"This is not your bus sister, your bus is coming..."

24/09/2013

My little adventure was SO GOOD. I left early Friday morning for my lonely bus ride to Plettenburg Bay. The journey was actually incredible. For miles and miles a patchwork of fields lined the bus until they eventually dropped into the horizon. The landscape in South Africa is incredible. Within a few hours your entire surroundings can dramatically change. Ocean views, rocky mountains, flat plains and the smooth wave of hills and shacks were few of the sights. We drove through lot's of places that I would like to visit: Sedgefield, Knysna, Wilderness...

I arrived in Plettenburg Bay 6 hours later, about 4.30pm. I was very excited...until the bus drove off and left me clueless. With a mental map in my head, I headed in the wrong direction for an hour. Eventually I gave up being lost and asked for help. A man was kind enough to walk me to Albergo Backpackers, where I spent the weekend. I was given a little tour and shown to my room which I shared with Diarmid and Kieran, the Outward Bound boys also in South Africa with Project Trust.

We went out for pizza that night and then to a little bar called Manzini's. Regardless of the place being half empty, it was fun. WOW! THE VIEW! I THOUGHT IT WAS FAKE! The horizon was eye level and the moon had lit up a huge triangle of water. I don't even want to describe it because I can't do it any justice. Just, woow. Sorry, i'm leaving that one hanging.

Saturday was spent walking all over the place. The beaches are amazing. Plettenburg Bay is just such a beautiful place. We got far too excited over a "KFC THIS WAY" sign and ended up on a half an hour trek to get there. It's truly awful that we are eating KFC in South Africa but Diarmid had never had one (what) and it was very different from  in the UK. On the way back Kieran was in and out shops without warning. At least he bought something decent...

We went to an Italian place for dinner on Saturday and then went back to Manzini's.

Bottom bunk is mine

My bracelets for Soweto, Hermanus, Hout Bay and Plettenburg

A good purchase

Me and Diarmid

Diarmid, me, Kieran

SUNDAY! Thee most exciting day of the weekend. Maybe even of my life. We woke up early and headed straight to reception to book...THE HIGHEST BUNGY JUMP IN THE WORLD! Within an hour we were in a car, nervous, excited and on our way to Tsitsikamma in the Eastern Cape. As soon as we got there we were signed in and strapped in. I was freaking out about my harness because it was easily slipping off my shoulders but they assured me it was normal. 

The bridge walk to the platform where you jump was so incredible, I definitely have no fear of heights, I loved it. There was such a good atmosphere on the platform. Music was blasting out of huge speakers and everyone was so hyped on adrenalin. We were told what order we would be jumping in. I was 3rd out of the whole group...and 1st out of me Diarmid and Kieran. 

In no time It was my turn. I sat on a bench as pads were wrapped and tied around my ankles. I barely noticed what the man was doing. My head was fuzzy and my heart was pounding. I only snapped out of my haze to smile for a "I'm going to die" photo. A few seconds later, my arms were heaved over the shoulders of two men and I was hopping the the edge of the bridge. My toes were over the edge and I was BUZZING WITH EXCITEMENT. Never in my life have I felt so good. I was mentally preparing myself to jump when suddenly 5,4,3,2,1 BUNGY!! is screamed and I hear the faint "woo, go Jasmine" before I'm free falling through 216 metres of AIR. OH WOW! it was BEYOND AMAZING! I won't lie, I screamed the whole way down but it was definitely a woo-hoo scream. Just when I started realising how far I had fell through the air without feeling the rope...PING! I brutally flew back towards the bridge. For what felt like a good few minutes I was bouncing all over the place and the cord was spinning me at the same time. I kept my eyes open for the whole time, surprisingly I did manage to collect my thoughts and think "wow, that's pretty".

It's definitely the coolest thing I've ever done. Eventually, the bouncing stopped and I was left hanging...for a long, long time. Just when I was about to start screaming that my feet were slipping and I was going to die, I looked up to see a man winding his way down to me. With a "don't grab my equipment" and a few clicks later, I was in a sitting position and we were pulled back up to the bridge, making awkward small talk. Yes, yes, South Africa is beautiful.

Once on the platform, I was unclicked and untied. The first unclick had me fall backwards and suddenly I was laughing because the bungee didn't kill me but I was going to backflip off the bridge and die by accident. No worries, I didn't fall. My legs felt like jelly but I stood up in time to see Kieran and Diarmid jump. Kierans was very smooth. He had a go-pro camera strapped to his chest. I have seen the video and it's incredible. Diarmids jump is another story. OH DEAR! As well as screaming like a ten year old girl the whole way, he flapped his arms about like he had the power to stop gravity. It was the funniest thing. His video is hilarious, If I had the money I would have bought his just for the giggles.

We were all definitely high on adrenalin after our jumps. 

smiles all round

18/09/13
I have only been here for 3 weeks and 3 days. It feels like SO much longer. The amount of knowledge i've gained, friends i've made and sights I've seen in that time is incredible. It's so exciting knowing there's still 11 months of experiences to come by.

I'm  faced with new things everyday. Today I had to stop a fight! Two of the teenage girls I work with were screaming and slapping and even ripping at each others clothes. I was definitely shocked to find out it all started because one stole the other's socks. One of the girls was shaking on the verge of a panic attack!

Last night we visited Signal Hill again. It's definitely my favourite place on earth right now, it's beyond breathtaking. The sky was a warmer colour and clouds were rolling over Table Mountain like a blanket, It was sooo amazing.

I have extremely EXCITING news! I'm taking on South Africa ALONE! Okay, that's not the exciting part. I'm going to Plettenburg Bay on Friday. Plettenburg Bay is on the coast at the other end of the Western Cape. I'm taking a 6 hour bus from Cape Town. I'll be spending the weekend with two Project Trust boys, from the Outward Bound project in Sedgefield. We plan to stay in a backpackers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Somewhere in there, we will be throwing ourself off of a bridge...THEE worlds highest bungee jump! I am so so so excited. That doesn't mean i'm not terrified though. As long as I'm not first and not last, I'll be fine.

Next week is going to be very busy at the Children's Home as it's the school holiday. Lucky for me, I'm only working Monday, Tuesday and Sunday! Even better, i'm working night shift! I'm yet to experience night shift so I'm not sure what to expect. Unfortunately the hours are longer during the holiday. I'll be working (sitting in a dark corridor) from 7pm-7am. Crazy ?!

A traumatic introduction to culture shock...

17/09/2013

This incident I've decided to share happened the night before last, September 15th. It has opened my eyes to culture shock as no matter how scary the event may have been, it's a normal occurrence in South Africa. Another incident happened today, whilst walking through town, a black man was thrown in front of a car, where the white man who pushed him continued to beat into him, kicking his face until he lay limp on the ground. The woman behind the wheel of the car only inches from his body merely shouted "F**king MOVE!" It was disgusting, the man looked so vulnerable and confused. 

Okay, so it was about 9.30 and I was walking to the Back Kitchen (A living area for volunteers, all females including my partner, Rachael live here). I noticed 3 or 4 hooded figures jumping over the Children's Home wall, breaking into the grounds. I shouted "Hey, what you doing?" but of course, they ignored me. In that moment I panicked, I couldn't see them but knew they were close to me. I went to Rachael's room and called on a few other girls. We went around to see what was happening but couldn't see the people, there was a wall between us. Two seconds later, boulders, branches and even a plant pot were thrown over the wall. We all stepped back in shock so thankfully no one was hurt.

Sticking to normal procedure, I called our boss, Yvonne. within 2 minutes, we had locked ourself in the Back Kitchen and the night shift supervisor had arrived. Armed response were called to patrol the grounds. Rachael was in tears, the shock of someone breaking into the grounds had left us all very emotional. After a comforting talk with the supervisor and the comfort of knowing security were patrolling, we felt safe to go back to bed. I decided to stay in Rachael's room with her and her room mate Marion. 

About 11.30, the next incident happened. The light was out and we were all ready to fall asleep when suddenly there was a scream, just outside our bedroom door. It was the most heartbreaking, terrifying scream I have ever heard. Directly after followed a smash and then running footsteps, towards our door. Someone banged on our door and in that exact moment, we could also feel people standing at the bedroom window. We were surrounded by strangers. Rachael tried to look out the window and I told her not to. The three of us lay there in fear, frozen in shock and too scared to breath. I considered climbing under the bed. 

About a minute later, there was another scream. This one came from inside the back kitchen. A volunteer called our names, letting us know it was safe to come out. Shaking and in Rachaels case, crying, we ran to the back kitchen. The second scream was a volunteer. She sat in the back kitchen, alone, when someone chapped at the door. Assuming it was a volunteer, she opened. Of course, it wasn't. It was a girl with a scarf around her face. She walked into the room, backing the volunteer into the corner and throwing her hands in her face. The volunteer screamed and the girl ran away. That's when we were called. 

I don't understand how the second even happened while security were patrolling. It turns out that the girls behind the event actually live here in the home, they are three of the oldest girls. That is a very frustrating fact for us that were involved. Should we be glad it wasn't a stranger, breaking in from the outside? Or should we be even more terrified that girls we live and work with are capable of inflicting such fear? They couldn't be caught, they jumped over rooftops and hid between walls, all the while hooded with a scarf around their faces. Thankfully, we now who exactly who the girls were. They even had the guts to apologise.

I feel safer now, knowing the girls are genuinely sorry and knowing that I can safely walk about the grounds at night. However, the mental thought of thinking a friend is being brutally attacked outside my bedroom door and not being able to react, only lie frozen in fear, will loop and loop around my head. I haven't got rid of the scream yet. I don't understand how someone could make such a noise if they weren't in pain.

I had to sleep with the light on last night but over time I'll feel better. I'm just a little shaky. It's so frustrating, knowing that it's all mental. The girls were playing mind games on us.

Feather's and fame...

16/09/2013

I apologise, this blog is a little late. I prefer writing when feelings are still raw but I'll try my best. I have loads to write about so I'll split it between two blogs and keep it short and sweet, enjoy!

Hout Bay Market

I'm in love with African markets already, but they are too much temptation. So far I have been to one in Soweto, Hermanus and now Hout Bay. It was roughly one hour in the car from Durbanville. The market started at 6pm and we stayed until about 9pm. It was incredible, there was a live band, tons of delicious food stalls and so many individual stalls with a million  hand crafted goods. 

I had a purple woollen braid tied into my hair, as well as a purple feather. I also bought myself a chocolate brownie but let's not tell anyone. I have a new Hout Bay bracelet to add to my collection. I got a little gift for my Brother, a bracelet made by a Xhosa woman, similar to one of mine with rasta-coloured beads. I'm counting on him not reading this blog. If you do, surprise! I bought my little sister a gift too. A man wrote her name on a tiny grain of rice, he then sealed it in a glass heart and put it on a cord. I hope she likes it, it's very sweet! 

I can't believe I almost forgot to mention the car situation. This explains it.

For an hour...

Sandya got her hair braided!

My feather and braid

The Lady's Tea

The past weekend has been a very busy one for the Children's Home. Also a hectic, stressful, terrifying, eye opening one...but we will get to that in the next blog.

Most, if not all of the children attended a huge "sports day". The DCH team came 3rd out of about fifteen teams. I am very proud of them all, especially for the way they reacted towards third place, usually they achieve first place! They are all full of life and pride, it's incredible.

Most of the volunteers worked at the sports day. I, however had the privilege of helping with a fundraising event called the "Lady's Tea". Situated on a beautiful wine farm with a great atmosphere and some incredible people, I feel so lucky to have been a part of it. Our job was to welcome guests, give out favours, help some very famous South African's carry very cool instruments into the building and of course, look after the 3 kids that were also helping.

We were pleased to see a spot at one of the tables, for us! The food was delicious. The music was incredible. It was a really good day. I hope the home managed to raise lot's of money, there was definitely some very generous, wealthy people at the event. Please you tube Karen Zoid, she might just be my next favourite thing. I'll post about this weeks traumatic events when the shock wears off. It definitely triggered culture shock so will be fascinating to write about.

Me and Soli Philander

I love driving around here, it's so beautiful.

One of our kids all dressed up

With a famous South African Opera Singer and Rockstar

The fundraising event

Delishh

South Africans do everything with style

Our nearest township

Beautiful Durbanville

Too much to squeeze into one title...

07/09/2013

It has been a truly amazing week. I have been working in "House 5". This is where the 10-14 year old girls live. I was extremely worried about working in this house as one of my partners had a bad experience. There was no need to worry, I've had a great time. The girls can be very difficult  but the more time I spend with them, the more they loosen up. I let the girls braid my hair...! It was a little painful but definitely worth it.

There was an odd moment today. I walked into one of the girls bedrooms to find her applying super glue to another girls tooth. Already about three of them had used super glue to stick little diamonds on their teeth! "Where did you get the glue?" "I bought it." "Where did you get the diamonds?" "I picked them off my t-shirt." "Are you allowed to put diamonds on your teeth?" "No, but you can't take them off now..."

I also got my first parcel from home! My five year old sister Emily sent me a lovely little package. It made me cry but also made my day.

From Emily

She sent me this butterfly that we painted together

Don't let this stop you sending chocolate!

Thursday was a brilliant day. I had the day off, so decided to go into town with my partner Rachael. We bought  an ice cream cone each as a little treat. Rachaels face lightened up when the man behind the counter handed her the cone. I'm pretty sure she actually squeeled "yay". But then, the most horrific, hilarious thing happened. Just as she went to eat a bit, they entire heap of ice cream slid off and SLAPPED onto the floor. It was so funny. I laugh even thinking about it. 

Later on that day I joined the drumming circle. it was SO incredible! I'm going to go every single Thursday, provided i'm not working. Only two other volunteers play in the circle, everyone else is from around the area, all Afrikaner's. I'm so excited about it, I think it will open a world of new opportunities. We have been asked to join them for a "street jam" in Cape Town when we aren't working Saturday's. To be a part of something so incredible is beautiful. The beats mess with the rhythm of your heart, I had butterflies the whole time.

Just when I thought the night couldn't get any better, Sandhya asked if I would like to go to Signal Hill! YES! Signal hill over looks Cape Town and Table Mountain. It was so beautiful. The whole way up the hill, you can't see much because of the tree's. Then suddenly, the car pulls out into an open space and you are looking at this...

I had a tear in my eye. To this date, that is thee most beautiful sight I have ever seen. It totally took my breath away. We also seen two shooting stars. Perfect night. Even though we got lost on the way there and the word "yolo" was used multiple times while driving the wrong way. I can't wait to go back.

Yesterday (Friday) was another brilliant day. I was off again, so joined Sandhya, Mareike, Jacqueline and Sinja for my first road trip! The first stop was a beautiful beach in Stellenbosch. I can't get over the diverse beauty throughout South Africa.

On the way to our next stop, we spotted this little guy at the side of the road...

Our second stop was Betty's Bay. Here live hundreds of African Penguins. It was so wonderful and strange seeing penguins in such a hot climate.

Our final stop was Hermanus...for whale watching! We seen the whale's and they were very beautiful but a little too far away for good photo's. Hermanus is a gorgeous little town, a little more like a holiday town than a home though. I bought another hand crafted bracelet. Everywhere I go, i'm going to get one as a reminder. I got my first one from a market in Soweto, to remind me of Johannesburg and the township. My new one is yellow and green with brown oval beads. The beads look like drums and during our time in Hermanus, a band played african beats on the drums.