The middle of nowhere - Colesberg

After the whales and the dolphins, things haven't been so spectacular anymore. Maybe that's why it took me some days to update this blog. I think life starts to get his own routine here. Things aren't all new anymore. But that doesn't make my life here less enjoyable! Or less interesting!

In Die Sterreweg there is still a lot of work to do. A few weeks ago I started to do a little research about children with a dissability older than 14 years. The plan is that we extend our centre next year with older children, but this gives of course new challenges. And we need to know how we best deal with al these things. So right now, a lot of time goes to calling people and trying to get an appointment and than having conversations with all of them. Quite interesting. It brings me again to new places and people. Last week I was in Knysna on a beautiful spot on the mountain with a beautiful view on the sea, where I was visiting a 'werkswinkel', a workplace for adults with a dissability (een beschutte werkplaats dus eigenlijk). They made really nice bread. It let me think of Finland because of the herbs they put in the bread...

And of course besides working, there is the free time. Two weekends ago I decided on a trip to the middle of nowhere, a little city called Colesberg, where I went to visit a friend who was working there in a guesthouse in a game park. Since I went to visit her, I got the chance to go on a game drive with two of the guys who work there too. So actually my first sentence of this blog wasn't right - maybe I just get too used to all this spectucular experiences. I saw a rhino from 5 or 10 meters! That was actually quite also spectacular and a bit frightening. Aparantly the guys had given this rhino food the day before on the same spot we were. He needs food, because he can't find enough in the park because of the dryness. But this rhino expected to get food again and decided to come to the car. As we started driving after a while, he followed us. Exciting. But ok, a rhino can run 40k/h and a car is a bit faster.

After our game drive we had a little party with all the people that work at that place. Funny and interesting to see for me. But getting to know these people, makes you think a lot. Four of the men working there, are coming from Zimbabwe, one of the poorest countries in the world, with an inflation of 3000 to 10000% a year. For the ones like me, who don't really understand this inflation thing, it means that the price of a bread today can be already twice as much the next week. But your salary isn't probably double by that time. And mister Mugabe (the president) isn't really doing great things for this country.
That's why a lot of Zim-man come to work in South (as people sometimes call South Africa). Not really getting a great life here ...
Apartheid doesn't exist anymore, but equality doesn't exist either yet. Just something to think about: for a five-day hunting experience in this place in Colesberg (Hunters moon) you pay 80.000 rand, wich is 8000 euro. Yes, I can buy two cars with that amount of money! But the same people (whites of course) that earn this money pay their workpeople from Zimbabwe 30 rand a day! Actually it is just enough to survive, although they come to South to earn money for their family in Zimbabwe. If you want to compare a little more, I am told that African people working in a guest house in Plett earn 80 to 100 rand a day, payed by this same white people, because they also own a guesthouse in Plett. They just take advantage of the situation and pay as little as they can, I think. And of course they don't allways pay on the day they are supposed to. Do you know what their argument is: I'll pay you later, because I don't have enough cash right now. This seems all so unfair to me. I must say I have a luxurious live!

But I must also say I had fun with this Zimguys and I was again practising my dance moves ... which might become better ... or maybe I only imagine they become better...