Hello!

I started working at the school this week. What an African eye-opener! Things move so slowly here- nothing goes fast, except time; the days seem to fly away… And nothing ever, ever goes according to plan. The 1st time I went to school to start the computer, it went down after 10 minutes. The problem came from the generator ‘regulator’ between the generator and the computer; so back to Maun to get a new ‘regulator’. 2nd try: I’m at school but no-one can find the keys to the computer room and no-one really want to run around looking for them despite me getting very agitated! So like everyone else I just go and sit in the shade and wait for my lift to camp. 3rd try: keys have been found but when I tried to print I realize there’s a problem with the cartridge: there are some black lines showing on the paper. So yes, back to Maun to get a new printer cartridge. Ahhhhh!! I was finally ready to start teaching on Monday. When I arrived in the morning at the school, the head teacher I was supposed to train was in Maun for a workshop. There was an inspector in the school so everyone was running around pretending to work and no-one could spend time with me and the computer. So I sat there for 2 hours waiting for my lift back to camp doing nothing (again!). One thing this all experience is teaching me is PATIENCE!!!! But I’m sure I’ll get there in the end.
Lessons learnt this week:
1. 8am really means 9am
2. When going to school, take a good book!

So that that’s the school, now let me tell you a bit more about life at camp. Clients come and go; some are very cool, others less interesting. On average, there are 6 clients at camp every day. Next week will be very busy with a full camp; 16 clients! When I’m in camp, I help in the kitchen. The staff have been taught to cook a certain way and that there is no other way possible! Last week I grated the Parmesan cheese the wrong way (I used the small holes instead of big ones on the cheese grater); my god! Big chaos in the kitchen! Everyone who saw the Parmesan went “Oh no! That’s totally wrong; what shall we do?” and I’m sitting there totally astonished by the whole thing… It took me half an hour to convince everyone that this was not the end of the world. That was the Parmesan cheese example; everything is like that: the green pepper has to be cut that way, the carrot another way, the tomato like that, not too big, not too small… I almost need a ruler to measure everything!!! I wonder how long it’s going to take them to kick me out of the kitchen…haha!
Life at camp is pretty cool, no stress. I spend my time between the kitchen and the pool, entertaining guests and playing with the staff kids… very easy going life. So far I don’t miss the civilized world at all.

The days here are more or less the same: wake up at 7am (yes, yes- I’ve turned into an early bird!), sometimes 5:30am if I decide to go looking for lions with John (David’s dad, David is the owner of the camp). I go to the village in the morning or afternoon. The evenings are spent around the camp fire. We’re not allowed to walk around camp at night on our own because of the lions. It is a pretty powerful feeling to hear those lions roaring at camp; they are so close! I cannot explain really… Sometimes in the morning, we can find their tracks going through the camp; but no worries, we are safe in our tents; Safe doesn’t mean I’m not scared sometimes! I always have the impression that those lions are snooping around my tent at night, even when they are 1 kilometer away!!!

3 days ago, I went for 2 days to the Magkagkadi salt pans…. It was a wonderful experience. It’s a place like no others. It’s difficult to explain but when you’re standing in the middle of those dried salt pans, it’s only you and your soul. And sleeping there under the stars with no-one else around, no noise, only the wind…. simply AMAZING!!!!! I hope I get to go again before the rain arrives.

OK that’s it for now; I’m off to the immigration office to extend my visa. I cannot believe I’ve already been here for 1 month.

Christelle