240 hours in Zimbabwe || Christmas in Africa - [Part 2]

On Part 1 of my 240 Hours in Zimbawe trip I shared pictures of my family's Christmas trip to the villages to see my Grandma from my Mum's side. We got back to the city, in Harare, on the afternoon of Boxing Day (Dec 26th). All of us were tired and had an early night. This is because early the next morning, on the 27th, we had another road trip planned to go to the Nyanga Villages to visit my Mbuya ('Grandma') and Sekuru ('Grandpa') from my Dad's side. I dragged myself out of bed, showered, and packed my road-trip essentials into the car. I didn't need to pack much with me because we were just visiting for a day.

 

About three and a half hours on the main road, we took a turn and headed on to the dust road that leads to my Mbuya and Sekuru's home. The landscape in Nyanga is so lush and gorgeous! I love how beautiful it is!

My family and I obviously took a picture break. Who wouldn't? :) We took way too many pictures.... It was awesome!



Look how gorgeous my Mama is!! I love her.

After taking a 'million' pictures, we got back into the car and continued on our way to my grand parent's place. Thirty minutes later we arrived!!

The hut above is the kitchen area. It is where my Mbuya and Sekuru cook their meals. Close-by, they have a house which they sleep in.

Look at that view! My grandparents get to wake up to this EVERYDAY! Also they are rockstars at farming. Look at all that corn!

Me and my Daddy! You should know, I really am a Daddy's girl.

At every village, within about 5-10km of each cluster of homes, there is a community borehole. This is where people come to get their drinking and bathing water. It's very sanitary. The locals usually collect the water with buckets. We took a pit-stop at one of the boreholes to refill our water bottles.

We left my Ambuya and Sekuru's place at around 4pm to head back to Harare. It was so good to see them both after so long! We got home, in Harare, at around 8pm.

By this time I only had 3 days left in Zimbabwe. Of course my family and I planned for more awesome stuff to do. My last adventure in Zimbabwe was visiting the Lion and Cheetah Park! We got to see lots of lions, zebras and other wild life! You can check out details on that visit here on Part 3 of my 10 Days in Zimbabwe!

Xx

Rati :)

Half-Marathon Training: Any Idiot Can Run

I must say that, that is a very beautiful quote. I think, to a lot of people, running a half-marathon,or even running at all when there is nothing chasing you, is simply an idiot's idea of... FUN?!! I tell people I am training and some say: "Awesome!" and they really mean it, whilst others say: "Uhm... awesome?... Why? Is it for a cause?"

And though it is nice for those who have the opportunity to run for a cause, however, for me, I run because I like it. No, wait, correction... I run because I LOVE IT!

There is really no way to explain the joy and exhilaration that comes from running. You fall in love with the rhythm of your feet.
The sound of your breathing.
The movement.
The release.

Its an amazing feeling.

Sometimes the runs hurt and take more effort.
Other times the runs are all a beautiful experience.
But all the time, at the end of a run, I always feel a wonderful sense of release, happiness, confidence and accomplishment.

Yes, to me, running is fun!

I run in the rain. I run in the snow. I push through the wind and sweat it out in the scorching sun.

Of course if you are a new runner... your runs, at first, may feel more like a session of torture. But as you build your endurance and find your stride, running sessions become a strange and beautiful kind of pleasure.

So, I signed p to run the Den Hague ABN AMRO Half-Marathon on the 10th of March 2012. I am currently in week 3 of official training and its going real great.

Week1 and Week 2 were really good. They are all distances I am comfortable with running but, I think from week4, the long run distances will become a bit more of a challenge. In week 1, the run was supposed to be 4.4miles. But, well, i didn't "empty the tank" before heading out and I was feeling horrible by the first mile, I had to turn back. *Blush*

Note-To-Self: ALWAYS empty the tank before a run.

haha!

oh and also I ran my fastest km of 5:50 on thursday. YAY!

I hope everyone is doing great and that you are enjoying 2013 so far.
I definitely am :).

Below you can see my training schedule from week 1 and week 2.

61 MORE DAYS!!

Have a great start of the week.

Xx

Rati

Fitness: Early Morning Inspirations

A few weeks ago I went for an early morning run. It was a day after it had snowed quite a lot and it was just so beautiful out. It was still dark, but I absolutely love running when its still dark.

The streets are empty.
The road is yours.
Its just you.

So, of course,  the run was great! I went for about an hour. I ran about 9km/5.5m at a nice easy pace. I just felt so good. Then it got me thinking, "I think I am about ready to start training and running for a half-marathon". And so that's what I did... I am officially registered to run The Hague, ABN AMRO Half-Marathon on March 10, 2013.

SOOOO EXCITED!
and nervous.
but more excited!

It has always been a dream of mine to run a marathon, but it has always felt so far off and too hard. So I just set the dream aside. Then in December of 2011, I decided to a set small goal and I signed up to run my first 10km race on the 18th of March of 2012 at the Limassol Marathon. I was as excited as I am now about the half-marathon, but I was definitely MUCH more nervous about it. I trained, and I had good weeks and bad weeks of training. But on March 18th, 2012, I ran my very first 10km race and I fell in love with the racing atmosphere, adrenaline and camaraderie among runners. The whole day was just good vibes.

But after that 10km race, I sort of felt I was done with training specifically for running. I wanted to focus more on general fitness. Which I did. I started weightlifting and I absolutely love it. I experimented with other sports like rock climbing and hiking. I experimented with all sorts of fitness, which I enjoyed very much.

I needed to give myself this change to challenge my body in new ways of fitness, but I would always go back to running. There really is nothing like the run. You catch the rhythm of your feet and push yourself mentally and physically beyond where you thought you could possibly go.

And so.. here I am, once again registered to another race. This time the race is a half-marathon. I am currently in week one of training and it is going really great. I will keep you updated.

My dream of running a marathon just feels so much closer. It can be a reality and it feels good!

I am so happy and prod of myself at how far I have come.

I am a runner and I love it!

xX

Rati

DIY: Studded Sweater! (Stud-tastic!)

I love studded and spiked clothes, shoes, jewelry... studded everything!! :D haha! A little bit of studs and spikes on certain clothes just gives it a bit more character, fun and edge.

Now, I know we can all just walk into a store and buy our own studded items. BUT... it really is more fun to create your own studded clothes. Especially from old or forgotten clothes in your closet.

We all have sweaters, tops or jackets in our closet that we don't wear anymore. Instead of having those sweater sit in our closet, wasting space and not being worn... we can recycle them and give them new life by adding STUDS!

This is fun to do on a cozy afternoon or evening, especially now in the winter. Its really easy, fun and you can get as creative as you want.

What you will need:

• Studs (I bought mine at www.ebay.com)
• An old sweater

Instructions:

Place the studs on your sweater on the position that you want to pin them in.

  Press and secure the studs in the sweater. AND.... 

Its complete!

Now I can rock out my "new" sweater for the winter.

Viva the studs!

I hope you have as much fun making this sweater as I did!

Get as creative as you want with these studs. There is still hope for those sweaters at the back of your closet

Xx

Rati