Tsitsikamma and reflection

Hey everyone!
This weekend we rented a car and drove to Tsitsikamma National Park. It’s a really beautiful place all full of mountains and trees with lots of hiking trails as well as the worlds highest bungee jump its nearly 300ft!!! And no I was not in the least tempted!!! On Saturday we hung out in our cabin and some of the others did the bungee. We set off early on Sunday and hiked the Waterfall Trail which runs along the coast and takes about four hrs. It was such amazing scenery so dramatic. We saw a pod of dolphins surfing off the rocks and two whales further out as well as a family of otters living in the rocks. We even glimpsed a seal out for lunch and jumping waves! It was an indescribable feeling, like as close as you can come to Mother Nature. After the hike I sat out on the rocks with the waves crashing high and loud around me. It was spectacular. A pod of about 30 dolphins came by, playing in the waves…could you ask for more!? Waking up to that every day would be incredible! It was really great to all be together for the weekend as well, it’s always nice when the 10 of us can do things together.
Today then was not so great. I’ve been fighting a cold for the last week but it got a bit into my chest so I stayed home to try and sleep it off. I don’t know if it worked but I’m definitely going back to school tomorrow I was bored out of my mind today! Two TV. stations and no computer or heating and you find yourself looking hard for something to do! So it gave me lots of thinking time. Starting to think now about finishing up the project now and what to expect from the next project which I start 18th august. At the moment I have to say I’m finding the thought of leaving all the community stars really hard. I will never hear from them again, once I finish on Friday that’s it and that thought is so upsetting to me right now. I feel that we haven’t done enough here. To see good people acting against their nature due to circumstance is so hard. But to see how it chips away at their souls is the most heartbreaking thing of all. If ever you needed evidence that environment shapes behaviour, it’s all around you in Helenvale. I keep wondering if there is one more thing that could be done before we finish. In my head I know that coming here was a great start, and that it’s up to more people to carry on the work. But my heart cries out to this community, to these young people and I want to fix it all myself. When I start my next project I will be in the same city, in the township next to Helenvale, a place called Gelvandale. I will almost be able to see Helenvale from Liebenhaus, but I could be in another country for the contact I will have with the community stars. This I think will be one of the toughest challenges, to be so close and at the same time so far away.
Like I said I had a lot of time to think today! Before we leave we are taking all the community stars to the cinema on Thursday which will be a great treat for us all! So tomorrow it’s back to work to try and finish what I started, with the stars and with the classrooms!
Keep in touch everyone I love to hear the stories from home!
XXX

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