ME

ME

Tuesday 23 April 2013

What Nature means to me!

Nature surrounds us everyday, everywhere we go. So what does it meant to me??
When I lived in Switzerland, I was not introduced into the world of technology, all I had was a tv and a nintendo DS. Apart from these thing to entertain me, I used the outdoors, as my playground. We also had a trampoline so it was an excuse to go outside and jump and take in the view of Mont Blanc.
My backyard was really only a big steep hill, my brother and I used to roll down the hill, and in the winter we didn't need to find a steep to sled down we had one right outside the house. In our yard we had one big tree, I loved this tree, sometimes my neighbors would come over and we would climb. It felt great, I felt free, swining upside down clinging to of the trees thick branches

Monday 8 April 2013

The Most Memorable Events That Happened To Me On My Trip To South Africa

1. Before we even got on the plane, getting into the taxi I stepped in a gunk of poo/spew of a unknown animal that is hiding in our garden. When we finally had all the baggage in the back the taxi driver started the car, and as soon as the airconditioner started you could smell this gross smell, I thought it was the car. I had no knowledge of the poo/spew until mum said "ok someone has stepped in the poo. Everyone take a look at the soles of your shoes." I knew it could not have been me or else I would've known. I first looked at the bottom of my left shoe. It was all clear, then I was almost certain that I did not step on the poo until I lifted my right shoe and stared right at it. Mum found me staring at it and pulled me out of the car in a rush, she seemed quite mad. She grabbed my shoe and started whacking and rubbing it on the grass trying to get rid of it. The taxi driver was taking the car mat away as there was poo on that too, he got the air freshener and sprayed the entire car and my shoe. He was quite calm about the situation. When we had gotten most of the poo of we continued on our way to the airport. My shoes never did smell any better even though we managed to get all of the poo off, they always smelt of the poo, I even tried spraying perfume on it at the airport, nothing worked! Eventually we threw the poo shoes out (this is what my entire family called them, the poo shoes).

2. Our first stop was to Rissinington inn, it was our place to just relax and get used to the time difference. On the second day of our stay, my brother and dad went to go play football on the huge patch of grass in front of where mum and I were sitting on the veranda. All was good until a huge wasp flew into my hair, and got entangled in my hair. I calmly asked mum if there was a anything in my hair and at first she said no but then she saw it a wasp, her eyes widened. She took the Time magazine she was reading and started whacking my head trying to ge it out. The family sitting by the pool side thought it was hilarious and were laughing their faces off. When mum finally said that it was out I wasn't convinced, so I put my fingers through my hair and felt its body through a few pieces of hair. I screamed at mum "It's not out it is still in there!!!" Mum actually could not find it in my hair but when she did, she began whacking my head, until the wasp landed on the ground. Right at that moment one of the staff came and stepped on it and pushed it off the veranda. Mum and I bursted into laughter about how panicky we were and then went back to our reading.

3. Later that day, I went to get some board games to play with my family. When I returned with two board games, I placed them on the table and brought my arms in and by accident I hit my funny bone on the arm of the chair.  It felt like my entire body jolted, and suddenly I felt really sick and dizzy. So, I put my head in between my knees to make the dizziness go away. But it was to late, I felt like one moment I was looking at the floor the next moment I opened my eyes my mum brother and dad were holding me up asking if I was ok. I apparently I had fainted. My body had gotten a shock and I fainted. When mum was holding me up asking if I was ok, she kept speaking my name, but I could not find the strength to reply, so I just stared. When I summoned the energy to say something, I said I felt sick and returned my head to my knees. After a while I felt better I lifted my head and carefully sipped some ice water. This was not the first time I had fainted, the first time was at the doctors when I was getting my injections and my mum was so scared because she didn't know the reason why I fainted. Soon I have to  go to the doctor to get my blood pressure tested as mum thinks that I might have low blood pressure.

4. For the last part of our holiday in South Africa we went to the Motswari Private Game Reserve. On the second day on the morning game drive, we stopped by a little damm and the rangers got out of the truck to follow lion tracks. They left my family on the truck alone. Everything was fine and we were all talking and joking around, until I looked down at my legs, and their I saw a golden orb spider (a spider abou the size your the palm of your hand) crawling down my leg. I was panicking so much I could not scream I was more panting loudly without breathing. Mum turned around and flicked it off with her hat and it flew of into the truck. I think the worst part of this was that I could not feel it crawling on me.All of a sudden one fo the rangers came back to see what was wrong and he laughed when he found out. He picked the spider up out of the truck and set it on the ground.

5. On the drive back to Johannesburg (it took 8 hours), something horrible happened. On one of the game drives our ranger found a porcupine quill (very very sharp) and he gave to my family to keep. At first the quill was in my book as a bookmark in my bag, which I was resting on. I was afraid that I might brake it so I took it out and put it in the car door. My legs began to feel uncomfortable so I put my feet up to the window and brought my legs up. Suddenly, the car went over a bump and the quill went directly into my leg. I was mortified.  I started panting as I did when I saw the spider, but this time louder. When I tried pulling it out my skin came with it, so I gave up. My mum screamed "Pull over the car! Pull over the car!" When my dad did so she slowly pulled the quill out of my leg. It went at most 1 inch into my leg. When she pulled it out the pain was so bad. After it was out all that was left was a tiny bare hole in my leg (not deep enough to see my muscle, of course). It did not hurt when it was in my skin it was more of a shock but when mum pulled it out that was when it hurt.

Apart from these things that happened, our holiday was fantastic!