April and Autumn

Good afternoon from a cloudy South Africa! Here's the latest about what I've been up to here...

Week 30 (Monday 1st April - Sunday 7th April)

On Monday and Tuesday we were just finishing up the safety checks and cleaning base after the DSD course before we all go on leave. Wednesday we went to George and the mall before coming back to base and packing for our trip to Coffee Bay!

Early Thursday morning we started the long drive to Coffee Bay and managed to get to the backpackers there just before 5pm. On the drive there, we spotted a rock monitor crossing the road! It was so cool to see even for only a few passing seconds. The weather was terrible on Friday with heavy rain and thunderstorms for most of the day. That night the backpackers organised a trip to the local village where we would be able to have dinner with a family and see some traditional dancing. However when we got there the women of the family were not there - due to the heavy rain, they had thought that we would not be coming so had not prepared anything for us. Our guide Issac (a Coffee Bay local) did show us around a house and told us information about the area and the people who live there.

Saturday morning we got a lift to 'hole in the wall' with some people staying at the backpackers. Hole in the wall is an arch in the rock formed from years of corrosion due to the waves from the sea. Talitha decided to get a lift back to the backpackers while me and Scott decided to hike back with a local. The walk was 9km and took us along the coast. We got to see the baby hole in the wall too and cross the top of a waterfall. We also met other PT volunteers staying at Coffee Bay for the night. It was really good to catch up with them all!

Sunday was my favourite day during our time at Coffee Bay. We went on the guided caves and cliffs tour! As we walked along the coast we visited a cave (that had hundreds of bats inside!), a natural jacuzzi and did some cliff jumping into the sea too. On the way back we also stopped off at a point in the river where we were allowed to spend time jumping in from some rocks (the highest being around 7 meters or so high). This was clearly a favourite spot for the local kids as there were so many of them swimming and jumping when we got there. It was such a nice spot to swim, and I'm glad the sun was out for it! Lunch was the classic Coffee Shack toastie - anyone who's had one will tell you how good they are!!

Week 31 (Monday 8th April - Sunday 14th April)

Monday we spent a few hours at the beach swimming and making the most of the sun while it was out. The rain was back Tuesday morning which meant that the 'beach day' being run was cancelled but it did mean we got a free surf lesson! The rain soon disappeared though so we were surfing in the sun once again. When I was talking to someone from the Netherlands who was staying at the backpackers, I learned that he was going to Scotland in June for a wedding at Winton Castle (where I worked before I left for SA)! It really is such a small world!

We left Coffee Bay on Wednesday to head back to Sedgefield and stopped off at La Piazza for dinner. Thursday and Friday we caught up on sleep and I managed to dry my washing between all the rain showers. Saturday we went to the market and bumped into John (another PT volunteer) who was with his family. It was nice to see him again! We met up with Jacob that afternoon for a braai which was really nice. I also saw my first porcupine!

Week 32 (Monday 15th April - Sunday 21st)

Our plans for Monday was to head to the beach but more rain washed that plan away. Instead we headed to the mall in George. Tuesday the weather was much better so we headed to Vic Bay where me and Talitha did some body boarding. The waves were really good and the water warmer than we were expecting! Afterwards we were sitting on the rocks watching the surfers and I thought I saw something swimming near them... Turns out a pod of dolphins had stopped by! It was very cool to catch a glimpse of them as they swam past!!

On Wednesday we dropped Talitha off at the airport - she's going home for two weeks to visit her family. Friday me and Scott went out on the kayaks. It seems like months since I've done kayak rolls. Yesterday we went to the market before swimming some more. It's been very sunny the past two days which has been a very welcome change. It's also getting darker earlier now with it nearly completely dark by 6.30pm! Me and Scott were meant to be working on different courses this coming week but unfortunately they've all been cancelled.

The photos I have are from Coffee Bay and then some of the moon I took last night.

Rachel :)

Evacuations, Tents and a lot of canoes.

Good evening from South Africa! It's been very hectic here (and at Graubow) the past three weeks so I've not found the time to uploaded a blog each Sunday. I was determined to not let another Sunday pass without posting anything so here's the past three weeks...

Week 27 (Monday 11th - Sunday 17th March) - Maintenance, Greenwood and Graubow.

So for the start of this week I spent a lot of time doing jobs around base such as cleaning the bathrooms the groups use, prepping the A-frame (the house where teachers sleep) and digging a MASSIVE hole (nearly the height of me) for all the organic waste from the kitchen to be put in. Wednesday was equally as busy as it was 'prep' day for course. We had the course brief in the morning and spent the rest of the day putting up four big watch tents and moving mattresses into them for the participants to sleep on.

Thursday was the day the course started - four groups of kids from grades four and five. I spent most of the day as water support doing float tests, canoeing, swimming and raft building. In the evening the groups all went on a night hike in an attempt to try and tire out the kids. This however did not work, and the instructors spent a lot of time that night trying to get the groups to sleep. Shirley even went as far as to take a group of boys that wouldn't sleep on a walk up the hill at 2am. For the final challenge the next morning I ran relay races with them for nearly an hour but still they had so much energy!! I think all the instructors were glad they were staying for one night only - but it was a really great and fun course to be on.

Five hours away in Grabouw, Scott, Talitha and the other instrucors were having a completely different course. A seven day course for the local high schools grade tens started well until the rain arrived... On the second day all groups had to be evacuated and taken back to their school as the rain was so bad. One group had to be rescued by the nature reserves rescue team as the river they were camping next to was impossible to cross after only one night of rain. Being taken back to school gave the groups a space to dry out their gear (and themselves!) and get given new dry clothes by their parents. After spending the night at school, the rain thankfully cleared so they all headed back into the mountains to finish their course.

Everyone arrived back on Friday night and it was good to hear all the stories from their course and share ones from ours. We had Saturday off so we spent the whole afternoon in the kayaks then we also had Sunday morning off before prepping base for the next course.

I also saw two different snakes this week -  a green boomslang and what I think was was a puff adder.

Week 28 (Monday 18th - Sunday 24th March) - I observed a course!

Bright and early on Monday morning the kids started arriving for course. This time it was grade eights from a high school in George. For this course I got to observe Zack which meant I stayed with his group throughout the whole course and got to pick up tips on how to instruct. So on the first day we did spiders web, canoeing and also a loop hike to the campsite we'd be camping at that night. The second day we did swimming, some more canoeing, raft building and jacobs ladder. It was really great to get to see the different participants push themselves out their comfort zones on different activities and watch thew also grow in confidence. The last day was spent doing the trapeeze then cleaning the gear they had used. The weather wasn't that great with it raining then staying dry for an hour or so before raining again, making it impossible for the gear to dry out. 

On Thursday we mainly spent the day cleaning up and packing away the pods after the gear had dried out. Me and Scott had Friday off (Talitha was supporting a different course that was running here so she was still working) so we went swimming for a bit. Saturday morning saw us three walk to the market where we had a pizza for breakfast! We also went for a swim when we got back but the water was quite cold and since summer is over now, it's only going to get colder. Sunday was spent prepping for the two DSD courses that would be happening from Monday, then more swimming. 

Week 29 (Monday 25th - Sunday 31st March) - DSD (department of social development)

So we're finally onto this week... dsd. Since Monday there have been two dsd courses running here so it's been a very busy week. Me and Talitha got to be support here at base while Scott got the chance to observe the groups out in the field. While on base the groups did jacobs ladder, trapeeze and raft building. They also spent time out of base doing a beach hike, abseiling and an overnight solo. The solo is almost always an issue with some of the dsd participants and this time two of them decided that they had had enough and thought the best way about it was running away. They didn't get far - they ran to a dead end. After the final challenge of a run this morning they all left before lunchtime.

While we've been at base, me and Talitha have been super busy doing safety checks, working on different projects and also painting inside the dining hall. We created a 'words of the week' wall, where there will be different words each week in the languages of OB - Xohsa, Afrikaans, Tswana and English (the first language's of some of the OB staff). Talitha also painted exit signs (and wanted them featured in this blog) and she's also been making water polo goals for us all to use! I also found a praying mantis in our room and in some cultures here finding one in your house is a symbol of good luck or an indication of your ancestors being present.

Tonight we are all having a braai to celebrate the fact that March is finished... seven courses in four weeks... HECTIC.

The pictures from this week are of the primary course I supported, the high school course I observed, the 'words of the week' board, the exit sign, water polo goals and me and the mantis.

Rachel :)

Week 26 - 6 months in!

Good afternoon from a cold, rainy and windy South Africa! Although it's summer here, the temperature at Willow Point today is a chilly 19°C, giving me a rare chance to wear a jumper all day and not overheat after five minutes. I'm loving it!

After two weeks off we were all back to work on Monday. We spent the morning doing maintenance around base before starting this month's safety checks. We had PT (physical training) at 6.30am on Tuesday morning which included a run and dip in the water. Once we had finished tidying up the water front, me, Scott, Charmoné and Talitha spent the day in the rox store finishing the safety checks in there. The rox store is filled with all the gear we use for the high ropes activities, abseiling and rock climbing. Each carabiner, rope, harness, helmet all needs individually checked for cracks, cuts or fraying. It's a long task but VERY important. We also went swimming after work was finished.

On Wednesday we spent the morning making visual aids that we and the instructors can use on course to engage groups with what we are talking about. I'm looking forward to being able to use the ones I made in the field with a group! After lunch I was safety checking the high ropes with Talitha and Zanza. I was belaying Zanza while she checked the Jacobs Ladder then Talitha belayed me while I went up the Trapeze to check that. Like yesterday, once everything was finished for the day we hit the water and did some more swimming. We had PT again on Thursday morning (it's now every Tuesday and Thursday morning while we are working!) which was mainly swimming which was great. The rest of the day was spent packing the trailers and bakkie for the course happening in Graubow.

Scott, Talitha and most of the instructors left Friday morning to go to Graubow for the course there. I didn't go as there's a course happening here at base that I'm supporting next week. I prepared some paperwork for that course and then didn't do much else on Friday! I took a walk to the market on Saturday morning which was nice to have a look around and then tydied up our room. I went a run this morning (before the rain began) and spent this afternoon reading and listening to music.

Wednesday marked me being in South Africa for six months! It's crazy to think I've spent half a year here already and even crazier to think I've only got five months left before I find myself on a plane flying back home.

It occurred to me yesterday that I didn't have any photos from this week to put here so when I saw a toad on my way to the showers last night I took the opportunity and snapped a picture of it!

Rachel :)

Week 25 - A lot of beaches

Good evening from South Africa! In a shocking turn of events I'm actually posting this blog update on time! Here's what we've been doing the past seven days...

Monday wasn't a very productive day but since we're on leave it was good to just chill out. We hired a car on Tuesday so we could go and body board but the weather wasn't looking promising so we ended up going to Sedgefield beach and had a walk/climb on the rocks before the rain started. I'm quite glad it did rain though as now the water tank outside the ghetto is full again so I can get my washing done! The next day the weather was much better so we headed to Buffalo Bay. The water was a nice temperature (unlike last time we went there - it was freezing!) and the waves were also pretty big making it perfect body boarding conditions. Me and Talitha have bodyboarding mastered now that we know what we're doing! After swimming, having lunch and doing more bodyboarding we ended up leaving just after 6pm - a day well spent.

Thursday was my favourite day this week. We drove along the road to Wilderness to do some canyoning! Our guide was called Greg and we found out that he actually worked for Outward Bound back in 2001 - 2004, so it was really cool to talk to him about his time at OB SA and hear the stories he had to tell and share some of our own. The actual canyoning was amazing too! While walking down to the river through the forest Greg was telling us all about the plants and animals that lived here and he pointed out signs that showed a leopard lived in the area. To get into the river we did a 30 meter abseil which was really cool before swimming/walking upstream to the jumping spots. It was such a good day!

Friday we went for a day trip to Mossel Bay and then Victoria Bay on the way back before having dinner in Wilderness. We were having dinner at a restaurant which had live music and Talitha lost a bet so she ended up going up on the stage and doing a bit of singing! Saturday we went to the market and had breakfast there (Talitha even met some of her fans from the restaurant while waiting in line for crepes) and then went to Jacobs (he's a freelance instructor for OB who we met the week we did first aid training) house for a braai and board games. Unfortunately I didn't end up eating the braai as I decided to bring back up what I had eaten for breakfast/lunch earlier. I'm blaming the food I ate at the market. But hey, I did win at anti-monopoly! Today hasn't been busy, mainly sleeping and playing cards but it's back to work tomorrow!

The photos I have from this week are from canyoning, Vic Bay, a photo of all the freckles I gained at Buffalo Bay and Scott's hair after some kids hair sprayed it for charity!

Enjoy the photos,

Rachel :)

Robertson, First Aid and Caves.

Good afternoon from a cloudy day here in SA. Here's the latest blog update from the last three weeks...

Week 22 (Monday 4th - Sunday 10th February) - Robertson

So I had hoped to get this blog posted on Sunday 10th but a power cut, which means no phone signal, stopped that from happening. I also tried Monday and Tuesday but there was more power cuts. The BBC wrote an article about all the power issues here in SA this week (here is the link to it - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-47232268 ). Anyway, here is this week's post..,

We spent Monday packing all the gear we would need for the next course into the trailer and bakkie (pronounced 'buky', it's the Afrikaans word for pickup truck). We also did some last minute maintenance around base including fixing the gutter and drain pipe outside the DP room. Hopefully now that we've repositioned the pipe that goes underground the room won't flood when we get heavy rainfall. As we managed to get everything done we got to have the rest of the afternoon off so of course we just had to go for a swim!

Bright and early (5am early) on Tuesday morning we left Sedgefield to drive out to Robertson. Robertson is a five hour drive away and the town is very famous for it's wine with lots of wine companies using the surrounding land for growing fruit. In fact, the area that OB use here is on the Graham Beck wine estate. When we got to our base for the week we had lunch before heading out to the abseil site to leave the gear there and to set up the approach lines on the walk up. Approach lines are used when the walk to the top of the abseil is potentially dangerous for the participants. It's basically a long piece of rope that's attached into a carabiner which is then attached to a hanger in a rock surface. When the participants hike up they wear their helmets and a seat harness which means they can be attached onto the rope. The route to the top of this abseil is very steep with loose rocks and you also need to climb up in some places too. The abseil is very cool though and very high too with it dropping around 50 meters from the top! When we got back to the base we use here, me and Aphiwe were the designated chefs that night so we cooked a stir fry for everyone. I really love the base here, think safari lodge style, with amazing views of the mountains and a dam in the middle of a nature reserve.

Wednesday marked the first day of course. We all jumped in the back of the bakkie and drove out to  the community centre where we would be meeting the group and where they would start and finish their OB journey. As we went early we even got time for a quick shower as there's none at base. The group was a varsity (university) from Cape Town so the participants were all 19-28 years old. As the groups were only hiking out to their campsites that day our duties as support was mainly logistical such as dropping water in 25L containers at the campsites for the groups. Afterwards we (me, Scott, Talitha and Nthabi - who is the course coordinator for this course) headed back to the base with the teacher for the night. Nthabi taught me how to make chicken stew that night for dinner... but according to most people here, chicken is a vegetable, so did I learn how to to make vegetable stew instead?

Another early morning on Thursday saw Talitha and I head out to the abseil site to set it up for the first group arriving just after 8am. Unfortunately a participant in that group became unwell so we had to take them back to base. He was feeling much better by late afternoon which was good. We also did another water drop which was one of the most important jobs that day as not only were the groups hiking for long distances between campsites and activities but also because of the weather. That afternoon the temperature reached 44°C! It was a good thing that raft building was on the programme as it gave the groups a chance to cool down in the water, especially after a long hike with no shade to hide from the scorching sun in. One of the instructors mentioned how going for a dip in the water was really special for a few people from their group as this was the first time that they had ever gone swimming! Late afternoon, Talitha and I headed back out to the abseil site to take down all the ropes, gear and approach lines. I have to say, going down the route with the approach lines is far better than doing it without them! As it was still far too hot that night we opted for sleeping outside under the stars. This is something I'm loving being able to do here.

Friday was the last day of course so we drove back to the community centre where the groups met again. I ran the 'final challenge' which for this course was a team building type of obstacle course that we had created. Despite the scorching temperatures throughout the past few days, all the participants were so positive and full of energy - it was really great to see. Once they had left we all managed to get another shower (we were all super grateful for the cold water!) before packing up the pods (big bags that store all the gear a participant will need while on course) and heading back to the base to debrief. As it was still way too hot to pack everything back into the trailer we took a break for a hour or so. Me, Talitha and Andy went swimming in one of the dams and the views were just incredible. After packing the trailer we had dinner and started to pack our personal stuff. This is when Nthabi made the discovery of a spider in her bag - I've never seen a bigger spider in my life!

As you can tell, here at OB we love nothing more than an early morning so at 5am we were back on the road again. We stopped off in Robertson so that Andy could catch his bus (which was two hours late - no surprise to anyone here) to Cape Town as it was the end of his time here at OB SA. We're all going to miss having him around base and it was really great to learn from him and get to know him the past month. After getting back to Sedgefield just before lunch, we unpacked and washed the vehicles before finishing up for the day. Sunday was a day of leave so I spent it calling family and friends back home and then going swimming. It was also raining which was very welcoming after spending the last four days in temperatures that never seemed to dip below 30°C .

In some other news around base, I saw two bush bucks walking around, the electricity keeps going out for a few hours a couple of times a day and the mosquitoes have come back in force.

The pictures this week are all from our time in Robertson. In order we have the zebra we drove past everyday on the way to the abseil site. It was really cool to see them in the wild again! There is also photos of the base and the surrounding area and one of the spider that was found in Nthabi's bag.

Enjoy the pictures,

Rachel :)

Week 23 (Monday 11th - Sunday 17th February) - First Aid and Sleeping bags

As the subheading suggests this week we have been doing a lot of first aid. We started re-learning the basics with level 1 and progressed throughout the week onto level 2 and 3. Friday was our test day where we had to demonstrate the skills we had learned the past few days. Being able to do a field dressing, deal with an impaled object, handling fractures, infant, child and adult chocking and CPR. We also learned about environmental issues including heatstroke, drowning and snake and spider bites - all very important to know in our field of work. We also spent time making stretchers out of things we could find around base that we would have on course so my team made one out of rucksacks and rope. We also had to carry Scott around base on the stretcher we have here and that we bring on every course. Level 3 (emergency childbirth) may not be as relevant to Outward Bound first aid compared to dealing with a sprained ankle, but it's all important to know as a first aider.

In between first aid training we were washing the sleeping bags from the instructors pods. Hand washing them did take a while but since it was nice and sunny all week they dried in no time! The best way to wash them properly is to use your feet instead of your hands. We had to stomp on them for a few minutes in soapy water, then fresh water (once you've squeezed out all the soapy water from them) before putting them in a big tub of water with fabric softner. Once it's been in there for a few moments we twist the water out of them again before hanging them up to dry.

In some other news around base, there's been a DSD course running this week, we spent Saturday morning advertising OB in Knynsa mall and the spiders in our room have taken to making nests on our curtains. We were also given new OB t-shirts and an OB cap too that we can wear while on course. And there's been a monkey around base!!

The only photos I have of this week are from washing the sleeping bags and one of me down at the waterfront after swimming yesterday.

We're now on leave for two weeks as the courses that were meant to be happening up in Potchefstroom were rescheduled for later in the year. So we've got a few days out planned for this week.

Enjoy the photos,

Rachel :)

Week 24 (Monday 18th February - Sunday 24th February) - Caves and cheetahs.

So this week we've been on leave which has been really nice after a hectic few weeks. As usual we've done a lot of swimming but we've also hired a car so on Tuesday we went to Vic Bay beach and did some body surfing and ice cream eating. We also went into George and stopped at Golden Harvest which is a fresh fruit/veg shop which is amazing. I bought lots of oranges and mangoes and we even found a few cans of irn bru there! Since we were in George we had decided to go to the cinema which was really good.

On Wednesday we drove up to Oudtshoorn a town famous for its ostriches. We visited the Cango Caves which was very cool. We went on the 'adventure' tour round the cave system which meant visiting all the chambers and then climbing up through tunnels and small spaces. 'Devils chimney' was a climb that was almost vertical with not much room to move and 'the postbox' as the name suggests was a very small opening we had to slide through. We also went to the Cango Wildlife Park which has a massive focus on conservation especially cheetahs. They offer animal encounters so we couldn't pass on the offer of meeting a cheetah! It was absolutely amazing!!

We've been at base the rest of the week so we've done a lot of swimming (it's the best way to cool down) and we went to the market yesterday morning. Yesterday was also the half way mark for my volunteering year away. I've had an amazing experience so far, meeting new people, seeing new places, learning a lot of new cultures but most importantly being given an opportunity to help make a lasting impact on a wide variety of people who come through Outward Bound's door.

Photos from this week are from Vic Bay, the caves and meeting the cheetahs.

Enjoy the photos and I'm going to try my best and actually post next week's blog on time.

Rachel :)

January 2019

Good evening from a warm South Africa! Apologies for not updating this blog for the past month - we've been all over the place so it's been quite hectic lately (We've noticed that South Africans LOVE to use the word 'hectic'). Here's the last three weeks in their own wee blog...

Week 19 (14 - 18th Jan) - Learning, kayaking and the dreaded beach marathon.

We all started back at OB on the 14th of January and for being the first five days back at work after an incredible Christmas holiday, what a good few days it was. Mornings were spent doing maintenance around base then after 10am Andy ran different training sessions each day. Andy is from Outward Bound UK and is based in their centre in Aberdovey Wales, but for the past three weeks he's been here at OB SA to do some training and development with us all. Each afternoon we all spent time together doing various activities. Monday we all went swimming (us volunteers won the relay race we did!), Tuesday afternoon was spent doing kayak rolls and on Wednesday we fixed up the beach volley ball court which was in some desperate need of some TLC. After lunch on Thursday we all headed out in the sea kayaks and paddled all the way to the sea mouth where we spent time at the beach before paddling back again. It was such a nice afternoon to swim there and the water in the estuary was super clear when we were kayaking. At 6.30am on Friday morning we started the infamous OB SA beach marathon!! Although the name suggests otherwise, it's not actually a marathon. It's a ~15km run along the beach with the target of doing it in under 1 hour and 40 minutes. If that wasn't an inspiring target to reach, you also need to run fast enough so you don't get cut off from the last 2km as the tide comes in...or it's a long walk back. I managed to run it in 1 hour 51 minutes and I've never been so happy to see breakfast after it!

Week 20 (15 - 26th January) - Citrusdal.

Saturday the 15th we drove out to Citrusdal as this is where the first course of the year was being held. Being in the bus for eight hours after running the marathon the previous morning was exactly what our legs asked for... The next day we hiked up the abseil marking the path more to make it more obvious. We also went for a swim in the dam to cool off afterwards, although leeches were soon discovered within it. The next two days were spent clearing a new path up the gorge (so the groups have somewhere to walk in the shade), putting up the spiders web we made and prepping for course starting. We also played football outside and me and Talitha made a new friend in Peter - one of the local kids who goes to the day care which is joint onto our base. We taught him 'What's the time Mr Wolf' but I think he was more into running around the hall.

Wednesday 23rd was the first day of course. It's a college from Cape Town so the participants were 18-23 years old. It was really interesting to see how the instructors interact and frame activities and initiatives for older people. Me and Scott hiked out with the groups and camped overnight as we'd be setting up the abseil the next morning. We made use of the good weather to spend the night on just our roll mat. The stars here are also INCREDIBLE, and lying under them was breathtaking. After hiking up the abseil at 4.30am and setting it up, with spectacular views of the sunrise, we spent the day there assisting with the three groups. I really like being abseil support and for two groups I got to help the instructor tie in the participants at the top. It was just a three day course so the next morning after a 5am final challenge (a race with clues which Scott and Talitha masterminded) and clean up the group went home. There was ten cups of jelly left from the previous night so we (and Peter!) all sat down and ate them with some custard - jelly and custard is VERY big in SA. Then we were back on the road the next morning heading back to base.

Week 21 (27th Jan - 3rd Feb) - We love the beach.

Sunday the 27th was our first day off since coming back so we went out for the day! Talitha joined Shirley at her church in George for the morning while me, Scott, Andy and Nthabi went to the mall. Me and Scott got breakfast with Andy then sent postcards. Afterwards we all headed to Victoria Bay where we went swimming! The water was so blue and clear is was so nice to swim in. Shout out to Andy for buying me a rugby ball! After our swim we got a well deserved ice cream, which tasted so good! We also visited the 'Map of Africa' on the way back. This isn't an actual map, just trees that make up the shape of Africa due to a river running round them. It was pretty cool.

The start of the week was filled with safety checks but on Tuesday we headed out on a staff expedition! We spent that afternoon rock climbing, and I have to say I'm definitely more of an abseil person. Afterwards we kayaked to base where we picked up our rucksacks and hopped into canoes for the final 20 minutes to 'shack', a mosquito paradise. This is the camping area where we would do our overnight solo. A overnight solo is time on course where the participants build their own shelters and sleep out and have time to reflect on themselves and anything happening in their lives. They're given some tarp and rope then food - for us this consists of four slices of bread, four biscuits and an apple. I'm glad how I made my shelter as it started to rain in the early morning and my stuff remained water free.

After continuing with the safety checks the rest of the week Friday morning saw us give presentations to each other. These were about someone else at OB who we had to find time to talk to the previous few days and learn about their background and culture. This was really interesting to listen to as there are so many different cultures here at OB - Xhosa, Afrikaans, Tswana and English.  The rest of the day was a staff braai so it was nice to chill with everyone after a hectic week. We made use of the newly refurbished volley ball court and although none of us are going to be the next volley ball gold medalist, it was definitely fun.

I made use of Saturday morning by sleeping in till 10am which was bliss. Me and Talitha went out and did some kayak rolls with Andy in the afternoon but an oncoming storm and lightning getting closer and closer put a stop to that after an hour or so. We went out with Emily and Andy that evening into town to La Piazza to watch the rugby! And although the bad weather cut out the TV during parts of the Scotland game, it was really nice to spend time together with dinner and the rugby. Sunday was another beach day! We headed to Buffalo Bay with a lot of the OB staff and their families. Talitha and I have mastered the art of body boarding, although the water was freezing! I don't want to sound like I'm repeating myself but it was such a nice day spent all together.

In some other news around base - us volunteers are going to get a chance to instruct a course in the next few months and we are also being put on as support for a DSD group. Also lychee's are our favourite fruit of the month.

I've picked my favourite photos from the past few weeks so in order we have...
The sunrise from the top of the abseil in Citrusdal, me and Scott's camp under the stars and a few from the abseil including the lizard that kept running around. Then to show how hot it was I have the temperatures for Citrusdal. There's no phone signal there so I don't have the actual temperatures we had while we were there but it'll look the same as the ones in the picture which is the temperatures for the coming week when we left.
There's also a picture of Shirley and Scott looking out at the sea, Scott back flipping with two kids at the beach and then the Map of Africa.
Two photos from our staff expedition, one of all of us posing for photos in front of the ghetto, a shark bite kit at the beach we went to yesterday and finally a rainbow over base.

Tomorrow we drive to Robertson to run another course. It's going to be non stop for the next few months!

I hope you've enjoyed reading what I've been up to these past few weeks and like the photos too.

Rachel :)