Oh hey! I have a blog....riiight...

Hi. :) TIA. This is Africa. Spent the morning swimming, suntanning, chatting, reading and sipping tea. Not too shabby way to start the day.... :)
The flights over were shorter than last year. Not sure how that happened.
From Minneapolis to Amsterdam, I sat beside a Somalian soccer player on his way to Nairobi for three months of soccer tournaments. Pretty cool.
From Amsterdam to Johannesburg, there were so few people on the plane that almost everyone got three seats to themselves. :) So I just piled up my pillows, stretched out and slept the whole way. Very cool.
Everything's the same. :) The kids' reactions to me waking them up at midnight were priceless. Everyone still gives morning cuddles and can't say enough about all the incredible things God is doing in their lives. And after a whole year apart, we all had plenty to talk about. :)
The weather is beautiful, the trees are green, the sun is always shining. But life is crazy here. The girls told me about a building they visited in the shady area of Joburg...a four-story building where 200 families 'rent' (R40 per month...about $5.70) and care for a couple hundred blind people. All illegal immigrants, desperately trying to make money for their families in Zimbabwe or Zambia or wherever. Sewage drips down the walls and the empty elevator shaft is used as a garbage dump. The flies are so thick that you have to cover your mouth and face so they don't fly in. There are few windows, and most of the building is so dark, you can't see your hand in front of your face. The little children laugh and play because they don't know any other life. And yet, these people held a church service for these girls that went to visit. They all went to the roof and starting singing and praising God....I can not imagine. My Canadian brain does not comprehend a life like that.
God is good. How do we make change in the world around us? What can we do?
Off to TLC now. Much love, God bless. xx

Round 2 - NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FIRST BLOG!

I'm heading back to Johannesburg in a few days. And I wasn't going to blog this trip, hadn't really thought about it. But the other day somebody asked how they'd be able to stay updated on my travels and I just blurted, "I'm keeping a blog!"...so I guess I am. Has it really been a year since I was last in Africa? When I look at updated pictures of the kids now, I don't think, 'There they go, growing up all by themselves'...but rather, 'Only a few more days!'
But I have far more important things on my mind these days. Things that keep my mind off even Africa. My best friend's wedding is coming up, and in fact, she'll tie the knot two days before I get on a plane. I'm the maid of honor, so there seems to be a lot to think about. I can't imagine what must all be going through her head every day. It's fun though, something I've never done before. But strange also...are we really of marrying age?? When did THAT happen? Remember as a little girl when you used to lay in bed and dream of wedding plans? Yeah, someday they actually happen. Crazy, this thing called life.
For interest's sake, I'll be in SAfrica until April 19, then I'm flying to spend a week in Holland and a week in Slovakia, to visit friends in Amsterdam and relatives teaching in Kosice. :) Should be fun. :)
Much love.

...into the Wild...

It's been a hectic few days...lots of traveling. From Durban, we headed down the coast to a small town called Port St. John's. The bus only did drop-offs about an hour and a half from our backpackers, so we took public taxi the rest of the way, which is an adventure in itself. The drivers are crazy, there is nearly constant starting and stopping, but the people are friendly and it's faster than walking. :) Port St. John's is...different. It's very crowded and seems to be quite a poor area. Our backpacker was a ways out of town, almost right on the shore of the Indian Ocean. The first day there, we headed down to the beach to explore, walking along the beach and clambering through the rocks until it started to rain. We headed in for a delicious supper and to chat with a guy that we met a few days before at Amphitheatre (back in the Drakensberg). We got invited to go to a St. Patrick's Day party at another backpackers, leaving around "7:30 or 8ish, probably walking." At about 8 30, Brian (the guy) came running in to say that we had a ride if we could be ready in less than a minute. We raced out just in time and piled into the back of an old truck, with the top on the back and a muddy floor, meaning we had to crouch and hold onto whatever we could (there were 7 of us in the back), which was a bit of a feat, what with the bumpy roads and all. The party was amazing, only because of the spectacular live entertainment. A man named Tony Cox, apparently one of South Africa's guitarist elite, played for us for a couple of hours...and trust me, he was so worth the truck ride. He would have been worth a 4-hour truck ride. I've never in my life seen or heard anyone play guitar like he did. He pulled sounds out of that guitar that I didn't even know were possible and with ridiculous speed as well....Anyway, he was good. :) We walked home that night, four of us, past the solitary lights of shanties dotting the hills, past meandering cows wandering down the highways, the warm ocean breeze guiding us toward our destination. Apparently the walk was nearly an hour, but it seemed too short to me...The next couple days were spent laying on the beach and basically relaxing as much as possible. We ran into a bit of a crisis when we ran out of money, at which point we were penniless (literally, we had R1.15), all our clothes were dirty (still are), we had no food left, I hadn't showered in days, our cell phone and iPod's were all dead (and that was a bad thing...?) and no way to get into town. The day before we were meant to leave, someone had to go on a liquor run and Riley was lucky enough to catch a ride, so that was finally sorted and gave us a bit of breathing room. That last morning, we woke up to the sounds of the Irishman in one of the other beds yelling, "No! No! I didn't!" And a girl (they'd known each other for awhile) saying, "Yeah, you did." in a very unimpressed voice. Apparently the man (35+ years old) had had a bit too much to drink the night before (a post-St. Patty's Day party) and wet his bed...and the guy in the bunk below. Do you laugh? Or do you cry? lol, not sure about that one...Anyway, we caught the taxi back to the bus stopped and continued on the next leg of our journey, which was a stop in Port Elizabeth, which we didn't arrive in until nearly 11 at night. The place we stayed was...quaint, an old townhouse, much like my grandma and grandpa's actually, that had been transformed into a backpackers. That night, being the eve of my 18th birthday, I got a phone call from home singing me Happy Birthday. :) We went to sleep shortly after 12 and were up by 6 30 for more traveling. We managed to steal some bananas for breakfast and stayed outside singing and dancing on the street, waiting for the bus to come. (It was late...which would explain the singing and dancing...right?) That day we drove until we reached a town called Knysna (pronounced niiz-nah). We were picked up from the bus stop by the beach version of a mountain man (beard included) in a rickety old VW bug that had seen better days. Amidst rattles, bangs and minor explosions, we eventually made it to the backpackers. The place was beautiful, with steps leading straight onto the beach. We went on a beach stroll that afternoon, even though the weather was rather cold, collecting rocks and shells along the way. Supper was a braai and dessert was a couple of shooters, known as Springbokkies (my favourite) to celebrate my 18th. :) It's wierd to see the alcohol advertisements that say, 'Not for sale to those under the age of 18,' and realize that they no longer apply to me...We went to bed early that night, no partying for me :P and woke up early the next morning. We went for another walk on the beach, this time accompanied by the resident Jack Russels. At the appropriate time, we were whisked back to the bus stop in our VW chariot and headed out once more (this is getting to be a habit...). The mountain man's name was Barracus by the way, in case you were wondering...:P We are now in Wilderness, a beautiful little tourist town...sort of the African version of Canmore, AB. Miles of beach lay on our doorstep, cute little shops and restaurants are just down the road, an abandoned train track through a tunnel makes for a beautiful morning stroll I'm told. This afternoon we sampled the shops and I was treated to a manicure (part of my birthday present...my birthday has sort of been three days in the making...:D I know...spoiled...) and some cake. :) We bought a few more trinkets for our loved ones back home, then headed home to arrange some sky- and shark cage-diving before going down to walk the beach. Along the way, we chatted with a few fishermen, including one who caught a sand shark while we were watching. It was so neat to be there to see him bring it in and let us touch it; it was only about 2 1/2 feet, sort of like a cross between a shark and a sting ray. And, as if that wasn't a lovely enough day, we came home to our own personal pizzas made with 100% home ingredients in a wood-fired oven. Fantastic. And of course, a drink on the house because it was my birthday. ;) Tomorrow morning, I'm waking up to a sunrise walk along the train track and a hot stone massage...I. Am. In. Heaven. P.S. Family, if you're reading this, this is our next vacation spot. ;) Tomorrow it's off to Mossel Bay for some more...adrenaline-pumping activities. ;) Anyway, I've got to run, about to run out of internet time. Much love. :) xo

Stuck

In a town that we only planned to spend a quick night in, we've now spent 2 long days, going onto our 3rd night. The town in question is Durban, right on the coast. And it would be beautiful, but our reasoning was, hey, we're only staying one night, so who cares where it is? Well, we may have possibly chosen the most dull part of the city...It's our fault though; apparently the Baz Bus only stops at backpackers when you call them to tell them to stop there, which we didn't, so we looked a bit foolish sitting around in a lobby, waiting for a bus that would never come...Thankfully, the bus comes tomorrow! Yay! Off down the coast for us; white sands and blue skies, here we come.
Today has been a bit of a strange day. The hot, sticky weather has put me in a bit of a bad mood, made worse by the news I recently received from one of my friends at TLC. Remember Max, the security guard who had his face shot up with a paintball gun? Well, he spent three days in hospital before he died from his wounds. Not all stories have happy endings I guess...but it makes it worse that I knew the guy, that I was awake and having a good time on the same yard as he when he was attacked...Because of that, and because the robberies have yet to cease for more than one night at a time, TLC has once again updated their security systems, and hopefully this time it works...
I met a guy sitting on the street today, both legs in braces. I asked him his name, introduced myself and asked what had happened...He said it was polio...I gave him some money, but I couldn't help feeling like he was chuckling to himself as I walked away...oh well, no matter if he lied, he needed it more than me...
Anyway, Riley's made supper, noodles or something of the sort, so I should go. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. :) Have a wonderful week. Much love,

Karli

Just call me Tenzing...

So...going from never having done anything of the sort in my life, to hiking 31 kms in 2 days...I think that's pretty sweet. Riley and I are in the Drakensberg right now, staying at probably the best hostel we've found so far. Yesterday, we signed up for a hike that read "Only for the fitter hiker", which should have read, "anyone who's name is not included in the following list: Arnold Schwarznegger, Lance Armstrong, Michael Phelps, Tenzing Norgay; need not apply". Unfortunately, they didn't say that, so we signed up. 19 kms and a 1500 m altitude change later...Let's just say I've never felt so proud of myself. Except possibly when I finished that one dogsled race...Anyway, it was misty/cloudy on the way up, so we couldn't see where exactly we were going. Everytime my legs were about to buckle under me and I thought we were nearing the top, another peak emerged from the fog and we staggered on. Sho, it was hectic, bru. ;) It was definitely the most wicked hike I've ever heard of, nevermind accomplished. We hiked toward Cathedral Peak and came within 200 m of the top, but were forced to stop due to heavy fog and slippery rocks. We passed waterfalls, climbed through tangles of thorny brush, clambered over boulders and skirted entire mountain passes (whatever that means, but it sounded good). It took us 4 1/2 hours just to hike in, with a short lunch break at the top. On the way down, a few of us (there were only 4 of us, including the guide, Josh) stuck our heads under one of those beautiful waterfalls to cool off. The way down was cloudless, crystal clear, perfectly serene. The most amazing feeling in the world was to look back over what seemed like miles and miles and realize that I was just standing at the base of that peak there, yeah, that one, the one waaaay off in the distance. I felt as if I'd conquered the world. And the view, oh my word, it was amazing, pictures and videos can absolutely not do it justice. Despite waking up this morning with aching limbs, joints, muscles and basically everything else, we decided to join a 12.5 km hike which was way easier; nice gentle slopes, breaks every 15 mins or so, and a much bigger group as well. Despite being an easy hike, my legs were still sore and stiff after the two hour drive home. I felt like an old woman trying to extract myself from the van...but I made it, I made it. That was the Amphitheatre Hike, in which we hiked around the back of the Amphitheatre (part of the Drakensberg peaks), climbed up a fantastic gorge and emerged at the top of the second-highest waterfall in the world, Tugela Falls. :) A fantastic day, for sure. Anyway, we are just trying to decide whether we want to hike into Lesotho tomorrow or not, and whether our legs will let us...Unfortunately, Riley's account was hacked (or something) and someone's been stealing all his money, so we're still trying to figure that out as well! Our next stop after this is Durban, where we're planning to only stay a night before heading down toward the Wild Coast! Wish us luck! Much love,

Karli

Swaziland and Saying Goodbye

I'm at a real computer for the first time in awhile, so I figured that I would post this blog myself, rather than making my mom do it, though she does a great job. :)
Well, I suppose I'll start with the corruption, move on to the cocktails and end with the crying...My South African visa expired on March 2nd, so rather than doing things the normal, legal way and extend it at the South African Consulate (which costs at least R500, not to mention driving), I decided to try my luck at the border. After much planning and changing plans and throwing them up in the air and rearranging them yet again, it was decided that Albertina and I would head to Swaziland for two nights, then renew my visa as we crossed back into the country. We stayed our first night away from TLC at a backpacker in Joburg called Brown Sugar. It was really really nice. They served a delicious hot meal in the evening, we sipped some ciders and chatted with a guy from Holland named Jan, traveling through South Africa by himself and working at a kids' summer camp. We forgot to book Baz Bus tickets ahead of time, so we were going to book them in the evening, then we missed our booking date with the receptionist and had to book the next morning about 30 minutes before the Bus actually came. Everything was fine and dandy though. It was about a ten-hour drive with one of the most obnoxious men I've ever met, but the drive was one of the most beautiful. Winding through the switchbacks, cruising up and over the mountains...it was fantastic; what a view...:) We ended up only staying one night in Swazi, but the sunrise over the misty mountains was worth the drive and then some. :) Thankfully, we had a different driver the next morning, and thankfully again, he knew one of the border crossing guards and was able to talk his way into getting my visa extended until mid-April sometime. R100 later, I was free to go. ;) I love Africa. Oh, they have a saying: TIA, this is Africa. Golden. :) So that was the corruption...We got front row seats next to the driver (oh, he got pulled over by police for not wearing his seatbelt and was fined R20...about $3...and he had the gall to complain about it...:P)and the view was even more impressive in the early morning. I would have given anything to stay a few more days...That night we stayed in a dingy, uncomfortable...adventurous backpacker in Joburg again. The roof was one piece of tin and we had a wicked thunderstorm that night. It sounded like someone was firing bullets at the roof. So we scrapped the sleeping idea and stayed up to watch some crappy music videos until the rain stopped. :) The next afternoon, we drove home to start our packing and getting ready to go...
That evening (the 3rd), one of Thea's daughters, Zoe, took Albertina and I out for drinks at a funky little bar somewhere up in the middle of nowhere. It was such a neat little place and we had a great time chatting. But Africans make...loathful margaritas and pina coladas...for the record. Afterwards, we drove to the airport to pick up a friend of Zoe's who is working in a hospice around here somewhere...grabbed some coffee and nachos (to stay awake) and headed home. So that was the cocktails...Thea's son, Rhys, had some friends over, so we hung out at his cottage for a few hours, chatting and that sort of thing. When Rhys tried to call the night guard though, we had a bit of a fright. They've (the night guards) been given paintball guns with rubber bullets and pepperspray balls, but Max is a bit older and doesn't always pay attention very well and last night a man came over the fence, stole his paintball gun and shot him several times in the head. One shot hit his eye (apparently he may lose it), another tore off most of his lip and several more caused serious swelling to his head. Obviously, he was rushed to the hospital immediately and I haven't heard anything since that. It was definitely a scary last night. Please pray that he is alright.
Today was probably the roughest day of my life. If not, it was certainly well up there...I slept in a little, wrote everyone goodbye notes and had a big, lazy breakfast with Albertina (who flew home today as well). Everything was fine at first, but the more I packed away and the cleaner my room got, the sicker I began to feel. I literally felt nauseous and light-headed...When I got a text message from Kim (who came with Riley to pick me up) saying she was five minutes out, I just though, "My word, how did it ever come down to the the last five minutes?" It was the most terrible feeling in the world. I cried a bit then, but once Riley and Kim arrived, it was easy to get distracted showing them around the nursery and introducing them to the babies. Then the moment arrived...well, it wasn't really a moment, it was more like 30 minutes of drawn-out torture...I had to say goodbye. Kissing the babies, hugging all the beautiful people that I was lucky enough to have spent the last few months with, looking back at the house as we pulled off the yard...I've never cried so much in my life. As we were cruising along the highway, I had this horrible feeling like I'd forgotten something important and then I thought, "Oh no, nothing important, just my heart..." And that is exactly how I feel right now...not myself. The family I'm staying with is one of the most beautiful in the world, but I still feel disconnected or something...It's strange to think that every volunteer that goes through there is just a passing star in the lives of the kids, but they leave footprints in our hearts forever...I can't say goodbye, I really can't. If I think about never seeing those kids again...When Rob picked me up from the airport back in December, he said that Africa gets in your blood, that you can never really leave it...and I didn't believe him...ha...So basically, I'm a mess right now. Give it a couple of days, right? I'll be fine. So that was the crying...
Anyway, nothing more to say. I hope you are all having a wonderful week. :) Oh, and PS, despite everything, I am SO excited to travel. :) Much love,

Karli

Preparing to leave

Friends, family, relatives, acquaintances, etceteray, etcetera....hi. :)
Tomorrow is my last day on schedule here at TLC. I don't remember my first day that well, except Tammy showing me how to do the dishes...Everyone here keeps asking how I feel and if I'm sad and all those other things that they seem to be required to ask when someone is leaving...No, not really. There are a heap of us leaving right now; two left yesterday, two on the second and three of us on the fourth (I'm one of those three). I feel like everyone is leaving, except me; it hasn't really become reality for me yet. Tomorrow evening, my roommate and I leave for Swaziland for a few days. It's my special little way of hopefully getting my visa renewed. :) So I'm not even really leaving, not yet anyway, not until the evening of the fourth. So I still have time, just a little bit of time...to cuddle the kids, to move out of my house, to say my goodbyes...Come March 4th, I'm sure I'll be a mess. :)
In case I didn't mention it, I'd like to just bring up the case of South African drivers once more, just so some of you might be less inclined to get road rage the next time you're driving in Canada. A few days ago (or was it a few weeks...?) Kim and I were driving to her house along a two-lane highway. We were coming up to a light and it turned yellow. Kim of course, being the responsible driver that she is, slowed down and stopped just as the light turned red. However, about five seconds later, as the other lanes were starting to pull out, one car whipped past us in the other lane and a second after that, another car squeezed by on the shoulder, just managing to miss about 6 cars. It was ridiculous. But normal...nearly everyone drives like that. The driver here at TLC is a pudgy, balding thirty-something year old who really just wants to marry a volunteer and claims he used to be a race car driver (which means, like...when he got his first car, he pushed it past the speed limit...once). So he drives Rocky (the van) like a race car...Rocky is kind of the equivalent of a GMC Safari. :)
The last couple weeks have been good. We had a 'cultural evening'/bonfire, which was lovely, especially after a few people had gone and Dan pulled out his guitar and started singing Country Roads...it took me back about 9, 10 years...There's something special about sitting around a fire with so many friends, chatting and watching the stars. :) A couple nights ago we went to a place called Boma Restaurant. We were supposed to be able to try a bunch of exotic meats, but I only had ostrich, kudu and springbok. They were all in stew- or sausage-type dishes so I couldn't really properly identify the meat...:P It was amazing though. For R100 (the equivalent of about $15), we could have unlimited food and drink from the buffet. And this wasn't just a piddly buffet; it had everything; pastas, salads, meats, stews, stirfrys, breads, sushi...desserts of course. :) Afterwards, we almost got to go out to NewsCafe (a dance club/thing...), but then the two drivers decided they were too tired and made the decision for the other 19 volunteers. Oh well, other adventures ahead. :)
Only a few more days until I start my travels across South Africa! I am SO excited! :D But excited as well to go home in 45 days! :D Anyway, I hope everyone is having a wonderful week; I am! I'll try to update this at least once while I'm traveling. Much love,

Karli