I can't believe it's been over a week since I arrived here in SA, truly the time has flown by! So far it's been completely different to the last time I was here in May. The last trip was like a taster, rushing around trying to fit everything into two weeks and so now it feels odd not to be running around quite so much and to actually take my time to get used to things.
It's been a bit of a difficult start as I sooo want to be useful and active but I tend to lack the confidence to push myself forward, so without being handed a task I sometimes end up feeling like a lemon when I'm not quite sure what to do and if / where I can help. I am in awe of those who seem so capable and can jump into anything not worrying if they're doing the wrong thing or getting in the way! Suffice to say I'm not quite sure what my purpose is here yet, but I dont doubt for a second that I'm meant to be here, and that in time God will show me where my focus should be, and where my talents are best suited. In the mean time I'm happy to do the running around and helping out where I can, and I have faith that I will find my feet and my confidence!
Ok so a quick run down of my time here so far... I'll try to keep it the shorter side of a novel! I arrived Monday morning (21st) and breezed through passport control (not even a hint of a mention about a Visa!) and Tim collected me from the airport. It was great to drive down the familiar roads and of course as soon as I got to VoH it was hugs all round and I went straight in to see the kids in the unit as soon as possible. It is amazing to see how they have changed just in the few months I've been away. A few are now attending school (and look very grown up marching off with their backpacks in the morning!) and the others have all changed a little too, whether it be getting taller, slimmer, or even more rotund in some cases! :) It was a great relief to see my little man A, who was gravely ill in hospital about a month ago, and who we all feared wouldnt pull through. He was happy and clappy as ever though, and although I cant be sure if he recognised me (probably not!) I still got a massive hug - it's just his nature to be so friendly and seeking everyone's attention. My favourite girl from last time - N (she was the only girl then so it's fair!) is very healthy and happy. She's had the tube removed from her stomach as she can now eat and drink without assistance and is looking beautiful with her hair in little pom pom bunches all over her head :)
The rest of Monday was spent settling in and running a few errands before joining Tim, Maz and Arry for supper which was a lovely welcome. Tuesday was basically spent in the baby unit supporting the house mums and getting to know the new little people who have been placed here since I left in June - I will say more about them in future blogs or I really will be here forever! Two more volunteers, father and son Andy and Josh arrived from the UK on Tuesday morning so they were shown round and then in the evening we all went to Dros for a welcome meal. Andy is on the Thembalitsha UK board and Josh is in his final year at Uni studying politics so they were both keen to see the work that goes on here and the background / problems involved.
Unfortunately on Wednesday I was ill as I'd been caring for one of the kids the night before who was running a temperature and it seems I caught his bug. So essentially I quarantined myself and Weds is therefore news-less :)
Thursday was a public holiday in SA so we decided to go down the coast to Hermanus and do some whale watching. Andy didnt come as unfortunately he was now feeling unwell :/ but Tim, Maz, Arry, Josh and I had a great day. We avoided the crowds in the main town and went a little further down to park up and walk down to the sea - best decision ever made! We spotted some whales out to sea and down to our left and were happy to see they seemed to be slowly heading towards us. This was impressive enough, as we could clearly see the shapes and the spurts from the headland, but when Josh, Arry and I went clambering over the rocks to get closer to the water's edge, we were in for an incredible sight. A mother whale and her baby started to head into the bay and then changed course when they realised their mistake, so dived down and surfaced not 15metres in front of us! It's times like that that I wish I had a better camera, but I dont think anything could've truly captured the moment - A-MAZ-ING!!
On Friday I attended a meeting with Tim where local NGO's were arranging what they would do to run clubs / events for the children of Grabouw during the summer (Christmas) holidays, and so I was then able to help out by drawing up our proposals for various sports events and submitting these to gain funding. We also had a planning meeting to organise the kids clubs that are running this week (Mon, Weds & Fri) which essentially involved an outline of the schedule for each day, some discussion on how best to make papier mache pigs, and listing various games the kids could play like Dodgeball or What's the time Mr Wolf? I was volunteered to do a game / puzzle centred on Friday's bible verse which Sandra (the kids club leader) insists I not just organise but explain to the kids (I dont speak Afrikaans! eek!) so that should be fun - mucho translation needed me thinks :)
Saturday we all went to Franschoek to do some wine tasting and were blessed with amazing views over the valley - we beat the cloud and rain just in time! It was lovely to enjoy each others company (and the wine of course!) and I think one of my lasting memories of this trip will be singing Trondor's Greatest Hits on the way and then back again! Trondor is a Norwegian volunteer who is here with his wife Greta and son Trim, and he has gained a sort of superstar quality with us, resulting is such hits as Once, Twice, Three times a Trondor, Trondorian Rhapsody, and so on and so forth. It's one of those 'you have to be there' things, but none the less it kept us giggling the whole day, and most of that before we'd even touched the booze!
Sunday we went to church at Elgin United, where Tim and Maz now regularly attend. I was a little concerned to hear Tim say that it reminded him of my church back home (CGS), and I can see some similarities that are good, and some that make me cringe. It is always interesting to see something from an outsiders perspective! The congregation were very welcoming (good similarity!) and we had a pleasant chat with a few people over a cuppa after the service. The afternoon was spent worshipping an entirely different religion - the gods of grand prix and cricket at the altar of Dros. Having put the boy racer ex behind me, I had forgotten that I actually quite enjoy the grand prix, and after cheering on Hamilton and Button I attempted to channel my Grandma and get into the cricket. I have never really had the scoring explained to me which is more than a slight disadvantage, but I was happy enough to cheer on my country with the boys - even if it meant that one of the regulars, having flattered me and compared me to Sinead O'Connor then decided I was Connor O'Sinead when I supported the poms! New boy nickname aside it was a fun afternoon / evening, and having come back to the farm and a delicious dinner prepared by Maz, we were all happy to collapse and keep updated on the score via the web (England won btw, woo hoo!).
I think that's gonna have to be it for now Jessy fans, my babes are gonna be waking up from their afternoon nap soon and I must stop hogging the computer! I promise to do this weeks update asap, and hopefully more often in future so they come in more bitesize chunks! But in summary, rest assured all is well here and I'm loving my trip so far. Love you all x x J x x
