There might not be snow, but there was rain in Africa

This past weekend I went on a mini excursion with other international students that included seeing some historical sights and an hour long game drive.

The first day, we visited a kgotla.  These are meeting places where a tribes handles court cases, weddings, and other proceedings that concern the tribe.  We learned the traditions that go along with a wedding and the different punishments given out during trials.  We were able to see the old houses of the chiefs and the other buildings they use.

From there we hiked up to this gorge.  I wouldn't say it was a hard hike, but it involved some rock climbing.  Now, they did not warn us for this, so most of the girls were in skirts and flip-flops, and we went rock climbing.  There were no injuries, but it did take awhile to get up there.  It was beautiful! Apparently, way back when, a tribe used this gorge as a way of disposing of people who used witchcraft.  It was very interesting and pretty.

After the gorge, we went to see how traditional pottery is made.  We same people use the spinning wheel and were able to buy things if we wanted.  After this we traveled to the cultural village we were staying at for the night.  We were greeted with dancing and shown the huts we were sleeping in for the night!

 From there, we went to go hang out for a bit, and the rains came! It was a monsoon.  Tents were getting flooded and everyone was soaking wet.  It is a very dry country, so for there to be rain, its a big deal.

We had some more traditional food, it was much better this time! We ate and talked and then we all went to the bar and just hung out there.  This was one of the first nights I went out for a drink and it was great.  Everyone was laughing and having fun!
We left the village the next morning and went to see some rocking paintings. They were very old and kind of hard to see, but still very interesting.  From there we went to see a very old and very large tree, the Livingstone Tree.  It was beautiful and shady.

Finally, we were off to the game drive! On arrivial we were greeted with mimosas and a waiver form to sign.  We hoped in the safari jeep things and we were off. This was my favorite part of the weekend.  I saw zebras, a cheetah, a wildebeest, impalas, and warthogs! We had lunch in the middle of the reserve park and then... it began to rain again.  We all ran for cover in our jeeps (that were all open except for the roof) and still got soaking wet.  We bonded in the cars and I probably the laughed the hardest since I have been here.  When it died down we basically four-wheeled back to our bus (through a small river) and had the time of our lives!

I can't wait to see more wildlife and experience more of the culture here, but for now, I have a paper to write.