Friday, February 19th, 2016
After working for eight days straight, we got to have four days off. We definitely have it easier than some of the others who work 21 days without a break. I am still going to enjoy it though. It is time to break out the SPF. First stop, the pool. Second stop, the beach.
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Thursday, February 18th, 2016
Right before I left for this trip, my closest friends got together and we all went out for a nice dinner. We're a small group and we don't always have the same opinions and nothing ever goes exactly according to plan; but when we need each other, we can rely on one another. I also got to spend some quality time with my parents and my little brother who I cannot thank enough for being so supportive of my dreams ventures in life. I want my youth to last me my lifetime, but the only way I can do that is by making memories while I am young that I can reflect on and share when I am old. Being here in South Africa is one of those memories that will last a lifetime. Also, my baby boy is doing a lot better this week. We still don't know for sure what is making him sick but his medication seems to be helping so we are hopeful that he will have all his energy back soon. Thank you all for your love! Wednesday, February 17th, 2016
This post is a tribute to a special bond my dad and I have shared since I was a kid. I can remember my dad collecting coins when I was young and we have shared lots of time sorting through his collection and finding coins to add to it. South Africa has some very interesting money; their bills have the Big Five on one side (one animal for each bill), and Nelson Mandela on the other, and I have found their coins to be very special as well because they have incorporated the country's cultural diversity in a way that I don't know if many people have noticed. The Big Five are five of the most difficult animals in Africa to hunt; they are the African lion, African elephant, Cape buffalo, African leopard, and the White and Black rhinoceros. Tuesday, February 16th, 2016
I can't wait to get home and go camping and figure out how to make some kind of vegan s'mores. Any suggestions? Sunday, February 14th, 2016
Seeing so many people away from their loved ones on Valentine's day makes the whole day seem kind of harsh. In North America, being single on Valentine’s Day can ruin someone's day. Here in South Africa, being away from significant others, children and every other loved one in their lives, ruins their day. I think that being away from my loved ones helped me empathize with everyone here, especially considering that I am only here for two and a half months, and I know that. Once I leave here, I may never need to be away from my family for so long, especially without being able to call them; all of the workers here will be away from their loved ones for as long as they work here. Not everyone in South Africa has to work so far away from their homes, but it really does put life in perspective when you experience it. What makes this situation worse? When a man who is newly married with a pregnant wife at home cannot afford to call her and send his love on this special day let alone any other day. Luckily for him, he has two fairy goddesses (we're too young to be fairy godmothers) visiting him. We teamed up and helped him put money on his phone to have a special and unexpected conversation with her and gave him some jewelry for the special day which he can take back to her to show her that he loves her and wants her to feel special even when he can't be around. What we are able to do won't change his life forever, but sometimes all people need is something special to drive them forward. The short story is that he made mayonnaise from scratch, but the customer complained because it took too long.
The long story is that he was on his own in the kitchen because it wasn't supposed to be a busy day. He was preparing food for the other tables and there was no mayonnaise prepared for that day. He made the mayonnaise as fast as he could but the customer was not happy. He then had to explain the situation to his manager because the customer was not happy with the service and that made the rest of his day a little less pleasant. Understand that no one is perfect. If you have to wait a little longer for something consider that there is more going on than what you can see from the front of house staff. Expressing concern is okay, but don't overreact to the point where the manager has to come out and deal with the situation and assess the quality of her chef's skills because the situation was blown out of proportion. Overall, today was a great day. I feel like the other employees are really accepting us here and bonding with us. At times, I have felt a little left out because most of the staff are not comfortable speaking English, but today we had some great bonding time. Over the past few days people have started to really open up and include us in their conversations. I was even able to help cheer up the chef by asserting that one unhappy customer does not define your capabilities as a chef. Saturday, February 13th, 2016
As I sit here eating the last of my fresh vegetables, I am thinking that I have to give a list of groceries to someone so that they can go get me food; being here makes me appreciate how easy shopping is at home. This is just one of the struggles of working so far from town with no transportation. I've worked for days straight with no break before, but what I never realized was that living such a comfortable life actually gave me enough of a break just being home around family and loved ones to help me push on. When you are here, not just for me but for everyone living in employee accommodation, there is no break. It is constant work here all the time every day. You live and work with the same people, you don't share dinner together or hang out to pass the time, you are always tired and missing your family and you don't want to talk about work or have anything to do with work when you are not working, but you cannot escape it. There are no pictures up on the walls, no personal touches to warm the place up, no colour or life; there are only dull dark walls with silent common rooms, and closed and locked doors dividing coworkers. Naturally, we brought games and tried to get everyone together, but we don't have to force a relationship for years because we are only here for another week. Friday, February 12th, 2016
Above are some pictures of the food that goes out of the kitchen here at Miarestate, and of course, your new master chef. Today at work, I did the only thing that I am useful for in a kitchen (especially of a 5 star restaurant) and I made a fruit bowl! I also heard from a little birdie that the happy customer sent compliments to the chef (moi) announcing that her expectations had been exceeded. I didn't know fruit made people other than myself that happy. I guess I just did an amazing job. :) Wednesday, February 10th, 2016
Today two Canadians from Toronto came in for a quick overnight stay on their way to Durban. What are the chances they would have come from somewhere so close to my home. I had never met them before but it gave me such a sense of comfort, like they brought a piece of Canada here with them. I really needed that comfort today because I was dealing with my first major conflict with distance that made me feel so helpless and so far from home. My baby boy (cat) had to be brought into the veterinarians office today because he wasn't feeling well. I wanted so badly to be there with him and felt so guilty, like it was my leaving that drove him to be sick. We did every test that we could on him and still don't have an answer, but we are hopeful that with a little medication he will be his grumpy self again in no time. Fortunately, both of my babies have someone very special and close to them there and they know each other so well that I can be sure they will always be under the best of care. Today was a lot for this little lady to handle. I'm just looking forward to getting lots of pictures tomorrow of my baby happy, healthy, safe and comfortable at home where he likes to be. However, this situation brought out the best in my relationships with the workers here, specifically one which was not so strong before. It is great to know that, when I need it, we can put our differences aside and be there to cheer each other up and pass on some good advice. Tuesday, February 9th, 2016
Wake up to be ready to arrive at work at 7am, work until 4pm, go home to employee accommodation, do it all over again for 20 days more. Then spend a day in transportation to get home to your family to spend 5 days with them so that you can go back to work and do it all over again. Or maybe, you will take your time off and stay at your accommodation because you cannot afford to travel every month but you need the time off to study. Your child gets raised by your mother because you can not take care of her when you are at work all day. You only get to see your daughter every 6 months because you are in school and you can only afford to travel that often. Every new accomplishment your baby makes is photographed so that you can experience it, but never in the same way as you would if you were able to be there with her. Every time you see your baby it takes 5 minutes of hugging and kissing and talking before she recognizes your face and is comfortable with you again. But she is your child so you will never give up on getting to know her. You know that you were young when she was born but you have so many hopes for your future that soon you will be able to be there for her. You just need to finish school and stay working far away for another year and a half. Then hopefully you will at least be able to say goodnight to your only child so that she can have some memory of you, some influence from you when she grows up. But you know in your heart you are doing all of this for her because you want her to have a better life than you had. Such is life here in South Africa. Such is the life of so many. Appreciate the time you have with your family because not everyone gets it.. Monday, February 8th, 2016
She is proof to women that we can be strong, knowledgeable leaders in a world where members have the upper hand. At only 26, she is already a manager at her work, and has completed a diploma but has hopes of continuing her education. She stands up for people here so that they don't get taken advantage of, and she helps do other jobs around the hotel when she isn't busy with her many other obligations. Friday February 5th, 2016
The higher up you are the more people you rely on to do your job properly. Don't burn bridges. It is hard to accept they way staff are treated in another country when you come from one so free. With a little teamwork, though, it is easy to make someone's hard job a little easier. Even just showing respect for someone who may work for you can create a positive affect on their day. Thursday February 4th, 2016
We all have different views on faith but the basic respect we have for each other remains the same. He is very religious, a born again Christian, who tells the stories from his Bible that explains his views of the world. I am a long lost Roman Catholic with a profound outlook on life and a strong belief in the fair treatment of all life. Together we get along even though we have chosen different religious paths in life, we have a mutual understanding of respect for one another. Some people blame religion for wars and disagreements between people, but the truth is, each person should be held responsible for their thoughts and actions. Of course, because of my upbringing, many of my beliefs stem from the teachings of my church, I have just developed them on my own as I strayed from organization. Take your Bible for what it is to you, it may have a different meaning to everyone as we all interpret and respect things differently. Understand that it can teach us lessons and give guidance as to how to handle situations which have been handled wrong in the past. It can teach us how to be compassionate and empathetic. Do not use literature to aid in ignorance, use it to build tolerance. Realize that one who has never attended church or reads passages from the Bible may be a more kindred human being than one whom does both. It isn't religion that makes people righteous, it is the concept of living a pure life to the best of your ability. After speaking with one very earnest staff member here, I can tell that he uses his knowledge of the Bible and teachings from the church to help guide him in a way that makes him a better, calmer, more rational person. He is very self aware of the fact that he will never be perfect, and he makes mistakes, but he is consciously trying to be a better person, and for him becoming closer to God is a driving factor in his quest. Wednesday, February 3rd, 2016
Okay so the guys in the kitchen where I work back in Toronto will be happy to hear that I spent half a day cleaning and organizing every inch of the kitchen here with two other ladies. The great part about this job though is that when I am on break I get to look outside and see the giraffes, impalas, blesboks, zebras, and horses grazing nearby. I also started my first day training with the head of security today. Although we are not working, rather working out. This man is so nice that he has offered to help my partner and I get in shape while we are here. So, be warned Toronto, I am learning from the best. He is a cage fighter, black belt, and a personal trainer. “Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace You may say that I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one” -John Lennon Tuesday, February 2nd, 2016 Today I met a gentle giant trying to make a life for himself in a country full of hate against him. Before I left on my trip, people were telling me to read the news and look at the statistics showing how dangerous South Africa is and how high the crime is. Something those statistics don’t instantly explain is the cause of that crime. One report of crime against immigrants that I read about relating to this cause involved six people were murdered just for moving to South Africa. These people came from other areas of Africa, they were black Africans trying to move to an area where they could get jobs in order to better their lives. Much like these men, but luckily not to the same degree, the man I met today has been made a victim of this sad discrimination. He says that the only reason he is alive is because of his intimidating stature and his ability to defend himself. He spends a lot of his time working on his physical strength and technique which protects him from the violence of xenophobic South Africans. This man has been threatened because of where he was born; it is sad knowing that the war will never end because people will not learn from past mistakes. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/18/south-africa-anti-immigrant-violence_n_7092112.html http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/xenophobia Sunday, January 31st, 2016
We just got to the first hotel we will be working at today. Miarestate is a five star boutique hotel with a beach, a spa, beautiful rooms, and, most importantly, wildlife. Saturday, January 30th, 2016
An associate from the university took us under her wing today. She brought us to visit a friend of hers living in a squatters camp similar to the one we visited last week. She often brings supplies to this family and does a lot to help them make what little money they can through her daycare. The daycare is merely just a room attached to their home with a box of toys that were given to them as donations. The family eats twice a day if they are lucky and that would make them better off than others in the area. Their daughter is lucky to attend school, probably in similar conditions as the one from the other location (photo in gallery), funded by the government and she will often be able to get a meal before class. However, when she is at home with her family, they are too poor to buy food that can provide adequate nutrition. We were lucky to show up at their lunch time and all they had were plain dough dumplings and cabbage cooked in a little bit of oil. The father suffered from a stroke some years ago and can no longer maintain work on the house he once built for his family. So, the mother and daughter work hard to maintain the home and take care of him in between their own work/school. The mother never attended school even for a day but she was able to have a very good career as a maid before her husband’s stroke. It was during her career that she met our mutual confidant and made a very good impression on her. She insists that this woman is the best laundry lady in all of South Africa. She appreciates our presence in her home because she knows that we understand that she is not privileged but she does not feel judgement from us which she gets from others. The daughter is a dedicated student; she says her favourite part of school is reading. She is quiet even though she speaks clear English. We sat on their couch and observed them for a while. We were offered food even though they barely had enough for themselves. To say that I feel grateful for my life is an understatement. Even though I have never understood the expression that money doesn’t buy you happiness, I see it here, I see it in everyone. They are all happy here with their families and all they really want is education, clean water and food that can provide them with adequate nutrition, all things I have always had at my disposal. I do not waste, but I always have more than most. Even when I return home, I will not be able to change the way I live in my own country because that is how life is for us, but my eyes will never see the same again. I’d like to take this moment to thank my parents for the life they have provided for me and for the future I will be able to have because of them. I have never valued my place on earth so much as I do now. I feel something that I can not yet explain when I am here. Friday, January 29th, 2016
No matter how prepared you try to be, there will always be some bumps in the road. I don’t think I would have made it beyond London, England were it not for my teacher's expertise, but now I am in East London, South Africa. Our trip here to South Africa has been greatly thanks to a partnership with Walter Sisulu University. If they had not agreed to take us as exchange students we would have not been able to come all this way, so thank you for making this trip happen and for welcoming us Canadians to this beautiful country. We were fortunate enough to tour one campus and meet two very bright students from whom we were able to learn so much. The students in this country are very unique because they are not in school because they were forced to go; they are in school because they enjoy learning and because they want a good life for themselves and for the children of the future. These particular students are studying tourism just like myself, so they have an in-depth understanding of tourism in South Africa, and ideas of what could make it better. One of these students found that one major problem tends to be peoples commitment to their own country. People will often leave their country, because of the strain it is under, in hopes of bettering themselves and the future of their family. It is a great feeling to speak with someone who is able to make you feel like they are going make a difference. I really do think that they are going to use their knowledge to evoke positive change, at least in South Africa. Right before we left to catch our flight from Johannesburg to East London, we got to visit Teddy Bear Nursery School which is run by the wife of the man who spent a week driving us around. My favourite part about this school is the amount of thought and care put into this facility. The owner stays up late at night collecting her thoughts on ways to make the school better and more fun for the children.
We also had a great opportunity to give the older kids some toys in exchange for smiles. And guess what, it worked! Thursday, January 28th, 2016
Thank you Amanzingwe for hosting us and being so accommodating. With three vegans, we enjoyed fabulous breakfast and dinner every day and considering no one knew what vegan was when we arrived, I have to say, they exceeded my expectations. I would also personally like to thank Mr. Speed for being present and bringing everyone together for a great dinner. Check out my gallery to see more pictures at Amanzingwe. So there is more to this trip than I had previously explained. To begin, this trip has been organized by a very dedicated teacher at my school and it is thanks to her that we are able to have this opportunity and get a lot of perks along the way. Also, when I say we I mean the 11 other students from my school who were accepted into this program, and myself. This first week has been one long tour of Johannesburg and the surrounding areas. I will probably reflect on a lot of what we have done in my later blogs because we did so much that I can’t fit it all in right away, and there are a lot of pictures and stories I have to share. Friday, January 22nd, 2016 We found a cute little nook to eat in. Although everything in London is expensive, there are always nice views of the surrounding architecture. Saturday, January 23rd, 2016 Our first day here at Amanzingwe and we are already being released into the wild. Today was a great day for exploring the property and scouting out some of the wild animals we have never seen before. In just a matter of seconds after arriving at our hotel we had an amazing encounter with a couple of the blesbuck that run wild and free here. Sunday, January 24th, 2016 The pictures above show an entire house (shanty) which once housed a family of seven children. This is considered a middle class house in this particular neighborhood. However, as soon as you leave that neighborhood and go to the next, there is a completely different connotation of middle class. In fact, South Africa has some amazing mansions which seem superfluous in contrast. Monday, January 25th, 2016 Seeing a family of rhinos living in peace, in a protected area made my so happy. Just an ordinary day here at the Sun City palace swimming in the wave pool and going down the slide of courage. Side Note: Tajin on fries (chips as they are called here) has to be the best thing ever. Lions and Tigers and Cheetahs, Oh My! Wednesday, January 27th, 2016
I finally met the lady of my dreams. Lady Anabel, a beautiful cheetah who loves me back. Cuddling with her has made this probably the best day of my life. <3 “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
This post is dedicated to my family and friends whom I will be leaving behind in Canada to venture out into the world. As I say goodbye to Canada, I will be saying hello to England ...and then I will say goodbye to England and hello to South Africa! All in an action packed three short days. Once I arrive in South Africa, I will be there for ten weeks immersing myself in their culture and absorbing every bit of knowledge that they can pass on to me. For now, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me up to this point. From the heartfelt "don't die" to the "don't forget to hug a lion for me", I have really felt the love this past couple of weeks leading up to my departure... But I know that people are actually going to miss me because they love me so much and I'm such an awesome person to have around. Just know that I will come back more narcissistic than ever, with more stories to tell about my amazing life :). I love you all and I will see you again in ten short weeks! XOXO - Patricia M. M. |