Rounding off an unforgettable African experience

COUNTRY: Southern Africa (Swaziland, Mozambique & South Africa)
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Care Work
WRITTEN BY: Emily Forbes

My last blog post begins with an end as today we all head our separate ways.

The last three weeks in Cape Town have been the perfect end to our African adventure. We jumped head first into our second volunteer projects and have enjoyed the challenges of working in an urban setting, which faces very different social issues to that of it's rural counterpart like we experienced in Swaziland. Many children here are exposed to violence, drug abuse and the toll of HIV/AIDS from a very young age.

We have been working at the local primary school in Hout Bay. This school has overwhelming numbers of students and classes are overcrowded with children. Many of the teachers struggle to give the necessary time and attention each student requires to excel. Our role was thus to spend time with the weaker students in the class, offering them some one-on-one help with the hopes that they would not have to repeat a year. It was amazing to see how quickly they improved when we gave them the attention they had required for so long. With the school year coming to an end we also helped the students learn Christmas carols and prepare for the Christmas play.

Those who weren't placed at the primary school participated in childcare projects in the Hangberg and Imizamo Yethu townships. Here we helped plan and carry out lessons, prepare the children's lunch and love, laugh and play with the children. We wanted them to receive the love and care they deserve that many unfortunately do not receive at home.

With our morning projects over we would make our way back to our stunning accommodation at Hout Bay backpackers for lunch before heading off to three different afternoon placements. Most of the girls were working at an after school care in the Imizamo Yethu township. This program is for children who were either affected or infected with HIV/AIDS. This really was a haven and safe environment for the children, who came after school to both learn and play. We participated in a myriad of activities over our time there, which included maths tutoring, reading and organising games to play with the children. On our last day the kids put on a show for us where we witnessed their amazing singing and dancing skills.

Whilst the girls were busy at the after school care, Mitch, Harry, Tom, Jack and Ben spent their afternoons working with the boys at the youth centre in Imizamo Yethu. This is a youth group program for boys aged 13-18. Our work here was to provide a stable role model for these boys, as many of them do not have responsible male figures in their own lives. The boys enrolled at the centre really embraced working with us and we really enjoyed our time there. We spent afternoons providing career advice, maths and English tutoring, with a few competitive games of soccer in between.

Our weekends were jam-packed as we attempted to experience as much as we could of Cape Town in our short time here, and there was an endless list of things to do. Our weekend activities included visiting canal walk, a huge shopping mall, shark cage diving, eating lunch at the beautiful V&A waterfront and experiencing Cape Town's vibrant nightlife.

One particular highlight was a day trip to Cape Point, the most south-westerly point in Africa (photo above). On this day we got to experience beautiful scenic views from both lookout points and on bikes. Another highlight was our trip out to Robben Island, which over it's history has served as a point of exile for people with leprosy and most famously as a political prison for those who opposed the apartheid regime. Our tour guide was a formal political prisoner who shared with us his history and we were all incredibly moved. Witnessing Mandela's prison cell was not something we're going to forget.

As our African adventure comes to an end today we are all extremely sad to part ways. We arrived in Africa as strangers but we leave as a family. We have made memories and friends here that will never be forgotten and we all hope to return one day, as it really does feel like a second home to us all. So, to the 16 incredibly talented Antipodeans I have had the privilege of working with over the past three months, thank you. We have all learnt so much from each other and I know there are many more memories to be made in the future.

For the last time,

Usale Kahle!

Emily Forbes

GapBreakers take 'action-packed' to a whole new level

COUNTRY: Southern Africa (Swaziland, Mozambique & South Africa)
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Care Work
WRITTEN BY: Emily Forbes

Greetings!

There's quite a bit to fill you in with since my last blog. As signified by the title, we haven't wasted any time! We were lucky enough to have a week off our volunteer work to visit the stunning palm fringed beaches of Tofo Bay. Our accommodation at Fatima's backpackers had direct access to the beach, and we spent much of the week swimming, tanning and doing a whole bunch of activities.

Tofo was an undiscovered paradise and the highlight of the week was without a doubt the ocean safari. We all hopped into a speedboat and ventured out into the ocean with the hope of spotting a whale shark or humpback. We didn't have to wait long, within five minutes of being out on the water a baby humpback swam right alongside our boat, a sight that was rare even for our experienced guides! Things only got better from here on in as we ventured further out into the ocean, when we finally discovered a whale shark! We all hurried to jump in and swim alongside this majestic creature, and were blown away by just how big they were! As we made our way back to shore dolphins swam alongside the boat which topped off a perfect day.

The fun didn't stop there as we went on an island kayak to a remote island. After two hours of paddling over pristine waters we arrived on the coast of this island and walked underneath a canopy of tall palm trees through our tour of the island. After kayaking for two hours we were absolutely starving and were presented with a seafood feast that was enjoyed by everyone.

Other highlights of our time in Mozambique included quad biking, bartering at the local markets and enjoying breakfast on the beach.

Feeling refreshed after a week in Mozambique we headed back to our placement work at our home in Ezulwini. Our last two weeks of volunteer work were a flurry of activity as many of us had plans for our children. Our projects included building a new playground for the children in Lobamba, an excursion to Hlane game park for the Mlindazwe kids and purchasing toothbrushes and toothpaste for our children.

For our last day at our NCPs we all planned parties as a special treat for the kids. This included face paint, musical chairs, treasure hunts and pass-the-parcel to name a few. By the end of the day there were definitely a few tears as we realised we were saying goodbye to our beautiful children for good. We all promised to write and stay in touch, and hopefully return one day.

With our first volunteer placement behind us, we headed off on a road trip to the famous Victoria Falls. After travelling for two days through Swaziland, South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe we arrived at the tourist town of Vic Falls.

Our first activity planned was a day trip over the Zambian border to experience the falls from the top by going for a swim at the Devil's Pool, right at the edge of the top of the falls. We were greeted by absolutely breathtaking sights of the cascading falls and rainbows.

We also got to experience the might and majesty of the Zambezi river through white water rafting. This is said to be the best in the world, with the highest commercial rapid drop and it certainly did not disappoint! With rapids graded up to a 5 it was certainly hard work but thoroughly enjoyed by all, even when the raft capsized and we found ourselves being carried along the rapids.

On our last day in Vic Falls we visited the viewing platforms to see the falls in action. We were all blown away by these stunning views! In the afternoon two of us were game enough to test out the Vic Falls big air experience, which incorporated a zipline, gorge swing and bungee jump.

Our next adventure begins on Tuesday when we embark on our two-week road trip to Cape Town.

Until next time,

Usale Kahle!

Volunteering begins for Southern Africa Gappers

COUNTRY: Southern Africa (Swaziland, Mozambique & South Africa)
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Care Work
WRITTEN BY: Emily Forbes

Greetings to our friends back home in Australia. I am writing this watching the Mozambican countryside fly by, as we make our way to Tofo Bay for a week of rest and recreation!

Our first two weeks at our volunteer placements have been an exciting challenge to say the least. We have been placed at different neighbourhood care points all around Ezulwini Valley, teaching underprivileged children aged 3-7, helping them to prepare for primary school. While these children are there they are fed both breakfast and lunch, which is an important incentive that makes many children show up each day to learn. When it comes down to it, all these gorgeous children want is love, a cuddle and some attention.

The past fortnight has certainly not been easy but we are finding that each day there is something new to learn which helps us become better teachers. Our typical day begins at 8.30am when we leave the lodge for our various placements. We spend 3-4 hours there, conducting English lessons where we teach numbers, the alphabet, seasons and days of the week, amongst other things. After our lesson is finished we have playtime with the children before heading back to the lodge for lunch.

Our lunch breaks are most often spent soaking up the beautiful weather Swaziland has put on show for us by lounging by the pool. Our afternoon schedules vary day to day, and we try to make the most of the time. We have visited the local hospital, had Siswati lessons, spent time with the children at orphanages and visited the Manzini markets.

Our weekend was spent on a zip-lining canopy tour at Malolotja nature reserve, right next to the border of Swaziland and South Africa. The tour encompassed 11 zip-lines and a canopy bridge, the highest being 60 meters above the ground. The area was set between mountain ranges, which offered stunning scenic views.

With just two weeks left at our placements in Swaziland we are frantically working to help better the lives of the children in Ezulwini. We have successfully started and completed a veggie garden as a more sustainable food option for our kids. Mitch, Anna and Lucy are also working hard to get bars put on the windows of their kitchen to stop their children's food being stolen.

All in all, we are settling in well to the Swazi lifestyle and feeling more and more like locals each day.

Until next time,

Usale Kahle!

Mixing volunteering with adventure in Southern Africa

COUNTRY: Southern Africa (Swaziland, Mozambique & South Africa)
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Care Work
WRITTEN BY: Elise Dean-Jones

It has come to the point where we are 2 months into our placement, and the final weeks are creeping up on us. I don't think any of us want to leave- Africa has treated us so well!

Once the weekend at the Bushfire festival ended we returned to Lidwala and commenced our final week of volunteering at our NCPs. It felt really strange that this would be our last week teaching in Swaziland, so we tried to take full advantage of our limited time. However, there was some sort of contagious cold going around the volunteers so we endured quite a struggle that week!

During the week we all had individual school sport days where volunteers and staff would conduct some games and exercises with the kids which we could all participate in. This also took the load off our shoulders, as the kids respond much better to the staff than us. For Rosie and I at Mlindazwe, our class was certainly more challenging than previously as we were informed that our teacher had her baby (who she had named the siSwati word for 'God's Plan'), so we were left on our own to manage the kids for the rest of the week. Some days we didn't have the keys unless a cooking lady arrived, so we had to spend the majority of our time outside playing educational games. Rosie and I had made some worksheets to put in exercises books, and bought stationary for the school, as well as a ball to play with outside.

Compared to our mischievous kids, the students at Laura's school in Ezulwini seemed very well behaved and got along very well with the volunteers, who found it much easier to teach them. They brought in some products for the school, like a broom, mop, floor cleaning products, toilet paper and stationary.

Lydia's school in Ekuzukekeni had 57 or so kids, so those volunteers found it very difficult to manage them. The volunteers brought a first aid kit, toiletries and some stationary. At Josh's school in Bethany, the kids were energetic and enthusiastic as always! He bought a first aid kit and some swings as the swings they previously had had broken off the set, so they were immensely happy with that. He also got them a few soccer balls, and instantly became massive supporters of Arsenal, although it may be a few more years before any of them make the team.

As Friday was our last day, we all brought in a few things to have a party for our schools, like cupcakes, biscuits, lollies (which in hindsight gave the kids way too much energy) and other treats they normally didn't get. We also brought things like balloons and bubbles, which brought with it a ton of laughter and fun for the kids. I don't think some of them even realised we were leaving - as they waved goodbye it was like we'd be back after the weekend. We really miss those kids! As naughty as some of them were, they will always remain in our hearts.

The week after, we went on a trip with some of the other volunteers to Victoria Falls. At first we were hesitant to go and miss out on a week of volunteering, but we realised that when in Africa, we have to go all-out and make the most of it! Rosie, Laura and one of the other volunteers went on a mad rush through Mbabane and ended up getting lost in Manzini attempting to get their last minute vaccinations before heading off on the trip.

We went with our guides Bob and Mpho, and it took about two days to drive there, going through South Africa and Botswana until we arrived in Zimbabwe. On the way we managed to see cows, goats, baboons, elephants and ostriches meandering near the side of the road. For the next few nights we stayed in Shoestrings Lodge in the town of Victoria Falls. We visited the Devils Pools in Zambia, where we got to swim right by the edge of the waterfall- an amazing experience. The next day the five of us all went on a Gorge Swing over the Zambezi River, where we jumped off the edge of a cliff, free fell for four seconds and swung over the water. Rosie, Lydia and I went in tandem jumps while Laura and Josh went on their own - Josh even did a handstand and went headfirst! No regrets. We're all glad we did this, as it would prepare us for bungee jumping later on in our trip! That afternoon we visited the falls, and thank god we hired some full-length rain jackets as the mist from the falls made us thoroughly drenched! It took a couple of days for our shoes to dry after that! On our last day in Vic Falls we went white water rafting in the Zambezi River. The hike down the steep mountain was enough to put us off considering how challenging it was not to fall, but we all had a great time going through the rapids. The boat that Rosie, Lydia and Josh was on managed to tip over in the waves, which actually looked like so much fun! We may have been a little envious. Until another boat decided to attack us and try to throw us into the water!

The next two days we drove back to Swaziland, stopping at the Blyde River Canyon in South Africa, the third largest Canyon in the world. Soon we arrived back in Swaziland and got ready for our next adventure down the coast to Cape Town. But we'll save that for the next blog entry!

Until next time,

Elise, Laura, Josh, Rosie and Lydia

Reliving some African Adventures

COUNTRY: Southern Africa (Swaziland, Mozambique & South Africa)
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Care Work
WRITTEN BY: Elise Dean-Jones

So our African adventure may have ended in real time, and some have already arrived safely home, but we still have many more stories to tell!

Following our trip to Victoria Falls, we spent another day or so in Swaziland before the 5 of us (plus Dutch volunteer Ingrid) set off for our 10 day road trip down the east coast to Cape Town, with our guide Mpho, who had also accompanied us to Victoria Falls. The first stop was St Lucia, where we went on a river boat cruise spotting hippos and crocodiles, then onto Durban, where we thoroughly enjoyed the beach scene & shopping and spent one of our days there at uShaka Marine World, a combined aquarium and water park, which our inner children really enjoyed!

During our stop in the Wild Coast we had the opportunity to meet and pat two male cheetahs- one was quite inquisitive and starting licking our legs! Laura, Josh, Ingrid and I went quad biking through the reserve, unfortunately spotting no animals. We were mainly focusing on trying to keep up with each other after numerous road incidents; Laura nearly ran into a tree at one point, and my bike decided to stop working halfway up a hill – needless to say I was gripping on the brakes for dear life to stop rolling backwards! Josh, of course, seemed to know what he was doing, and made the rest of us feel inadequate.

Our next ports of call were Port Elizabeth and then Tsitsikamma, where we bravely embarked on the world’s highest bungee bridge jump! We all knew it was coming up on our journey, but no idea that it would be today until Mpho told us during a very filling breakfast, which was a smart move, otherwise we may not have eaten that day! We arrived at Bloukrans Bridge, where we all prepared for the most frightening moment of our lives. I was chosen to go first, so I didn’t really have time to chicken out, and just jumped off! For sure it was scary, but by the time I reached the top I was jumping for joy, so proud of our achievements! Everyone went down one by one, and all bought videos/photos to show you when we get home – just in case you didn’t believe us!

The next day we went zip lining over some waterfalls, which was stunning, and Rosie, Lydia and Laura went on a Segway tour through the small town in Tsitsikamma where we were staying; despite the rain they said it was money well spent and lots of fun! The following day we finally reached Cape Town.

Hout Bay, Cape Town, would be our home for the next month as we continued with our volunteer work. During our first week we were introduced to our ‘crèches’ – similar to the NCPs we worked at in Swaziland. Lydia and Rosie were placed in Hangberg, whilst the rest of us were at schools in the Imizamo Yethu township. Unlike Swaziland, where ‘kombis’ were the primary source of public transport, in Hout Bay they had ‘cockroaches’, which were generally old, beat-up cars that took us to our schools everyday. Sometimes you couldn’t tell the difference between a cockroach and a regular car, Rosie and Lydia certainly figured that out when a stranger they had hailed down offered to give them a lift anyway!

When we first arrived at our crèches the kids instantly surrounded us, trying to grab hold of our legs in obvious excitement. Siyazama is the biggest of the 3 preschools, with over 70 kids and a large building with 3 classrooms and an outside playground. It had originally been created by the government, and it has only just been returned to the people of Imizamo Yethu. Laura and Ingrid are working at quite a small preschool, as Sophie (pronounced So-fi-ya) the principal, runs it out of her own home, and is jam packed with kids squeezed into the small rooms of her house. Lydia and Rosie's placement has no electricity, meaning no light when it is cold and dark during the winter mornings in Cape Town.

Initially we settled into our new home and preschools, even though it was school holidays for the next 3 weeks, many children still came to have something to do during the day. Some of us went to an after-school care program (more like a holiday program right now) called Ikhaya le Themb to spend time with the kids there, doing craft activities or playing netball or soccer outside.

That weekend we visited the Bay Harbour Markets, a very popular tourist spot in Hout Bay, as well as the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town. The markets had amazing stalls and delicious food- I think we visited there every weekend! That's all for now- I’ll save the final 3 weeks’ adventures for the next blog!

5 Antips volunteers, 4 NCP's, 3 meals a day (not really), 2 kombi rides and one week in Mozambique!

COUNTRY: Southern Africa (Swaziland, Mozambique & South Africa)
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Care Work
WRITTEN BY: Elise, Laura, Rosie, Lydia and Josh

The past 3 weeks since the last blog post have been so jam-packed and busy that it's been hard to find time to write another one!

After returning from Kruger we dove straight into our NCP (Neighbourhood Care Point) projects across Swaziland, where we would be for 2 weeks. Every morning we catch kombi buses to our individual NCPs, which usually cost around 4 rand per trip (40c) and stay there for a few hours before heading back to our backpacker lodge, Lidwala.

Laura and Dutch volunteer Ingrid have been at Ezulwini NCP, Josh at Bethany NCP, and Lydia and Belgian volunteer Mimi at Ekuzukekeni NCP (where they have to take care of over 50 kids!).
Rosie and I were sent to Mlindazwe school, one of the smallest and most rural (even though it's about 20 minutes drive away) of the NCPs. It had been an amazing yet extremely challenging experience trying to teach the children when they hardly know any English. The teachers always worked very well to support us in controlling the kids and translating when we taught the children new subjects, like animals, shapes, colours, basic Maths etc. Our teacher at Mlindazwe just had a baby last week so sometimes she wasn't around to help us so it definitely proved to be a more difficult challenge! Every morning the children would pray before class and before breakfast, so all of the volunteers quickly learnt the "I am the winner" song that that kids were very enthusiastic to sing! Play time was always filled with screams of "Teacher, teacher push!"(on the swings) or "Teacher ngitsatse!" (which means pick me up) so it was obvious that the kids loved having us around to play, and most of the time we really enjoyed spending time playing games with the kids and hearing their adorable laughter.

It was hard sometimes for us to get into teacher mode, as the kids still saw us as playmates and treated us just the same as all the other children, most of the time quite aggressively, so we assume they experience a lot of violence/abuse at home. We also didn't quite realise how difficult it would be to communicate to them in English when they hardly know any. The Siswati words for 'stop', 'listen' and 'quiet' definitely came in handy!
We also have some sports volunteers working with All Out Africa that come to our NCPs once a week to play games with the kids. The first one that Rosie and I participated in we got to take some of the kids to swim teaching in the hot springs pool down the road. The children were absolutely terrified but it was so enjoyable to see them warming up to the water and playing with us.

Every afternoon after teaching we would be sent off to do other activities - i.e. Visiting the hospital and the orphanage. At Raleigh Fitkin Memorial Hospital we would visit the children's ward and play with the sick/injured children. Most of them went crazy over the balloons but we found it quite hard to put a smile on their faces since they didn't understand much English. At Hope House orphanage we had a really great time with all the kids. Some of us started up a game of hokey pokey that just grew and grew until about half the orphans had joined in! Another time I brought some craft materials to make bracelets and and the kids went so crazy for them that it became really hard to manage! However there was a really amazing group dynamic there and we all really enjoyed ourselves the times we've been there so far.

The weekend between the 2 weeks of volunteering we were taken on the Malolotja Zip-lining tour, where we visited the second largest rock in the world, Sibebe (after Uluru - Aussie pride!) and we stayed overnight in the mountains. The following day we were taken on the zip-lining tour which we all agree was so much fun and an incredible experience, it was like flying through the valley.

After 2 weeks of volunteering at our NCPs, we were taken up to Tofo Bay, Mozambique with our Kruger guide, Wawa, for a week's holiday. The white sands and crystal clear water was the perfect setting for the majority of us girls to get our tan on. However local merchants found this a great opportunity to try and sell us bracelets, fabric and coconut bread, and whilst we were adamant that we didn't want any they would ask to buy our shirts or iPod's instead! Some loved to come touch our hair and even though we all said Josh was our boyfriend they disregarded this and were very confused as to why we couldn't have another. Whilst there we had the opportunity to go snorkeling, some of us lucky enough to swim with dolphins and over a small reef filled with fish. The day after we went kayaking to the small Island of Inhambane, where we were taken on a short tour and served lunch by the chief in his restaurant. The following day Josh, Laura, Dutch volunteer Ingrid and I went scuba diving, Josh had been before so for Laura and I it was extremely nerve-wracking to say the least! However it was an amazing experience, the struggle to remember how to breathe was 'drowned' out by the beauty of the reef and enjoying the proximity between ourselves and the underwater life. Unfortunately no manta rays or whale sharks but the fact that nothing went wrong made it very enjoyable in my opinion!

On Friday we drove the 13 hour journey back to Swaziland with the Mozambique volunteer group in tow as we all were heading off to the 3 day Bushfire Festival in Swaziland which started that night. Thousands of people travel across Africa to come to the annual festival - we met multiple people in Mozambique who we ran into whilst there! The festival was incredibly rich in music, dance and art, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

An unforgettable Kruger Park safari

COUNTRY: Southern Africa (Swaziland, Mozambique & South Africa)
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Care Work
WRITTEN BY: Elise, Laura, Rosie, Lydia and Josh

Yes, we're all still alive, in case you haven't heard from any of us in the last week we've been away. We've been having such an amazing time that it sometimes gets hard to update others on what's happening!

Lidwala Lodge in the Ezulwini Valley, Swaziland will be our home away from home for the next few weeks/months. Lydia arrived on Sunday and Josh, Laura, Rosie and I arrived on Monday. We immediately settled into our room and were greeted with orientations for the rest of Monday and Tuesday, where we learnt about Swazi culture and Kruger National Park. That afternoon we were taken on a guides tour with the other volunteers (which consisted of 2 British girls, a Dutch girl, a Belgian girl and a Norwegian guy).

We had read that skirts were essential for the girls, and as none of us brought any full length ones we had resorted to tying bed sheets around our waists, until our guide told us that we would look like fools and it really wasn't necessary. We think about that time with fond memories! Our guide told us all about Swazi politics and the royal family, and he took us to the museum and the last king's memorial gardens. We were then taken on a walking tour of Lobamba, a small village with plenty of small children running up to take our hands and test our strength by hauling themselves up on our arms. Some also sang songs for us which was extremely cute. Our guide told us that everytime white people came to Lobamba they would say "Here come the 'how are you's!". We met a painter/musician called Lucky who was dedicate to teaching children about the arts, he was really inspiring to meet.

After we left Lobamba our guide cooked us a traditional dinner, and even though we were prepared to eat with our hands it was more difficult that it sounded! The meat he cooked was absolutely delicious, we all agreed it was one of the best meals we had ever eaten (mothers - take note!).


Wednesday morning we left for Kruger National Park with our guides Bob and Wawa. Within of 5 mins of entering the park we were greeted with the sight of a cheetah and 2 cubs - an especially rare sight to see, especially on our first day! It took 2 hours to reach our campsite, Lower Sabie, after entering. That really shows how big Kruger Park is, in comparison to Swaziland!

Most days we left early morning, around 6am, for a drive through the park while the animals were just waking, and we would stop for breakfasts and lunch then head back to the camp and have a drink at the cafe down by the river before dinnertime. Every time we stopped to see an animal we rushed to take photos, so by the end everyone was sick of it and ready to move on. We saw plenty of animals - elephants, hippos, crocodiles, rhinos, impalas (sometimes while mating - that was interesting to watch!), leopards, baboons, antelopes, wildebeest, zebras, giraffes, warthogs (or as we liked to call them - Pumbaa's, unfortunately no Timon's), lions, wild dogs, hyaena's, buffaloes, wild cats, many many types of birds and many more I can't remember right now! One night we went for a sunset drive, and just as the sun was going down we stopped a pride of lion mothers and cubs feeding on a dead hippo. We literally were stopped for 40 mins taking photos, even though it was dark! About 10 mins later we spotted the male lion walking past, who diligently stopped and sat down next to the truck for photos.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings, the group split in half to go on a morning walk where we had to get up at 5.15am! It was an experience though, much better than sitting in a vehicle all day long. I walked on Sunday morning with Rosie, Lydia and one of the British girls Alice, and we saw warthogs, wildebeest and zebras.

We left on Sunday, and we all know it was an absolutely amazing and unforgettable experience. Bob and Wawa were excellent guides who could spot animals as dots in the distance, but definitely knew how to have a good laugh when we were all being silly.

Tomorrow (Monday morning) we start our volunteer placements at various schools and projects. Rosie and I are going to Mlindazwe NCP, Josh is going to Bethany NCP, Laura and Ingrid (the Dutch girl) are going to Ezulwini NCP, and Lydia and Mimi (the Belgian girl) are at Ekuzukekeni NCP.

We'll be at our NCP's for 2 weeks, and after that we'll head off to Mozambique.

So for now this is about all we have to say, we'll try keep in contact and update you with what's happening along the way!

Last leg of Southern Africa adventure

COUNTRY: Southern Africa (Swaziland, Mozambique & South Africa)
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Care Work
WRITTEN BY: Monique Bedwell & Rebecca Young

Everyone was blown away with the beautiful view of Hout Bay from the balcony of our newly adopted home. Our first weekend at Hout Bay was spent in different ways as everyone had very different ideas on how they wished to spend their first weekend here.

It began with celebrating Louisa's birthday where we enjoyed a lovely night at Spiro's Greek restaurant. After dinner we then continued into Camps Bay where we were able to enjoy a few drinks. The next day half of the group made their way down to the local markets that were full of music, stalls, clothes, jewellery, and some seriously good food. Another small group which included Rebecca, Tash, Fe and Mon went on the Red Bus Tour of the coastal line from Hout Bay all around the scenic routes to Cape Town. This also enabled them to have the opportunity to climb the world renowned Table Mountain. The weather couldn't have been better and eventually everyone else got to see it themselves later on in the trip. The weekend pushed past very quickly and before we knew it we were getting an orientation of Hout Bay and a tour of the Township Imizamo Yethu, that we would be working in.

The tour was directed by a enthusiastic man named Afrika who was from the township and was proud to take us on a tour of his home. We were shown to the after school care called Ikhaya le Themba, which was a place that children are given the opportunity to gain extra help with homework or any other subjects they were struggling with. We were also informed that we all have the opportunity to come every afternoon and help the children with any of these needs. Every Wednesday was compulsory as it was reading day and they needed all the help they could get with the children. Unfortunately we had to say our goodbyes to James, who was only with us for a short period of time in Cape Town and had become a great part of the group.

The first week of volunteer work was underway as we were all taken to our various placements at Little Angels, Jelly Tots, Sential Primary School and Original Teabags Designs. The first week was spent settling into the placements and finding our feet in the very different surroundings compared to the previous placements in Swaziland.

As our projects continued we grew closer and closer with the children, this was easier as their English was much more advanced than the children in Swaziland. Matthew unfortunately also had to leave earlier in the trip due to prior uni commitments, so as a last dinner all decided to go out together to an amazing Thai restaurant called Kitima's. Shelby from Antipodeans had recommended this restaurant to us at the June training camp and it didn't disappoint! The meals were all amazing and it was good to be able to relax together as a group for one last time.

As our last week was coming to an end, everyone thought that it was all happening far too quickly. We all felt as though we were running out of time to be able to see everyone and mostly buy everything we hoped to buy. The last weekend was also Fe's birthday which we all celebrated at dinner at the Look Out Deck and then those who felt up to it, headed out into Cape Town for the last weekend in Africa. On Saturday Rebecca, Tash, Fe, Mon and Alice headed out to Robben Island to see what it was like for Nelson Mandela and all the other political prisoners that were held there. We all felt that it was a very helpful insight into South Africa's troubled past.

As everyone has had their own experiences over the past three months what better way to describe than from themselves.

Tarun
The last three months have been an amazing experience. I have met the greatest people and done the most interesting things. Volunteering at the NCP's and the school was so rewarding and we grew really close to the kids. I'm really going to miss Africa and I hope I can come back one day.

Alice and Madi
So Alice and I were grateful for a kid-free project in Cape Town! We had a peaceful but productive time at Tea Bag Designs enjoying tea and brownies at 10:30 everyday with the staff at tea bags. We are sad to be leaving all these wonderful people that we've met, e.g. Jill the owner of tea bag designs who is such an inspiring person, she gave us the Job of creating Christmas crackers which we worked on most mornings and provided us with both entertainment and frustration. Eventually we finished making over 250 Christmas crackers which was really satisfying. The Collins and Gulliver Christmas' will be enjoying these crackers at Christmas!Can't wait to come back to Africa! #tia #tomorrowwemeet #tina #hellotina

Kirsten
The last three weeks are amongst the most amazing weeks of my life.. I met amazing kids who loved life but have had so many challenges. At such an early age they where challenged to the max but still have so much love in them that they'd hug you to death. I worked with an amazing group of people dedicated to make there day, and although we all new we could not save the world, the kids did not even want us to. One kid literally said to me, "white people always want to rescue us, but we don't need to be rescued! I have a roof above my head and food on the table, it may not be much but it's good enough, stop thinking your way of life is better then mine, it's just different". So we didn't try that, but we knew we could save a day and worked our asses off to accomplish that. It made me appreciate the one thing underrated most in life, safety. Take a lesson from the kids and love your family and friends and never say no when someone is fundraising for the kids in Africa!

Zoe
Incredible. The last three weeks were the icing on the cake, almost even with a cherry on top. The Sentinel Primary School was probably my favourite place we've volunteered at during this trip. The children's appreciation for you was so welcoming which easily made the interaction and bonds formed so much stronger. I'm almost convinced the children bought me more happiness than I bought them. Without doubt this has been the most worthwhile trip with the most amazing people. Going to miss everyone so much.

Harry
The overwhelming difference between Cape Town and Swaziland is a perfect example of the diversity Africa offers. It's this diversity that has made our time so worthwhile. We've all had an amazing 12 weeks exploring some of the most beautiful countries in the world, and experiencing life away from home. The connection we made with the kids in both Swaziland and Hout Bay will never be forgotten.

Louisa
I was pleasantly surprised at the contrast between my time at Bethany NCP in Swaziland and three weeks at Jelly tots. The smaller class and great English skills allowed me to really get to know the kids individual personalities which made the days more interesting and fulfilling. I never thought I could have so much fun with a group of four year olds. The impact and happiness they have brought into my life is beyond words.

Fe
These past 3 weeks have been an emotional roller coaster filled with so many laughs, smiles and tears. Volunteering at Sentinel Primary has definitely been a highlight for me. Being able to form such strong bonds with the kids there was so amazing. This trip been such an incredible experience that I feel so blessed to have had. I will never forget the wonderful times we have had here in Africa with all the amazing people we have met!

Tash
The past three months have been incredible, traveling through Southern Africa with a group of people I will never forget, even if I tried. I loved everything from Swaziland to South Africa and everything in between. For me it really was our time at Sentinel Primary school that took my African experience from amazing to incredible and unforgettable.

Rebecca
The past three months have been indescribable. I never imagined that I would have this much fun or that I'd learn so much from all of the children. The last three weeks at Jelly Tots Educare has definitely been a highlight in terms of teaching. The kids spoke fantastic English so it was a lot easier to connect with them. I wouldn't change a single thing about this trip and I'll forever cherish the memories I've made.

Mon
The past 3 months has been some of the most memorable moments in my life. I have met some of the most different and incredible people who I will hold dear to me for years to come. The combination of culture, travel, foods, music and everything that comes under the thought of Africa is not something I want to ever forget. I'm going to miss everything I have come to love in my time here but who knows I might return one day :).

We have all had an unbelievable experience throughout the past 3 months and some of us wish it didn't have to end. So unfortunately this dream and experience of a lifetime is coming to an end and reality is crashing down faster than most of us have hoped for, I'm sure if we had the choice we wouldn't leave. But we are also very excited to get home to our families and friends. See you all soon!!

Last weeks in Swaziland include home-stay, a chicken and long goodbyes

COUNTRY: Southern Africa (Swaziland, Mozambique & South Africa)
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Care Work
WRITTEN BY: Monique Bedwell & Rebecca Young

As we have been heading into our last few weeks in Swaziland, it's beginning to hit everyone that time has been passing us by so quickly!

It's our second last official week teaching at our NCP's (neighbourhood care points) and we feel that we still have so much left to do! This week everyone has been given the opportunity to do a home-stay that involves living with a Swazi family for three nights.

Whilst there you are expected to do the same chores, eat the same food and do exactly as they would in their everyday lives. After a group meeting and discussion about who is or isn't doing the home stay, it resulted in Kirsten, Aimée, Rebecca and Natasha signing up. From Tuesday through to Friday the group was very empty with the 4 girls at their home-stay but we continued our usual routines of waking up, going to NCP's and coming home. The afternoons usually were spent chilling by the pool, watching TV or making a trip down to the local shops.

The report from the home-stay made a couple of people a bit jealous that they didn't end up going. For the three nights that the girls were away they were truly immersed into the Swazi way of life. In the mornings when they got up there was no luxury of a hot running shower, instead they were given a tub/bath, a kettle to boil some water and another large bucket full of water to use in the tub/bath.

Going to the toilet wasn't that pleasant either as it was just a giant hole in the ground. As this was all to be expected they had already mentally prepared themselves for it. We've all been living in Swaziland for a while now so there were only a couple of things that really shocked them. The first was lighting a fire in the field next to their house to clear the land, and the second was killing a chicken for dinner.

The pyromaniacs were Natasha and Rebecca as the other two girls were still on their placement. All they could tell us about it was how weird it was to go against everything they had ever been taught about an open flame and dry grass. Killing the chicken on the other hand, turned out to be a whole group event. When it came time for the kill everyone had their role organised. Kirsten was to cut off its head while Rebecca held it still, then Natasha was going to gut it and cut it up. This was all a bit too much for Amiée who couldn't even watch and had to just stand there with her back towards the scene taking photos for those who were preoccupied.

The killing was a success, minus a few tears from Kirsten, but the end result was a delicious meal.

Before we left Australia, Zoe had done some fundraising to give an extra helping hand whilst here in Swaziland. When we first got here she asked our in country partner Nosipho about it to see what she could do to help out. One of the projects that needed a bit of help was a soccer tournament that they try to hold every year with the help of a sponsor. This year Zoe was their sponsor.

She was involved in having soccer jerseys made, supplying some of the equipment and food for the 150 children involved. Everyone from our group was involved in the day. A small group of us went to help with food preparations for the children, this included Zoe, Mon, Fe, and Rebecca. The remainder of the group came down to the fields to cheer on the teams and help support Zoe by being there on the day.
Meanwhile those whom were helping with the cooking were taken to Nokuthula's house. They were able to help with the chopping and preparation of the food, and then the cooking which was in a massive cauldron over an open fire which was a great experience for the girls.

The remainder of the group that were at the fields, had returned home as the lack of shade and the long hours in the sun that had taken their toll. As the day was coming to a close we were all taken back to the fields again for the grand final presentation to the winning team and runners up. Zoe presented medals to each of the team members and then surprised the winning team with her sponsored purple and orange football jerseys. The children absolutely loved their prizes.

In our time being in Swaziland we had all became aware of the importance religion has in the community and attending church was high on most of our to-do lists. Almost everyone in the group made an effort to attend church that Sunday with Menzie. Everyone had very different expectations when heading to Mbabane. The church ended up being a large tent with people of all ages attending.

We were greeted by many people who were grateful that we'd all come along to see what their services involved. Once inside music began to play. Menzie was part of the choir on stage and the atmosphere from all the people surrounding us was unbelievable. They all joined in song and dance and it was great to see how passionate they were towards their belief in God. Many prophesies were told about various individuals including a few from our group. After 4 hours of church it was time to head back to the lodge to relax for the rest of the day.

Our last week of teaching had arrived and the thought that we would be leaving soon was very surreal to everyone. We didn't feel ready to leave at all! We all began to prepare how we were going to say our farewells to children we had grown to love.

Most of our group have decided to sponsor a child to financially support them throughout their schooling which made saying goodbye even more difficult. This last week was jam packed with trying to get everything done including meeting our sponsor child's family, preparing for our final days of teaching and beginning to pack our belongings. Fe has also taken it upon her self to speak to our in-country partners about doing possible fundraising in Swaziland. As Fe has a musical talent she decided to use her fundraising money to set up a music program to benefit the children.

This music program will provide the children from the local NCP's and older kids with the opportunity to learn how to play a traditional African instrument, the Marimbula, which is like a xylophone, and later perform as a group at local hotels.

The last week flew past and before we knew it our second last day of placement in Swaziland had arrived. Roland had come to pay us a visit to tie up the last loose ends about the Victoria Falls trip we were all going on. Everyone headed over to Malendela's and made our final payments for the extra activities we had chosen to involve ourselves in. This was very painful as it was costing us quite a lot to go to Victoria Falls and our bank accounts had suddenly become sufficiently lower. When arriving back at the lodge it was madness as everyone was wanting to bake muffins and cakes for their students. Most people were throwing parties at their NCP's as a farewell and thank you to the children and teachers whom we have all been working with throughout our time in Swaziland.

We have all had very exciting experiences throughout our time teaching in the various NCP's and here's a quick insight towards our time here:

Rebecca and Natasha
"It's so hard to believe how quickly our time at the Lobamba NCP has gone. After a trying start to our placement it's so hard to leave all of those little smiling faces behind. After such a rewarding experience we can't wait to see what our project Cape Town holds."

Madi, Tarun and Kirsten
"We had fun, the kids were nice. Although it was very difficult getting to our Milendazwea NCP, every time we went there we bonded well with the kids. Seeing their smiling faces every day was such a rewarding experience. But none of us will ever be teachers."

Zoe and Fe
"It's so difficult to try and describe our time at Ezulwini NCP in just a few sentences, but to put it simply, it was incredible. We fell in love with each and every one of the kids who we are going to miss dearly. Each day brought a new challenge but with it wonderful memories that we will cherish forever. "

Harry and Aimée
"We will always remember our time in Swaziland, and the days spent at Mahlanya NCP. We hope to have made a difference in some small way, just as "our kids" have made a difference to our lives."

Louisa and Alice
"We didn't expect to enjoy the chaos that was Bethany NCP. The last week was full of fun! The highlight was watching the kids confused and bedazzled faces at their first taste of fairy bread. We will truly miss the cheeky smiling faces of all the children. "

Matt and Mon
"Our experiences of Ekuzukekeni NCP and our expectations before arriving in Swaziland cannot be compared. To see the kids turn up every day and watch them make little improvements is going to be memorable for a long time. It might not have seemed it at the time, but our struggles made every second worth it. "


After all of our goodbyes, the afternoon was left to us to get things done as it was our last week day in Swaziland. That night there was an event being held at House on Fire next to Malandela's called the 'Reggae Rumble'. Upon our arrival we realised that this was quite a large event with many people were attending. All of us grabbed a drink at the bar and found some seats to sit down and enjoy the music. The music was very catchy and before too long a dance floor had been created and people were rising from their seats to join in on the fun. A few of us decided to hit the dance floor as well.

The night was filled with fun, laughter and a lot of dancing. Everyone headed back to Lidwala Lodge at various times in the night as the long day gradually took its toll on us. The night was a massive success that everyone enjoyed, even if reggae was not our favourite genre of music.

The weekend mainly consisted of packing our bags and organising which bags we were going to take with us to Victoria Falls. On the Saturday Zoe, with the help of Fe, Madi, Louisa and Alice, organised a girls day for 24 young girls who are financially supported through All Out Africa's sponsorship program. The girls were treated to a day of games, food, swimming and all around fun. The remaining few of the group spent their time sleeping and resting by the pool or saving baby birds which had jumped out of their nest due to the heat. The girls returned and told us how much of a success the day had been and how happy it had made the sponsored girls.

All of us have grown very close to our in country partner Nosipho and a few thought for our last weekend in Swaziland we would have a sleep over at her house. Everyone had a great girls night eating pizza, chips, sushi, pasta and lollies whilst watching various chick flicks.

The remainder of the weekend consisted of making sure everything was packed for when we returned in a weeks time to then head down the Garden Route to Cape Town.

Hopefully ill have the trip down done over the weekend and then ill have the end of the trip down here in Cape Town next week before coming home to finalise the trip.

Cheers Mon .

Mozambique chapter begins for Gappers on the African Combo

COUNTRY: Southern Africa (Swaziland, Mozambique & South Africa)
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Care Work
WRITTEN BY: Monique Bedwell

Heading to Mozambique everyone was excited and had been looking forward to this chapter of our trip since we got to Swaziland. Even though we have only been here a short period of time we all felt that we were in need of a holiday. It was the first time we had to completely pack our bags since settling into our rooms. Packing our small backpacks for Mozambique was the easy part, trying to pack away everything else, not so easy! The weather was in our favour for the trip; in other words we didn't have to sit in the car sharing leg sweat with the seat and each other. We had a long drive ahead of us and were all eager to get going. Wawa was our driver, which proved to be a good choice. The border crossing was easier than others we'd had so we were able to hit the road again quickly. About 30 minutes after crossing the border it was time to exchange our money. We all felt like we were working in the shadows when we pulled to the side of the road and a guy jumped in. One by one we handed our rand to the walking ATM to have it changed to Meticash. We all kept a close eye on the man as he ever so casually pulled out rolls of money from his pocket. It was a sight I'm sure all of us had never seen and within 20 minutes he was gone and we were back on the road.

Once we arrived at Casa Lisa, our accommodation for the night, everyone was just happy to be out of the car and moving our legs. To pass the time people either showered, played cards, kicked around the soccer ball or even climbed trees in Fe's case! For a while we were observed by two Border Collie dogs before they gradually came closer. It didn't take long for us to realise they wanted to play with the soccer ball. To our surprise they could dribble and header the ball back to us which thoroughly entertained a group of us for a while. A small game of 2V2 was started between Harry and Fe VS Mon and Kirsten. It was a quick game after half of us wound up on the floor covered in black sand. Dinner was quick and everyone hit the sack early for the last drive in the morning.

The last leg of the drive was long and tiresome, but we finally made it to Bamboozi Backpackers Lodge at Tofo beach. We were all in awe as we had not been to a beach in a while and it was overwhelming beautiful. Our accommodation was nice; it was basically a large beach shack with tables in the centre and beds spaced out along the walls with mosquito nets hanging above them. Within moments of settling in and being shown the basic surroundings, Liam, Mikaela and Simone from the Mozambique Antipodeans group walked through the lodge from the beach. It was good to have a quick catch up with them and organise a time and place to catch up over a few drinks and a game of pool.

Wawa took a small group of us on a walk along the beach to point out where the markets were and how to get around town. Conveniently, everything we needed was within walking distance and we had no real need to go anywhere other than the beach. Dinner was nice and easy, and we eagerly headed out to Fatima's beach bar for drinks. Once getting there we all got to catch up with Orietta from the Kruger trip.

The next morning was early as we were headed out on our Ocean Safari in hope of seeing some beautiful Whale Sharks. Peter was our guide for the trip and he gave us a run down of safety procedures and prepped us for the morning before we headed out. The trip out into the water was amusing as we had to ride out against the waves. This made it more like a carnival ride than anything else which resulted in a lot of screams and laughs. Looking for the Whale Sharks is actually a long and enduring task. When our hopes began to drop, people were getting cold and were ready to head back into land when a hump back whale was spotted! Within minutes we were informed that our boat was in the middle of a large group of about 30 hump back whales. This was the largest hump back whale sighting in more then 10 years of doing the ocean safari tours. Before heading into land we were given the opportunity to go snorkelling over a reef just off the shores. Unfortunately Zoe and Madi were both stung by blue bottles; we soon returned to the beach after this. The rest of the day consisted of chilling by the beach or checking out the markets in town. Haggling with the locals over anything of interest became almost a game for most of us and we almost did it for a source of entertainment. That night was Orietta's last night in Mozambique so we had spoken to her and arranged to meet that night after dinner at a place called MozamBeats. Unluckily for us it was on the far opposite side of town to where Bamboozi was but things improved when Wawa was nice enough to decide that he wouldn't drink and would drive us all to MozamBeats.

We were all shocked when we arrived at MozamBeats. We were not expecting such an outstanding pub/bar. It stood two stories tall and had a pool with lights changed colours. The surroundings were filled with multiple pool chairs and mini hammocks hung off trees. The upstairs area was filled with oversized couches and more hammocks, which we soon claimed as our hang out. After saying our goodbyes to Orietta and a few drinks, everyone headed home at around12.30am.

Our second full day in Mozambique was a canoeing day. It was yet another early morning that most of us were not too thrilled about, but off we were again at 8am to be at Liquid Adventures - the company through which all of our water activities were booked. Peter was again our guide for the day, which was good to have an English speaking guide throughout the day. Our mode of transport to the area where we would be canoeing, was sitting in the back tray of a dump truck.

Once we arrived we were left to sit on the beach until the truck came back with the canoes. Alice was thoroughly entertaining creating a voice over for individuals in our group based off our personalities. When the canoes arrived we all paired up and headed out onto the water. The weather was perfect and the water was clear blue. At the half way point we pulled up on a sand bank to rest. One of the highlights was the Pansy Shells that we were able to collect within the shores. These shells were flat with what looked like a fossil of a pansy! This half way point was also the beginning of a race that was started between team Alice and Madi VS team Harry and Louisa. Both canoes headed out on the water with great determination and speed, the remaining canoes cruised along with casual conversations while we watched events take place ahead. The best way of describing the events that took place between the two teams was a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean. Harry tackled Alice in the shallows and Madi ran ahead pulling the canoe away from the scene just like a cowering Jack Sparrow would flee from the fight to the treasure. In this case the treasure was making it to solid land first. Louisa played the perfect Elizabeth Swan, throwing a fit because no one would give her attention which in turn resulted in Harry telling her she could swim to the shore. In the end team Alice and Madi were victorious!

Once on land we were given a tour of the island. The children were hanging off our arms and they didn't speak English or Portuguese; they had their own native language of which we could not make out a single word. Once we were back to the main part of town we were served lunch by the chief who had taken a strong liking to Zoe. He served her personally then gave her a free drink to top it off. The traditional dishes were generally seafood consisting of crabs, prawns and mussels (which were all fresh from the sea), as well as various noodles, breads, chips, and salad. It didn't take us long to completely demolish and polish off all the dishes. We headed out to the sea and were on our sailing boat back to the truck which would take us home. The long day took its toll on everyone, especially the long hours spent in the sun on the open water. Everyone was left with a pink colour tone over their skin.Tonight was yet again another night down at Fatima's as it was now Patrik's last night in Mozambique. Everyone had a good night of drinks, laughs, pool games, singing and all together just enjoying themselves. It was a late night for all, this was probably due to the fact that there was no activity planned for the morning which meant SLEEP INS!!!!!!!

The next day was free for all and everyone spent it how they wished, mostly haggling with the locals for more goodies and buying the local rum Tipo Tinto. That night only a few people had decided to go out again but before heading out the group had decided to play a game of Truth or Dare. Tash was first up and she was dared to take a tray of goodies to the nearest door and say "room service" in an accent. Lucky for her, no one was home. Next was Alice, her dare was by far the best. She had to take a kettle of water over to a near by fire pit and try to boil the water over it in front of complete strangers who were getting a briefing from their tour guide. She appeared as a crazy lady, and all the people had to say about it was "well that was weird". Next was Zoe, she was dared to pour water over Madi who was sleeping. This soon saw the end of Truth or Dare and those who were going out headed off whilst the others headed straight to bed.

Our last day in Mozambique consisted of us packing and preparing for the long trip ahead the next day. The group had collectively decided that we would go out and party at Dino's bar for our last night in Mozambique and Wawa had agreed to drive past at 2am, pick us all up to begin our very long drive all the way home to Swaziland.
T
he car was packed early and we were all rather excited about our plans to have a very good night out together as a whole group. Tarun surprised us all and showed us all how much fun he could be on the dance floor when he whipped out some dance moves consisting of the sprinkler, the running man, the shopping trolley, and all the clichéd party fist pumping and single person moshing (jumping up and down by himself). The other Mozambique based volunteers had joined us for drinks and partied on into the early hours of the morning with us. We made friends with locals and shared lots of laughs. Half the group began to grow tired as the night dragged on and Dino's became more and more packed. Wawa came early and by the time he had collected us all we were on the road at 2am. The idea of leaving straight from the bar was tactical as everyone was silent and slept most of the way. We arrived home at Lidwala at around 1pm. Everyone was grateful and glad to be home.

$2 movies plus a trip to Mozambique

COUNTRY: Southern Africa (Swaziland, Mozambique & South Africa)
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Care Work
WRITTEN BY: Monique Bedwell & Rebecca Young

Our first day of placement was finally here! Before we all headed off to our respective NCP's, (Neighbourhood Care Points) we were told that for the past three weeks the kids had been on school holidays and that the first official day of school wasn't actually until tomorrow, but off we went with high hopes! As expected when most of us showed up the kids weren't there! The afternoon was a bit more exciting with a visit to the children's ward at the Nazarene hospital in Manzini. We only bought a few balloons and some bubbles for the kids and some fruit for the parents but that was all we needed. It was amazing to see what a difference we could make for those kids stuck in hospital. Some of them were only there over night for a bad cough but others had been there for months suffering from terrible burns.

Upon returning to Lidwala after a fantastic afternoon at the hospital we were informed about the volunteers cooking dinners and cleaning dishes! Everyone's first reaction was to check who was on clean up. Harry and Mon were first up to cook which provided some entertainment when when Harry walked to the herbs and spices asking "where are the bell peppers?" not realising Mon had been chopping them for the past 20 minutes. Yes, capsicums and bell peppers are the same thing!

We were all fairly tired after all our travels and disappointed about not being able to teach. Soon after dinner most of us were off to bed for a good nights sleep. The next day again full of high hopes to meet our children at our NCP's we headed out accompanied by the 'old group' of volunteers. Today was more of a success with everyone coming back at lunch time with exciting stories about the children at their NCP. Most of us spent the afternoon actually preparing lessons for the following day. To say we were excited for the next day was an understatement.

Within a few days we had realised how much hard work the children were and that we would not be able to cope with a full day of teaching. Most of this was due to the language barrier making it difficult to communicate.

On Wednesday the group decided to treat ourselves to a night out at the movies. It was cheap Wednesday's so instead of costing R36 it was ONLY R16 (equivalent of around $2AUD).

That Friday we all attended the 'House Party.' This pretty much involved being taken to a bowling club to drink and hang out with our group and the remaining members of the 'old group' of volunteers- Hannah, Annabelle, EJ and Bjorn. When we got there non of us really understood how we were going to have a good time as it was a lawn bowls club. However, once we had a few drinks and some food, fun conversations, piggy back races, balancing competitions and dancing soon followed. Fe and Fezi had a chilli chicken eat off which Fe surprisingly won, despite Fezi's bragging!

A few of the group-Rebecca, Matt, Kirsten, Aimee and Mon- headed out the next day to go Zip Lining. At 1pm they had packed the car and headed off with Wawa. Along the way they had a few stop offs before arriving at Malolotja nature reserve. The first stop was the worlds second largest erect rock in world after our very own Uluru :) YEAH THE AUSSIES!!! It's called Sibebe. The next stop was a very large made made dam when the dam was in view Mon made the comment "Oh Damn!" Everyone laughed until they realised she wasn't making a pun and said it in complete seriousness which just made it even funnier.
After spending a good 10 minutes yelling into the dam and hearing our echoes we headed off to the Malolotja Nature Reserve where we would be staying. We didn't stay there long as Wawa wanted to take us to watch the sunset. Due to the amount of fires in the area there was a large amount of haze which made it difficult to see the vast acres of mountain range in the distance. The sunset was beautiful but took a very long time to set, in soon time we were ready to head back to our huts. We has an outside BBQ and all headed to bed early.

The next morning we were all up at 7.50am and very excited to head off. While sitting down for breakfast Matt ever so calmly informed us "omg there is a scorpion", the rest of reacted appropriately and freaked out! Kirstin caught the scorpion with a glass and took it outside to have a better look. A guide walked passed and casually poured the scorpion onto his hand. our morning lesson was "big pincers, small tail will only leave an agitated big sting. Small pincers, big tail...BIG PROBLEM."

After that we headed to the main office where we were debriefed and suited up for Zip lining. The drive down to the gorge was bumpy and fun for the most part. The first couple slides were small and then we got straight into it. The remarkable views and feelings of adrenaline hit everyone and we all loved it! To say we wished we could have done it again would be an understatement.

Once we got back it was lunch and then we were on the road again. Our next stop was the Ngwenya Mines; these are the world's oldest mines. We were able to also walk up to the last caves which had not been destroyed. Again we were on the road again to the glass factory, as well as the chocolate factory and various other little shops.
Then we were off home, but not quite! We drove past Lidwala and headed straight to the candle factory. Everyone who had stayed home that weekend were there as well. The markets as well as the candle factory had an abundance of goodies that we all fell in love with. Non of us expected to see such colourful and beautiful hand crafted candles.

While those who didn't go zip lining stayed home they still had a great weekend of their own. As the 'old group' was leaving after this weekend and heading home, the remainder of the volunteers stayed behind and had farewell with casual drinks and a fire pit at the Lidwala lodge. Most of the group spent the night sleeping out under the stars after being suggested by Fe.

Our second week of work had commenced with sad goodbyes to Annabelle, Hannah, EJ, Barbara and Bjorn. By this time we had all settled into our routine of catching Combie's (a mini van that functions like a bus but can be hailed anywhere as though it was a taxi) and teaching. The biggest highlight of the week was the monthly football (soccer) game of volunteers vs All Out Africa team. On this particular day it was 37 degrees and we were all feeling the heat! But that didn't stop us. We were driven to Malendela's where we prepared for our game. Harry's tactic was for us all to get a sugar hit and bought lollies. This was initially successful as we were able to put the first goal of the game away! Feeling the adrenaline few team member Madi and Alice were continuously encouraging the team that "WE HAVE THIS!! DON'T GIVE UP, WE CAN WIN, RUN FASTER!!!" Our biggest surprises was Matt with his outstanding height and ability to gain all the headers and Tash our little pocket rocket! Everyone did their best to try keep us ahead of the game. Unfortunately we all had a sugar crash and began to feel the heat. The game concluded with a depressing score of 9-1. Unfortunately Tarun and Louisa couldn't be there for the game as Louisa had taken Tarun to the doctors due to an ongoing illness that hadn't been improving.
The end of the week was concluded with the entire group heading back out to Malendela's for a dinner out as a whole group. Not only were we able to enjoy each others company but everyone who spent over R50 on food enabled one Swazi child from our NCPs to get a free dinner at Malendela's. We all had a throughly enjoyable night and plan on going back soon.

Saturday was packing day as we were heading of to the lovely Mozambique for a week of beach, sun, and relaxation. We were also looking forward to catching up with the Mozambique Antipodeans volunteers whom we had met at the June training camp and had flown over to Africa with.