The Global Neighbor Project -- an outreach from Tacoma, WA to Sekameng, Lesotho, Africa -- is planning a trip in February 2010 to revisit the community where we sponsor children and provide community development assistance through World Vision. [View Full Entry]

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SOUTH AFRICA SIDE TRIP Our group of five left Lesotho for three days at Hueglin's Lodge in White River, South Africa, to visit with Rotary acquaintances of the Olsons who own the four star lodge. Brian and Frances Hyson met us at Nelspruit Airport, designed to appeal to the many safari tourists who land there. It is an impressive thatched roof, log beam structure that feels like Ernest Hemingway should be lounging in the bar to share stories with adventurers. Frances had visited Tacoma in 2006 leading a Group Study Exchange Team of young professionals on a tour of our Rotary [View Full Entry]

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Our journey started September 21 and ended October 2. The Global Neighbor Project Team of Tacoma, WA -- Kathleen and Rick Olson, Michelle Cox and Julie Nordlund, led by Bob Bowen of World Vision, left SEA-TAC on a Sunday afternoon and arrived in Lesotho on Monday morning. We flew Northwest Airlines Airbus, KLM 747 and South African Airways turbo prop to reach our destination. We laid over in Amsterdam a couple of hours and hit Johannesburg late evening. We missed the shuttle to our hotel and had to wait for the next one, so by the time we got to our [View Full Entry]

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We finally have internet. We are staying in White River South Africa, at http://www.heuglins.co.za/accommodation.htm (cut and paste into your browser to see an excellent accomodation). We will be heading home tonight, have a 10 hour flight to Amsterdam, 3 hour layover, and 10 hours to Seattle. We had an exciting visit to Kruger National Park yesterday, that started with part of our group being in a car accident caused by the driver of their vehicle trying to avoid a dog crossing the street. Minor injuries, and our Rotarian friends found other friends to take us on the tour. We will [View Full Entry]

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Why am I traveling to a tiny country surrounded by South Africa? Why now? Here's the deal: It started when I was President of Tacoma 8 Rotary in 2005. Our club hosted a team of business persons on a study exchange from South Africa. They stayed in Tacoma for a week and my husband Rick and I hosted a team member. I worked at Point Defiance Zoological Society at the time, and provided a behind the scenes tour so the five of them could see polar bears and beluga whales up close. The leader of the group, Frances, was from White [View Full Entry]

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