorts). I look forward to posting many exciting things from this exciting trip in the coming days!

Al die beste (All the best)

Acquainting myself with the African continent

Well, it is official. Following 18 hours of air travel, I have crossed the Atlantic and arrived in South Africa. The experience so far has been one that is hard to sum up in few words. One part of me is extremely excited to be in a land with such amazing culture and such interesting differences. The other part of me finds some of those differences as a major cause of anxiety though…but I must start at the beginning of things.

So far the trip has been a consisted of me battling my expectations and trying to let my mind run away from me. I must admit that I have never been a fan of airports or flying, mainly because of my lack of experience with the two. Thankfully, I am starting to understand that there is not much to be scared of. Simone and I started with a two hour flight from Cleveland to Atlanta, which was smooth and easy. I had always heard horror stories about the navigating and dealing with the size of Atlanta but thankfully we had three hours before our next flight so we were about to calmly make our way to Concourse E, which consisted on strictly international flights. All was well up to this point.

Are next step was to say goodbye to the United States as we boarded our non-stop 16 hour flight to Johannesburg. Not exactly my ideal way of spending some free time. The good news: I think that flight went by quicker than I thought it would and I was able to sleep nearly a full night’s amount... The bad news: being on a plane for 16 hours is an awful experience and I am glad that I have four months before I have to step on another plane. We were over the Atlantic for most of the time, which was not really as scary as it sounds. I think it helped that it was night time and then when it was light out, the clouds made it nearly impossible to see anything below us. The really exciting part was when we finally got to overland and I got my first glimpse of a whole new world. On our way to South Africa, we first passed over Namibia and Botswana. The desert and sparse landscape seemed to be the stereotypical image of Africa. There was something very moving about the scene though. Even though it seemed so lifeless and barren, there was something peaceful and beautiful too (picture attached). Shortly thereafter, view outside my little port window went from alien planet to the lively, American-esque urban environment of Johannesburg.


Enough about the plane ride though. I made it. I survived. And that is about as much as I want to think that experience for right now. So far my first steps in South Africa have seemed hardly different. The airport was standard; sterile, emotionless. I was happy to see that most of the World Cup decorations were still proudly hanging, much like a broad smile across a proud mother’s face. Once baggage was claimed, my presidential flashcards were exchanged for pictures from National Geographics (dollars changed to Rand :)), I was happy to meet Simone’s father Rian, and his girlfriend Debbie. It was great to finally meet him in person.

As the red sun set on the wintery (roughly 40s Fahrenheit at night) African city, I got my first real taste of the differences I would be experiencing. Cars heading about on the left-hand side, feverous driving from the right side of the car…still just seems wrong to me. I really wish I had those metric conversions down pat in my head. Soon we were back at Simone’s father’s house, unloading our abused luggage, but only for moments as we were off to meet her Gran and cousin (hitting the ground running). Johannesburg, or Joburg as they lovingly refer- lit up like a million fireflies. What a breathtaking view to take in, but my gut told me that there would be much MUCH more to take in when the sun came up. The night ended with plenty of unpacking and a healthy dose of home (a few episodes of good old Dexter). Since that first night I have just been taking in all the sights, sounds, smells and tastes and building my comfort zone.

I must apologize to all about the length of this first post but what can I say; it took me five minutes to figure out how to flush the toilet…

Hope all is well and I know I will have more and more to post soon!

Totsiens! (Goodbye in Afrikaans)