I'm almost legal!

After almost 3 months of working on my visa process, I'm almost there. This week I had to make two trips into Joburg to the Home Affairs office at 6am to submit my application. The first day we waited in line and once it was finally my turn, they told me that I either had to have R7000 (about $1000) deposit that I will get back when I leave the country, or a letter from Refilwe stating that they will make sure I have the monetary means to leave. Haha, I chose to hand in a letter. The next day, all was well and in 30 days I can go pick the (hopefully) approved application and my volunteer visa! Just in time because my current 90 day visa is almost up. So until I pick it up, they can't kick me out of the country, but I can't leave either. Good deal.

Everything at the school is still going great. I was asked to think about working there full time next year. I'll definitely think about it. The only problem there is lack of time to do anything else, and there's a lot I'd like to do in my time here. We'll see. The kids are such a joy to me. And at lunch I get to enjoy the kind of food I'll only find in Africa. Even some foods that I literally don't know what the heck it consists of. I love it.

Tap is WONDERFUL! The young kids are finally back in gear after a bit of "talking to"... ;) and are earning their shoes. I've made a deal with them that they are not allowed to take their tap shoes home until 1) I see that they're serious about the class, and 2) that they show myself and their classmates respect. They'e doing quite well and learning a lot. I have one little girl, especially, who from what I know struggles a bit with schoolwork and basic motor functions. I think it's something about a memory weakness, something or another... I'm not exactly sure. She is a freakin angel... I love the crap out of her. She is doing incredibly well in class and I've heard it's done TONS to boost her self-confidence. I couldn't be more happy to hear that. When I hear things like that it reminds of how the arts do wonders in a child's life and in their growth. My teenagers totally rock. I think it's settled in as just the 7 students. 4 girls 3 boys. I like! I still need shoes for a couple of them and their giant feet. I've found a dance store that sells new and second-hand taps... I'm heading there sometime next week. After class we turn up the music, play pool, ping pong and have a good time. It's good for the youth to spend time like that. We're having a lot of fun.

Soon, I'll be looking into the SPCA near by where I will try to volunteer about once a week or so with their horses. Caring for them, feeding, grooming, and hopefully riding!!! After I'm done with the school I'll make a trip down there and see what's going on. Very much looking forward to that!!! I will also be looking into doing the world's highest bungee jump located in Cape Town. In good time, of course, and money. But I WILL do it before I leave this country. I can't pass it up.

Other than that... all is well, I'm happy, healthy... all good!

The joy in the terror of preschoolers.

This was my first week teaching at the preschool. One of the teachers is spending the month of October studying/ taking exams, so I am filling in for her as Teacher Giana. I am with them everyday from 730am until 3pm. And my lord... are they a handful. No, handful is an extreme understatement. There is between 20 and 30 in class everyday with 2-3 teachers. Only about ten or less are kids from Refilwe, the rest are from the surrounding communities.
Everyday consists of breakfast, then sitting in a circle saying how we are and if we are happy or sad and why. Then we learn a little geography, study the letter of the week, art, snack time, count as high as we can, then off to recess. Lunch, nap time, and then the kids are being picked up within about 2 hours. All the while, we teachers are constantly "SIT DOWN!", "YOU ARE BEING VERY RUDE!", "DO NOT HIT YOUR FRIENDS!", "WHY ARE YOU TALKING WHILE I'M TALKING?", mixed with a little, "Look at you superstars!", "Oh my word that is beautiful!", pretty much making everything they have to show us seem like it's pretty much the coolest thing we've ever seen. Even if it is hula-hooping for ten minutes. Which actually is pretty impressive. It's very tiring indeed and I give mad props to the teachers who do this everyday, all year, every year.
TO ALL YOU TEACHERS: Mad props. You're a superstar.

I'm falling in love with them. I wake up everyday so excited to see them. Forgetting for a moment about how they constantly push me to the edge of having a heart attack. In between the discipline and teaching the children respect for your friends, yourself, your environment, I find myself loving on these children as if they were my own. Holding them, kissing their booboos (which half of the time are invisible), and trying to make them feel like they are the most special things on earth. They really are.

As crazy and exhausted as I feel at the end of the day, I freakin love this job.

My journey through the country

About a month after my roommate Barbara gets a car, she decides she wants to take a road trip down to Cape Town. At first, she invites my other roommate, Ashley and myself to leave the following day. As exciting as the spontaneity of it was to all of us, we had to be realistic. So we set a date for a couple weeks later and began planning our trip. Planning it in a way that we could see as much as we could within a week, and also in a way that would be kind to our wallets. We figured out our route and booked our rooms in hostels and backpackers lodges, and we were off. 

At about 5am on thursday, we packed in our luggage, a box of food that we hoped would feed us for a week, and the three of us into Barbara’s snug 2-door Corsa. Snug became quite the understatement throughout the trip. The first day was a straight mission to get out of where we were and make it to our first destination- Augrabie’s Falls. Including a few stops, it was about a 12 hour day of driving. 

Finally we arrived at the area of our first night’s rest, but couldn’t quite find it. We had to call them and one of the men who ran the place came on his bike and lead us to our destination. It was very dark and we were very much in the middle of nowhere. We met Ernest and Andrew, took of tour of their house (which was the backpacker’s lodge), and crashed out.

When we woke up I was in awe to see the place in daylight. Gorgeous view, vineyards surrounding, palm trees, flowers- picture perfect. To be honest, I was perfectly content with staying there for a couple days but with as much as we had planned, we had to be on the move. So we packed in the sardine can and made our way to Augrabie’s Falls. It was a gorgeous waterfall that had many balcony view points. Only three were accessible due to the collapse of the others during the rain last season. It wasn’t just the rain, but the floods that destroyed them. Apparently, it was a very, very wet time for South Africa last year. We still had incredible views of the fall, we saw monkeys, rainbow lizards (literally), and to see the massive stretch of desert land all around is just incredible to me. It became more than half of what see saw driving everywhere, but nonetheless beautiful. Aside from the many gnats we inhaled, choked on, and picked out of our noses, we really enjoyed our time there.

Our next stop- Springbok. Let me say now, we were using a GPS to guide us and we named her Sally. So when I refer to Sally, you now know who she is. Although I’m very fond of the idea of making our way around the country using only road signs, we probably wouldn’t have arrived at half of our stops. So Sally was, for the most part, a blessing. Our 5 hour drive turned into about 7 or 8 with all the construction. Good old stop-and-go’s. You know, the ones where everyone gets out of there cars and hangs out while waiting for the opposite traffic to pass. Finally, we arrive at the next hostel. Again, loved it. In morning, we of course packed up again and went to the Springbok Game Reserve. About two bucks a person to drive around on your own and check out the park. First off, we were, I’m pretty sure the only people there. The main office was not even open. We drove around slowly, stopping periodically for pictures and exploring. I became one with nature ;). No animals until the end where we saw a few zebras and kudus. The whole park was an open space of incredible beauty. I would have camped there. I’m so glad we were alone because we would not have had the chance to run around, climb mountains, and be completely free as we were. 

Okay, so now, we drive to Namaqualand- a desert garden, and off to Cape Town! Oh, but wait... let’s drive the opposite way first and end up at the Namibian border. Woops. Okay let’s eat a can of tuna, get a quick tan from the scorching heat, stare at Namibia for a minute, and try again. Now we’re off. There’s no fun in never getting lost. And no, Sally was not on. We finally find Namaqualand after driving on a very bumpy dirt road that always made me feel like I had to pee for about 20 km (about 12 miles). We came but a couple weeks late, as many of the flowers were already seeding, but it was still beautiful. A field of wild flowers and minerals in the middle of the desert. Pretty cool and very much worth it. Except the same bumpy road back. 

After about 6 hours, about 2 of those in pitch black, we see it. The beautiful lights of what has become one of my favorite places on earth- Cape Town. I was freakin stoked and got so hyped when we left the mountain road and got on the freeway outside the city. The energy changed within a kilometer. This is when I decided that Sally had taken up a drug habit and was never the same the rest of the trip. She took us off and on the freeway, onto side roads that I swear lead to nothing. We get some food and she comes to her senses right then to tell us we’re walking distance from our hostel. Thank you, Sally. We drove down in what seems to be the ghetto-sheik, if you will, area of town. And we arrive at our hostel.

The first ten minutes being here I was struck with the bolt of inspiration that is still surging through my soul. This was a small orange building called 33 South. There was one kitchen to share, all dorm rooms, and people filtering in and out from all over the world. They were young and traveling for many different reasons, some just because. A few volunteers were there working in the hostel and areas around town. We shared a room with three other people. The first night, none of them appeared, so it was just the three of us again. Finally the second night (and unfortunately our last), we met them all. My favorite place was the bar. It was a small room with candles lit, interesting furniture, and very good music playing. We sat outside around a fire for hours just talking to all the people we met. There was a completely different set of people each night. The majority of them were locals and just came to that bar because “it’s the best bar around here.” It’s the only bar I went to in Capetown, but I did agree. The second night I was up very late talking about God knows what with people I eventually exchanged information with. WHEN I make my way back to Capetown, I WILL be sure to see them again. It was good energy that felt so real, so right for me. They would tell me, “Don’t go back just stay and volunteer here.” Hmm... the beauty of not having a return ticket.

As difficult as it was to leave 33 South, we of course had to be on our way. In the city we were able to take a cable car up to the top of Table Mountain. What a breathtaking view. This earth is just magnificent. She never ever ceases to blow me away. We took the long, coastal drive about an hour outside the city to Simon’s Town. We would stop periodically and enjoy the view and finally wandered down onto my first white sand, baby blue water beach. It was spectacular. After soaking in the view for a sec, I ran in. The water was very cold but it looked so warm so I just pretended it was warm, and it worked. Three nights in a row we sat on a beach and watched the sunset. 

We made it to Simon’s Town, a little navy town on the Indian side of the point. It was a very cozy, british sort of town that felt very safe and quiet. We stayed two nights at the lodge. In that time, we visited some penguins in their natural habitat. That was a first for me and was very exciting. All the animals I’ve seen make the zoo such a sad place. It’s not exciting, anymore, for me to see a giraffe at the zoo. They are not free, they are not in their natural habitat, and therefore... I don’t think they’re very happy. Anyway, it was great. After that we drove down to the Cape of Good Hope. The southern most point of western Africa and also where the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean meet. We parked and took a couple hikes out onto the point. WOW! I don’t know how many times I’ve used the words: spectacular, beautiful, incredible, amazing... this was all of those, plus some. I mean, we walked out onto the freakin tip of the country and to my right I could see the Atlantic and on my left, the Indian Ocean. How many times can you say you’ve been to two oceans at once? I thought that was pretty neat. After we left the Point, we stopped at another beach to enjoy before we called it a day. The water at this one was very rough and quite the sight. We sat up top and watched the waves crash. Barbara decides she wants to take a little stroll and get some pictures with her VERY nice and VERY expensive Canon. I say, “Don’t get washed away!” haha. About 5 minutes later, the water rushes up to our feet and we look over and Barbara is in the water which is trying to swallow her. Ashley and I jump up and run through the water to Barbara. When we get to her she says, “I’m alright, I’m alright”, but then I see her camera is completely submerged. We take it apart and try to save it fast. No luck. She’s going to have the professionals take a look. Over 500 pictures that she can’t even read off the memory card.

:(

At least we still have Barbara!

Off to Mossel Bay where we collected Indian Ocean shells, ran through the water, and soaked up as much as could. This was, in fact, the last beach we would see. So after a lovely day and nice dinner, we head over to Prince Albert. I re-confessed my love to the ocean and my gratitude to her and tried to watch as she hid away behind the hills. I was driving so, I mean I tried as best I could. 

Once again, it’s dark and we don’t really know where we are. We’ve been driving through what seems to be a canyon. Our headlights were our only source of light. We pull over onto a gravel road next to a B&B sign. We call our hostel and the sweet old lady on the other end explains we have about 45 more minutes and to call if we get lost again. We decided none of that was very appealing. So we pulled down this dark road and looked to see if this B&B was in business. 

The dogs started barking and it called a woman outside to greet us. Sure enough, they were open and thrilled to let us stay. She turned on the lights and... wow. We had a whole house to ourselves. It was built around the 1880’s and that was fairly obvious. Very high ceilings, antique furniture, lights, tapestries. It was very very nice. There were three bedrooms and after Barbara and Ashley took theirs, I went into the last one. I did not sleep in this room. The room was incredibly cold and gave me the freakin eeby-geebies. I swear I was not alone in that room. I could feel something in there and that something was not welcoming. Call me crazy, but I felt it and wouldn’t stay. Barbara had two beds and a shower that you could literally run around in. So I bunked with her. 

It was a lovely surprise, again, to wake up and see the place in light. We were, in fact, in a canyon. It was unbelievable. They cooked us breakfast and ensured that we were welcome to stay as long as we needed. I really wish we could have because about two hours later, they were having tea with  50 vintage car enthusiasts, (sigh). We saw a few driving out but man, to see them all together, in a canyon, having tea. Cars can drink tea right? 

So we’re on the road to Cango Caves! Brilliant, stunning, breathtaking (literally- towards the end it was getting hard to breathe). Caves are always incredibly fascinating to me. If Barbara was not an older gal who can’t move like she used to, we would have taken the Adventure Tour. One where you have to crawl and slide and squeeze through spaces. Next time. 

Okay, so we were warned about this pass that we will be driving through on the way to Prince Albert. A gravel road that takes you literally over the mountain. No joke. 20km of very rocky, bumpy, steep roads. Once you got to the top, you could see miles of everything in every direction. It was awesome. There were trails all around that I saw, too. If we weren’t on a time frame I would’ve explored for some time. After about 2 hours of driving those 20k, we made it onto a paved road. It felt nice. And now: mission. 6-8 hours on to Bloemfontein. 

This night we were fortunate enough to stay with the Director of Refilwe’s sister, Anri and her husband. They were so lovely and very hospitable. We had a very nice home cooked meal and chatted a bit. I slept that night, like hadn’t slept in weeks. I woke up with such a comfortable feeling. LIke that was where I woke up everyday. Strange. But man, it was great. They were off to work already when I woke. So we packed up, met the kids quickly. The youngest one did not understand English so I could only chat with the daughter who was... about 7? 8? Very briefly, though. We left and had breakfast at a place we heard had great coffee- Sugah Bean. It was goooood. I had this thing for breakfast. It was layers piled high of a spinach/feta crumpet, bacon, black mushroom, haloumi cheese, egg and feta. I had to tell you about that because it was literally one of the finest foods I have ever eaten. I didn’t even take a picture. What was I thinking?!?!? Imagine yourself. 

So we get on the road for the 3 hour drive back to Joburg. It was bittersweet, of course, but with all the driving, we were ready to be home. And Ashley had a flight back to the states the next day so I know she was anxious! We drove through an incredible, massive rain storm. Thunder, lightning, pouring rain. It was beautiful. And then... yes it happened, we got home. 

So believe it or not, that was a super summary of our trip. I had such an AMAZING time driving through this magnificent country. We got to see so much and met so many people along the way. Flying there would have been much cheaper and quicker. But to miss out on everything we did and saw? No way. I’ve got such an inspiration for life and I’m looking forward to it. As for Sally, she was only dependable when she felt like it and that didn’t work for us. We went back to real maps and road signs and made our way home. I hope she is doing alright, but we couldn’t be there for her anymore.