Week II: African Safari

4 000 year old Baobab tree

Sept 22 2013

Week II: African Safari

4000 years old Baobab trees, lunch with a few elephants and a shower in the outdoors: yes, THIS IS HOW I SPENT MY WEEK-END.
Wow, how lucky I feel to have lived and witnessed the African nature.  

First, getting to Liwonde National Park.  Hmmm, how unfortunate I cannot share any of the odours, temperatures, and local radio stations with you.  Of course, it's all part of the experience, right ?  Now, even if the 2:30hr ride to Liwonde ended up being a 5 hour trip, I must say the Liwonde Safari Camp is kind of great.  The camp is self sufficient (energy wise), the food is great and accommodations are comfortable for the most part.  You can enjoy beautiful 360 degree scenery and wildlife from up close.  

The first part of the safari was a boat trip which included seeing crocodiles, elephants and hippos, hippos and more hippos.  Today, we got up at the break of dawn to go on an early morning game drive into the National Park.  Elephants, water bucks, antelopes, monkeys, 480 different bird species and wait for it… one of the 5 rhinos in the immense park joined our tour for a short moment.  And if you're wondering if these safaris are dangerous at all, let me tell you the rhino CHARGED AT US.  When I think of it now, it's kind of funny.  I forgot to mention that we were in an open Jeep with no protection.  Still funny, now that I think of it.  

Sunset on Shire River with the elephants!

As we then sat down for lunch back at the camp, 4 male elephants walked by.  NO BIGGIE.  

We also got to meet some locals, children for the most part, who seemed very excited and overjoyed to see and wave at us foreigners.  Getting out of busy Blantyre for a few days allows us to grasp the essence of rural Africa: which may seem quite simple, but is a truly precious experience. 

I would like to add that I have been writing a lot since I got here, but haven't posted much.  I will definitely be working on a few subjects and then posting them to my more "formal" blog.  Something else for you to follow !

Thank you for reading !

Sammy

 

Weekly assessment: 

1 rhino

1 eagle

Countless elephants, antelopes, impalas, monkeys and water bucks 

Having a rhino charge at you in his natural habitat: check

Week I

Sept 14th

I made it through my first week… more smoothly that I thought… or maybe not !  Fourteen hour flights, buses, trucks, taxis, mini buses… you may think this is me referring to a bumpy road when in fact, transportation has nothing to do with it. 

Now, Malawi has much more to offer and some areas are very well developed compared to what I expected.  You can find anything from a laptop to Nutella to fresh produce.  The weather is unimaginably perfect and the views (of Blantyre especially) are breathtaking.  Malawi is truly the "Warm Heart of Africa".  

That said, traveling to this warm weather country has its down sides.  On a personal note, it is quite hard and mostly tiring to constantly look out for your safety.  You can take all the measures in the world and a viral infection (I will be fine) can occur.  Aside from that, nutrition is also something that consumes our time.  Hopefully, I will develop an unprecedented immune system after this cold.

Also, who knew we depended on electricity so much (ha ha) ?!  The sun sets between 6 and 6:30pm and people rush to get home by dark.  As of now, the power goes out at 6pm and comes back around 10 o'clock.  Yes THIS IS QUITE IMPRACTICAL..  I've gotten used to candlelight by now.  

I work at AYIDO in the township of Ndirande in Blantyre.  It is a very highly populated community.  I presume I am the only foreigner within a few km… My workplace is very modest but the staff is hopeful that their sensitization and teaching activities will promote gender equality and HIV/aids prevention, amongst oth

er subjects.  

There are so many other facts and images I would like to share but in order to keep you reading I will try to be brief !

Zikomo,

S.

Hospital visit/more meds: check

Clubbing: check

Mini bus experience: check

Market shopping: check

Sipping chombe tea while watching the sunset on Kabula Hill: check

What was I thinking ?

Hi everyone,

As most of you already know, I am leaving for three months to Blantyre, Malawi.  I am not one to usually share personal ideas or to document my life publicly.  However, if this allows me to inform as many people as possible through the same means, I will use it !  Many of you have been asking me what exactly I will be doing there and this blog will inform you on my activities.

I was appointed the mandate of Resource Mobilization Officer within the AYIDO-MANASO organization in Blantyre.  My main objectives will be to assist Active Youth In Development (AYIDO) to identify opportunities for funding, train and assist in developing written proposals and also include gender equality in all activities.  I was hired by Students Without Borders through the Uniterra Program; which will give me the opportunity to gain work experience in addition to traveling to a new country.

Now, I've received mixed reactions from friends and family regarding my leaving for Africa.  Whether you are for or against it, I leave tomorrow!  Truth is, I have always been attracted to traveling and even more so to travel and work overseas.  I didn't think my first experience would be in Africa: but when life gives you an opportunity like this one, you take it !

As prepared as the program asks you to be, we must learn to let it go and expect the unexpected.  Hence the title of this entry: What was I thinking ?  In the past week, my pre-departure excitement shifted into a premature fear.  As much as escaping the western way of life for a few months sounds tempting, the fear of getting too far away from it has been even more overwhelming these past few days.

So I rely on the idea that not many people get to do this and that the fact that I am doing this will reward me in ways I still can't imagine to this day: I am going to Africa.

I can't wait to see what Malawi has to offer and yes, I WILL TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES...

Thank you for taking the time to read this,

Samantha