Orientation of VA 32 degrees South

We met with Mike, the founder of Volunteer Africa 32 degrees South, and he explained the history of the program. He explained the goal of the group, and how it changed from a tour group to a volunteer program. For more information, please go like them on Facebook, and look up Friends of Chinsta! We got to see the bus they donated, which has solar panels on top, and is a mobile computer lab for the children at the nearby schools. 

It's very interesting how they are trying to integrate the technology into an area that doesn't have easy access to electricity. When I return, I want to start a donation fund to help them make computers more accessible for the schools. Mike told us that previous volunteers have organized projects for the area, and are put into action if there is enough funding. I would love to put my degree (communication technology) into use in that way. 

Mike explained to us how easy it is to make such a huge impact. A previous volunteer went home, and set up a donation line for feeding the children while they are at school. They donated 5 euros a month, and it funded 4,000 meals in a year. That is 4,000 more than what would have been provided to children ages 5-10. 

Sunrise

I woke up at 4:30am, and couldn't go back to sleep. Since I was up at such an ungodly hour I was able to watch the town wake up. The sunrise wasn't very visible from the angle that our house faces, but the coast/hills look amazing. This was my view this morning from our back porch! 

Sunrise

I woke up at 4:30am, and couldn't go back to sleep. Since I was up at such an ungodly hour I was able to watch the town wake up. The sunrise wasn't very visible from the angle that our house faces, but the coast/hills look amazing. This was my view this morning from our back porch! 

Village Tour

We went on a tour of Cinsta East, which is the nearby village. Our program leader from VA 32 degrees, Milton, grew up there and lives there now. We walked from our house for about 15 minutes to the edge of the town. When we walked by the first house a little girl ran up, and hugged the girl next to me. She kept hugging us, and insisted on walking (well being carried) along with us through the whole town. As we walked further into town, more children joined our group. They loved taking pictures with us, and touching our hair. 

Milton showed us the preschool that previous ISV groups had improved, and built playgrounds around. They were so basic compared to the playground kids in the USA still call "boring", but the children absolutely love them. Previous groups also built the health center for the town. Milton explained that a nurse would come from East London twice a month to give check-ups to the people. On the days that the nurse would come, people would start to line up outside the building before the sun comes up. Sometimes the nurse wouldn't show up, without warning, until the next scheduled visit. After he explained all of this, he told us that if they called an ambulance it wouldn't show up for hours, or even until the next day. It broke my heart when he told me that waiting for a taxi to drive through the town would be faster to get to the nearest hospital, 45 minutes away. 

For the next two Tuesdays that we are here, we will be playing games with the children when they get out of school. All of the children wanted to play with my camera, and my phone, so here are some pictures that they insisted on taking :) 

Welcome to our beach!

This morning we played ultimate frisbee with the surfing school. It was a close game till the very end. I'm glad we didn't play soccer though because these kids can move their feet way too quickly. Now we are watching them practice on the smaller waves. 

Jet lag

I don't think I was really affected by the time difference. My adrenaline was pumping so much from excitement that I took a Dramamine last night to fall asleep at 10pm. We woke up at 8am, and it's the first time I've felt fine doing that in I don't know how long. What's even better is that I woke up, another girl opened the curtains, and I can see the ocean from my top bunk spot. We have a gecko friend in our room, which no one freaked out about. We said that we would be fine with it until one of us had a "parent trap" moment. You'll laugh if you get the reference. This place is amazing so far, and I can't wait to see our project location! 

First Night

After our flight to East London, we met up with our project leader and ISV leader! Were are staying in an adorable house on the coast of the Indian Ocean, with an amazing view. After we had our introductions with the leaders and "house moms" (two women who own the house, who also cook dinner for us. The main women told us that she is our Africa mom.) we walked down to the beach, and played some soccer. The coastal view of the sunset is absolutely breathtaking. 

Tomorrow we are going to wake up early to hangout on the beach before we get a tour of our project site. We found out today that we will be constructing sanitation huts. (Out houses) these will be used by the orphanage/day-care in the community. These are extremely needed because they currently have to "go to the loo", in a designated spot by the building. The next two weeks we will be constructing those, playing games with the children, and exploring the local area. 

I only get wifi by the main office which is a few blocks away. I'll be typing these messages on my phone as I go, then whenever I am in the wifi area I will post whatever I have saved. I'm looking forward to seeing the village, and making a difference! 

Fun Fact: The town we are staying in (Chintsa), is pronounced as "sin- sa" the "sin" is made by clicking your tongue to the back of your front teeth. We will be learning pronunciation of the clicks, and basic terms on our second day at the worksite. 

Safely in South Africa!

I don't have wifi for long, but I am safe and sound! Emily and I had a running hug reunion. It was epic! Now we are waiting for the hour long flight to east London (on the coast) for the volunteer program! 

Forever in Flight

The time felt like it was flying by.... Until it wasn't. My row mates are amazing. I spoke to the woman next to me for the first four hours of the flight about my trip, what to expect, what I should/shouldn't do, and how beautiful everything is going to be. She lived in Botswana for 12 years, and is going back to visit for the first time in a few years. She said that the culture shock going back to America (where she was born) was difficult because it is a "fend for yourself" mentality versus the community lifestyle of many towns/villages in Africa. I'm very excited to see, and emerse myself in that kind of culture. She warned me that I'm not going to want to go back (don't worry guys I promise I will), but I'm guessing I will want to return again sometime in my life. 

Thankfully, I have only heard one crying baby, and there are no screaming toddlers! :) unfortunately, my tv for my seat doesn't work, so I've been reading and trying to sleep. I was so excited for the awesome selection of movies. Oh well. My buddy next to me let me watch Selma with her, and shared her headphones, but I fell asleep about 15 minutes into it. 

Surprisingly the "lunch" (I say that because it counts as dinner also) was really good! I decided to go with the vegetarian option because the chicken looked more like beef.. But I had pasta, a mini salad, bread, and cheesecake for desert! The miniature silverware they give you is too cute. It's 7:33pm est, but 1:32 am where we are heading. I took a nice two hour nap, but now I'm wide awake. 

I have 6 hours and 22 minutes left cooped up in the plane, and my excitement isn't helping me while I try to sleep till breakfast. I'm past the halfway point, and traveling along the coast south. I feel much more comfortable knowing we're not in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean anymore. I'm enjoying watching the little airplane get farther and farther across the screen!  

Ready for Take off!

Officially seated and ready to go! Unfortunately I don't have an aisle or window seat, but I am sitting next to very experienced world travelers! One woman has been telling me all about the places I am going, and what to expect on the flight. This shouldn't be too bad! See ya in a month, USA! 

Waiting for Flight #2 to Johannesburg

I took a shuttle from the hotel to Terminal 4 at 8am. Checking my bag was a little difficult due to computer issues (thankfully nothing was my fault), but I successfully made it through security with no problems! Now I am sitting at my gate, slowly meeting more ISV participants! I've met a few people doing other projects, but no one from my group yet. Emily (my best friend meeting me in SA) has Safely landed in Germany with all of her luggage! Now I get to kill some time until we start boarding at 10:30. I'm still not sure how I feel about the 15 hour flight ahead of me, but I heard they have TVs in front of you that have movies and shows to choose from! I guess it's an airline form of netflix (let's hope this is true!), if not I have my book to read, and some sleep to catch up on! Next stop - Johannesburg, South Africa!! 

Made it to JFK!

I have officially made it to New York! The flight went smoothly, and arrived almost perfectly on time. I originally planned to just stay in JFK until my flight out tomorrow, but since I couldn't check my luggage I decided to stay in a hotel. Luckily, Sami (another ISV participant & Lisle grad) had a room with an extra bed! So now I am comfortably sleeping in a bed, and getting a good rest before the long day ahead of us! 

First Flight

I'm currently waiting to get on this little plane to fly to JFK in New York! Checking my bags / getting through security went well, so now I get to hangout and wait. If we are on schedule, I will be boarding the plane by 6:30pm, and taking off before 7pm! I'm very happy to report that I have not heard any crying children, or seen anyone with ridiculous carry-ons. See you in a month Chicago! 

For more Information

Here are a few links to check out what exactly I will be doing, and where I will be:

Project Summary 

Travel Manual 

For even more information about my trip, or the organization I am travelling with, you can visit isvolunteers.org 

Greetings Everyone!

This is marks the beginning of my journey to South Africa! I'm very excited to say that my adventure begins in just a two days. Before I depart, I would like to thank everyone for making this trip possible!

Beth Corrigan

Tim Corrigan

Judy Cameron

Rita Cameron

Jock Cameron

Barb & Bobby Fehribach 

I wouldn't be anywhere close to achieving my goal of travelling the world without the helping hands of my wonderful family, and friends. I will be travelling with one of my best friends, Emily Glaser. We are both jumping out of our comfort zones together, to see a part of the world we never thought we would see. I will try my best to show our journey along the way on this page, especially with pictures, and small posts. I hope everyone enjoys my travels as much as I do!