Black Widows and Blood, Dayshift and Drumming...

16/10/13

Work has been very complicated and unpredictable recently, that's why I haven't spoken of it. It has been difficult to collect my thoughts when work itself is scattered.

The first few weeks of work are unpredictable for everyone. No one has a proper routine and the main priority is that the work is covered; not who is covering it. 

Eventually, things tighten and shift plans are organised.

Everyone was given a structured shift plan for the following eight weeks, a specific house to work in and a great opportunity to build relationships with the children under their care in that house. Everyone that is, except me, Rachael and Anna. Our fourth partner, Niamh, is on night shift for the next eight weeks, a tough but interesting area of work.

I have mixed feelings about not having a structured shift plan. Here are the negative's and positive's:

Negative

- It's difficult to build a relationship with the children and child care workers when you are constantly changing shifts.

- It's unpredictable work - sometime's I don't know i'm working until two hourse before hand.

- The latter comes with it's own problems. The intitial problem is difficulty arranging dayshifts, it's imporssible if I don't know i'm working.

Positive

- Constantly changing areas of work has a l\silver lining. I am privileged to experience so many areas. It broaden my horizons on the constant effort and with that, the pressure that goes into running the home.

- Flexibility. I enjoy the range of work and varied hours, it keeps things interesting.

- I've worked in almost every house. Although I may not know the children closely yet, it's nice that they recognize me as their friend and their "Auntie".

Today I finally received a plan. It may be a little complicated and literally all over the place...but it's a plan! I can finally relax and enjoy knowing when I need to work and when I can chill out. I know where I will be working until the end of October. I will be doing a lot of work for the fundraising department - helping to organize and/or work at events. I will also be working in Stepping Stones, a house for the younger boys. At the end of the month I will work nightshift.

The past week I have worked in House 11 with 9-14 year old boys and House 5, where the teenage girls live. There was a moment in House 11 yesterday that I will certainly never forget...the moment I first set eyes on a Black Widow Spider.

It was asleep underneath the outside table, happy in it's web-nest with it's two unborn babies by it's side...until the boys started poking at the web with sticks.

Oblivious to my constant leave it alone pleads, they proded and poked until the spider fell down, leaving it's babies behind it. At this point I welled up but contained myself. Besides the facts - Spider, Black Widow, Spider, Death, Spider - it was still a mother going through trauma without her babies.

It ran around in a panic for a few minutes and then thankfully dodged the stomping feet and hid in the crack of a wall. I've been thinking about it all day.

I really hope it finds it's way back to it's babies and the kids forget it exists. Good luck spidey.

Sometimes the kids behaviour towaeds animals can be shocking. I know the projection of violence could have a thousand reasons of encouragement so I try to handle every situation carefully. One of the boys I was working with had been taken to school that morning but didn't make it to the classroom door. Instead, him and his friends decided to patrol the grounds to seek out snakes, which they would then murder and burn out.

I am extremely careful with animals. I literally couldn't hurt a fly. In fact, I couldn't count the amount of times i've saved a fly from the paddling pool or a fly trap. As scared as I may be of spiders, I also couldn't kill one. I even flicked a top-sided cockroach over yesterday so it cold scurry away and live happily. Last week a butterfly was struggling on it's back, I helped turn it over and it sat on my arm for a few minutes before flying away.

It is so important that children learn to be kid to animals, it teaches them gentle kindness and how to care for a soul other than their own.

I feel so privileged to help with the therapeutic horse riding every week, seeing the bond between the children and horses first hand is amazing. At the beginning, the girls would squeel and hide behind my back if a horse approached us. By the end, they would freely and gently stroke the horses neck, letting it sniff them without a second thought.

Helping with the horse riding is incredible for other reasons, including the journey to the farm. The drive passes Klipheuwel, the township that I will soon have the opportunity to work in. The farm itself is stunning. The tin shack stables and dusty orange roads feel very beautifully typical for an African farm.

My second out of work activity is drumming. Not drumming where you can create a beat from the numerous sounds a drum kit offers you...creating a beat from the numerous sounds YOU can offer a single drum. A huge, beautiful, magical African drum. I'm going to buy my own when I can afford one. I feel like I have found my place within the drumming group, it's incredible. The group memebers are from Durbanville and beyond. Some have the experience of 20 years thrown into their passion. 

Sometimes when we are playing - thirty drums beating at the same time - it is so easy to start day dreaming. The amazing thing is, your hands keep moving. It's like you are in some wild trance.

I'm also going to start helping with the drum circle for the children.

Thank you for reading this far, I'm very lucky the internet cafe is so close but it's a little expensive and I'm working a lot, so it's nice to update you on everything all at once - when I have the chance.

Now for the much shorter, second half of this blog...

HIKING TABLE MOUNTAIN!

The heat was absolutely ridiculous. It was SO HOT! South Africans would "pfft" and say "this is cool, wait until we reach summer" to which we would complain. The hike itself was nice but I'm not going to lie, me and Rachael got half way and turned back. BAD IDEA! The time consuming, difficult walk back to the bottom proved we might as well have continued in the right direction. We got the cable cart to the top, where the views were simply wonderful. We WILL hike table mountain to the top, when the cooler temperatures come around next year. Here are some photo's from the trip, enjoy!

Upcoming adventures...

09/10/2013
I will upload my Culture Day Blog when I'm at the internet cafe, my internet at the home is too slow to upload the photographs.

I wanted to do a little post on my upcoming adventures. Both to give you an insight into my travel plans and to encourage myself that they will happen. I've become very determined in South  Africa. Whenever I get an idea, I manipulate it until it's a plan. I'm sure my room mate has questioned the sheets of paper plastered all over my bedroom door with the likes of "Where there's a will, there's a way" and "do NOT spend ANY of your MONEY!" It might seem excessive but it works. I didn't think my trip to Plettenburg bay would actually happen until the day before, when I booked the coach. That however, made things extremely tight and rushed. I will definitely book things further in advance this time.

DURBAN
Depending on the route you take, Durban is 13-16 hours away from Cape Town. It is on the coast, in the KwaZulu-Natal, a province of South Africa. The route I will take goes along the -beautiful, can't wait to see it again - coast, out of the Western Cape, all the way through the Eastern Cape and finally, into the KwaZulu Natal. Durban is known as the Surf Capitol of South Africa, I'll definitely need to give that a go.

I plan to arrive on November 14th and stay four nights until November 18th. I will be meeting Project Trust volunteers again, there will be 5 or 6 of us. We are going to stay in a recommended backpackers, right in the centre of Durban's highlights - Tekweni Backpackers.

GARDEN ROUTE SAFARI
In February for my partners birthday (Rachael), we are planning an epic 10-day road trip. Lisa and Yvonne, two of the lovely German volunteers will also be with us. They can both drive so we will hire a car for the whole trip. Our furthest destination will be Port Elizabeth. We will spend some nights on the Garden route on the way to Oudtshoorn. Our Safari be in Oudtshoorn. We will spend one night there and spend  the day riding elephants and going on a game drive. I'm very excited to see South Africa's wild side. On the way back from PE we will spend two nights in Plettenburg Bay. I'm really excited to go back. Rachael is going to do the Worlds Highest Bungy Jump. I've also decided to do it again...backwards!

I will update this tomorrow, my internet is going to run out. Look forward to the colourful photo's from Culture Day!

Scotland represents Mexico in South Africa: Culture Day

04/10/2013

Tomorrow is culture day, something warmly celebrated at the Children's Home. A group of children from each of the houses will be representing a country through food, art and dance. The volunteers have united with a great sense of team work to come up with our own idea's. With volunteers from Scotland, England, France, Switzerland and Germany, it was difficult to decide on one country. We decided to pick one that neither of us have a connection with - Mexico. It was a great idea, we have all learned something new in the process. We split into three teams: Food, Drinks, Music and Decorations.

As a whole team, we were given a budget of R100 to spend on materials. That's roughly £6. Being the dedicated volunteers that we are, we all donated R5 each towards this budget. The children's home will receive all of the profits we make. 

We are almost ready for tomorrow now. The food team will be preparing Nacho's and Salsa. The drinks team will be making a concoction of mock-tails with tasty, vivid flavours of Mexico. Traditional Mexican music will be singing away in the background as we sell our treats to passing visitors. I'm even going to wear my poncho.

I'm really excited, this is the first time I've celebrated culture day. I think every school and organisation in the world should be celebrating. There is no better way to learn about our cultures than placing yourself in the midst of them. I think it is extremely important that South Africa celebrates Culture Day, there are 11 different cultures in this country. It's very special that I get to spend culture day in the most culturally diverse country in the world.

it's definitely the heat..

02/10/13

You have stumbled across a very emotional blog, please leave if you don't want to drown. I don't really know what encouraged it. Maybe the heat, maybe lack of sleep, maybe my iTunes list.

I feel like someone has pushed the fastforward button on my life and I can't collect myself for one second to push pause. I'm slowly learning to go with the flow, I'll catch up eventually.

Things are changing. Everything is changing. My surroundings, my friends, my future, even myself. Flying to South Africa was the opportunity for new beginnings. Before the start of something better, usually comes the end of something good. I thought after this year of changes and broadening horizons I would return home., home would be home and everything would be normal. That's not the case any more, maybe it never was. Home has changed too. Maybe it's for the better and maybe it's just a rock in the road.

I don't have my familiar  home comforts to return to any more. Not my pretty little bedroom or my garden or even my chickens with their ridiculous personalities and irritating squawking. Not my best friend around the corner or the bliss of knowing the rest of my family are only a walk away. I'll be returning to a new, unfamiliar home. But that's okay. I've gotten over the initial shock, I'm almost looking forward to the change. My mum's first words around the situation were "Now, don't have a hairy fit...but..."

I've been stronger than I imagined I could be in South Africa. I've faced culture shock and some complicated situations but I'm yet to face the fear of homesickness. I've let go of what I thought was important and it's given me the freedom to move on without clinging onto the past. I'm trying to take everything in my stride. I am so happy here, happier than i've been. South Africa consumes me, I want to learn as much as I can in my time here. I've experienced so much in my short time here, It makes me so happy to know I've still got so much time left.

Before I got here, I worried that a year was too long. Now I think it's not long enough. It's strange how your views can change on the grand scale of things when you get here. 

Christmas is only three months away and It scares me. People have always said time flies by after Christmas. Decorations are now for sale in the local supermarket.. I'm making the most of my time here, living life in the moment. I've asked to help out with art, drumming and horse-riding for the children. I'm also hoping to work in the local Township, Klipheuwel.

At the same time, I can't help but feel excited for Christmas. I miss my Project Trust friends that are spread throughout South Africa. It was nice seeing Diarmid and Kieran in Plettenburg. They were something familiar who understand what it's like to be here, yet they have a thousand different stories because we are still living a different reality.

Free Time

02/10/2013

I have been in South Africa for almost six weeks now, five of those weeks at the Children's Home. I still have no routine, everything has been hectic. I'll hopefully have a set work plan by the end of next week. I'm looking forward to that as it means I can finally start to plan trips and adventures in advance, without worrying if I'm working or not. It will be nice to have a distinct divide between work and free time.

There is a lot to do in and around Durbanville but most of it costs money. When I first arrived, I signed up for a years membership with the local gym. It was a cringey moment handing over a pile of cash but I can now go whenever I like. The showers are also amazing. We have a bath in our flat and it's okay, it just doesn't compare to a hot steamy power shower. I'm really glad I have signed up, it's a nice escape when things get stressful. I've lost 8lbs since I got here and feel much better. I don't know how, the food is so fatty.

I spend a lot of my free time hand washing. I haven't touched a washing machine since I got here, I haven't even seen one! We can have our laundry done by the children's home for free or we can take it into town and pay for it. I much prefer hand washing, it can be relaxing but it's hard work sometimes.

I've also been Go-Karting, into Cape Town and to Signal Hill at night. See previous blog posts!

We are given a plate of food everyday so you can easily live here without spending money. The food is really good sometimes but it's nice cooking for yourself now and then.

tasty home cooked meal

flat 2