Friendship

(what I value) 

I never thought I was one to take my friends for granted, however having been away for this period of time, I really feel like I have. At this day and age it is relatively easy to keep in touch with people all around the world, however the time difference and having different schedules made it extremely difficult. I was used to seeing my closest friends on a regular basis, but being in South Africa for just over 3 months and then in Europe for another 2 weeks really made me realize how much I need them. Now that I have been back for a couple of weeks I have had the chance to catch up with everyone but I still feel a bit like I did in SA, because now I am missing the friends that I made there. Having spent so much time with my people in South Africa and getting used to a particular routine and life there made it a bit challenging to get back to my life in Toronto. This experience has really made me realize how important real friendships are and who are the people that are willing to put in the extra effort to keep in touch regardless of where I am and the distance that separates us. True friends are hard to find but they will always be there for you when you really need them.

Goodbye Sci-Bono

(something that touched my heart)

  

Friday, August 5^th was my last day working at the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre. Although I wear make up on a regular basis, I knew it would be a waste to put any on that day because I was certain the tears would only smear and smudge it. Having worked there for 3 months allowed me to meet some really incredible people who were not only co-workers but became real friends who I still keep in touch with even today, and hope to maintain contact with for years to come.

I knew saying goodbye would be difficult but the effort and thought my co-workers and friends put into organizing a farewell for Daniel and I really made it even worse. The morning began in the outreach office where the teachers had signed cards and purchased going away gifts for both of us. We were completely shocked and flattered by the thought and care they had put into selecting items for each of us which they thought we would like. We took some photos and headed off to lunch and to walk around the streets of Johannesburg one final time.

After lunch all of the centre’s employees were invited to gather in the main auditorium where the COO said a few kind words about us and our work at Sci-Bono. Following this my manager from the Exhibit Department stepped up to the microphone and said he and the guys from the workshop had organized a small game for me called ‘The Money or the Safe’. One by one, the guys stepped up and offered me money in exchange for the unknown contents of the safe. Once each of them had reached his maximum offer he said a few words about his experience with me in the workshop and gave the stage to the following person. I knew no amount of money would convince me to give up whatever was in that safe (which could have been nothing!) so I declined all the offers and accepted my ‘prize’. It was a leather pouch full of small things from around the workshop that were directly related to my work there – a piece of carpet, a part of a walking stick for the blind, some piece of wood, and so on. Although to the other people who were watching these items seemed random and strange, taking them out of the pouch brought tears to my eyes because I felt like I was reliving the last months I had spent in the workshop.

After the gathering in the auditorium we all stepped outside for snacks and refreshments. This was another good opportunity to take photos with co-workers and exchange final words. This time was particularly hard for me because seeing some of my friends getting emotional with tears in their eyes only made me cry more. I was extremely touched by how much everyone had gone out of their way to organize this gathering. 

Daniel and I with most of the outreach team

 Winnie (right) and Mbali (left)

Dorothy and I 

Me with some of the beautiful ladies working at Sci-Bono

In the auditorium

Naniki (left), me (middle, left), Felix (middle, right) and Daniel (right)

Johannes working hard on a Friday

In the workshop - Johannes (left), Trevor (middle, left), me (middle, right), and Solly (right)

Fidel and I

Joe and I

tears goodbye

Me (right), Brian (middle, left), George (middle, right), and Daniel

Myself (left), me (middle), and Me (right)

Dialogue in the Dark

(see yourself through the eyes of another)

For a large part of my internship at Sci-Bono I worked in the exhibitry department, assisting the workshop team in creating a new exhibit called 'Dialogue in the Dark'. Although it is found all over Europe, Asia, South America and the US, it is the first of its kind to be opened on the whole African continent. It is an exhibit created to raise awareness about blindness and is meant to allow sighted people to experience the world as a person who is not able to see. The exhibit is comprised of 3 `rooms` so to speak, where each one has a different setting - a park, a street market, and a bar. Groups of about 8 people are taken through each of these rooms by a guide who is blind and are given the opportunity to really use their other senses to experience their surroundings. Being able to partake in creating this exhibit was an absolutely incredible opportunity which allowed me to meet some very inspirational people. One of these people was Daniela, a fellow Bulgarian who was flown over to train the guides in Johannesburg because of her experience in similar project in Germany and Austria. Getting to speak to Daniela and going through the exhibit was a really humbling experience, and showed both myself and other staff members that there is a lot more to discover about the world and people than simply what you see. When a co-worker asked Daniela how she recognizes people she explained that their voice played a key role. When introduced to a person, she said she usually gets enough information about a them simply by speaking with them. Upon going through the exhibit with my co-workers her words of how we can use our other senses to interpret the world around us really resonated with me and I allowed my sense of hearing, smell, and touch guide me. When interact with other people in the tour group I focused on recognizing them using these senses which made me think about how they would recognize me. Are they listening to my voice? Can they smell my perfume? When they shake my hand can they feel the rings on my fingers? Those were only a few of the questions going through my mind and it made me realize how many other ways someone can 'see' me.   
 

For those of you interested in finding out more about Dialogue in the Dark you can click on the link below which will lead you to the main DiD site. 

http://www.dialogue-in-the-dark.com/

Kruger National Park Safari

(best meal of the summer)

This past weekend we (Daniel, Robin, Alex (another intern working with Robin), and I) went on a 4 day camping/safari trip to Kruger National Park. It was an absolutely amazing experience in every way! The guides were very knowledgeable and funny, we got to see plenty of animals up close, and we learned a lot of new things about the wildlife here in South Africa.

We had to wake up at around 4 am every morning and were on an open safari car by 5 am so we could arrive at the park gates just as they open. Our first day out on the safari we quickly found out we were not as prepared as we thought we were, because winter mornings here are quite cold and we were on an open car driving around with the wind blowing in our faces. Being from Canada, we should have been better prepared for such cold weather but none of us anticipated it being quite this bad. After driving around for about 5 hours we were all fairly hungry and in need of a cup of coffee.

Luckily by around 11:00 am it had warmed up quite a bit and we stopped at one of the picnic sites to prepare brunch. Since we were such a big group our breakfast consisted of 45 scrambled eggs, a lot of bacon, cereal, Ouma Rusks, yogurt, a couple of loaves bread, tea, coffee, milk, and a lot of fruit. We managed to prepare a great breakfast fairly quickly because we all pitched in and our plates were clean almost immediately because we were so hungry. Even though we had some issues with bees drowning in our coffee, and birds flying overhead trying to steal our bread and rusks (one actually managed to grab one of Alex’s rusks) we thoroughly enjoyed the meal.  

Although I have tried some really great food (like pap, chakalaka, and spatch chicken), I’d have to say this was my best meal so far, not only because of how good it tasted, but mainly because of the surroundings and the great group of people we were with. It was really nice to have such great company and to be in a beautiful place among nature.

One of our guides, Andre, preparing scrambled eggs for everyone (not once did we see him wearing long pants or shoes, no matter how cold it got)

Blue Starlings watching us eat

From right to left: Robin, Alex (yelling at the bees round her food), Daniel, and I

 

Enjoying a bowl of raspberry yogurt and corn flakes



Don’t wear a scarf when playing with lion cubs

(lesson learned)

A couple of weeks ago Daniel, Robin (the other intern working in South Africa), and I went to the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve in the region of the Cradle of Humankind.

We arrived early on Saturday morning, so we were able to get some coffee and breakfast at the café without having to fight for a table. Since the animal crèche was right next to the café that was our first stop. To our surprise we found out that for R30 (just under $5) we could play with lion and tiger cubs for about 5 minutes. Because we were there early in the morning and there were no people, we got to spend about 20 minutes as opposed to only 5. When I sat down and started petting one of the cubs, I realized he was definitely one of the rowdiest ones because he immediately started to jump and climb on me. The moment he got hold of my green scarf he simply wouldn’t let go! I tried petting him – it didn’t work. I tried distracting him – it didn’t work. I tried to give him a stick to play with – it didn’t work! He was so focused on chewing on the scarf, nothing would get his attention away from it. After quite some time of battling, and several scratch marks later, I was able to pry it out of his mouth with Daniel’s help. He was not too disturbed by this because he then started chewing on my hair. Lesson learned - when playing with wild animals, make sure you have no loose clothing and put your hair up!

Did he think I was lunch?

I clearly missed the big sign that stated "DO NOT TOUCH THE ANIMALS"

Scrub scrub scrub in the tub

(something I now appreciate - a washer and dryer)


As simple as it may sound, not having a washing machine or dryer has proven to be a bit of a challenge at times. Although having these wonderful machines doesn't seem like a necessity, having to wash all of your clothes by hand isn't pleasant. Don't get me wrong, it's no big deal washing T-shirts and undergarments, but when it comes to larger/thicker items like jeans, bedsheets, towels, etc it's not quite so easy. I can honestly say I have taken the ease of being able to simply separate your clothes, put in the detergent, and simply wait for the buzzer to let you your clothes are clean for granted. Once the task of washing everything is done, comes the drying. It's not so much the hanging them up or taking them down that is an issue (I actually like this part), but rather waiting for them to dry. Although the winter here is not severe like the winters we are used to in Canada, the weather isn't very warm (especially at night) so drying can take quite some time. Because of this, the thought "can I wear this [sweater? shirt? scarf?] tomorrow if I wash it today?" has to always cross your mind when thinking of doing the laundry and what your outfit for the following day or two will be. Luckily the winter here is relatively dry and I haven't had to worry about rain 'rewashing' my clothes too often, however the wind is something to take into consideration and using plenty of clothing pins has definitely been beneficial.

A second post is well overdue ...

It has been just over a month since Daniel (the other York intern I work with at Sci-Bono) and I got to Johannesburg, and it has been difficult to sit down and write because there has just been too much to do around here.

A few days after arriving we started work at Sci-Bono and initially it was quite overwhelming, because the centre is very big and there are many people working here. The first 2 days different people took us around and gave us tours of the building and introduced us to everyone. At that moment it all seemed like a blur and I thought I would never find my way around or be able to remember anyone’s name! Within a week I knew exactly where I was going and was getting used to everyone around – it is not hard to remember people when they are so genuinely nice and greet you politely every time you see them. Everyone here has been very welcoming so going to work has been an absolute pleasure and I look forward to going every day, which is something I have not felt in quite some time. Getting to know people here has been wonderful and I know I will keep in touch with them even after I leave beautiful SA.

Working at the centre has been really fun because I have had the opportunity to work in different ‘departments’, so I have met a lot of people and gotten to see the dynamic of each group. Thus far I have had the chance to help out with doing the daily stats (keeping track of the school groups coming in/out of the centre and the communicators they are with), worked with the outreach team (who go out to different schools each day to teach math and science), partaken in provincial events (i.e. Minquiz – a science competition for grade 12 students), and currently I am working in the workshop where all of the exhibits are made.  

Although we are fairly busy at work, we try to go out on the weekends as much as possible. We are fortunate enough to have co-workers and some family friends here who have taken it upon themselves to take us out and show us some of the beautiful places around here. Even though I don’t think that photos or words can really capture the incredible feeling of being here, here are a few of my favourite pictures of some of the places we have been thus far … 

                                the FNB Stadium (aka Soccer City)

                                

  

Nelson Mandela's house in Soweto

 

the Voortrekker Monument

the Union Building in Pretoria

a horse ranch in the North West Province

the Westcliff Hotel

                                    

having rooisbos tea at the Polo Lounge at the Westcliff Hotel

one of many beautiful sunsets in SA

 the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre

part of the outreach team