Mischievous goats, jet boats, and washing the old fashioned way

Today is the first day since I’ve arrived that I’ve actually had the chance to lie in bed, and then potter around not doing much at all. The majority of people in the house have gone on safari to Chobi , but I was one of those who decided to give it a miss. Yesterday I went back to the orphanage in the morning, and did much the same as usual. I’ve adopted another little girl called Rebecca, who is so adorable and cute! She stayed with me all morning, paying no attention to the other volunteers, was obsessed with my rings and my hair, taught me more nanja, and at the end was delighted to find out I would be working at her school. I learned that her father had died, I presume from either aids or malaria, and that she lived with her mother. When I left she said, “I love you,” and I gave her a big cuddle and was tempted to try and fit her in my suitcase. Then in the afternoon we went straight from the orphanage to go jet boating, which was tiring, somewhat painful and hilariously funny. We had a long drive to reach the top of the gorge, and then had to get a cable car, and then had to climb down the side of the cliff, in order to reach the Zambezi river. We then spent around half an hour being sped along, through the rapids, so that the boat flew out of the water and crashed back down with the waves, taken under water falls and getting soaked, and getting spun around in the boat so fast that everyone crashed in to each other, which was the painful part. It was lots of fun, but by the end, after climbing up the cliffs again, I was exhausted, wet, dirty and realised I’d started my damn period, and so was anxious to get home and shower. It was the chef’s day off, so in the evening we all went out to Hippo’s for some food, which was delicious, and stayed for a couple of drinks.

This morning I was dying for a cup of tea, and so had one straight away, forgetting to take my malaria tablet first, resulting in me spending about an hour on the loo. I wasn’t sick though thank God. We also got up to discover that the goat that lives in the garden had gotten in to the house, and was preceding to eat everything it could find, which was hilarious! So far today I’ve been doing washing the old fashioned way, by hand in the sink, which was surprisingly therapeutic. The house is fairly quiet, and I’m sitting in the lounge, being harassed by cats who want to climb on my knee. This afternoon I think I’m going to read, and relax before the proper work starts tomorrow, and I have to be up at five thirty.