T.I.A- This is Africa

Sunday

 While awaiting the gate,D8, in Johannesburg we met some really lovely people.They were all young, looked to be about my age or even younger. One girl, she was from SA she had been in the States for the past 6 months. She hated everything about it, the people and the food, she was in New Jersey for her stay. Another young lady, she had some of the same hopes and dreams to assist in villages and orphanages of the country. Her name was Anissa. She asked for my name to look me up on Facebook, I hope she actually does.

The flight to Durban was about 45 mins, I sat it seat 16c, and luckily I was on a row to myself.  As soon as we arrived at the airports exit we were immediately greeted by the smiling faces of Kim and Claudy. My phone had died and at the time I didn’t think to use my camera (fail) so unfortunately I wasn’t able to capture that moment, but trust me it was absolutely amazing!

We were taken to exchange our US dollars for Rands and let’s just say that the exchange rate is crazy! Imagine giving someone $1 and in return getting back $14. Ridiculous! I’m feeling a little rich over here 😂 (I’ll post a money picture when I get most of the different looking bills and coins)

South Africa is absolutely breathtaking, the sun is hot and bright, the wind is blowing, and the flowers here are absolutely gorgeous. We stopped for a bite to eat on the car ride to my home for the next two months, the food was absolutely delicious, it was all different yet all  of the flavors worked.

The drive home was approximately 2.5hrs long. Our luggage was packed to the ceiling and it was just us 5 girls enjoying each others company. We saw rolling hills, sugarcane, and eucalyptus trees both young and old planted along  the side of the roads. There were cars driving all along the highway, and many people walking and hitch hiking.

Watching cows and goats walk along a 4 way highway was the norm. I commented on such act and was welcomed with a ‘T.I.A’ and laughter-This Is Africa. Kim, The Project Manger is very resourceful, she gave us outstanding information on the country all along the ride, and every question I asked she had a brilliant and detailed answer. We went through several places that were obviously impoverished, I saw the communities in which I will be working and the status of the healthcare was uncannily shocking. I can say that the government is trying though, but unfortunately the Apartheid caused some damage that would take centuries to reverse.
We finally made it to the house. The quaint tourist town of St. Lucia (no everyone sorry- I’m not living in a grass hut, my house has a toilet, shower, and electricity lol and it even has a pool, check out the view I have from my bed 😏)

anyways, haha we turn down Flamingo Rd and make a right about two houses down. Claudy hops out of the Fortuner (pictured below)to open our gate. At that moment I saw a little bit of paradise (more pics to come-I have 8 weeks lol)

We got the keys to our rooms as was allowed a few minutes to get settled. We unpacked, got comfortable, had a quick tour of the house and the town, and then we met for dinner. During the tour of the town we went to a store called ‘spar’ its like a smaller walmart, of course the first snack I get is popcorn, unfortunately it’s already popped, but for those who love me, y’all know my love for popcorn.

After the tour, Claudy leaves for a run and when she comes back she’s yelling for us to close the door! Of course we’re wondering what was going on, so we turn are attention outdoors to look outside and see this cute face.This random dog just makes herself comfortable in our pool, hilarious! We take it upon ourselves to find the owner and return her, but she was totally a sweetheart.

Mumsy (our head housekeeper/cook) had the night off so Kim made dinner, we had spaghetti and it was delicious, it was made with regular ground beef,a tomato based sauce, and was filled with mushroom, carrots, and onions. Yumm!

After dinner we all chatted and got to know one another, we were given a few dos and don’ts, simple house rules and good things to know. We were each assigned roles which alternate weekly and they are as followed

• this week Kait is the social butterfly, she’s responsible for planning  our volunteer night on Friday-she helps plan weddings so this is right up her alley
• Barbara has the role of pool master-this is her week to clean the pool. She fishes the leaves out of the pool daily and scrubs the bottom of it with a brush.
• Kim is on Monkey Watch (yes I just said that lol monkey watch) she makes sure the trash is taken to the back yard and are put into the bens (the JoJo) so the monkeys won’t get to it. She also ensures that the fake snake is always in the doorway to keep the monkeys from coming into the common areas of the house (we don’t have ac so doors generally stay open during the day) We also don’t wear shoes in the house, it’s a norm in this area.
• I have the Reporter role this week- it has been said that I’m blogging, so the role fits perfectly 😉(Like African Impact-St. Lucia on Facebook so you can see my post on Thursday).
• Claudy has the role of the ‘Big Sister’, she’s our go-to person.

Since sunset was approaching, the great idea to rush to the jetty to catch the sunset was brought up. We pile in the Avanza (below photo) and do

just that, best decision ever!! Most beautiful site in the world. To feel the wind wrap its arms around you, and to hear the wildlife at peace, shown just how marvelous God truly is. We even got to see a hippo, totally awesome

After the sunset we came back to the house and met a beautiful mama bat (below pictured-this one is hard to see but she’s a lighter brown, and hanging right front of the second horizontal beam), showered, and then went to bed. It was around 8:30pm SA time and I must say I was actually exhausted. I couldn’t figure out the water and was too tired to fight it so I ended up taking a much needed cold shower, even after my shower I stepped out only to get sticky again. The one time I woke up in the middle of the night I was drenched in sweat. Shockingly I didn’t wake because of the heat only to use the bathroom, and even then I went right back to my peaceful slumber.  I did not wake up again  until 8am Monday morning!

Monday

I woke up bright and early and was still amazed at the view. I must get used to the weather here, since it’s still the rainy season, one minute the sun is out, the next it’s raining-still amazing nonetheless. We each got up, got dressed, and headed for breakfast and the morning meeting. In the common area we met ‘The Ladies’ and I must say that South African,Zulu women are absolutely beautiful! I must ask for permission to take their pictures. I had cereal for breakfast using milk that I’m still not sure if it agrees with my stomach, it’s a kind of milk that has an extended shelf life and does not need to be refrigerated…it tastes normal, but I’m still not sure lol 

After breakfast we get our formal induction full with knowledge all about the organization, what we do, what the organization is all about, and who funds it, wonderful information. After the induction we take a more broad tour of the town, we got hints of the best places to eat with great prices and even which ATM to use and to not use.

After the official town tour we  stopped for coffee, muffins, and smoothies. I only had a smoothie but the coffee looked delicious and the muffins were massive, I will be sure to try one. We got info on the different tours we can take, and then made our way back to the house; I’m still taken aback at the site.

We had time to ourselves to chill and handout, then there was lunch-No Meat Mondays. Lunch was butternut squash soup with toast and butter. For someone who says they don’t eat squash (me) the soup was soooooo good and spicy too! It was even accompanied by a nice view, (though it’s simple, we don’t see this every day and it’s simple things like this, I appreciate.)

After lunch we all departed for our afternoon rounds. I had physio with the Medical Coordinator Shwele. I still think it’s mind blowing to drive with the steering wheel on the right side of the car lol. Even on the road it’s terrifying because I sometimes think we are driving on the wrong side lol.

For Physio we visited 3 homes and completed simple exercises with the patients to help alleviate some issues. We also prescribed multivitamins and pain relief medications for the problems our patients described. (I did not take pictures due to me wanting to maintain the patients privacy, I also won’t go into detail of their health issues just in case I do get their permission for a photo later). The first experience working in the community was definitely rewarding. It really opened my eyes to how some people are making it with the same things I take for granted. I can easily see how much African Impact is trying to make a difference in the lives of the hundreds of individuals.

I made it up in my mind to donate to The Happy Africa Foundation as soon as I get home. I have currently donated 6 tubes of neosporin as suggested by my mommy (thanks mom!) and was surprised at how happy they all were (I received the donation of the month award). Anti-septic ointment isn’t sold anywhere near St. Lucia, and that’s exactly what most of our wound care patients need.

After rounds we came back and had a brief meeting to talk about our days. We took a short break in which I used my time to video call My Forever. We all then gathered around the table as an African Impact family and ate dinner. We had a chickpea curry casserole tortilla and it was AMAZING!! I might get fat here lol, but seriously really good, I want the recipe ( I also had leftovers lol)

After dinner I took time to write down the weeks schedule and also my individual schedule for the week. Once Claudy washed the dishes since it was her night to do them (we take turns each night), we had movie night. We all cuddled up on mattresses and the couch in the common area and watched Morgan Freeman in Invictus. By the time the movie was over it was 9:40pm and we had decided to turn in for the night. I figured out the shower this time lol (the hot and cold water are swtiched) and then happily jumped into bed.

Goodnight America 😴