Our time is getting short and we are trying to make the most of the short weeks that we have left! Here are the top three highlights from my past week:
Health Day at Pendla
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| Learners happy with their new toothbrushes! |
On Monday and Tuesday, Shaz and I went around to all of the classrooms and gave a 10 minute presentation on health and hygiene to each Class at Pendla. We taught the students the proper way to wash their hands, how to brush their teeth, how to cover their cough and sneeze, and how to keep their school clean by taking them out and picking up litter. Most of the students knew about all of these topics, but it is always good to remind them of the proper ways of doing things in case it may have slipped their mind. It also is nice to show them that "big kids" do the same things as they do. Also, hopefully we are another set of role models for them besides their teacher. At the end of the presentation, we gave a toothbrush to each learner which were donated by the grandparents of a girl on my trip. The kids adored them! Health Day was a success and will hopefully be continued by other future groups at Pendla!
Boat Trip
On Thursday I took a boat trip around Algoa Bay with my biology class. We were supposed to be looking at the effects that humans have on the shoreline and what is being done to minimize the impact of humans on the shoreline. But really, it was for fun. It was a great trip! We even left the bay for a moment and got to see how rough the ocean is just outside of the bay. Our poor little boat was being thrown around! It was an amazing contrast. We also were sprayed with water the entire trip. I got off the boat looking like I just stepped out of the shower. It was funny for a while and then we got cold. But we didn't let it ruin our trip! A few birds flew along side out boat. They were flying at the same height and speed and it was really neat to watch. We saw a lone penguin hanging out swimming in the water by himself. And the highlight of the trip was being surrounded by 300-400 dolphins jumping and playing alongside our boat. They were jumping in and out of the ways, swimming where we could reach in the water and touch them, and slapping their tails on the surface of the water. It was one of the most amazing experiences that I have had here so far!
Elephant Riding
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| Girls and the elephant! |
On Saturday a group of girls decided to take a day trip out to Addo where we got to ride elephants! It was amazing! We got to the beautiful lodge and were immediately treated to coffee and muffins. We then climbed on the backs of some elephants and headed out for about an hour-long ride. I rode Duma and my guide's name was Prince. I learned a lot about Prince and Duma on this trip. Duma and the two other elephants were all 21-24 years old (Elephants live up to 60-70 years). They were rescued from the elephant culling (killing) in Kruger National Park about 12 years ago. They now live the high life of wandering the park and getting hand fed by tourists such as ourselves. After the ride (my butt still hurts from the bareback ride), we watched them lie down and went and took pictures with them as they posed. We then followed them on foot through the bush and watched them drink at a water hole and shower themselves in mud. We also got to see them eat an entire tree in about 15 minutes. When it was time to head back, the guide's told them to move on home. And they listened!! I commented that they listened better than my dog does at home! I was thoroughly impressed. We followed them back to the lodge and fed them by hand! With the elephant's stomachs full, it was time for the humans to eat. We had some fresh veggies, rolls, a sort of potato salad and chicken salad. It was delicious! This was a great last adventure to take on our own time! It will definitely be something that I never forget!
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