I am so sorry that it has been so long since I have written, but between work and everything else I just have not had time.  This is the first morning that I have had access to the laptop and not doing anything else special.

Let me see.  Where do I start?  Probably where and with whom I am living.  It is a family of three.  Di is the Rotarian, who has so graciously opened her home to me.  Then there is her daughter Yvonne who is 37 and her daughter, Taryn Lee, who is 12.  Thomas (the Exchange Student from Belgium) was living with us for a couple of weeks, but now he lives with one of his friends from school.  It is a very nice home.  Both Di and Yvonne drive right by my work in the mornings, so it works out really well for them to drop me off.  They have two parrots.  They are the cutest lovebirds.  Then they have Jessie, who is a Jack Russell Terrier.  Jessie is two and as hyper as can be.  And last, but not least, is Boots, who is an old, deaf, fluffy, white dog who putters around at about 1 KM (very slow) per hour.  We all reside in a suburb of Johannesburg called Sunninghill.  A lot of major corporations have their offices in this district and it is a very safe area.  My host family has lived in the area for years and they remember when it all use to be farmland, which is now all going to houses.  Sounds kind of like what is happening to Susanville, which really stinks.
 

WORK!!!  Yah, yah, what is this crazy girl doing now?  Well she is doing wildlife rehabilitation and relocation.  So, in other words, I am working at Free Me Rehabilitation Center for Indigenous Wildlife.  Either people bring in, or we fetch, animals that are injured, sick, or just need relocation.  Most of what comes in are birds.  Which are primarily babies that have fallen out of their nests, but then we also get tortoises, squirrels, meerkats,  (think Lion King), hedgehogs, Cape foxes ,

African wild cats , etc.

I get to work around 7:30 am and leave at 5:00 pm.  First thing in the morning we have to feed all of the animals.  We always do bottles for the antelopes first.  At the moment we have four antelopes.  Normally they are lucky if they get two in a whole year.  There is a Blesbok , Impala , Duiker , and Steenbok , who have all been orphaned in some way or another. 

Then we do clinic food.  The clinic is where the animals first go when they come to Free Me.  Every animal gets examined, and if needed is taken to a vet.  Every animal stays in the clinic until it is able to handle outside conditions.  The final food that is prepared is for all the birds in the outside aviaries.  Each bird gets a different diet.  Most get a meat mix, which consists of soaked cat pellets and a dehydrated egg product.  Many also get chopped fruit and/or greens.  All of the food is donated by local stores, which they give to Free Me when they can no longer sell it.  After all of the feeding is done then we go around to change the water, clean cages, and do any other jobs, like pick out meal worms and beetles from the cultures.

Free Me is made up of volunteers.  There are only four paid positions, which includes a manager, assistant manager and two full time cleaners/maintenance men.  Everyone else is a volunteer.  We have two shifts a day.  The morning shift is from 8 to 1 and the afternoon is 1 to 5.  There are only a few people who work more than one shift a day, so I go through a lot of co-workers in one week.  Some days we are busy, others we are not.  It just depends on how many animals we have and how many people are working that day.

My weekends have been kind of busy.  On one of them I took a “Break Through to Excellence”® course.  The course was presented by the Pacific Institute, based out of Seattle, Washington.  The course teaches you about how your mind works and how you can use that information to gain your full potential.  I have a follow up day next weekend, which will be nice, except I have not spent much time on my homework.  So I need to get cracking this week. 

Another weekend Di and I went up to another Rotarian’s farm, which is about two hours outside of Jo’burg.  It was great.  It was really in the bush.  We did not have any electricity, but did have running water.  It was a nice getaway from the city and all of its noise. 

One weekend we had a big party for Di’s Birthday.  So that Friday night we cooked, Saturday we got ready and enjoyed the party, and Sunday we recovered.  Last weekend, on Sunday, Di and I were suppose to work shifts at a Horse Show, where our Rotary Club was raising money, but it was rained out.  So I went with a friend to a market and then to the movies with Yvonne, Taryn and Neil.

This last week, at Rotary, I gave my speech to the club.  I had pictures on a disc, which I made into a Power Point and did my presentation that way.  It was so funny, because while I was setting it up, I could hear my computer teachers in the background saying “Do this, and don’t do that.”  I was so nervous that I left my Rotary blazer at home, but all I cared about was my presentation working.  They only gave me 10 min., so I did my best.  I was told it went great, but you all know how it is when you go home and say, “Well, I should have left that out and added this.”

Mom and Dad called me and let me know that I have been accepted to the University of Central Washington, and they have given me a scholarship, which cuts the out of state tuition in half.  I am really excited, because I was not looking forward to those out of state tuition costs.  So now I know where I am going next year. 

I also have my date for when I return to the States.  I will leave here on July 17th and arrive home on the 18th.  At first my ticket was set for June 30, but my visa lets me stay here till the 18th, so I told Mom and Dad I wanted to push it back.  Why not?  I do not know when I will be back here, so I am going to stay as long as I can.

Let's see, the biggest thing happening right now is that I have what we think is a baby rat that came into Free Me.  I am going to raise it up and then give it to one of the guys, who I work with, who has had them before.  Its eyes are still closed and I have to feed it every hour to hour and a half.  Of course this means I am not getting that much sleep, but it is so cute and I am up for the challenge.  It is all black at the moment, and I want to give it a South African name, which I have not decided on yet.

This weekend is a long one for us because Monday is holiday (Human Rights Day), so tomorrow my host family and I are going up to Sun City and spend the night.  We are going to just relax and have a good time.

Mom and Dad are going to arrive here on April 1st.  I am so excited to see them.  I am working on getting our week set out.  We will spend two nights at Tshukudu and then spend the next two days around Kruger National Park.  Then back to Jo’burg.  Hopefully a tour of Soweto, Pretoria, Jo’burg and lots of museums, and maybe some shows!  The day before they leave I head off for a Rotary trip to Cape Town and then I will be back for a week and head off for the Rotary District Conference.  April will be very full for me, so if I do not get news to you right away do not freak to much.

I hope that all is well for everyone.  The weather is getting cooler, especially at night.  I finally got all of the stuff I had been storing at Ian’s, so I have my sweaters and other warmer clothes to wear again as it is moving into Autumn here.  I am going to wish you all an early Happy Easter, and have a great break.  Stay safe.  I miss you all.

Cheers,
Love,
Kate

 

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