26 February 2015

A visit from Dylan

My good friend Dylan Riessen came and visited during December. He's working in Cape Town this year for Grassroot Soccer (GRS), and was able to come out during the holiday break. We had a terrific trip in Lesotho and South Africa, and were accompanied by fellow PCV Mary and other GRS intern Sam. No pictures are currently known to exist of the South Africa portion, but I will update this post if I receive any new information. Maybe some day you'll run into me or Dylan and we'll tell you all about it. One highlight was our rental car, a Nissan Hardbody. See if you can spot it.

UPDATE: Mary has found a picture from South Africa.

Dylan took a picture of me in my natural habitat.
http://youtu.be/hQo1HIcSVtg?t=49s
"To drivin' some of the hottest cars New York has ever seen."
Michelle (my fellow volunteer who lives in the area), Sam, and I in a big cave.
Dylan and I outside the cave.
Atop a mountain in Sehlabathebe National Park.
Scenic overlook. It was just overlooking some waterfalls or something.
But take a look at that Hardbody!
The mighty Senqu River.
Hardbody, just glistening in the sun on a beautiful day.
Fog, Hardbody, tents at Sehlabathebe National Park.
Dylan and Mike, cooking up some old fashioned "Sauce and Cheese."
Do they have horses at Sehlabathebe National Park? You bet!
On our way to Tsoelikane Falls, ascending a hill with a fine rock outcropping.
Tsoelikane Falls. The water was cold.
Look at that!
Sam reading in the Hardbody.
The mountain behind my rondavel with some clouds lit by the setting sun.
Dylan doing an honest day's washing.
When my host father heard we were going to town and then saw how dirty
 the Hardbody was, he said "The know me in town, and they know I do not
 like things to be dirty." Together, we gave the Hardbody a thorough cleaning.
Dylan and I, Christmas Eve.
Mary and I, at the beach in Durban.

14 February 2015

Gardening

Back in December, I decided it was time to get my act together and start gardening. I chose to build a keyhole garden, which is a garden inside a circular stone enclosure about waist-high. These gardens were originally designed to help people living with HIV/AIDS grow nutritious foods without the strain of constantly bending down. With the help of some neighborhood kids, I built the stone enclosure and then filled it with the proper layers: crushed tin cans, chopped-up aloe, and then, repeating until full, ash, manure, and soil. My host father helped me to plant the seeds (I truly know nothing about gardening), and I have finally been reaping the rewards these past few weeks with fresh spinach in all of my meals.

I enjoy going out to water my garden in the mornings and evenings and, when the mood strikes me, loudly proclaiming to no one in particular, "Ah! But it is good to work with one's hands!" or "Can there be anything finer than tending one's garden?"

Look at that soil!

The cinderblock structure on the right is my rondavel, for reference.