Project Preparations

Well, when I was told about this village, I was excited for the new challenge.  I was told I would be coming to set up a computer lab and do some computer training.  The volunteer here before me had 30 computers donated from the Dell Foundation and no one knows how to use them.  So I arrive with a rough plan in my head.  I have a curriculum from a former volunteer that I will use and do some basic computer training after I hook up 30 computers and get them all running.


It was my first day at the school, I was shown the computer lab.  30 beautiful Dell computers, all hooked up, 1 printer, 1 internet router.  The volunteer before me had hooked them all up.  He then proceeded to teach 6 months of computer lessons using the curriculum I also was planning to use.  Ummmmmm......

What now???

A New Beginning

Well, no one from Peace Corps was able to come with me, so it was just me and the driver.  The driver got lost and it took all day to get here.  I have no idea how to get to this village or how far I am from anything.  It will be an adventure for my first trip out.  The driver then unpacked all my things as fast as he could and left immediately after the truck was empty.  Talk about awkward introduction.  My new host family helped me get my things inside.  We also got here after school, so the principal only said hi and was off as well.  I don't even know his name yet.

My new host family seems nice.  There is an old man, old woman, 2 middle aged women, and 1 kid maybe 7th grade.  I hauled all my stuff into the room.  2 ladies helped me unpack, one from my host family and one from the school (kindergarten teacher who lives 2 houses down).  I could have done without the help of someone going through all my things, but it did speed up the process.  I'm about 3/4 of the way unpacked.  I'm beat and ready to crash.

Transitions

In true Peace Corps fashion, I have been in Pretoria for a week and a half.  No one knows where I'm going or what I'm doing, but the newest word is I am going to my new village tomorrow.  I think it's really going to happen this time.  YAY!  Finally out of the city.  It's been an adventure during this transition time.  I have had some time to myself to reflect as well as time to relax in luxury (lights, running water, shower, malls, movie theaters, restaurants, other PCVs) and get my composure together after a rough week.  I was given a new settling in allowance to purchase some necessities such as a 2 burner hot plate, an electric kettle, a space heater, a power strip, curtains, and anything else I needed for the new place.

Now, I went on a shopping spree.  So much fun, but so frustrating.  I have not seen my new place and know nothing about it.  Will I have running water?  Will my electrical outlet be in a good spot?  How is my life going to be so that I can get the right things before moving?  I ended up with a hot plate, kettle, heater, power strip, new pillow, tons of food (PC is driving me, not public transport, YIPPEE), toilet paper to last my 3 months, and I splurged with my own funds to buy my very first laptop.  It is a tiny 10 inch and was surprisingly cheap.  I have also managed to get my hands on enough "entertainment" from other volunteers  to last me a lifetime.  I have missed out on a ton of movie watching so now I must catch up.  It took a while and a few trips to the store/mall, but I now have a working dial-up internet connection from my cell phone as well.  SO EXCITED!!!  I just hope my cell phone gets reception in the new place and everything works out ok.

Well I shall be moving to Brooksby tomorrow, so I am waiting to see what it will be like.  I'm very nervous, and a little excited.  It will be a new community, a new language, a new school with new projects.  I must be nuts at this point.  Oh well, here I go. 

Vacation: Namibia, Botswana, Zambia

What a trip. I started by flying from South Africa to Windhoek, Namibia. Then I left on a 3 day tour to Sossusvlei to see the red sand dunes. They were AMAZING! Just what I had hoped for. We spent the day in the desert, seeing the shadows on the dunes as the sun rose, climbing dune 45, hiking 5 km to dead vlei where there were some cool REALLY old dead trees, and ending with a cool off swim in the Serium Canyon.

Next I headed out on an 8 day tour that took me from Windhoek, Namibia to Livingstone, Zambia. It was a lot of driving, but the days we spent doing activities were spectacular. The first day trip was to the Okavango Delta in Botswana. To get to our campsite, we had to transfer all our gear to a 4 wheel drive truck that took us through swamp and sand to the edge of the delta. We stayed two nights and spent 1 day in the delta. We took motor boats to the edge of the channels and then rode in makoros through the narrow waterways. A makoro is a traditional dugout canoe that seats 2 people and has a poler standing in the back steering. I have never seen so many lillypads in my life. The water was gorgeous and we were thankful for the partly cloudy sky that controlled the heat a little. The birds were everywhere. We stopped on an island for lunch and went for a walk where we saw some baobab trees and some evidence that animals were around. This was a fantastic day that I really enjoyed.

Our next day of activities was after a long drive along the Caprivi Strip in Namibia (where we saw a pack of rare wild dogs on the road).

We visited Chobe National Park in Botswana. Our day started with an early morning game drive where we were able to see tons of birds, some smaller creatures in the park, and tracked a lion (without sucess of actually seeing it). When we returned to the campground, we cooled off with a swim in the pool. In the evening, we went for a cruise along the edge of Chobe and were able to see some hippos, lots of birds, some smaller animals, and elephants playing in the water. The sun set as we returned to camp, casting beautiful rays of light through the sky.

Our last activity was visiting the magnificent Victoria Falls in Zambia. Unfortunatly, our last border cross into Zambia took 5 hours, so we were a little behind schedule. We had 2 hours at the falls before we needed to set up camp for the night. The mist was overwhelming and the water flowing over the edge into the gorge was intense. It was so much more water that in January. Then we went to a local reseraunt and had a nice dinner. In the morning, I flew back to South Africa and then returned to the village. What a trip.