Attitudes about Americans

Every response about me being American has been positive that I can remember. All the guys my age that I meet ask where I am from as one of the first question. 99% of the time, the conversation goes like this:

Durbanite: So where are you from? (keep in mind they have not heard my "accent" at this point)

Me: America

Durbanite: [unbelievingly] America?!? Really?

Me: [laughing] yeah

Durbanite: Where in America?

Me: Ohio, it's sorta in the middle

Durbanite: Thats so cool (having never heard of Ohio before), I wish I could go to America...my (insert some type of relative here) is from America

I have talked politics with some of the people here, and the general consensus is that Bush was a jerk, Obama is a god-send, and Zuma is a crazy, tyrannical man with way too many children and the wrong priorities. One of the funnier exchanges I had was when Kelly mentioned online banking.

Kelly: I am so angry they switched to online banking!

Me: What's wrong with online banking?

Kelly:....Don't you mean "What's wrong with online banking in South Africa"?

Me:....oh...you have a point.

I find the most interesting conversations I have with people is about the differences between countries. Last week I had to pay to use the toilet, and today I found out that waiters are not only not paid other than tips, but if an order is messed up, they must pay for the new food with their own money. My South African friends find it quite funny to hear me say lekker (good), bakkie (pick-up truck), jolling (partying), now-now (very soon), and as well (I now say it AS-well instead of the American as-WELL). Also amusing to them is my apparent rolling of my R's and "funny" pronunciation of my vowls. I once asked a man where the bathroom was, and when met with a puzzled face, I rephrased and asked for the bahhhhthroom (SA pronunciation), to which he smiled and said something about my funny accent.

Reflections

Before my trip, I was so excited, so confident, and so ready. After arriving, I became petrified and said to myself, "What on earth was I thinking?" The first couple of weeks at CROW were difficult as well, I was adjusting to new people, and new place, and a new time zone! Over time though, CROW really did become my home, and I am so sad to leave. My confidence in new places has grown in leaps and bounds, as has my willingness to try new things and my ability to direct others. I had many things planned for my trip that I came nowhere near to doing, though I am quite happy with the things I did end up doing and would do it exactly the same were I to do it over again. I have been given many chances I would never had back home and I am thankful from the bottom of my heart that Linworth allowed me to do these things. The staff has taken to constantly asking me if I plan to return, which I always answer yes. I am hoping that while at home, I can play some part in helping CROW until I have saved up enough money for a return vist, hopefully the summer after my second year of college.
  My stay at CROW has reaffirmed my desire to make a career out of working with animals and has also widened my horizons as well. Looking back, I cannot exactly remember what I expected CROW to be like, though I do know that the reality is even better than I could of hoped. I dreamed about fostering a monkey, but I never truely thought it would be a reality. I cannot thank the CROW staff enough for giving me, still young at only 18, a chance to do something most people will not accomplish in a lifetime. I feel so blessed and lucky.

The Golden Mile

Sorry I have not been able to write for awhile, the internet connection around town is not the most dependable...anyways, I recently have been spending all of my days off at the markets or on the beaches along The Golden Mile, Durban's premier stretch of coastline. During the weekend nights, us girls in the volunteer house have taken to going out dancing, as it is one of the only places we can go after dark and otherwise we just end up in bed by 9. The days are spent lounging on the beach or listening to the live music while eating ice cream or sipping smoothies, life here is pretty much a paradise and I am actually upset just thinking about leaving, though excited to see the people I love.
   While writing this blog, I have found it impossible to convey all of my feelings and experiences as I would like to, there is just too much to put into words. The center is still great, though I wish I could help the staff reorganize to volunteer program to make things better for both parties. A couple of days ago, I got the job of serving cocktails at a very very posh golf club where CROW was holding a fundraiser. The golfers were very nice and quite interested in CROW and what it does for the community. Thinking about the military precision that goes into organizing the Columbus Zoo's "Zoofari" fundraiser, this even was the total opposite. After sitting reading in the shade for 6 hours waiting for the golfers to finish, I helped present prizes and got tons of pictures take of me. Speaking of which, when I was walking along the beach, these three black women with a baby walked over to me and just started posing around me, it was very surreal. I was reminded of when I was on a ferry in NYC and approached by three Asian women who wondered and marveled at my then bleach blonde hair. I was asked to take several different positions, most of which involved me holding the baby of the hands of the women. They seemed gleeful and kept on going on "Come stand here my friend!" It was very cute and touching when they beamed and thanked me when I left. Everywhere I go, I seem to get attention, mostly because I'm the only white person around. There is definitely still racisim in South Africa and the white population seems the most guilty, labeling all the "black" beaches and taxis as dangerous and not worth my time. It is so sad to see this go on around me.
   Since my trip is coming to an end, I am asking for those of you reading to post any questions you may have about my stay, or if you wish for me to elaborate on anything, hopefully the internet will be working next time I attempt to get online!

Getting Out to See the Sights

For my trip to the nature reserve, I was joined by local fellow volunteer Jessica and her boyfriend. The reserve was much bigger than I expected, being surrounded by houses, though it must have been more than 10 square miles. We hiked for around three hours through fields and forests, the likes of which one would expect to see in Africa, being more like a jungle than anything else. For the first bit of the hike, we saw no wildlife, but eventually we sighted duiker, huge monitor lizards, monkeys, freshwater crabs, springbok, and many different types of birds. As I was a bit disappointed that I had not seen any zebras, Jess's boyfriend took us in a ride up one of the trails in his bakkie, and we saw 9 in total. The first set we came upon consisted of a female, a young male, and an older male. They got quite close, and I could have reached out and touched them at some point. They were extremely beautiful animals, and their stripes blended quite well with the surrounding grass if you were not looking specifically for them. I got lots of good pictures and wish I could upload them!
    Right now, I am typing this in an internet cafe a floor above the hostel in Durban where Michelle and I stayed last night. We came out to Durban early Sunday morning and spend the morning browsing the local market. I bought lots of things including a new outfit but the rest are hush-hush because they consist mostly of gifts :) During the afternoon, we spent time at the same outdoor eatery/pub and watched reggae music again for several hours. With all of our walking around, we are getting quite good at navigating Durban and have lost most of the tourist look. We at dinner (a large plate of roast pork with really yummy rice and zucchini, plus a bubblegum milkshake) for only around 6 dollars each. Unfortunately, by the time we finished eating, it was dark and we were still 6 blocks away from the hostel. Still in our beachwear, we hightailed it back home, walking in the middle of the street if we felt threatened. A very concerned looking woman stopped and ask us if we were in trouble or needed a ride, as women just do not walk around after dark in Durban! By then though we were only one block from the hostel and still in one piece.
   Though it was dark, it was only around 6 o'clock, so Michelle and I decided to go to a local dance club. We called a taxi and spent the rest of the night listening to blend of American and South African music while eating good food and watching the white boys attempting (and failing miserably) to dance while trying only a bit of dancing ourselves.
   The next morning, we went to breakfast at "Waffle Express" and I though it was quite odd that they had a breakfast menu that didn't include waffles or pancakes, which were only listed on the regular menu. I ordered some chocolate mousse pancakes (really more like crepes) that were divine, as well as a girly chocolate coffee drink. After eating, we gave our leftovers to a man on the street and spent the rest of the day before returning at 4 on the beach. The beach we chose was an all black beach, and we got a couple of odd looks though we did meet some nice men from Zimbabwe who asked to use my sunscreen and talked about how nice the local markets were. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend and I hope to have another adventure next week.
   Back at work today, I was royally ticked off to find the kitchen a mess in the morning; meat left out on the counter coated with fly eggs and maggots, cutting boards and knifes left out covered in food and unwashed, and trays of food sitting around attracting flies. As the day went on, I was angry to see some of the animals had also be improperly fed (monkeys were given a bowl of dog food!)and the clinic staff reported that the other volunteers wandered in a half past 8 instead of bothering to show up and feed the hungry animals at 7 o'clock in the morning. The clinic staff does not have enough time to police all of the volunteers and it angers me so much that the volunteers around me see this more as a holiday rather than the chance to care for these amazing animals and had trouble controling my anger when voicing my opinions. Hopefully this was a wakeup call for them, and things will get better.

A House Full of Females....

Well, including me, there are 8 volunteers in the house now: Shelly and Sara from Kansas, Michelle and Amy from the UK, Julie from Australia, Cherie from Jo'burg (South Africa), and Eva from Germany. We still also only have one bathroom, and there is DEFINITELY tension in the house. I overheard some of the girls complaining that I am always telling them what to do, I am not sure if they realize that I did EVERYTHING they are doing by myself for the past couple of weeks, have been at the center for quite some time, and have been instructed by the clinic staff to oversee and instruct all of them. I am trying to be patient, though this task is difficult when the majority of the volunteers dig their heels in whenever they are asked to do something that involves dirt, droppings, worms, or dead chicks (99% of the work). I don't exactly know what they expected...as if the constant state of  being covered in dirt or poop that goes along with animal care never crossed their minds when becoming a volunteer.
  Enough of my complaining. I am still enjoying myself for the most part, though I feel a wide hole where Robby used to be. I make up for it by watching the adult baboons, which luckily led to the discovery of a large gash on one of the females bum's (which the vet will check out tomorrow). Tomorrow, I am going to a nature reserve where they have zebras and I am quite excited! Hopefully, I will get some good pictures.

Finally Getting to See Some of Africa!

Though saying goodbye to Robby was sad, I was quite excited to get out of the center for a bit. I went with Sam, Mabel, and Robby, and the trip lasted about 3 hours. Most of the time we were driving through the mountains, and the view was spectacular! When it came time to hand Robby to his new "mom" I was in tears. I was shocked and angry when the woman tried to lift Robby out of my lap saying "Come to mommy! Yes you love me don't you?". I thought how unsensitive of her it was to try and take him from me when I was clearly upset and still saying goodbye. I didn't say anything but firmly held him in place and took a small step back.
   On the way back, I was tearful, but Mabel and Sam surprised me by taking me to vist Howick(sp?) Falls, a beautiful waterfall. There I took some pictures and haggled for another painting similar to the first one I bought of elephants. While on the trip, Mabel also invited me to her 40th birthday party, an invitation I of course accepted.
   Mabel's house is located in Pinetown, around a half an hour from Yellowwood Park. It was quite nice, and there were around 30 people at the party. It was a true braii, where the food isn't actually ready until late and the main attraction is standing around the braii(grill) and talking. They cooked so many different kinds of meat, and I tried quite a bit. I also politely accepted a sip of wine, though it is definitely not my thing. I spent a large portion of the party playing with Mabel's puppy and her neice, it made me miss the kids I sit for at home. We didn't head back until around 1 and I was exausted.
   Yesterday, Michelle and I ventured to Ushaka Beach by way of minibus taxi (a total fare of R10 as opposed to R150 for a 'proper' taxi) and spent most of the day there. The minibus taxis are said to be unsafe, but I like them. They always blare music and people are stuffed inside like sardines (23 in one the size of a van, I kid you not) but all the people are friendly and offer you directions and advice. After arriving, I walked along the beach and in the water, quite warm, while I looked for shells and beach glass. For lunch, we went to a nearby pub and sat for 3 hours listening to live music and watching drunk people dance. We also picked up some ice cream and browsed the overpriced shops before grabbing some cotton candy and heading home.
   Today, 4 more volunteers are set to arrive and I am not looking forward to sharing a shower with 7 other people...wish me luck!

My Baby is Leaving Me!

Sadly, as well as happily, Mabel and I will be driving Robby to the 'Burg (Drakensburg area) to live with other young baboons so he can grow properly. As much as I moaned about him, I know I will be in tears. I am happy though that he has the chance to become a wild baboon and has managed to escape the black market pet trade he started out in.
   Aside from this news, there are 3 new volunteers at the house. The first is from the UK but the other two (daughter and oh-so-controlling-over-everyone mother) are from Kansas. I have already been told by the mother that I am not eating well enough (since when is granola and yogurt not healthy?) and had to push her to do every single cleaning task we are presented with. I am frustrated that I had been doing all of the work by myself for the past few weeks and now someone else is trying to come in and tell me how to do it better. Besides that, I am happy to have some company in the house as it was getting lonely.
   I miss the zoo, my family, and home, though I love it here and have no desire to return any time soon.