Friday, January 23, 2009
Pictures!
AhHa!!! I have discovered that SOME of the computers in the internet cafe have IrfanView, so I have been able to downsize my pictures and will upload some to my blog, finally. I am going back and slowly but surely adding some pictures to my previous posts so keep an eye out! (I know it is a hassle to go back, my fault for not working it out until two days before I leave here!)
Last Shift at Bap & etc
Good news! I found my credit card! As I had suspected, it had fallen through a crack into the locker below mine. Unfortunately, I had already transfered $400 to AVIVA with Dad's card so that they could give me cash but I guess that doesn't matter. Now I can still say that I have been responsible and not lost anything (knock on wood)!!
I am still contemplating what to do about my last days here. The issue is that I fly to Johanesburg (2 hr flight) for Kruger, stay there for one night after Kruger and then was supposed to fly back to Cape Town, only to fly home via Jo'burg two days later. So my thought was to just leave South Africa right after Kruger instead of flying back to Cape Town and to get home two days early. Good idea to just stay in Jo'burg, Kris, minus everything I have ever heard about how Jo'burg is SUPER dangerous, especially to walk around in alone, especially as a girl. Which is why that idea hadn't even really occured to me, but it is something to think about. It is not at ALL that I am in a hurry to leave here, but flying back and forth from Jo'burg is something I'd be happy to skip. Plus, when I would get back to Cape Town everyone I am close with would be on shift, which would just make it depressing to come back to a basically empty house. Anyways, I am going to think about possibly just staying in Jo'burg, but if not I will go early to the airport on Monday and try to switch my flight home to Jan 31.
Now I have to backtrack several days... let's see... Sunday night! Right so we were supposed to go out for Georgina's last night. I hadn't felt well all day (stomach bug- super fun) but of course didn't want to miss out on the evening, so we (Me, Georgina, Jen, Amanda, and Shawna) started drinking here (finally drank the bottle of wine that came in my welcome pack!) and then headed out to Long Street. Sadly, within 30 minutes three of us really didn't feel well (I'm not the only one with the bug) so we went home. I was so disapointed to miss Georgina's last night but Shawna stayed out with her and they still had a good time- plus I really felt like crap.
Woke up the next morning feeling better which was good because Jen, Amanda, Christiaan and I were booked for SKYDIVING!!! (one of my life long dreams regardless of the fact that if anything, heights are probably what I am most afraid of). Unfortunately, Cape Town happens to be the windiest place I have ever been, and Monday was a particularly windy day. So the skydiving people called and said that we would have to get there right away or we would miss our chance to go. Of course, the taxi didn't come for 45 minutes, and then it took another 45 minutes to get there (of course we had to stop for gas, there was traffic, etc etc). So when we FINALLY got there we were good to go, they got Jen all suited up and then... no go. The wind had become to gusty and they wouldn't take us. We were so bummed!! Skydiving is not the type of activity that you want to have postponed when you are already there and ready to go. So we attempted to rebook for this morning but they were full (go figure, there is like no wind today) so we got in on Sunday- my last day here! So I am hoping for good conditions because if I come home without doing this it will be my one disapointment of Africa and I would like to keep that slate clean.
Now for my last shift: probably my favorite one of the five. On shift was me, Amanda, Amy, and Christiaan, joined by Katie and Alyssa (23, Canada) on day two. Maybe it was just because I was really trying to soak it all up, but this shift the time seemed to go by fast (I don't recall thinking "Oh my GOSH it's only 6 pm right now?" ever) and the kids were great and I really enjoyed the sisis as well- one of the shifts in particular is super sweet and they couldn't believe it was my last shift. We also learned this shift just how much the kids LOVE to sing and dance. Their new favorite game is us standing around clapping and they get in the middle and start dancing like crazy and we call out their names and they just go wild, it's hilarious. They have so much fun that they can't control themselves, usually end up falling to the ground laughing histarically and they all end up in a mosh pit/big pile. It's great. We also sang a LOT of songs- they really enjoy such classics as "The Wheels on the Bus", "If You're Happy and You Know it Clap Your Hands" and, of course, "We Will Rock You". It's fun. And really cool how much they respond to music.
Lunch time! Preparing the food.
This was the first shift that I didn't fall asleep easily at every opportunity I got. My mind won't stop, kind of like how it was before I left to come here. Now I can't imagine NOT being here, going to Bap and seeing the kids. My last day (yesterday) I just kept thinking- "this is the last time I'm going to feed a baby lunch/dinner, have free play time, do baths, give a bottle, say goodnight" etc etc. Saying goodnight was the hardest part- it's my favorite part of the whole day, when they are in their adorable footie pajamas and in their crib/play pen/bed and I try to go around and say goodnight to all of them and give them a cuddle (this is an english thing to say- thanks Georgina) and they all give high fives and then do this "thumb flick" (for lack of a better way to describe it), like you are giving each other a thumbs up and then you push your thumbs together- I don't know but it is incredibly cute and they all do it. And then of course last night Babalo, who is one of the coolest 3 or 4 year olds I have ever met, kept on saying "See you tomorrow!" which he has never said before (he has two phrases- "What are you DOING?" and "You're CRAZY") and of course I kept thinking, Yea- tomorrow and then never again!!
Me & Mbali- what a cutie!
Luckily, last night my mind was taken off of it all with a few rousing games of spoons in the flat.
Today I am trying to think positively, seeing as I do realize that I have just experienced something incredible and that I will always remember it. I went out and ran some errands in Obs this morning and felt happy and at easy with the fact that I am leaving this city that I adore so much in three days. I went back to a shop that I have been in about 10 times to finally buy the things I've been eyeing and talked to the super sweet girl that has been in there every time for a while (she started out asking me about my "I Bleed Warrior Blue" t-shirt that I happen to wearing- the second person to comment on it today!). She was surprised that I wasn't at home for the inauguration but agreed that I was making good use of my time here. I also went into Pick 'n' Pay to get some food and the man that rang me up said "Wow, you are very happy!" which I was taken aback to hear but really I guess it is true and apparently it shows, so that's nice.
Now Amy, Amanda, and I are going to the Waterfront to do some shoping (I need a head lamp for Kruger) before Robben Island at 3pm! Cape Peninsula Tour all day tomorrow, and then hopefully skydiving on Sunday (keep your fingers crossed for me!!)
xoxo
I am still contemplating what to do about my last days here. The issue is that I fly to Johanesburg (2 hr flight) for Kruger, stay there for one night after Kruger and then was supposed to fly back to Cape Town, only to fly home via Jo'burg two days later. So my thought was to just leave South Africa right after Kruger instead of flying back to Cape Town and to get home two days early. Good idea to just stay in Jo'burg, Kris, minus everything I have ever heard about how Jo'burg is SUPER dangerous, especially to walk around in alone, especially as a girl. Which is why that idea hadn't even really occured to me, but it is something to think about. It is not at ALL that I am in a hurry to leave here, but flying back and forth from Jo'burg is something I'd be happy to skip. Plus, when I would get back to Cape Town everyone I am close with would be on shift, which would just make it depressing to come back to a basically empty house. Anyways, I am going to think about possibly just staying in Jo'burg, but if not I will go early to the airport on Monday and try to switch my flight home to Jan 31.
Now I have to backtrack several days... let's see... Sunday night! Right so we were supposed to go out for Georgina's last night. I hadn't felt well all day (stomach bug- super fun) but of course didn't want to miss out on the evening, so we (Me, Georgina, Jen, Amanda, and Shawna) started drinking here (finally drank the bottle of wine that came in my welcome pack!) and then headed out to Long Street. Sadly, within 30 minutes three of us really didn't feel well (I'm not the only one with the bug) so we went home. I was so disapointed to miss Georgina's last night but Shawna stayed out with her and they still had a good time- plus I really felt like crap.
Woke up the next morning feeling better which was good because Jen, Amanda, Christiaan and I were booked for SKYDIVING!!! (one of my life long dreams regardless of the fact that if anything, heights are probably what I am most afraid of). Unfortunately, Cape Town happens to be the windiest place I have ever been, and Monday was a particularly windy day. So the skydiving people called and said that we would have to get there right away or we would miss our chance to go. Of course, the taxi didn't come for 45 minutes, and then it took another 45 minutes to get there (of course we had to stop for gas, there was traffic, etc etc). So when we FINALLY got there we were good to go, they got Jen all suited up and then... no go. The wind had become to gusty and they wouldn't take us. We were so bummed!! Skydiving is not the type of activity that you want to have postponed when you are already there and ready to go. So we attempted to rebook for this morning but they were full (go figure, there is like no wind today) so we got in on Sunday- my last day here! So I am hoping for good conditions because if I come home without doing this it will be my one disapointment of Africa and I would like to keep that slate clean.
Now for my last shift: probably my favorite one of the five. On shift was me, Amanda, Amy, and Christiaan, joined by Katie and Alyssa (23, Canada) on day two. Maybe it was just because I was really trying to soak it all up, but this shift the time seemed to go by fast (I don't recall thinking "Oh my GOSH it's only 6 pm right now?" ever) and the kids were great and I really enjoyed the sisis as well- one of the shifts in particular is super sweet and they couldn't believe it was my last shift. We also learned this shift just how much the kids LOVE to sing and dance. Their new favorite game is us standing around clapping and they get in the middle and start dancing like crazy and we call out their names and they just go wild, it's hilarious. They have so much fun that they can't control themselves, usually end up falling to the ground laughing histarically and they all end up in a mosh pit/big pile. It's great. We also sang a LOT of songs- they really enjoy such classics as "The Wheels on the Bus", "If You're Happy and You Know it Clap Your Hands" and, of course, "We Will Rock You". It's fun. And really cool how much they respond to music.
Lunch time! Preparing the food.
This was the first shift that I didn't fall asleep easily at every opportunity I got. My mind won't stop, kind of like how it was before I left to come here. Now I can't imagine NOT being here, going to Bap and seeing the kids. My last day (yesterday) I just kept thinking- "this is the last time I'm going to feed a baby lunch/dinner, have free play time, do baths, give a bottle, say goodnight" etc etc. Saying goodnight was the hardest part- it's my favorite part of the whole day, when they are in their adorable footie pajamas and in their crib/play pen/bed and I try to go around and say goodnight to all of them and give them a cuddle (this is an english thing to say- thanks Georgina) and they all give high fives and then do this "thumb flick" (for lack of a better way to describe it), like you are giving each other a thumbs up and then you push your thumbs together- I don't know but it is incredibly cute and they all do it. And then of course last night Babalo, who is one of the coolest 3 or 4 year olds I have ever met, kept on saying "See you tomorrow!" which he has never said before (he has two phrases- "What are you DOING?" and "You're CRAZY") and of course I kept thinking, Yea- tomorrow and then never again!!
Me & Mbali- what a cutie!
Luckily, last night my mind was taken off of it all with a few rousing games of spoons in the flat.
Today I am trying to think positively, seeing as I do realize that I have just experienced something incredible and that I will always remember it. I went out and ran some errands in Obs this morning and felt happy and at easy with the fact that I am leaving this city that I adore so much in three days. I went back to a shop that I have been in about 10 times to finally buy the things I've been eyeing and talked to the super sweet girl that has been in there every time for a while (she started out asking me about my "I Bleed Warrior Blue" t-shirt that I happen to wearing- the second person to comment on it today!). She was surprised that I wasn't at home for the inauguration but agreed that I was making good use of my time here. I also went into Pick 'n' Pay to get some food and the man that rang me up said "Wow, you are very happy!" which I was taken aback to hear but really I guess it is true and apparently it shows, so that's nice.
Now Amy, Amanda, and I are going to the Waterfront to do some shoping (I need a head lamp for Kruger) before Robben Island at 3pm! Cape Peninsula Tour all day tomorrow, and then hopefully skydiving on Sunday (keep your fingers crossed for me!!)
xoxo
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
YES WE DID!
Today I can say with good reason that I wish I was home- January 20, 2009 has finally arrived after so much hope and anticipation and I am in AFRICA!!! I do wish that I was going to be there at Obama's inauguration with my family, what an exciting time! Unfortunately, I am about to leave for Bap so I won't even be able to watch on TV. Oh well, I can be a proud and excited American while I play with the most adorable kiddies in the world =)
In other news, IT IS MY LAST SHIFT AT BAP! So sad... I don't want to talk about it.
Lastly, I think I lost my credit card. And I might be coming home 2 days early. These two events are not related and I will explain more later. Hope everyone is doing well!!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Day 27
Day 27- the first day of my trip that I do not know exactly what I am going to with myself. I was supposed to go kloofing with Jonas today but decided a couple days ago not to (didn't want to pack my weekend TOO full or spend TOO much money in 3 days). As it turned out, though, the trip was cancelled anyways because there weren't enough people signed up to go. Then a bunch of us (Me, Georgina, Amanda, Jenn, and Shawna [new American girl that is staying at the house but will start Gary's Surf School tomorrow]) decided to spend the day at Camps Bay, but it is really windy today which is not good for the beach. So now I am thinking of doing a 3km walking tour of downtown Cape Town that I've been wanting to do- there are still so many things in the city to see (Castle of Good Hope, Company Gardens, Bo Kaap, etc). I can probably recruit someone to do this with me (though it is the type of thing I wouldn't mind doing alone).
This past shift at Bap was really, really good. Granted, this may be because I only slept there one of three nights- after our first day we came back for an AVIVA cookout and slept at Obs House, and after the third day Ida and I got a taxi back to Obs because we had to wake up really early on Saturday for shark cage diving. The cookout was pretty fun, it was at the Table View house which is SO nice (so many bedrooms, granite counter tops, pool and pool-side bar...) and all the staff was there so it was nice to hang out with them. Afterwards a bunch of us went out in Obs, first to Stones (the pool bar) and then to Roots, a beach themed bar that I had never been to- sand floors, tiki hut bars... gotta love it.
Didn't stay out too late since it was back to Bap the next morning. On the way we picked up 100 baby bottles and during our break labeled all of them with the kid's names on color coded labels (indicating whether the bottle is taken at 2am, 6am, 10am, 2pm, 6pm, or 10pm). With six of us working on it it didn't take that long but when we did bottles the next morning it made ALL the difference in the world- no more broken bottles/lids, no more missing bottles, no more labels that are completely impossible to read. This shift we also redid the out of date poster boards with the kid's pictures that hangs on the wall in the flat. We took all new pictures and put up new, labeled boards. It was nice to do something (as little as those things are) that will last beyond all of our time here. And it is amazing the difference that seemingly small things can make. Though really what Bap needs is on a larger scale- the baby house needs a complete makeover badly (we thought about writing to Ty Pennington). The kids need a cleaner, safer place to live and they need plenty of volunteers to play with them and love them... two things that are not so easy to come by.
The new bottles!
Another orphanage project just opened up through AVIVA (Amanda and Jenn are the first volunteers to work there) that was recently given a COMPLETE makeover- they brought in volunteers that worked non-stop for (I think) four days and now the place is BEAUTIFUL- I have only seen the outside but there is grass (something Bap lacks) and a great swing set. And inside it's clean, and the kids have their own individual beds and much more. Granted, I am glad to be working at Bap where they really, really need us, but I just wish the same thing could be done for our kids, who I guess are considered lucky to be at Bap but really have basically nothing. It is just amazing that there are people in the world with so much money they don't know what to do with it and then you come to a place like this and there is a world of good that could be done with just a little help, and it is amazing that these problems still exist at all. It's sad and makes me wish I could do a heck of a lot more.
Anyways... as I said the shift went really well, I love everyone on it and am so sad that it is Georgina and Ida's last shift!! Makes me realize how fast the end is coming for me because after they leave (and Sofia and Friederike- also leaving this week) I have been here longer than anyone else in the house, which is CRAZY. How did that happen?? I just got here! I don't even want to think about it.
Yesterday Ida and I were picked up at 5am for shark cage diving. It was about a two hour drive there, during which time one might think it would be a good idea to sleep, but I was awake the whole time and turns out I am glad because we were driving over mountains by the coast as the sun rose and it was GORGEOUS. I swear, if you blink here you will miss something worth seeing. It was very nice. We arrived at the cage diving headquarters (a house about 1/4 block from the water & boat) and had a very nice self-serve breakfast (and several cups of coffee). Then they gave us a quick debriefing and we were off! There were only 12 of us (plus the crew), so it was a small group compared to most apparently which was quite nice. We rode out about 15 minutes but were still in relatively shallow water (~10m). This is technically the off season for seeing Great Whites, which are the only species in the area due to the cold water temperatures. However, you generally can see them year round, and this is the most famous place in the world to see them (some people may have seen the famous picture of a man in a yellow kayak being followed by a huge great white- that was taken here). So they put down anchor and throw out a "chum line"- nasty fishy stuff that the shark will (hopefully) catch the scent of and follow back to the boat. Also, the whole time they are throwing nasty fish stuff out into the water and have 1/2 a fish on a buoy as bait.
So everything was super... until I started to feel a bit seasick. Man, I have been a puker my whole life. Threw up twice, which sucked, but then the first shark was spotted so I threw on my wetsuit (in actuality, "throwing on" a wetsuit is the exact opposite of how it works, those things are so incredibly hard to get on [and off]). Plus these wetsuits have hoods, like what scuba divers wear, and little shoes that zip on, and I had a mask on, and they put a weight over your shoulders to help you go under in the cage. All of this was quite uncomfortable after having just thrown up let me tell you, but there was a shark! So I had to get in the cage.
THE CAGE
Five people get in at a time (and only 7 of the 12 on board were getting in at all which in my opinion is not worth the $120 to only watch from the boat but whatever) and you have to hold on to the top of the cage, and then when a shark is coming around they say "Divers go under!" or "Divers, on your left!" so you take a big breath and pull yourself under and look for the shark. Unfortunately the visibility was really poor under the water but there were several very exciting moments when that didn't really matter because the sharks would actually ram into the cage, putting them at about half a meter or less from you and that was awesome. I got out of the cage after about 15 minutes though because you really could actually see the sharks better from the boat. And we saw sooo many. After waiting about 30 minutes to see the first one we would see one every 2-3 minutes, and they would swim right next to the boat and go for the bait and come out of the water- it was awesome. And they looked HUGE, though they were only about 3-4m long and can grow to be 7m long- hard/scary to imagine. It was really great though.
Ahhh!
After about three hours we packed up (there were other boats around not having any luck, and in the off season the different companies help each other out so we left to let another boat come into the area since we had already seen so much) and headed back. At the house they put on the video that a videographer on the boat had been taking the whole time, and it was quite funny- for one, to see yourself in the wetsuit getup, and also because whenever someone was on camera they seemed to either wave or give the thumbs up- it reminded me of stereotypical Asians always giving the peace sign. Anyways, we were driven back to the house and were home by 2pm (I slept the whole way). (NOTE- all of this sounds incredibly touristy, and I guess it is, but it didn't feel like it. And it was definitely worth the money. And the staff was super nice and included volunteers just like us. So it was completely worth it and I am very glad I did it!)
Last night, everyone (Me, Georgina, Ida, Amanda, Amy, Jenn, Amanda, Shawna, Reino, and Christiaan) went out to Mama Africa on Long Street for a kind of goodbye dinner for Georgina and Ida. It was such a nice evening (I shared a kabob appetizer and I have no idea what kind of meat was on it [I am thinking crocodile, ostrich, and springbok?] but really have no idea, and had some kind of fish for my meal- very good). The best part though was that our table was right next to this AMAZINGGGG live African band that was SO good. Like you couldn't help but sit there dancing in your seat. And we had the perfect table because everyone else from inside the restaurant kept coming up to stand and watch them but we were right there the whole time. And of course, Amanda and I were both picked out by the lead singer/drummer man to dance with him on separate occasions... of course I loved this. It was so much fun. We didn't go out afterwards because tonight is G&I's official last night so we had already planned to do it up tonight. Can't wait =)
Some of the band!
This past shift at Bap was really, really good. Granted, this may be because I only slept there one of three nights- after our first day we came back for an AVIVA cookout and slept at Obs House, and after the third day Ida and I got a taxi back to Obs because we had to wake up really early on Saturday for shark cage diving. The cookout was pretty fun, it was at the Table View house which is SO nice (so many bedrooms, granite counter tops, pool and pool-side bar...) and all the staff was there so it was nice to hang out with them. Afterwards a bunch of us went out in Obs, first to Stones (the pool bar) and then to Roots, a beach themed bar that I had never been to- sand floors, tiki hut bars... gotta love it.
Didn't stay out too late since it was back to Bap the next morning. On the way we picked up 100 baby bottles and during our break labeled all of them with the kid's names on color coded labels (indicating whether the bottle is taken at 2am, 6am, 10am, 2pm, 6pm, or 10pm). With six of us working on it it didn't take that long but when we did bottles the next morning it made ALL the difference in the world- no more broken bottles/lids, no more missing bottles, no more labels that are completely impossible to read. This shift we also redid the out of date poster boards with the kid's pictures that hangs on the wall in the flat. We took all new pictures and put up new, labeled boards. It was nice to do something (as little as those things are) that will last beyond all of our time here. And it is amazing the difference that seemingly small things can make. Though really what Bap needs is on a larger scale- the baby house needs a complete makeover badly (we thought about writing to Ty Pennington). The kids need a cleaner, safer place to live and they need plenty of volunteers to play with them and love them... two things that are not so easy to come by.
The new bottles!
Another orphanage project just opened up through AVIVA (Amanda and Jenn are the first volunteers to work there) that was recently given a COMPLETE makeover- they brought in volunteers that worked non-stop for (I think) four days and now the place is BEAUTIFUL- I have only seen the outside but there is grass (something Bap lacks) and a great swing set. And inside it's clean, and the kids have their own individual beds and much more. Granted, I am glad to be working at Bap where they really, really need us, but I just wish the same thing could be done for our kids, who I guess are considered lucky to be at Bap but really have basically nothing. It is just amazing that there are people in the world with so much money they don't know what to do with it and then you come to a place like this and there is a world of good that could be done with just a little help, and it is amazing that these problems still exist at all. It's sad and makes me wish I could do a heck of a lot more.
Anyways... as I said the shift went really well, I love everyone on it and am so sad that it is Georgina and Ida's last shift!! Makes me realize how fast the end is coming for me because after they leave (and Sofia and Friederike- also leaving this week) I have been here longer than anyone else in the house, which is CRAZY. How did that happen?? I just got here! I don't even want to think about it.
Yesterday Ida and I were picked up at 5am for shark cage diving. It was about a two hour drive there, during which time one might think it would be a good idea to sleep, but I was awake the whole time and turns out I am glad because we were driving over mountains by the coast as the sun rose and it was GORGEOUS. I swear, if you blink here you will miss something worth seeing. It was very nice. We arrived at the cage diving headquarters (a house about 1/4 block from the water & boat) and had a very nice self-serve breakfast (and several cups of coffee). Then they gave us a quick debriefing and we were off! There were only 12 of us (plus the crew), so it was a small group compared to most apparently which was quite nice. We rode out about 15 minutes but were still in relatively shallow water (~10m). This is technically the off season for seeing Great Whites, which are the only species in the area due to the cold water temperatures. However, you generally can see them year round, and this is the most famous place in the world to see them (some people may have seen the famous picture of a man in a yellow kayak being followed by a huge great white- that was taken here). So they put down anchor and throw out a "chum line"- nasty fishy stuff that the shark will (hopefully) catch the scent of and follow back to the boat. Also, the whole time they are throwing nasty fish stuff out into the water and have 1/2 a fish on a buoy as bait.
So everything was super... until I started to feel a bit seasick. Man, I have been a puker my whole life. Threw up twice, which sucked, but then the first shark was spotted so I threw on my wetsuit (in actuality, "throwing on" a wetsuit is the exact opposite of how it works, those things are so incredibly hard to get on [and off]). Plus these wetsuits have hoods, like what scuba divers wear, and little shoes that zip on, and I had a mask on, and they put a weight over your shoulders to help you go under in the cage. All of this was quite uncomfortable after having just thrown up let me tell you, but there was a shark! So I had to get in the cage.
THE CAGE
Five people get in at a time (and only 7 of the 12 on board were getting in at all which in my opinion is not worth the $120 to only watch from the boat but whatever) and you have to hold on to the top of the cage, and then when a shark is coming around they say "Divers go under!" or "Divers, on your left!" so you take a big breath and pull yourself under and look for the shark. Unfortunately the visibility was really poor under the water but there were several very exciting moments when that didn't really matter because the sharks would actually ram into the cage, putting them at about half a meter or less from you and that was awesome. I got out of the cage after about 15 minutes though because you really could actually see the sharks better from the boat. And we saw sooo many. After waiting about 30 minutes to see the first one we would see one every 2-3 minutes, and they would swim right next to the boat and go for the bait and come out of the water- it was awesome. And they looked HUGE, though they were only about 3-4m long and can grow to be 7m long- hard/scary to imagine. It was really great though.
Ahhh!
After about three hours we packed up (there were other boats around not having any luck, and in the off season the different companies help each other out so we left to let another boat come into the area since we had already seen so much) and headed back. At the house they put on the video that a videographer on the boat had been taking the whole time, and it was quite funny- for one, to see yourself in the wetsuit getup, and also because whenever someone was on camera they seemed to either wave or give the thumbs up- it reminded me of stereotypical Asians always giving the peace sign. Anyways, we were driven back to the house and were home by 2pm (I slept the whole way). (NOTE- all of this sounds incredibly touristy, and I guess it is, but it didn't feel like it. And it was definitely worth the money. And the staff was super nice and included volunteers just like us. So it was completely worth it and I am very glad I did it!)
Last night, everyone (Me, Georgina, Ida, Amanda, Amy, Jenn, Amanda, Shawna, Reino, and Christiaan) went out to Mama Africa on Long Street for a kind of goodbye dinner for Georgina and Ida. It was such a nice evening (I shared a kabob appetizer and I have no idea what kind of meat was on it [I am thinking crocodile, ostrich, and springbok?] but really have no idea, and had some kind of fish for my meal- very good). The best part though was that our table was right next to this AMAZINGGGG live African band that was SO good. Like you couldn't help but sit there dancing in your seat. And we had the perfect table because everyone else from inside the restaurant kept coming up to stand and watch them but we were right there the whole time. And of course, Amanda and I were both picked out by the lead singer/drummer man to dance with him on separate occasions... of course I loved this. It was so much fun. We didn't go out afterwards because tonight is G&I's official last night so we had already planned to do it up tonight. Can't wait =)
Some of the band!
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