Wednesday, February 23, 2011

May 2010

I arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa on the 30th of April. I had been talking with one of the guys from the volluntourism project I had organized to do in St. Lucia. So we weregoing to catch a Rugby game in Ellis Park. I had just arrived in Jo'burg and didn't know my way around. The lady at reception told me to take the public tuk tuk's into town and she gave me directions on how to get to the Apartheid Museum where I was meeting up with Lee. Lets just say I ended up in the worst part of Jo'burg. I only know this because two guys on the street asked if I was lost and refused to leave my side because they were afraid for my safety. I hadn't even noticed that I was the only white person and I hadn't seen another in a hour. Eventually I made it to the Apartheid Museum and waited for Lee to come out of the Museum. We left for the rugby game where we saw the Lions and I think it was the Stormers play. I had never watched a full game of rugby in my life. I love sports and since I am traveling for the next few years. I need to keep an open mind to different cultures. Lee was awesome though explaining how the game worked and the penalties. I very much enjoy rugby now. We had a drink after the game near Lee's place before I went home. Flew to Richards bay where I was picked up and brought back to the Vollunteer house. Got to meet all the volunteers and staff. Met Sean who will be our leader for the Photography Conservation Project. There are 3 projects that base them selves here at the house. One is the Photography, then there is the Medical and lastly is the community. We all share the same house. There were about 18 of us I think. The organization that this belongs to is called African Impact. I spent the next month at this house with the 5 others on the Photo project. Lee from England Judy and Kyle from the US, Akshay from the US, and Aliona from Spain. The first three days of the project wasspent doing an introduction to Photography with a Professional Photographer Emil von Maltitz from Durban. We did exercises in the field as well as instruction in classroom setting. I met my now girl friend here at the project. For the record she kind of annoyed me and I responded to that by acting childish my self. I cant explain all the little things that had happened during that month. It was an amazing time spent with friends taking photo's learning to push our photography to be better. Seeing Hippo's walk down the street and inthe water to seeing zebras and Giraffes for the first time. Then going to the Drakensberg at the end of the 3rd week changed things. For one I got a brand new camera which I joked was my new girlfriend. A Cannon 7-D. Love this camera. Next thing that changed was I had mentioned to Emil that I was looking to intern with a Professional and if he needed any help to let me know. He got back to me at the Drakensberg and told me that yes he did. Next thing that changed was mine and Alanna's first kiss was on the last night at the Drakensberg. We had been hanging out and ended up kissing. Finished up the month there in St. Lucia. Where I said goodbye to those on the projects. Alanna and I had a hard time saying goodbye we spent a lot of time together the last week I was there. Alanna still had 2 more weeks till she was going home. So we made loose plans to meet up in Swaziland. Emil's guest house wouldn't be ready for a couple weeks so I decided to go to Swaziland and Mozambique. So I took the Bazbus from St. Lucia to Mbabane.
Pictures:
Top to bottom
Hula hoop assignment. Take pictures in around and out not leaving the hula Hoop.
Photog's shadows at Eastern Shore
Courtesy of Akshay me taking pics of Crocodiles
Jumping pic in Amphitheater Drakensberg.

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