Sawubona!

Curry Girl with the Zulus 

(Editor- Sixteen year old Becca Bailey from the village recently spent four weeks on an educational expedition in South Africa.  Here is her article about her experiences.)

By Becca Bailey

We arrived at our bush camp in Kulini, False Bay on Wednesday 28 July where we stayed for the next four nights. This was the environmental awareness course.  We visited a school in the local Zulu village where they taught us some Zulu, ‘Sawubona’ meaning ‘I see you’, the common Zulu greeting.

The second day we learnt about Flora & Fauna, mammals, reptiles, snakes, spoors and tracking. So much to fit in to one morning! We put our new knowledge into action and went out for a bush walk in the neighbouring game park. We identified spoors and managed to track a herd of blue wildebeest and a giraffe, getting so close was amazing!  After the walk, we got hands on, learning how to skin and gut an impala. Dinner was impala stew; nice! The next day we travelled to St Lucia where we had a boat tour, seeing lots of hippos and crocodiles. We piled back on to our minibus and headed to the crocodile centre near by, where we all touched a crocodile - scary to say the least!

We then travelled to the Hluhluwe Imfolozi (have fun pronouncing that!) game reserve. Here is where we had two days of driving safaris; where we managed to see ‘The Big 5’; Lion, Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Leopard and Black Rhino, which was incredible!

To bring you up to date, it’s now Wednesday 4 August, the first day of the Zulufadder cultural project in Eshowe. Here we worked in an orphanage and school. Our aim for the next four days was to paint the outside of their main hall. This was in between playing with the children and teaching them games and songs. The children were fascinated with our white skin and enjoyed all our love, care and attention. We took the older students, ranging from 16-20, to the Umlalazi beach because they had never seen the sea before. Watching their faces light up was lovely, as we walked over the beautiful white sand dune, to see the sea appear in front of us. They had arranged a sports day for us on the last day, the boys played football against the Africans and the girls played netball against them.  It was an enjoyable day for all, they’re so good at sports (we lost both games!). They said their goodbyes by singing and dancing, such natural rhythm and no background music, no wonder it bought a tear to my eye! They wanted us to sing back to them, so we chose to sing the national anthem. ‘All of our work, came from our hearts, we wish we could do more for you. It’s amazing to see you all with a constant smile; you’re all strong people and special individuals. You will go far if you follow your dreams, keep smiling your beautiful smiles’- part of the speech Rich and I made at the end of our time with the members of the orphanage and school

It’s now Sunday 8 August, where we arrived at Elaandsheim. Reggie, our guide told us in gripping detail about the battle of Rorke’s Drift where 100 British soldiers were attacked by 4000 Zulu warriors, winning more Victoria Crosses than in any other battle in history. He was able to name people and their individual stories; this made the battlefield very eerie, knowing that we were standing on the ground where hundreds of soldiers lost their lives. The next day we went to the site of Isandlwhana, where the Zulus had a great victory over Lord Chelmsford’s army. We walked the 10km route taken by Lieutenants Melvill and Coghill who lost their lives in 1879 trying to save the Queen’s Colour of their Regiment

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my time in South Africa. I’ve learnt to appreciate everything I have, because there are people who aren’t as fortunate even to have a roof over their heads. Also, I am very grateful to the Parish Council for the money they gave me to help fund this unforgettable and worthwhile experience.

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