A quick trip home...

I arrived back in South Africa on Friday after spending two weeks at home in the UK. I was lucky enough to fly home to be there for my Grampa's funeral. It was really special to be back with my family and share this time with them and although I went back in sad circumstances I can honestly say that I really enjoyed the two weeks; loads more than I thought I would.

I did have some problems dealing with the huge shift in cultures though. I needed to buy some shoes to bring out here so I went to Birmingham to get some. I found myself standing infront of a wall covered in shoes, wanting to buy a pair but not being able to spend the money I'd been given. So I tried the next shop. Then the next. Then a few more. But there I was on the train home with the money in my pocket; I just couldn't bring myself to spend it. It was really frustrating because I needed the shoes and I'd been given money to buy them but for some reason (that I still can't put my finger on) I couldn't buy any. I went shopping three times in those two weeks, to three different places and still came back without the shoes I needed. I started getting angry at myself for not know why I couldn't spend it.

Another thing that I thought a lot was "What am I going to do when I'm back in August?" but I've come to terms with the fact I have no idea and I'll have to play it by ear for a while, should be interesting anyway...

But I'm very happy to be back in SA for the next 6 weeks, now I've seen my family and friends I think I'll have more freedom to enjoy my time without missing them too much.




Also, there should be a vlog coming soon about my time in some communities in Zambia.

A rough week and some vlogs:

The last week and a bit has been a weird one, early last week I was told my Grandpa had spent the weekend in hospital. I won't go into details but on Thursday afternoon he passed away. He had been ill for a long time so it wasn't a shock, but still that hardly helps with news like that. So as a result my week has been a bit muddled up, I've been doing all the usual work and jobs but I've done it with an odd feeling of being a bit far away from reality which isn't a nice feeling.

On Saturday I entered a 36km mountain bike race with Dave, Juanita, Paul, Cathy and their son Mathew. It was the best race I've done yet and I came 19th in my category despite having broken my chain and then a badly signposted section (about 50 of us got lost) which must've cost me at least 20 minutes. I only finished 13 minutes behind Dave so I was happy with my performance, then that evening we all went for a braai at the Paul and Cathy's. Then on Sunday afternoon about 20 volunteers got together at Hands and had a great game of Ultimate Frisbee so I'm pretty tired after a sporty weekend.

I've finally managed to upload a few more video blogs so here you go:

Mankele race weekend: https://vimeo.com/67327835

Swaziland camping weekend: https://vimeo.com/67336599

Halfway Point

I’m now back in South Africa after a terrible journey from Ndola to Nelspruit; running to five different desks in Johannesburg airport in between. I spent my first weekend back doing some photography for Tommy and Morgan’s wedding, they’ve been volunteering out here for a few years now and have been the first couple to get married while at Hands at Work. Morgan asked me to do the photography because the person who was meant to do it had to leave suddenly for Canada due to a family emergency. So I was asked along with my friend Alicia to shoot the wedding, I’d always been warned in the past never to do wedding photography because of the stress involved – and doing the photography at a photographer’s wedding is even worse! It was a stressful day but in all honesty I loved it, I got some shots that I’m very proud of and enjoyed running about with a camera after the service at a beautiful location with the bridal party. All in all some good shots and a great day to first try wedding photography (and I think Morgan was happy so I think I passed the test).

I spent last week being introduced to the communications team. The communications team is responsible for everything that gets sent out to partners, sponsors and the public; this includes things like reports, newsletters, websites, t-shirt design, Facebook and visual communications (photography & video). I’ve been lucky enough to join the team just as two members have gone back home to Canada for a while and one has gone on a honeymoon, so It’s just three of us in the office at the moment. I spent most of the week preparing the audio from the celebrations in Zambia and making podcasts of all the talks that were made during the conference, we also did a little bit of filming and interviews ready for a video that will be taking shape in the next few months.

My weekend was nice and quiet; I’ve been living up at a farmhouse that Hands rents from a local farmer which is 7km away from Hands Village, it’s a pain getting lifts up and down every day because I’m too young to drive the charity’s vehicles and my bike isn’t fit for duty at the moment. But I managed to get out on Sunday to church and then to a mall in Nelspruit to get some much needed shopping in (although I did get side-tracked by the fancy kit in the outdoors shops). It’s always refreshing to get out at the weekends because it can feel a bit trapped here in South Africa, in Zambia I could go out and hitch to town but it’s just too dangerous in South Africa, I’m not even really safe to walk the 7km to my home on my own. I’ve been feeling a bit homesick lately because living half at the farm and half at the village doesn’t feel like I’ve got a home to settle into (I’m living out of my suitcase because I’ll be moving back down in a few weeks so it seems pointless to unpack) so I’ve been thinking about England a lot.

I’ve been asked by a few people what I miss about the UK so I thought I’d answer on here.

I miss…

            My brothers and sister, parents, step-parents and granparents are at the top of the list, the freedom of driving to the mountains with my mate Lozz and our bikes. Going walking with my Dad in the mountains.  My old school mates who I’d normally see every week, at the pub or round for a DVD and takeaway. A few good friends that I see less often, I’m missing KFC dates with Shane and tinkering with cars with Joe. The guys at the youth group I helped lead. Chinese food & a good chippy.

But other than people (and the freedom of a car and my bikes) there’s not much I really miss, there’s not much that I need to live in comfort and anything luxury like my camera and bike is just a bonus. I think I miss home because of the new memories with family and friends that I’m missing out on, it’s a shame I’m missing six months of everybody’s lives. Especially things like my big sister’s graduation.

Having said that, I’m having six months in Africa with a heap of amazing new friends, making memories and experiencing some aspects of life that I would never be able to in the UK. I do miss home but if somebody bought me a plane ticket home tomorrow I wouldn’t get on the plane, not yet, I’ve got another three amazing months ahead of me and it’ll be three months I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I’m only half way through my journey… I wonder where I’ll end up…

The last of 33 nights in Zambia

Tomorrow morning I leave Kachele farm and fly out from Ndola airport to Johannesburg, from there I will fly to Nelspruit and will be picked up from Kruger airport (about 40 mins from the Hands at Work Hub).

I have really enjoyed my time in Luanshya, Zambia. I have been living and working here for 5 weeks (It seems so much longer), mostly on the building team but also doing some audio/visual work during the conference. I have only been into Zambian communities a few times but each time has been an experience that I will treasure as I move on through my journey. I have seen amazing things happening within Hands at Work and have met many people who give their lives to serve their communities.

So tonight I'm off to sleep in my sleeping bag, under my mosquito net for the last time. I will be sad to say goodbye to Kachele farm and Zambia but I am really excited for what I’ll get up to in the second half of my time in Africa...

A very very very late blog

It's been a very long time since I last posted a blog, but my excuse is I've been too busy. After I recovered from tonsillitis I spent the weekend helping set up for the Hands at Work Celebrations - an annual conference that brings hundreds of people together from all eight countries that Hands works in and also the international offices (UK, Canada, Australia and USA). I was working mostly on the audio/visual team, so I was helping sort microphones and projectors and then during the conference I spent most of my time filming and taking photographs for the communications team. It was amazing seeing so many people come together from all over the world to meet and learn about this year’s goals and focus points. I had no idea how huge the organisation was, there was over 250 people and so many more that couldn't make it, I was overwhelmed by the size of the conference. So for the next few days I filmed the conference and the singing and dancing, I enjoyed running about with my camera on somebody else’s orders for once!
 
On the first day of the conference my Mom arrived in Zambia with another person from Hands UK called David; Mom and David where here to represent Hands UK during the celebrations and the international conference afterwards. The celebrations were spread out over 6 days but with weekends Mom was here for 9 days total. It was great seeing her again, halfway through my trip, mainly because she brought me McVities, Haribo, Wine Gums and Jelly Babies! But I suppose it was nice having her around too…
 
I spent Sunday afternoon with Mom and a load of other volunteers; we drove out to a city called Kitwe. Kitwe has a huge market which is a labyrinth of stalls and shops; the part we went to was built above what smelled like open sewers, we walked on timber boards and metal sheets that made up the alleyways, taking care to avoid the cracks and broken planks. It was an amazing place that even on a quiet Sunday afternoon was crawling with people on every street. A few of us wanted to buy shitenge fabric; a shitenge is a sheet of fabric that local women use as skirts. The fabrics often have very vivid, colourful patterns and designs, I bought one to have a shirt made and another to use as a wall hanging. I was a bit dazed by the sheer choice of materials that was on sale but in the end I went for a very ‘James May’ style pattern for my shirt.
 
We then went down the road to a gelato shop called Gigibonta’s which makes the best ice creams I have ever tasted, and three flavours for Kr15 (about £2.50) was too good to miss. So five flavours later we were back in the back of the pickup truck on the way home.
 
On Monday after my first African taxi ride I was back behind the camera but this time in a community called Chbuli. I was out filming for the communications team again; it was an interesting experience because I had to find the balance of getting good shots but only when the situation felt it was suitable. I obviously couldn’t just get out my camera and film the inside of the orphan’s houses while we sat talking, it was hard finding when was ok and when was inappropriate. It was almost impossible to film at the CBO because there were dozens of children clinging to my legs wanting a photo so keeping the shots steady was frustrating. I did get one great shot of a little girl who clung to me all day, she was holding my hand and leading me down the dusty path to where the careworkers were serving food. Halfway through the shot she looks up at me and stares down the lens for ages, sucking her thumb, not looking where she’s going (and neither can I through the viewfinder). I really felt at home in Chbuli thanks to the welcoming careworkers, the smile of one woman in particular will stay with me for a long time.
 
On the way home we stopped in Luanshya where we met Russell and Adam, we were shown to a local tailor down a crumbling back-alley with cracked brickwork and peeling paint. The tailors was called ‘Quality Taylors’, at first it looked like a market stall but then I realised it was a make-shift shelter in a burnt-out shop. The tailor called Shaddy told us he had an electrical fault while he was on his lunch break one day and came back to his whole shop on fire. You could see the sky through the burnt out rafters, the paint was almost all gone and the door was charred and black. But he was a cheerful bloke and seemed to be able to make any design we asked him for. I was measured for my shirt, Adam for his suit for a wedding and Russell for his shirt and baggy trousers (like Aladdin or MC Hammer). We’re all interested to see how Russell’s trousers will turn out when we pick them up tomorrow because when he described them to Shaddy he seemed amazed that anyone would want to wear such a crazy pair of trousers. My shirt only came to Kr120 (about £22) which I thought was a bargain for a tailored shirt, what a great souvenir.
 
I was back building the following Tuesday and have been since then. We were preparing timber moulds for the concrete lintels and ring beams that would sit on top of the walls and windows. This will hold the structure together and give more strength to the walls, the rafters will sit on top and then when the roof is on the structural work will be done. I really enjoyed working with the timber moulds; I haven’t worked in wood since my college course last year so it was nice doing something more familiar again.
 
I have booked a flight out to South Africa next Friday as I will be going back to work with the communications team at the hub. On the Saturday after, two volunteers - Tommy and Morgan - will be getting married. They have asked me to do some of their wedding photos, so I’m excited to do that, it might also be an excuse to wear my new African shirt!

a week with tonsillitis

Early last week while I was building with the team I started to get a headache and fever so my day was cut short and I went back to bed. Over the next few hours my fever went crazy and I got worse headaches and a sore throat which made it harder and harder to swallow. The next day I had a Malaria test which came out negative (phew), so after another awful night I went to a doctor in Luanshya. The doctor seemed to have a good reputation and the Hands at Work volunteers who live here trusted him (medical help can be a bit dodgey over here) so I went and was diagnosed with Tonsillitis and was given a long injection that seemed to last hours and then a course of Antibiotics. After a few more horrible days and fevery nights I finally started to feel better towards the end of the week.

I had a slow weekend and then on Sunday I started to help set up the accomodation for the Hands at Work conference that is on over the next few days. My role at the conference is on the audio/visual team so I'm spending my days half on the sound desk at the back of the conference and half photographing and filming bits of the conference for the media team. I'm really enjoying having my camera back in my hands for a while, hoping to get some good material for future use.

My First Week In Zambia

I have spent the last 6 days working at Kachele farm as part of the building/maintenance team here and we've been working on a new building project. We have been converting three old brick chicken sheds into accomodation for future volunteers. There will be an apartment for a couple with a small bathroom and kitchen in one building, then the second two buildings will have 2 single rooms in each, all with a small en suite shower room.

The first two chicken shacks were being damaged by a huge tree that had sent roots under the foundations and were lifting the walls and causing cracks. So our first two days were spent hacking at the roots with an axe and digging trenches that we would later fill with concrete to protect the new buildings from damage in future. This was back breaking work and the axe gave me blisters all over my hands, but it was worth it to protect the houses. Then Wednesday was spent cutting the walls down to a level that we could build on again, we used a grinder to cut the windows out and then made a start on the interior walls.

On Thursday I took a break from building and joined a team who were going out into one of the communities we work in. It was my first Zambian community visit and it was brilliant seeing a community so different to the ones I’ve seen in South Africa yet still using the same system and goals that make up the Hands at Work Model. I went with Russell and Dianne to visit a home, the family that lived there were Mother, Father and 4 year old son. Both of the parents were paraplegics. They had one wheelchair and a hand-pedal three wheeler; it was hard seeing people living like that whereas if they were in the UK they would have all the support and healthcare they needed.

Friday and Saturday were spent building again, I had my first try at brick laying and the houses really started to look like rooms rather than a building site. We mixed bags and bags of mortar and concrete by hand (not fancy mixing machines) and filled in the trenches we dug earlier, fitted the first doorframe and some other bits and bobs that needed clearing or moving or recycling. So after 2 months of doing very little manual labour I’ve been back at it and I’m loving the feeling of exhaustion after a days work.

The internet here isn’t strong enough to upload photographs but I will keep trying. The Video Blogs won’t have a chance uploading so there will be very little visual stuff on my blog until I’m living somewhere with a better connection. But I’m not moaning! I’m just glad I can email home!

Arrived at Kachele

Yesterday we got out of the pickup truck at about 6pm and I had my first tour around Kachele Farm. It had taken us four days to drive there...

On Wednesday at 3.30am my alarm went off and I stumbled out of my room and into the pickup truck that would take me 2100km north. I was travelling with Sal, Jaap, Simon and George (Australian, Dutch, South African and Canadian). The back seat of the Hilux was a bit cramped with 3 not so short men in it. We were on the road for 14.5 hours that day, stopping only for fuel and bodily functions. It took around an hour to cross the South Africa/Botswana border which I thought was a long time (oh how wrong was I?). While we were driving we saw ostrich, a fairly big snake, warthogs, baboons and a few elephants, all on our way to our campsite.

The next day we packed up and left at 8:00, we drove for 5 hours to the Botswana/Zambia border and spent an hour leaving Botswana and crossing the Zambezi by ferry. On the Zambian side of the river we had to get our visas and then go through customs, this took 7 hours! That border was awful, the lowest point of the trip. We were trying to get a trailer full of sheets and blankets through but it took forever, we had different people telling us to get different bits of paperwork and it was all a big mess. While Sal was sorting that out we were being pestered by people asking to wash the car or watch it (protect it from people who might steal luggage etc). Trying to convince these people, particularly one guy who'd been at the home-brew, that we could watch it perfectly well while we're sitting inside it was almost as hard as getting the trailer through customs. We finally crossed the border just after it got dark and drove for another hour to our campsite just outside Livingston. I went to sleep in the tent listening to Victoria Falls roaring away in the distance.

Friday was our rest day. Me, Sal and Jaap went to Victoria Falls for a few hours, it is coming to the end of the wet season so the falls were pumping so much water that we couldn't see much of the actual waterfall because of the huge cloud of mist and vapour that was being thrown into the air around it. Walking across the cliffs and over the bridges we got wetter than if we'd been for a swim! I managed to get a handful of photos and videos before my camera got so wet it cut out, I spent a lot of time over the last few days trying to dry out the camera and my lenses. We spent that evening watching the sun set over the Zambezi before an early night.

On Saturday we had another 12 hours of driving ahead so we were up early for a 6am start. The road quality was very mixed that day, from brand new tarmac to roads with potholes bigger than bath tubs. I've never seen potholes as big as those ones, some were at least 18 inches deep. After a long, hot and very cramped last day we arrived at Kachele Farm not long before sunset. I met a load of people, some completely new, some from my orientation and some I hadn't seen for at least 4 years. I had an absolutely amazing journey, if my time in Zambia is only half as good as this roadtrip then I can't wait to get started.

Roadtrip to Zambia:

Over the last two weeks I've been waiting to go to Zambia with a building team but due to a few changes of plan along the way I've had some time where I haven't had a proper 'job description'. So instead of sitting around waiting I've been helping out where I can; I spent most of my time with Dave helping him service the charity’s cars and pickup trucks so lots of oily, dusty days underneath engines.
 

 

Over the long Easter weekends we’ve had a chance to go camping a couple of times. One weekend me and a few friends camped at Mankele and entered a mountain biking race there and the next weekend we drove about an hour and a half and crossed the border into Swaziland and stayed a few nights in an ex-mining village called Bulembu. Bulembu turned into a bit of a ghost town when the asbestos mine was closed down about ten years ago and since then has been turned into a self-sustaining village for orphaned children. It was amazing being shown around by our mountain guide as we climbed Emlembe (Swazilands highest peak) and then back down into the village. Our guide, a man called Mathakoza, told us he was a golf caddy for the mine managers while the mine was still open so it was great hearing the story of his village from his own point of view.

 

 

 

So after two weeks of feeling a bit like a spare part in a big machine I am finally going up to Zambia to help a team build some accommodation for volunteers. Five of us are going to drive up through Botswana in a pickup truck and trailer; we will leave at 4.00am tomorrow morning and will be on the road for 4 days! I’m really looking forward to the trip but I know it will be a long time in a cramped car full of men and luggage.

I’m not sure how long I will be in Zambia but I think it will be at least a month, then after that I could be moved again or stay on in Zambia. I am a bit behind on my photo and video processing but I’ll try to catch up and get some more work on my Flickr and Vimeo sites. I'm so excited about the next part of my trip!

A Message for my Grandparents!

 

I've been told my Grandparents don't believe I'm eating well enough so here's solid proof I can cook!

Catching up on my Vlogs:

www.vimeo.com/joewilkins/vlog7

Another Video, this is from about a week ago. Climbing, spitting goat poo, cycling and eating, what more would I want from a weekend? There's a lot of people in this video that have had a huge part in making my first 6 weeks here as amazing as it has been, lots of brilliant memories with these guys!

A Late Bloggy Vloggy Vid:

www.vimeo.com/joewilkins/vlog6
I haven't had a strong enough internet connection to upload this video so it's a bit delayed. Just a quick vid I made from footage I took in Kaapschehoop with some friends and a stray dog...

Back In Welverdiend

Today we had the opportunity to go back to Welverdiend to meet our hosts at the Community Based Organization there. As soon as we got there me and Leyton greeted our friends and we swapped stories over the last few weeks; he told us how his sister misses teaching us to cook and his young nephews asked him “Uncle, where are the mulungus?” – mulungu is their word for foreigners or white people. We didn’t get a chance to see his home and family but we saw him and his younger brother which was great.

We kicked around a half-flat football for a bit and he and his friends told us about their latest football matches and scores, they’re now second in the league and not far behind the leaders. We were then invited to eat pap, cabbage and a gravy/mince sauce with them, we had only just had lunch but we managed to force a tiny amount down to be polite. Eating with them brought back memories of the weekend we spent together really vividly; it’s weird how smells and tastes can do that so suddenly and powerfully.

It was odd going back to such a familiar place and seeing friends that seem like we’ve known them for ages. I had to remind myself that we had only met two weeks ago. It’s a shame it was such a short visit but it was worth the hours of dusty, bumpy roads to see them. I had to explain that I wouldn’t be able to see them or txt them again for a while as I’m going to Zambia (more on that in my next post) which made me sound like I was avoiding talking to him. I’d love to go and stay with his family again sometime but for now it’s not possible, I told him I’d come and see him when I’m back in the country.

3 Nights in Welverdiend

Last weekend I stayed with another volunteer called Leyton in a family's house in Welverdiend. We arrived on Friday afternoon and met our host for the first time. He is 17 years old and took us to his home where we met his Mother, three older siblings and younger brother, niece and two nephews. All nine family members lived in 3 rooms, the three men/boys stayed in two rooms on one side of the yard and the 6 others stayed in one room at the far end. It was odd seeing the family split up like that but in African culture the men in the family often have the better rooms and food etc.

That night the oldest sister (36) cooked pap and chicken for us, pap is kind of like mash potato but made from maize, it doesn’t taste like much but is filling so it’s eaten a lot in the communities we work in. The chicken and cabbage was delicious so we sat and ate with our host while the rest of the family left the room, it was weird being served like this and we didn’t feel comfortable having not helped cook or wash up after. We told his sister that she had to teach us to cook the next day, partly because we wanted to learn and partly because it was the only way she’d let us help out.

We spent the night with our host asking each other questions and watching an old 12” TV, his mother had saved and bought him this to help him learn English; he watches African soaps listening to the actors and reading the subtitles, if he finds a word he doesn’t know he looks it up in his dictionary. He told us that he wants to be a meteorologist or failing that a journalist, he’s definitely clever enough but he just needs the money to get to university. But with 98% unemployment in Welverdiend he will struggle to find a job after he finishes school, I have no idea how he will be able to afford university without finding a job.

His parents were originally from Mozambique, I’m not sure when or why they moved to South Africa but it was probably during the war in Mozambique, lots of people fled the country and risked their lives to get into SA. His family then moved from Belfast (not the one in Ireland) when his father died. He was just 6 at the time and his mother decided to move closer to her sister so they ended up in Welverdiend.

We spent a fair bit of time watching the local football league, there are 11 teams in Welverdiend and the winner of that tournament moves up to play against other villages. Our host was the captain of his team and we watched them win 2-1 on Sunday afternoon. It was really good seeing a social side of the communities, we always hear about the un-employment and broken families and shortages of water so it was great seeing two local teams doing what they love in a properly organised and refereed match. The atmosphere of these small matches showed how much a part of their lives it is. I was told the league was properly organised by coaches and village elders to keep the kids out of trouble, an encouraging sign that the village is a hopeful, positive community that is starting to actively encourage the children and young adults.

We were taken to church on Sunday morning with our host and his friend who was hosting two more volunteers (Dave and Russell). The church couldn’t afford a building so people took their own chairs and sat in the shade of a huge tree. The service was all in Shangaan but the people we sat next to translated bits of what the pastor was saying. Apparently he was preaching about abandoning ancestor worship which is still strong in a lot of communities across Africa. After the sermon we were asked to go to the front and introduce ourselves, they then gave us the seats of the church founders and their choir performed for us; they sang in Shangaan and English and it sounded fantastic. Afterwards we were given food that had been brought as a social lunch meeting; the church also sent a boy to the store to buy a bottle of coke for us. It was amazing receiving such generous hospitality, the church were unbelievably welcoming, it was a great example of African hospitality… and also a reminder that wherever you go in the world you still can’t escape the reach of huge brands like Coca-Cola… although it did taste amazing under the African sun!

The weekend was a tough experience which stretched my comfort zone a long way. I now realise how important the work that Hands at Work does is, having seen the people it supports and hearing the stories of how it affects so many children and young adults in the communities. I’ll never forget the names of the people we stayed with and the amazing kindness, generosity and hospitality they showed us. That family will stay with me forever and I can’t wait to go back and see them soon.

Back at Hands

Just got back from a three-night community stay. I stayed in Welverdiend with a family of 9 and another volunteer called Leyton. The family we stayed with had a Mother, 5 Children (Aged 36-13) and 3 Grandchildren (Aged 15-4). There will be another blog in more detail when I've had time to type it all up but for now I'm back at Hands Village all safe and sound.

The Sabie Classic

On Sunday me, Dave, Paul, Cathy and Juanita entered a mountain bike race called the Sabie Classic. Our race was 38km long with 950m of ascent. We entered the race on the day instead of booking online so we started at the back in the last group (the start was in staggered groups from A to I) so we were behind around 3000 other riders! The first section of the race was a 12km climb to the first food/drink tent 500m above the start line, I was impressed by the number of people I overtook on that first climb but I lost too many places due to bad cramps later on. The weather was wet and misty so I felt right at home on the slippery, greasy clay surface while a lot of the South African riders got confused by the mud! I was really happy with my overall time (Just over 3 hours I think) but I could’ve done a lot better if my legs didn’t cramp up so badly. But I really enjoyed the race and the buzz as I crossed the line to cheers from complete strangers, the whole race had a really friendly, laid back feeling instead of everybody giving each other evil stares on the start line which was great. There are not many sports where you have over 3000 competitors from professionals to junior riders. But the best part was the smart little medal you get for finishing the race, it really feels like an achievement!

Kaapschehoop

My burns were almost better on Friday so I was allowed to join in with my group, we spent the day helping the maintenance team with some earth levelling and bush clearing. It was nice to be able to do some work after 4 days inside.

On Saturday most of the group got up early and went to Kruger National Park for the day. I've already been a few times and didn't fancy another day stuck in a car after so long in my room, so the 3 of us who didn't go went out with Dave to a tiny village called Kaapschehoop. Kaapschehoop is a wierd jumble of houses and hotels really high up in the mountains, we went out for a braai and some rock climbing and a swim (paddle) in a waterfall there. We were followed round all day by a dog that we met; she was a crazy little dog that followed us for miles and started hunting lizards in the long grass, she even followed us to the top of the rock formations that we were climbing.

Later we found out that she was 'owned' by one of the hotels but lived everywhere, she seemed to know her way around the mountain and where to find food. She climbed into Dave’s car while we packed the boot and tried to keep the wild horses away from our food, so before we left we stopped at the hotel and she jumped out of the car and started barking at somebody walking their dogs, the owners must’ve thought we were dumping the dog and driving away.

Vloggy Blog part 5:

The start of my lonely week at home, the burn is clearing up now but I've still not been out into the community yet: www.vimeo.com/joewilkins/vlog5

Braaiing and Burning:

On Saturday about fifteen Hands volunteers went to spend the day at a place called Mac Mac Pools, we drove in three cars and bought food on the way so we could have a braai (a braai is a barbeque in South Africa). Mac Mac is a small bundle of waterfalls and rock pools quite high up in the mountains, we spent most of the day sitting in the warm shallow pools or jumping off the waterfalls into cold plunge pools. One of the volunteers called Sibusiso had his first swimming lessons and by the end of the day was confident enough to jump off the waterfall – about 3 metres tall – and into the amazingly clear water. We had a really awesome day out but when I got up on Sunday I realised I was a little bit sun-burnt… and when I say a little bit I mean horrible blisters and really sensitive, pink shoulders. That day I managed to get a t-shirt on so I could go to the African church that my group were going to and I even managed to put my bag on my shoulders while I went mountain biking with Dave, Paul and Mark in Mankele. My sunburn pretty much ruined the ride for me and later Cathy told me my burns were 3^rd degree, I didn’t know the sun could do so much damage!

Joes Voggy Blog Part 4: www.vimeo.com/joewilkins/vlog4
 

So on Monday I was told I wasn’t allowed to go out into the community with the team so I spent the day in my room trying to keep myself occupied and out of the sun. I was told by Carolyn that using deep heat muscle relief cream on my burns would hurt but it would draw the heat out of my skin. So we tried this and it was the most painful thing I’ve ever had to sit through, imagine putting your foot into an extremely hot bath but not being able to take it out again, it was like that on my shoulders for what seemed like forever until I was allowed to have a cool shower (which washed the cream but not the pain away). So I went back into my room and tried to get comfy for an hour or so until I fell asleep. I think I was caught out by the water; it washed away any sun cream I had on and was cold so I didn’t feel the need to put more on.

I spent Monday and Tuesday sitting on my own in my room either on my laptop or reading and putting more (evil) deep heat and other potions on my burns while the rest of the team spent their days out in the community.

I’m not sure how long it will be before I’m allowed out in the sun again, but judging by this photo I took last night it won’t be any time soon:

 

It’s so frustrating to think that the fun weekend had stopped me doing the real charity work that I was here to do… and over something as easily avoidable as sunburn… what a waste of two days… I won’t be making that mistake again…

Joe's Vloggy Blog Part 3:

www.vimeo.com/joewilkins/vlog3

My vlogs are a little bit behind but heres a little video introducing my orientation group.

Escaping the Language Barrier

On Friday I was sitting under a small tree with a few boys from Siyathuthuka, I started writing my name in the dust because the boy sitting with me was either shy or didn't speak much English (and my Siswati isn't too good either). I wrote Joseph and he wrote his name (we'll call him Samuel), then he drew a car and I drew a bus; we carried on like this for a few minutes drawing animals and then each other and then he started to dig. He scooped a few handfulls of the softer, wet sand out and started to build little lines on the ground. I couldn't work out what he was doing for a while, I thought it might be a plan of a building but this seemed too complicated for his age, a few minutes later I was struggling to work it out so I asked him about it. He pointed to a corner of the shape he made and pointed to him, this was where he slept, he walked his fingers through the door towards the corner and put a rock there. Then he pushed his finger into the ground where the toilet was and he built a smaller building next to it to show a garage (I think he stays with his uncle because he is an orphan) he then walked his fingers from the garage to another corner and put a bigger rock there, this was where his Uncle slept. I wanted to ask him more but the communication between us was difficult. Even though we didnt speak the same language I still felt I had a personal insight into Samuel's life, I would love to meet him again at some point and maybe find out a little more of his story.

Joe's Vloggy Blog Part 2:

www.vimeo.com/joewilkins/vlog2

Hands Orientation

On Monday me and the other 7 people on my intake (3 Canadians, 2 Australians, 1 American and 1 other Brit) started our 5 week long Hands at Work Orientation. We started by going into the community and learning about how Hands works and how they set up their structures across Africa. I really enjoyed this and felt like I had a good knowledge of the Hands at Work system; from there we went to a community in Clau Clau called Siyathuthuka where Hands helps support a Community Based Organisation (a CBO). I have visited this CBO a few times; the last time was in July/August 2012. It was really encouraging to see all the changes that have happened in just 6 months. From massive changes like the construction of a 6 roomed house (where in August 6 people lived in one room and one bed) to small, but equally encouraging, changes like having stainless steel bowls and spoons at the CBO (where before the children had to bring whatever bowls they owned).

On Tuesday we visited a community in Bush Buck Ridge called Welverdiend. Here I and a small group of volunteers joined a care worker on her routine home visits, after visiting some families in eye-opening situations we were walking to the next home when it started to drizzle, so we walked on and then the drizzle turned to rain, so we sheltered under a tree. Then after fifteen minutes the rain turned into a fully grown African downpour. The dirt roads started growing their own little streams and gullies and we ran to a nearby child-headed-household. I’ve been in many child-headed-households and other homes in the communities I’ve visited but never in weather like that; the holes in the tin roof dripped water into bowls and rain trickled down the walls and under the doors. The metal roof was so loud in the rain that I couldn’t hear people talking feet from me. As I looked out of one of the broken windows it really made me think about how it would feel to spend a rainy night in one of the thousands of houses just like this one. At first I thought it would be exiting but then I thought about having to do it night after night for the whole of the rainy season … and then the cold nights of the dry season … and then again the next year for a whole lifetime. I had a lot to think about that night and I’m sure I’ll be thinking about it for many nights to come.

First Two Nights Without Power

My journey here was great, all went smoothly and had a good drive from Johannesburg to White River, about an hour after I got here the biggest storm I've ever seen rolled in and lasted all night. It must've been a big storm cause it was in the local newspapers. So the last two days and nights have been interesting, we had no electricity until around midday today so this is my first African blog!

Heres a shot I took from my bedroom door...

Then a tree near our gate was struck by lightening and fell on the electric fence so we had to pull the tree away from the fence, the storm, the fence and the rain made it feel like we were in Jurassic Park, so I had a really interesting first night.

First Video Blog

Joe's Vloggy Blog Part 1:
www.vimeo.com/joewilkins/vlog1
Heres my last UK post, flying out today, see you on the other side!

Last Night At Home

So tonight is my last night in the UK, I've spent the last few days frantically packing and saying goodbye to as many people as possible, there's still people I didn't manage to see which sucks; some good friends that I'm going to miss!
Yesterday and today have been so busy that I havn't been focusing on the real reason I'm going, instead I've been stressing about the boring bits. I really can't wait to get on the plane and hopefully start to enjoy the trip.
I couldn't have got to this point without the support from so many people, thankyou to everyone who has donated and especially my family for putting up with me and helping me while I'm so stressed!

Just Finished Work

Just finished my last shift at work! only 4 days left untill I fly out to Johannesburg, really exited now but I think I should start packing.

Here we go, first entry!

So if you're reading this then you might know I'm going to South Africa for 6 months from February to volunteer with a charity called Hands at Work. Lots of people have been asking me what I'll be doing while I'm out there, the truth is I'm not entirely sure, I have a rough idea but who knows what I'll get up to? So this is a blog for anyone who's interested in what I'm doing, feel free to follow me and (ready for the first cheesy bit?) share my Big African Journey with me!

Woah, that really was cheesy, I promise there'll be less of that from now on.