On Saturday , me and Leo (who is here working with a german development agency and is a lovely man) and two other girls from Germany who were travelling around Africa, took at trip to Chobe National Park in Botswana, just across the border from Zambia. I was very excited although it did mean getting up very early- we got driven down to the Pontoon ferry to get a lift over the very short river crossing. Its crazy down by the Pontoon crossing, people everywhere and huge queues of lorries- they can only fit on 1 lorry at a time so I have no idea how long people wait. It's free to enter Botswana, unlike Zimbawe- at the Pontoon ferry you can see Zimbawe, Namibia too, where the four of them meet.
Took a game drive first through the park, our enthusiastic driver wanting to show us as much as possible. The park is HUGE, I don't know facts and figures but its a lot bigger than Glasgow Green and Golden Acre Park put together. There were Impala's everywhere, a common animal in this part of Africa but also different types of deer too, the Pukoo (probably wrong spelling) which is only kept in this park and other types. It was the shock of being so close to the elephants that got me- really amazing. They don't attack cars or even seem to mind them (seen as our car was one of those open sided ones, that was a lucky thing) - it was a hot day so quite alot of elephants were down at the riverside. Which was great on the afternoon boat trip. Saw crocs too, quite and un nervingly near to the boat, and hippos (what a crabby animal that is) , lots of beautiful birds, warthogs and their babies but no giraffes or lions. The park has lions but they tend to hide much further inside the bush, off the tracks, probably to avoid tourists pointing their cameras and shouting 'oooh look there's a lion, roaaarrrrr' and other bad impressions.
Friday at school we brought all the instruments into the computer room to send a performance via Skype to the UK- Adelaide found us on the Skype which was so exciting, the connection was a bit dodgy but we could all see her, and her family and we played her 'Lord I lift your name on high' - when I saw Ads crying I started too, pretty emotional. Hopefully we can try it again with better sound quality next time, or I may try film it with the camera and put it on YouTube. We had 14 of the kids here, the full school band and I was so proud of them. They were AMAZING. Such a talented bunch.
Tried to Skype to my folks too but the connection went down, all they got was a echoey sound, huge shame.
Last night the rain fell on my head through the ceiling in the night so I crawled into another dorm in middle of the night so I could get some sleep, although I was already a bit soggy. The storms have pulled down the power cable to the school and our houses here, so we have no power and no water which has meant afternoon activities are cancelled and the school were only able to feed the younger kids which is really sad. I guess its cheese sandwiches for tea then.....
Very excited about my nativity play we are doing last week of term now Ive written it all out. Chosen two of the best readers in Grade 5 and 6 to narrate and have to get material to make costumes now! One of the Grade 8's (who left last year) Mischeck who goes to St Raphaels will come and help me that week, which is fantastic. He even offered to help make the costumes, hurrah!
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