Packing a trailer is a skill

Good morning from a 31°C (and it's only Spring!!) South Africa.

This week has been quite hectic and seems to have lasted week's. Since we had Monday off, me and Scott went into Sedgefield and stocked up on all the essential food items we might need over the next few weeks. Still working out if 32 rand for a bag of apples was a good buy. After some incredible waffles and downloading videos over the free wifi, we started the the walk back to base in the sun where a cold shower was the top priority when we got back.

Talitha finally got here on Tuesday which was brilliant. It's good to see her again and finally have a roommate! Although our room is being redecorated along with all the other staff accommodation. So currently, with our furniture upside down and all over the place, we no longer have a carpet, the hole in the wall has been sealed up, there's a new coat of paint on the walls and our door has been replaced meaning there isn't a gap at the bottom any more!

The week has been filled with safety checks on all the equipment, more rock and abseil set ups, some very brief first aid and then packing for the courses which are talking place. However, there's no course here at Willow Point. Scott, Talitha and most of the other instructors are already up in the Potchefstroom base (about a 13 hour drive or so away) and tomorrow I'll be leaving with three instructors to head to Grabouw for the course happening there. It's only a 4 hour drive away so we've packed everything from food to tents and life jackets into the canoe trailer and we're all set to go. The course is a school group and we'll be camping all week while they do raft building, abseiling and climbing.

The war against mosquitos has well and truly begun. The past three days has seen mosquito numbers multiply and my 'bug bite free' state is no longer. It seems that Scottish blood is rather tasty as my left leg hosts an impressive 13 bites so far. I've not had the chance to take any interesting pictures and I don't think showing you all my bug bites is the most exciting thing so luckily a tortoise walked (faster than I was expecting) into base. It's also much more friendlier than the snakes and spiders seen around here lately.

Rachel

Face to face with my fears

Good morning from a warm but cloudy South Africa!

Most of the full time instructors are on leave this week so it's been very quiet around base but with no course running it meant that me and Scott could finally start training so we can gain our LOC'S (level of competencies) and be able to assist instructors.

This week has been filled with rock climbing and abseil set ups which not only have to be exactly perfect but also have to be set up in under twenty minutes along with a few other rules we have to follow too. With a lot of rope and a lot of knots it's quite a challenge but I've managed to get my rock climbing set up around twenty minutes so I'm quite happy with that.

We've also been in the water each day practicing kayaking. Now, I love kayaking and it's such a cool sport but what I didn't expect to find was when I'm capsized, I habe a fear of being stuck under the water. One of the things we have to learn is kayak rolls, starting with a 180° roll (YouTube it!). For those of you who are not familiar with this, it basically means spending time capsized then pushing yourself back upright with the power from the paddle and your hips against the inside of the kayak while underwater. It sounds more confusing than it actually is. So as I started to practice this, every time I went underwater I panicked making me rush to get the roll done which in turn, doesn't work because I've rushed it and forgotten what I'm meant to be doing ending up with me panicking even more. I've wet exited and been rolled back by the trainees helping us so many times. Charmoné and Sicelo have been absolutely amazing at helping me and Scott with our kayaking. Scott gets a shout out here because he absolutely nailed the whole kayak roll situation the first day we did it! An OB achievement as it's taken people months to learn it! On Thursday Sicelo made me spend some time capsized getting comfortable with being underwater for long periods of time (just picture me in the kayak underwater admiring the view of plants and water for twenty seconds). I'm very glad he did that because afterwards I finally managed to stay calm enough to do a 180° roll! I've never felt so happy to be able to finally to do something!! The smile on not only my face but the other trainees too after I did it successfully twice was absolutely brilliant. I'm very relieved that I can move on with my kayak training and I'm not nervous about being capsized any more which is a major bonus. It just shows what you can achieve if you put in the determination and self belief.

We've also been swimming everyday to not only improve our fitness but also as it's another thing that we'll be assessed on before we can act as water support for instructors and their groups. I've loved swimming here each day as it's not only fun but it can also be quite challenging. We've done distance swimming, we've done sprints, we've done circuits and then for a bit of fun on Thursday we had a race where we had to swim the triangle of the boy, boat and then back to shore all while bringing along a wooden pole for the first lap then swapping it for a large plastic barrel for the last lap. We also went in pairs for a race to the boat where we had to take a barrel between us then get it and us onto the boat. Nothing beats a bit of friendly competition! I've attached a photo of us during swimming training on Wednesday. The water was absolutely freezing, it was chucking it down with rain and the wind made for some rather impressive waves the further out we swam. But as you can see we're smiling anyway - maybe because we know that a warm shower is in sight.

Another fear I've come face to face with this week is snakes. I'm taking it as a good sign that it's taken over two weeks in South Africa to see one. When Dion (the man in charge of OB here in SA) came running into the dining hall telling us to come see a snake my brain went wild, epecially as we all crowded round and he pushed me right to the front of everyone! But the snake wasn't what I was expecting. While I was thinking massive python it actually turn out to be a tiny black/brown snake maybe not longer than 40cm just sitting in the sun. But we were soon informed that it was only a baby boomslang, or commonly know as a tree snake. It's very poisonous, can grow to over a meter and loves nothing more than sitting in a tree and dropping out as you walk underneath. To say my eyes have been glued to the trees for the rest of the week is an understatement.

In other news, we've been off since Friday so we have just been chilling around base as we're down for DP for the weekend. I've found a very good reading spot on the hammock outside the A frame so I've spent quite a lot of time reading and enjoying the view. Sunday has now become laundry day for me so I did that this morning before me and Scott went a walk up to the top of the hill overlooking the base (it's been a productive Sunday so far!). Monday is a bank holiday here in SA as it's Hertiage day and also Braai day - South Africans take braaiing very seriously - so we're off till Tuesday which is nice. Oh, and crocs are now my favourite type of shoe... two weeks at OB changes people, what can I say.

Breakfast is breakfast

Our first task as a Project Trust correspondent is titled 'Breakfast is breakfast' and it's about the differences between meals at our project and back home, with a focus on breakfast and our morning routine.

Now although I've only been at Outward Bound for three weeks I've already experienced three completely different morning routines so I'm going to give you a insight into what it's like being an OB instructor in the morning.

Let's start off with the 'normal' morning routine. Breakfast for everyone is at 7.30am in the main dining hall and consists of cornflakes. Not all staff have breakfast here, some prefer to eat in their rooms - Monday is my cheat day where I'll sleep a little longer and have a bowl of Cheerios (you would not believe how happy I was to find them in the local shop) in my room. It can be quite cold in the dining room in the morning so it's not an unusual scene to find instructors hunched over a warm bowl of cornflakes with a wooly hat on. Now compared to breakfast back home, nothing is massively different, although my walk from my room to the kitchen back home doesn't require me to get outdoor shoes on or a jacket if it's raining.

Another morning routine I'm getting use to is the one the DP (duty person) has. From 8.30am to 8.30am the next day a member of staff is the duty person. They need to get up earlier than all other staff members so I set my alarm for 6.30am when I'm DP. As I walk down from my room I head via the toilets and showers as I need to turn off the lights at the stairs/path. When I get to the main building I unlock the door to the kitchen and walk through to the dining room to unlock the two sliding wooden doors. I then swing by the DP room where I collect the flag and keys to the boat shed. As I walk to the water I open the gate to the centre and tie and raise the South African flag on the flagpole. I then head over to the boat shed where I unlock it's gates before returning the keys. Normally all of this won't take longer than 20 minutes, although that can depend on the weather. Once I've finished I head back to my room where I'll continue reading my book. But when it gets to 7.25am I need to be back at the main building to ring the bell. It's the DP's job to ring the bell five minutes before each meal. While eating breakfast as a DP I use the time to write up the morning meeting sheet. The morning meeting happens everyday at 8.30am so the DP needs to ring the bell again at 8.25am. The DP runs through the morning meeting briefing everyone what is happening that day, any training that will happen, who the DP will be that day, the weather, the food we'll be eating and also giving a positive quote. Here's an OB favourite for you - "Don't work hard. Work smart". Sometimes it can seem a lot of work, especially as it's all before half eight!

The last morning routine instructors have here is if there is a course running. I've only seen a course run at Willow Point so I don't know if mornings at other bases are the same on course as they are here. However the morning starts at around 5am (yep you read that right). At that time just now it's dark and cold so I opt for my Canterburys and a fleece. The reason we have to get up that early is because at 5.45 the group on course has a PT (personal training), run and dip. However before that it's a organised chaos trying to get them all organised and in a circle around the flagpole. Instructors join in with the 15 minutes of exercise where between the lunges and starjumps the sun rises above the horizon, before leading their group on a run followed by a 'dip' in the water to cool down. It's only after that that breakfast is served. When there's a course Nicky is in the kitchen early so that we all can have something warm to eat - usually oats or sausage. It's a welcomed change from cereal.

Lunch at 12.30pm and dinner at 6.30pm are big meals. Working and training non stop Monday to Friday makes for big appetites and Nicky's food is so good that there's always nearly nothing left after everyone piles up their plates. Lunch and dinner usually consists of some sort of meat, either chicken, lamb, fish or pork along with mash potatoes, rice, salad or pap which is fast becoming one of my favourite foods. During the weekend when Nicky isn't here we have to cook for ourselves, which means sandwiches for lunch and then whatever we decided to cook up that night. It really is a case of looking in the fridge and working around what ingredients have been left for you. Not that different to back home. During our next trip to Pick n Pay (basically the SA tesco or asda) I'm going to stock up on dry foods such as pasta and soup so I can vary my lunches throughout the weekend.

At OB we also get tea break at 10am and 3pm each day, however, if there's loads of stuff that still needs done or a course running this is non existent. For someone who doesn't drink tea or coffee this isn't the highlight of my morning or afternoon unlike some other instructors. After trying to eat a rusk (a very hard biscuit type food you dunk in tea or coffee to make it soft) with water I'm fully certain that I'm either going to have to buy hot chocolate in mass or convert to coffee or tea. But for just now, water will do me just fine...perhaps without bits of rusk floating in it.

Rachel

My first week at Outward Bound SA

Sit back, make a cup of hot chocolate and grab an orange cause this is quite the lengthy blog post!

I cannot believe that I've already been at my project for a week! It's been super busy here at Willow Point - Outward Bound's main base, based in Sedgefield in the Western Cape. I'm so glad I've been keeping a diary to remember what we've been doing each day, as I honestly feel like I've been here for months.

Last Sunday me and Scott flew from Johannesburg to George, which is roughly the length of the the UK. We were met at the airport by Emily, who's the area manager for OB and has worked here for three years. She showed us around the centre and introduced us to the other instructors. Everyone here is so welcoming and friendly that any nerves that I had or didn't even realise I had were soon completely gone. I also found out that the staff here love nothing more than a game of Uno to relax after a busy day, "It's not personal, it's just a game" is often heard while we play.

Whenever we're here at Wilow Point, I'll be sharing a room with Talitha who fly's out on the 22nd (although I'm currently sharing with three spiders, who if you'd like to know have been given names) and I've attached some photos of it. As the pictures show, the furniture I have is basic but does it's job, the lamp doesn't have the correct plug for the socket and there's only one of those. But putting my photos on the wall and unpacking all my things has definitely made it feel more like home. We're lucky that the previous volunteers left furniture for us as apparently it's been a tradition to make the next volunteers after you either find or build their furniture, as long as other staff members don't take it first! Toilets and showers are shared not only by all staff members but also scorpions and snakes if the sings on the doors are to be believed. The showers and most taps here use salt water as we're right next to a estuary but I'm happy to say that the showers are much warmer than the sea is!

From Tuesday to Friday there has been a school group of over 130 teenage girls so we've been helping in any way we can. As we haven't started training we couldn't help instructors that much but I've been shown and allowed to set up the Jacobs Ladder and Trapeze (leap of faith) ropes. As part of the course, every morning the participants have to do PT (physical training), run and dip. Getting up at 5.15am each morning for this has definitely been a struggle especially as it's dark outside and my sleeping bag is so warm but it does give an opportunity to see the sun rise over the estuary and sleeping till 7am now seems like a luxury.

The food here has been amazing thanks to Nicky who cooks for the staff Monday to Friday. My appetite has definitely grown since coming here and being so busy everyone eats so much! I'm also in love with the oranges here - they are giant and so tasty. Spending a few minutes trying to peel them are definitely worth it and there's been a few days that I've had three in a row. Friday night we had a Braai which is the South African term for BBQ. It was really good and I got to try pap for the first time. Pap is a food along the lines of rice and mash potatoes but it is delicious and everyone here absolutely loves it. At the weekends we cook for ourselves and yesterday me and Scott raided the fridges and freezers to find something to cook. We'd like to think our beef mince, vegetables and potatoes were a Masterchef worthy dish. 

The weather and local geography isn't what I was expecting when moving to South Africa. Looking out my window I could believe that I was somewhere in Scotland with the mountains and pine trees that are all around. The weather has been good so far, quite warm during the day not getting above 25°C but then it gets dark very quickly around 6.30pm with the temperature dropping as well, winter has just finished here after all.

Today we're all off so me and Scott are going into Sedgefield to do some exploring. Then afterwards I think we're going to tackle our washing that needs done. No washing machine here so it's handwashing all the way from now on.

On my training course I signed up to be a 'Project Trust Correspondent' which means I'm sent monthly tasks about things to write about. Our first task is titled 'Breakfast is breakfast' so I'm going to be uploading the article I write for it on here very soon.

Enjoy the photos,

Rachel

The good, the bad and the ugly

After nearly an 11 hour flight overnight, we arrived in Johannesburg early Friday morning. For the past two days we've been staying at the Ritz backpackers in Johannesburg which has been really nice.

On Friday we got a chance to rest (I was very happy about this as I only ended up getting about a hour and a half of sleep on the plane) and shower before having lunch and heading to the local mall to get South African sim cards for our phones.

Yesterday, we went on a bus tour to Soweto, a township just outside Johannesburg. This was quite eye opening as not only did we visit a church and museum about the uprising in Soweto and see Nelson Mandela's house but we also got the chance to walk through and meet people in a squatter camp. In geography last year we were learning about the favela's in Rio and heading to the squatter camp I had an impression of what it would be like. What I didn't expect however is the real sense of community everyone has and how welcoming they were to us. Our guides were lovely and gave us a very good insight into what life is like there. They are using tourism as a way to make money and improve not only their lives but also the community as 30% of the donations they receive go towards others living in the area. We were also shown some dances by a group of young boys who have been taught some traditional zulu dances as a way to avoid being caught up in crime. Soweto has the phrase 'the good, the bad and the ugly' due to the fact that there is extremely wealthy houses right next to both the middle class and squatter camps. It really does show the divide between the rich and poor.

The weather here is also not what I was expecting. Spring day is the 1st of September however we've been told by our country rep that it's still very much winter just now. Which is quite strange to get my head around since winter usually means snow, rain and the freezing cold in Scotland unlike here in Johannesburg it's still around 21°C during the day, however it does get quite cold at night.

Unfortunately, Talitha's visa didn't arrive in time so hopefully she's going to fly out in 2 weeks time but me and Scott are flying down to George this morning which is a half hour drive from our project. All the South Africa volunteers have bonded really well and I can't wait to meet up with everyone again but I'm very excited to head to my project and start learning everything we need to be able to start helping run courses.

Rachel 

1 Day Until I Leave...

So tomorrow I leave for South Africa!! It's scary to think how fast the time has gone since accepting Project Trust's offer to be a volunteer back in October 2017 after a selection course on the Isle of Coll. Ten months of fundraising and finishing high school later, I'm faced with my next challenge - packing. I think I underestimated how difficult fitting a years worth of clothes, shoes and random items into one rucksack would be. 

As this is my first blog post I wanted to give you some background information on my project placement. I will be based at Outward Bound South Africa along with two other Project Trust volunteers (Talitha and Scott) who I met on the South Africa training course at the start of July back up on Coll. While volunteering we will be helping the instructors in the day to day running of the centre supporting them with walking, climbing, kayaking, abseiling and camping along with various other outdoor activities. Our project is quite special as we will also get to travel with OB as they have five different bases across South Africa, however the main base where we will head first is located on the coast in the Western Cape in a small town called Sedgefield. 

I cannot wait to spend the next year volunteering, living and experiencing the Outward Bound life but none of it would have been possible without the help I have had from so many people! Endless thank yous go to anyone who helped me with my fundraising, no help was too little and it really meant a lot to me! 

Hopefully I'll be able to regularly update this blog along with my Facebook page (I've included a link at the bottom of this post) throughout my year in South Africa whenever I get hold of WiFi. I am also setting myself the challenge of writing a diary during my year away, which will hopefully provide inspiration for future posts here about my travels. 

Once again a massive THANK YOU to everyone and I'll speak to you next from South Africa!

https://www.facebook.com/RachelEganPTSouthAfrica/