Durban Adventure

Hi all. I hope this blog finds you well. Jim and I have just returned from a 5 day trip to Durban (a big city about 4.5 hours away from our home in Manguzi). We left last Saturday afternoon and just returned Wednesday night. We had to make the trip for a gender advocacy conference hosted by Oxfam in Durban, but the workshops were only 2 days long - so we went up early to make a little vacation out of it.

When we drove into Durban, we were like kids in a candy store - surrounded by malls and restaurants. We have been in rural Manguzi for the last 2 months, and we were so spoiled by the modern material world we found in Durban. We had a great time - staying at a fun hostel called the Hippo Hide and taking trips to the mall and to different restaurants. We also saw the movie 300 at the IMAX. It was a nice break from the rural life.

We checked into the hotel for the conference on Monday night, and it was an awesome place. It was a little dated, but it was right on the beach. The food and accommodation were included for all conference participants, and the restaurant there was pretty delicious. We were definitely enjoying ourselves. Tuesday morning the workshop didn't start until 10:30, so we had the morning to lay on the beach and soak up this great life. The sessions were really informative and challenging. The facilitators really posed tough questions for us as Program Coordinators, and I think we still have a long way to go to become "gender aware" and "gender active." But it was great to discuss issues surrounding gender that we have with our own staff and the communities we serve.

We headed home on Wednesday night, and worked yesterday and today. I am currently working on a 2-year funding proposal from AVERT UK, an excellent HIV/AIDS organization. The report is a lot of work, but it is fun to plan for two years of Tholulwazi programs and to be part of the creative process. Jim and I are so blessed to work at Tholulwazi and are learning an unbelievable amount about running a business, budgets, proposals, management, conflict resolution, and the Zulu culture. It really is an amazing experience for us, and we have to always remember to be grateful.

We hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and an even better Thanksgiving! (Luckily, we have a few American friends who are really great cooks - and we are planning to have a feast as well).