the last couple days

Thursday Jan 20th

Today we are on lunch break now and that is when I am posting all this. things are frustrating today. I wish I knew what exactly was frustrating me so I could put a finger on it and stop it. but I am in a bad mood. the project is frustrating. the kids are great individually and I want to give them the individual attention but I can’t because the teachers say that is spoiling them so they make me stop. so yeah I don’t know what to do but I am going to tell Ilma the project director that I would like to be in a different spot each month. so I won’t be here this whole three months. I would go insaine.

well I am out of time. hopefully posting this goes smoothly. I love you. check facebook for pictures it is hard to get them to post because internet is slow. love you all.



Wednesday Jan. 19th 2011

Today we went to work again, it was easier this time because they were spit up. things are really frustrating me at the school because there is no structure whatsoever. these kids are so confused. they get in trouble and don’t know why. they don’t know how to listen or take direction and don’t respond when you are talking to them. we visited the townships that the kids come from today. it was so so sad to see the environment that these kids come from. legally it is okay to have “squatters” that means that the president who cannot read, and has seven wives and has only completed through the fifth grade passed a law saying it is okay for people to park it in someone’s yard and build a little home out of whatever scraps they can. it is so frustrating. and so sad to see so so so many people that live this way and can’t get out of it or they just don’t want to. no fun. it was also sad to see that when we dropped the kids off at their homes non of their parents were happy to see them. they just said “go inside”. that was sad.


Tuesday January 18th 2011

Oh wow, today.... Was exhausting.

This morning at 8:00am we left for our first day of work at the childcare/daycare center or what they call a “crash”. There were 34 children there today. All of these children come from what they call a Township. It’s a place that is designed to hold about 140 homes but instead the people have built over 800 homes. And when I say homes I mean a one room metal hut were there is probably about 10-30 people in one home. The Principal of the school (Mrs. Olive) was talking to us today about these kids and she was saying that they all come from families where parents don’t have any time for them, they come home from working and don’t do anything with their children in any way. One thing that she said today that really touched me was that “these children do no more than exist. . . They just exist, nothing more.” Olive was also saying that sometimes the kids are only a number to the parents, that they will boast and say “I have 10 kids”, but they don’t take care of any of them.



At this “school” they try to teach the children but can’t because they don’t even have their basic skills yet. They don’t know how to listen, eat (because some don’t at home), sit still, or respond when they are being spoken too. Because they have been so neglected these first years of their lives they don’t know anything. So even just teaching these kids how to sit in a circle is exhausting! I really don’t know how the teachers do it every day. Especially since they teach the kids these things during the day but then they go home at night and probably forget it all.



It’s also really hard to understand the children, not only because they are 1-6 year olds but because they don’t know a lot of english and I don’t understand their baby Africans talk. But most of them are really great. I walked in today and we almost instantly won them over, we all got hugs right away which was a really nice feeling.



I really hope that things will get better/easier from here. I think at least getting to know their names will make a big difference. I think I am going to ask to only spend one of my months here and transfer to two other projects during my time here as well. I think three months of what I went through today would be too hard to actually see and enjoy the things Cape Town has to Offer.



After this long day at the Crash we felt so gross, it was super hot and then you have baby slobber/food/boogers and dirt all over you. We had planned to go hike Lion Head Mountain. So we did! Oh my goodness I almost died. So we’re under the African sun and all I’ve eaten today was a peanut butter and Jelly sandwich and and egg and toast for breakfast. Oh and a cold hot dog and some bean salad. Anyway, the mountain made a pretty vertical hike and it was probably 2-3 miles up. And the closer we got to the top it was more like rock climbing. Eh. BUT it was so worth it after we got to the top and cooled off as the sun went down. We watched it set and saw the full moon. :) it was so so beautiful! And the hike down was so much better than the way up!



I definitely got kissed by the sun today haha. And it’s only the second day here and I have already taken over 200 photos haha I’m so glad I brought my computer so I can upload them right away.

A little more about my experience so far and in general: there was a roach in the shower this morning. It was delightful haha. The house we are staying in is really nice! All of the good houses have what is kind of a garage door that opens to the front of the house and there is a solid wall around the home. And then of course there are sharp things on the tops of the wall. My host families house has tile floors all through the home, they have a nice sun room area kind of like an enclosed porch. And a deep “splash pool” in the yard. My host family consists of “ma Jean” who kind of reminds me of mama odi from princess and the frog. She is so so sweet and very outgoing and “easy people” is what she calls herself. Then “Franklyn” the dad he is also outgoing and enthusiastic about what he talks about. Then they have a daughter who is 28 I think and she has her boyfriend sometimes over and her daughter Mika who is around 5 or 6 and is absolutely beautiful. People here run on “African time” where five minutes could mean an hour. Whenever I buy something I feel like I am spending tons of money and it makes me want to be a penny pincher because for instance, when I spend 100 rand it is actually only about 15 US dollars. And the other day I bought some grapes and a big water and spent about 40 rand but when I looked it up it was only like 4.50 or something like that. So I just need to adjust my thinking and budget things. I really want to go on the Safari. There is an Elephant Sanctuary a couple of hours away and I would like to go. The trip I would really like to go on though is about 400 US dollars and it is like 7 days of traveling and seeing and doing big things like safaris. OH! There are penguins here just off the coast in Cape town, not right on the regular beach but they kind of have their own beach. I’m hoping to go there and take some pictures with them. I still haven’t made it to the beach but hopefully soon. I also haven’t figured out calling cards or the SIM card stuff yet. Oh and my “international” converter that I bought doesn’t have the right plug for the ones that they use here. Anyway, things are going well. I’m just super tired, not only to I have jet lag still but I was at the crash and hiked a big mountain today. Oh dear. It’s time for bed.