The Bush Experience

The drive to the Safari was fine. Though driving through tribal areas was fascinating. I had the most relaxing & truly beautiful few days in the bush. The place I went did horse back trails so having rediscovered the little girl in me who just wants to ride all the time – I couldn't’t resist. It is difficult to describe what it feels like to be going through deep bush land – in an American style saddle & being so close to nature. About 30 minutes in – we turned the corner & there was a family of giraffes. I really expected then to spook & run away. But as the horses are also loose to roam the reserve when they are not being ridden – the giraffes are used to them & apart from an initial cautious look – they hardly moved. After about 10 minutes of standing beside these majestic creatures - we dismounted our horses – let them graze while we had some water & chocolate & sat on the grass about 20 foot from the giraffes. From time to time one of them would get a little curious & step slightly nearer to us. They were breathtaking & it was a beautiful experience.

Sailing down the river - drinking Sherry (of all things) & eating Biltong was something else.
And watching a crocodile flip out from the swampland close to my lodge at 5am was quite a thing to see. The accommodation was good but most of all it was the total silence & pitch blackness at night that dictated complete relaxation.

And now I am back in Umdloti & the remaining 2 weeks are going to be really busy with work. Next week I am with the University of KwaZulu-Natal all week including Saturday. I am facilitating a seminar on Saturday & thankfully I am still not ready for it. I have prepared my lecture notes – disregarded then & prepared then again more times than enough since I got here. Teaching doesn’t usually faze me – but I have managed to get in a bit of a tizzy about this one? The rest of the week – Charlotte from the University has arranged a timetable for me to meet various professionals & visit different services. I am not sure if she is coming with me on all the visits – so I may be given an address & a map & told that someone is expecting me at a certain time!! Still – I haven’t done too bad so far at finding my way around – so hopefully I will be fine. Oh & Charlotte wants me to joint write a paper with her on the differing service configuration in the UK & South Africa. Wow.

The work with the Downs Syndrome South Africa Association is the following week. As it transpires – the availability I had left when they eventually called me – wasn’t good for them bar one day – so I am helping the outreach worker do a genetics clinic in a big local hospital. I am not sure quite what I can offer – but I am looking forward to it anyway. And given that I have a couple of spare days – I plan to return to Whizz Kidz. I could happily have spent the entire month there & even by day two – the welcome I got from the staff & the children was fantastic.

Where does the time go? This day in two weeks time – I will be leaving & I can hardly believe it. Already I am reflecting on the experience so far – but will write more about that when I have got my mishmash of ideas straight in my head & had different experiences over the remaining fortnight.

I plan to do a more reading & preparation for the teaching over the weekend – perhaps do a little sightseeing & maybe even watch a rugby match on Saturday? When in Rome?