Time flies by. I did my practical assessment on Monday and did well. Sure the Irish can talk or so they say and I had to waffle on for 8 guests for 3 hours. It was a weird experience because we’ve been used to just observing the animals as opposed to forming opinions about them and relating those opinions to others. It was an early start for me as the drive started at 5 so I had to be up at 4. Gone are the days when I was just coming home from the Sporting Emporium or Colossus or God forbid a Coppers lock in! I’m in bed by 9 these days. Nine O’clock here is like midnight at home. I had to shave, pack up breakfasts for all the guests and make sure there was a hot box for a coffee break. All this after waking up and actually dressing myself! Not easy at 4 in the morning and the shaving took all my concentration.
So I arrive down to the reception at a quarter to five. The game drive is at 5 and I had Margaret’s words of wisdom about the early bird catching the worm and all that ringing in my head. Ready to go and now all I need is my guests. James “Pretty Boy,” Slade was the first to arrive. In fairness to him he was quick to spot my deficiency. I thought I had all the i’s dotted and T’s crossed but it’s always the small things that you overlook. He asked me where was my car? Shit! I forgot the most obvious thing on a game drive!
Lucky for me I’m such a good blagger! The moderator didn’t even think anything about the game vehicle when James jumped out of it. He did give me a weird look but he didn’t realize I had asked me auld Canadian pal “Pretty boy,” to grab the car so I didn’t look like a tit! It worked out in the end as it always does though. When I got back to base I was debriefed and told I had passed. I was also given my result for the exam the week before. 92%! Not bad for a fella that failed economics and accountancy. I must revert to my Brother Pete’s observation on hearing the news, and I quote “92% must be a strange feeling!” Yes Peter quite, a strange feeling but one I could get used to! And they say sarcasm is the lowest form of wit!
A few funny moments have passed since then. On another assessment drive we went on for our Yank colleague, she came up with the best quote of the week. She was going well on her assessment. Her driving was good and she was doing well in her observation. We stopped for a tea break and she tells us “ya’ll (She’s from Alabama) have to make yourselves your coffee and tea because I don’t know how to because I’m American!” Then as she was digging herself into a bigger hole she says when we asked her how she couldn’t know how to make tea, she replied, “well I don’t live in the Victorian era or anything like that so how do you expect me to know how to make it!” It reminds me of hearing about a certain Ashley Cole who plays right back for Chelsea asking his Girls Aloud wife Sheryl Tweedy how to make Pot Noodles! Eh, teabag, hot water job done Alabama!
One of our tasks the other night was to host our class mates for dinner. We had good craic on the night and I think we worked well as a team. It was quite a cool job we did. I’ll stop patting myself on the back now. The “clients,” were happy and we had a blast. Myself and “Pretty Boy,” got mangled while we were serving so it made things a lot easier. We used our restaurant knowledge to good effect! I’ve included a few pictures of Pangolins Paradise restaurant staff for your perusal.
Oh and before I forget, I’m going to queue for my driving license test application again tonight. We drove up to a tiny little hick town called Graskop on Monday to queue up for our license. We left the college at 3 in the morning and got there at 4. We started to stand in line. After a while I decided to go up and check on the opening time. The office didn’t open till 7.45 A.M. The sign also read, we only process 7 applications for driving license test per day. Guess what? We were 8th, 9th and 10th in the queue! TIA (Time in Africa!)
So I arrive down to the reception at a quarter to five. The game drive is at 5 and I had Margaret’s words of wisdom about the early bird catching the worm and all that ringing in my head. Ready to go and now all I need is my guests. James “Pretty Boy,” Slade was the first to arrive. In fairness to him he was quick to spot my deficiency. I thought I had all the i’s dotted and T’s crossed but it’s always the small things that you overlook. He asked me where was my car? Shit! I forgot the most obvious thing on a game drive!
Lucky for me I’m such a good blagger! The moderator didn’t even think anything about the game vehicle when James jumped out of it. He did give me a weird look but he didn’t realize I had asked me auld Canadian pal “Pretty boy,” to grab the car so I didn’t look like a tit! It worked out in the end as it always does though. When I got back to base I was debriefed and told I had passed. I was also given my result for the exam the week before. 92%! Not bad for a fella that failed economics and accountancy. I must revert to my Brother Pete’s observation on hearing the news, and I quote “92% must be a strange feeling!” Yes Peter quite, a strange feeling but one I could get used to! And they say sarcasm is the lowest form of wit!
A few funny moments have passed since then. On another assessment drive we went on for our Yank colleague, she came up with the best quote of the week. She was going well on her assessment. Her driving was good and she was doing well in her observation. We stopped for a tea break and she tells us “ya’ll (She’s from Alabama) have to make yourselves your coffee and tea because I don’t know how to because I’m American!” Then as she was digging herself into a bigger hole she says when we asked her how she couldn’t know how to make tea, she replied, “well I don’t live in the Victorian era or anything like that so how do you expect me to know how to make it!” It reminds me of hearing about a certain Ashley Cole who plays right back for Chelsea asking his Girls Aloud wife Sheryl Tweedy how to make Pot Noodles! Eh, teabag, hot water job done Alabama!
One of our tasks the other night was to host our class mates for dinner. We had good craic on the night and I think we worked well as a team. It was quite a cool job we did. I’ll stop patting myself on the back now. The “clients,” were happy and we had a blast. Myself and “Pretty Boy,” got mangled while we were serving so it made things a lot easier. We used our restaurant knowledge to good effect! I’ve included a few pictures of Pangolins Paradise restaurant staff for your perusal.
Oh and before I forget, I’m going to queue for my driving license test application again tonight. We drove up to a tiny little hick town called Graskop on Monday to queue up for our license. We left the college at 3 in the morning and got there at 4. We started to stand in line. After a while I decided to go up and check on the opening time. The office didn’t open till 7.45 A.M. The sign also read, we only process 7 applications for driving license test per day. Guess what? We were 8th, 9th and 10th in the queue! TIA (Time in Africa!)
There are also a few video's on Youtube that have been uploaded,
Check them out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lerhlxk_KQ
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