iSimangaliso, Mozambique

Keeping sane during a Peace Corps experience is a difficult task even at the best of times, thus taking a vacation with other volunteers is essential for ones mental health. I spent the past week on holiday with four other volunteers, visiting the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and going to Mozambique. We spent the first part of the week in St. Lucia, which is really just down the street from my house, but I was able to see the area in a new light, the way the tourists do. While it was rainy, cold and windy, I still had a good time, even if I had to wear two fleeces and a ski cap to the beach everyday. We went out to a lot of restaurants, went to the St. Lucia beach, Cape Vidal, Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve, and on the Hippo and Croc tour.

In the middle of the week, we headed up the park to Kosi Bay. We got a bit confused by the directions to the backpackers, seeing as how we needed to turn onto a dirt road, past an abandoned building to get to it. We were all very skeptical of the place, but it turned out to be the best backpackers I have stayed at in South Africa. Each group could have their own little building. The rooms were connected by walkways made of sticks. The place was not busy at all, so we had out own kitchen and got the bathroom to ourselves most of the time. While we were only there for two days, if felt longer because the owners took us on so many tour and were very accommodating to everything we wanted to see.

The first day, we went on the tour’s first ever trip into the raffa forest of Kosi Bay. We road on a small boat make of raffa wood, pulling it across the lake with a rope. We walked through the forest and it was amazing seeing all the palms.

In the afternoon, we went to Kosi Bay to see the fish traps, go snorkeling and to the beach. It was a beautiful beach, but we were the only ones on it. Friday I went into Mozambique, the backpackers is only about ten minutes away from the border. It was pretty cool to get my passport stamped on my birthday. A Brazilian couple sang to me in Portuguese. Immediately after crossing the border, all tarred roads disappeared and the driver had to put on the 4X4 drive. Mozambique was in a civil war for 25 years that ended in the 1990’s. I went to Ponto D’ouro and spent the morning on the beach.

They took us to lunch at a restaurant on top of a sand dune. They even gave me a free drink for my birthday. In the afternoon, I went back to the beach and to the shops along the road. Despite being only about a 30 minutes drive from South Africa, Ponta D’Ouro had a very different feel, with different culture, language, currency and architecture.

The beach in Ponta D’Ouro was one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen but very few people were around. Back at the backpackers, I found the owner had decorated the place with balloons and streamers for my birthday. We had cake and champagne in the evening. I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday! Check out the photos of the great adventure with the link to photos on the side. Now it is back to work in Mtubatuba

Carrying on

8/14/08 (wouldn't let me update on that actual date)

It has been a good couple of weeks in Africa. I am making progress with my work at Mpilonhle. Every Saturday, the mobile health unit goes out to counsel, test, and provide medication for community members. We have chosen 12 communities to serve with our three units. During the week, I plan for the events, going over logistics like who will staff which unit and on Saturdays, I got with the units to see the community. Since we started three weeks ago, the communities have really responded, from the local induna (chiefs) spreading the word to people signing up for computer courses. Community members are given the opportunity to sign up for a whole week of computer courses when they come to the unit on Saturday when they see a counselor or a nurse. In November and December we will go back to each community to hold the courses. I am excited about offering these courses to community members whom many have never worked on a computer before. Not only can we provide health services to the community, but we can also bring technology to extremely rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal.

Life in the village is also becoming routine, I once thought this would never happen. I doubt I will ever become use to all the staring, but I am use to eating the food and heating water for bathes. The children are still amazed by my presence. I have learned that I cannot feed all the hungry children in the village, I can play with them and read them stories. After receiving a wonderful package from the US, I promptly covered the children in temporary tattoos and stick-on earrings. The girls were so excited to have the tattoos, but I think they are also excited by receiving so much positive attention from an adult. The only problem being that now they hardly leave me alone for 10 minutes, even if they just want me to simply watch them play card games. I have taken to reading while they color and play games in hopes of showing them that reading can be fun.

I am going on vacation next week and I am very excited. A few other Peace Corps Volunteers will join me here in St. Lucia for a few days, then we are heading up the iSimangaliso Wetland Park to Kosi Bay. I plan on sitting on beaches, reading, snorkeling, going to game reserves, eating good food (i.e. nothing with cabbage in it) and celebrating my birthday.