An end and a beginning

So it’s the end of a very busy week, and apologies for the lack of contact! But I’ll fill you in now! Yesterday was the last day of the project and we had our music bash which we organised for the community. It was a great success and everyone really enjoyed themselves I think! It was great to draw attention to our presence in the area by doing something positive. And the group were very forgiving when us international volunteers sang a medley of Dutch and English children’s songs! And before anyone asks there is no video evidence of this for me to be blackmailed with later…for African eyes only haha!
So now the last week…I was much better on Tuesday and was back on school. And thank god I did because it turned out that Wednesday was a national strike day so everyone had to stay home! A day when no one goes to work it’s definitely a novel idea haha! So we had a restful day, went to the beach for a while and had a BBQ Wednesday night which was lovely! Missing Wednesday meant a lot to organise on Thursday for our music bash. But Thursday morning we took a trip to Sapphire Rd. primary school, another Ready4Life school. We got an amazing tour and got to see how with a little bit of money and a lot of community involvement, a school can really be turned around into a positive environment. It’s incredible what’s been done in the school, they even have a free clinic. It has been 8yrs in the making and was a great inspiration as to where Bayview can get to with more time and effort. It was really great for the community stars as well, to see how their involvement can help to make a change in their community. At the end of the tour Elroy, one of the community stars made a very heartfelt thank you on everyone’s behalf, and to everyone’s astonishment! I love how I am constantly surprised by the locals they never cease to amaze. After we got back to Bayview we solidified our plans for the bash and finished the classroom we had been working on. I have to say it looks fantastic. It’s a religion class and we have painted HIV/AIDS ribbons on all the desks, there are world religion symbols on the wall as well as “The Lord is my shepherd” in script done by Lloyd. On the notice board we painted the Irish, South African and Dutch flags. So I have left at least one mark on the community!
As I said in my last message we made a plan to bring all the community stars to the cinema on Thursday evening. We agreed to go the pub after…I had serious reservations about the wisdom of this decision after all the stories I had heard on Mondays about the weekend’s drunken antics. But at our morning meeting we agreed on 2 drinks each so it was fingers crossed that boundaries remained intact and the plan went ahead. We picked them up from Helenvale and a majority vote at the cinema picked Wanted, a shoot-em-up assassin film complete with explosions and high-speed car chases…again too late for reservations time to hope for the best! I can honestly say I have never enjoyed a film less in my life! It was so boring and devoid of story line I did not know how I would survive 2hrs! But everyone else loved it! Success! On to our next challenge then…the pub. We were almost the only customers there and we must have looked quite a group! But it was without doubt the most fun I have had here! Everyone was relaxed and easy with each other and we laughed til it hurt. 2 drinks and 2 rounds of pool later we were all sorry to be drawing the night to a close. We took a million pictures and still didn’t capture the feeling at all. The community stars were laughing and joking around and we were just a group of friends, no context, no differences in status, no colours, it was the best experience of my life hands down. And a great way to round out a remarkable 4wks. It was 12.30 by the time we got them home and made it to bed ourselves but on Friday morning when I woke up I was pumped from the success of the night before.
So our last day… We were without Avril for the morning while she was organising a job talk at the high school (a psychologist if you can believe it!!!). So we got everything organised and set up with a special effort from the community stars who I think wanted to really do their best for us after the previous night. Things went a little bit down hill later though. We had a power cut which threatened proceedings but thank god we got it back quickly. There was also some tension between Avril and a few of the community stars, which culminated in 3 of them walking out later in the afternoon which was such a terrible pity and put a mark on our last day. But the bash was really well appreciated and afterwards the teachers came to us and showed such touching heartfelt thanks for the work we had done in the school. The principal also made a short speech and they all gave us a true South African clap, slow and deliberate rising to a fast crescendo. Clifford spoke for the community stars and it was so beautiful. He told how we had taught them so much and how they appreciated our efforts more than they could ever say properly. The goodbyes that followed were very hard. Maybe a little easier for me as I have promised to visit before I leave since I will be nearby at my next project. Granton, another community star who is expecting his first child in 2wks, has promised to contact me when the baby arrives so I can visit and see him/her. So it’s not quite the end of the road for me yet! Waiting for our car, 3 of us were standing around with the stars for half an hour outside and I thought to myself I really hope there is a lot of traffic, I don’t want this to end! I guess that’s the best way to end something, wishing for more! But the car arrived, and more hugs, goodbyes and a few laughs later, we were driving away.
Friday evening we all had a farewell dinner together and Jacco presented us with certificates to mark our contributions. And perhaps the biggest shock of all…my name was spelled perfectly!!! Another first for me haha! The goodbyes to the other volunteers were just has hard, especially Anne Marie and Dorothee, who I have been working with so closely for the past 4wks.
And today was another day of goodbyes as 2 of my housemates left, as well as hellos to the 2 new volunteers who arrived today! Strange to meet my replacement before I have left!
So Monday I am off to Cape Town for 4 days with Bram and Marcel before coming back to P.E. and starting my new project at Liebenhaus. If it’s half the success that Ready4Life was, I will come back truly happy.
Before I go I want to say a little bit about the money that you have all kindly donated. It has been split evenly between my 2 projects and, for Ready4Life, I was allowed to allocate 50% of the money to things I saw as needed. So your money has gone toward buying 2 all-in-one printer/scanners to assist in the computer training of the community stars. They can print the C.V.’s they write, the can scan and save pictures of loved ones and make computers more applicable to their own needs. Money has also gone towards buying welding equipment which will make up the next phase of training for the community stars: technical training. This means they will have a pliable skill with which they can gain employment and make a start at breaking the cycle of unemployment in the community. The ability to earn one’s own money should never be underestimated, as it gives a sense of independence and self-respect and gives one control over one’s life. That sense of control is badly needed here. A feeling of helplessness is not conducive to change. So on behalf of all the people who will benefit from these new additions to project I would like to thank you for you kind and generous donations, you do not know the rippling effects they will have.
So now is the end of this chapter and for the next week I am in limbo I think! Right now my emotions are so mixed I don’t know where to start, so for now I will say goodbye and I will write again soon!
Best wishes to everyone, and a special message to those who have moved on, I miss you all already and keep in touch on your travels, I hope that one day they bring you to Ireland!
xxx

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