Texas, the Lone Star State that stole my heart.

By Arnia Kiara Oosthuizen

I haven't blogged in a while, because I had exams in June and then went on an amazing holiday to San Antonio, Texas.
After the holiday our plane landed, I have hit the ground running when university started two weeks ago. So it has been hectic! But this post is not about how hectic it is going, but rather how amazing my holiday was...

IT IS ABOUT TIME THAT I BLOG ABOUT TEXAS!!!!

My uncle has been living in San Antonio, Texas, for the past few years. My grandparents and aunt already went to visit him, ranting on about the beautiful country, so finally our turn came to visit him. We swapped  our very cold winter here in South-Africa for a very hot summer there! So here is my general feeling about San Antonio and Texas:

• Texas is green: Coming home felt like leaving Avatar to come back to Earth. We left the green, beautiful, warm and green country to come back to a very dull and cold South-Africa. While flying over Texas, we just saw green green trees and land and then a few hours later, we flew over South-Africa, the brown, dull country of ours. 

The Valero Trailhead- the green is everywhere and majestically beautiful!

• Everything is big; the food, cars (trucks), the drinks, the roads (which is mostly highways), did I mention the food?

My dad next to a truck- it is BIG!!!

The highway interchanges goes 4-5 levels up! Holy crap that is high and MASSIVE!!!

• Everything works; Postal services, packages arrive a day after it has been ordered, without getting stolen! People want to work there, they don't have the attitude of that they HAVE to work, they WANT to!
• Their beer is AMAZING! 

CHEERS!!!

• They have Rodeos!!!!! You know like the sexy cowboys and bull-riding... Like where do I sign-up for a sexy cowboy husband??? 

Looking all cowgirl-ish

• It is safe! We did not have to check over our shoulders or be afraid. Even the dodge areas of San Antonio didn't scare us. There is not crime like we know it in South-Africa. We felt safe and relaxed. Postal services can drop packages in front of your door, without it getting stolen. 
• We were in the company of two gorgeous dogs: Mila and Percy!

Mila and my sister

Percy getting some loving from my uncle

The locals are so friendly! The locals always greet you and they always ask where you are from. They made me feel welcome and at home. My 'thank-you' was always met with a reply of 'you're welcome'! They have manners like you cannot believe...

San Antonio has stolen my heart! I still want to travel the world and see all there is to see, but I think that San Antonio will be my home one day. It is the type of place where I can live out my days with my family and be extremely happy.

So, how can I get my green card?

I will be writing of my trip in more detail on my other blog: In Travel Of Adventures.
Check it out and follow my journey...

Love for animals?

By Arnia Kiara Oosthuizen

When I compiled my bucket list, I also tried to think about things that would fulfill my life, materialistic things don't make you happy, it's the memories and experiences that make you smile and truly happy. therefore I decided that I want to volunteer at Rehab center for animals that got hurt and nurse them back to health. It is number 9 on my bucket list.

This semester, we had to do a project in one of our Communication subjects. The project was that we had to design a communication plan for an NGO (Non Govermental Organisation). So, I thought about my bucket list and how can enrich my life at the same time, therefore I chose to do it about the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals).

The communication plan involves that we had to go and visit the NGO and find out what their needs are and how their communication (social-, mass- media, etc) are with stakeholders. We then had to design a plan to tel them exactly what needs to be change and what form of marketing they should use to help them reach their goal. We also had to tell them exactly what message they must send to each stakeholder group.

The SPCA has a lot of needs especially because it is winter here in South-Africa. They have a shortage of blankets, warm water bottles, and they always have a need for food for cats and dogs. They also have a need for a nice website, where they can regularly post about happenings and animals needing loving homes, where they will not be abused or neglected.

I have a very soft spot for animals and it makes me so sad to walk past cats and dogs, where they shy away because they are scared. Their owners had hurt them, how removed from your conscience must you be to hurt an animal who always is happy to see you. My dogs are always making weird sounds and jumping up and down to see me. They are ALWAYS happy to see me! How can you hurt an animal that has always loved you?

I want to show them that I am not like their owners, but that takes time. Therefore, I aim to spend more time at the SPCA, next semester, helping these animals and showing them that they can trust people again. I want to nurse them back to health.

This communication plan made me realize that I, a normal student, can make a difference in the lives of animals. I hope they use my communication plan, because it will help them to connect better with their stakeholders and also help them to fulfill their needs for the cold winter.

Attacked by a dog

By Arnia Kiara Oosthuizen

Today my mom, sister and I took our dogs for a walk, which they absolutely loved. They are always attempting to escape our garden. So, this walk was freedom x 10000.

*Petite Peu and Benji

The dogs tired easily, because they are unfit due to the reason that we don't go and walk with them a lot.

In our complex, there are lots of dogs and they bark at everything even at an ant walking in front of them. So, when we entered the complex, the dogs started barking loudly. Our dogs are very small but can get very arrogant against big dogs, when we know they will come second to these dogs.

We were almost at our house when suddenly a huge dog jumped over his wall. I couldn't believe my eyes and he ran straight at us and was aiming for Petite Peu, the black dog. My sister luckily ran to the house, while we were fending off this big dog.

All I could think of was to get PP away from the big dog, so I picked her up by her leash and was holding her in my arms. The big dog's mouth went over PP's head, but she didn't bite because I pulled her away. My mom kept screaming "NO!" at the dog. I wasn't even worried about myself getting bitten by the dog, I just wanted to protect my dog.

It is really strange how we react in a crisis. My sister ran, my mom screamed and I just tried to save my dog. Luckily none of us got hurt, not even PP, who was so arrogant against this big dog.

This big dog that attacked us, is to large for our complex environment. The dogs are not supposed to be higher than knee height, this dog was about hip height. HE CAN JUMP OVER WALLS! That scared the living crap out of me!

It was scary, but I'm just glad that no one got hurt.

*Petite Peu stands for 'little bit' in French. She was supposed to be way smaller than she is, but we still love her and Benji, all the same, even if they are arrogant towards very large dogs!