After a long 24-hour travel day, where we surprising saw wildlife such as zebras and rhinos, we arrived at Sondzelas Backpackers (the accommodation) and settled in.
At first most of us were anxious about the whole experience as none of us had ever been to Africa before. The next day, we sorted the donations we had brought out into 3 piles for each school; Mlindzini High School and Primary School and Mbita Primary School. Each pile included children’s and adults clothing, sports equipment, books, as well as art and craft supplies which we had brought out from the UK. In the evening, we also prepared a BBQ, or a braai, which was delicious.
The following morning, we had an early start at 6:30am and left around 8:15am for a walking safari to miss the blazing heat and to see the animals, we were lucky enough to see the nyala, a fish eagle and the Nile crocodile, commonly known as ‘Flatdogs’ (as they are flat and bite), and lots of poo! The walk was absolutely amazing and nothing like anything any of us had ever experienced before.
As of writing this, we are preparing to travel to the community, where we will begin the construction project of a pre-school classroom and teach some of the primary school kids – which we have been preparing the lesson plans for.
After a couple days adjusting, I’ve found we’ve come to enjoy the little things such as playing games together as a group and soaking up the atmosphere, which has been great with helping us adjust to the change in culture.
As a team, we are most excited for our 3 safaris, to see the surreal animals up close and take in all their might, as well as the environment they live in.
Meeting the community after a long time communicating online and planning to see them, will made this trip worthwhile and memorable.
Ruby, Lucy & Morgan
