tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40232180119332151702023-11-16T10:09:58.200-08:00A Sojourner's StoryTales from the dusty streets I walk down.clarebearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03487207785005392839noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023218011933215170.post-18937175558108422392010-01-25T04:31:00.000-08:002010-01-25T04:47:22.608-08:00It's been a long time!Hey guys, <br /><br />I am sorry that there has been such a huge gap between this post and the previous one. So much has gone on! I will try and explain as briefly as possible, as I am currently in the post office in Kommetjie and need to not be too long!<br /><br />I left Swaziland a couple of days prematurely, due to some things going on in the lives of the family I was staying with. This meant I had to stay with Kathy and Carlo for a couple of extra nights before my next destination. On one of the days, I actually had a hair cut here in South Africa - purely because they wash your hair and give you a 20 min head and neck massage included in the price! It was so amazing!!<br /><br />On Thursday 14th January I travelled over to Footprints Children's Centre, just outside Jo'burg. I truly cannot express in words how amazing this place was! I hope my pictures and stories when I come home do it justice. Please ask me about them, what they do, and the children there. Amazing. I used to have a recurring dream when I was younger about a house filled with children. I think it was Footprints. <br /><br />I stayed a week and flew down to Cape Town, where I was picked up at the airport by Kathy's cousin Paul. I stayed the night with his mum and brother in Hout Bay, a beautiful fishing town at the back base of Table Mountain. What an incredible landing in the plane, above the clouds, the sun setting and with an awesome view of Table Mountain!<br /><br />On Friday morning, Will and Naomi Greeves picked me up in Hout Bay! It was so nice seeing them, especially in a foreign country. We drove along Chapman's peak (a coastal road with amazing views) to reach Kommetjie, a beautiful small seaside town. This last weekend has been filled with meeting new people, eating at some amazing places, seeing lots of wildlife, enjoying the (very hot!) sunshine and trying to spot sharks - for those of you that don't know, Fish Hoek (about 20 minutes from Kommetjie and where we paddled on Friday) is where a man got eaten by a great white shark just LAST WEEK! And people were still swimming in the sea. We are really amped to see a shark! <br /><br />On Saturday, our friends Stuart and Sandra Thompson met us in Kommetjie. Stuart is a local Kommetjie boy and Sandra is his Spanish wife, they have been travelling around SA for the last few weeks. We were staying in their friends' house, right next to the beach! On Sunday we went to church here and then went to the beach as the boys surfed, finishing the day with a braai.<br /><br />Today we are heading out to Cape Town, where we'll be listening to Will's friend Jonno who is a jazz drummer. His band are playing in the city. It should be lekke! Tomorrow early morning, we leave for Elands Bay which is further up the West Coast. Apparently the surf is going to be better up there, and we have a few days to ourselves at a nice house. And then I come home!<br /><br />So here my blog ends. I hope this has been enough information. I assumed I will not be blogging again until I return to email on Saturday! A month has flown by - I have learnt lots and had lots of time to think about the future. I am looking forward to sharing stories with you when I return.clarebearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03487207785005392839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023218011933215170.post-29783724044279865412010-01-14T01:53:00.001-08:002010-01-14T02:09:52.441-08:00Swaziland - Tuesday...Play Time!You see this first picture below? That is Sepho. Last time I was here, he had just arrived at ABC children's home as a baby. His twin sister and mother had both died in hospital. He was HIV positive. Now look at him! He is big, smiling all the time and babbling away to himself! And by some miracle, I am told he is no longer HIV positive! It was very exciting to see him!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwu03feYPR5nN5ky7bKofdXvjJ5-DyaXMpfZclqZobXbI6wzlYi9Sg5OxIvXtHErL6jPJxKWnz1usZ_UnyVMLzcDKKnHuI0IZd1q1z76bQr58N7o0R5mkYL5kxxn60ryCO7azBAJxlBAI/s1600-h/Travel+025.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwu03feYPR5nN5ky7bKofdXvjJ5-DyaXMpfZclqZobXbI6wzlYi9Sg5OxIvXtHErL6jPJxKWnz1usZ_UnyVMLzcDKKnHuI0IZd1q1z76bQr58N7o0R5mkYL5kxxn60ryCO7azBAJxlBAI/s320/Travel+025.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426534392789440290" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrs04Ko3Y2xxIh5FVewKusNZcv1aCGhcAUWt4RTR_cMRnqhq_6red5oDp7AzY2-848LIUI3eqW0uSYzFtqi7iMHOSE-d6ufVYTctRR6BZMlHSr-VDEcKCNFDZX9lyHZErO_WTTUtmVQb4/s1600-h/Travel+028.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrs04Ko3Y2xxIh5FVewKusNZcv1aCGhcAUWt4RTR_cMRnqhq_6red5oDp7AzY2-848LIUI3eqW0uSYzFtqi7iMHOSE-d6ufVYTctRR6BZMlHSr-VDEcKCNFDZX9lyHZErO_WTTUtmVQb4/s320/Travel+028.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426534390297925010" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivy7MxCiDJrGQvtxT1EtzXDsLZtMzah6OGsUBo-cPU9L9Vupr2vflVNXvsK4Qmo9-uGZpwpPL7sfeyIuWZmqWe0uic_3B1qrbj9SV5Y4OGx3hkcPcBQFqbHdAw0hoSrvUTAQloYV3v2J0/s1600-h/Travel+027.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 75px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivy7MxCiDJrGQvtxT1EtzXDsLZtMzah6OGsUBo-cPU9L9Vupr2vflVNXvsK4Qmo9-uGZpwpPL7sfeyIuWZmqWe0uic_3B1qrbj9SV5Y4OGx3hkcPcBQFqbHdAw0hoSrvUTAQloYV3v2J0/s320/Travel+027.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426534381436212658" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYZKA0tyeuDC58n9t2As6X0t889AXO7qqH5my4mjRmEM_uaL1PwOEO10lLdTjqwU0eYCUgDpBL0f_nQFXIqFssTLL4JUxQ8-jeO8xMa9A8x6BOxA5oHjLHxcSTq7ERprVN_5bMN63-wM/s1600-h/Travel+029.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYZKA0tyeuDC58n9t2As6X0t889AXO7qqH5my4mjRmEM_uaL1PwOEO10lLdTjqwU0eYCUgDpBL0f_nQFXIqFssTLL4JUxQ8-jeO8xMa9A8x6BOxA5oHjLHxcSTq7ERprVN_5bMN63-wM/s320/Travel+029.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426534377453092994" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKPl2OBoj2KmD657oB_SxrrsBeLwi65Cxefmmflb3jR8R1VPpHkMYfLh1OX_wngIbRaX3JFWVVuDFQMCABpv-mCbOZWeR4418nflFxoeLRJ5-N1G9fotv00GH-hHfG9e-XRX09pPj18o/s1600-h/Travel+024.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOKPl2OBoj2KmD657oB_SxrrsBeLwi65Cxefmmflb3jR8R1VPpHkMYfLh1OX_wngIbRaX3JFWVVuDFQMCABpv-mCbOZWeR4418nflFxoeLRJ5-N1G9fotv00GH-hHfG9e-XRX09pPj18o/s320/Travel+024.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426532863365370242" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8KvVASsD1q824FilGiRoWcneygVnsRj1m7dy-Zr5tr4ivBkv4Rwvc-syRcB1VoLd9nlImT9hxR1xFdj2vKKRYaniYLe8KVDUTN-lPPqwTJSIfH5p_R-vNm1rQhM_GKgJ3brqAtkzxEM8/s1600-h/Travel+022.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8KvVASsD1q824FilGiRoWcneygVnsRj1m7dy-Zr5tr4ivBkv4Rwvc-syRcB1VoLd9nlImT9hxR1xFdj2vKKRYaniYLe8KVDUTN-lPPqwTJSIfH5p_R-vNm1rQhM_GKgJ3brqAtkzxEM8/s320/Travel+022.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426532853194108642" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1MAQHwwrUEnQBzuOg6Lgt9nPFHmZB9NhuNiA_pHPOhphJJFVW9Xn4XxXGBXnEmm8GGrG-FAo4oCAbdYWRJaVpZ7xttCiI_z2XdNj_Ge51bUZ2Iu3-aVTIF_fsLyLoMSGAzjk2vcSV1U/s1600-h/Travel+026.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV1MAQHwwrUEnQBzuOg6Lgt9nPFHmZB9NhuNiA_pHPOhphJJFVW9Xn4XxXGBXnEmm8GGrG-FAo4oCAbdYWRJaVpZ7xttCiI_z2XdNj_Ge51bUZ2Iu3-aVTIF_fsLyLoMSGAzjk2vcSV1U/s320/Travel+026.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426532851167183058" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApu9_wRAOuXcD0YWQARBXrBffsDRwPWplrSuRELOyIIDEYWjLABSf6Rm7O8bqh6dfHKLxwiiyZ-0047tunM6KC-6xdnB4aWDuJ83I_A7z7_wyGrqp53fKm5cy8GZhRkbTqx2_wXT0p_g/s1600-h/Travel+023.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhApu9_wRAOuXcD0YWQARBXrBffsDRwPWplrSuRELOyIIDEYWjLABSf6Rm7O8bqh6dfHKLxwiiyZ-0047tunM6KC-6xdnB4aWDuJ83I_A7z7_wyGrqp53fKm5cy8GZhRkbTqx2_wXT0p_g/s320/Travel+023.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426532848326025842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPnI6f4yftAVTncpTQZFn01cqX4F2TTxqlEoUTW02ZdbShnFcipXMf0-m2ZCBqdaSc9rPB38sesyXrnm5mOAjHppQHzALzuX_jR0Y6SBax-XIf8_ZFbRhtjm7EBM77NmdFf094HtZSQg/s1600-h/Travel+021.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPnI6f4yftAVTncpTQZFn01cqX4F2TTxqlEoUTW02ZdbShnFcipXMf0-m2ZCBqdaSc9rPB38sesyXrnm5mOAjHppQHzALzuX_jR0Y6SBax-XIf8_ZFbRhtjm7EBM77NmdFf094HtZSQg/s320/Travel+021.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426532839574486178" /></a><br /><br />In the kids club today (the last one) we took the younger kids down to the old school, where there is an adventure trail. They played and ran around, and then got tired and too hot in the sun. So we sat with them under the shade of the tree and pushed them on the rope swings. It was good. <br /><br />And then I left. Plans changed and I left two days early. I travelled in the back of a bumpy landrover with 3 Americans and a Zimbabwean. Which leads me to here...sitting at the computer with a cup of coffee and a rusk! Tonight I move on to Johannesburg, where I meet a lot of new faces. I will be spending a week in Footprints children's home. I don't know how much internet connection I will get. Hopefully you will hear from me again soon!clarebearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03487207785005392839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023218011933215170.post-4659544854558148452010-01-14T01:35:00.000-08:002010-01-14T01:52:54.996-08:00Swaziland - Monday...New and Old Friends...Photos below are:<br /><br />Our little Chameleon friend!<br />The Tunnel Team!<br />Heather, Sian, Gennie, Natalie (teachers/volunteers in Bulembu) and I after dinner<br />Me and the ABC guys after they recorded some dancing videos for us!<br />Sian, Ketsiwe, Colin and Angus from ABC<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEO1anLZBjqevY3sdWkpd_0l9yvlB8c3Rt8B_XcSE22OK-sDrkmGwHIkg1fcxSuKbuNpiEwv85K_-WrXAfQWXsLUlbOWy-Aaxt1q2AryzldIhlXDqSfi8_fOYCuqw0pQu9mFMHKBYgNcU/s1600-h/Travel+015.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEO1anLZBjqevY3sdWkpd_0l9yvlB8c3Rt8B_XcSE22OK-sDrkmGwHIkg1fcxSuKbuNpiEwv85K_-WrXAfQWXsLUlbOWy-Aaxt1q2AryzldIhlXDqSfi8_fOYCuqw0pQu9mFMHKBYgNcU/s320/Travel+015.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426528764861911618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJdDgETPmBwHTUIQ3hz29i2z5TEJsGVji1EyNlIP9ZZEV7wy3PTCaHDUxDT6AltLmU6ah8XA7NkIa-FuaDqBDF8tmcKplBZgoJwDkGgzabKPqKlcLpOXC_9eJhe0dfdeHtX7q5qMcidM/s1600-h/Travel+011.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQJdDgETPmBwHTUIQ3hz29i2z5TEJsGVji1EyNlIP9ZZEV7wy3PTCaHDUxDT6AltLmU6ah8XA7NkIa-FuaDqBDF8tmcKplBZgoJwDkGgzabKPqKlcLpOXC_9eJhe0dfdeHtX7q5qMcidM/s320/Travel+011.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426528759416799474" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-UzwqiV2Quk4yo4KQuso9Jfycruu_UPzl_dr8c5v_dxzIFq_96eBt9xtEFxCJ0tSlQz5UABw_iVekgo9HeMV2xQRjJLHH-AYj9_N-7WZiOTN4VFN2NatDKt26FjAwuhPWEel7lDtKJ4/s1600-h/Travel+020.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-UzwqiV2Quk4yo4KQuso9Jfycruu_UPzl_dr8c5v_dxzIFq_96eBt9xtEFxCJ0tSlQz5UABw_iVekgo9HeMV2xQRjJLHH-AYj9_N-7WZiOTN4VFN2NatDKt26FjAwuhPWEel7lDtKJ4/s320/Travel+020.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426528755598409762" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0uBGO0BEaAUOl_eehhAe3op06KGFfI-YWNbhwv5JFmBmd8fMq9XfAyZz6FJOzQ8UymFZEs0QI_wINwTazR_IAc_IQVbOetm-IwIdUCmdb9O9dobSx_lAmoZoPpbwPzOfWk8fFmdCxQs/s1600-h/Travel+018.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0uBGO0BEaAUOl_eehhAe3op06KGFfI-YWNbhwv5JFmBmd8fMq9XfAyZz6FJOzQ8UymFZEs0QI_wINwTazR_IAc_IQVbOetm-IwIdUCmdb9O9dobSx_lAmoZoPpbwPzOfWk8fFmdCxQs/s320/Travel+018.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426528745716940610" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcAtE_Ng5gJqlLI_9sv_hv-By-bhof1bgX_H5-_a6h6-_D6WNpEQs-5tbQ8Cn8RjsPEf2xTrA3w4E_C1RxegjSN_46OAS1GPxdCnDSWI6bb-P07JL-0Nra-LNbR3KkjWS7aAyUE5QiMaI/s1600-h/Travel+010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcAtE_Ng5gJqlLI_9sv_hv-By-bhof1bgX_H5-_a6h6-_D6WNpEQs-5tbQ8Cn8RjsPEf2xTrA3w4E_C1RxegjSN_46OAS1GPxdCnDSWI6bb-P07JL-0Nra-LNbR3KkjWS7aAyUE5QiMaI/s320/Travel+010.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426528739999593874" /></a><br /><br />Today, Jon and Jude went swiftly off to Pretoria for a few days to try and sort out Phila's UK visa. This meant that my plans changed as I was originally going to be taken to Nelspruit by them for my Citybug on Thursday. I now decided to get a lift back with Jason, Cara, Nick and Clever to Pretoria on Tuesday (and then be picked up by Kathy and Carlo again for a couple of days extra with them). <br /><br />Sian and I attended the Kids Camp again this morning. We helped with the very little kids, who were climbing trees and playing in the sun. And then we spent some time with the ABC kids, filming them dancing. They have got so good! I will try and put a video on here later. Amazing dancers. Then we went over to Natalie's house (an English girl who's volunteering here for 7 months) for dinner. It was lovely, but I unfortunately felt ill so I had to quickly get home! (feeling better now though)clarebearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03487207785005392839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023218011933215170.post-11313284786374553682010-01-14T01:13:00.000-08:002010-01-14T01:35:01.951-08:00Swaziland - Sunday..."That's what the tunnel does..."Sunday was a great day of getting to know people and the area better! We went to Church (being now up at Chinda, where we are all staying, and at 10am - rather than down in the Community Chapel and at 4pm in the afternoon) and it was pretty similar to the night before. More white people but still majority black, lots of singing and wonderful noises. Pastor Rolly's wife Kathy shared something she had been learning. It was very intrieged to see a woman at the front, that doesn't normally happen in this community! <br /><br />After Church, a small group of us went for a walk through a 1km Tunnel. This sounds pretty weird, and it was! We had to use a landrover and quad to get there. And we walked through this man-made tunnel, where a rushing river ran down...in PITCH BLACK! It was the most bizarre thing ever. For most of it, I walked by myself. BIG MISTAKE! My imagination was playing tricks on me in the darkness! I couldn't believe it when I'd heard they'd taken 70 kids through here on a school trip! But it was fun. At the end, we had these crazy steep steps to walk up, with gushing water pouring down them. It was so slippery and the stone steps had been worn away, so it was hard to find footholds. But we made it! (check out the photos below)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50pHP4XNKe2hytTkBOIRCuMuS3_gLkASWXI9vEZN_PDulfJJofJ_d2zUUnKmCRRUazVpVP7BFpwfFOiM03JUAhAY81symq42N4Cur-MGy6Iafse2JbYuw4qdpH14fYPtfWiY0xskUmBM/s1600-h/Travel+012.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50pHP4XNKe2hytTkBOIRCuMuS3_gLkASWXI9vEZN_PDulfJJofJ_d2zUUnKmCRRUazVpVP7BFpwfFOiM03JUAhAY81symq42N4Cur-MGy6Iafse2JbYuw4qdpH14fYPtfWiY0xskUmBM/s320/Travel+012.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426523595045537666" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVidZQFSJd7BWXgMwN6o6cXRqQw_y4ZJX6qwS4mGTGzKzCAwededLALpc7ahGwOLITGH_DRLoTYYvrXJ4vysc-3eFLb4rbr6Ra7C889W8qSJMNir5IVzQXEP0ZPGx9N3_U2fOLXDjJEQ/s1600-h/Travel+013.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQVidZQFSJd7BWXgMwN6o6cXRqQw_y4ZJX6qwS4mGTGzKzCAwededLALpc7ahGwOLITGH_DRLoTYYvrXJ4vysc-3eFLb4rbr6Ra7C889W8qSJMNir5IVzQXEP0ZPGx9N3_U2fOLXDjJEQ/s320/Travel+013.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426523587229643106" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOIorve1PyoF5I2l8zFtUAkeYQkIfxgXhdWEjP5jshw6vQ_Zydj0dS-EgYHddo6lXiXbZtIEMJuz-obg7qdHQhllBi0YNLuGKId8_ZNSp1NwiPwTblZkwW8sDrqX5xRUR8MxFwiwPU7A/s1600-h/Travel+014.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOIorve1PyoF5I2l8zFtUAkeYQkIfxgXhdWEjP5jshw6vQ_Zydj0dS-EgYHddo6lXiXbZtIEMJuz-obg7qdHQhllBi0YNLuGKId8_ZNSp1NwiPwTblZkwW8sDrqX5xRUR8MxFwiwPU7A/s320/Travel+014.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426523583540314418" /></a><br /><br />We had a roast dinner in the evening, which was so exciting! And then Sian and I went to meet the YWAM team up at the view point, where they were having a bonfire. This place is beautiful. It is through the forest and you have an amazing view into South Africa. We played guitars, talked, and ate marshmallows. It was so lush. In the end, it was just Sian and I, and Elyse and Olivia (two YWAM-ers) who were left. And we decided to sleep out under the stars! It was beautiful. But we were wet in the morning haha. We slept under a literal blanket of stars. Amazing. So many shooting stars too.clarebearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03487207785005392839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023218011933215170.post-66881819132303564752010-01-14T00:51:00.000-08:002010-01-14T01:13:15.198-08:00Swaziland - Saturday.I am finally updating you on the rest of my time in Swaziland!<br /><br />On Saturday, Sian went hiking up the tallest mountain in Swaziland (which happens to be right next to Bulembu). I stayed behind and attended a meeting with a bunch of the teenagers about a potential new recreation centre. Now, this is pretty exciting stuff. When I was last in the Bu, there wasn't really anything provided for the older teenagers...even just somewhere to hang out and be teenagers together! But a new family in town (Jason, Cara and their son Nick) have really got the ball rolling, and we all met over at an abandoned building that we were going to do up. Things didn't work out quite as planned though, because we found out that the building used to be a masonic lodge and that sacrifices and weird stuff had gone on there. Some adults didn't even want their young people involved in the building at all. So we all stood together and prayed. It was really cool. A South African couple, called Steve and Liselle, came along too. And I spent about an hour after all the teenagers had gone listening to these adults all talking about the need for youth work in the town, and also about the need for a passionate church. It was exciting to hear and I was really encouraged. It seemed to fit in with what I have been reading and thinking about lately. And as the first few days in Bulembu had been quite hard, this was a really uplifting conversation to be hearing! <br /><br />Anyway, the rest of the day I hung out with some of the ABC kids. We played music together and hung out in the garden. In the early eveninings, I went over to ABC to help with all the babies - as this is the change over time for the Aunties who work there. It gets very busy! They have so many babies too. Lots of tiny ones, including one week old baby. All so tiny. And then with all the toddlers running around too. Becky Starnes would've loved it!<br /><br />In the evening, we went down to the chapel in the community for a service to welcome in the new year. It was so awesome! I wish I'd brought my camera and secretly filmed! They had a Swazi group leading the music and the sound was just unbelievable. I can only explain it as really African, lots of harmonies, amazing voices. It was cool. A great evening together.<br /><br />For those of you that don't know who I've been staying with in Bulembu, look at the photos below! Jon and Jude Skinner used to live in Ilfracombe, North Devon. He has been the Principle of the School here in Bulembu for the past 3 years and Jude has been nursing here. The other children here at this time are Sian (one of the twins) and Phila, their adopted daughter from right here in Swaziland. Right as I type this, they are in Pretoria trying to sort out the English visa for Phila, as they will be leaving Swaziland soon. All very complicated! But it has been lovely seeing them all! <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45-IkWrX2rR3i5ImTBmh2Akt4a9D6N3YiJJZd-lX3m3O1WS3hUIhhBV8sIiQd6ckJqFtGb92CIe6nsyx6FM6sicf_l-bPIz1gktU-fHm9-qKO8BH7G9oLOh0s9r-7NIZmxBoJ6q6MpzA/s1600-h/Travel+017.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45-IkWrX2rR3i5ImTBmh2Akt4a9D6N3YiJJZd-lX3m3O1WS3hUIhhBV8sIiQd6ckJqFtGb92CIe6nsyx6FM6sicf_l-bPIz1gktU-fHm9-qKO8BH7G9oLOh0s9r-7NIZmxBoJ6q6MpzA/s320/Travel+017.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426517353881080770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYXQ6NfQYi8ieV6hx4TYObzj-ZSWE0jj8XvN-0Be7ZU3BAR1OUAI64d4UsMbnujqDmnJ6elQ7yKVKfgCCWR8Ldt9QeiDihRhWVaP8H6n_ONjQXv1jW-oVoYH0665wUsjuOqeg1fJpG5s/s1600-h/Travel+019.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQYXQ6NfQYi8ieV6hx4TYObzj-ZSWE0jj8XvN-0Be7ZU3BAR1OUAI64d4UsMbnujqDmnJ6elQ7yKVKfgCCWR8Ldt9QeiDihRhWVaP8H6n_ONjQXv1jW-oVoYH0665wUsjuOqeg1fJpG5s/s320/Travel+019.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426517350062625138" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZU7_mFU4czUwlkUfZdiFW_Y8rJXtNbeY4m0GZuzUB41ZFurxPoMhDGX7cEurgAWZnfDSDwutUDZoKhCt_IT-SY5zblc3wFHysvoq3RaGpjasOi1rc5yKk3T1sl2QhX_iLZX1z5kloWs/s1600-h/Travel+016.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNZU7_mFU4czUwlkUfZdiFW_Y8rJXtNbeY4m0GZuzUB41ZFurxPoMhDGX7cEurgAWZnfDSDwutUDZoKhCt_IT-SY5zblc3wFHysvoq3RaGpjasOi1rc5yKk3T1sl2QhX_iLZX1z5kloWs/s320/Travel+016.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426517347495855602" /></a>clarebearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03487207785005392839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023218011933215170.post-62489099636159182122010-01-07T10:13:00.000-08:002010-01-07T10:32:34.729-08:00Swaziland!Greetings from the wonderful town of Bulembu!<br /><br />I left Johannesburg airport Wednesday morning for 4 hours of beautiful landscape. AND I GOT THE FRONT SEAT!! (Why on earth did no one want to sit there? AC on full blast, loads of leg room and the comfiest seat - BONUS!)<br /><br />I arrived in Nelspruit, where I got a lucky look at one of the new football stadiums for the Fifa world cup this coming summer. It looks insane! All orange. <br /><br />Anyway, I got picked up by Jude and Sian Skinner...and the latest addition to their family - Phila! We drove the mountain route back to Bulembu (which wouldn't have been anywhere near as quick 3 years ago as the roads weren't tarmacked). Again, so beautiful. <br /><br />It was so exciting coming back to Bulembu. I saw Jon Skinner and then went straight over to ABC to say hello to the children. They are so big now. The eldest boys are nearly 18 years old. But it was the younger ones who had really grown. Sepho (who was my favourite - he was just a baby and he had arrived when I was last here) is now a young child walking around and living with some other children. <br /><br />As school is out right now for summer, I helped this morning (Thursday) with a summer camp. We are having a carnival tomorrow so I was with the older children, planning games and painting objects. So many children everywhere! There are a lot of different families working here now too, as well as a YWAM team. <br /><br />My afternoon today has been relaxing, hanging out with the older kids at ABC next door and just seeing the amazing developments in this town. They have a bakery, dairy and a new school, as well as the Lodge and Accomodation for visitors. I will try and get some photos tomorrow. <br /><br />The rest of my time here is just seeing the work that is going on, and informally hanging out with the kids. The Skinners have just found out that after 3 and a half years of being here, they have to leave Bulembu by next month, which comes as a bit of a shock really. So they are doing a lot of thinking and praying and seeing where to go next. It seems a strange time to be here really, with so much change. But it is exciting to see where it is all heading.<br /><br />So the next few days look like just hanging out with the kids. Saturday we'll go hiking up the mountain, or so I've just been told! And then next Thursday (14th) I travel back to Jo'burg to go to the Children's Centre for a week! <br /><br />Thank you for reading and keeping an eye on me! <br />Clareclarebearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03487207785005392839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023218011933215170.post-6990175044516354722010-01-04T22:36:00.001-08:002010-01-04T22:56:52.821-08:00Road Trip<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgml8m6M152_7pMZXy3TVg26n0h3ySLp8F3d_DtTQP5TiSy2ZN6uxghfLr_MEFtrxPU7uySzaNTc6LJN259bBV7RYee5aBfX4zoExCbNnYaUzMQk18yvHcQtxkdA4JM1vPgCgCYUKTt6Uk/s1600-h/Travel+001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgml8m6M152_7pMZXy3TVg26n0h3ySLp8F3d_DtTQP5TiSy2ZN6uxghfLr_MEFtrxPU7uySzaNTc6LJN259bBV7RYee5aBfX4zoExCbNnYaUzMQk18yvHcQtxkdA4JM1vPgCgCYUKTt6Uk/s320/Travel+001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423145713048989298" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXZ5S-ZMPj2u4yptnM5P3gKJ99yKrxI86way2JQEfSazLXG9oJjBqpSFXrXbCu7aCHzuex-pBU80yUEmN8BKo0NsnL56wuWZDKOvLvZGtZV_c66CrPd8v34x5NdbBiFUttQ4wlWWguDM/s1600-h/Travel+002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiXZ5S-ZMPj2u4yptnM5P3gKJ99yKrxI86way2JQEfSazLXG9oJjBqpSFXrXbCu7aCHzuex-pBU80yUEmN8BKo0NsnL56wuWZDKOvLvZGtZV_c66CrPd8v34x5NdbBiFUttQ4wlWWguDM/s320/Travel+002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423145701229730002" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkmtOrAmMAxZiwimxIE-L9yiubnl2s-LF6i8Lcl82uUJOOGJXpf-uQ4B0Nwrj6shMjWoajMkRNK6rlCqBQZfaJ-OXHlJjZNgN4ROYxcMN8Uuj6fLQtMEm9LtHTDBRpm9twSaBxADhpNI/s1600-h/Travel+003.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkmtOrAmMAxZiwimxIE-L9yiubnl2s-LF6i8Lcl82uUJOOGJXpf-uQ4B0Nwrj6shMjWoajMkRNK6rlCqBQZfaJ-OXHlJjZNgN4ROYxcMN8Uuj6fLQtMEm9LtHTDBRpm9twSaBxADhpNI/s320/Travel+003.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423145696411114370" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyz5BGe5Z6i6ycjLuWjKpwjxcnH_WOyjxil8ZlYDSk_JJj69l8TVhGtC4uGdRHY4Yx3zmvUR7k89xLNSDtGv8Nrc0_XtW4xwvSXaJa24Dkf2fMLdnC07MMzqiQRlP_hlCCsWNIJoRR-gs/s1600-h/Travel+004.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyz5BGe5Z6i6ycjLuWjKpwjxcnH_WOyjxil8ZlYDSk_JJj69l8TVhGtC4uGdRHY4Yx3zmvUR7k89xLNSDtGv8Nrc0_XtW4xwvSXaJa24Dkf2fMLdnC07MMzqiQRlP_hlCCsWNIJoRR-gs/s320/Travel+004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423144059393338370" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-ydh44bjVTR2_D-Ihgj-2rIa4RCxJQBrZrqRmLvAm8_odz6S9S2rQHMxF8BCL2ybRn9DX9qSu7dBE_c2IPJFwevTuLgAPrHd_bvdT_dVORTSnQRUziPu_Ka52-ZUkfxJO30jjJvKcJ0/s1600-h/Travel+005.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-ydh44bjVTR2_D-Ihgj-2rIa4RCxJQBrZrqRmLvAm8_odz6S9S2rQHMxF8BCL2ybRn9DX9qSu7dBE_c2IPJFwevTuLgAPrHd_bvdT_dVORTSnQRUziPu_Ka52-ZUkfxJO30jjJvKcJ0/s320/Travel+005.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423144052099008978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTdjn6wjWNfuLI9ldIN7uaogcjm7ZPqtChF2gnFTjw-9O5N4zhwQozcbgraakztQnHN0QMKvUeKMrwgIuA896Wv4fuzeAgR-SO8XZl5STO5bkWlAA1MUTDBxZsrMvOgBJ4xxU3BB5D8M/s1600-h/Travel+006.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTdjn6wjWNfuLI9ldIN7uaogcjm7ZPqtChF2gnFTjw-9O5N4zhwQozcbgraakztQnHN0QMKvUeKMrwgIuA896Wv4fuzeAgR-SO8XZl5STO5bkWlAA1MUTDBxZsrMvOgBJ4xxU3BB5D8M/s320/Travel+006.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423144048438167682" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4fLev3aZsKXIoAdgz5ga1C76AHgBvAEug3ZIBRBxf-a6AZtWXIaZXKvoMliGaOGowPqRAYg7jmNbl-F7kH4EEE6dDAh1mTaqHdMjubxP1-0r8kVQrtvoeVPbARegUt7-LjWb8QqoZO4/s1600-h/Travel+008.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4fLev3aZsKXIoAdgz5ga1C76AHgBvAEug3ZIBRBxf-a6AZtWXIaZXKvoMliGaOGowPqRAYg7jmNbl-F7kH4EEE6dDAh1mTaqHdMjubxP1-0r8kVQrtvoeVPbARegUt7-LjWb8QqoZO4/s320/Travel+008.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423144044502793378" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8ITZNSR-64nPNTU0JlxRv-B3iM78PGd-kQl7LjvpWQdVCxxyFDpQwx4UeeQ8Vmid1TmmQ9d1KP2M7eoAofr0bHjj15HVsjWTpE2FYiPMXjUvvy_tV_a5J4Duh9sGHb1LOY6SaeO-bwk/s1600-h/Travel+009.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv8ITZNSR-64nPNTU0JlxRv-B3iM78PGd-kQl7LjvpWQdVCxxyFDpQwx4UeeQ8Vmid1TmmQ9d1KP2M7eoAofr0bHjj15HVsjWTpE2FYiPMXjUvvy_tV_a5J4Duh9sGHb1LOY6SaeO-bwk/s320/Travel+009.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423144035167221170" /></a>clarebearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03487207785005392839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023218011933215170.post-55686449845278769312010-01-04T22:02:00.001-08:002010-01-04T22:34:01.857-08:00Saturday - TuesdayHi everyone, <br /><br />I thought I'd update you a bit more on what's been happening the last few days. It has been a great weekend! Friday night, I went out for dinner with Carlo's parents, Steph and Hester, and his brother and sister Magdel and Hanno. His parents are very old schooler Afrikaans and so don't speak English often. But the conversation was good. They asked a lot about my family, England, and what I enjoy about living there. I told them: Roast Dinner, beautiful countryside and England beating South Africa in the cricket! <br /><br />On Saturday, we travelled early over to Krugersdorp where I met Kathy's mum Pamela, step dad Jany, step brother Tianno and family friend 'Aunty Sis'. They had explained previously that I was meeting two very different Afrikaan families - Carlo's parents were maybe more conservative, while Kathy's mum's household was definitely more relaxed. Felt a lot like home! <br /><br />As you can see from some photos below, a few of us went to a small lion 'sanctuary' ('sanctuary' being the only word possible to describe it). We saw lots of lions, even went in and petted some small cubs, and some larger (more PLAYFUL) cubs! There was also a drive through area, where we got very close to some big lions. Pretty incredible having them stand so close.<br /><br />Arriving back at the house we had some brunch and then just hung out. It was so lovely, just playing cards and talking. I taught them how to play 'poo head'! However, Jany is obsessed with this classically trained violinist called Andre Rieu...which meant we watched a lot of his live dvds. I was pleasantly surprised. Very entertaining. <br /><br />I also learnt some funny Afrikaans words. Vink (pronounced slightly like 'funk') is a weaverbird. Lekke (pronounced 'lacker') means nice. But this word has become a common word in English sentences too. So you might say, "The beach looks well lekke today." Some individuals (who may remain unnamed!) tried to teach me to say some silly phrases, like poo hole, in Afrikaans. But those words shall not be typed for all to see. (just grab me when I'm back in England and I'll tell you!)<br /><br />I had heard rumours of Jany's amazing steaks and I was treated to a wonderful braai that evening. Not only did he cook regular steak and pepper steak, but he gets a fillet and stuffs it with spices and vegetables and whatnot. It was cooked to perfection! The meat just melted in our mouths. I think there are a couple of pictures below with the lions. <br /><br />With Afrikaners (mostly older people), it is quite common to kiss people smack on the lips. When we were leaving, I definitely experienced this! Amounting in much laughter on the journey home.<br /><br />Sunday morning, we went off to the English speaking church which Kathy and Carlo attend. There were lots of people there, of different races and ages. It was exciting to go to such a big church, and to recognise people I'd already met from the New Years Eve party too. I noticed in some of the songs, they sung about race and it made me wonder how culturally relevant our songs are that we sing in our own Churches. Race is still a big issue here and although they are living in a post-apartheid era, there are still many tensions that are continually being worked through. I had a really interesting conversation with Carlo about the government and their President (Jacob Zuma). It seems that there are still lots of issues going on surrounding corruption in politics. They couldn't believe that Zuma, who had over 700 corruption charges against him (but then all were mysteriously 'dropped') could even run for Presidency. Please pray for this country and their government - that justice would be maintained.<br /><br />Anyway, for the rest of the day we just chilled out and watched some films. Carlo went back to work on Monday (he is a geophysicist) so Kathy took me out to a lovely place just west of Jo'burg. It was one of the first times I'd seen actual hills here! The rest of the country seems so flat! We went to a big dam, where they've built a town around. *See the photos above for a small glimpse.<br /><br />Today, both Kathy and Carlo are at work. Kathy is working part time for her church - working with students at the local college/university. So I am just relaxing on my last day here with them. Kathy's sister Karen is coming over later. And then I am taking them out for dinner to say thank you. <br /><br />Tomorrow, I start the long journey over to Swaziland! I am so excited to see the Skinners, Robyn and Gerry and all of the ABC children. I can't wait. Hopefully I shall be taking a lot more photos there. And as it is the summer holidays here, the kids won't be in school = lots of play time! I am not sure if I will get internet connection there, but hopefully you will hear from me again soon.clarebearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03487207785005392839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023218011933215170.post-91445826048358816582010-01-04T21:57:00.000-08:002010-01-04T22:01:52.301-08:00Discussions of the Theology typeI have had some interesting conversations with Kathy and Carlo about Theology recently. Really thought provoking stuff. I wrote these words from out of them.<br /><br /><br />There is something restless in my soul. <br />Yet I cannot seem to let it go.<br />The cards are laid, my bet's been made.<br />But for it all, nothing to show.<br /><br />Earthly things fade away.<br />Who knows what will keep today?<br />My eyes are fixed, firmly on,<br />The One who stills my heart that way.<br /><br />Shall I wander, seek and strive,<br />To be closer to His side?<br />No longer I, but Christ in me,<br />Presses forth to stem the tide.<br /><br />Of anger, malice, pride and lust.<br />I'm conquered by a King who's Just.<br />Working out His heart in me.<br />I know it's Him I'll learn to trust.clarebearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03487207785005392839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023218011933215170.post-92080795676756377802010-01-02T09:49:00.000-08:002010-01-02T10:47:59.685-08:00Photographic evidence of Lions and whatnot...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg98RhyhIRDQCmn2weqxjln-UC9IR4UopgMXW-z4UbuDHx5GnnSMKDGRc3mZBqDNgmhCf18nRlG1Sv-0H1vFhdY71yXfIAR9wlGSB-zZplwNxMcoSai9nj7rnNh8flD9SILisn8iosNOXU/s1600-h/Clare+035.jpg"><img style="display:block; 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margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijMP3wf5RykAGQctNTSMwRmIl6KZFNtmElt1m7I_Ui9jWG3dNYpiHcd1dJ9HsUK7OBZDxkJZgBY9-IURQK3bjf0C1WmqVhaNr6MMo5vEXqWQQzmnextr_N5Y-JJDQBoxnBbE3C5mGtRJo/s320/Clare+005.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422204380021231842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOdbru-NbIHvu_OPdC8Gl-XUCQlY3V5TvzateZU6kKxCSyZ0sq81yrt7KpFMAaoVu6sqR1214sCDJAAtOhMqZcQum-D21OKJX2FSsF0alODahQneLUQx3c04FdChvmWvz31fby9IAIn8/s1600-h/Clare+002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXOdbru-NbIHvu_OPdC8Gl-XUCQlY3V5TvzateZU6kKxCSyZ0sq81yrt7KpFMAaoVu6sqR1214sCDJAAtOhMqZcQum-D21OKJX2FSsF0alODahQneLUQx3c04FdChvmWvz31fby9IAIn8/s320/Clare+002.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422204374080274882" /></a>clarebearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03487207785005392839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023218011933215170.post-54637497657296049022010-01-01T12:02:00.000-08:002010-01-01T12:15:10.976-08:00Greetings from South Africa!Goeie Dag! (Good Day in Afrikaans).<br /><br />I am sitting at the table in the house of my friends Kathy and Carlo. They live in Centurion, a suburb of Pretoria here in South Africa. It is 10pm on New Years Day!<br /><br />I actually arrived in the country yesterday early afternoon. My two flights to get here were pretty interesting, to say the least! I flew first to Doha, Qatar and our flight was early. Normally this is a good thing. But it meant I had to wait around in the airport for 6 hours! I can’t believe I passed the time so uneventfully! Then we flew down to Johannesburg with a lot of turbulence. <br /><br />Anyway, I arrived safely. That is the main thing. Kathy and Carlo picked me up at Jo’burg airport and took me home where I slept for an hour (after no sleeping on the plane journeys) and then we set out for some New Years celebrating, SA style. We went over to some friends of theirs and had a braai (SA bbq) with the works. Gosh, the food was soooo good; proper meat. All the girls were talking and the boys doing the cooking – rightful places I think! It was so fun. And so warm. Sitting outside past midnight. Lovely. A delight to see in 2010 with new friends!<br /><br />Let me just interject with some info on the homes around here. Kathy and Carlo live in a compound, same as many others around here. It’s kinda funny – having people open the gates for you or scanning finger prints to open doors. There’s a private swimming pool here for everyone that lives in the compound too! And all the houses look similar, like a toy town or something!<br /><br />Anyway, today we went to the swimming pool for an hour. What’s the weather like in England? Because here it is HOT! Then we went to Irene (pronounced Ireenee) to go watch Sherlock Holmes. Here’s another couple of funny things: in the cinema they have ‘love nests’ – these are two seats which don’t have arm rests in between, almost like a sofa! Haha. And these seats are spread through out the cinema. Such a funny idea. And then the shopping mall where the cinema was has giant cows everywhere. In the centre of the food court, there is basically an upside down cow – there are legs and even a huge udder coming out from the ground. And check this…the kids play on the udder and around the teats like a playground activity!! Haha. So very funny. <br /><br />We have just got back from going out to the Steak House for dinner. It was Carlo’s parents wedding anniversary so we went out with Steph and Hester (parents), and Magdel and Hanno (sister and brother). There was a lot of Afrikaans speaking at the table, but I found it very amusing trying to work out what they were saying. We had some good conversations and enjoyed laughing about the English culture together! And the food, again, was very good. <br /><br />Tomorrow we are getting up very early to go to Krugersdorp, where we will be seeing some lions and again, getting fed steak. I am beginning to really like this place!clarebearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03487207785005392839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023218011933215170.post-25160844394608414582009-12-21T10:27:00.001-08:002009-12-21T10:34:14.695-08:00Plans.<DIV style="font-family:Arial, sans-serif; font-size:10pt;"><DIV>So, just over a week until I fly out. And I'm heading home for a family Christmas tomorrow. I'm having to take both lots of clothing, summer AND winter! I will hopefully be able to leave my winter clothes behind, as it's going to be summer in South Africa. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I've been lucky enough to have been given lots of material and other things to take out with me. One of the places I am visiting is Footprints Children's Centre in Johannesburg (<A href="http://www.footprintsplay.co.za/">http://www.footprintsplay.co.za/</A>) and they have a list of equipment and resources that they are always in need of. I am glad I can bring just a few things out for them. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>For those of you that don't know, I am spending each week of my month trip in different places. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I arrive on New Years Eve (!) and am staying with some good friends of mine, Kathy and Carlo. I met Kathy a long time ago at Church in North Devon. She is South African and it will be a great time of catching up and spending quality time with her and her husband. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Then I am catching a Citybug over to Nelspruit, which is East of Jo'burg, where I am being picked up by friends to travel a further few hours until we cross the Swazi border into a small town called Bulembu! I spent a month in this town nearly 3 years ago and it will be a pleasure seeing how big the children are and how much this amazing town has been developed. This town really is quite remarkable. It is owned by Christian businessmen who are pouring funding and resources into the place. Schools have been renovated and filled. There are masses of homes for orphans. And since I was last there, they have opened a bakery, among other things! They also train local Swazis and encourage them to take over the businesses and initiatives that these foreigners have started. Very sustainable. I am really excited to see how different it is. For more information about Bulembu, visit <A href="http://www.bulembu.org">www.bulembu.org</A>. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I then catch the Citybug back in Jo'burg, where I will be spending a week at Footprints Children's Centre. This is the only week in which I don't really know the people or the place! So it will be a very hectic, but eye-opening experience. I can't wait to spend 24/7 with the children there. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>And my for my final week, I will be flying down to Cape Town and spending time with some good (English and South African) friends. We will be staying right on the beach in Kommetjie, and hopefully get a chance to discover the local area. Some of the things I am looking forward to doing are visiting Nelson's Mandela's prison cell on Robbin Island, and taking in an extensive tour of the Winelands! Hopefully I can bring some back!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thank you for reading this, and I hope to be able to update this each week with tales from the South! </DIV> <DIV>Clare</DIV><br /> <br /><HR>Get Your FREE Hawaiian Email Address <br />See Beautiful Photos of Hawaii http://www.holani.com</DIV>clarebearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03487207785005392839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023218011933215170.post-61259797941128848072009-12-20T07:31:00.000-08:002009-12-20T07:35:04.556-08:00And so it begins...Here I am, sat in a house on the south coast of England. Waiting for my travels to begin. I am soon off; journeying by train and plane, seeing old friends and meeting new ones, and seeing how things can change in only a few years. <br /><br />Thank you for reading this. I hope to update it regularly when I am in South Africa. Please keep your eyes peeled (though not literally) for more from a Sojourner's story.clarebearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03487207785005392839noreply@blogger.com0