Yesterday was amazing. We went with all the community stars and the students who have been helping with the school renovations to Amakhala Game Reserve. None of the kids or the local volunteers had ever been to a game park or seen any of the animals that make up the parks inhabitants. Many of them had never even been on a bus! So it was a whole day of excitement and firsts. The bus was a bit of an ordeal but it got us to the right place! We were met by 5 jeeps and were brought by guide around the park for 3hrs. And it was fantastic! There was 4x4 driving on all kinds of rough terrain which was so exciting for the kids…and me too! We saw elephants, zebras, giraffes, wildebeests and lots of breeds of antelope. Some of the groups even caught a glimpse of the rhino! It was really great to see the children and the community stars so animated they had never experienced anything like it. The wilds of Helenvale are not quite the same as the wilds of the African bush. The biggest change I saw was in Elroy, who usually keeps to himself. When I look in his eyes its like he is sad all the way to his bones. But yesterday he was smiling and enjoying the day, forgetting his usual frown. Today when he spoke about it he lit up again, describing the excitement of the kids and the sights they saw. All the community stars were like big kids and it was so great to see them enjoying being young, instead of the home hardships that are usually evident on their faces. Piling back onto the bus there were smiles all round. The trip back to Helenvale was pretty eventful in itself. The bus developed a fault which meant we jerked half the way home. Wasn’t the best experience for first time bus passengers but it didn’t spoil a great day. Today when we arrived at school we were greeted by smiles and waves and many happy faces. It’s definitely an experience they won’t forget. It was such an amazing thing to do for what are without doubt extremely underprivileged individuals, both the children and the community stars. I would like to especially thank Mania and Karlyn for making it possible, it really was an incredible thing they did.
