Having a bad day?

Want your heart to melt? Click below to see kids getting teddy bears!

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103971529395996876965/albums/5875531545426692417#photos/103971529395996876965/albums/5875531545426692417

A day in the life of...

I’ve been thinking for a while that it would be nice to write “A Day in the Life of…” blog post. While my life here may seem pretty normal and mundane to me, I have to remember that my definition of “normal” has a whole new scale! My day started out just like any other. Except, a typical day in Africa doesn’t usually turn out to be so typical. There are always twists and turns and surprises along the way. True to Africa fashion, my day was not what I expected.

I woke as the sun rose, shining through my window (which has been later and later as winter starts to creep in). My days start slow with a bowl of oatmeal and coffee. Lately, I’ve been watching an episode of Friends with breakfast. After 8 seasons, I feel as though I’m part of the gang with Joey, Chandler, Ross, Monica, Phoebe, and Rachel.  Walking to work, a man asked for my number and my hand in marriage (the usual).  I usually explain that I am a very expensive bride, “100 cows, please. And my father would like them shipped to America.” I have a 20 minute walk to the centre which is a nice way to start the morning, greeting everyone I pass on the way.  I did some office work before the electricity went out, made 30 pb&js for my girls club and was off to the high school with Mama Ruth, the lady who helps me with a lot of my projects. 

On Thursday afternoons, during the high school’s “sports day”, Mama Ruth and I do Grassroots Soccer with Grade 8. Today, our practice included me teaching the art of the limbo. (Limbo limbo limBO). After GRS practice, I hang around because my girls club meets after school.  I sat down with the teachers to watch the Grade 12 boys battle the Grade 10 boys in the term soccer tournament championship.  Grade 12 won in a shoot-out. Had I not known where I was, I might have thought I was at a World Cup game with the fans going crazy in song and dance, the losing team laying on the pitch, and the winning team doing victory moves.  Everyone migrated back to the school for the award ceremony and I took a seat in the back to watch. That is, I sat in back until the teacher announced, “And to show you what an important event this is, we have a representative all the way from America!” I was then asked to be front and center of the show, handing out medals. (And yes, I did come all the way from America just for the high school term 2 soccer tournaments).

My girls club meets in a classroom after school. Many other learners stay until 4 to “study” but since none of the teachers stay late to supervise, I am pretty sure they do everything but study. Half way through a contemplative activity where the girls closed their eyes to imagine their future, there was a raucous outside. All of the girls sprinted to the window to see what was going on. FIGHTTTT!!! Then, ladies and gentlemen, I broke up my first real live fight. You should all be proud, I escaped without a scratch.

My days usually end around 4 and I head home to run and do Jillian Michaels 30 day shred. (This is a new, ambitious routine; I have to get my Spain vaycay bod on). At night, I visit with my host family, watch shows on my laptop, read, and try to keep my eyes open until 10. I know- I’m going wild in South Africa staying up until 10pm!

And that’s a typical (loose definition used) day in the life of me. Hope you enjoyed!

Click here if you want to see adorable pictures that will make your heart melt: https://plus.google.com/photos/103971529395996876965/albums/5875531545426692417#photos/103971529395996876965/albums/5875531545426692417

Check our our website!

I created and update this website for the organization that I work with in my village.

www.ourhope.org.za

Project Update!

I recently realized that a lot of my blog posts are about vacations and my mom confirmed: her friends think that all I do is travel. So, to ease all of your minds and prove that I do work (sometimes), here is a little update on two of the projects that I’m most excited about right now.

Primary School Computer Lab: Last year, I asked the primary school principal if she would like TOMS shoes for her learners if I could arrange it. She replied, “Yes, but I’d really like some computers instead.” While computers are a bit more expensive, I was determined.  There are probably less than 10 computers in my village, three of which are at the center where I work, one of which I own.  I applied to get donated computers and after a long wait, I finally heard back that the JCC of Durban is donating 10 computers to the primary school in my area! I am working with the principal (who coincidentally is also my host mom) to transport the computers, and set up a computer lab. I will then help train the educators on how to teach computer classes, and help out in classes until they are going smoothly. In a world where you can’t achieve anything without basic computer knowledge, I’m so excited that these kids will get a chance to learn. 

Zenzele Girls Club: After months of trying to start this club and failing, it finally started and is now the highlight of my week. 22 girls from Grade 8-10 meet with me every week to talk about important issues, do crafts, and eat snacks. We have talked about peer pressure, relationships, what boys are thinking, safe sex, and much more.  We’ve made friendship bracelets, cards, necklaces, and crafts galore.  As a Health Volunteer, the best parts are the condom races, the tampon demonstrations, and when the girls ask to be HIV tested. (I’m telling you, this is what every Health Volunteer dreams of.) A couple of weeks ago, we did an activity where the girls wrote down questions they would want a boy to answer. Then, I had boys their age answer the questions anonymously for the girls to see.  Some of the answers were so honest and great; some were too funny not to share. When asked, “One day, what kind of girl would you like to introduce to your family?” One boy answered, “Nobuhle Ndlovu” (my given isiZulu name). When asked, “What happens if you have sex or kiss with someone you don’t love?” One boy answered, “Prison.” I now have other girls asking me when the next club is so that they can join too!

Lovin Lesotho

I just got back from a great trip to Lesotho. If you’re like me, you’ve never heard of Lesotho and if you look on a map, you assume it’s part of South Africa. But, Lesotho is a small country that is right in the middle of South Africa. The whole country is mountainous (nicknamed The Mountain Kingdom). In fact, I can look up the valley I live in, look just past the cliffs, and see Lesotho.

We headed up Sani Pass, which is the most famous border crossing because of its zigzagging road that pretty much goes straight up (only 4 wheel drives allowed). We got to the top as it started to snow (replacing our breath-taking views with fog). The next morning our plans to drive across the country were foiled because the only road goes through Black Mountain Pass (which sounds ominous) and was covered with impassable snow. Determined to explore Lesotho, we went back down Sani Pass, back into South Africa, all the way around the southern side, and entered Lesotho again at Qacha’s Neck. We spent the whole day driving through the beautiful country side that is dotted with tiny villages.  Around 9pm, our second stroke of bad luck hit. Flat tire…ugh. Somehow our mighty Amarok truck was way too smart for us (and we had no manual). After about two hours of trying to get the spare out, we realized we couldn’t get the flat off because it was rusted on.  A local man with minimal English had been watching this debacle for the past couple hours so we decided to tell him we were giving up, sleeping in the car, and he could go home. He replied, “Oh no! The chief saw your lights and has sent me to retrieve you so that you may sleep at his house.” What?! Couldn’t he have mentioned something three hours earlier when we were freezing and muddy? The five of us disheveled Americans piled into their kitchen, glaring our head lamps into their eyes (no electricity), trying to speak the three words of Sesotho that we know. They gave us a double mattress and some blankets so all five of us squeezed on, spooning each other and holding each other for warmth….and the family just sat there…and watched us. The next morning we got the tire off (but not without a desperate call to the Peace Corps Safety and Security Officer who was nice to us even though it was 6 am on a Sunday). We finally made it to Semonkong which is a great lodge next to a small town.  Since Semonkong is so far from any city, a lot of the goods are still brought in on pony, there is little electricity, and the people are thrilled to have lekhooa (white people). Despite our lack of Sesotho and the villagers’ lack of English, we made friends over some traditional homemade beer.  The next day, we went on a pony trek to the Maletsunyane Falls. I named my pony Cruiser (Cruise for short, Cruisey-poo if feeling lovey). Even though I was terrified every time he galloped without my consent, I think we became pretty good pals. From Semonkong, we traveled to the capital, Maseru, and back into South Africa for a night in Clarens. Even though several things didn’t go according to plan, we had a great time and embraced the adventure, as always.

SIDE NOTE: Check out Facing AIDS. It's a neat awareness campaign. Check out a couple of pictures from our World AIDS Day Event--This picture and the previous 3 are people from my village!

http://facing.aids.gov/gallery-2011/facing-aids-because-i-teach-sex-with-a-condom-south-africa-isizulu/

teddy bears for everyone!

Mother Bear is an organization in the United States that knits teddy bears to send overseas to children who have been affected by HIV.  Thembalethu recently received three boxes of bears and have begun distributing them! Last week we were able to pass out bears to the crèche (pre-school) and Grade R (kindergarten). We look forward to passing them out to patients and OVC at our soup kitchens. The kids are just oh-so-cute.

Check out Mother Bear Project--http://www.motherbearproject.org/

Happy Holidays

Even though I missed the cold weather, the Christmas trees, and the family celebrations-I can’t really complain about how I spent my holiday.  I had planned to meet my family in Cape Town on December 30 and when some friends decided to do a 2 week road to Cape Town (along the Garden Route), arriving on December 29 I decided it was too perfect to pass up.  Since I could go on for hours, I’ll just give some highlights from each stop.

Storms River Mouth: We camped on the ocean and went on a great hike along the coast, ending at a waterfall that I would put in my Top 5.  Cascading down into a great swimming pool, it was only separated from the ocean by a rock wall.

The Crags: On the way, Chris and I said our prayers and jumped off the highest bungy bridge in the world. If you don’t jump, they give you a helpful nudge and the first 2 seconds of falling are some of the most terrifying I’ve experienced. Quite the adrenaline rush.  At the backpacker, we discovered some fellow PCVs were living and working there so we had a jolly reunion, including one of the most delicious farm stall lunches of all time.

Knysna (I’ll give you $100 if you can pronounce that correctly without googling it): One of the biggest towns on a gorgeous lagoon. We made it our mission to eat all of the most delicious food (which we did), including an all you can eat seafood West Coast-style braii. We also enjoyed some quality beach time and excellent views.

Sedgefield: Sedgefield was probably the best all-round beach we visited with warm waters and sand for miles. We spent Christmas Eve making fajitas (homemade tortillas and pico) and sharing Christmas traditions with our new backpacker buddies. I was even able to skype home for the annual goodnight Christmas stories read by Dad (I just missed the back tickle).  Christmas morning we made homemade bagels and mimosas, soaking in the last of the beach.

Oudtshoorn: We took an “adventure tour” of Cango Caves, having to climb, shimy, and crawl our way through. After a tasty ostrich burger for lunch, we headed to the ostrich farm for a tour where I got to ride an ostrich. Obviously, I was laughing hysterically the entire time.

Robertson: Robertson has a road full of wineries…and we hit them all. Free wine tastings and a handy dandy mormon DD led to a great day under the sun and surrounded on all sides by vineyards and mountains.

Hermanus: We went on a beautiful coastal walk and had fun meeting other backpackers, most on their way to the mother-city for New Year’s Eve.

Cape Town (the mother city): Bright and early, I met my family at the airport holding a chauffeur sign labeled, “Clauss Family”. To my disappointment, my mom didn’t even cry.  After settling in to our great apartment, we hit the streets, walking around Bo-kapp, city centre, and the waterfront.  At the waterfront, we stocked up on picnic goods at a market and made our way to Signal Hill for the sunset. To give my dad some credit, driving up hill, with an unusual stick shift, on the wrong side of the road is no easy task. Nevertheless, we were all happy to make it alive and crash-less.  The next day we climbed up (and down) Table Mountain from Kirstenbosch Gardens (and my mom couldn’t walk the next day).  Other highlights included celebrating New Year’s Eve, penguins at Simon’s Town, Cape of Good Hope, eating exotic meats with other PCVS, and of course, our wine tour of the Stellenbosch areas with Niki’s (another volunteer) family.  At the end of the wine touring, driving back to Cape Town, our guide announced over the microphone, “All right, we are headed home. Feel free to close your eyes and be quiet.” Instead, Niki’s dad commandeered the microphone and became the tour guide. The volume went up tenfold.

Hluhluwe/Sodwana/St. Lucia:  We stayed at an excellent B&B where my dad decided to pamper us, and get us all rooms.  We spent the whole first day driving around the game reserve where we saw everything except elephants and cats.  I was the first to spot an animal, winning the bet. Kevin was the last to spot an animal, losing the bet and owing me a massage. Only my family could make a safari competitive. In St. Lucia we went on a hippo and croc river tour and explored Slimangeliso Wetland Park.  In Sodwana, we went scuba diving and relaxed on the beach. That night we had a semi-proper braii-lots of meat and beer like the South Africans do it, but with some grilled veggies-which is oh, so American.

My Site: Our last stop was my village where my real family finally met my host family. And then, they fell in love.  We went on a great hike to two waterfalls in Cathedral Peak and had a Zulu party at my organization. Even my mom got up to gaita (traditional dance). 

Now alone once again, I am getting back to the slow village life. Hopefully as I get things going, I’ll have lots of other great stories to share!

Zenzele Girls Club: Come One, Come All.

I handed out applications to be in my girls club to grades 8-10 and the responses have SLOWLY been trickling in. The application has a little snippet about the club and then asks a couple of questions.  The answers left me gigling.  When asked, “How would you describe yourself?” I got:

1.       I’m a person

2.       I loose my temper very fast and am not very patient

3.       I would describe myself by saying what kind of person I am

When asked, “How have you been a leader?” my favorite response was, “I never lead at all.” I love the honesty here, but we need to teach these girls how to write a good application. And finally, when asked, “Why do you want to be in the club?” they responded (drum roll please):

1.       Show them I can fly although my life been dry

2.       I like to learn about cleaning nurse. I like to learn about the playing the ball

3.       To be a girl is awesome and it is better because we are the flower of the nation

To give these girls some credit, this is probably the first application they have ever seen and they completed it in English, their second language.  Still, I couldn’t help but share this yummy goodness with all of you.

The 2nd Highest Waterfall in the World is Actually Photo-Shopped

In April, I went on my first hike in the Drakensburg Mountains.  We chose the Tugela Gorge Hike, hoping to see the famous Amphitheatre and the 2^nd highest waterfall in the world, Tugela Falls (nearly 1000 m high).  My companions and I pushed on, always keeping an eye on the Amphitheatre, waiting and waiting to see the waterfall.  Finally, we discouragingly had to admit to ourselves that Tugela Falls was dry and no matter how close we got, we would not be seeing the falls that day.  In May, we returned to the Drakensburgs to camp.  Going on a different hike, we climbed the summit a valley over from Tugela Gorge. Still no falls.  Last month, we drove around to the back side of the Amphitheatre, where you can hike to the top of the falls.  As we were approaching, the weather took a turn for the worse and we were forced to turn around. Foiled, yet again.  This weekend we went on another camping trip, optimistic that the falls would be full with snow melt and recent rains.  We set out on the familiar Gorge Hike. We hiked to the look-out point and looked into billowy low-hanging clouds that covered the Amphitheatre…and Tugela Falls.  With four attempts and no sightings, I have to conclude that Tugela Falls doesn’t exist; the 2^nd highest waterfall in the world is actually photo-shopped.

Little Tidbits of Impilo Yami (My Life)

1.       It might be the village boredom that’s getting to me. Or, I may be catching on to the South African view on hairdos, changing weaves and styles every couple of weeks. Whatever the reason, I have had three dramatically different hair styles in my 9 months in South Africa. I started with my long brown hair (as you all fondly remember me), switched to dreadlocks (where I was highly regarded as-mah rasta ladayyy), and then chopped off the locks to experience a life with short hair.  Unfortunately, there aren’t many changes I can make from here so I guess I’ll have to find new ways to release the boredom and my need to assimilate to the local culture by constantly changing styles.  Let me just say, in terms of bucket bathing, short hair is a whole new and glorious world.

2.       Yesterday, a child pet me like an animal. He came up to me and started scratching underneath my chin while saying, “muhle, muhle” (pretty, pretty). At least he thought I was a cute animal to play with.

3.       I went for a long run (around 6 miles) and was impressively accompanied by four village kids.  Three ran without shoes, one ran with knock-off crocs that were falling apart.  At the end of the run, the kids ran off towards home with pep in their step while I dragged myself home tiredly.  To top it off, I got a huge blister with my fancy running shoes.  I must conclude that I (and probably most Americans) am a diva.

4.       In the Zulu culture, people are given names with meanings that the family deem important. Some of these names, in my opinion, are quite comical.  You have: Sanele (enough), Zama (trying), Ayanda (increasing/multiplying), etc.  While doing an after school help session with Grade 11, they asked me what “Norah” meant.  I explained that it was just a name and that usually English names don’t have meanings like Zulu names.  I used my name as an example, “Kristen Clauss”. Kristen means nothing; Clauss means nothing.  They struggled to pronounce Clauss and I told them it is originally German. Then, they asked me if I knew Adolf Hitler and was around during the war.

5.       I just got a cat to protect me and my produce against the rats.  Well, I didn’t really get a cat…I’m long-term leasing him from my host family.  Since my host family just calls him “Pussy”, I decided it was my duty to name him.  I’m in the process of trying out names but am leaning toward Man Cub (inspired by the Jungle Book).  Name suggestions are welcome! As most of you know, I’m not much of a cat person and this cat has been a learning experience.  When he looks at me and keeps meowing, I just don’t know what to do.  People have reassured me that all he wants is a nice ear scratch. Now, Man Cub just can’t get enough. I can’t walk anywhere without him rubbing against my legs and I can’t do a crossword puzzle without him trying to nuzzle me with his head. I’m going to have to get used to all of this lovin.

6.       I’ve been working on my organization’s website. Check it out—www.ourhope.org.za.

That’s all for now! Miss you all.

Africa Unity Cup-Special Olympics

This past week, I had the pleasure of staying in the Royal Bafokeng Nation to volunteer for Special Olympics South Africa.  First, let me say that the Bafokeng king knows what’s up.  The area gets its money from mines and rather than hoard all of the money (like oh so many powerful South African figures tend to do), the king has invested the money in the community. He has supported sports by creating one of the World Cup 2010 stadiums, bringing in an NBA program, and supporting local sports.  He has also helped to create the amazing school (elementary-high school) where the games were held. This school rivals some small American universities.

Peace Corps has a program for “response volunteers”.  These are volunteers that already have served for two years but decide to apply for a shorter, more specific position elsewhere.  One of the SA response volunteers has been working with Special Olympics all year to help create youth programs and to plan the Youth Summit that was held during the cup.  I had the pleasure of getting to help out with the Youth Summit.  Around 200 kids were chosen to attend (with representatives from Kenya and Namibia).  They came in partners-one kid with a mental disability and one without.  The whole premise of the event was to stop the stigma against disabilities and to treat all people as equal. They dubbed it “the dignity revolution”.  Nobody has disabilities; we all just have different abilities…so people have “diffabilities”.  The Summit was mostly youth led.  With our help, the youth leaders planned discussions and activities for the group.  They talked about their experiences, what they have learned, and what they will do to change perceptions in their communities.  Each group made an action plan for an event or club they could start.  As chaotic as the event may have been, being a part of the kid’s experience was very rewarding.

On another note, the Special Olympics were so happy to team up with Peace Corps that they treated us real nice.  They held a lunch to thank us at a 5 star hotel and insisted that us poor village folk get seconds and take home left overs.  We also attended a wonderful dinner with a local dance group.  We were invited to the VIP events-meeting some incredible “celebs”.  We got to meet the king, queen mother, SA ambassador, consul general, Tim Shriver (CEO Special Olympics), Dikembe Mutombo (former Houston Rocket), and many more.

All in all, I’d say it’s a week to remember!

Check it out--
http://www.peacecorps.gov/resources/media/press/2127/

cat and mouse...er, rat

The room next to mine is currently serving as storage for the buckets and buckets of dried mealie (corn) that my family harvested this fall. Unfortunately, along with buckets and buckets of mealie, come hungry rats. I have heard them chewing away at the bucket lids. I have seen them up in the rafters of the next room (there is a wall in between my room and the next room but it doesn’t go all the way to the roof). I have jumped over a rat on my way from the pit latrine to my room one early morning. And now, the rats have invaded. After months, they have found my room. I first noticed that a couple of my apples had been nibbled. I complained, “Ugh, why do they have to ruin all my apples. Why can’t they just eat one?” As if in response, the next day the whole apple was gone. The next day, I came home to my first encounter. The rat wasn’t expecting me home so early and upon seeing me, ran to take refuge in my wardrobe. Uh-huh. I don’t want rat piss all over my clothes. I kicked the wardrobe until he dashed out and over the wall to the next room. The battle had begun. The next day, I was sitting outside reading and came in as it was getting dark. Again taking the rat by surprise, he tried to hide behind my pots. I tried the kicking method again but this time the rat took refuge under my bed. How would I sleep at night knowing a rat was right under me? Time to call in the troops. Time for drastic actions. I then borrowed a cat and sat on my bed in the dark for at least 30 minutes, trying to lure the rat into my room so that the cat could pounce. To no avail. Unfortunately, the battle wages on. I plan to buy traps this weekend, although I’m not sure what I will do if I come home to a rat nailed to a trap on top of my fruit. This may be the first time in my life that I ever wanted to own a cat.

what i've been up to

I wrote this about a month ago and for some reason forgot to post it. Oops!

As you know, I’m back at site and trying to get projects started. The funny thing about South Africa is that things I think will be difficult turn out to be easy and things I think I can start in 10 minutes turn out to take a lot more work. (Maybe that’s true for all of development work.) In addition to helping with funding and with random things at my organization, here are some things I’m doing/trying to do.

OVC (orphans and vulnerable children) After-School Activities: 30 kids come to our centre before and after school to receive a free hot meal.  Usually, after school they hang out a little, sometimes organize a game, eat and leave.  I am beginning to plan activities (some educational and some fun) for them to do after-school.  I have two amazing ladies that help me and speak English, translating into isiZulu. The challenge: How do you explain what tag is? How do you explain what a puzzle is? How do you make your instructions clear enough so that they can then be translated into a different language? Needless to say, it has been an interesting experience dealing with language and cultural barriers. So far, we have played tag, a version of musical chairs, attempted to play the human knot game (huge fail), and made puzzles.  During our puzzle making session, about 5 out of 30 children successfully made puzzles. When it came to drawing and cutting out puzzle pieces, most of them couldn’t grasp the concept and instead drew squiggly lines and cut along them. Oops. If you have ideas for games, activities, arts/crafts for any age group-send them my way!

After-School Math Help Sessions: After school on Mondays, I go to the local high school to help the students with math (or maths, as it is called in South Africa).  After talking to the teachers, they told me the lowest pass rates are in maths so I figured I could lend a helping hand! So far, I am focusing on grade 11 and 12 students.  I help with their homework and have asked for topics that they need additional help on. In a pre-calculus class, some students understand everything with amazing wit while some stare at me, completely glazed over because they don’t know how to solve for x.  In my first session, a grade 12 punk decided to be the class clown at my expense. I was reviewing what sine is and everyone was giggly so I asked, “what’s funny?”  I put a problem on the board and asked if someone could do it for the class. The punk came to the front and started trying to mimic my actions and when the class laughed she asked, “what’s funny?” Even though I’m not a teacher, I had the “what type of teacher am I going to be” moment. The cool teacher? The mean teacher?  I told her to explain what she put on the board to the class, knowing she took someone else’s work. When she couldn’t explain, she sat down and I won. I survived the 12^th graders to teach another day.

Girls Club and Camp: I applied for a grant to start a girls club and hold a leadership camp and I should get my funding and be able to get the ball rolling soon.  My plan is to hold 3 consecutive girls groups that will be 12 weeks long.  The first group is going be called Zenzele (we do it our self) Girls Group and will be girls in grades 8-10.  I plan to cover topics such as peer pressure, HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancy, healthy relationships, what’s in a boy’s mind, women empowerment, etc. The first hour will be a lesson and discussion and the second hour will be a fun activity. Most of the activities I’m planning are arts & crafts like tie-dye, making dream catchers, and friendship bracelets. I also want to get influential women to come and speak one day. Then, next June I’ll have a leadership camp that will build on everything in the clubs. Hopefully I’ll be starting my first club in September-wish me luck!

Gardens: We have 2 gardens-one at each soup kitchen for OVC. I am going to a training this week on permagardening and then, with the help of my South African counterparts, will take on the task of making these gardens successful.  All of the food is used in our soup kitchens, providing the kids with more nutritious food.

Support Groups: This is still in the thinking phase. I hope to start a group for Gogos (grandmothers) caring for HIV positive children. It is the norm here for Gogos to care for their grandchildren-because the parents died from AIDS, the parents are working in the cities, or the parents just left.  My organization feels strongly that these people need support in order for them to support the children.  The group will focus on good nutrition, ART support, and the importance of disclosing the child’s status to the child.  It will also serve as a place for the women to get together and feel lifted up. I’m still working on gaging interest, finding an English-speaking Zulu woman to help me, and plan the details. More to come!

Down and dirty

Let me first start by saying this: South Africans have a skill…a talent…a gift.  Somehow, no matter what they are doing, they stay perfectly clean. Last week, I attended a perma-gardening training. The majority of South African women were wearing nice dresses- some even wore heels.  The Americans were wearing jeans, sweats…what one would think to wear when gardening.  After a day full of digging around in the dirt, the Americans left covered in mud and in need of a shower. The South Africans left spotless.  They worked just as hard as the rest of us; but, like I said, they have a gift.  Their whites stay pristine white and their shoes stay polished.  On the contrary, my whites are slowly fading into a brownish red, the color of the Drakensburg dirt. My socks may never be the same.

 

South Africa has four seasons: cold season, windy season, rainy season, and harvest season.  As we transition from cold to windy season (winter to spring), the trees are starting to bud and I have hope that soon I won’t be able to see my breath in my house.  The past couple days; however, have brought a taste of rainy season. I kid you not; it has rained for three days straight.  To walk from my house to work, I have to navigate down a fairly large, steep hill that has now turned into a slip-in-slide.  On my way to work this morning, despite my attempt at careful steps, I slipped and fell to my hands and knees. Covered in mud, I walked to work where I could clean myself up.  I hope that by the time rainy season actually arrives I have learned the South African gift of staying clean.  If not, let’s just say-it’s going to be a long and treacherous rainy season.

Mandela Day

Here is a picture of me and Grade 11 from the local High School. Mandela Day is a day to celebrate Nelson Mandela's 67 years of service to his country by serving others for 67 minutes. The High Schoolers came to help out around the org.  A local business also brought lunch and sweets for the orphans and vulnerable children that come to our center after school.