Miss Lily

I cannot believe it but all of a sudden I'm back in South Africa and my 7 weeks on the truck is done and gone. 

 

I'm trying to comprehend everything I have experienced and let it all sink in.  All the game drives, the bush walks and boat tours on rivers and deltas in search of Africa's wildlife. All the hours on the truck on bumpy roads, in the bush and in queues into bigger cities or for border crossings. We were banned to call the truck "a bus" unless we were in those queues when we without bad conscience drove passed the 2 km line of trucks (since we were a bus with people onboard you know), leaving them there to wait for days to cross. Very convenient! ;)

 

I keep to my first opinion that doing an overland trip is THE best way to see and experience a country/continent. To be able to not only observe but feel like a part of the nature and surroundings even though just passing through a village or farming community. To be able to take in the changes in attitudes from the people as they see a huge truck with mzungus coming past and take in the smells of rain, bush fires, food cooking and more often garbage burning is something that other bus tours do not offer their tourists. Some might not want it but if I visit a place I want to be able to see every aspect, good things and bad, the happy and the sad, the wealth and the misery. It makes you appreciate everything so much more the times you see how people can survive and be genuinely happy with so much less than others are used to. Also it makes you realize what is needed for you to help later on. 

 

The friendliness of the people all the way up was surprising to me. I only got a few fingers directed my way but once a flipflop thrown towards me on the truck. The boy that threw it got quite a scare when the big overland truck slammed the brakes and reversed towards him, he proved that Kenyans are very fast runners right there and then! ;)

 

To do an overland trip is however not a piece of cake some of the times. If you are not up for camping in a tent, in pouring rain and mud sometimes, with only a mattress and sleeping bag at your service every night there is upgrades sometimes, but really what is the fun in that? The days on bush camps with no toilets or showers are not for people who are used to be clean and comfortable. You also get very used to have many days between hot showers so in the end cold showers is the deal on these trips. If you are not keen for sitting for hours and hours on the roads with only a book to read or, if the road is not too bumpy, card games to play or sleeping as activity then you are in it to be bored sometimes. 

 

The most challenging aspect of trips like these however is the group dynamics amongst the people jumping on and off the trucks. Even though I enjoyed my trip overall I am debating whether or not I would do it again, simply due to the fact of the people on my truck. To have people on a truck like this that have been traveling for months together and finding how much they can't stand each other with no way to change mindset or route was one reality. Couples getting together for the sole reason (is my opinion) that it was convenient to have someone close on the trip but then getting stuck with each other for the rest of the way, spending every single moment next to each other gets them after some months to the point where most couples would be after years of marriage and the negativity that it brings to the groups atmosphere can be detrimental. On top of that I was faced with the most negative people I think I have ever met and have found out that all evil on this world simply comes from raw insecurity in mankind. People who are forced to push other people down in order to push themselves up makes me sick to the core. And people who makes themselves being treated like dogs only due to loneliness and "love" are very close on that list too, together with the ones that treat others that bad. 

 

One of the team said to me one day; "Wow Sof, you joined this trip being a happy and cheerful girl and the words that come out now is completely different!" It's true, the people on the trip got to me in the end, even if I fought it good for three weeks or so it is hard when you don't get away from them more than a couple of minutes every day. I got quite bitter the last weeks but I have no doubt that I will bounce right back and have only the good memories left in a while and go back to the positive me. After all I met not only the bad kind of people but had amazing times with the rest which was very loving and positive, fun people. My brazilian darling who gave warmth and smiles to everything and everyone, the crew of three from SA and Hong Kong that joined with me in Joburg but stayed too short time, the German who joined for an even shorter time in the middle and my last crew of Australian sarcasm and British "don't really fancy that much" buddies that gave me such joy and good times to round up the trip. Also the drivers of the trucks were amazing! I miss most of them a lot and thought to myself that I might still do this thing again, I think I have had the worst crew I could have gotten in a lot of ways and still feel ok with it so as the German would say; "Why not?" ;)

 

To sum it up, If you have not done an overland trip yet, Do it! Just be prepared to turn your head away and adapt to group dynamics and focus on the good and amazing things that is happening outside the truck. Traveling overall and especially on a truck like this shows you that there is more important lessons to be learned that you ever had before. 

 

After the Masai Mara we had two more days in Naivasha which we spent being very (VERY) active. I found out how unfit one person can be while sitting on a truck or on a game drive vehicle for 6,5 weeks even though she tries to gym when opportunity comes. 

 

We spent half a day in Crater Lake National Park with our Mara guide John who is amazing in recognizing and imitating birds and showed us how to track animals while we walked amongst zebras, foxes, warthogs, elands, gazelles and buffalos. We were able to walk up to a very old giraffe and stood about five meters away from him for a long time. Such an amazing feeling! 

 

We got up to the view point of the lake and later got a four course lunch on a floating restaurant on the lake. Very luxurious compared to the packed lunches we were used to while being on the road or at the camp sites. On the way back the car got a puncture and we got to go home in a Matatu, the minivan taxi that the locals usually is crammed into on their way to and from work. Such a nice addition to our experience. 

 

The next day we had rented mountain bikes and after a sturdy breakfast we sat off at 6.30 just as the sun started to rise. We entered Hells Gate National Park after a 20 min bike ride and me and Ricky were already exhausted after trying to keep up with Stu in the morning mist. We cursed all sorts of things for our unfitness but what we didnt know.. it was only the beginning. ;)

 

Our exhaustion was soon forgotten when rounding the corner of the Elsa Gate and seeing the landscape with cliffs and rock formations and the steam coming up from the hot springs. We biked amongst the animals and went up and down the hills for view points and bird hides and tracked both leopard, hyenas and porcupine, although no luck in seeing more than the tracks. 

 

We came to Hells Gate Gorge and climbed down for an hour and a halfs trek where the rock formations are absolutely breath taking. The way up was tough on our already tired legs but after an hours lunch and power nap in the shade we decided to do a couple of more km on the bikes. Stu came with the brilliant idea to do buffalo circuit with its 14 km but after the toughest uphill and no road to follow we made a consecutive decision to go back and instead head out of the park. 

 

Instead of going home we continued past the camp site to Elsemere with its tea garden and museum. "It's just around the corner" it was said. I think both me and Ricky thought it was a couple of extra corners but once there with coffee and cakes in front of us we just laughed it away. Even when the Colobus monkey stole two of my cakes I still smiled. (It was a eat all you want buffe after all)

 

After watching the documentary about Elsa the lion and the Born Free  foundation that has donated so much money to wildlife in the world I think that not even Stuart were happy about putting the bum on that saddle again but two more uphills and we got back to the camp site where Tim was waiting with freshly caught crayfishes from the lake. Some had escaped from the bucket and jumped out of the truck when we opened the storage locker but we got them all into boiling water and with a bit of garlic butter to dip them in we had a feast for a starter. 

 

Nothing tastes as good as local food and even more so after an active day in a beautiful place like we had. 

 

The last stop on my 7 weeks of traveling turned out to be one of my favorites. After a couple of days on a dairy farm in Nakuro we arrived at the Fish Eagle Camp site at Lake Naivasha. We spent one night there watching the hippos at night and waking up from fish eagles calling and marabou storks flying in between the tents. With their wing span of around 3 meters they are not quiet when taking off and the hyenas calling at night around the camp also made it a very special place.

 

The day after we arrived the team of three that were left on the truck were taken by our guide John and driver Tonny to the famous Masai Mara. By now I had been on quite a few game drives both before and during the trip and although I hate to admit it I was not as excited about it as a couple of weeks ago. I had also heard that Kenya's parks are overrated and over crowded and Serengeti is better etc. etc. You could say that my expectations were average, in the middle of both the amazing and quite negative reputation that the park is having. 

 

After spending only minutes in the park I can easily say that it is my favorite game reserve in Africa so far. The endless plains of green grass and small acacia trees creates a wilderness that I have not seen before. This is exactly how I have always pictured Africa's wild nature but yet not truly seen! It might have been the fact of low season but we drove around without seeing a car or person for miles and miles. The Mara is so flat that you can see kilometers each way at all times and the hills on the sides creates such beauty to the landscape. 

 

You sometimes go for hours without seeing anything, even animals, but that does not matter because I have never felt as free as driving on those plains. There are not many roads so you drive on the grass which adds to the wild feeling,  bouncing around on the plains in between bushes and water holes is just the best feeling and although moments when asking the driver if we would be able to get out to the road again and my muscles aching afterwards, it was for the first time proper game drives. 

 

We were very lucky regarding animals, due to the size of the Mara (second largest in Africa) some might find only a few bucks or buffalos when driving around. We had amazing trackers in John and Tonny however and saw herds of 40-50 elephants first thing. We searched for hours for a female lion with cubs which was an adventurous drive on the river banks and in bushes. We had to give up when time was running out and Tonny had to push the van to its max to get to the gate before closing. We did have time to find another lion in the middle of the road and take many pictures of the gorgeous sunset before checking out and heading to camp though :).

 

The next day we sat off before sunrise for our second drive and as usual we had the big cats as our goal. The park does not have many rhinos and the ones they have are rarely seen. Our goal as very spoilt tourists was therefore to see four of the big five in one day. We started off amazingly as after 45 min John had tracked the beautiful big cat with the name Leopard to a certain part of the reserve. The leopard is the hardest to find and even if you know where it is it is a master at hiding and very shy. So when Stuart pointed at a tree asking "is that a monkey or..?" and Tonny laughed and said "No that's a leopard", we raved with excitement of finding it ourselves and not through someone telling us in the radio. We only got a few minutes with it before it climbed down beyond visibility but that added to the feeling that we found it just in the right moment. 

 

Later we found two hyenas walking on the road, jackals in the grass, giraffes and herds of elephants again, this time with a tiny baby that John reckoned was only two weeks old. We drove around a corner and got stuck in the middle of another herd later on also with small baby elephants that I just wanted to take home. 

 

Our mission was not over yet though, as our guides seemed to be determined to find the lovely lion aswell this day. We drove up and down hills bouncing around trying to hold on while looking in every bush and trying to scan the grass. We got stuck in a ditch in the middle of the savannah and I had to drive while the guys were pushing it forward until we finally got out. After that, rocks and sticks had to be put underneath for us to be able to push it uphill to the path again. We finally got out and continued our search about 20 minutes more and then we saw them, two females resting under a bush in the shade. Beautiful cats! Our goal was completed and we departed from the Masai Mara with not only the beauty of it still intact in our memories but also the fulfillment of the animals we were able to see in such a short time. 

 

A memory stuck with me forever. 

 

 

 

 

 

Class 1:

Moving water with a few riffles and small waves but no major obstacles.

Class 2:

Bigger waves but no major obstructions in the channel.

Class 3:

Longer and more difficult rapids, hydraulics are bigger (waves, holes, currents). Some technical maneuvering is required but usually for a limited number of moves. 

Class 4:

Steeper, longer or more heavily obstructed than Class 3 rapids. Usually, more technical and require many maneuvers. Scouting of rapids may be required prior to running. Swimming Class 4 is challenging.

Class 5:

Strong currents, big waves, boulders, restricted routes and powerful holes that can hold or flip rafts. Scouting is mandatory. Portaging around rapid may be required depending on river levels. Swimming Class 5 rapids is extremely challenging.

Class 6:

Considered unrunnable such as a large waterfall or an extremely violent section of whitewater with severe hazards. Risks include injury or loss of life. Commercial rafting outfitters do not provide rafting trips on rapids with Class 6 ratings.

(river search.com)

Today I had to take out 1,5 million at the cash machine.. What a feeling! Haha I only wish it was in SEK or even better USD but it was in Uganda Shilling :) 

 

We have spent a couple of nights in Kenya saying goodbye to some of the crew and hello to others and are now six people on the truck. We just crossed the Ugandan border and are heading towards our Gorilla Trek with children screaming Mzungu everywhere we go. The word Mzungu means white person and originates from the Kiswahili verb Kuzunguka meaning "to wander around aimlessly like a mad person". Some say that the Swahili word for hangover; kuzungu-zungu meaning "my head is going round and round" also has something to do with it.  Haha all I need to know is that the children is smiling while saying it, which they most often are, and Ill be happy. 

 

Up in the Kenyan highlands it was very chilly but beautiful forests with pine trees and other trees that actually reminded me of home. I had expected the people to be very tired of tourists by now and I don't know if it is the truck that makes a difference but I can't feel the hostility that I have heard so much about at all. We will come back to Kenya after a couple of days here so my opinion might change but so far I have only felt warmth from the people everywhere. I love sitting on the truck and seeing a person that at first glance looks unfriendly shine up in smiles as soon as we wave and smile at them. 

 

It is a good lesson learned to see what a smile can do in the world. 

Another week has gone and we have crossed the border in between Zambia and Malawi. 

 

The days after leaving Livingstone we drove 12 hours to Lusaka where with our new driver Henry from Kenya and his truck. I miss our first driver Eddie who made a great first impression by telling everyone to sit down and shut the f-k up on my first day.. Haha ;) His truck was a bit more comfortable but this will work fine as well I think. Still a Scania daddy, still going strong in Swedish style :)

 

After a night in Lusaka on eureka camp site where giraffes and zebras roams free we headed off towards South Luangwa National Park for two nights and some game drives. Situated by the river the camp site offered a nice atmosphere amongst hippos and monkeys. We were warned about the hippos and elephants gracing the site and told that the day before lions had been visiting in the early dusk. 

 

I was debating whether or not to go on the drives, I've been very fortunate to do those drives where I live and the money is rolling on these trips if you're not careful. After a nice email from home telling me I got some money back on tax I decided to treat myself! and good thing i did that! The first game drive gave us a pride of lions amongst the other wild life of buffalo, giraffe, elephant and antelopes. After a relaxing day by the river we went on another drive and the first animal we saw was A LEOPARD! For those who do not know, it is the rarest of the big five animals out there to spot. I have for a year and a half lived in an area that has the highest density of the cat in South Africa  and only seen it once. My old colleague has after two years never seen it. So to finally be able to see it up close, laying in a tree with its marvelous rosettes of black in its fur was incredible! I could have stayed observing it a long time. Absolutely gorgeous! Unfortunately we had to move off after a while but the afternoon got into night and we got to drive under the night sky full of stars with the Southern Cross guiding us and a bright Way that you can only see from the dark African savannah. We found a herd of elephants with small babies and sat for long to watch them eat and play. We finished off with seeing a big herd of buffalo just as we crossed the river. 

 

I woke up early the next day by hippos (I'm trying to think of the word for the sound they make.. ) calling each other for territorial claims. I thought I heard something familiar and the second time I heard it I got out of the tent.. It was lions roaring on the other side of the river. They stopped after a while but to see the sun rise over the river is forever with me. The hippos and vervet monkeys were very active, the morning before we were fighting the monkeys off our breakfast and just as I had chased one out of our truck with a stolen apple I turned around and saw that the battle of my breakfast was lost as a monkey sat on the table drinking my tea. Oh well he did not get my pancake at least ;)

 

Another couple of hours before we land on the shores of Lake Malawi for a couple of days.

After 15 months in St Lucia and Monzi, where the hippos walk on the street outside my gate, where monkeys eat all the mangos, lychee and bananas from the trees in my garden and where I have found a place to call home away from home, I am saying good bye. It is one of the hardest things I have had to do.

I arrived here as the project manager of a team of local Zulus as well as internationals and had little or no clue of the task set before me and even less about the surrounding area and culture.When you google St Lucia you firstly end up in the Caribbean Islands! But after reading the it was “the pearl of South Africa” I thought to myself it could not be too bad? ;) Four weeks later I got to know the hidden plan and got promoted to Business Manager,

“accountable for the operational and financial management as well as the development of the two volunteer projects”.

 

Even though I had experience in most of what was needed on paper, I had set myself up for a challenge and little did I know how often I would say ”This was not in my job description!” Most times with a smile on my face but not every time. =) To start the morning with either joining in on a dance in the kitchen or having to fix a flat tyre (oh all the tyres I have fixed or bought this year!) or jump starting one of the cars before the team meeting was not a rare occasion. I do not think many people have spent this much time with their mechanic on a monthly basis but I got not only cars fixed but relationship and leadership advice at the same time, hence the chocolate cake I gave him this week (you better enjoy it Graham!).

 

 

 

Neither was the times in the description when I had to clean the pool pump or measure the pH, fix a toilet and pipes when water was leaking or dig trenches in the garden to get the massive water downpour away from the house that was built during the drought (not your fault Larry, thank you to all the volunteers that helped us!).

Not to forget all the times me as a dog owner was put to the challenge when Maverick and Vlekkie decided to wake us up in the middle of the night, destroy things or eat our food, poop in very inappropriate places or just being dogs that needed too much attention.

I loved every second of it! How boring my life would have been without these moments.

 

Management wise I would like to see myself as a kind leader that tries to be there as much as possible for my employees and be their friend in order to create loyalty and a nice atmosphere in the workplace, but I would never have imagine having to support the team with the things I have this year as a manager anywhere else.

I was a driving instructor for quite some time, helped one of the team when his roof came off during a storm one night and unfortunately had to support most of the team members in deaths or sicknesses or both in their families. To be called “the police” in town as well as their mother after keeping them straight regarding partying in this small town where everyone knows everything about everyone was something I never thought was going to be a part of the job. Nor to be there as a sister when relationships went downhill even though it was what anyone would do when you live with everyone so close.

All this along with being what I should be; A manager.

The nature of this job has helped us all to become a big family and the support back that I have gotten from my team when things have been tough privately as well as work wise has helped me keep seeing the amazing everyday tasks and activities we have had.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I have loved our team meeting in the strangest ways and places, being with Alanna in the Toyota Hilux when waiting for the other car to be finished at Grahams, in Kassies bed at Papaya with Carla and Maverick snuggled up in my arms or out on the jetty to watch the sunset with a Savannah in our hands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my proudest moments this year must be the opening of Inkanyezi Crèche. After years of fund raising and months of building bricks for the building we managed to build the classroom this year. It was three weeks of pushing and shouting at the builders in order to work together with our volunteers with the tasks, to get the right material and paint, to know that you would be behind schedule even though they said it wouldn't be (its Zulu land who are they kidding?) while at the same time try to run the projects like normal with an unexpected influx of lovely volunteers from Mozambique making us double up on houses, team members etc. in a matter of 4 days. On top of that we had a group of 22 high school students coming in for three days to help with the building with the need of coordination. Thank you Michelle, Alanna, Carla, Kassie and Stef for being amazing and helping with all the hard work this period! If that was a peak season we had it!

 

To be able to sit at the opening on the 18^thJuly and see it all being finished in time and hear the gratitude from the community for what we had done will be with me forever. To see that because of our attention to the crèche more children would attend every day and representatives from the Department of Welfare and Education noticed the potential which in later stage can give Mama Gumede the funds and resources needed to keep the crèche grow with the good care and teaching she gives them now.

 

 

 

To not be able to see my Support Group on Tuesday mornings will be hard. We have had so many good mornings of discussions about HIV, TB, Healthy Living and food and other health topics. A favourite of mine was Discrimination where we talked about the way people are being treated because they are black/white, male/female, young/old etc. The strongest stories came up when the ladies talked about how their neighbours shout at them for touching their kids because they have HIV, or wont let them use the same knives and forks or do the dishes. They are sometimes completely pushed away from everyone, even though statistics tell that the people that treat them like that probably have the same sickness, they just do not know it because they are too afraid to get tested. We talked a lot about not being afraid to know and show your status, that the more open everyone are the easier it will be in the future.

So many people still die every day although you never get used to hear about the home based care patient that passed away Tuesday or the support group members family member Saturday. I have been to more funerals in these 15 months than the rest of my life combined and I can only imagine how it must be for the people that live in the community. I loved the fact that our support group gave some of them a peaceful place to talk and support each other every week, with a lovely finale with Yoga David who also invited us to his house for special treats and the bowling club for some games.

 

 

This year has been THE hardest year in my life work wise. Everyone kept telling me that volunteer project life is not for everyone, it is the hardest thing you can do and I do believe them now. On paper I was going to make sure that the volunteers experience was above expectations with the help of my team, make sure that the team was happy and hard working and keep track of all the expense and income, budgets and tracking of cost centres with me sitting in front of the computer a lot of times. To balance the administrative work with the actual operation of the project is hard, which is why the long hours of this job is a fact.

In order to make everyone of the volunteers and staff happy you sometimes have to go miles longer than you sometimes have the energy for, being there as a friend, nurse, comforter and coordinator always with a smile on your face. It is hospitality work 24 hours of the day and so many times a planned day in the office was changed due to, as we say on the schedule, weather or Africa.

To live in South Africa and especially Zululand has given me some extra spice on the challenges, anyone who has been a volunteer or team member here knows it. No matter how much we plan and prepare for plan Bs, there will always be room for some unforeseen events. After confirming a meeting three times the person still does not show up, why would he? Being invited to the event at 9 am with the promise of NOT having Africa Time and we show up at 10 just to be safe, only to wait a couple of more hours for it to start can annoy anyone that is used to be productive and efficient in their work day. When you have around ten to fifteen volunteers that are not happy it is even more frustrating, because you know how they are feeling but do not have a good solution other than

“it is the culture”.

 

 

 

 

The smiles of the children in the crèches we work in when learning the ABC, healthy foods, wild animals and their eyes glistering when singing about bananas and teddy bears. The primary school students and adults who are so eager to learn in the English courses and reading clubs we offer and the happiness after succeeding in our HIV Awareness courses. The smiles of the people that have so little but somehow makes it work. Don't ask me how, but they do. People here are struggling, due to HIV/AIDS, due to unemployment, due to minimal health care and due to bad education system and incentives for teachers. I feel very proud of what we do here in Dukuduku area as I see how much we are needed. Even though it is no one man/organisations job to help everyone in the right way we are following the right track with sustainability in mind and seeing the difference every day, small or big.

 

It was with a lot of tears in my eyes I waved goodbye to my team last week, the amazing ladies that has helped me this year. Shwele with her amazing way with children and her acting skills when telling people in HIV Ed how to go into the clinic and get the free condoms without feeling embarrassed. Nokwethemba “the queen” with her incredible networking skills and strong care for our patients and support group members every day. Nonhlahla with her lovely food that I will miss greatly and her laughter that made mesmile every time sitting in the office underneath the kitchen. Mumsy with her perfectionism in the house and her singing when she thought no one heard her, so full of energy. Zakhele with his “I can do everything” attitude in the garden and friendliness out on projects, and all our hours in the car hopefully paid off! Not to forget is Sindie, Mpho, Zanele, Thobile, Nonhlahla who all helped during our busy season. You are all amazing people and you taught me a lot in my time here about strength and pride.

 

I don't even know how to begin to thank the rest of the team that I not only worked with during the days but also spent my evenings, weekends and most of my time awake and asleep with in my months here. Michelle as my manager before she left has given me so much support all the way through with her wise questions and many times answers. She showed me the way and kept me on track in my days of doubt and exhaustion, even when she was on the other side of the country.

Alanna, my project manager, team ally, friend and saviour a lot of times. How would I have done this without her and her “everyone is replaceable” attitude? ;) The passion she has for these projects are rarely seen. I will never forget our day getting lost in Richards Bay, our discussions in the office even though one of us was in the bathroom, the day we had to record everything we had gotten back from the burglars after our break in when the burglar was still in the police car in our garden and in general all the hard work we went through this year withtears but mostly laughter and internal jokes of “shit girls say” and making fun of Afrikaans language and people. I truly believe that I made this lonely child with little or no desire for hugs and closeness a bit more soft this year. =)

Xenia with her creativity and art skills, her American loudness ;) and fun seeking, not to forget the Iced Coffees that saved our days in summer time! Will never forget our times in Babs.

Stef which (taking away her hate towards cats) I adore! This young girl with her hard working and caring personality jumped straight into my heart and that's where she is staying. Always listening and understanding and always ready for a new challenge.

Kassie that came to our rescue from Mozambique,we wish we could have had her and her organising skills with us longer! Nothing was hard to do and most importantly; without her we would not have found the American rapper in ourselves.

Carla with her love and caring self, always there for me when I needed her. Although Im sure it was one of her hardest years as well she managed to smile when I could not and her happy dancing and games gave us all the best athmosphere at Mangos guest house.

Miriam with her amazing fund raising skills gave us good resources to bring many people good Christmas presents and engage the locals around her to our cause. More importantly she helped introduce our grilled chicken on weekends and supported Alanna in the Kardashians series race we so often had to relax. =)

Oh Yeah.

I could keep writing a book about this year but I will stop now. To have been apart of all this has been an honour, to meet all the 129 volunteers we have had this year, to see the progress made, the love for the organisation grow in the community and to be able to be included in this part of the world like this has been the most rewarding part of my life. A big thank you to everyone involved.

These projects will forever make me sing melodies in my heart.