California Here I Come...

right back where I started from! (those of you who know the song and any more of the words should feel free to sing amongst yourselves)

Hey All,

Though it's hard to believe it, I'm down to my last few days in Africa!

Spent the last 2 days in the North Drakensberg mountain range. Went on a day trip to Lesotho organized by the backpacker place I was staying (Amphitheater). What a beautiful country! High up in the mountains and a very rugged terrain, we visited a town in the northeast that doesn't get tourists except for those that come on this trip.

Took a hike, chatted with the locals, met a traditional healer and took lots of pictures of the kids - a most excellent way to spend one of my last days. Would upload photos but am at a place with no usb connection. (Sigh)

Am now waiting to meet Sr. Jean, the former high school teacher of my friend Una. I'll spend my last few days with her in Pretoria finding out all about the projects she is working on then Wednesday (Halloween) I'll get on a plane and head home.

For Halloween this year, I will be dressed as an airline passenger. I think it will be my most convincing costume yet.

Looking forward to seeing you all when I'm back in San Francisco. If you're reading this and you're local... call me, we should do lunch!

xoxo,
Miss K

Diggin' Durban

Molweni,

That's Xhosa for "hi y'all". (When you are pronouncing Xhosa, please to be clicking where you see an X.) Of course, I've learned some Xhosa just in time to head to Zulu country where it will no longer be that useful but I try.

My time in Coffee Bay was filled with nature, culture and rugby. Last Saturday, I went on a 3.5 hour hike along the coast, up hills, over rivers, seeing dolphins, sheep and cows on the beach and eventually ending up at the Hole in the Wall - a rock formation where the sea comes crashing through, yes a hole in a big rock wall. The scenery was amazing, which made a good excuse to stop and rest.

Later that night I went with some people to a Xhosa village where we tried some home brewed beer. If you take any beer you may have and add milk and handful of grass from your lawn, that's about what it tasted like. Women in the neighborhood danced in one of the houses and we all joined in at the end - a very fun time. The next night, I spent the night in one of the people's houses. It was fabulous and boring all at once and I spent most of my time singing with the girls in the family.

The last two days in Durban have been divine, as people here are fond of saying. Monday I met up with the filmmaker who I met at a party in Cape Town. She and I met for lunch and were filmed by a local film crew that the Dream Team sent. The conversation was fabulous and I learned that she started doing the work she does with limited formal training... there's hope for me yet.

Next, the crew and I went to the Victoria Street Market to film an interview with me then ask random people to tell us about their dreams. People were very reluctant to talk on camera that day but when I went back today to do some souvenir shopping... people couldn't stop talking to me. It was actually wonderful to hear from locals about life in Durban and how they also want to see more positive portrayals of Africa.

All that and I met a woman who made wildlife documentaries who thinks that a travel show focused on community tourism and social responsibility type issues is a good idea. Catch the wave while you can.

I fly out a week from today and I can hardly believe it. I've been thinking a lot about recent conversations I've had with people about the impact you have on others when you're following your dreams and especially about an exchange I had with a woman in Cintsa.

On my last morning there, I went for a walk on the beach. In the distance I could see about 5 whales breaching, sticking their tails out of the water and generally having a good time. I saw a couple on the beach who was also watching them and we stopped to talk. I told the woman, I'm not sure what the whales are thinking but to me, they look very happy. She said, "Of course they are, they're doing what God made them to do." Her husband replied, "Shouldn't we all?" Well, yes.

So my message to me and to you is... figure out what you're meant to be doing and do it. It will make you happy and that will have a positive impact on the people around you. I've had a wonderful time chasing this dream of mine around Africa and I'm expecting wonderful things to happen as I start chasing it back to San Francisco.

Miss K

Two Weeks To Go!!!

Hi All,

I can't believe I'll be home two weeks from today!

I have been running around like crazy trying to fit 3 more months worth of activities and stories into these last two weeks.

Things I Did in Cape Town I Never Thought I Would:

1. Snorkel with seals - it was fabulous when I wasn't freaking out
2. Drive - on the left side and in a stick shift thank you very much
3. Watch rugby - Springboks are in the World Cup finals Sunday... country is going crazy

I'm now in Cintsa at a place called Buccaneers Backpackers, making my way rather quickly towards Pretoria. No photos on this blog as it's not possible from here. Will overwhelm you next time with a picture of me standing where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet.

As I meet more people and talk more about what I'm trying to put together, I learn about more and more programs and projects that I just don't have time to visit. Two very worthy ones are listed in brief at the end of the blog. South Africa is full of people taking steps, both big and small, to make a positive impact on other people's lives. I'm doing what I can counteract all the negative information you hear about this country (and all the others I've visited) and spread around a little love.

Two projects I did get to visit in Cape Town were African Angels and Bulugha Farm School.

African Angels is a not-for-profit organization based on the East Coast of South Africa, in a small coastal hamlet called Chintsa. African Angels is dedicated to identifying and distributing sponsorship for the education of needy and disadvantaged African children - our African Angels - so their future, their family's future and their country's future is brighter.

Bulugha is a school (on a farm) that has 3 classrooms, 3 toilets and 193 kids. Every Thursday, the kids perform a concert where they sing their hearts out and the backpackers and travelers that attend leave a donation which is then used to buy food for the breakfast and lunch. It was a wonderful experience and as soon as I can get a short video put together to show you, I will.

I'm heading to Coffee Bay tomorrow (where I will stay through the rugby final although I've just heard there is no tv!) and then to Durban. In Durban, I'll be talking to a filmmaker I met in Cape Town to find out more about how she got started and how it all works.

Future Filming for DREAM

As you know, the Dream team filmed me in Cape Town as I followed up on a story. They will also be coming to Durban to film me as I follow up on this fabulous connection. And where are they after that? Filming my triumphant return to SFO!

If you'd like to be there, let me know and I can get you details. For those of you with Monday-Friday 9-5 jobs... you may need to be sick. Did I just hear you cough?

See many of you very soon!

Miss K

More Projects in South Africa

Monkey Biz
Monkeybiz supplies richly coloured glass beads to women in the townships of Cape Town. The 450 women involved in the project are currently producing exquisite hand beaded artworks - each a unique one-off creation. The women are paid for each piece they produce; and since they work from home, can look after their families and avoid transport costs.

We run an HIV/AIDS Wellness Clinic located in the heart of Cape Town, which provides skills training and HIV/AIDS support for low-income HIV+ women. This thriving centre, started in 2003, caters for 60 women once a week, offering them beadwork training, HIV/AIDS counseling, yoga therapy, homeopathic HIV/AIDS treatment and basic nutrition.

Imbewu
Simply put, our biggest project has one objective: to guarantee the fundamental right of children to have access to education in an environment that is both pleasant and favourable to learning.