Blog World Meets Real Life in Kasane!

On Friday, Val of 'Monkeys on the Roof' blog, appeared in my Kasane office straight off the ferry from Zambia, and we went together to meet Lori of 'Lori times 5' blog - in the flesh! Lori, husband Chuck and sister Lindy had actually detoured off their planned trip to include a couple of nights in Botswana, especially to visit the Daycare Centre in Kazungula (quite famous in my blog, by now, and loved by blog friends! Last write up appeared here)

Lori took these children to her heart, all the way from California, and embarked on a project to create a special gift, made with love, for each individual child. Here's her own story about this.

It's a slightly weird feeling meeting a person in real life, after becoming friends online! However, as I saw Lori materialise on the pathway in the gardens of Kubu Lodge, I recognised her immediately from her blog. As expected, she is just as lovely and genuine as she comes across in her writings... A beautiful, ethereal, soft-spoken person with an aura of something very special about her...

Although the three weary travellers were straight off the road from Zimbabwe, via too many global airports to count, they were whisked straight into the world of the little vulnerable children they had travelled so far to meet. Teacher Emeldah gave them a comprehensive tour, and the slightly sleepy kids responded to all the warmth and love.

Lori (seated), Val (right) and Lindy (left) are shown the kids' schoolwork by Emeldah, while chaos reigns - the exhibitionists in the foreground!

Songs were sung, schoolwork was inspected, and as we got down to floor level with the kids, Lori's and my eternally fascinating locks of caucasian hair were siezed upon and either lovingly stroked or enthusiastically yanked, while 'high fives' were administered by tiny hands with resounding force and gusto!

Each child was given their own soft and cuddly animal-themed knitted hat, and the teachers received some thoughtful goodies for the school, kindly carried around in luggage through the countless airports!

I had to laugh at myself, actually - having immediately gone into boring stereotypical mode (you're a boy, you will have this blue hat...), I was intrigued to hear from Lori that lots of the little boys in her part of the room went straight for the vibrant pink ones - being allowed to make their own choices! Hmm.. how we learn a little more about ourselves and others, every day!

Lots of photos were taken, and I am quite sure Lori will post her own impressions and images of the Daycare once she returns, so I shall stop here.

Group picture, just before saying goodbye

Later that evening we drove out to Elephant Valley Lodge, to join Lori and family for dinner. What a magical setting - with elephants of all ages and sizes congregating around the illuminated waterhole, providing a continuous backdrop and soundtrack for our chilly outdoor barbecue!

At one point, Lori and I stood next to the open the fire together, looking up at the magnificent constellation of Scorpio shining down over the elephants, and we agreed it was a surreal but wondrous experience!

To complete the crazy blog-theme, Val also rang Geli of 'Letters from Usedom' blog, while we were there, and we all spoke to her, to make up for the fact that she couldn't be with us all... certainly not through lack of wishing, though!

I know that Lori was a very, very tired person by the end of the evening, but I hope she will agree that it was a tremendous pleasure to meet up, and I found it a very renewing, worthwhile and happy experience to connect with somebody on such a level, from halfway across the planet, having only ever trusted to and communicated via the written word up till now... Yes, I do love my blog friends, and there sure is a new dimension that blogging has added to life!

Overseas Visitors & Daycare time...

On Tuesday, I went along to the Kamadine Daycare Centre in Kazungula (previously mentioned here), to meet up with a new friend Kristin for the first time in real life, having  "met" via the blogging community and only communicated via email up till now! Kristin and her two friends arranged with their overland tour guide to drop them off at Kubu Lodge (where the centre is situated) and Sharon - lodge manager and chairperson of the project, had invited them to come along and visit the children at the daycare during lesson time.

The overland truck took a fair while to cross the Zambezi river on the Kazungula Ferry, (from Zambia to Botswana) and thus I turned out to be early as usual! While I waited for them to arrive, I spent a bit of time with the kids and teachers. It happened to be Lego time, so having idiotically squeezed myself into a tiny little plastic chair at a preschool sized table, I attempted to create a sophisticated symmetrical type of structure from the rather worn lego blocks which no longer lock together quite so well...

Whichever children were not trying to copy my engineering marvel, or competitively and piercingly identifying primary colours, were busy fiddling with my fascinating hair and/or gently patting and stroking my pale, strange arms. An endless fascination for these little ones!

Eventually, Sharon brought the three travellers in, and we were all introduced. I so enjoyed meeting Kristin, Cheryl and Maria. Much to Kristin's surprise, she immediately received a special hug sent all the way from the States from her real-life friend, Barbara of blogland! It was a great feeling to meet and connect with an online connection in real life... Our amazing, shrinking online world never ceases to intrigue me. (other blog friends involved here somehow are Val and Angela).

Teacher Emeldah took the 3 girls on a guided tour of their little school, and on their return the lego and plastic furniture was riotously cleared up, in readiness for a singing session for the special guests... 

Here is Kristin, having been there about 20 minutes, already getting involved with clearing up that furniture! You've just got to love her!!

All the kids who attend the centre are vulnerable children - either HIV/Aids orphans, or from desitute backgrounds, and although a small drop in the ocean, Kamadine does make a difference in these young lives - offering a safe haven where they can receive love, attention, stimulation and a couple of good wholesome meals a day...

As you can see from the pics, these kids instantly  took to their guests, who gamely joined in with the singing and action dancing. Here you see Maria and Kristin down at kiddie level. Maria is receiving the arm treatment in this photo!

and here's Cheryl, on the left.

What a pity my camera battery had gone flat by the time they got to "head and shoulders, knees and toes" but it seemed great fun was had by all! 

Kristin, amazingly, had carried some lovely stationery products with her all the way from home, and after 5 weeks on the road, was delighted to be able to hand these over.

After the session with the children, we all jumped confidently into my car. Instead of departing for Kasane, however, we bizarrely found ourselves stranded in the car park with a flat battery, stricken by a mysterious electrical problem! Undaunted, we enjoyed a good chat inside the car in the pouring rain, waiting for Tiennie the knight in shining armour to come and jumpstart the car...

Once in town, we had lunch together at the coffee bar, chatting nineteen to the dozen as if we'd known each other for ages - not forgetting the ritual reading of happy sugar packets! (if mystified, check this earlier blog post).  

Eventually we parted company at Chobe Safari Lodge in the midst of the most horrendous downpour, where the travelling trio were off to find their overland group in the campsite, and then venture forth on their afternoon boat cruise...

Wet laundry, camping in the rain, singing and playing with a bunch of little kids at an African daycare centre, being stranded inside a car in an alien carpark with a virtual stranger? These ladies took it all in their stride! Lovely people, and I so enjoyed this uplifting encounter...

"This little Light of mine.... I'm gonna let it shine"