Teaching and Trekking

                     This Friday I spent the day at Fezeka high school in the Xhosa speaking Gugulethu Township with the organization called Education Without Borders. My friend, Veeral, has told me about this organization before, and he asked me to take photos of a sporting event they were having so that they may use the photos for a fundraiser for their sports program. I was so excited to finally see the school that he has been talking about and to check out what they are doing. When I arrived at the school I was happy to see older students with smiles on their faces. I am used to volunteering with and teaching younger students who are usually just excited to have any kind of attention, but the joy of working with older students is that they have established passions, motivations, goals, and dreams... The students that Education Without Borders work with are students that c...

On Sunday I spent a wonderful day with a family from my host Rotary club. This family is French-speaking from Mauritius and thought I would enjoy a relaxing day in a French-influenced town in the Western Cape called Franschoek. Not only did I enjoy a lovely meal and beautiful scenery, I was also informed of the historical background of the area from the amazing family who has taken me under their wing for the day. Our first stop was at a wine farm, the whole room smelled like wine! The name of Franschoek is Dutch for "French corner." In the 1650's this town was a refuge for the French Hueguenot settlers in the Dutch Cape Colony. French Hueguenot monument in Franschoek When we arrived in town we ate at a restaurant called French Connection. I ordered the local river fish of Kingklip, a meaty white fish, and it was delicious. Then we went to a chocolate store to get some deserts and I bought gooseberry jam and ...

 Me and Kromboom President Graham Parkhurst after my speech, handing him the banner of my sponsor club, The Sunrise Rotary of Marco Island. On Wednesday I gave my first 30 minute speech to my host Rotary Club of Kromboom. I decided to make my speech less about me and more about where I come from to spread an understanding of my side of the world. In my presentation I showed the club pictures that I have taken in Florida of birds and animals that make Florida and the southern United States unique from anywhere else in the world. When I gave the speech I opened the dialog so that I could learn a little from them too. Some things I found interesting: When I spoke about the Anhinga I learned that they have Cormorants here, which are very similar. When I shared a picture of our white Ibis next to their Hadeda Ibis I pointed out some similarities and differences and learned some as well. I was shocked when I showed a picture of the Roseate Spoonbill we have in Florida to find out...

This past weekend I went to Mosselbaai in the Western Cape for the Rotary District 9350 conference. We took the highway, with gorgeous views, for about 7 hours. We passed baboons all over the road, and odd sheep that were bald and blended into the color of the wheat they were grazing on... finally to this magnificent beach town. We drove past the southernmost point on the African continent, an aloe factory (they are known for an abundance of many species of aloe), and the highest commercial bungee jumping bridge in the world! My host Rotarians checked into a quaint little bed and breakfast in town, but as a student on a budget and up for an adventure, I stayed at the Santos Express Train lodge. A once functioning train, this lodge is stationed on the sea next to an up and running train track, with all of the cabins/ bed compartments facing the sea. The compartment contained 2 beds with an additional 2 beds that folded down above them. The train is situated so close to the wate...

NAMIBIA Nine days of camping in the Namibian desert Day 1  It was an early morning. I had to take a taxi from my residence with my large backpack and camping supplies to downtown Cape Town to meet the tour group for our 9 day camping adventure through Namibia. After stopping to get a great view of Table Mountain across the bay, our first stop was at museum, !Kwa ttu guided tour to learn about the San people of Africa. We walked into "the bush" and learned about the plants they used and how they used them. Some plants were used for medicine, some as perfume for the women, and some for spices. We also were able to see a simulation of the way the village would be set up. The homes were all built in a circle with the doors facing in. The men of the village would hunt and start the fire for cooking in the center of the homes. At night, the women and children would sleep in the homes and the man would sleep outside with "one ear always awake" in case an anima...

A few updates since last post… Mountain and Ski Club service project, March 10 I volunteered with the UCT Mountain and Ski Club’s Siyenyuka Project. We took 15 high school students from a a disadvantaged area of the Western Cape for their first rock climbing experience at Lakeside Pinnacle in Cape Town. The students proved to be fearless and willing to try anything. By the end of the day every student made it to the top of the wall, some with the help of experienced climbers climbing by their sides. I was last to go up, and as one of the supervisor figures, I was surprised to find that one student wanted to show me what she learned and she fascined my harness and tied my “figure of 8” knot. When she noticed I was a bit nervous, since I am still new at climbing, she cheered me on and pointed out the route she took when she climbed the same wall. I was very impressed and I am extremely excited to see the students again on our next Siyenyuka Adventure! For more photos of us at Lakeside ...

Hey everyone! Sorry I have taken so long to post! I have been extremely busy and have alot to catch you up on. From here on out I plan to post at least every other week so as not to get too far behind. I am now settled in to Cape Town, South Africa very well. I am being hosted by the lovely Kromboom Rotary and they have been absolutely amazing. I have already attended 3 meetings, gotten to know all of the 15 or so members. I have helped with their very large Opera fundraiser and will be volunteering with the Argus Cycling Tour of South Africa on Sunday. The club is very active and has extremely dedicated members. I even had the honor of watching a new member get installed into the club. My host Rotarian, Drew Horner, has opened his family and his home to me and has made the shock of being in a foreign place a much more comfortable transition. I could not have asked for a better mentor and host while I am here and I look forward to spending more time with the Horner family! :-) ...