Few weeks now in South Africa. I spent some quite difficult days after my last report, concerning my job, the town, miss of contact with local people without ideas of option and other bad feelings. That’s the bad part : and it’s over! It was short but I really had a difficult moment. Thanks to mum and dad (what could we do without them, even so far away) but also the help of your mails or your motivation words (especially thanks to you Markus, Wolfgang, you know, I always persist and don’t give up fast, it’s not the first time J, and it seems me to have good effects, thanks anyway). I had spoken with a guy, Steve as mentioned earlier, and he was really scared for me about such a long time at the same place but I realized that it will be a big advantage for my placement in Old Vic ‘cause in few weeks I should know most of the business, however it takes quite a long time but I will have time after that to practice it and I should learn a lot thanks to Dave and Bella, also thanks to the fact that I am the only employee working for them. Thanks to Bournemouth’s students, Marine, Etienne, Jessy, Matthieu, your experience and your feelings about it helped me considerably to balance mine and I felt really better thanks to it, so thank you very very much.

About my job
I spoke with Dave and Bella which told me I must be more self confident and don’t be shy with clients who don’t totally with our rules, I learnt that rules are security for the company and are not here to be rude with customers, even if they can feel it annoying sometimes. I must learn to say “NO” if necessary and not be ready to give them all what they expect otherwise it’s not business worth : interesting, so I’m learning to bring in application exactly what my boss teach me. I convicted Bella to give our guests a free cup or coffee in the morning though and am quite proud of it! Indeed, some of them could have been really disappointed about it although it doesn’t cost a lot, a simple service which can make a big difference for the satisfaction. My main problem with the job was that I felt bored without nothing to do all day, waiting, reading on the desk and I didn’t feel comfortable with it. Since this “weekly meeting”, Dave and Bella have given me much more tasks to do. I found out actually that as much from their part as from mine, we need a time to know us better, a time for them to see what I am able to do and that they can trust me, what I can do and what not. An example would be about “answering the phone”, they waited May to give me this responsibility because of my language competences which are not high enough to help out by the phone. For few days now I answer the phone, give the information if I can or take messages, take booking or person’s details. It was a sign of trust from their part that made me feel much better and confident. So what do I have to do? Stock list for linen and cooking tools : a reason for that is to control what we lose through thieves : from the customers sometimes but also from the staff : Bella found out how the girls took things with them even if she already took lots of precaution (their bags are closed in a ARMOIRE, so that they don’t hide anything inside) but they used to steal it with a clever imagination : they through out the objects like AMPOULE, pillows, plates in the main dustbin, once a week, the dustbins are placed outside so that it can be picked up by the dust trucks. The girls asked friends of them to come and take the things they had kept in safety bags as many Blacks come to look for some interesting and valuable things in the bins of the Whites, it was not obvious for Dave and Bella! Anyway, they control the girls a lot now which doesn’t help make a relax atmosphere I think so… but one mote time : necessity for their business!!!
Other task is to prepare a list of questions for tourist office and try them to find out how much they can be helpful, if it worth it to send our guests there or if it’s better if we inform them directly, also we hope to get some new info about transport or activities but it doesn’t seem like they will learn a lot (I only was in one of the tree ones though). So it makes be move, discover the city and different part include in the tourism business and also create contact with other persons.

About social life
In fact I met last week Loraine, she works in the tourist office and thanks to a question about bars and pubs, she noticed I like have some beers and more sometimes and invited me to her house, where I was three days later with some “black Label” : favourite beer for both of us), I spent 2 hours with her and met her family, a brother, a sister (who works in tourism park management of Mpumalanga and offered me to visit her there ), the aunt, and some cousins. They live in Nelsville (taxi driver’s advertisement : “don’t walk alone around here it is very dangerous”). Poor decoration : main decoration with the school graduation of the kids of the family, many rooms quite empty though, cement walls, roof in iron sheet, a big house though with a piece of field in the front. I had a warmed welcome and all members of family were curious to see me here and asked me some shy questions. “ They all like you very much”, Loraine said. I wondered because of Loraine as we were waiting for my taxi outside of the house in the front garden, she told me she wants to pie and before I got the chance to answer anything she disappeared quickly behind a tree where she makes an improvised bathroom although the toilet inside are just in the entrance of the house : no complex. We shall meet us next time for a cinema or a beer in a pub somewhere. Maybe next week.

I had some nice time during the weeks with the guests and I guess it will keep coming other very kind persons, from all over the world. It is such a good occasion to speak about everything happening in each country with a big tendency for South Africa of course. As well as Zimbabwe right now that nobody knows the result of the election for the new president of the 29th of March, which has some important impact in South Africa too. Many Zimbabweans leave their country to come here especially in Johannesburg with the hope of a better life, which is not always good welcomed by the south African population claiming those want to steal their job. It’s interesting to notice that here around Nelspruit, many South African emigrate to Mozambique because seen like safer and more relax… A mix of languages, thing that as you imagine I mostly enjoy. Only Spanish I wonder if I will get the chance to speak once few words because Spaniard and South American are at the bottom of the customer list.

I attend a course of belling dancing which is most than enjoyable. The teacher is a pretty nice woman and all feminine participant are very nice too. One of them started to ask me about my occupation here and when I told her I hadn’t met a lot of persons yet unfortunately, she suggest me to come with her on Sundays to the “women meeting” in the church to talk…and prey! I need social contact but I’m not gonna convert me into religion never! Do you imagine me going to the church on Sundays? Me?…I don’t. So I hope to meet her for a coffee sometimes or with her friends why not but rather in a pub than in the church. It could be nice to go once though, I’ll see.


About security
Everywhere you hear the same and I already get sick of this topic. Okay, it’s dangerous, South Africa is not Europe. And I heard some terrible stories as unlucky situation which make me conscious, really, be carefull. However, South Africa is not in war and you can if you take some precaution walk in the centre, also it’s not that worth because the centre is really poor if you think shopping or having a drink in a bar. Don’t take your camera with you, a little amount in your pocket, no paper, no bag, no obvious valuable jewels or things and let your map in your room. Walk confident and don’t look shy, and you are ready to enter into the centre. So yes it is possible, but nice, I’m not sure yet. So the fact is you can do it but actually you don’t do it because you wouldn’t enjoy it. Here tourism is not about visiting towns and walking in the streets, but it’s a lot of other discover. I don’t want to say it’s close to paranoia because I understand the owner of touristy place can’t let them take any risk, but after one month here I dared cross the main street between the two parts of a shopping/bar/sport area, what Dave recommended me not to do the first day he drove me there. I can’t either say you can cross this road without any risk but the probability (with the same precaution as above) of getting robbed is really limited by day, I would never cross by night though. This can sound emphasized or ridicule for some of you and I would understand it because it is really difficult to imagine if you never lived the situation. So is the way I am learning how to live in Nelspruit. Steve, always the same guy deliver a summary of frightened stories he heard about, and it doesn’t help to get relaxed but if you adapt your behaviour on the place you are going to, the risk decrease enough to find some freedom of movement… certainly more about it

My tourism

I was a tourist from Saturday afternoon till Monday afternoon. With the Baz Bus, two unexpected girls arrived on Saturday. Bella organized very nicely everything for them according to their desire (and she did it very professionally and friendly, I mean, the service Dave and Bella offer to the guest about accommodation is stared, and their job as tour operator is close to the perfection. They know a lot about the tours and the transport and can help you more or less with exactly what you want, it’s admirable. I am for this reason very very satisfied to have the chance to get a formation with them).
Horiko, a Japanese from the States and Hoi-Kee, a Chinese from The Nederland were the best company ever for those two days. We spent the evening in Nelspruit in 2 pubs and had to conclude pubs in Nelspruit are definitely not the greatest night life place. But well, a pub is a pub, a public place you can try some funny drinks, we had different kind of shooters; the most enjoyable is incontestably “Amarula”, actually a fruit creamy liqueur, the taste is utely the same as Bailey’s so, of course, I love it. Another interesting liqueur is the chocolate liqueur, a deep black one, quite strong though. We get one shooter free by Ali, obviously a habitué.

The next day, I got up at 6:30 to be ready for the guests leaving and found out at 7:30 that I was off until the next day afternoon. I had something like 30minutes to plan and organize something for my 1 ½ DAY off. Perfect, Horiko and Hoi-Kee had planed to take the same company to go a panorama road I won’t explain in details all what the tours offer and what they wanted to do and not but it was highly interesting to see that each of us did something different with the same bus anyway as a tour operator I think it is the best combination we could have found ever! We left Nelspruit at about 10 o’clock and joined a Canadian girl leaving in Jo’Burg for 2 years, Emmy, and a Swiss boy travelling in the world for one year, a perfect association of individual person travelling on his own who meet each other and want to share and enjoy their time. Gideon was our guide, I sat at the front next to him to learn a bit more about the company Livingstone for whom he works : fascinating also to see how it works, excellent for my report and my future studies (about it I don’t have any idea yet where I am supposed to be next September…).
We drove through huge artificial forests of some trees from Australia imported because they grow very fast and reach the perfect size in 10 years to be used in mines and consoled the walls and prevent the tunnels to collapse. Amazing : 350 000 trees are planted every working day in the region !!!!!!!!! More than trees, lots of culture especially of bananas and avocadoes.

For the lunch we stopped at the famous pancake’s town of Graskop with many possibilities of restaurants and uncountable shopping availabilities. A charming place.

On the panorama route, we first stopped at God's Window for the point of view on the Lowendal. A little walk between deep vegetation and flowers brings to a 180° panorama, photo is an obligation.

Second Stop at the enter into the canyon, where the two rivers “Sadness” and “Happiness” join. Their name came from a boer true story. In the 18th century, a caravane from Cape Town stopped close to the future “Sadness” river, men, women and children. The men went forward to look a next hopefully free place to stay, let wives and children and told them to go back if they are not with them within a certain time. The ultimate date arrived and the men were not back. Desperate of the destiny of their husbands and fathers, wives and children started to turn back as it was planed. On a stop at the junction between the two rivers, the men joined finally their family and so Happiness was given to the second river. The place is very touristy and especially this week end which was a public holiday. The 27th is a public holy day and remember the first democratic election in 1994.

Our third and last stop before the village where we spent the night was the most impressive and fascinating one : 30km of drive in the Canyon and at the end the Three Rondavels and the peacefully lake : admiration in front of the nature, one more time…

..…soon coming : tribal village……