Sunday, May 11, 2008
Later this week
(CALYPSOMIA)
Hi everyone!!!!!!
I dont have much time, but i do want to say that over the course of this week, i wil post our cape town itenerary, dates, times, and sites. yes, i am planning the trip to Cape Town , and raising th emoney, how cool am i??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
I wil be back later with some kyuuuule news about that part of the trip!
til then,
Mo
Hi everyone!!!!!!
I dont have much time, but i do want to say that over the course of this week, i wil post our cape town itenerary, dates, times, and sites. yes, i am planning the trip to Cape Town , and raising th emoney, how cool am i??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
I wil be back later with some kyuuuule news about that part of the trip!
til then,
Mo
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Howdaaaaaaay
(MIRANDA, YES, MIRANDA, OR CALYPSOMIA AS I LIKE TO CALL MYSELF)
Hey everyone! i am really excited about IDIOT!!! i just had a spazm, the trip!!!!! I really cant believe that we are GOING TO AFRICA!!!!!!!! Luckily i have already had all of the vaccinations that i need to go to Africa, so i just have to take typhoid and malaria pills during the next few weeks. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew......
ok, so i am officially going caging with the great whites. done, done, and done.
i get totally freaked out whenever i think about it. i will be clinging to dad the whole time, and will scream, pee, and scream, and most likely BARF!!!!!!
Never mind...... i cant do it........... i would totally spaz.......................
Now i am sad.... and you dont care, SOOOO
We are going to be in a villi-aaaaaggggge helping little kids, and stuff. Then we are going to the baby cat place at feeding time. I am WAAAAAAY to tired to write anything right now, so byeas!!!!!!
Calypsomia
Hey everyone! i am really excited about IDIOT!!! i just had a spazm, the trip!!!!! I really cant believe that we are GOING TO AFRICA!!!!!!!! Luckily i have already had all of the vaccinations that i need to go to Africa, so i just have to take typhoid and malaria pills during the next few weeks. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew......
ok, so i am officially going caging with the great whites. done, done, and done.
i get totally freaked out whenever i think about it. i will be clinging to dad the whole time, and will scream, pee, and scream, and most likely BARF!!!!!!
Never mind...... i cant do it........... i would totally spaz.......................
Now i am sad.... and you dont care, SOOOO
We are going to be in a villi-aaaaaggggge helping little kids, and stuff. Then we are going to the baby cat place at feeding time. I am WAAAAAAY to tired to write anything right now, so byeas!!!!!!
Calypsomia
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Edit to the image above
(TOM) I updated the image above because we've finally been able to find pictures of Impendle, the small poor rural area in which we will volunteer. From left to right, the images are:
- A monkey (duh) - this monkey is the type found on the dunes along the Indian Ocean at St. Lucia
- A sunset from Zulu Nyala, the game reserve we are visiting
- A Sangoma, a Zulu witchdoctor (this one in training, hence painted white)
- Lions Head, a peak on the edge of Cape Town, which Miranda and I are going to climb
- The traditional mud homes in Impendle, in which we will live with a local family for several days while volunteering
- Cage diving with Great White Sharks in one of the only areas in the world where this is possible; Seal Island near Cape Town, where Discovery Channel filmed "Air Jaws".
- A Lion (duh)
- A monkey (duh) - this monkey is the type found on the dunes along the Indian Ocean at St. Lucia
- A sunset from Zulu Nyala, the game reserve we are visiting
- A Sangoma, a Zulu witchdoctor (this one in training, hence painted white)
- Lions Head, a peak on the edge of Cape Town, which Miranda and I are going to climb
- The traditional mud homes in Impendle, in which we will live with a local family for several days while volunteering
- Cage diving with Great White Sharks in one of the only areas in the world where this is possible; Seal Island near Cape Town, where Discovery Channel filmed "Air Jaws".
- A Lion (duh)
12 weeks to go. Impendle Volunteering
(TOM) Things are coming together. We've got our volunteer time finalized. Sam Ellis has arranged for us to live with a local family in Impendle through the Zuvuya Sustainability Outreach Centre. It is very difficult to find short-term volunteer opportunities in South Africa due to the logistics required to arrange for volunteers. Samantha has gone out of her way to arrange this for us, including finding a host family for us to live with, contacting local authorities to let them know we will be in the area, etc. Should you ever have the chance to volunteer for just a few days in KwaZulu Natal, contact Samantha Ellis either via the Outreach Centre or her Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Durban (link).
Now, for some info on Impendle. It is a small, widely dispersed area in the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains, about 2 hours from Durban. Like most township areas it is very poor. There is one tar road leading into the area, in which 53% of the population is under 20 years old, unemployment is over 50%, and 60% of the population lives under the SA poverty line. The illiteracy and AIDS rates are high. But there is a lot of work being done to provide a "hand up", not a "hand out". We will be working in community gardens, helping to build schools, removing invasive species, read to children, and other activities that help the people of the area improve their own lives.
Freedom and equality are no longer legally denied people of color in South Africa. but the years of institutional degradation and isolation have not been erased yet. We will experience so much of the ecological and financial wealth of South Africa, that we could not just drive past (or drive around, never seeing) the other side of South Africa.
Honestly, we are a little nervous; the crime rate is a bit high, and we will be in the area 24/7 for several days. We won't be inside a private game reserve, or easily be able to take a cab back to the Westin hotel in Cape Town. But, we are much more excited than nervous. Beyond giving back, the experience of living in such a different lifestyle and environment is going to be unforgettable for us. I hope it makes a life-long impact on Miranda, and on me as well. I'm sure it will.
Now, for some info on Impendle. It is a small, widely dispersed area in the foothills of the Drakensberg Mountains, about 2 hours from Durban. Like most township areas it is very poor. There is one tar road leading into the area, in which 53% of the population is under 20 years old, unemployment is over 50%, and 60% of the population lives under the SA poverty line. The illiteracy and AIDS rates are high. But there is a lot of work being done to provide a "hand up", not a "hand out". We will be working in community gardens, helping to build schools, removing invasive species, read to children, and other activities that help the people of the area improve their own lives.
Freedom and equality are no longer legally denied people of color in South Africa. but the years of institutional degradation and isolation have not been erased yet. We will experience so much of the ecological and financial wealth of South Africa, that we could not just drive past (or drive around, never seeing) the other side of South Africa.
Honestly, we are a little nervous; the crime rate is a bit high, and we will be in the area 24/7 for several days. We won't be inside a private game reserve, or easily be able to take a cab back to the Westin hotel in Cape Town. But, we are much more excited than nervous. Beyond giving back, the experience of living in such a different lifestyle and environment is going to be unforgettable for us. I hope it makes a life-long impact on Miranda, and on me as well. I'm sure it will.
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