cango caves

cape town from Robben island

Hike to a waterfall
Zip lining through the trees
A child in the township in Chintsa

The bridge I jumped off of!

MAMA TOFU!!!

im home.

Im back! after 40 hours of traveling back home i am finally here safe and sound. thank you for reading and those of you who commented. It was so nice to hear from all of you. I have some crazy, amazing stories to tell in detail of my adventures that I am eager to share with you all. Thanks again for all the support. I cant tell you how much Ive learned and experienced for the first time. I will never forget it. Love Always, Hannah

hello! I am now in Kruger National PArk which is roughly the size of isreal! It is so amazing we have seen four out of the Big Five so far: leopard (eating an impala), Elephant, Rhino, Water Buffalo and we are waiting to see a lion. We've also seen hippos, bushbabys, tons of giraffe, kudu, hyena and tons of different small cats. And we still have a game drive to go. I have pictures but nothing can do in justice being right there with these wild animals is so thrilling. I can't believe how lucky I am. I have just gotten over a nasty stomach bug. It was horrible so I missed a few activities and a lot of the night life in Cape Town. But I have so many experiences already that i am not even fazed, just glad it is over and to have food in my stomach. We went sandboarding which is snowboarding but on beautiful fine white sand dunes and went up to table mountain that literally feels like you are on top of the whole world. I also got to go to Robben island where nelson mandela was kept prisoner. It was so amazing because an ex political prisoner showed us around and was talking about being tortured by the police and stuff, so intense. I will fill in the gaps when I go home tomorrow, thanks for those of you that have followed my blog I have such brillant support back home and I know that I am truly blessed. Thank you for everyone that was thinking and praying and supporting me. this was an experience of a lifetime and I will never forget the memories I have made. I love all of you so much, Hannah

hello again from cape town

We just got into cape town after a 9 hour bus ride. Ugh. But it is soooo cool here I love it already it is a cross between new york and san francisco. I have beeen up to so much. I did the WORLD's BIGGEST bungee jump!!!!! It was the most amazing feeling ever just falling off the bridge but I do confess that as the man was pulling me up I had to hold onto his leg for a bit just cause I felt uneasy being so high and not having anything to hold on to. Then we went whale watching which was brillant. I got to see all of these whales and seals up close to the boat. So amazing. We also did a tree top canopy tour in the tsitsicama national park. We just zipped through the trees on cables and stuff. We also visited an ostrich farm which was very disturbing a bit like going to a slaughter house in my opinion. But that morning we went to these amazing deep caves with huge caverns and crazy rock formations from water. Then we went further back into the cave in some very tight spaces at one point we all justy had to wiggle through on our stomach up a shaft. But seeing the caves was totally worth it. Then we biked down from the mountain for a couple hours which was beautiful and went on a four hour ocean hike which was also beautiful. There is so much scenery to see even the drives are an adventure and a site in themselves. I am loving everything so much I can't tell you what an adventure I am having. Love H

hello! I have left Chintsa and we met up with the other volunteers on the conservation project in Port Elizabeth then traveled to Jeffrey's Bay which is Beautiful, honestly. We got up early this morning and had pancakes and went for a surfing lessons. that waves are beautiful and I actually got to stand a few times. Endless Summer was filmed here so it has to be good. hostel is right on the beach and the sunsets and sunrises are amazing. Then in the afternoon we went horseback riding which was a little scary. we went up all theses sand dunes and galloped on the beach. My horse tried to start some fights so i was pretty nervous up on the horse. But it was definitely an experience worth having. tomorrow we are traveling again a bit north in tsitsicama for a treetop canopy tour with ziplines that use pressure instead of bolts and such! I am having so many new experiences and having the time of my life. Love
H

p.s.

ive changed the settings so that anyone can leave comments and I would love it if you did just identify yourself!! Love h

alomst half way!

Hello! I have two more full days of work then I am off to the adventure tour. I cant tell you how much I have learned and grown already from the people here and learning about the culture. It is truly an amazing experience. A couple days ago we went to a traditional village, Mama Tofu's. We learned all about their customs and dress, sacrifices and social interactions. Mama Tofu is the sweetest old lady and she is a kick!! I learned how to make traditional xhosa food and slept in a mud and cow dung hut. They live so simply but there is so much love in that place. The children taught us some traditional dances and we basically danced all night long. It was probably one of the most amazing experiences of my young life and I will never forget what I have learned. The work is going well too. We are having fun balancing hard work and fun with the children. We've been out to some local bars as well to relax after a long day and I have bonded with the other group members which is nice. Miss you. Love
Hannah

hello!

everything is still going well. Tomorrow we are going to a swimming hole where you can jump off the cliffs into the water and then to Mama Tofu's for a traditional African meal and dancing. There we will stay in mud huts and such I can't wait!! The building is going a lot faster than we planned which is fantastic. I am learning a lot. the weather here is mad, it goes from blistering heat to cold rain in a day. We are about halfway done with the project part of the trip. Love
Hanz

hello from the wild coast

I am in Chintsa on the wild coast and having so much fun learning the language and the people. As of now we are repairing a jungle gym in one of the townships which is very humbling. We are also creating a easy plumbing system next to one of the schools. Unfortunately I am unable to call because the phone cards i have purchased here and there dont work. So I do miss the sound of your voices already. There are plenty of kids around which is so grand because they are so loving and just want you to hold them adn try to speak as much as you can. They speak Xhousa (pronounced with a click) here. I am living in a very nice house with my 10 other volunteers. the people here are so kid and welcoming. I am absolutely already in love with it here. We've got a lot of hard work to do and I am already sore but still so pyched to be here. There is a beautiful coastline right outside our windows. adn we've been playing ultimate frisbee on the beach at our free time. We went on a gorgeous hike that took us to the top of a mountain that over looked so much of the coast it was so amazing. The food here is prepared for us and is really good. the butternut squash here is sooo good and I have been eating a lot of it. I saw a kid with Toms shoes today and that was pretty rad. And so was he. Miss you much.
-H

I leave tonight!!

Hello

thanks for visiting my blog. I am leaving tonight to go to New York and stay with my cousin then the next day I leave for South Africa.  I am a little nervous traveling so far, so please think good thoughts for me if you can.  Its my last day here in California and I ran into a high school friend who just came back from africa and she was so sweet and so helpful.  This is truly going to be life changing for me.  

Thank you to everyone that stopped by to say goodbye.  I spent the weekend with my other half which was perfect because he always grounds me and put me in the place I need to be to go on this trip.  I got to see my brother after way too long as well whom I wouldn't be the girl I am without him.  And I spent today with my  mom.  The perfect send off is what I am trying to convey.   I hope to keep you informed while I am away, I promise to do my best.  Love. 

Here I go.

Hannah/ Hanz

Hello

Ok this is my real blog cause technology is baffling me.  

Well I am still in California as of now but I leave in a little over a week to go to South Africa.  Thank you so much for visiting my blog, I am a little new to this whole technology thing and will do my best to keep you informed.  I knew that I wouldnt be able to keep in touch with everyone so I thought this would be the best venue.  I hope to write down a little of what I am up to in South africa while I am there.  I dont know how often I will be around internet or how often I will want to write down everything I am doing.  But either way when I get home I will fill in the blanks.  

Thank you so much to those of you who sponsored or supported me going on this trip in any way.  Other than those generous people I am paying for the trip entirely by myself.  It is my life savings and I have no doubt that if will be worth it.  

I am volunteering for the first two weeks then adventuring the next two.  Then back into the very different throws of Orange County, L.A. life.  

Packing is going well there is so much to bring to keep me safe!  So much medicine and all that.I have a busy last week in Santa Rosa seeing all sorts of friends and family and just wrapping up what I believe to be my last summer at home.  

I love all of you so very much.  

-Hannah