This is Africa

I am in landlocked Africa, in the middle of a country so full of mosquitos that they are the national animal, a country so hot that you get sunburnt in the shade, this is the heart of Africa, this is my temporary new home, this is not Spain, this is Malawi. Ive been here for about a month and have seen enough of this country to realise how special this place is. The more I learn here the more i find i don’t know. For example: This country is very religious, church attendance is high and those who don’t go are looked at as wacky. However crime is high, adultery and teen pregnancies are frequent and corruption everywhere. Unemployment is so high (ive heard 85%) and poverty is rampant however many Malawians, ministers and Christians exist here and do a lot for the less fortunate. Spend a few weeks here and you will see a country thats not made for tourism (like the many ive been to so far) but a genuine nation struggling, trying to use its weak economy like a feeble crutch to stand up and declare “We are Malawi and we do not need aid”.



I am grateful for the warm welcome i have received from Rev Lewis who works with the Presbyterian church. My first 4 weeks have been mixed. As you can read above this country has made a big impression on me. Its people culture and history are a new experience and impossible to relate but i will try. On a sorer note I unfortunately arrived in this country minus my phone and camera (Hence no photos yet). I think some South African Airways baggage handler has an unfortunate habit. It sux that they were nicked but if he needs to steal to have a good life then I feel more sorry for him than for the loss of a couple of things. On the positive I have been provided a place to stay at the Presbyterian Synod in Blantyre at The Resource Centre for the 8 weeks that I am here. Apart from the occasional black-out, water outage, heat and mossies it’s a luxury.

So why am I here? Good question sonny jim. Unfortunately my role here so far has been limited. The task I was to be working on: ORBUS the orphanage construction project has been scaled back and the buildings are being used to accommodate orphans in the most need. I’ve been helping out fixing and sorting things out at the resource centre but theres only so much i can do. I spend more time in prayer and bible reading than I have before and although I am grateful for the opportunity to relax, learn about Malawi and its struggles and read from the Christian library i’ve been praying that an opportunity to serve here will grow. Pray for the Christians of this country, the poor, the sick, the widowed, the corrupt, its leaders, the unemployed and the criminals. I have had a lot of time to pray and I have been praying a lot for everyone I can think of. Recent scientific surveys show that I pray more for those who read my blog.

Congratualtions to Charlie Kuiper on his amazing escape from the womb. I reckon you’ve joined a good family mate and you should have a lot of fun. See you in a few weeks.

In The Jungle

Last month I arrived on African soil for the first time and started a 2 week adventure with no regrets.. except for maybe Johannesburg. The first 3 days I spent travelling around Kruger park checking out the wildlife. From Cobras to Giraffes, Lions to Antelopes and a bit of everything in-between. Elephants were as common as wallabies back in Tas however I am yet to see any elephants who died as a result of road-kill. My favourite sighting was the family of Hyenas that lay across the road on our last day. They weren’t going anywhere and it was a satisfying to just watch these guys as they took their time getting out of our way.

The rest of my time was spent volunteering at a wildlife reserve called Zingela Predator Conservation Project in the NE of South Africa near a city called Alldays. The main purpose of the reserve is to provide sanctuary for cheetahs, leopards and other predators that are threatened by local farmers. It was pretty dramatic from day one after poachers came the night before and killed some of the warthogs. Along with poacher stake-outs we fixed fences, fed the Roans (a type of antelope), tracked cheetahs, leopards & hyenas plus did whatever else was required. We worked 8 hours a day and did nothing during our free time. Needless to say it was a lot of fun. I normally only leave updates on this blog so that people with short attention spans don’t get overwhelmed *coughkuiperscough* but I did have a once in a lifetime experience and those who are interested can read on.

During one of the lunch breaks i was doing some sprints and turning back I saw the silhouette of what looked like a dog at the other end of my course. It was looking at me and then behind as if trying to figure out what i was running away from. As it got closer the light revealed that it was in fact a leopard tracking me down. I walked back slowly to my cabin/tent, if I went too quickly Jackal (that was the leopard’s name) started to jog a bit too so i slowed down. Once in my tent I saw the Leopard walk into our site and gradually follow my tracks back to my tent. Once there he saw me through my flyscreen and whined like a big cat wondering why I wouldn’t come out and play. It took a lot of will power to resist the invitation. He then did a circuit of the tent trying to find a way in. After a lap he saw me through one of the side ‘windows’ and jumped up to put his paws on the tent. The tent collapsed and the big cat scrambled to find its feet again and reclaim some dignity.



Shortly after that the reserve owner and creator Anthony came with his co-worker and paintgun to scare Jackal back into the bushes. Jackal is one of the few predators that Ant has rescued from the bush and keeps on the reserve. Ant is an incredible guy with an amazing life. He spent years rescuing big cats from farm areas and relocating them to wild reserves. He once spent 6 months living in a reserve making sure his cheetah was strong enough to kill wildlife and avoid being killed by the lions. He spent 3 years working in Dubai solely to pay for the 50km electric fence required for the reserve that he currently runs. Along with his army of African workers he, his wife and 1.5 kids they live and work at the reserve and are looking to expand to accommodate lions next year. It’s a bit hard not to be awed by how much he has done for these beautiful and endangered animals. Definitely the right place to go if you ever want a genuine African experience.

A lion with his pet Buffalo

A very belated birthday blessing to my little sista Pippi. I hope you enjoyed your special day and got all the presents you wanted. I may be bringing back a leopard with me that can use a new home.