March 7th, 2012: After a long journey home, I have finally arrived home safe and sound. As strange as this may sound, being home feels different. Returning back to a state of normal from being on a constant adrenaline high while in Africa has been a challenging task for me. I am still operating on African time, much like all my other nursing friends who went to Africa! We phone each other at 3 am trying to pass the time before we can get up at an acceptable Canadian time for the day. While up at all hours of the night I have had a chance to think about what I have learned on my trip. I have learned many things but the most important thing that I learned was that I am so lucky and do not appreciate what I have at home in Canada. I have learned that I do not need all the material things which I treasured so much before going on my trip. Before this trip, the idea of moving out of of Kelowna and starting a new life somewhere else petrified me. Now, I figure if I can live in Africa for 2 months then I can go anywhere that my job may take me. I cannot fully realize how much I have grown as a nurse until I start working in the hospital here but I can already tell that without this experience I would not be the nurse that I am today. These last few days have encompassed unpacking and getting all my affairs in order with graduation which is coming so soon! I have also been visiting or talking with everyone that I missed on my trip which has been the best part of returning home. Telling my stories and sharing my photos has reminded me of how much I loved my trip and how thankful I am that I was able to go.
I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been reading my blog and supporting me while on this trip. I didn't think anyone would actually read this! It means so much to me that although I was a million miles away, you guys were still thinking about me, were interested in my well being and were curious as to how my trip was going. It means more than I can put into words. So thanks once again and if I haven't already seen you or talked to you, it won't be long!
Love,
Amanda
Wednesday 7 March 2012
Thursday 1 March 2012
Feb. 29th, 2012: Today, on the Leap Year day, I decided to leap off of a cliff on the Victoria Falls over a 150 metre gorge! I ziplined all the way across the gorge. It was so much fun!! I got to see the gorge from right above the water and I even got to see a circle rainbow that was spread out over the gorge. I span for a little bit of the trip which was really fun because then I was doing the ziplining backwards! I couldn't see anything but the falls in front of me. Then you have to climb up on this ledge that is right over the gorge and walk across the bottom of the bridge to safety. It was amazing! I then watched two of my friends bungee jump off of the bridge. I was sweating even putting my camera over the ledge and despite the peer pressure I refused to jump and kept my feet firmly on the bridge. Ziplining was as far as I was going! We then went out to Olgas (again) for some really delicious spaghetti. After a quick nap, I went to the craft market to trade many things that I don't want to bring back home. Or that just won't fit in my very stuffed suitcase :). It was really cool, the people I traded with were so excited to get my things and I was so excited to get their things! The craft market is rather intimidating but so much fun. It is a long strip of shops, each one selling different items but they are all roughly the same thing. As soon as you walk near the market you are hounded, the shop owners trying to get you to come into their shops to buy their stuff. I start out really polite but by the time I have finished the entire strip, I usually end up not so polite as I have been harrassed the entire way down, haha. What amazes me, is that you can see people making their crafts right in the market. They say they can take up to a month to make and they only sell them for roughly $10.00 Canadian. Bargaining is a blast. Some of the shop owners don't like to bargain much, so I find the ones that really do like bargain and we have fun going at it. I had a quiet night after my big day, resting and enjoying the sunshine.
March 1st: Today, I rode and fed an elephant and played/walked lions and cheetahs!!! I started my adventure at 9 am, with the elephants. I was very lucky that one of my friends agreed to come with me to the elephant back safari because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to go with only person. There were 7 elephants in the herd with the oldest being 36 years and huge! I rode a 13 year old elephant named Sondelo, with a tour guide named Bonaface. He told me about the elephants while we walked through the forest up and down hills with me gripping tightly onto the seat that was strapped onto the elephant. The ride was a little bit bumpy, I definetly got my ab workout for the day! Up close, Sondelo was very brown and muddy. He had little balls of mud on his head from the last time he took a mud bath to keep cool. His ears were huge and very strong. His tail was very strong as well with a little black tuft at the end. I heard how the elephants communicate which was really cool. They were telling the other elephants to hurry up according to Bonaface. All 7 of the elephants came on the walk although only two were being ridden because Bonaface said that the others will get lonely and angry if they are not brought along. One of Sondelo's tusks were broken off because he had tried to dig for a branch a little too roughly. They say that it will grow back within 2 years or so. He responded to commands like "stop" and "walk on" but would constantly reach his long trunk to the side and grab some snacks of branches along the way. After the walk, I got to feed Sondelo! I said "mouth open" and he curled up his trunk above his head to reveal a very large mouth and tongue onto which I put the handful of snacks onto. Then, I said "truck down!" and he stretched his trunk back down to vaccuum suck the snacks off of my hands. It was really, really cool!!!
I then visted the lions!! There were two. One was a brown lion aged 17 months and the other was a rare white lion aged 11 months. I stood behind the lion holding a stick in case the lion saw me and decided I looked rather tasty. The stick did work, it distracted the lions when they looked at me like I was a big piece of meat. I pet the lions and even gave one a belly rub! Then, I walked with the lions. I was able to hold onto the tail of both lions as we walked. I saw their huge paws and their huge, sharp teeth which were a really good reminder to only do what the guides were telling me. They say that even they need to watch their backs when with the lions. Even though they are very tame, they still have the instinct to kill and are still very wild. I found it really interesting to learn that they had spots only because they are still young. You can tell how old a lion is by how dark their spots are! They are used for camouflage while they are still young and at risk for being eaten by other animals. Apparently, after they are released into the wild, the lion has no problem adapting to it's new life and can hunt and resume a normal lions life. This place takes lions which have been abandoned by their mother because of unfortunate circumstances, like the mother being poached or something. Lions are not born with the ability to walk so they need to be carried by their mother for the first 3 months of their life. So if the mother is killed, the baby lions are left for dead unless they are picked up and brought to this place. They are then raised to tolerate humans for a few years (usually up to the age of 5) and then they enter the 'wildlife' phase where they are slowly introduced into the wild and eventually set free into a private national park. They were so very beautiful and and powerful. I am so happy I got to see them and touch them like that! Who knew lions liked belly rubs?
I then visted the cheetahs. There are 9 cheetahs altogether at this place. Cheetahs are still an endangered species, so this place took in 3 cheetahs that were bred in captivity somewhere else and are using them to help re-populate the species! The females choose their mates and after a 3 month pregnancy they give birth to 3-5 pups which are released into the same private national park as the lions at the age of 10 months. The older cheetahs that started the family cannot be released back into the park because they were born in captivity. The cheetahs were much less intimidating versus the lions. The first thing I noticed was their colour. Their black spots cover their entire brown body ending at the tail, which ends up looking like stripes as the tail ends. They have beautiful black markings on their face, leading from their hazel coloured eyes down to their mouth. I was so surprised when the cheetah started to purr! Like a really, really big cat. They loved to be pet. Especially on the chin. I could pet anywhere on the cheetah except on the legs. I sat down to pet one of the females and the male walked right over to me and sat right on me, jealous of all the petting that the female was getting! I thought that was really funny. They loved to play and tried to eat my water bottle after demolishing the stick that I had brought from the lion encounter. I got to walk the cheetahs like a really big cat (with a leash and everything) which was interesting because there were 3 of them and 1 of me. So trying to walk all 3 of them was really entertaining. One escaped from me at one point and I was really happy that it didn't run because at the speed of 120 kms, you can only hope that they come back! There is no chasing them. They are one of the animals that are often hunted by others because they are very weak. Their teeth are not very large and they are not very muscled compared to other animals. They are built to run and like to eat the gazelles! I felt like I was famous with all the photos that the guides took. They were awesome. Because I had booked these activites so last minute, I got to have a private encounter with the lions and the cheetahs which the guides said never happens and the experience that I had was something to be jealous of. I will be posting all of my pictures as soon as I get home!
I am so happy that I was able to do everything that I did today. All in all, it was too much of an amazing day to really put into words. The fact that I had to wash my pants of cheetah, lion and elephants before I left for home was pretty awesome. I can't believe it, but I leave for home tomorrow! Saying goodbye to Africa is hard. I really like it here. As much as I miss home, I will miss Africa a lot. Someday, I plan to return here. Hopefully with more money so I can see more of this continent.
PS: I will be turning my phone off and will most likely not have any access to internet until I get home so I will have to talk to everyone then. Canada and Tim Hortons, here I come! :)
March 1st: Today, I rode and fed an elephant and played/walked lions and cheetahs!!! I started my adventure at 9 am, with the elephants. I was very lucky that one of my friends agreed to come with me to the elephant back safari because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to go with only person. There were 7 elephants in the herd with the oldest being 36 years and huge! I rode a 13 year old elephant named Sondelo, with a tour guide named Bonaface. He told me about the elephants while we walked through the forest up and down hills with me gripping tightly onto the seat that was strapped onto the elephant. The ride was a little bit bumpy, I definetly got my ab workout for the day! Up close, Sondelo was very brown and muddy. He had little balls of mud on his head from the last time he took a mud bath to keep cool. His ears were huge and very strong. His tail was very strong as well with a little black tuft at the end. I heard how the elephants communicate which was really cool. They were telling the other elephants to hurry up according to Bonaface. All 7 of the elephants came on the walk although only two were being ridden because Bonaface said that the others will get lonely and angry if they are not brought along. One of Sondelo's tusks were broken off because he had tried to dig for a branch a little too roughly. They say that it will grow back within 2 years or so. He responded to commands like "stop" and "walk on" but would constantly reach his long trunk to the side and grab some snacks of branches along the way. After the walk, I got to feed Sondelo! I said "mouth open" and he curled up his trunk above his head to reveal a very large mouth and tongue onto which I put the handful of snacks onto. Then, I said "truck down!" and he stretched his trunk back down to vaccuum suck the snacks off of my hands. It was really, really cool!!!
I then visted the lions!! There were two. One was a brown lion aged 17 months and the other was a rare white lion aged 11 months. I stood behind the lion holding a stick in case the lion saw me and decided I looked rather tasty. The stick did work, it distracted the lions when they looked at me like I was a big piece of meat. I pet the lions and even gave one a belly rub! Then, I walked with the lions. I was able to hold onto the tail of both lions as we walked. I saw their huge paws and their huge, sharp teeth which were a really good reminder to only do what the guides were telling me. They say that even they need to watch their backs when with the lions. Even though they are very tame, they still have the instinct to kill and are still very wild. I found it really interesting to learn that they had spots only because they are still young. You can tell how old a lion is by how dark their spots are! They are used for camouflage while they are still young and at risk for being eaten by other animals. Apparently, after they are released into the wild, the lion has no problem adapting to it's new life and can hunt and resume a normal lions life. This place takes lions which have been abandoned by their mother because of unfortunate circumstances, like the mother being poached or something. Lions are not born with the ability to walk so they need to be carried by their mother for the first 3 months of their life. So if the mother is killed, the baby lions are left for dead unless they are picked up and brought to this place. They are then raised to tolerate humans for a few years (usually up to the age of 5) and then they enter the 'wildlife' phase where they are slowly introduced into the wild and eventually set free into a private national park. They were so very beautiful and and powerful. I am so happy I got to see them and touch them like that! Who knew lions liked belly rubs?
I then visted the cheetahs. There are 9 cheetahs altogether at this place. Cheetahs are still an endangered species, so this place took in 3 cheetahs that were bred in captivity somewhere else and are using them to help re-populate the species! The females choose their mates and after a 3 month pregnancy they give birth to 3-5 pups which are released into the same private national park as the lions at the age of 10 months. The older cheetahs that started the family cannot be released back into the park because they were born in captivity. The cheetahs were much less intimidating versus the lions. The first thing I noticed was their colour. Their black spots cover their entire brown body ending at the tail, which ends up looking like stripes as the tail ends. They have beautiful black markings on their face, leading from their hazel coloured eyes down to their mouth. I was so surprised when the cheetah started to purr! Like a really, really big cat. They loved to be pet. Especially on the chin. I could pet anywhere on the cheetah except on the legs. I sat down to pet one of the females and the male walked right over to me and sat right on me, jealous of all the petting that the female was getting! I thought that was really funny. They loved to play and tried to eat my water bottle after demolishing the stick that I had brought from the lion encounter. I got to walk the cheetahs like a really big cat (with a leash and everything) which was interesting because there were 3 of them and 1 of me. So trying to walk all 3 of them was really entertaining. One escaped from me at one point and I was really happy that it didn't run because at the speed of 120 kms, you can only hope that they come back! There is no chasing them. They are one of the animals that are often hunted by others because they are very weak. Their teeth are not very large and they are not very muscled compared to other animals. They are built to run and like to eat the gazelles! I felt like I was famous with all the photos that the guides took. They were awesome. Because I had booked these activites so last minute, I got to have a private encounter with the lions and the cheetahs which the guides said never happens and the experience that I had was something to be jealous of. I will be posting all of my pictures as soon as I get home!
I am so happy that I was able to do everything that I did today. All in all, it was too much of an amazing day to really put into words. The fact that I had to wash my pants of cheetah, lion and elephants before I left for home was pretty awesome. I can't believe it, but I leave for home tomorrow! Saying goodbye to Africa is hard. I really like it here. As much as I miss home, I will miss Africa a lot. Someday, I plan to return here. Hopefully with more money so I can see more of this continent.
PS: I will be turning my phone off and will most likely not have any access to internet until I get home so I will have to talk to everyone then. Canada and Tim Hortons, here I come! :)
Monday 27 February 2012
Botswana Safari!
Feb. 26th, 2012: Today I had a lazy day, it was wonderful. I spent the day by the pool hanging out with some new friends that I have met while staying here at Jollyboys. The pool is really nice and very needed in the blazing hot 40 degree weather! I had a rather blonde moment when I hard boiled my eggs in the morning. I started them and then forgot about them until an hour later and had to explain to the person in the kitchen why my eggs were STILL there. They actually tasted pretty good!
Feb. 27th, 2012: Today I visited the Chobe National Park in Botswana! My day started out with a 45 minute bus ride to Botswana, where I had to go through immigration and got some new exciting stamps on my passport. I thought it was really funny how I had to walk on this little cement block with a towel on it which was supposed to help to prevent foot and mouth disease. I was confused on how that worked but walked on it anyways seeing as I didn’t have a choice. Botswana is very beautiful. It is a very nice place, with the most interesting part in my opinion being the animals that wander wherever they wish. This includes the roads. Cars have to stop for elephants and cows and many more animals to cross. There are no fences to keep the animals in one area! I was greeted with a very yummy little breakfast of muffins, coffee/tea and fruit. I then boarded the boat which we would be cruising down the Zambezi on for the first part of the safari. It was nice, I sat on the top floor to get a better view and some sunshine. I saw hippos, an elephant, lots of birds and a crocodile (in the water). It was really peaceful to just sit on the boat, listen to the waves, rock gently and every once and a while look up to see the gorgeous view. I stopped back at the chalet for a delicious lunch before heading out on the game drive. The lunch was so yummy. I had salad, like at home, for the first time since leaving home. I never realized how good salad was before! After lunch I boarded a little speed boat which brought me over the river to where we would be boarding the cars to go on the land safari. I couldn’t help but notice how the huge trucks were transported across the river. It looked like big pieces of a bridge had been detached and made to float. It was easy to see how all the trucks lined up waiting could wait a VERY long time to get across. It was rather creepy, hearing about the stories of human trafficking and why the new rule to check all the trucks cargo was put in place at the border. It was really cool because standing on the speed boat, I was at a 4 country corner with Botswana, Zambia, Nimibya and Zimbabwe around me. They say there is only one other place you can do this in the world!
I then began my game drive! I saw so many amazing animals very close up. I saw a LOT of elephants. There are 40000-60000 in total in the park. At one point, we were surrounded by about 10 elephants and had a chance to see them very up close. They were so close that they could have touched the front of the car. They are a chocolate colour with very wrinkly skin. Considering they are born at 90-120 kg, you can imagine how large they are fully grown. They can grow to be 60-80 years old. The oldest one that the guide thought we saw today was 55 years-he was massive! I saw one scratch itself on a tree and understood how they can rip their ears so easily when they scratch like that. I watched one have a mud bath and have a clear water bath in the river. I watched them eat and drink up close and flap their ears when they wanted to cool themselves. At one point, one little elephant started to play with us. It mock charged, flapping its ears and shaking its trunk at us. Then, when we stopped to take pictures of it and look at it, the elephant gave a large grunt of disapproval and hid behind a tree, all bashful about his recent behaviour! It was really cute. I saw a 2 week old elephant hiding behind it’s mom and I really wanted to take it home. I saw many hippos. Looking out at the river from afar, there were so many hippos it looked as though they were just rocks in the grass! At one point we ran into a big herd of them (called a pod) and got to see them all yawning, showing us their huge teeth, as a warning to back off. So we did and pretty fast because those teeth were pretty huge, haha. I saw a lioness in the heart of the jungle walking around, apparently looking for a place to rest after her hunt. She was beautiful. I saw a lot of impala and was surprised to learn that for every year that a male lives, he gets another twist in his horns. They can live up to 15 years old and I can’t even picture the horns at that point, how their heads would stay on I have no idea! They have little black boots on it looks like and white lines on their bodies. My favorite animal that I saw was the giraffes. I had been waiting to see them as they were not at the last safari we were at! They are amazing. So tall and graceful. They are brown and yellow in colour and I learned that the darker they are the older they are. Like many of the animals that I have described, little birds love to sit on the giraffe and eat little bugs off of it, in return for safety.
I got home from the safari at 7 pm. As tired as I was from my long day, I didn’t want to cook so I went with some friends to an Italian place called Olgas. Together with a friend I shared a pizza and a pasta. It was delicious. I am now just learning how to braid using hemp! I am looking forward to another lazy day tomorrow. I can’t believe I only have a few more days here in Livingstone, it is rather sad but also nice to know i'm on the home stretch here. Will be seeing everyone in a few days, or talking with you if you are out of Kelowna as usual!
Feb. 27th, 2012: Today I visited the Chobe National Park in Botswana! My day started out with a 45 minute bus ride to Botswana, where I had to go through immigration and got some new exciting stamps on my passport. I thought it was really funny how I had to walk on this little cement block with a towel on it which was supposed to help to prevent foot and mouth disease. I was confused on how that worked but walked on it anyways seeing as I didn’t have a choice. Botswana is very beautiful. It is a very nice place, with the most interesting part in my opinion being the animals that wander wherever they wish. This includes the roads. Cars have to stop for elephants and cows and many more animals to cross. There are no fences to keep the animals in one area! I was greeted with a very yummy little breakfast of muffins, coffee/tea and fruit. I then boarded the boat which we would be cruising down the Zambezi on for the first part of the safari. It was nice, I sat on the top floor to get a better view and some sunshine. I saw hippos, an elephant, lots of birds and a crocodile (in the water). It was really peaceful to just sit on the boat, listen to the waves, rock gently and every once and a while look up to see the gorgeous view. I stopped back at the chalet for a delicious lunch before heading out on the game drive. The lunch was so yummy. I had salad, like at home, for the first time since leaving home. I never realized how good salad was before! After lunch I boarded a little speed boat which brought me over the river to where we would be boarding the cars to go on the land safari. I couldn’t help but notice how the huge trucks were transported across the river. It looked like big pieces of a bridge had been detached and made to float. It was easy to see how all the trucks lined up waiting could wait a VERY long time to get across. It was rather creepy, hearing about the stories of human trafficking and why the new rule to check all the trucks cargo was put in place at the border. It was really cool because standing on the speed boat, I was at a 4 country corner with Botswana, Zambia, Nimibya and Zimbabwe around me. They say there is only one other place you can do this in the world!
I then began my game drive! I saw so many amazing animals very close up. I saw a LOT of elephants. There are 40000-60000 in total in the park. At one point, we were surrounded by about 10 elephants and had a chance to see them very up close. They were so close that they could have touched the front of the car. They are a chocolate colour with very wrinkly skin. Considering they are born at 90-120 kg, you can imagine how large they are fully grown. They can grow to be 60-80 years old. The oldest one that the guide thought we saw today was 55 years-he was massive! I saw one scratch itself on a tree and understood how they can rip their ears so easily when they scratch like that. I watched one have a mud bath and have a clear water bath in the river. I watched them eat and drink up close and flap their ears when they wanted to cool themselves. At one point, one little elephant started to play with us. It mock charged, flapping its ears and shaking its trunk at us. Then, when we stopped to take pictures of it and look at it, the elephant gave a large grunt of disapproval and hid behind a tree, all bashful about his recent behaviour! It was really cute. I saw a 2 week old elephant hiding behind it’s mom and I really wanted to take it home. I saw many hippos. Looking out at the river from afar, there were so many hippos it looked as though they were just rocks in the grass! At one point we ran into a big herd of them (called a pod) and got to see them all yawning, showing us their huge teeth, as a warning to back off. So we did and pretty fast because those teeth were pretty huge, haha. I saw a lioness in the heart of the jungle walking around, apparently looking for a place to rest after her hunt. She was beautiful. I saw a lot of impala and was surprised to learn that for every year that a male lives, he gets another twist in his horns. They can live up to 15 years old and I can’t even picture the horns at that point, how their heads would stay on I have no idea! They have little black boots on it looks like and white lines on their bodies. My favorite animal that I saw was the giraffes. I had been waiting to see them as they were not at the last safari we were at! They are amazing. So tall and graceful. They are brown and yellow in colour and I learned that the darker they are the older they are. Like many of the animals that I have described, little birds love to sit on the giraffe and eat little bugs off of it, in return for safety.
I got home from the safari at 7 pm. As tired as I was from my long day, I didn’t want to cook so I went with some friends to an Italian place called Olgas. Together with a friend I shared a pizza and a pasta. It was delicious. I am now just learning how to braid using hemp! I am looking forward to another lazy day tomorrow. I can’t believe I only have a few more days here in Livingstone, it is rather sad but also nice to know i'm on the home stretch here. Will be seeing everyone in a few days, or talking with you if you are out of Kelowna as usual!
Saturday 25 February 2012
Livingstone from beneath the falls!
Feb. 25th, 2012:
Last night after I entered my last blog, I got to watch some of the local Zambian people dance for the guests at Jollyboys! They strapped on big beads that shook when they danced. They are so good at their dancing. Can they ever move! Their were two men playing the drums and the dancers sang and chanted while they danced. It was really cool to watch! Then, they danced with shetanges tied on like belts. I really enjoyed it, the colourful outfits were beautiful.
This morning I left to see the falls via the national park. We walked down many trails. The first trail we went down led us to a bridge right beside the falls. We didn't bring enough money for rain coats, so we stripped down into our bikinis and it was a good thing we did that because we got SOAKED! It was so beautiful. It's no wonder it is one of the 7 wonders of the world. We were a little bit disappointed because we weren't able to go around to where the biggest falls are because of the mist from the rain season but the "little" falls were pretty huge so that was okay. We then went down to "Boiling Point". As soon as we even stepped on the path a local Zambian stopped us and warned us about the baboons. He said that they will attack you and grab your bag if they think you have food, so we should bring his sling shot with us because they are scared of it. So we did and it was a good thing! On our way down to boiling point, which was a work out let me tell you (so many stairs and nature to climb over and under) we ran into a HUGE baboon! I ran behind my friend Amy and she shrieked. At the beginning of our trip, we met a nice man named Mattious who was travelling alone so he joined our group. He was at the front of the trio when the baboon came and we were happy he was with us. Not only was he great company, but he was also very tall and knew how to shoot the sling shot. The Boiling Point turned out to be the bottom of the massive bridge and the falls itself. The bridge is huge, 111 metres and it is the bridge that people bunji jump off of! I saw a few people jump and after watching them, I knew that I really really didn't want to do that, haha. The pool of water pools so rapidly in circles that it looks like a boiling pot of water. It was amazing and worth the rather sweaty walk back up :).
After the falls we went on a sunset booze cruise! it was really nice. it was rather cloudy so we couldn't see much of the sunset but the food was pretty good and it was nice to be back on the Zambezi River. When we got back, my friend Rachel and I played pool for an hour. We found some fellow backpackers to play and had a blast. Now, very tired but very happy, I am headed to bed. Tomorrow I am looking forward to a day of rest. Relaxing by the pool reading in the sun sounds like a pretty good day to me!
Last night after I entered my last blog, I got to watch some of the local Zambian people dance for the guests at Jollyboys! They strapped on big beads that shook when they danced. They are so good at their dancing. Can they ever move! Their were two men playing the drums and the dancers sang and chanted while they danced. It was really cool to watch! Then, they danced with shetanges tied on like belts. I really enjoyed it, the colourful outfits were beautiful.
This morning I left to see the falls via the national park. We walked down many trails. The first trail we went down led us to a bridge right beside the falls. We didn't bring enough money for rain coats, so we stripped down into our bikinis and it was a good thing we did that because we got SOAKED! It was so beautiful. It's no wonder it is one of the 7 wonders of the world. We were a little bit disappointed because we weren't able to go around to where the biggest falls are because of the mist from the rain season but the "little" falls were pretty huge so that was okay. We then went down to "Boiling Point". As soon as we even stepped on the path a local Zambian stopped us and warned us about the baboons. He said that they will attack you and grab your bag if they think you have food, so we should bring his sling shot with us because they are scared of it. So we did and it was a good thing! On our way down to boiling point, which was a work out let me tell you (so many stairs and nature to climb over and under) we ran into a HUGE baboon! I ran behind my friend Amy and she shrieked. At the beginning of our trip, we met a nice man named Mattious who was travelling alone so he joined our group. He was at the front of the trio when the baboon came and we were happy he was with us. Not only was he great company, but he was also very tall and knew how to shoot the sling shot. The Boiling Point turned out to be the bottom of the massive bridge and the falls itself. The bridge is huge, 111 metres and it is the bridge that people bunji jump off of! I saw a few people jump and after watching them, I knew that I really really didn't want to do that, haha. The pool of water pools so rapidly in circles that it looks like a boiling pot of water. It was amazing and worth the rather sweaty walk back up :).
After the falls we went on a sunset booze cruise! it was really nice. it was rather cloudy so we couldn't see much of the sunset but the food was pretty good and it was nice to be back on the Zambezi River. When we got back, my friend Rachel and I played pool for an hour. We found some fellow backpackers to play and had a blast. Now, very tired but very happy, I am headed to bed. Tomorrow I am looking forward to a day of rest. Relaxing by the pool reading in the sun sounds like a pretty good day to me!
Friday 24 February 2012
Livingstone!!
Feb. 24th, 2012:
I have finally made it to Livingstone! I have been sick with a very nasty cold and am just starting to feel better today, so took the last few days off doing nothing but resting. I did go to Hope church on Sunday in Mongu which I really enjoyed. I was a little bit put on the spot when they asked if anyone was a visitor, of course I wasnt about to shout "i am!" in a church full of people who all carried their own personal bibles...my friend, however, decided that she should raise my arm for me, so I got a pamphlet and a sucker. It was pretty funny. She said that we were even, after she came to Safula Secondary School and stood infront of 200 kids and spoke when I had told her it was about 15 kids! The choir had beautiful voices and although I couldnt sing to any of the songs it was wonderful to listen. Many people have beautiful voices here. At the Zen Nursing School, the class sung a song called My Desire which sounded like an orchestra it was so beautiful. They sing a song each morning before class. At Metoya Camp, my friend Catherine sang for me and it was amazing. I love to listen to their voices :).
After a long 8 hour bus ride on a rather rickety bus, we arrived in Lusaka to our Kalulu Backpackers Hostel! It was very nice. We went out to dinner at an Italian Restaurant called Papitos and I had pizza for the first time in 6 weeks, it was heavanly! I also had steamed milk. It was delicious, I didn´t realize how much I missed it until then. We went to bed pretty early that night as we had to get up the next morning at 5 to catch the bus to Livingstone. When we boarded the next bus, which was much nicer (had an emergency exit and much nicer seats) I couldn´t figure out why my legs were so itchy....only to find 30 misquito bites! There were no nets at Kalulus and I guess one misquito got in my little cotton sleeper and ate me alive. I think I fed it for the next month? I will definetly request a net on my way back, haha. After that bus ride which was only 6 hours this time, we arrived at Jollyboys. It is gorgeous here. There are two pools, a bar, a ping pong table, a pool table, lots of squishy chairs to sit and read your book, souvenir shops and computers to use internet on. I gave up last night on the internet when the one computer shut down randomly and the next one i tried to use had a haunted keyboard which garbled up your typing to what ever it thought looked better. I have been forced to ask random people to use their computers, haha! We are in Zebra room which is nice. We went to the Ocean Basket and I had delicious fish and chips. A huge storm rolled in when we got home so we had to wait that out before getting into bed.
This morning, we went to Livingstone Island! It was AMAZING. You leave from the Royal Livingstone Hotel which was so beautiful, it even had people singing at the front when you walked in. After a short boat ride you are instructed to strip down and leave all your items in a tent with the staff. Now I didn´t think that I should wear my bikini. I was also not wearing the best underwear to take my shorts off unfortunetly....so I went in with my shorts on and my sports bra. The guides thought that was really funny and so did we. You hike up a little bit and then you dive in the water. It is so warm, like a really nice hot bath. You sit right on the edge of the falls! The guide is very careful, you don´t move a muscle without him with you. He says no one has fallen off the falls with them there and I can understand why with how careful they are. You can see Devil´s pool and right down the falls. It is 108 metres down. I stood right over the edge, it was so cool! Then you wade into another little pool to get a different view of the falls. The guide escorts you to this little rock and then he said "okay, no I will hide". Before I could even say anything he was gone! All I could think was "oh my god, now i´m stuck on the edge of Victoria Falls. great!" He then brought me where he was hiding and it turned out to be under this little bit of spray, it was awesome to sit under it and see the water. On the swim back, I slipped and was flailing my remaining limbs so scared I was going to go right over the falls! The guide had such an iron grip on me though that he just dragged me back to a rock. It was so exciting!
After the island, we bought our bus tickets home and checked out the craft market. Which was a huge mistake because I wanted to buy the whole market. You can bargain as well, so I was having a blast! It is really cool because you can trade Canadian things in for the items, like socks, sunscreen, etc. I was asked 3 times if I wanted the hair elastic I was wearing! There are about 15 little shops all in a strip that sell roughly the same thing but are all hand made. Most things they say take a week to a month to make. Very cool. I played a lot of ping pong and chess and am now just sitting waiting to eat some dinner. I am very excited to go to the National Park tomorrow and see the falls from the bottom this time! They say you get just as wet from the spray, which you can see miles and miles away. We are also going on the Booze Cruise tomorrow which will be interesting. I am excited to go with the people that we have met here, I have met so many people here from all over the world, all here for different reasons. It is really fun here, a wonderful way to end my trip to Africa! Until next time, I hope everyone is well at home and I wish you were here with me to see one of the 7 wonders of the world :).
I have finally made it to Livingstone! I have been sick with a very nasty cold and am just starting to feel better today, so took the last few days off doing nothing but resting. I did go to Hope church on Sunday in Mongu which I really enjoyed. I was a little bit put on the spot when they asked if anyone was a visitor, of course I wasnt about to shout "i am!" in a church full of people who all carried their own personal bibles...my friend, however, decided that she should raise my arm for me, so I got a pamphlet and a sucker. It was pretty funny. She said that we were even, after she came to Safula Secondary School and stood infront of 200 kids and spoke when I had told her it was about 15 kids! The choir had beautiful voices and although I couldnt sing to any of the songs it was wonderful to listen. Many people have beautiful voices here. At the Zen Nursing School, the class sung a song called My Desire which sounded like an orchestra it was so beautiful. They sing a song each morning before class. At Metoya Camp, my friend Catherine sang for me and it was amazing. I love to listen to their voices :).
After a long 8 hour bus ride on a rather rickety bus, we arrived in Lusaka to our Kalulu Backpackers Hostel! It was very nice. We went out to dinner at an Italian Restaurant called Papitos and I had pizza for the first time in 6 weeks, it was heavanly! I also had steamed milk. It was delicious, I didn´t realize how much I missed it until then. We went to bed pretty early that night as we had to get up the next morning at 5 to catch the bus to Livingstone. When we boarded the next bus, which was much nicer (had an emergency exit and much nicer seats) I couldn´t figure out why my legs were so itchy....only to find 30 misquito bites! There were no nets at Kalulus and I guess one misquito got in my little cotton sleeper and ate me alive. I think I fed it for the next month? I will definetly request a net on my way back, haha. After that bus ride which was only 6 hours this time, we arrived at Jollyboys. It is gorgeous here. There are two pools, a bar, a ping pong table, a pool table, lots of squishy chairs to sit and read your book, souvenir shops and computers to use internet on. I gave up last night on the internet when the one computer shut down randomly and the next one i tried to use had a haunted keyboard which garbled up your typing to what ever it thought looked better. I have been forced to ask random people to use their computers, haha! We are in Zebra room which is nice. We went to the Ocean Basket and I had delicious fish and chips. A huge storm rolled in when we got home so we had to wait that out before getting into bed.
This morning, we went to Livingstone Island! It was AMAZING. You leave from the Royal Livingstone Hotel which was so beautiful, it even had people singing at the front when you walked in. After a short boat ride you are instructed to strip down and leave all your items in a tent with the staff. Now I didn´t think that I should wear my bikini. I was also not wearing the best underwear to take my shorts off unfortunetly....so I went in with my shorts on and my sports bra. The guides thought that was really funny and so did we. You hike up a little bit and then you dive in the water. It is so warm, like a really nice hot bath. You sit right on the edge of the falls! The guide is very careful, you don´t move a muscle without him with you. He says no one has fallen off the falls with them there and I can understand why with how careful they are. You can see Devil´s pool and right down the falls. It is 108 metres down. I stood right over the edge, it was so cool! Then you wade into another little pool to get a different view of the falls. The guide escorts you to this little rock and then he said "okay, no I will hide". Before I could even say anything he was gone! All I could think was "oh my god, now i´m stuck on the edge of Victoria Falls. great!" He then brought me where he was hiding and it turned out to be under this little bit of spray, it was awesome to sit under it and see the water. On the swim back, I slipped and was flailing my remaining limbs so scared I was going to go right over the falls! The guide had such an iron grip on me though that he just dragged me back to a rock. It was so exciting!
After the island, we bought our bus tickets home and checked out the craft market. Which was a huge mistake because I wanted to buy the whole market. You can bargain as well, so I was having a blast! It is really cool because you can trade Canadian things in for the items, like socks, sunscreen, etc. I was asked 3 times if I wanted the hair elastic I was wearing! There are about 15 little shops all in a strip that sell roughly the same thing but are all hand made. Most things they say take a week to a month to make. Very cool. I played a lot of ping pong and chess and am now just sitting waiting to eat some dinner. I am very excited to go to the National Park tomorrow and see the falls from the bottom this time! They say you get just as wet from the spray, which you can see miles and miles away. We are also going on the Booze Cruise tomorrow which will be interesting. I am excited to go with the people that we have met here, I have met so many people here from all over the world, all here for different reasons. It is really fun here, a wonderful way to end my trip to Africa! Until next time, I hope everyone is well at home and I wish you were here with me to see one of the 7 wonders of the world :).
Saturday 18 February 2012
Metoya Camp!
Feb. 12-17th 2012: This week I spent the week at Metoya Camp. It is about 25 minutes from my home in Melengwa where I usually live. My first impression of Metoya was that it is beautiful. It sits right on the flood plains, which are now starting to fill with so much rain that you can see it coming down the plains. Soon, in April, the whole plains will have flooded! Our house was about a five minute walk from the Health Clinic and the Feeding Clinic. There were about 2 rather steep sand hills and some stairs to go up and down so needless to say I got my exercise there, haha. My feet got so dirty from all the sand it was really funny. A day later I am still trying to scrub them clean!
Each day, the three of us would rotate places. So I started at the Health Clinic. It was very strange diagnosing and prescribing medications to patients. Granted, I didn't see any very serious conditions, but it was still very weird because in Canada as a nurse you can suggest what you think the patient has to a doctor but obviously we don't prescribe. I saw a lot of lung infections, malaria and skin conditions. I used a lot of books that were there and my friends and I worked together on the harder cases to figure out what was going on.
I then moved on to the Feeding Clinic, which is attached to the Health Clinic. Every four hours I supervised the child's guardian as they fed their child. Yes, even during the night we would wake up at 2 am and go up all the stairs and hills to make sure they ate! That was a really funny experience. I never fully appreciated a full nights uninterrupted sleep before that point! The whole point of the program is to teach the caretakers how to care for the child, so that when they go home, they can keep the child healthy! The program also helps the parents get on their feet and start little businesses so that when they leave the program they can afford to feed their child. We fed the kids a special recipe of milk, oil, sugar and water. They also got eggs, fruit and food from home if they could tolerate it. There were two children. One of the children was older and had a special kind of malnutrition where their skin pales (sometimes they can be as white as me) and their hair pales. Their bodies literally are using up everything they have to keep them going! This little child amazed me. The grandmother had stepped in to care for the child as the mother was not fit to care for the child, the reason the child was brought to the clinic in the first place. The child had already improved so much and gained so much weight while we were there :). This kid gave the best hugs I have ever received. I would come in the morning and get bulldozed by a running child who would wrap her legs around you and squeeze until I couldn't even breathe! The smile always made me smile, it was so big and so brave. The second child was younger and had been born blind. Because of the blindness the mother abandoned the child so other members of the family stepped in to care for the child. Each day we had to do physio with this child as on admission, the limbs were so stiff that the kid could not even open the hand (due to the lack of nutrition, including calcium, the muscles couldn't work properly). This little kid was so brave. On admission the child couldn't swallow and wouldn't smile. Now, the child is laughing and smiling like crazy. Especially when we put on Disney music and when the family communicates with the kid. The child can now stretch out all limbs and is moving voluntarily!! Even during the five days that we were there, I saw a HUGE improvement. The lady in charge of everything said that within 6 months, this child will be walking out of here. The family is learning how to help their child grow up in a world without sight in this program as well. My only wish is that I could see these kids years from now and see how they have grown up. The program is truly amazing. 3 people started this program from nothing and now they help around 30 children each month. Mothers from the community come once a week with their children to get them weighed and get their food as well. It is run purely on donations and it costs $75.00 a month to feed these kids. To sponser, you commit to 6 months worth of food. This is something that when I actually have money, I will sponser. Because I have been there and I have seen how it saves lives. If anyone is looking for something to put their money towards, this would be it in my opinion!
The other thing that I did while at the camp is work with the Community Health Care Workers. There were 9 students and each one of them was so friendly and were so wonderful. They are all volunteers which amazed me, considering many of them had at least 7 children to look after at home as well as their other jobs. I went out into nearby villages with these women and one man and it was the most interesting experience yet for me. These villages were truly African villages. Every person clapped and shook hands when you met. The houses were made of 'rib' or branch like sticks from the river. Some were made out of mud and bricks. Some of the houses were run down and others were nice enough that I would live in them! Just like in Canada, it depends on your financial situation. The all 10 of us would squish into these little houses and the workers would assess their patients, letting them know whether they think they should go to the hospital or not. It was funny because my job was to make sure that they were recommending the right thing. This task became really difficult though, because none of the patients spoke english! Luckily a few of the workers spoke really good english and translated for me. But sometimes they would all stop and look at me like I should be saying something and it would be a really awkward moment before I would laugh and say, "um, excuse me, remember, I don't know much Lozi.....". We would care for all these women's children at the Feeding Clinic while they were out in the field which was a blast. They were all so cute I wanted to take them all home. On the last day that we were at the camp, they graduated! We threw them a big party, printed them off certificates and gave them little gifts from Canada. I made them a little story book of their journey in their program which they thought was really funny.
I learned many things at this camp. The workers taught me how to make nshima! This is the staple food here in Zambia. It is so hard to make. I broke a sweat 5 minutes in! You start with a powder and add water and boil it, stirring constantly until it becomes like a hard paste which you eat. Kind of like a potatoe? They also taught me how to pound Kasava leaves. They thought it was so funny because I tried so hard but this task was also really hard! You really have to pound them. They then boil the leaves with salt and oil and eat them with nshima. I took some funny pictures which I will post when I get home :). I learned that they also eat pumpkin leaves. They thought it was really funny that we carved pumpkins on Halloween. Talking to a lady that worked there I learned a lot I didn't know about the culture here. Things that aren't exactly advertised. I learned that marraige here is something that women really have to think about. Culturally, it is more acceptable for a man to have many wives. They are not expected to help with house work or they are ridiculed by other men. So the women do all the housework and care for the children. This may be how the culture is, but it is not how all the families work. There are people here who want to change this. Like this one lady, they realize that they have rights and that a marraige should be a partnership. She said that one day she saw a pregnant lady carrying a child on her back and a huge box on her head while the husband carried his briefcase walking beside her. This lady approached the couple, offering to help the lady and this request was not smiled upon. Even so, she walked a half an hour out of her way to help this woman. It is really nice to see that there are people here who see that some things need to change. That they can be different. And they are trying to change it, even if it is hard and seems impossible.
This camp was a wonderful way to end my nursing experience here in Zambia. So much hope here. I am so thankful that I came to this camp and had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people. I will never forget those people or any one that I have met here. After I got home from the camp we had a retirement party for my professor who came here with us. It was a lot of fun! They had a traditional Lozi 'missis' made for her which was beautiful. It is a huge honor to be given one so my professor was overjoyed and wore it with pride.
Today I am going to visit the museum and go for a walk in Lumilinga, the first placement that I had here in Zambia. I am sad that my time here in Mongu is coming to an end. It is very hard to explain, but going home seems like such a strange dream to me. I have adapted to this way of life, with no running water and power some days, riding the mini bus and taking public transit all the time and living with little material things. I am excited to come home, though. I am excited to see my family and friends, to drink fresh dairy milk (not long-life shelf milk), have power all the time, have my cell phone back, my computer that always has internet, eat my regular foods, drive my own car and most of all (sadly), eat Tim Hortons!!! I will miss much here though. I will miss the Mongu rice which is to die for, the welcoming and friendly people, the markets, the music and most of all the relaxed way of life here. I am so happy that I have come here. It has truly changed my life :).
Each day, the three of us would rotate places. So I started at the Health Clinic. It was very strange diagnosing and prescribing medications to patients. Granted, I didn't see any very serious conditions, but it was still very weird because in Canada as a nurse you can suggest what you think the patient has to a doctor but obviously we don't prescribe. I saw a lot of lung infections, malaria and skin conditions. I used a lot of books that were there and my friends and I worked together on the harder cases to figure out what was going on.
I then moved on to the Feeding Clinic, which is attached to the Health Clinic. Every four hours I supervised the child's guardian as they fed their child. Yes, even during the night we would wake up at 2 am and go up all the stairs and hills to make sure they ate! That was a really funny experience. I never fully appreciated a full nights uninterrupted sleep before that point! The whole point of the program is to teach the caretakers how to care for the child, so that when they go home, they can keep the child healthy! The program also helps the parents get on their feet and start little businesses so that when they leave the program they can afford to feed their child. We fed the kids a special recipe of milk, oil, sugar and water. They also got eggs, fruit and food from home if they could tolerate it. There were two children. One of the children was older and had a special kind of malnutrition where their skin pales (sometimes they can be as white as me) and their hair pales. Their bodies literally are using up everything they have to keep them going! This little child amazed me. The grandmother had stepped in to care for the child as the mother was not fit to care for the child, the reason the child was brought to the clinic in the first place. The child had already improved so much and gained so much weight while we were there :). This kid gave the best hugs I have ever received. I would come in the morning and get bulldozed by a running child who would wrap her legs around you and squeeze until I couldn't even breathe! The smile always made me smile, it was so big and so brave. The second child was younger and had been born blind. Because of the blindness the mother abandoned the child so other members of the family stepped in to care for the child. Each day we had to do physio with this child as on admission, the limbs were so stiff that the kid could not even open the hand (due to the lack of nutrition, including calcium, the muscles couldn't work properly). This little kid was so brave. On admission the child couldn't swallow and wouldn't smile. Now, the child is laughing and smiling like crazy. Especially when we put on Disney music and when the family communicates with the kid. The child can now stretch out all limbs and is moving voluntarily!! Even during the five days that we were there, I saw a HUGE improvement. The lady in charge of everything said that within 6 months, this child will be walking out of here. The family is learning how to help their child grow up in a world without sight in this program as well. My only wish is that I could see these kids years from now and see how they have grown up. The program is truly amazing. 3 people started this program from nothing and now they help around 30 children each month. Mothers from the community come once a week with their children to get them weighed and get their food as well. It is run purely on donations and it costs $75.00 a month to feed these kids. To sponser, you commit to 6 months worth of food. This is something that when I actually have money, I will sponser. Because I have been there and I have seen how it saves lives. If anyone is looking for something to put their money towards, this would be it in my opinion!
The other thing that I did while at the camp is work with the Community Health Care Workers. There were 9 students and each one of them was so friendly and were so wonderful. They are all volunteers which amazed me, considering many of them had at least 7 children to look after at home as well as their other jobs. I went out into nearby villages with these women and one man and it was the most interesting experience yet for me. These villages were truly African villages. Every person clapped and shook hands when you met. The houses were made of 'rib' or branch like sticks from the river. Some were made out of mud and bricks. Some of the houses were run down and others were nice enough that I would live in them! Just like in Canada, it depends on your financial situation. The all 10 of us would squish into these little houses and the workers would assess their patients, letting them know whether they think they should go to the hospital or not. It was funny because my job was to make sure that they were recommending the right thing. This task became really difficult though, because none of the patients spoke english! Luckily a few of the workers spoke really good english and translated for me. But sometimes they would all stop and look at me like I should be saying something and it would be a really awkward moment before I would laugh and say, "um, excuse me, remember, I don't know much Lozi.....". We would care for all these women's children at the Feeding Clinic while they were out in the field which was a blast. They were all so cute I wanted to take them all home. On the last day that we were at the camp, they graduated! We threw them a big party, printed them off certificates and gave them little gifts from Canada. I made them a little story book of their journey in their program which they thought was really funny.
I learned many things at this camp. The workers taught me how to make nshima! This is the staple food here in Zambia. It is so hard to make. I broke a sweat 5 minutes in! You start with a powder and add water and boil it, stirring constantly until it becomes like a hard paste which you eat. Kind of like a potatoe? They also taught me how to pound Kasava leaves. They thought it was so funny because I tried so hard but this task was also really hard! You really have to pound them. They then boil the leaves with salt and oil and eat them with nshima. I took some funny pictures which I will post when I get home :). I learned that they also eat pumpkin leaves. They thought it was really funny that we carved pumpkins on Halloween. Talking to a lady that worked there I learned a lot I didn't know about the culture here. Things that aren't exactly advertised. I learned that marraige here is something that women really have to think about. Culturally, it is more acceptable for a man to have many wives. They are not expected to help with house work or they are ridiculed by other men. So the women do all the housework and care for the children. This may be how the culture is, but it is not how all the families work. There are people here who want to change this. Like this one lady, they realize that they have rights and that a marraige should be a partnership. She said that one day she saw a pregnant lady carrying a child on her back and a huge box on her head while the husband carried his briefcase walking beside her. This lady approached the couple, offering to help the lady and this request was not smiled upon. Even so, she walked a half an hour out of her way to help this woman. It is really nice to see that there are people here who see that some things need to change. That they can be different. And they are trying to change it, even if it is hard and seems impossible.
This camp was a wonderful way to end my nursing experience here in Zambia. So much hope here. I am so thankful that I came to this camp and had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people. I will never forget those people or any one that I have met here. After I got home from the camp we had a retirement party for my professor who came here with us. It was a lot of fun! They had a traditional Lozi 'missis' made for her which was beautiful. It is a huge honor to be given one so my professor was overjoyed and wore it with pride.
Today I am going to visit the museum and go for a walk in Lumilinga, the first placement that I had here in Zambia. I am sad that my time here in Mongu is coming to an end. It is very hard to explain, but going home seems like such a strange dream to me. I have adapted to this way of life, with no running water and power some days, riding the mini bus and taking public transit all the time and living with little material things. I am excited to come home, though. I am excited to see my family and friends, to drink fresh dairy milk (not long-life shelf milk), have power all the time, have my cell phone back, my computer that always has internet, eat my regular foods, drive my own car and most of all (sadly), eat Tim Hortons!!! I will miss much here though. I will miss the Mongu rice which is to die for, the welcoming and friendly people, the markets, the music and most of all the relaxed way of life here. I am so happy that I have come here. It has truly changed my life :).
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