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Girl Guide SA August 2024
  • Chris Connors

Girl Guide SA August 2024

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  • Trip start
    August 15, 2024
    Chris ConnorsGirl Guide SA August 2024Traveler

    August Trip Girl Guides 2024

    August 15, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Thursday 15th August and the alarm goes off. Some time you wake up and you get that felling of, ok what day is it where am I, what am I doing today. Then your brain kicks in and you remember it's Thursday and today you're back to Africa.
    After a short turn around of only 4 weeks from the last trip everything is packed so all I need to do is add my wash kit.
    Driver picks me up at 1pm Teri arrives at 12:40 early for her.
    Quick good bye 👋🏼 to the lodges mo and Xoliwasli and away we go to Heathrow airport.
    Debs is normally on this trip but Jas is having her second child so she staying at home.
    All the Girls arrive on time the planes on time so all good.    Read more

  • Chris ConnorsGirl Guide SA August 2024Traveler

    Day 2 - Travel Day Durban to Foundation

    August 16, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

    Johannesburg, question why do we fill out all those forms when they never look at them 🤔
    Arrived in Durban safely and the builders were there with the pickup to take all the bags.
    Walked straight into First car rental and they said "Chris we have two cars for you"
    Perfect ...!
    Next challenge, the Builders vehicle breaks down with all the luggage on it. So we then have to get a recovery vehicle out to sort it out.

    Then on the way up to the Lodge Neveles to let me know that there is a problem with the beds. The builders haven't managed to get them all up to the Lodge and they forgot some of them so some of the Girl Guides will be sleeping on the floor tonight on a mattress. They all took it so well.
    We got to the lodge within four hours which was great. Butternut squash soup and bread rolls are waiting.
    tomorrow is a new day and has Xolawa would say today will be a memory......    Read more

  • Chris ConnorsGirl Guide SA August 2024Traveler

    Day 3 - 1st Community Day

    August 17, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    A great third day
    We visited the children at the children's home and Nosihle was running on Africa time. The GG’s made up impromptu songs and sang to the children and the children were supplicated they had a lovely time.
    We made our way to meet Saziso for day out in the community which the girls coats really well.
    Then back to the Lodge for beautiful meal made by Mai and a lovely birthday cake    Read more

  • Chris ConnorsGirl Guide SA August 2024Traveler

    Day 4 - 2nd Community Day

    August 18, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Our second day out in the community this time the girls are looking at houses that we have built and what impact it has on the people that live in them . Sybongah comes back from work in order to show his house that him and his brothers living, he's so proud and we're so proud of him, vegetable patch and there's always something new that he tries to do.
    We also visit Xolani and this time his mum is at home and she gives me a huge which is beautiful. This family has changed so much since the very first time I met them two years ago.
    Lastly we visit two houses that were hit by a tornado and we were shown one of them last time. I had an idea this time to repair and not rebuilt. I just need to get Sipho and Jeffrous there. To advise on whether it is possible
    After a long day and returning the girls back to the lodge, I went with Nkosie to visit a lady called Ruth that is in desperate need of a house. (I need to make a plan).    Read more

  • Chris ConnorsGirl Guide SA August 2024Traveler

    Day 5 - 1st Build Day

    August 19, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    The morning starts early 5 o'clock for me and the girls get up at 6 o'clock.
    We're picking up Dumisani and then off to pick up Nkosie. It's the usual first day on a build but this time we have two houses to build in 16 days about 30 people on site to imagine them is a little bit of a logistical nightmare.
    The girls were incredibly well and hard, as a team which is lovely to see .at the end of the day Teri me and Nkosie go off to visit the house that we built in July. Muma is so happy to see us. And we explained why we didn't visit the house on the last trip on the last day because we broke down. (Video share below).    Read more

  • Chris ConnorsGirl Guide SA August 2024Traveler

    Day 6 - 2nd Build Day

    August 20, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Another great day on the Build, the girls are getting on really well. The team of men are being gentlemen and making sure that they're well looked after.
    I feel confident enough to go offsite and look at a house that was hit by a tornado to see what we can do with the repair of the roof.
    That evening Wendy and Nevel pop over for a nice meeting to talk about our plans of putting in a laundry room and a little room where a nanny could stay if we had visitors from aboard.
    Not a good night ended up sickness and diarrhoea. (I'm okay now Mum).    Read more

  • Chris ConnorsGirl Guide SA August 2024Traveler

    Day 8 - After School Club, Ebaniza

    August 22, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

    Bit of a late start this morning for the Team just to catch up with paperwork.
    Off to the after-school club which is that yet 11 o'clock the girls look little nervous getting out of the van and meeting hundreds of kids at the first time.
    But they soon get in strength And start teaching the kids loads of games. It's a pleasure to be able to see them grow in confidence over the last week and get stronger and stronger bunch of young ladies then it's off to the children's home where they have created 27 craft packs for them to be able to get involved with,
    I had the opportunity to go and visit Halalisani and he's two twin babies for the first time and meet his girlfriend    Read more

  • Chris ConnorsGirl Guide SA August 2024Traveler

    Day 9 - Breakfast Club

    August 23, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    A super early start this morning is breakfast club. Thank you to Kids Like Us for sponsoring this event.
    Girl guides are so excited about going back to the school after the nervousness of yesterday as they jump out of the van greeted by hundreds of kids and they start the process of feeding them with our porridge,
    The assembly is always such a beautiful thing. All children can sing and have such rhythm here.
    We then meet Vamsile who does all our clothes/school uniforms for the children. It's beautiful to see them in their new shoes and uniforms that she has made with such pride then we go off to Ebeneezer where we treated Day when a little children are learning about the different careers they can do in life.
    Then to the Christoph Meyer where we meet Dorothy, I have an hours meeting with her putting in the plan to be able to build a fence around the CM Project can turn it into a private school for grade one and grade 2 children as metric is not working.
    Need to chat to Stacey
    PS note to self by cow hat. 😂    Read more

  • Chris ConnorsGirl Guide SA August 2024Traveler

    Day 10 - Beach Day, Clean Up

    August 24, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C

    After two years of planning Girl Guides UK meet Girl Guides SA...!
    The big Beach clean.
    We went down to Sodwana Bay. I have never seen the waves so high it just leaves me in all the power of mother nature.
    My fear was before we came to do the Beach clean that there will be no rubbish on the beach, but after a stormy night And incredibly high seas I am taking back by the amount of plastic that is on the beach when you first look it's just golden Sands but then when you look down and you look in detail it's micro plastic. Are we truly gonna make a difference cleaning this up. One of the girls who reminds me one piece put in the bag is one piece less on the beach. Some of the girls from SA have never seen the sea before even though they only live 30 minutes away.
    We take for well-deserved milkshake the smiles on the SA girls faces is beautiful,
    Back to the Lodge for a good old Brai known as a barbecue in the UK.
    The girls are such naturals at making our visitors to the lodge feel welcome playing games with them and singing constantly    Read more

  • Chris ConnorsGirl Guide SA August 2024Traveler

    Day 11 - Safari Day

    August 25, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C

    Sitting having breakfast and BANG..!
    A little bird hit the window.. I jump up and picked it of the ground. Gently stroked it and then popped it on a branch. It moved its little head and seemed ok.
    Loading all the Girls into the van of we all went to the Craft market to do what ladies do best "shop" 😄
    From the craft shop, we went to Delishh for breakfast which the girls enjoyed. Then onto Game reserve we got to the main gate and apparently I was an hour early Shona bent my ear a little bit.
    The girls had a couple of hours list before we went on our first game drive .
    I have to say Bayete didn't let us down amazing sightings of rhino brushing past the Safari vehicle making their way down to the watering hole. We just sat there and watched them for ages.
    Beautiful the day ended with, a lovely meal and a campfire with a girls singing their favourite campfire songs    Read more

  • Chris ConnorsGirl Guide SA August 2024Traveler

    Day 12 - 2nd Sarafi Day

    August 26, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ 🌬 28 °C

    Second day at the Safari and up at 5:30 am the girls are looking a little bit tired today. My love seeing the sunrise.
    It was a bit of a dry drive but then we saw a lioness so beautiful and huge.
    Drove out of the game reserve and Told the girls that we were having a loose stop got them all out the van and then told them that they had an interaction with Rambo the elephant some of them burst into tears with Joy.
    Experience within head off to Tiger Lodge for lunch and then Jozini Dam. They love the view of the mountains and the whole experience of the weekend now the long journey home back to Sodwana Bay.
    Has we pass a hotel out in the middle of nowhere. I say to Sharon the GG leader. "That's a shagging hotel." " have you tried" it she say. Think it's been a long day......🤣🤣🤣    Read more

  • Chris ConnorsGirl Guide SA August 2024Traveler

    Day 13 - Bag Wah & Paint day

    August 27, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    It's going to be a hot day today.!
    Down to the Build not too early arriving at 9 am.
    The builders have done me proud they've got all the stuff that we need for bagwash and painting the first house. Siyabonga helps me to mix up the bagwash, and teach the girls how to do it. With the day been as hot as it is it dry so quickly we then move onto paint which drives equally as quickly so then we do siel the girls end up in a bit of a mess but it will wash off.
    The afternoon is a bit of downtime for them. However, for me and Teri we drive back down to Mduku to meet the under 15s football team that we have bought football boots for. Saziso has done me proud this time..
    The boys that received the football boots are more than happy words cannot describe the look on their faces as they get a brand-new pair of Adidas football boots. These kids are so talented they live in a country but it was recognised and appreciated that will be playing for Premier League team .    Read more

  • Chris ConnorsGirl Guide SA August 2024Traveler

    Day 14 - 2nd Bagwash day & Handover

    August 28, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ 🌬 23 °C

    We decide to get up early at 7 am just because it will be cooler to paint in the morning.
    The girls certainly know what they're doing this time second time around and crack on. I go and get the curtains from Vamsile. She's done an amazing job as always.
    I've return back and they are halfway through the painting. That leaves me and Xolani to put up the curtain poles and for Teri to get the curtains on the rails. 😂 with the girls help of course.

    The girls complete by 11 am, but the children aren't home from school until 3 pm so I make the decision to take the girls to the pineapple farm for well-deserved milkshake.
    We return back to the houses only to find the children have already returned back from school I think they were so excited They must've ran home.
    The last day is always an emotional one as you handover the house and it certainly is for the girls seeing all the children there and GoGo who is singing for joy and dancing certainly made the girls realise the impact that they had made on not just this lady and her family but also in the wide community and Builders lives who keep their families through the income that the girls had raised.
    The journey home is a much quieter one as they will have time to reflect on the impact that they have made.
    I dropped them off at the lodge and then dash up to have a chat with Dumisani and his son about his future.    Read more

  • Chris ConnorsGirl Guide SA August 2024Traveler

    Day 15 - Rest Day - Zulu Croc

    August 29, 2024 in South Africa ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Put the Build complete it's time for a rest day the only challenges it's chucking it down with rain and 14°. So we make a decision to go to Zulu Croc 🐊 to come and visit the crocodiles and snake centre. Not my thing..!
    On the way home, we stopped off to see Siyabonga and Spar got a lovely surprise when we saw Sfiso to.
    Homeward bound the girls spent the afternoon packing then we went to Sodwana Bay Lodge for dinner a lovely way to spend our last evening    Read more

  • Trip end
    August 31, 2024
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