We have settled in Cape Town quite nicely (I'm even starting to talk like them) and have gotten a pretty good feel for the city. Monday night after we arrived in our new homes, we decided to head out to see the night life. We all had dinner together at a Mexican restaurant in town and then some of us went down to Long Street which is where a lot of young people go at night. It was so fun. The DJ played all American music and did a special rendition of "Sweet Home Alabama" for me and did "Sweet home Washington DC" and threw in some "yes we can"'s in there. It was interesting but absolutely hilarious.Yesterday (Tuesday) we went on a bus tour of Cape Town. It was on an extra-touristy double-decker bus and we were able to get off at any stop that we wanted. We decided to get off at Camps Bay and spend some time on the beach. It was one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen with crystal clear blue water and perfectly placed rocks. The pictures I took don't do it justice. After the bus tour, we decided to head into the aquarium. It was mediocre compared to the one in Baltimore but we did get to see some enormous sharks and a penguin feeding.
We headed back to the house and I took an hour nap before we went out again. The organization that we're working with is called Shawco and they do all sorts of development outreach in the local "shanty towns." One of their major projects is located in Khayelitsha and is a free medical clinic that locals have access to when they aren't feeling well. One of the girls in my program is going to be interning at the clinic so we thought we'd take a look. It was an extremely eye-opening experience that I cannot even begin to explain on this blog but if you ask me about it, I will attempt to. On a lighter note, we got back from the clinic around 9pm and all were starving so we had pizza which was remarkably similar to domino's in the U.S.
I just finished my first class at the University of Cape Town. Our instructor was extremely interesting and I have to admit that he really encouraged me to think and dive deeper in what we were talking about. I don't think I've ever enjoyed a class so much in my life. Despite the 45+ pages we will have to write, I am really looking forward to the rest of the course. We discussed "development" in both South Africa and the Sudan and all different aspects of it. This is definitely a topic that I'm not likely to discuss in courses at VT. So for now, while I'm in South Africa, I'm going to soak up as much as I possibly can!
More to come later!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Bonamanzi
Hello friends!!
I arrived at the airport in Cape Town on Friday morning around 10am. To say I was exhausted would be a complete understatement. We waited around for 2 hours for Ryan to arrive and then we were on our way to Bonamanzi for the weekend. No one told us the plan for the next few days and on our itinerary it just said "team building and orientation." The views on the way to this place were absolutely incredible. This place was a giant lodge that sat right on a river called Breada (not sure if that's correct). There were cabin type rooms for the girls and boys, outdoor showers, and a large room with a fireplace upstairs. Leon was our chef for the weekend and he made some of the best food I have ever tasted. Jayne and Chris were our hosts and we did team building activities with them. A lot of the activities were similar to ones I completed at staff training at Camp Horizons but we also were asked an array of questions that I certainly wasn't prepared for. We were asked what our two strengths and two weaknesses were, what we wanted to accomplish as a tourist in SA, and what we wanted to accomplish personally in SA. It really got our group to open up and just after three days together, we're all already so close. We went kayaking and on long walks. I took some incredible pictures for all of you to see very soon.
Today we arrived in Cape Town after a two hour long bus ride in which we saw a baboon eating an apple on the side of the road. We unpacked our things in our houses and then headed to campus for a small tour. Tomorrow we're taking a bus tour of Cape Town and on Wednesday we start class and also go to the "shanty towns" where we'll be doing our service work.
This place is absolutely gorgeous and I am so excited to be here!
I arrived at the airport in Cape Town on Friday morning around 10am. To say I was exhausted would be a complete understatement. We waited around for 2 hours for Ryan to arrive and then we were on our way to Bonamanzi for the weekend. No one told us the plan for the next few days and on our itinerary it just said "team building and orientation." The views on the way to this place were absolutely incredible. This place was a giant lodge that sat right on a river called Breada (not sure if that's correct). There were cabin type rooms for the girls and boys, outdoor showers, and a large room with a fireplace upstairs. Leon was our chef for the weekend and he made some of the best food I have ever tasted. Jayne and Chris were our hosts and we did team building activities with them. A lot of the activities were similar to ones I completed at staff training at Camp Horizons but we also were asked an array of questions that I certainly wasn't prepared for. We were asked what our two strengths and two weaknesses were, what we wanted to accomplish as a tourist in SA, and what we wanted to accomplish personally in SA. It really got our group to open up and just after three days together, we're all already so close. We went kayaking and on long walks. I took some incredible pictures for all of you to see very soon.
Today we arrived in Cape Town after a two hour long bus ride in which we saw a baboon eating an apple on the side of the road. We unpacked our things in our houses and then headed to campus for a small tour. Tomorrow we're taking a bus tour of Cape Town and on Wednesday we start class and also go to the "shanty towns" where we'll be doing our service work.
This place is absolutely gorgeous and I am so excited to be here!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Adventure 1: London Heathrow Airport
Here's Mom and I before I left for the airport. She always closes her eyes, silly momma.
I arrived in London this morning at approximately 6:52am (London time) and my departure to Cape Town isn't until 9pm. I was supposed to meet up with Alice who was my co-counselor when I worked at Camp Horizons in 2009. The London transit would have taken her 2 hours to get to Heathrow and she had to be somewhere at 6pm so it just didn't end up working. Also, I decided not to activate my Blackberry over here because Verizon has ridiculous international prices. So, I didn't have any way to get in contact with Alice.
I then proceeded to look for a hotel in the airport just to see how much it would cost to nap the day away in a room rather than on an airport bench where I'd have to strap myself to my luggage. I had to go through Immigration to get to the hotel through terminal 5. It was going to cost 175 pounds sterling which would be nearly 300 dollars. Obviously I rejected that offer. So I took the London transit back to terminal 1, going through security again, and slept on the airport bench for an hour. Once I finally figured out that I wouldn't be meeting up with Alice, I decided to venture out again in search of a different hotel. I finally found the Hilton and it was much cheaper so I decided to take it. I slept for 5 hours straight, took a shower, and headed back to the airport. Of course after waiting in line for security for 30 minutes, my boarding pass wouldn't scan because it had been scanned earlier that day and I had to get out of line, go get a new boarding pass, get back in line, and continue to wait all over again. Now I'm sitting in terminal one waiting for them to announce the gate for my departure to Cape Town. I decided to eat Cadbury's for dinner because they are by far the best chocolates on earth and after 14 hours of venturing around this place, I feel like I deserve it.
Hopefully when I get to my gate, I'll meet up with someone on my trip, that would be ideal. I'm not a huge fan of traveling alone and I'm eager to meet everyone! My flight is 13 hours so I should get in around 10am (Cape Town time) so that would be 5am at home. I'm just 5 hours ahead!
I just wanted to say thanks to my family, shoutouts to Steph, David, Mom, and Dad for keeping my head on straight. Special thanks goes to Steph for writing me the sweetest, most sisterly letter for me to read on the plane. Not to mention she brought me Starbucks and my nap bear before I left for Dulles.
Also want to say thanks to my lucky fam and the rest of my SK sisters, Becca, Lauren, Lauren, Talene, Courtney, Kate, Shelby, Brittany - you all are so wonderful. Thanks for wishing me safe travels and keeping me in your prayers.
And of course Matt for letting me know how hard traveling alone is but that everything works out.
They just announced my gate so I'm off!
Monday, June 6, 2011
2 days!
In exactly 48 hours I will be sitting on a plane en route to London. I am struggling with the packing simply because I want to bring everything that I own. It's going to be a while before I finalize my decisions.
Just thought I'd post and give everyone my email: mkeeler5@vt.edu so we can stay in contact while I'm gone!
Hope everyone is having a great summer and please keep me in your prayers while I'm abroad!
Just thought I'd post and give everyone my email: mkeeler5@vt.edu so we can stay in contact while I'm gone!
Hope everyone is having a great summer and please keep me in your prayers while I'm abroad!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
SHAWCO!
Students Health and Welfare Centres Organisation (SHAWCO)
I got my information packet today in the mail with every little detail about SHAWCO and how we will be interacting with them. This is their vision: Improving the quality of life of previously disadvantaged individuals in developing communities within the Cape Town metropolitan area.
Basically we will be working with 3rd-7th grade students in primarily English and Math but will also go on field trips with them. We work with them in various workshops that will teach them communication and leadership skills through art and drama, improving the quality of life, and basic health awareness skills. The students will also learn about the crime rate in their home towns. I'm excited to educate these students and hope to gain personal knowledge as well. 1,200 student volunteers work with SHAWCO every year and I'm so excited to contribute to that number.
I also found out that the weather is usually cold and wet, and windy. I thought I left Blacksburg for the summer? It's okay though because I'm going to be in Africa! I'm just so excited, I can hardly wait.
Something else I learned was that it's illegal to remove anything from its natural habitat. It's illegal to be within 300m of a whale or dolphin. Guess who can't fish without a permit? This girl. Also can't light a fire anywhere other than designated areas. There are ELEVEN official languages. Luckily for me, English is the first, followed by Afrikaans and Xhosa.
The currency is the Rand so something that would cost 7 dollars in the states would typically cost "1 rand" in SA. But bottled water is around the same price as it is in the States. But night club cover charges are between R40 and R50 so other things are expensive but if I went to the movies it'd only be able R40. Restaurants have a very wide range of prices and meals can cost anywhere from R35 (5 dollars) and R100. We'll see how all that pans out.
My older brother thinks I should bring a travel filter so I might just take him up on that.
Yesterday I had to do what every world traveler dreads doing. Vaccinations! Luckily, because I was a camp counselor, I already had to get a bunch of shots out of the way. So today I only had to get a typhoid immunization. Unfortunately my arm is really sore now. I had the option of taking 4 pills instead but because I'm lactose intolerant, they directed me towards the shot. I'm really not afraid of needles so it wasn't too much of a problem. She gave me a whole packet on precautions to take in South Africa so I definitely think I'm ready to go! I sure am EAGER to go!
Just thought I'd fill yall in on the latest with my program! I've met 4 other people via facebook and I think I'll be living with them but we haven't gotten our housing assignments yet.
15 days!
I got my information packet today in the mail with every little detail about SHAWCO and how we will be interacting with them. This is their vision: Improving the quality of life of previously disadvantaged individuals in developing communities within the Cape Town metropolitan area.
Basically we will be working with 3rd-7th grade students in primarily English and Math but will also go on field trips with them. We work with them in various workshops that will teach them communication and leadership skills through art and drama, improving the quality of life, and basic health awareness skills. The students will also learn about the crime rate in their home towns. I'm excited to educate these students and hope to gain personal knowledge as well. 1,200 student volunteers work with SHAWCO every year and I'm so excited to contribute to that number.
I also found out that the weather is usually cold and wet, and windy. I thought I left Blacksburg for the summer? It's okay though because I'm going to be in Africa! I'm just so excited, I can hardly wait.
Something else I learned was that it's illegal to remove anything from its natural habitat. It's illegal to be within 300m of a whale or dolphin. Guess who can't fish without a permit? This girl. Also can't light a fire anywhere other than designated areas. There are ELEVEN official languages. Luckily for me, English is the first, followed by Afrikaans and Xhosa.
The currency is the Rand so something that would cost 7 dollars in the states would typically cost "1 rand" in SA. But bottled water is around the same price as it is in the States. But night club cover charges are between R40 and R50 so other things are expensive but if I went to the movies it'd only be able R40. Restaurants have a very wide range of prices and meals can cost anywhere from R35 (5 dollars) and R100. We'll see how all that pans out.
My older brother thinks I should bring a travel filter so I might just take him up on that.
Yesterday I had to do what every world traveler dreads doing. Vaccinations! Luckily, because I was a camp counselor, I already had to get a bunch of shots out of the way. So today I only had to get a typhoid immunization. Unfortunately my arm is really sore now. I had the option of taking 4 pills instead but because I'm lactose intolerant, they directed me towards the shot. I'm really not afraid of needles so it wasn't too much of a problem. She gave me a whole packet on precautions to take in South Africa so I definitely think I'm ready to go! I sure am EAGER to go!
Just thought I'd fill yall in on the latest with my program! I've met 4 other people via facebook and I think I'll be living with them but we haven't gotten our housing assignments yet.
15 days!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
19 Days!
Today they released the list of participants for the program that I'll be traveling and studying with. There are only 8 of us! 3 interns and 5 people participating in the Community Development program (including myself). Of course I felt the need to friend-request as many of these people as I could find on Facebook. I'm just so eager to get to know everyone and finally get there!
I made an appointment with an immunization center today and it's looking like I'll probably have about FIVE vaccinations to get before I go. yikes.
In the summer of 2009 I worked at Camp Horizons in Harrisonburg, VA. I was paired up with a counselor from England that pretty much became my other half. We made an awesome pair and always had the greatest times with our campers. I recently found out that during my 14 hour layover at Heathrow airport, I will have the opportunity to meet up with my co-counselor from 2 years ago! I could not be more excited. That evening I'll board my flight to SA and arrive early in the morning on June 10th.
June 10th marks the begining of my orientation in which I will travel all around Cape Town and other destinations nearby. I'll get to know everyone in my program and hopefully become familiar with the area too.
Counting down the days!
I made an appointment with an immunization center today and it's looking like I'll probably have about FIVE vaccinations to get before I go. yikes.
In the summer of 2009 I worked at Camp Horizons in Harrisonburg, VA. I was paired up with a counselor from England that pretty much became my other half. We made an awesome pair and always had the greatest times with our campers. I recently found out that during my 14 hour layover at Heathrow airport, I will have the opportunity to meet up with my co-counselor from 2 years ago! I could not be more excited. That evening I'll board my flight to SA and arrive early in the morning on June 10th.
June 10th marks the begining of my orientation in which I will travel all around Cape Town and other destinations nearby. I'll get to know everyone in my program and hopefully become familiar with the area too.
Counting down the days!
Monday, May 9, 2011
One Month and Counting!
For those of you who don't know, I'll be traveling to Cape Town, South Africa on June 8th, 2011 and return on July 30th. I am currently a Human Development major at Virginia Tech and intend to receive credit for both my major and my minor (Leadership & Social Change) while abroad.
In exactly one month I will be sitting, enjoying my fourteen hour layover in London Heathrow airport. Unfortunately, this was the only way to get to Cape Town.
I'm excited for my trip and to keep everyone updated on my travels!
In exactly one month I will be sitting, enjoying my fourteen hour layover in London Heathrow airport. Unfortunately, this was the only way to get to Cape Town.
I'm excited for my trip and to keep everyone updated on my travels!
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