Here lies a photo collection of objects and such collected in Africa in November and December of 2008
Waterford Kamhlaba UWCSA
Rachels High School in Mbabane. The school teaches the International Baccalaureate Program. Rachel found her passion for music and began to think about continuing with music in college. She has applied to several schools now and we are waiting to hear where she will be accepted. She has decided to study International Relations and music in college.
Rachel receiving her diploma
Rachels Graduating Class
Rachel is next to her best friend in pink and a sailor hat
Rachel and Friends after graduation
Traditional Swazi Dancers
Experiencing the Swazi culture and getting to know the people was incredible. Rachel would want you all to know that Swazi people are gentle and relaxed. They do not want to be known for the pain of Aids but for their spirit of gentleness and peace.
you have to imagine the African music that goes with this scene, drums, hooting and humming....totally inspiring
An afternoon spent at the aids orphanage where Rachel volunteered
Keith, Nelisiwe, Rachel, Ncobile,Zanele and Kimberly
Kimberly is going to start a pen pal club at her school with Zanele and her friends
Keith met some little ones that just wouldn't let him go
Ah, a picture worth a thousand words. Rachel taught the kids English and she gets tears in her eyes remembering her time with them. Rachels best friend Felicia, is now living at the orphage and volunteering there before going home to Sweden in February. It costs $100 per year at the orphanage to educate the kids. There are about 15 homes with 10-15 kids living in each. Each home has a house mom who looks after the kids.
This is Magabusi, she called herself Rachel 2nd mom. She worked at the school as a housekeeper. She would walk 7 kilometers each way every day. Magabusi had 11 children, 5 who have died of Aids. Swaziland has the hightest rate of Aids in Africa, with the average life expectancy of 35 years.
The end of the road and two nights that changed our lives forever
After graduation, Rachel made some plans for us to really get to know Swaziland. This was the end of the road, literally, after 1.5 hour drive. We waited here in this village for a couple hours until someone met us to lead us on a 30 minute hike to our "hut". While we waited, we played peek a boo with the kids in the home with a window. They were too scared to come outside. We drove up and the words we didn't want to hear from Rachel, "Yes, I think this looks right....I can't quite remember but it looks familiar." Can I say there was some anxiety at this moment?
welcome to our "cave"
a view from the roof of our cave....WOW!
making the climb to our roof, where we enjoyed our morning coffee. The first night we arrived we had packed some Lechi fruit and Keith popped several in his mouth before realizing he was allergic. 10 minutes later he was having a hard time breathing and was broken out in hives. We told him that on a scale of 1-10 when he felt like he was a 7 we needed to start hiking out. Joe and I were praying like crazy because we knew we had a 2 hour hike/drive to the closest hospital. We packed very little but I did have a first aid kit that I bring everywhere and we had Benedryl, which took effect in about 30 minutes....29 minutes longer than I would have liked.
complete with outdoor bathroom, the basin you see is the shower. Don't ask where the plumbing actually went:)
This was taken on a hike with our friend now forever, Thabo. He shared his home and we met his mother. His village built the cave as a way to make money to bring water and electricity to their village. Ask us about it if you are looking for some accomodations that will change your life too:)
Thabo's homestead and the end of the road....any takers on helping them get drinking water?? You can visit the website at www.welcometoswaziland.com, the place we stayed was called the Khopho Hut in the Ngwempisi Trails.
Another World, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe
would Thabo relate to afternoon tea from the british influence in Zimbabwe? They are having their own crisis, and actually even more devastating....hospitals and schools closed, cholera epidemic and 80% unemployment. This was a life lesson for Kimberly especially, that was the most difficult. How do we move among these people who are suffering so much? Appropriately, we spent Thanksgiving here, eating warthog and crocidile, talking, thanking God, and crying together.
Vic Falls
Like taking a shower with your clothes on...
The Boma experience
yes those are worms, Mopani worms soaked in vodka, Yum
Yep, that's Kimberly eating, chewing AND swallowing!
Heading to South Africa for safari
what fun in such a small plane, of course, Joe had the stomach flu so he wasn't sure the flight would ever end
Beautiful Africa
Let the Safaris Begin - HoneyGuide tent safari
I'm glad I didn't see whatever they saw! This is the time of the safari when you stretch your legs from a long jeep ride, sip a drink and watch the elephants wander by
a great day
leopard
baboons
Tall dude in Africa
it's been such a long day! Lions can go up to 24 hours sleeping after a hunt. If its a big hunt they don't need to eat again for 9 days...good thing they just ate because we got a flat tire right then.
a tired momma hyena
Cheetah with cub
Mommy Cheetah with cub learning to hunt
water buffalo
baby rhino nursing
Using Giraffe bones...
Keepng the natives in line...
You are seeing right, that is an elephant not 10 ft. from us inside our tent...so cool
On to our next safai - Djuma Bush Lodge
an even smaller plane, when you take off from these dirt runways you get a great view of wildlife on the runway. Its just a little blurry because of the many, many bumps to go over.
looks like brother just played a mean joke on little sis, maybe the native muellers are getting a little bored???
now what do they see? this is serious safari stuff
hippos
Our dinner was set up around a campfire that looked out into the bush. The camp had a watering hole with a spotlight so we could view game that came in for a drink. We saw hyenas and impalas.
The End
Sunday, December 28, 2008
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