The International Exchange isn't 30 days of non-stop slogging. Weekends here are a precious commodity, as they give you a chance to explore the surrounding areas and to recharge the batteries (or in my case, a chance to do more work but in front of a pool rather than in a sweaty office).
This weekend was no different and I decided to treat myself to a little getaway to celebrate reaching the halfway mark without having a total meltdown in the process. At the risk of sounding like a TripAdvisor review, this weekend's escape was a piece of actual heaven just outside of Lusaka.
The place I'd booked had an elephant orphanage on site where four little orphans had been safely rehomed having lost their Mums to poachers. Apparently they still get terrified if they hear a gunshot - an elephant never forgets :( Here they will stay for the first three years of their lives, before being moved to a nearby national park where they are protected from poachers. They were absolutely adorable and being allowed to stand within two metres of them to watch them play in the grass and just generally be 'kids' was a real treat. The lodge also has a game drive and I was somehow the only person who had booked that day, so managed to score myself a private tour of the park. The guide warned me that they hadn't seen the giraffe in around five days, so not to get my hopes up. We'd been driving for about 15 minutes without seeing a single animal (lame) before I spotted the three month old baby giraffe peering at me from behind a tree, with her four other family members watching from afar - how lucky is that?! We then went on to see a 'dazzle' of zebras (not going to lie, had to rely on Google for that one), some monkeys and an animal that looked like Bambi (although I'm sure it was something far more exotic than a deer)...
And with that, batteries were fully recharged and I was ready and raring to go for week three of TIE. First on the agenda for this week - trying to convince immigration to let me stay a few extra days so I can complete my placement in the country!! EEK!!
