Quick Post!

Hi All!!

Well its been a nice fw weeks staying in luxury at Broadlands Farm, with Pat Cavandish O'Neil. I had my own bathroom (huge) and bedroom (huge), I got my bed made, room tidied, laundry done and 3 home cooked meals served to me each day! It was lovely!
I enjoyed spending time with the 38 dogs, cats, baboons, monkeys, parrots, chimp, cows, donkeys etc. But did have animal hair all over me all the time! Sharing the dining room with a baboon (bingo) was a funny experience, he would bang on the windows and shout until someone fed him some tea and toast!

Monkey Town was ok, there were already 3 volunteers working there so I decided to only work in the morning and enjoy myself reading my the pool in the afternoons (bliss). Monkey Town had some ready good parts to it, but also bed parts - some of the animals were not cared for properly and the owner was just interested in money. But the volunteers are working hard there to improve things. I got to work with lots of different animals which was great, I got groomed by monkeys, pooed and wee-ed on by everything and covered in mud most days. I was good fun!
I came back with a nice souvenir - a nice big scratch down my forehead from a gibbon!

This is just a quick post as I'm rushing out now to do a Cape Peninsular tour, should be good. Then flying out to East London tomorrow, to start my new project at an Xhosa Rural School and staying at Bucaneers backpackers. I'll update with more when I can.

Hxx
P.s. Don't forget to check Flickr for my photos.

Largo Township tour

Largo Township
Originally uploaded by urbansoulpie.

Hi again,

Today was my second township tour, in an area called Largo. It was different to yesterdays township, it seemed to have more money (although still appauling conditions).
We started off my visiting at shebeen (pub), they are nothing like a pub as we know. Basically it is a shed made of iron sheets where men sit around a fire drinking homebrewed beer from a old paint tin. The women brew the beer which is made of soya and maize, and is appartently good for diabetics (although I tasted it and I won't be drinking anymore!)
Next we visited a few homes, (which were tiny for the amount of people living in them) played with the local children (cuties) and then went to church! The Xhosa church was a great experience, it was so lively and loud, there was lots of dancing and singing. I can understand why there were so many young people there, it was like going to a night club!

So it's afternoon now and I'm super tired after a late night out, only got to bed at 3am, and woke at 6am. So going to have a rest tonight.

AVIVA managed to set me up on another project so I'm off to work at Monkey world tomorrow whilst staying at Pat Cavendish O'Neils. Apparently Pat is a super nice old (82) lady, who has led a very eventfull life with many stories to tell and also happens to be a millionairess! I've been told she has 35 dogs, lots of cats, donkeys and a baboon. Haven't been told that much about Monkey World itself but other volunteers have enjoyed their time there. So I'll report back when I get chance to use the net again.

Miss you all.
Love
Hx

P.s Yesterday also went to the V&A Waterfront, looked round the craft markets, and visited the aquarium.

My sangoma experience

My Sangoma
Originally uploaded by urbansoulpie.

Hi All
Whilst on my first township tour, (I'll have to find out what the place was called) I decided to get my 'bones thrown' by the township's sangoma.
I felt quite nervous when I sat down and she started, but I wasn't sure why. I just went with an open mind to see what would happen.
It was a strange experience, insence was burnt, shoes had to be taken off, beads worn, and prayers were said. The bones are in a bag (some dead animal) she chented to them, then I said my name to them (I felt so stupid!) and then they were thrown!
She studied the bones, fossils and dice, then proceed to tell me about me, my future, relationships, health etc.
I wouldn't say I was a believer but some things she said were 100% me, described my relationship with people accurately and reffered to things which had happened in my past. But some things didn't make sence and were not relevant so I'm still deciding what I believe!

The township tour itself was very good, it is an extremely run down township. There were very few buildings, most homes are made from iron sheets or large crates.
There was only me and one other girl on the tour so we attracted a lot of attention which was strange. Although the people were so welcoming, one woman ran out of her house to hug me, a little girl ran up to me and gave my legs a huge hug and we had many comments from men (they aren't used to white, blonde females)!

The atmosphere in the township was good, residents are trying to start up businesses to help the community, people are always chatting and music is always playing.

Altogether it was a sad but great experience!

Hx

Monkeys, Zulu and the Middle of Nowhere.

Hello All!!!!
Sorry it's been so long, but not had chance to update my blog as internet access was very limited. Well I have a lot to fit so so hope I don't babble and forget stuff, anyway, here goes.......
So after a delayed flight and a stay at Tekweni Backpackers (which wasn't so nice) I eventually arrived at Mooi River. I thought Mooi River was in the middle of no-where until we started driving to the farm where I was staying, it was just under a 2 hour drive down some long, bumpy, dusty roads near a town called Muden.

This was the start of my volunteering at A.P.E.S (Animal Protection and Environmental Sanctuary), which is run by Dawn and Rodney, I also met Aly another volunteer working at A.P.E.S. I must say I have never seen such a dirty house!! Every where was covered in animal hair, and look like it hadn't been cleaned in years! Ewwww Gross!! But they were very welcoming and seemed happy I had come to help.
I had a quick look round and was introduced to the many, many Vervet monkeys I would be looking after (both wild and caged), the 6 dogs, the 8 cats, the guinea foul, the 2 geese, the 2 chickens and the sparrows and hornets nests!!
I got stuck in straight away by feeding the monkeys, which was great! The wild ones can be a little aggressive sometimes, but htey are amazing to watch and can be so cheeky!!! I understand where the phrase cheeky monkey comes from now! The caged monkeys are brilliant, they love to sit on your shoulder and use your body as a climbing frame. One tried pinching my nose one day, so I had to tell him (Stylo) that it doesn't come off. My favourite monkey had to be Eyeless, she was a blind monkey that had had a tough life and needed special attention. I enjoyed feeding her every morning and evening, Dawn was very sweet and re-named her Hannah Eyeless (I know it sounds stupid).

Remember Mikaela Strachen? Yep the 'Really, Really Wild Show' woman. Well one day she came to film a tv show at A.P.E.S, it was weird seeing her, she looked exactly the same! It was good watching the filming although they expected the monkeys to perform, which they obviously don't! It's going to be aired sometime this year in the UK, so I hope I don't miss it (hope I'm not in it though)!

There were many local Zulu's that worked around the farm, so I have picked up some Zulu words, but it is a hard language! At least I can do a Zulu handshake now. I got to visit a local school with Rodney one day, which was amazing, it really touched me how glad the children were to see me. They laughed and stared at me because I was white which was weird. When driving away, they ran after the van waving, and I must admit I left with tears rolling down my cheeks. I also got to meet Bryan the Unduna (the Village Cheif), drive a tractor with farm worker Mandala, which was great fun and learn't Dawn and Rodneys Zulu names (Mandloof and Duma), which they had been given for all the work they do for the local community.

Being in the middle of nowhere was hard sometimes, I missed seeing people, shops and the internet! But it also gave me time to think about things (when Dawn wasn't bossing us about!) So the twice a week visit to Greytown (25kms from A.P.E.S) was something I really looked forward to! We got to see people (though we did get stared at for being an unknown white person), go to shops, use the internet and feel a bit more human again! Watching the Zulu people was great, seeing the women carrying huges bags of potatoes on there heads, seeing 15 people pile in to the back of a taxi (pick up), seeing the babies tied on the the back of their mothers back with sheets and being in the minority was strange.

I'm back in Capetown now, staying in AVIVA house. Yep, thats not what I had planned to do but things went a bit wrong with Dawn, the relationship between her and me and Aly got more and more strained so we thought it best to leave. We sorted out our differences before we left, so leaving with good memories. Thank you Dawn and Rodney for showing me things I never thought I would ever see, you have taught me so much and I will never forget my experience at A.P.E.S.

So now have 2/3 weeks to fill before I go to East London for my next project, there is so much to do , it just expensive!! But I do feel human again now, after a nice shower and clean clothes (that will stay clean for longer than 2 minutes).

I'll be updating again soon, so keep your eyes peeled.

Hope you are all well. Thank you for your emails, sorry I don't have chance to reply to each one individually.

Love
H
xxx

To Biltong or not to Biltong?

Biltong
Originally uploaded by urbansoulpie.

When I received this packet of biltong in my welcome pack at AVIVA, I wondered to try it or not. I wasn't planning on trying any new meats while over here but I felt intrigued.
So feeling hungry after not eating much all day due to puking, I thought anything would taste good. I was soooooo wrong! It was horrible stuff, I can't even describe the taste apart from 'eeerrrrrhh'!!
I spat it out in the toilet.

Flying to Durban soon, best go see if I can close my suitcase!

Hxx

Biltong is a popular South African food. Its origins are from years ago when african's would dry slices of meat in the sun.

Stress and Puke!

Well I'm here, after a lot of stress and puke!
The airport was a nightmare, after packing and unpacking my case and hand luggage many times, I eventually got on the plane (after a sad goodbye to Mum, Dad, Winston and Raffy (no win and raff weren'r at the airport). I was so stressed I think I had a pulsing bulge at the side of my head like 'Stressed Eric' did on his cartoon.
After boarding, everything was going well until 2 hours before landing when I started puking and didn't stop until 4 hours after landing!

The volunteer house is nice and there are some nice people although most of them will have gone by the time I return in 2 months. You would all laugh if you saw me getting on to the top bunk of the unsteady bunk beds, it's not easy!! A Canadian girl currently working at Baphumelele has shown me to this internet cafe, sat here typing all I can smell is the braai (SA are famous for their bbq's) that a man is cooking on in the middle of the street outside and it smells nice!

Anyway the first bit is over with, flying out to Durban at dinnetime tomorrow.

My time is nearly up, sorry if I haven't been able to email everyone, I will try soon.

Love Hx

P.s Thank you everyone for the Bon Voyage and Good Luck cards!!!!! Also thanks to those who donated to Street Children of South Africa, I exceeded my target!! It was 188 GBP last time I looked.

High Maintenance Girl

Well, its the night before the long journey to South Africa and I'm feeling grumpy! I have a 20kg baggage allowance and thats not a lot for nearly 4 months, so I've been packing and un-packing my case all night, trying to get all my stuff in. Needless to say I haven't been able too and I'm not happy! Theres a pile of stuff on the floor thats desperately wanting to get in my case, but no, its bye bye to the shower gel, flip flops and foundation. Boo Hoo!!

Bed time now, got an early start.

Hx