Zoe Tyrrell

Coming home...the biggest hurdle so far

Mon, 15 Sep 08 18:08:49 +0200

Hi everyone!I know it’s sinfully long since I wrote but it was a hectic last few days. When I last wrote we had sent two of the staff shopping for new kitchen and cleaning equipment. Well, I can tell you they came back very happy indeed! On Thursday morning we went shopping for our goodbye party. We decided to take the boys to St. George’s Park after school and play party games there like musical chairs and Simon says. We thought it would be nice to be outdoors and let them run around a bit. Then give them a party pack…lets face it party packs were always the best part of any party! After the park we decided we would bring them to Mc Donald’s for dinner and give them each their present there. We wrote them each a letter and put it in an envelope along with 5 pictures of themselves and one of the four volunteers. We thought it would be nice for them to christen their new pin boards! A few of the boys were home sick on Thursday with flu, I think it’s working it’s way round the room since they seem to be falling one at a time! So one of the boys came shopping with us and we got so many treats for the boys we were like big kids ourselves haha! Thursday afternoon then we took loads of pictures, everyone feeling that photo ops were coming to an end. A lot of the boys went straight to bed after school, think they wanted to make sure they didn’t get flu and miss the party!We were invited to dinner with the African family we had stayed with before. It was a lovely evening, lots of volunteers and interns. And they gave us a really nice goodbye, saying how much good we did just by coming here. It still didn’t quite feel real that the next day was our last but I think we were all putting it to the back of our minds so we could enjoy our time, plenty of time to be sad later. Friday was a busy day then. We had to put together the party packs first, but we had some help there…a few patients still home from school offered extra hands! Then we wrote our goodbye letters and sorted the pictures for each boy. Choosing which pictures to give had been a goliath task! Around 1500 pictures to choose from and they were all great! But we did manage to keep it to 5 per child…just!So once everyone got home and got a bite of lunch we piled them all into the combi, myself and Sharon included! Since we had invited the staff along as well, space in the car was a little tight! So we volunteered for the combi to give the ladies the comfort of our car. And anyway, the combi was great fun! With everyone in and all the necessary equipment for games packed, we hit the park! We had divided the boys into four groups with one volunteer and one older boy per group. This way we could do a circuit of games and have an older boy to help us keep control of the younger boys and the staff could enjoy a little r&r in the park. And it worked so well! The older boys really respond well to responsibility and did a great job keeping the smaller ones from running in all directions…after all, boys will be boys no matter where you are! Our group started off with musical chairs…well musical cushions really but the same principles apply haha! It was great fun! And I only had to do the music for one round since I had no shortage of volunteers so I even got to play! After a few round of that we moved on to the wheelbarrow race. Now that was funny! Lots of shouting and laughing, falling over and clapping for the winners. even one of the child car workers joined in, although he was beaten by some stiff young competition…a 6 yr old to be exact! The egg and spoon race (oranges instead of eggs: they taste better) also went down well! We even managed a two spooned race…try get the egg back on with no hands and see how far you get!! So we had a rest break to eat our oranges and then moved to Simon says which it turns out they are very good at! I was running out of actions and still had 4 boys in the game! But I caught them all out at once in the end haha! When everyone had finished the games we handed out the party packs and everyone sat on the grass enjoying E numbers and orange juice (I pity the childcare worker on duty that night). The pigeons also had a fine time of it, I think nearly every boy fed the birds half their crisps! Once we had them all sufficiently buzzed we loaded them back in the combi and made for Mc D’s. They were expecting us and we had seating outside beside they play area…perfect! We got everyone fed without any major mishaps, just a lot of running in and out with trays! And a whole lot of comments about me making a good waitress haha! One of the older boys made a short speech to thank us for everything we had done and present us with certificates for our involvement with the project. We also got thank you cards from the staff who said a few words. Then it was our turn. Most of the boys knew about the photos, but some of them weren’t holding out too much hope of us actually holding to it. So when we stood up with a stack of envelopes all the faces lit up. We called the boys up one at a time and they gave us each a hug before sitting down to tear open their bounty. It was better than we could ever have anticipated and by far the best thing we could have given them, especially since they now knew exactly where to put them.None of us were ready to part ways yet so we went back to Liebenhaus with them even though it was getting dark. At the house then there were more goodbyes as we slowly made our way out the door. A lot of the boys stayed inside dancing and listening to music or putting their pictures on their new boards. Unlike us they do this every month, for once we were the novices. The two eldest boys, with whom we had gotten close, followed us out to the car and found myself and Sharon crying. And we thought we had gotten away with it! No such luck! So more hugs and more goodbyes and we were finally out the gate and pulling away for the last time. No one spoke for most of the drive home. Although we had planned to go out to eat, no had an appetite and we were all drained so we just sat in with tea, looking at pictures and letting it settle in that yes, we really were leaving. As I was third to be heading to departures, I had goodbye all morning. The hardest part of meeting new people is definitely leaving them! Finally it was my turn. And I was doing pretty well until I was sitting at my departure gate and decided to check my camera for the pictures from the park. And I found a load of pictures taken by the boys before we left that I hadn’t seen before. No joke I looked at the plane and looked at the exit and thought seriously about not getting on the flight. First panic over, I did manage to get myself to Cape Town. Then I thought I was over the worst of it. That is, until take-off. Leaving African soil for the last time was overload for my already wrought emotional system and pretty sure I cried quietly til about Namibia…to the horror of the man sitting beside me haha!Well by the time I was boarding my Heathrow to Dublin flight I had gotten control of myself and started getting excited to see my family. And I wasn't disappointed. My parents, my sister and one of my best friends were there at arrivals waiting for me with open arms. I talked the whole way home and pretty much the whole day, although I think if they followed even 25% of what I was talking about they did well! Getting into my own bed last night was definitely comforting and there are some things about home that can’t be replicated, like your mum’s home cooking!And now here I am back in Ireland, washing done, bags unpacked and drinking tea with fresh milk once again. It’s strange how I can feel so at home in two totally different places but I guess that’s why they say we have roots and wings. XxxxX

The final stretch

Tue, 09 Sep 08 12:07:35 +0200

It’s my last week! I can’t believe it’s gone by so quickly! But it started off great. Two of the volunteers went west along the Garden Route this weekend so myself and the other volunteer stayed with a local family who house volunteers regularly. They are just the most welcoming, open, friendly people I have ever met. Their door is open to everyone and there is always family calling in to say hi. And we ate great food...can’t beat home cooking! It was wonderful to just relax, read a book and chat. And everyone was interested in Irish history, especially the whole Catholic/Protestant thing, seems everyone sees some similarities between our history and their own. So we stayed Sunday night as well since the other volunteers weren’t back til Monday evening. Yesterday then the Ithemba volunteer joined us for the day to experience another project and it suited perfectly as we were two short. And can I just say how proud I am of the work that’s been done! We now have the walls painted and decorated with two soccer goals, soccer balls, rugby balls, a springbok and grass. It looks amazing. And a carpenter came to put up pigeon holes and cupboards in the little boys room as well as adding more storage in the big boys room. He did all the work for free, we just had to pay for the materials. So he also offered to fix the pinboards to the walls. So now there is a board at the head of each bed with their name on it so they can decorate it with pictures and drawings and make it a little bit their own space. And they love it. They were so proud of all the improvements that later in the evening when the two absent volunteers returned they couldn’t wait to show them everything. So you can all give yourselves a pat on the back because all the work done was made possible by your donations. All that’s left now is to assemble the clothes rails and hang the shoe bags which we will do today. I’m so happy to have finished everything we set out to achieve. There is always the small fear that we could run out of time and leave things undone. And with the project finishing next month there would be little chance of our loose ends getting tied up. But we did it! And today we are bringing two of the ladies who look after the house to the shop so they can buy the things they need like new kitchen utensils and a new ironing board. We told them they have 500R so take what you want...they were ecstatic. So right now they are off doing their shopping , looking forward to seeing what they come back with! After all our hard work decorating yesterday, we helped out with homework after lunch. One of the older boys has taken it upon himself to help a group of the younger ones with homework. He writes out sums for them and then corrects them and helps them get the right answer. It’s so great to see, and he really seems to enjoy it too. He laughed when I suggested he could be a teacher but he really ahs that skill for expressing things in a simple and understandable way. Or at least with the kids he does...later he tried to teach me checkers and that was a different thing altogether haha! I didn’t do too badly but I did sometimes get the impression that I was only hearing the rules as I went along which left me at a slight disadvantage! Needless to say I lost, but not embarrassingly so. So maybe today I will try again, after all practice makes perfect!It doesn’t seem real that we have only three days left but I think I prefer that. I will just enjoy my last week here and come the weekend I can deal with my feelings on leaving. And with that in mind I’m off to learn to dance from one of the boys who’s home from school today!Bye for now!Zoexxx

Return to Helenvale

Fri, 05 Sep 08 14:40:03 +0200

I finally got back to Helenvale! On Wednesday morning we all went to Bayview Primary to visit the Ready4Life project. It was so good to see Avril again and all the staff still ask about us! And for my volunteer friends you’ll be glad to hear the desks are surviving wellJ . So in true R4L fashion we all had tea first then had a look around the school and met the teachers. One of the teachers who had been getting computer lessons from myself and Marcel got married this week so we saw pictures of the big day taken by the current volunteers and it looked great. After that Avril took us for a walk up to Helenvale Primary to see R4L Back to School. There were a lot of students missing as they were with Franklin...going back to school! What an amazing thing to have achieved! Five of them returned to mainstream schools on Wednesday and the volunteers went with them, they looked like proud parents it was really great to see. After Back to School we continued walking and went to the street where many of the community stars live. We managed to find 7 of them and even got to talk to Logan! It was perfect getting to see them all again and they were all full of chat and walked with us around Helenvale. Lloyd said he still has a job, although not work every day. Brendon applied for the police and also another job so fingers crossed he will soon be employed somewhere and off the street. Granton is still waiting for the baby to arrive, maybe next week. Elroy was more happy to see us than anyone and walked the whole way with us. He sends a special hi to Marcel and Anne Marie and misses us all a lot. Lioni invited us into her house and we met her grandmother and saw pictures of her daughter who was out at day care. They have a beautiful home, very well cared for and loved, much like Beronique’s. She wasn’t home when we called in but her dad remembered me from our visit and waved. We got only a quick look at Renado and Clifford but it was nice to see them. Lots of hugs all round! I really hope that Ready4Life get another project going for the community stars soon because they really enjoyed last month and I think they need something to fill their days, especially when work is not so steady even when you have a job. It was good for the Liebenhaus volunteers to get to see another township and meet some of the people living there. The biggest surprise for me was how close the two are! Which we only realised when we headed back to Liebenhaus.And back to the current project...the paint looks fantastic! We have most of the walls painted now except the stairway which is posing slight logistical problems. We have also started drawing the goals and trophies on the wall and everyone agrees when it’s finished it’s going to look great. And the best part is the boys like the colour...SUCCESS!!! When four girls decorate a boys room it can go either way haha! It’s really good to see it taking shape because there is always the fear in the back of your mind that it might not get finished before we leave. But I’m fairly confident now that unless we all get struck down by plague we’ll have it done before the end of next week!It’s been a really quick three weeks I cant believe our time is nearly up! Eight weeks has flown by! And now that home is on the horizon I’m in two minds about it. Part of me looks forward to seeing everyone and being in familiar surroundings again, but a big part of me wishes I could stay here working at Liebenhaus indefinitely. There is some comfort in knowing I felt that way last month as well and everything worked out well so I will hold on to that and make my last week as full as possible!Enjoy the weekend!XxxxX

Road trip with the boys

Mon, 01 Sep 08 15:07:04 +0200

Let me start by saying sorry for the lack of posts recently, serious lack of internet! So these blogs are coming in bulk as I’ve written them as I went in hopes of posting them when I got the chance. So now to get you up to date...We got our money cleared for the painting project so we now have all our paint and equipment bought, and got the ceiling painted. The walls we’re gonna make a start with on Tuesday, it’s gonna be a beautiful bright green colour so hopefully the boys will like it! So from Tuesday we’re going to make a big effort to get the room done as time is flying by and we don’t want to leave with it unfinished. But the weekend came quickly which meant it was time for our trip to Jeffrey’s Bay.Most of the boys only found out on Friday about the trip and they were really excited. It meant being at Liebenhaus at 7.30 a.m. which was a bit of a challenge but we got there! Helped get the boys ready and load everything into the combi. The most entertaining part was probably loading up the boys! But everyone got a seat and we took one in the car with us as well. I think nearly all the boys had never been to the bay before. They go fairly often to the beach in P.E. but Jeffrey’s Bay is a whole new thing! It took just over an hour to get there and a little bit extra to find a suitable area to unload 23 boys! So we landed at a great beach: sand, sea, grass, tables, bbq area....perfect! And they splintered immediately! Some went straight for the water, some for the buckets and spades and some for the soccer ball. The water was freezing...like Irish cold haha! So my feet are still the only part of me to have experienced the Indian Ocean! But the boys had such a great day. They got to run around free all day and just be kids it was so great to see! Of course the little ones lost all their clothes in a matter of minutes and were soaked and caked in sand but that’s the best part of going to the beach! And there was no one else on the beach even though it was Saturday. It’s a big surf spot so the younger ones were fascinated by the guys walking up and down with surf boards. It was a day for wide eyed interest...especially when an angler caught a small shark and showed it to the boys. The braai (bbq) was also a great success we had food all day and with the help of some of our donation money we made sure we didn’t run out of food...because seriously those boys can eat! So between eating and drinking we got to do a lot of playing and getting to know the boys a bit better. It was really great to hear from them a little bit about their background as well as how they see the world. And it was nice for them to have a chance to ask us more about home and family etc. They all asked me how it is in Ireland, do people have money etc. How can you with any conscience say we are experiencing a recession at the moment, when here they are living in a children’s home? So yes, there is a lot of money in Ireland, and poverty as well, the same can be said for most places. I’m waiting for the calendar and flag to arrive in the post so I can show them a bit better what kind of a place Ireland is. I keep telling them I’m a terrible Irish ambassador, I don’t know any Irish songs, can’t do Irish dancing, don’t cook Irish food and lets call a spade a spade, my Irish is pretty weak too! But I’m doing my best to fly the Irish flag high and even managed to teach one of the boys a few basic phrases...I’m still working on my Afrikaans! At the end of the day the child care workers made a presentation to one of the boys for excelling as a mentor over the past month. Each of the older children was assigned a few of the younger children to help them with getting ready as well as supporting them when they needed. It gave the older ones a sense of responsibility as well and one boy really took to it. So now there will be a mentor of the month every month and it’s something that the boys can work towards. I really think it was a great thing for the child care workers to start it’s having a good effect on all the kids.Once the presentation was finished we got packed up to go home...lots of mayhem involving missing socks...some problems are universal haha! We took the mentor of the month and two of his charges in the car with us. Fresh air had worked it’s magic and there wasn’t a sound the whole way home! By the time we got ourselves home we were wrecked just about managed tea we were still full from all our braai-ing earlier!Now we’re off Sunday and Monday with no set plans since the weather has taken on a gale force attitude and we’re just going to see how it goes! So Tuesday is back to Liebenhaus with a plan for lots of painting, some more origami maybe, computer lessons and probably donkey (not my idea but apparently I make a very good donkey haha!)Bye for now!Zoexxx

Settling in well!

Mon, 01 Sep 08 15:05:36 +0200

Back again!You might notice some overlapping of my posts since our internet is down at the moment so I’m writing as I go and posting when I can!Today was a great day at Liebenhaus! This morning we got the go ahead from the manager for our project and even got around to buying some paint! So tomorrow we can make a start on the ceiling in the boys room cos we really want to just get started with it! So meetings and shopping took up the morning and then the boys start turning up from school, they all go to different schools and are in different classes so from about half 12 there is usually boys arriving. It was one of the boys birthdays today so we all sang for him when he got home from school...I even sang in Irish!!! It didn’t sound pretty haha! They all got candy apples today as well which meant red faces and hands all over the place! We all played around outside until lunch and I learned how to throw a rugby ball properly from one of the older boys. It was his birthday on Sunday and on Monday he got new front teeth (which were missing) so today was our first day to see him with them and the change in him was unbelievable. He was open and involving himself with us, playing outside and smiling, he even asked to take his picture! After lunch the boys had homework and the older boy asked me to help him, he had an assignment on T.B. which is a big health issue here. It was so great to see him asking questions etc because even though all the other boys are used to us, he was still keeping his distance until today. One of the ladies who works at Liebenhaus also offered to braid my hair so we did that after homework. All the boys complimented it even the little ones which was so cute! But myself and the other volunteers felt it would take some definite getting used to....very different!! The Japanese volunteer showed us all origami after homework and the boys really loved it! I think we will definitely do it again. Marloes, one of the Dutch volunteers took some of the older boys for computer lessons and taught them typing etc, so they can get used to working on computers a bit more. I seem to end up spending most of my time kicking a ball around or playing donkey....with me as the donkey! Who would ever have seen this for me!? I am definitely broadening my horizons here! Before we went home then we helped the child care worker to wash the little ones and get them dressed for bed. Some of them have pyjamas like parachutes tiny little boys in huge flannel parachutes it’s certainly a sight haha! So we left a bit late today since that took extra time but as long as we leave before dark it’s all good. By the time we got home then we were only fit for the couch and a pot of tea! But tea is a great reviver and I’m fit to do it all again tomorrow, hopefully with some painting thrown in for good measure!So long for now!Zoe xxx

First week and first outing

Mon, 01 Sep 08 15:01:49 +0200

Hi everyone! Sorry it’s been so long! It was a full first week! Got to spend lots of time with the boys as we worked Saturday and Sunday. They are really great kids we have such a great time with them. I’m learning quickly about football, volleyball, rugby etc! And the smaller kids are just like little monkeys, they climb all over you, no fear of falling or anything! One of the volunteers is giving computer lessons to the smaller boys to get them accustomed to it, just playing games and things like that. They all love it, dying for their turn to come! And the Japanese volunteer is taking them a few at a time for origami which they think is brilliant! I’m waiting for my turn haha! So the weekend came and it was nice to spend time with the boys in a more relaxed way. We played around, watched some t.v., basically the same things we all do on our days off! It’s obvious that they are used to having volunteers around, for the most part they took to us instantly, unlike the community stars last month who had to feel us out before they opened up to us. One of the most striking things about the boys is their size. Boys of 6 looking 4! It’s impossible to tell ages at all! Other boys look older than they are. But for the most part they are a lot smaller than similar aged children at home. I noticed the same in Helenvale, they just don’t grow so big! But what they lack in size they more than make up for in attitude! Full of personality all of them! On Sunday we arrived a bit early as Church starts at 9. We helped get the little ones ready, washed their faces and dressed them etc. Church was really nice and the preacher made a special prayer for the international visitors on our travels and also for our families. It was really beautiful. After Church the boys changed out of their Sunday clothes, which they all looked very cute in by the way! We had brought the laptop with us in hopes of watching a d.v.d. but there was no player so we successfully got everyone seated in front of the laptop to watch The Incredibles with no rows of better seats or anything! Success!!! And it was a great film too! It helps around here if you’re a big kid yourself haha! I’m really enjoying spending time with all the boys I really think the next three weeks will go by too fast. The first week definitely did! And we now have a definite plan for our time here. We are going to decorate the big boys bedroom with a sport theme, to match the new soccer pitch and goals completed by the previous volunteers. We’ve already got quotes from a supply shop and they are giving us a discount since it’s for charity which is brilliant. As well as that we have a trip to Jeffrey’s Bay planned for this Saturday as the staff wanted to reward the boys for recent good behaviour. So we’re having a BBQ on the beach I think, which will be so much fun! And to fill hungry tummies we are putting money towards the meat to make sure the party lasts all day! I think we will have more money left over as well so we are keeping our eyes peeled for more needs that we can contribute towards. This week I’m looking forward to making a start on our project as well as getting to know the boys better. I’ve asked my Dad to post an Irish flag and calendar which should arrive this week so I can introduce Ireland to them a little bit since they are all asking about it and my family etc! So maybe we will have an Irish afternoon one day haha! Our days off this week then are Monday and Tuesday. Monday we went to Addo and it was fantastic all over again. No lions this time but we did nearly get into a bit of trouble with a young male elephant. We were a bit in his way I think! But all ended well and we got some great close-up shots! And I finally saw a dung beetle! I got so excited everyone must have thought I was crazy! But they have signs all over the park about not running over them on the roads and I’d never managed to see one! So now I have! Tuesday we plan to go to Kragga Kamma game reserve. I love it there, they have giraffes and cheetahs and a baby rhino! For a nature nut I really am in the right place! I think I have to concede defeat on the leopard front, but cheetahs are a pretty great consolation prize!I will try and write more often next week now that I am properly settled in! And I will have stories for you from Liebenhaus I promise! I think that’s all for now though! Keep in touch!xxxx

Liebenhaus...first impressions

Thu, 21 Aug 08 11:37:46 +0200

Hi everyone!!!Well I’ve moved house now and started my new project at Liebenhaus! Moved on Monday and met the other new volunteers. This time we have all girls, two dutch and one Japanese girl. The new house is lovely, nice and cosy! It’s a new area as well so I’ve only just about managed to keep my bearings! So we’re pretty well settled in now, finding our feet. It’s a bit strange being the only one who already is fairly well orientated, trying to keep in mind that the other girls have a lot more to adjust to. Yesterday we had our first look at Liebenhaus which is a project of Childline P.E. and supported by the Department of Social Development. Currently there are 23 boys resident in the home, aged between 6 and 17. Yesterday we just met the staff and got a look around the home so we could get acquainted with the project. It seems really well run, lots of structure and support for the boys, with a policy of consequences rather than corporal punishment. There are 5 child care workers who work in shifts, so that one is on duty every night. We found out that there is only one child care worker on duty at the weekends, so we’ve made a preliminary plan to work Saturday and Sunday and have Monday and Tuesday off instead. It will mean getting to spend more fun time with the boys and we can organise an outing or some bigger activity for them which will be great. We also get to attend Church with them on Sundays which will be really interesting! Last night everyone was tired so we took it easy and had an embarrassingly early night haha! Today was our first full day at the project, starting at 10 and finishing at 5... a long sleep in compared to Ready4Life haha! So we started today with a meeting with the principal to discuss our roles in the project and what we hoped to get from our time and what she expects to get from us etc. Also got to talk more with the child care workers and other staff and get a good feel for what is involved in working at Liebenhaus. There are some things like copies and stationary that are really needed so we probably will put money towards that. We also want to buy wood to build a second goal for the new soccer pitch laid by the last volunteers which is growing really well and looks like it’s gonna get a lot of use! But when we were looking around today we felt that we really want to decorate the bedroom of the older boys as the little ones bedroom has been beautifully painted by previous volunteers. So we’re gonna discuss it with the principal and see what we can sort out but I think it would be great to do and would be a lasting mark of our time here. The idea is to paint goals on opposite walls of the room and then decorate the other walls with sports gear and jerseys etc...as you can see I’m quickly getting in touch with my masculine side haha! So this afternoon then we met the boys. First they had lunch and I have to say I have to say I’ve never seen boys be so orderly about food in all my life! Very impressed haha! We just stood back and observed for a while but after lunch we all sat around and introduced ourselves. They were so fascinated with Mai, the Japanese girl it was very funny! Asking “Do you know Jackie Chan?”etc! Showed them Ireland on the map and how I flew to get here, they reckon Ireland is very small...but Holland hardly counts as a country it’s like the size of Swaziland on their map haha! We joined in with homework time...no time like the present to get started! I ended up helping one boy with his maths and found quickly that maths is a definite problem here. I’ve heard that already in South Africa, it’s a national problem. So we got through all the sums, 100% and he was delighted! I’m attached already! After homework I somehow ended up having a toss around of a rugby ball with some of the boys outside. It was loads of fun! I even managed to the ball haha! Was great to just fool around and break the ice a little bit, it’s a little bit easier maybe in some ways with the older boys as they have English which the younger ones are just learning. Some of the boys have mental and physical disabilities as well so there is really a lot going on. And I’m sure on some days I will want to tear my hair out but today was a great starting day. I’m looking forward to doing something tangible in the bedroom and also to seeing if I can bring anything useful from my experience in schools at home to the project here. My mind is working already to think of relevant games, studies and reward schemes that might be useful here! Maybe after this week I will have a good feel for the place and how I can best fit in. For now I am just going to take my time and find my feet!I think that’s it for now so I will say goodbye and write again soon when I have more to tell of the new project. It’s great to hear from home so keep me in the loop! And a special thanks to Marcel for the beautiful message I was so touched by it. Hope to see you again in the not too distant future my friend.Lots of loveZoe

My outdoor pursuits

Sun, 17 Aug 08 22:12:30 +0200

Well I had a great week in Cape Town in the company of Marcel and Bram, two more volunteers. The bus took 12 hrs but we had lots of stops and dvds playing so it was really fine. I did all the tourist things: Table Mountain, District Six Museum, Company Gardens, Cape of Good Hope and Camps Bay. But I really have to tell you about Mamma Africa’s. It’s a restaurant that serves traditional African food, including ostrich, kudu, springbok and crocodile. And I tried it all haha! Ostrich is the leanest red meat you can eat by the way! And it doesn’t hurt that it tastes delicious! Mum you will be so proud of my broadened gastronomic tastes! On top of the great food and friendly staff was a fantastic live band playing instruments. It was just pure African culture it was amazing! Even though it has become a tourist haven, it doesn’t have that touristy feeling, just some home-style charm! Now you probably noticed that missing from my list of excursions is Robben Island. Due to bad weather our trip was cancelled and the next available sailing was two days after I headed back to P.E. So I didn’t see Mandela’s cell. But I did drive by the maximum security prison he was held in first! Not quite the same though!
I can’t even describe Cape Town the city. It’s not like any other city I’ve ever seen! It’s surrounded by nature in the form of two oceans and a mountain range. It’s a totally eclectic mix of cultures and architecture with influences from Holland, Britain, the East as well as traditional African vibes. And I heard great things about the Irish there, seems we really are popular all over the world! All I can say is it’s a really great city, so vibrant and multicultural, and making considerable moves towards being very well integrated which is amazing to see, especially since most of my African experiences have been in totally coloured townships.
After getting back from Cape Town, myself and two other girls decided to go on an adventure weekend. We set out on Saturday afternoon and without getting lost once, arrived in the middle of nowhere 40min later. Our cabin had no electricity and consisted of log walls and a corrugated steal roof and a gap all the way round the joining….very outdoors! The view was spectacular, complete with game and a bass-filled dam and trees as far as the eye could see. Outside the cabin was a deck with table and benches and a braai (bbq) just waiting for a fire. Inside was a giant spider sitting over the door. Panic ensued! So now picture three girls standing outside in the back of beyonds squeeling and freaking out! Luckily for us a group on quads went by and we hailed them down with shouts of “Help! Help!” now obviously the guy thought something terrible had happened and was fairly amused to find the problem had 8 legs and fit in his hand. No doubt the whole outdoors company heard about it by the time we arrived the next day for our quad drive! But after the rocky start we did very well for ourselves. We watched the match at the local, then came back and lit a beautiful fire on which we cooked a lovely dinner and relaxed with a few drinks. Headed to bed early and spent and hour lying in the dark trying not to think about all the horrible creatures making their way into the cabin, or the prospect of driving a quad over 4x4 terrain the next day! But I did manage 6hrs sleep which I’m pretty proud of!
So this afternoon we had our quad ride which was such good fun! I had to start off pretty slow what with all my engine experience coming in the shape of an outboard! But I got the hang of it and we had a really great time. Unfortunately I hadn’t realised that driving a quad is done completely with your hands…which quickly led to my wrists giving out! So I had to sit out the second session which was gonna be tougher and fast as my whole arm was already dead. But it was still a great weekend!
And now I’m home and just finished packing, as tomorrow I move to my new house up the road and meet the volunteers for my new project! Really feeling quite apprehensive about it now, especially after saying goodbye to all the previous volunteers. A part of me is thinking I could be home now. But the bigger part of me is interested to start a new project and see another side of township life. I think the next few days will be challenging until I find my feet but then it will be great. So once I get settled I will write again, but until then I’ll say goodbye!
xxx

An end and a beginning

Sat, 09 Aug 08 19:10:27 +0200

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

Tsitsikamma and reflection

Tue, 05 Aug 08 06:54:49 +0200

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

Amakhala

Fri, 01 Aug 08 21:52:19 +0200

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.

Bring on the weekend!!!

Sat, 26 Jul 08 17:16:45 +0200

So the talent show and Westlife rendition was a pretty good way to end the week. After we finished up, the five of us volunteers went with Beronique, one of the stars, to meet her family and see her home. Her mother is blind so she has to do most of the things around the house. It was so touching to be invited in and her family were so welcoming, thanking us for the opportunity we had given their daughter. We took pictures with her little brothers and chatted for a while before we left. The house holds 7, with some of the younger boys sleeping on a mattress in the living room. It’s such a small house but they really have made it beautiful, with pictures of their children and grandchildren all around the walls. They are a truly loving family, very supportive of their kids, which I’ve come to learn is not necessarily the norm around Helenvale.
Since Tsitsikamma got postponed to next weekend, Eef and I decided to go whale watching today. And can I just say OH MY GOD!!!! We had to be there for 8 am but was so worth it. We say an island colony of little penguins they were so cute! And the scenery was breathtaking; the bay is huge and was flat calm this morning. Nothing better than the sea on a sunny day with gentle waves rolling under you. Well nothing better til we saw a whale breach five feet from the boar!!! The sound they make as they breathe out take yours away! I was mesmerised! It was fantastic. We watched it til it disappeared then moved on to find some bottle-nosed dolphins….we found a school of about 60! Just hanging out along the beach playing in the waves as they broke! We were all transfixed, nobody wanted to move. We just watched and watched as they broke the surface and dived again, enjoying the sunshine like the rest of us. The sheer number of them was the most incredible thing; the school stretched the length of the beach! Eventually we had to go back to shore but it was so worth the early start and the R600 (E60).
Tomorrow we’ve been invited to the church of one of the project leaders, Franklin. Everyone attends, and everyone sings. Everyone includes all the local gangsters (including gang leaders). This I find a strange contradiction. Every Sunday morning they turn up for church, and on Sunday afternoons they often end up in fights, fights which regularly end in death. I saw three walking through the school on yesterday, they were only about 15 and one of them was holding a gun. They had hoods and scarves over their faces, and dead eyes. Even without seeing the gun I felt terrified by their presence. I can honestly say it’s the first time since I arrived that I have been really scared. So I’m looking forward to seeing how church fits into this strange gang morality where it’s ok to walk by pre-schoolers holding a gun. After church we’re going to the market to have a look! And we’ll probably head to the jazz bar tomorrow night since it was such a great night last week! They play live music, put their own spin on lots of popular songs as well as traditional Afrikaans songs it’s an electric atmosphere! Everyone dances and it’s totally integrated which is amazing to see!
So that’s all for now I think! Hope everything at home is going well and I love hearing news from you all so keep me updated!

Success!!!!

Fri, 25 Jul 08 14:34:53 +0200

On Tuesday Lloyd walked out in the middle of the day without a word. On Wednesday then he never came in. But yesterday he was back and arrived at 8.45! I was so happy to see him. We all apologised for having made him feel not part of the group or unable to participate. In computer skills we did C.V.s and Lloyd only finished primary school. He also seems dyslexic. I felt awful for not having noticed or accommodated his weaknesses, no wonder he bolted. Later in Life Skills he was talking and contributing in English and, if he got stuck, in Afrikaans. It was fantastic! He said on Friday he would sing Westlife, I couldn’t believe it! I told him if he sang a Westlife song I would pay him R10. I can’t believe they know Westlife here!!! So this morning when Lloyd and Granton turned up at half 8, I nearly died, I had to sit down! Lloyd was full of energy, enthusiastic to get involved and happy to be there. It was so great to see and such a change from the previous days. So after games outside (we had a fun day today) we had our talent show and Lloyd sang his song for me it was so funny! Even I sang! Never to be repeated! So it was a really great day and a wonderful start to the weekend. I’m so glad Lloyd is back, I think he is just the type of person who really needs this course and I want to do as much as possible to help him over-come his challenges. And now it's the weekned and we are all gonna relax :)

Empty hearts

Thu, 24 Jul 08 20:42:55 +0200

Over the last two days I have heard stories from one of the community stars in my group that have broken my heart. On Tuesday, Clifford told us that a year ago he had major operation on his kidneys which were damaged because of excess drinking. He’s 22. While in hospital, none of his 4 sisters, 7 brothers, or mother came to visit him. The family of the guy in the next bed visited him instead, which he said was worse, “I don’t want someone else’s family visiting me I want my own.” When he was released from hospital nobody came to collect him and he made his own way home in a taxi. A taxi here means a dirty, crowded mini-bus with loud music and manic driving. When I asked about his family he said that all 12 sibling live at home but live separately…if you get killed that was your own doing.
Then yesterday while we were in Life Skills, Avril drew attention to Clifford’s negative attitude, to which he answered “There’s nothing positive in Helenvale.” Avril pointed out how sitting in this classroom, in Bayview Primary is a positive thing, and how his decision to step away from the gang existence of his street and make the decision to some to Ready for Life everyone morning was already a huge achievement. The more we pointed out the positives in his behaviour and decisions, the more uncomfortable he looked. When I expressed how proud and impressed the international volunteers are with him he was squirming in his chair and looked at his hands. I told him I felt he was not used to hearing positive things about himself, and when he looked up at me the expression in his eyes told me he never had. Until this week when we arrived no one had ever encouraged him or told him they were proud, he had never heard he was doing a good job, or that people describe him as the guy who’s always smiling. In 22 years. It broke my heart. It breaks my heart to write it now. And that’s only one guy. To magnify that to a community is to have some idea of the depth of the issues faced in Helenvale. Help is needed here and it was worth everything to get here.