be an entrepreneur

Last Friday it was Freedom Day in South Africa, so I didn’t have to go to work! I was supposed to join Trevor, Ale, Katie and Ben on an epic road trip through the Valley of Desolation, Jeffery’s Bay and Port Elizabeth, but I got sick. Real sick. So I stayed home.

Saturday evening I was sitting on the couch wrapped in several layers of blankets wallowing in shameless self-pity when I heard a knock on the door. I groaned. A second knock. I groaned again. I did not want to leave the warm enclave of my blankets and I didn’t even what to think about whether or not I looked presentable. A third knock came.  I shot dagger eyes at the door, heaved myself off the couch and shuffled over to the door.

I slowly opened it, steeling myself for human interaction after two days of self-prescribed sickbed isolation. It was Hilda, our landlady. During the course of our brief conversation she astutely concluded that I was not well. I was relieved when she said farewell and left me quarantined in the intern house.

Minutes later however she reappeared in the doorway with tea, another blanket and medicine! She insisted I take all of it and then invited me to lunch the following day. I graciously accepted.

I woke up Sunday feeling much better. I still wasn’t well, but I was determined to make it to lunch – and enjoy it. I showered (an arduous task in itself sometimes), put on what I thought were some clean clothes (it’s really hard to do the smell-check when you are congested) and headed over to my landlord’s house where I had one of the best afternoons I’ve had in a while.

I played fetch with their three dogs, talked about tennis and school with their eldest daughter and gossiped about boys with their middle daughter (but don’t tell – she doesn’t want her parents to know).

Then it was time for lunch. Barbequed onion-glazed chicken, Greek salad, freshly baked rolls and pudding (homemade pudding that you bake – not that crap from a box) with ice cream for dessert. I was in heaven. I seriously need to broaden my food horizons beyond cereal, cucumbers and pasta.

But the best part of the afternoon, by far, was the conversation. We touched on a wide range of topics; how South African pecans have the potential to become one of the most profitable markets in the next ten years, rhino poaching (138 rhinos have been poached in Kruger Park so far this year), the impact of social media, and my favorite – entrepreneurship.

Johan (our landlord) had asked what my plans for next year in three months were. After a brief moment of internal panic, I told him stoically that I had no clue. I’m interested in continuing to work abroad in a capacity similar to my current role, exploring what options the geology field might have for me, or anything that isn’t strictly a desk job.

In the course of our conversation I mentioned that Trevor and I had recently devised an “idea board.” We were writing down ideas that we had for starting our own business (okay we are shamelessly looking for ways to make money) and we’ve come up with a few not too bad ideas (which, I’m sorry, we are keeping under wraps so no one steals them… yeah, they’re that good).

Johan is an entrepreneur by definition (he owns a farm, owns and manages property, started his own telecommunications company, runs an irrigation company, and probably does a few more things I am utterly clueless about) and it was very enlightening listening to him talk about some of his business adventures developed.

As always, when I left his house Johan had said something that would provide me with mental fodder for quite awhile; he said that in this economy, where it is hard for anyone to find a job, that it was our job, as educated people, to create jobs for others. As educated people, it is a waste of our talents to sit behind a desk and earn a salary. Instead, we should be coming up with the ideas that create jobs for others who are not as fortunate as us. I don’t know if I agree with this fully, but is has definitely got me thinking. 

words from a Graduate

Today was our Skillz Street graduation at Emang Mmogo. And while this past round of Skillz Street has been a whirlwind of emotions and stress (we were piloting a new version of Skillz Street this round), the graduation was simple, fun and made the past weeks worth it.

Coach Joyce with her team.

The best thing about this graduation was that when it ended, I asked if I could speak to one of the girls, Thato. I met Thato the first day of Skillz Street and after convincing her that I was cool (no easy task, especially when I don't even know any hip and happening Tswana songs) she and I became pretty close. I wanted to talk to her just to let her know that I had a lot of fun with her over the past weeks, and also to shamelessly collect some "M&E data" for GRS.

Coach Debby, Thato and me. 

I loved talking to Thato! I got to hear, from a participant, what our program actually did for her! Thato told me two things that really stood out; I asked her if Skillz Street helped her and she replied, "very much because I used to think that menstruation was a disgrace and Skillz taught me that menstruation was natural." I then asked what she learned and shared with her friends and she answered, "I've learned that wearing short skirts is not an excuse to be raped and my friends and I can help each other and be there for each other to make sure these things - that they don't happen to us."

Pretty powerful stuff in my mind. 

much needed pick me up

frustration (n.) – a deep chronic sense or state of insecurity and dissatisfaction arising from unresolved problems or unfulfilled needs

In most of my blogs I try to remain positive when I talk about GRS, but recently I feel like I am being propelled towards my breaking point as I grow increasingly frustrated with the status quo. I have been assured by my employed friends and family members that incompetence is present in every workplace, but sometimes I feel like GRS thrives off of it’s incompetence.

Here’s an (small) example: ever since I arrived in Kimberley, we have been requesting permission from HQ to buy a projector. We use a projector every time there is a Skillz Street graduation, occasionally during Development Sessions and to train coaches. And if GRS Kim actually owned a projector we would use it as often as possible – to share M&E data and figures with coaches, to give Power Point presentations at Development Sessions and more.

But we don’t own a projector. So every time we need the projector we call my good friend, Percy J. Emmanual (he always introduces himself that way) and ask to rent his projector. This costs R300/day. Since I have arrived, we have rented a projector nines times and spent R2700 (we would have rented it more but we try to remain cost conscious in Kimberley). Before I leave we will need to rent a projector at least three more times and spend an additional R900, bringing our total cost to R3500. Now the cost of a projector is, on average, R3500.

What’s that? You notice it to! If we had just bought a projector back in August we would have spent the same amount of money, would own a projector and could use the projector whenever we wanted without hassle or concerns about cost. But alas, despite persistent requests and the use of simple logic, headquarters refuses to bless us with a projector. As my dad would say, it’s just plain asinine.

And that whole projector situation is perhaps the smallest thing that irritates me about the decision making process within GRS South Africa's HQ and even GRS in general.

So this morning, after working to ameliorate a certain problem in Kim - which is the result of certain shortcomings at HQ - and getting nowhere, I was pissed. Dangerously pissed. Ticking time bomb pissed. Right when I was on the point of exploding however, it was time for me to attend my West End intervention.

I was probably a little too aggressive driving to West End, but by the time I pulled up to the front gates I was already feeling better. And after stepping into the classroom with my participants everything magically seemed to get better. What made today really cool was that I ended up at this intervention all by myself, so I ran the whole practice with the girls! This is something that no other intern in my class has done!

Because I was running the practice I couldn't take pictures, but these are
from last weeks practice: Risk Field.

In Risk Field, players have to dribble through a series
of cones that represent risky behaviors that may lead
to HIV (i.e. multiple sexual partners, not using
condoms, alcohol and drug abuse, older partners).

If they hit one of the "risks" then they have to face the
consequences. In this case, Reese is doing a "toilet."

Players dribble through the cones three times.

The second time through, if they hit a cone the whole team
has to face the "consequences." This demonstrates that HIV
affects the infected individual and their family and friends.

The third time through, if a player hits a cone, everyone has to suffer
the "consequences." This shows that HIV also affect the whole community
and even the country (i.e. South Africa spends tons of money on ARV's so
that HIV-positive individuals can get them free).

I had never done or seen today’s practice (Practice 8) and it was a little more difficult than I thought it would be to deliver, but I managed, I had a blast and I realized something; GRS (and any organization for that matter) is not perfect and I cannot expect it to be perfect. GRS, the organization, has quite a few problems that I hope it will address in the coming years. But GRS programs – from our basic life skills curriculum to Skillz Street – are awesome! And at the end of the day that is what it is about – the programs that actually affect our participants. And as long as I’m around I can help ensure that our programs are thriving and if I keep my chin up, maybe I can tackle some of those organizational issues as well.

Last week's activity discussion.

Going to West End today and spending quality time with some GRS participants was exactly what I needed to pull myself out of the rut of frustration that I’ve fallen into recently. And to put a cherry on top of what turned out to be a not-so-terrible day, tonight we went to Panarottis with Derek and Ale, the two Zimterns who are visiting us.

As if all you can eat pizza wasn’t good enough, Trevor told our waitress that it was Ale’s birthday so that they would give him the Panarotti’s birthday celebration. The raucous celebration that ensued was priceless.  

Surprisingly enough by the end of the day I was feeling mush less frustrated and much more ebullient.

ebullient (adj.) cheerful and full energy

accidents and surprises

Last weekend something amazing happened. Trevor and I discovered a little piece of heaven that is only an hour away from Kim! I feel a little stupid about having only just discovered it ... we've lived here eight months and only now have we explored the glory that is Lily Dale Rest Camp. The whole adventure kind of happened on accident too; earlier in the week, Hooter (a former Kimtern) called us and asked if he could visit. Starved for visitors we eagerly agreed. Hooter was driving up to Kim from Cape Town and asked if we could meet at Lily Dale on Saturday morning. 

I have no idea what this is... but we saw an entire herd on the way to
the park.

All we knew about Lily Dale was that Hooter loved it, it was located in Mokola National Park and that it was about 90 kilometers from Kim. Full of excitement, we hopped in the Tazz and left the city limits behind us. Everything was going great until we were about 4 km from the Lily Dale Reception; we got a flat tire. And this wasn't just any flat tire... it was our second flat tire. So there we were on a gravel and dirt road in the middle of a National Park with the only option for help 4 km in front of us. So we gritted our teeth and drove 4 more kilometers on the gravel and dirt covered road. We arrived at reception and our tire was literally shredded to bits... Oops.

But we decided not to worry about the tire and enjoy the day. We found Hooter and quickly headed down to the Reit River to hang out. It was wonderful! There were pools to swim in, rocks to climb on and animals to gawk at. And best of all Hooter had brought four surprises with him - Rebecca, Kelly, Laura and Alice, four of the girls that work for GRS in Cape Town decided to come visit too!

Panoramic of the Reit River.

Trevor and I were beyond happy! All of a sudden we had four more people to play with! We went swimming, we went exploring and we - well let me just show you:

Bo and Kelly napping...

Laura napping in the shade...

Alice napping on top of a sunny rock...

- we went napping! Those Cape Town girls are quite a riot to hang out with! I had a really good time. It was nice to just get out of Kimberley and relax with good friends, good food and beautiful scenery. 

Me! Not sleeping!

Hooter also taught us how to fly fish!

Hoots in the middle of the River.

I enjoyed fly fishing. It is a bit more active than regular fishing because you are consistently recasting and moving your line around in order to mimic a real fly. I saw tons of trout jumping in the pools but wasn't able to catch any (which is probably a good thing - it allowed me to perfect my cast and not have to worry about what I would've done had I gotten a bite). 

It was a perfect day. Everyone present was content to actively wile about and enjoy each others' company. And I was so happy that a bunch of the Cape Town crew decided to surprise us. in fact, I was so overwhelmed with friends that I didn't even have a chance to take in my geologic surroundings! But that's okay - I'm sure I'll be going back soon enough. 

One more shot of the River.

(P.S. Back at reception we managed to fix one of our flat tires and drive back to Kim without much ado.) 

Kea leboga Grandpa!

During the past eight months I have received tremendous support from so many of my friends and family members. And although I am grateful to each and every one of you, I want to give a special 'Thank You' shout out to my Grandfather. I'm sure many of you have noticed the fantastic photographs on my recent blogs; these pictures were made possible by my wonderful grandfather. After hearing how the dust of the Namib desert ravaged my camera and rendered it unusable, my grandfather insisted on buying me a new camera. I love my new camera and it is a fantastic gift that will keep on giving. So to the best grandfather in the world - kea leboga (that means thank you in Tswana)!

At my high school graduation.

In Barcelona, Spain this past summer.

William and Mary '11 graduation with my Grandmother and Grandfather.

Grandpa, thank you for all of your love, support and never-ending encouragement. When I return to the States one of my first visits will be to you (and then we can go climb another active volcano together)!

bribing some cops

On Easter Sunday, Trevor, Katie, Danielle, Amanda and myself crossed over the Zambezi River and entered Zimbabwe. We met up with Eleanor - a lovely Zimbabwean woman who was giving us a ride - and set off for the Ivory Lodge in Hwange, where we would meet up with the Zimterns, Derek and Ale. 

The 170-km ride from the border to Hwange was beautiful. We passed maybe 15 cars throughout the entire journey. From what I could see, villages were spaced about every 50 kilometers and consisted of one cinder-block building surrounded by 20 to 30 circular huts (I've been told that many southern Africans believe that evil lives in corners and that's why they build round huts). My favorite part of the journey however, was passing several different soccer fields. All of the fields were surrounded by long grass and many of them had donkeys or cows grazing in the middle of them. There was also one field where four crooked tree limbs had been propped up by large rocks in order to make goal posts. I got so excited when I saw this - it proves that a soccer pitch can really be set up anywhere!

A driver 'negotiating' a traffic fine with the police. 

We also got our first real taste of Zimbabwe during our ride in the form of road blocks. Zimbabwe is notorious for it's corrupt government officials (President Mugabe has actually been forcing all international NGO's out of the country because he is afraid they are 'fronts for the opposition') and perhaps even more so, its corrupt police officers. Police officers will set up road blocks, stop every single car that passes and look to nail driver's for any number of offenses (i.e. not having red and white reflectors on your car, not having a neon yellow safety vest in your car in case you get a flat tire, not having a 'registration' for your radio, not having a toll card). And because police officers get paid next to nothing, they will often double the fine so that they can pocket half of the money.

Driving from the border to Hwange, our van was stopped at three police road blocks. At each road block our driver had to show his license and registration, endure a thorough inspection of his van and answer at least ten questions. Our driver had to pay one ticket (I'm not sure what it was for) and at one of the road blocks I actually saw a driver handing a bribe over to the police officers (he was probably driving without a license). 

Sitting in 'The Hive.'

Other than the road blocks, our drive was pretty uneventful. When we arrived at the Ivory Lodge we met up with Derek and Ale, explored our digs, and then I parked myself at 'The Hive' for the rest of the evening until dinner. The lodge is located right next to a pretty large watering hole and 'The Hive' is a thatched burrow-like structure that overlooks the watering hole. From here you have fantastic opportunities to see all sorts of wildlife. 

Elephants coming to the watering hole!

After seeing a few birds and a herd of eland I was about to leave when all of a sudden I spotted something at the tree line that lay just beyond the watering hole. After a few minutes, two elephants emerged from the bush and began playing in the water. I was mesmerized. And things only got better. Right as it was getting dark, a whole herd of elephants (at one point we counted 15) emerged from the bush! As we sat there watching, one elephant came within three meters of 'The Hive' and started playing in the dirt. I felt like I could've just reached out and touched it!

This elephant was three meters from us!

We must've watched the elephants for over an hour, but we finally tore ourselves from the sight when we heard the banging of a drum, which announced that it was dinner time. The Lodge chefs cooked a delicious three-course Easter dinner for us - creamy tomato soup, roast beef with butternut squash and potatoes, and crepes for dessert. And we shared our Easter dinner with the Canadian Ambassador to Zimbabwe and her family! The food was great and the conversation was even better (I'm actually working on a blog regarding a question that the Ambassador's husband asked me so keep an eye out for it). 

Easter dinner.

After dinner we headed down to the fire circle where we spent the rest of the night enjoying some Lion Lager (the local beer), answering riddles and looking at the stars before heading to bed. Monday morning we woke up at the crack of dawn to go on a game drive. 

Sunrise in Zimbabwe.

I'll be honest - when I woke up at five in the morning on Monday I had no desire to go on the game drive. It was cold, I was tired and part of me thought, "I've already seen a bunch of animals in Botswana." But I somehow got past my that mental block, rolled out of bed and got myself into our four-by-four without saying a word to anyone. And it was definitely worth it: 

 

Within minutes we had spotted several eland and a sleepy giraffe!

I also saw some animals I hadn't seen before - jackals, wildebeest, cool birds...

I forget what these birds are called... but I do remember that they mate
for life.

... and water buffalo! Water buffalo are one of the 'Big Five' so I was thrilled to finally see a huge herd.

The herd we saw consisted of over 100 buffalo!

When we finished up our game drive, it was time for Trevor and I to head back to South Africa (we had wanted to take a day off from work to go to Bulawayo, the GRS site in Zimbabwe, but because the Kim site is seriously under staffed, our leave request was denied...). We drove to Bulawayo, boarded our bus to Johannesburg and settled in for our 15-hour bus ride (6 of these hours were spent getting across the border). And so ended yet another amazing trip through southern Africa. 

last leaps in Zambia

After mirror dancing the night away on Saturday, I did not greet Sunday morning with much enthusiasm. But my grumpy morning disposition quickly transformed into awe and excitement during our last Zambian excursion: the falls gorge swing. The gorge swing is just that - a swing between a very large gorge - but instead of sitting on this swing and pushing yourself off the ground, you get harnessed to a rope and just let yourself tumble over a ledge. 

On the edge. 

Jimmy and I went first. After being strapped into two harnesses we were latched together at the waist, had our legs tied together and then told to waddle to the edge of the platform and "assume the position." Then the gorge guide counted to three and both Jimmy and I lifted up our toes, fell backwards and let gravity pull us into the gorge. 

"Assuming the position" before taking the leap into the gorge. 

It was quite a feeling. We were in free fall for about three seconds before the rope became taught and we began swinging back and forth. 

In free fall!

After swinging for a couple of minutes and taking in our breath-taking surroundings, we were lowered into the gorge, were helped out of our harnesses and climbed back up to the top of the gorge. Once we reached to top I got ready to go again - but this time with Katie!

Katie and I strapped up and ready to go.

You see, everyone in our group wanted to do the tandem gorge swing (where you swing with someone), but we had an odd number of people. I promptly devised a wonderful solution to this conundrum - I volunteered to go twice!

Katie and I moving towards the platform.

Gorge swinging was awesome. Both times. And I really enjoyed swinging with someone because after about one minute of swinging in the gorge the harness starts to pinch in certain places... So it's nice to have someone to commiserate with during the swing.

Katie and I free falling.

I have now done both bungee jumping and gorge swinging and I think I prefer the swing more. And I would highly recommend it to anyone in the Vic Falls area - or near any gorge for that matter.

After the gorge swing, we got a ride to the border and crossed into Zimbabwe where we began the next leg of our adventure (Zim-tales coming soon in the next blog)!

mirror dancing

Three things combined to make our last night in Zambia epic: booze cruising, heart-to-hearting and mirror dancing.

The whole group!

You are probably as shocked as I am to see “booze cruising” on that list (well… some of you). It’s funny; when I arrived in Livingstone I had every intention of doing as many thrill seeking and adrenaline pumping activities as possible. So when the whole group sat down to plan our activities my list included rafting or kayaking the Zambezi, gorge swinging, abseiling and other similar death-defying feats. And although Katie and Trevor were on the same page as me, the rest of the group kept saying two words, “booze cruise!” A little confused but not wanting to be left out, I signed up for the booze cruise. 

And it turned out to be a lot of fun. We met some hilarious recent graduates from England and a few local Zimbabweans who were very interested in GRS. We also got to see a gorgeous sunset while cruising down the Zambezi. But my favorite part of the cruise was getting to have a heart-to-heart with Katie, one of the interns in Johannesburg. 

Katie and I have both been in similar situations recently. We are both the intern in charge of M&E (collecting and analyzing GRS site data) and Skillz Street at our respective sites. We also both really enjoy talking about work (throughout our heart-to-heart other members of our group kept passing us and demanding that we, “stop talking about work! We’re on vacation!” And we both have had to deal with similar frustrations regarding the people we work with and GRS as a whole. We talked for close to two hours and I would have happily carried on our conversation all night, but we both agreed that we should at least try to socialize with other, less work-enthused people. And I think we both managed this last part rather successfully. 

After the cruise our group headed into town to see what the nightlife in Zambia was like. It was pretty similar to the nightlife in Kim; not too many places to go, awesome music playing at all clubs, and no white people. What was different Kim however was the presence of mirror-lined walls. And instead of dancing with people, Zambians stand in front of these mirrors and watch as they dance alone. It’s a bit odd at first and more than a little frightening when you see yourself in a mirror and realize, “oh dear… that’s what I look like when I dance…” but all in all the mirrors simply add to the atmosphere, creativity and hilarity of the “going out” scene. 

Mirror dancing!

rafting the Zambezi

I love travelling with Trevor and Katie because, like me, they are adrenaline junkies and are up for just about anything. Our second day in Livingstone, Zambia, Trevor, Katie and I went rafting down the Zambezi river. 

When we arrived at the rafting place we had a brief moment of panic when we were told that rafts would have either six or seven team members. Our group of three would need to pair up with a group of four and the only group of four we spotted was a group of very large Afrikaners who looked like they couldn’t fit in their life jackets, let alone the raft.

But we were saved! A group for four able-bodied and hilarious Americans (and one Brit) recruited us to their raft. It was a real treat rafting down the river with Alex, Derek, Bryan and the girl, whose name I can not remember… (I hope she’s not reading this). All four are currently working in different parts of Africa. Derek and the girls were working in Angola as part of the foreign service, Bryan was doing microfinance in Kenya and Alex was doing something in Sudan, where they all met three years ago. It was interesting to hear what all of them were doing and gave me some potential job ideas, which with only four months left in Kim I suppose I need to start pursuing. 

So with our new friends in tow, we hit the river. 

Three hours on a rive is a great way to solidify friendships. It's also a great way to judge people you have just met. Alex, the Brit, for instance is one of the funniest people I have ever met, but he was also a waste of space on the raft. He was on the same side of the raft as Derek and I and he was an absolute disaster when it came to paddling. Despite the efforts of Derek and myself, he always ended up hitting our paddles. And every time he saw a camera he stopped paddling so that he could pose for the camera and make sure it got his "good side." Despite his complete lack of rafting capabilities, I enjoyed rafting with him as he added comedy to the venture. 

The girl was also pretty funny to raft with, mostly because she was terrified. Every time we hit any rapid or foamy patch of water she dove into the middle of the boat and clung on for dear life. I didn't mind that she hardly paddled because in all honesty she probably had the upper body strength of a tea bag. 

And what Alex and the girl lacked in paddling prowess, Bryan and Derek made up for with their own abilities and humor. The best thing about rafting with these four was that it showed me that even when I'm 30 I can still live in Africa, go on adventures, and avoid a life of banality.  

When we weren't careening down Class 4 and 5 rapids, being pummeled with water or swimming in the Zambezi, we got to take in the surrounding beauty. I spent a lot of time looking at the basalt rock that comprised the gorge and my biggest regret of the day is that I didn't snag a piece to take home with me (when that is my biggest regret from a trip it is safe to say it was a good trip).

My favorite rapids were 16a and 16b, aka "The Terminator" and "I'll Be Back." These rapids were two huge waves that occurred one right after the other. After cresting the Terminator it looked like I'll Be Back was going to smash our boat to smithereens. But thanks to Voster's (our guide) handy maneuvering we made it through both rapids.   

Team 'Chop My Money' (that's what our four new friends named us... not sure why) made it down the Zambezi safe, sound and with lots of stories to tell. Vic Falls and the Zambezi River are gorgeous geologic phenomenon and I would happily visit both again.