So this week hasn't ben any less busy to be honest!!

Very different as we have properly begun our project rather than just doing the intensive photography course itself.

Monday we started with doing a planning session for the environmental club we would be helping at the local high school. (We were meant to be doing a bush walk but they swapped it around because the one-older-woman; Jan, was climbing a wall; long story! lol and fell off and ended up twisting her ankle and on crutches!) So we have a nice 3 week plan for the kids, who are all about 16/17 years old, we are going to build a compost box and start the compost heap as well as prepare a garden area to plant vegetables for the school which is quite exciting!

After walking into town at lunch the photographers all had a 'Hippos and Crocs Tour' which was a two hour boat tour. It was really exciting as we got so close to the Hippos and there was so much bird life too! We saw this bird called a Goliath Heron which stands 1.5m tall!! Also, did you know that Hippos are actually the animal which account for the most deaths in Africa!! They generally eat grass but they are very territorial and can run in excess of 40km per hour!!!

A new girl also arrived; Andrea from Germany and Christina arrived yesterday and it was so nice to finally meet her as we had been communicating by email before the trip.

I have kind of started doing a bit of exercise-like runs to the beach (more like jog/walk and DIE) and swimming 'lengths' (in the 5m pool!) and walks etc so will see...

On Tuesday morning we went to the Crocodile Centre which we will be visiting every week and it was really cool! We just did general maintenance things like varnishing and sanding benches, some people also painted and gardened and some other stuff. Me and Esther helped to empty out these mini pool things so we could get all the mud/leaves out and clean them. But here's the catch...we were INSIDE the enclosure which meant we were about 5 METRES from the big crocodiles..no fences, no walls-just air between myself and the 3rd strongest jaws in the world!!! :o So that was really exciting!

In the afternoon we went on a short game drive to iSimangaliso (the Natural Heritage Site about 5 minutes from where we are). It was really good as we saw a whole family of 4 rhinos about TWO metres from the car!! :o They were MASSIVE! We also saw a few rare birds and these crazy ants who had nests in trees!

A LOT of editing of photos and deleting and ye..STILL not done...

Wednesday morning was meant to be a bush walk AGAIN but it was raining so ye... Instead we planned for the conservation club some more as well as edited photos and had a general sorting morning.. After lunch we drove to the 'Enviro Club' at the high school and we were all a little nervous (perhaps an understatement!) especially on arriving at this massive school where the kids all were so smart and looked very well turned out.

BUT these kids were just amazing. There were about 32 of them and we all talked to them about their ideas and how composting works etc and they seemed interested as well as having a lot of knowledge! We had them write a letter to the principal asking permission and each group had to read theirs out...We were unsure what would happen but WOW. These kids wrote better letters than I ever could!! They really knew what they were talking about and thought about how these ideas would help others and how it would benefit everyone and I can safely say we were ALL blown away with the quality and thought that went into these letters-in the space of about half an hour!!

Next week we will be starting the physicalstuff-building, clearing and digging! I'm excited!

This morning we woke up at 3.15am to go on our game drive! We went to a Big Five reserve about 45 minutes from here and got there before the gates opened at 5. It was a very tiring but AWESOME day! We saw four of the big five (just not leopard..); 3 different groups of lions including a bachelor gang! As well as a very large herd of buffalo who were a bit on edge due to the lions and we almost got stampeded!! And then we saw a massive herd of elephants of at least 30 all together and about 5/10 metres from the car!! And this all happened within like half an hour which was crazy! Lots of giraffes and zebra as well as antelope and unfortunately a lone and lost baby warthog! :S And so much else; roughly a 7 hour game drive, so all pretty tired now!!

The reason I'm writing now and not on the weekend is because one-it's my birthday TOMORROW!!! Woop woop! And also-I'm going to be quite busy on the weekend with another game drive (and therefore lots of editing, I think I took like 500 photos just today..) and my Dad is coming to visit which is exciting!! :D

This afternoon is just more editing and then a 'Zulu Cultural Evening' tonight which should be good. Tomorrow we will be doing more conservation work at the Undunu Pan which I am looking forward to; doing some actual physical conservation, down and dirty work! Yay! :D

I AM uploading a few photos SOON i swear...not many but please do leave comments etc as I'd like to get your feedback on my photos! Obviously the ones of me were taken by other people but just to reassure you I'm still alive and this isn't an alien writing my blog for me.. You know, it might happen!

I was going to do it today but you have NO idea the mission it has been to get on the internet today and I just don't have time! But maybe on the weekend??

Next time I talk to you all I will be 19!! :D