Travelling with a Giraffe

from Katherine

This is Musa. He makes beaded animals near Howick falls which is near Cason’s school. We had had

a lot of rain so we drove up after a game to see how much water was coming over the falls. See Elliott’s blog about 'Laundry with a View' to see the water.

Musa is fortunate to live near a tourist attraction. He does not have to travel far to sell his wares. I have a thing for giraffes and that is what Musa was making when I came to his shade tree. He was gracious to show me how he made the animals stringing a long wire with the same color beads and then very carefully twisting the beaded wire around the frame that he had made. 

Musa did not know I live in South Africa (my accent) so he made a great sales pitch about how my giraffe’s neck would bend and travel well. He was excited to learn that I live here and hoped we would meet again! I hope so too!

Do Horses Speak Xhosa?

from Katherine

Bizana is a market town where one of my schools is and Elliott’s small business class takes place there too. So imagine dusty streets, LOTS of people, traffic, animals loose, street vendors with fruit and veg and chickens, food being cooked over fires, and on and on.

Recently, I left the church to buy bananas for tea time before class. On my way I passed 3 horses on the side of the road, unattended, of course. I love horses so I had to speak to them (not sure if they speak Xhosa but that is OK since I don’t speak much) and tell them how pretty they were. Yes I am a bit crazy, but I am O.K. with that.

When I got to the street vendor where I buy bananas each week I noticed that he had apples too so I bought 3 for the horses. I am REALLY good at drawing a crowd. I have never seen another white woman walking in Bizana but when the white woman buys fruit to feed the horses people stop to see what is happening. I think the fruit vendor was hoping they would like them and I would buy more!

The first horse was very slow to taste her treat but then she gobbled it up. The other two were not too sure about me. A lady nearby pointed out “I don’t think the horses have ever seen a white person” Then she smiled and giggled. The funny part was one of the other two horses went to the first as though he was saying “was it good?”

Always something interesting in Bizana…