Some sugar, some wild, some kindness

Ah Mondays. I always walk into the office a little lighter on my feet, excited about a new week, and rested (most of the time) from the weekend. Today, I was rested, and feeling a little lighter, but was most certainly dragging my feet when it came to work. The motivation wasn't there... and that seems to be a problem more and more. I was excited about one thing though, excited about Esther coming back... and the idea that if Esther's coming back, things will change, I will start to do more as far as my NGO is concerned. Esther is one of the Program Coordinators for my office. She's responsible for overseeing all the drop-ins, and such a responsibility includes ordering the food for each site (and making sure that food is accounted for), making sure the cookers are showing up for work and doing what they have agreed to do (cook the food, be there at certain times), and managing all the monthly reports. Esther's been on maternity leave since the first of November. Oh wow, I remember when she was leaving... I was a little nervous about how things would go. Things have been fine. Quiet, but fine. The office has missed her though. Esther's one of those people who makes you feel ok. If she has a problem she's direct, but kind, when it comes to addressing it. She lightens the air in the room. She opens staff meetings with things like, "Let us all open our hearts and minds and feel free to share and discuss what we feel we must. We all come from the same womb, the same breast, we must feel free." And she laughs! She's the one I'll make eye contact with during a meeting and she'll wink and then start laughing silently. It's going to be good to have her back. Today was supposed to be her first day back in the office and, yes, of course, we threw her a little party. And what's a party, around teatime on a Monday, without a sheet cake (complete with "Welcome Back Ester" written on it in blue icing) and some Tab (oh, yeah, Tab, the soft drink that was really big in the 80's)? Gotta have that sugar rush to keep you going!
I give credit to Kruger for feeling a little lighter today. Yes, I think I really do. Nathan, Justin, Keri, and I spent a peaceful couple of days, from the time we woke up until the gates to the bush camps closed, driving up and down the whole middle section of the park searching for animals and trying to see all of the Big 5. South Africa has got the way a national park should be, down. I was impressed. Amazing, I tell you, and the kind of place I can see visiting again and again. It's quiet. The bush camps (where all the accommodations in the park are located) must close their gates at 6:30 every night, I'm thinking in order to protect the animals and also in order protect guests, are quiet. The drives are quiet. The kind of place where you really do feel you're in the wild. Driving along the roads we'd be listening to the radio, having a conversation, and then BAM! right in front of us would be a handful of giraffes munching on some trees, or some zebras causing a roadblock, or a bridge crossing the Olifants River with hippos doing their best to stay somewhat hidden from all the tourists. We did manage to see 80% of the Big 5, Elephants, Water Buffalo, a Rhino, and Lions (the only missing one? The Leopard. They're nocturnal and not usually seen during the day). Days were spent searching for animals and soaking it all in, nights were spent talking and then being lulled to sleep by the sound of the Olifants and sleeping the best I have in weeks. Love it!
What's a sign your post office postman in Metz Village, South Africa is pretty awesome? Answer: When you show up to buy stamps and pick up a couple packages and he insists on settling business with you first. It turns out last week when you went to send an envelope to another PCV in the country he charged you the International postage rate and you paid, thinking nothing of it. So today, he wanted to clear the air... refund you the difference between the two postage rates and apologize for his miscalculations. After all was said and done, you nearly jumped over the counter to hug him it was so nice... but instead just thanked him profusely and used the money towards more International stamps.
It is those little things (and those rhino and elephant sightings) that help so much.