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Published: March 17th 2009
The que to collect grants
They start queing at about 5am opposite the dream centre to get their grants (benefits)
For once I'm actually on time with writing this entry, lol.
Im not going to say much about the Dream centre this week other than that it was a very stress full week -you can read about this on my be more web blog ( http://www.laurashapcott.ishelping.org/ )
As a quick summary, all the nurses went on strike on monday and didn't work again until friday. They haven't been paid for the last month and are getting angry with the management because they think the direction are taking all of the money for themselves. Monday was a very scary and stressful day because the nurses were protesting at the front of the building and the armed forces came to remove them from the premises (don't worry no one got hurt and we were safe in our flat).
We were advised not to work by the nurses and our regional, but decided to run the bingo, physio and movie night as normal, which the patients really appreciated.
There's one patient called Thandi, who I found out on friday is 27 (she looks much younger). She had to move rooms last week and since then she has stopped fighting, which has
The nurses on strike
They're singing and chanting been very hard to see. She has no family and because they moved her to room 401 (which is where the very sick patients are), I dont think she felt she had a reason to fight any more. She was in a lot of pain on thursday, so i stayed with her and massaged her back and her tummy until she eventually went to sleep. On friday she was much worse and I stayed with her for most of the day. I think all of the emotions from the last 4 weeks had built up so much that the bubble around me burst and I cried for the first time.
I was very scared to go away over the weekend, because in the bottom of my heart I knew that she wouldn't make it through till monday when we got back. She was obviously in a lot of pain and the nurses couldn't do anything to help her, the only thing that made it easier for her was knowing that there was someone to sit with her and help her through worst pain. The other volunteers also sat with her and they said she was talking to them differently, almost
as though she knew this was the end.
When Margo, Petra and I came back on monday night, Malou said that Thandi passed away on saturday morning. I think I knew that she would pass away, and because she was in so much pain and had no one, in a way I'm glad that her suffering has ended... that doesn't make it any easier though.
This is my third experience of death at the dream centre, and was by far the hardest because I'd spent so much time with her and knew her when she still had a smile on her face. I knew this would happen at some point during my stay, but nothing can prepare you for when it actually happens. Its hard to explain how it made me feel in words and I dont think I will ever really be able to explain the emotions involved.
On a slightly lighter note, despite worrying about Thandi over the weekend, I had the most amazing experiences. We were picked early on saturday morning for our 3 day Drakensberg and Lesotho tour. On the way we picked up the two volunteers from Agape (one of which we dropped in
Things get a bit scary
The armed police come in from round the back to get the strikers off the premesis Pietermaritzburg, where she was going to jump out of an aeroplane 3 times) and an american woman called Nancy. Our first stop was a waterfall in Howick and we did a 1hr hike into the gorge, right to the bottom of the waterfall. It was absolutely boiling and we all came back dripping. It was really nice being able to get so close to the waterfall and we were grateful for the light spray it gave off.
After the waterfall we had another long drive to Underberg (in southern Drakensberg), which is were we would be sleeping for the next 2 nights. All 5 of us (Sunna, Margo, Petra, Nancy and I), stayed in a single Rodavel, which is a traditional Zulu hut. Its round, has a thatched roof and from outside I couldn't see how it was going to house all of us. On the ground floor there was a double bed and on a platform in the roof, there were 4 single beds packed closely together. I made the stupid mistake of choosing the one at the edge, because i had to bend over and practically climb over the other beds to get to it... oh well.
Under the tree
Locals meet under the tree to prey, chat and get medical care every Wednesday morning You can also go horse riding at the place we're staying, so after a late lunch we headed off on our 2 hr ride through the mountains. The guide was also on a horse, which was a bit of a shock, but it meant we learnt how to control the horse properly and made the experience that whole bit more exciting.
Wow doesn't even begin to describe the scenery. There is literally nothing but wildlife for miles and all you can hear are the birds and water running through the many steams/rivers that have calved the landscape we were in. Needless to say I took lots of photos, but done of them really do it justice, you'll be able to see them at the beginning of april, when I have a computer that will allow me to upload them.
There was one section that was really steep and for a moment, I questioned whether we would make it in one piece, but it was well worth the worry. We got off at the top and could literally see for miles. It also gave the horses a well earned break. We must have stayed there for 45 mins before making our
Mother of Peace
A home for abandoned and abused children way down. We didn't go the same way we came and the route down was much more gentile. Our guide taught me how to gallop and the feeling of the wind through my hair and the freedom it brought with it is impossible to put into words. The guide was very impressed at how quickly I learnt and said he would be able to teach me a lot if I came back for a day (I might actually do this next weekend). I was really shocked at how easily it came back to me, last time i rode a horse in the UK, i remember being petrified, but for some strange reason on this occasion, I had grown a new confidence.
This is the reason I love to travel, you do things you never thought you would and you gain a confidence, that pushes you to go further. I really hope that I manage to go back next weekend, because i dont think anything can beat the feeling of galloping through the mountains (well for the meantime anyway).
On sunday we did the Sani pass in a 4WD bus. The sani pass, is a 'road' (if you can call
it that), which takes you to Lesotho. The views were even more spectacular than on the horse ride, which I didn't think was possible. It took forever to get into lesotho, and we had to go through the south african and Lesotho passport control, but the ride was definitely worth it. The last 200m climb was very rough and the engine overheated on a few occasions and we had to put stones behind the wheels to stop us from rolling back. The guide said that this is one of the only places in the world where they actually let people ride (as a tourist attraction) on such an appalling road.
At the top we went to visit a village in Lesotho. They live in Rondavels, similar to those in Zulu culture and we sat inside one of them, while a tour guide explained their way of life. They have no electricity and the nearest village is 50km away. We also got to try some of their traditional bread, which is cooked over stones that are heated by burning cow dung. It was the most beautiful bread I have ever tasted and I bought a piece to take back to the
dream centre. We also got to sit and speak with the locals. Despite being right at the top of the sani pass, it didn't feel like a tourist attraction and the people that live there, just got on with their everyday lives.
After visiting the village we went to have lunch at the highest pub in Africa. So far we had been very lucky with the weather, but while we were at the pub the mist came in and we couldn't fully appreciate the views, but it was an un missable experience none the less. It was almost 3 by the time we left and the journey back down was much quicker than the journey up. It rained when we were at the top and the bottom of the pass, but in the middle we still had spectacular views of the valley. We were all knackered by the time we got back to the Rondavel and went to bed at 8.30, because we had a 5hr hike the next day. We made sure we didn't go to bed without looking at the stars though. Since there are very few inhabitants in Drakensberg, there is no light pollution and I've
never seen stars like it. The sky looked like it had a real depth and it gave me a new appreciation for the universe in which we live.
We had another early start on Monday and began our 5+ hr hike at 8am. The sky was clear and it was another incredibly hot day. There was no shade and we were literally trekking through the valley along a hidden path. It was over a 2hr hike to the first set of paintings. The paintings we saw were 8000 yrs old and our guide explained the process the bushmen went through to get visions of what to paint. He also explained that they mix the paint with Eland fat, which protects the paintings form water damage and is one of the reasons they are still there. On the way to the second art site, we saw a huge group of Eland (the largest antelope in the world), making their way to the river at the bottom of the valley for water. We were very lucky to see them, because they're wild and roam a huge area. It was quite a steep hike to the cave, but it was well worth
it. They were much more detailed the cave was behind a waterfall. (pictures to follow). We had a nice gentile walk back and sat under a swing bridge for half an hour with our feet in the fresh water - incredibly refreshing after our 6hr hike!!
After lunch we had the long drive back to the dream centre (just over 3hrs). When we got back I felt quite sick, so hardly had any dinner and went straight to bed. We had such a busy weekend and were eating at strange times, that I think it all caught up with me.
Sorry for such a long entry and bear in mind that this doesn't even touch half of what happened this week.
Hope everyone is well, I really missed you all this week!!!!!!!
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