Sam's final week

Yesterday we had our last dance class in Manenberg which was amazing. The girls were so happy to be there and we could really tell how much it meant to them. They had practiced the dance from last week and knew it perfectly which shows how much it means to them. We also left them with some food and a lot of clothes we are leaving behind. Seeing how excited they were and how appreciative they have been the entire time was so worth everything.

This morning at Christel House I handed out 280 blankets to students. Their faces say it all and exactly why it was so worth it for me to do. These kids are amazing and will be in my heart forever. The kids are going to keep their blankets with them at school because if they were to take it home it would most likely be gone within a day, and even though this is so sad I am so happy they have these blankets to keep at school. There are no words for how much I'm Going to miss them. They have inspired me so much and I am without a doubt going to pursue my career in social work that much more because of them.

 

 

 

Sam impressed by kids wanting to learn

Molly & Sam with some learners from their dance class

Our dance class has been going so well! Even though we haven't been able to go every week or cut it short because of shootings, we can tell the kids are getting so much out of it. We begin with Molly teaching technique and then I will teach them a different dance each week. It always amazes me how well they're doing and how fast they pick it up! They are so eager to learn more. Seeing their eagerness makes me happy and feel accomplished because it was one of our aims to give them a hobby and a skill to work at. When we got back from excursion we were so impressed with this one girl who has been practicing her technique so much! 

When the shootings prevent us from being able to go, it is such a reminder that this is their lives and how hard it is for them to break the cycle. thats exactly why i appreciate so much them coming to our dance class because we can see it in them that they want better for their futures. 

I know the kids at Christel House would love our class too but it is hard to find the time to be able to do it! We're still trying to work on that, but last week a few boys inspired me with their hobbies. They took it upon themselves to present to their teachers and principal on why they should have a "fun day" to celebrate their last year before high school and had a huge and organized plan with a day including sports, debates, fun lessons, etc. These boys are in 7th grade and included debates about current issues in their fun day!!! (and they're the pretty popular guys). 

It amazes me how much having certain hobbies and interests can keep these kids focused on their life goals. 

Onna on the power of nature and art

I haven’t written about the lovely time Emily & I had at Elonwabeni Child and Family Centre 2 weeks ago! We spent 2 days there so far- first was gardening and the next was painting.

On our first day, we came in strapped with soil, compost, gardening tools, seeds and flowers to make the first ever garden Elonwabeni has ever seen. We worked with the younger kids (5-8 yrs) and they must have had 5 times the excitement I did (and I was nearly exploding!!). First, each of the children took turns raking and putting down new soil for the garden area. After the children lined up to plant their own seeds. We made rows of carrots, green beans, beetroot and another row of flowers. One of the cutest things was whenever a child would plant a seed into the soil they sealed it with a kiss. We also planted some bloomed marigolds so the children saw a bit of beauty within the garden and hope for their flowers to bloom within a few weeks! They were so enthusiastic about everything they did, what a treat it was to get our hands in the Earth with them.

On our way back to our house that afternoon we were told that the majority of the children that we worked with that day were victims of sexual abuse. That comment made my heart sore with thoughts of the things they have been through at such a young age. An age that should normally be filled with laughing, playing on a playground, learning how to read and expressing creativity. I was put in a confusing yet hopeful place that these children were still so loving and gentle; filled with excitement and enthusiasm. Although I am aware they might not have days such as our garden day everyday- I am hopeful that it will give them something to look forward to. Hopefully we will be able to see some results before we head back to the US!

For our next day at Elonwabeni we worked with about 10 older teens. Their eyes bulged with excitement when they discovered that these paint & brushes were theirs to keep and use whenever they felt a burst of creativity! Many of the kids drew their names, Table Mountain, or references to happiness, love & God. Surprisingly there was only one young man who joined us that day. He was so slow and methodical on his canvas, carefully sketching with a pencil before proceeding to acrylics. He wasn’t finished by the time we were cleaning up and asked if he could keep the paints out. After reminding him that they were his to keep, he showed me his canvas and said, “It’s life, you know?” I examined the painting that showed a serious of 4 flowers. The first flower stood tall and blooming, while the next one started to wilt. The next flower slowly started to re-bloom leaving the next flower again in full bloom, showing that our problems do not define ourselves and that we always come out stronger in any situation that we face in life. This simple painting reminded me of why I came to Cape Town in the first place, to find and be the light in the most damaged situations. I was filled with a sense of honor and appreciation to have brought these paints in with my lovely co-educator, Emily. The power of art expression continues to amaze me. 

Emily L's jam packed week

My past week and half or so of life abroad has been jam packed with different events that have taken me on (another) emotional roller coaster! On the Saturday before Easter, I was lucky enough to run in the Two Oceans Half Marathon along with 16,000 other people from all over the world. This was only my second half marathon, so I was a tad bit nervous as I knew this course was going to be significantly more challenging than the one in Hartford. However, almost as soon as I got to the start line, all nerves subsided. The positive vibes in this setting were practically tangible and I could feel the good energy radiating from everyone around me. Sure, some people were there to get a good time and compete. But even still, I felt nothing but joy coming from everyone around me as they wished each other luck and a great run. This just coincides with the general feel of people in Cape Town. It was the epitome of the attitudes people have here, wishing everyone well even if they’re strangers. It really was beautiful to witness as well as be a part of!

           

Right after the race, Onna and I went off to our activist project at Elonwabeni orphanage and children’s home in Mitchell’s Plain. Our activity for the day was the paint canvas’s with some of the older children that we plan on hanging on the wall in their sanctuary room. Although I was super tired from the run, the young women and men we worked with seriously lifted my spirits! Despite having been through so many negative events in their pasts, they were ecstatic to be there with us and had a great time. Seeing them work and enjoy their time expressing themselves was quite rewarding. I’m constantly grateful for the activist project portion of this program because being here in Cape Town exposes us to the severe needs of so many. The task of “doing something” always seems so daunting, but this required portion of our study has made it anything but that.

           

Onna can't imagine living anywhere but here

I don’t want to think about going home right now. Not that I don’t miss the US, my friends and family… but I am starting to feel so comfortable here that I can’t imagine living somewhere else. Be it the woman selling flowers on the corner, the men who bead on the street, or the homeless people outside of Molo who always greet me so politely on my way in to work, or simply waking up to the view of Table Mountain… these people and places have become something that I look forward to seeing everyday.

Some of my coworkers ask me, “don’t you ever get homesick?” I often respond with a no. I don’t think I am homesick because I am constantly surrounded by people that make me feel so at home. I am so thrilled that my parents will be coming to visit in April so they can see what this experience really means to me.

On another note, I was back at Parliament this week (very exciting as always). Teenagers from various townships that are associated with Molo Songololo were invited to share their opinion on the Sexual Offences Amendment Act, which at the moment criminalizes teenagers who engage in consensual sex. It was so much fun working with the kids and hearing their own opinions. They are so eager to represent a voice for the many young people in South Africa… these kids never fail to inspire me.  

Patrick & Onna with young people at MoloSongolo

Outside of Parliament

Also, things are getting started for my activist project! My co-educator Emily & I decided to work with an orphanage located in the township of Mitchell’s Plain called Elonwabeni. We decided to rasie money to make a garden and teach the young people the methods & benefits of gardening. Also, we’re continuing a project that last years group started in creating a teenage hangout room. We are planning on getting string lights, pillows, and canvases for the young people to let their creativity go wild. I cannot wait to meet these children!

To read more about it or to donate to our activist project click here: www.gofundme.com/uconnatelonwabeni 

Molly feeling like this is home

So this past week has been one of my favorite weeks on the program and it definitely had a little bit to do with the fact that my boyfriend was visiting from the states. It was really amazing to show around someone who has never been to a place like South Africa, although I don't think there is a place that is like here. I am finally really feeling like this is my home and that I am super comfortable with the area. I loved being able to share it with someone else and going to my favorite places and doing crazy activities together. His favorite part of the week and mine as well was the safari we went on. It was just crazy to be so close to the animals and not at a zoo. It makes me so excited for Kruger. We also did some activities with the rest of the house which he loved being able to meet everyone. I was glad to get away a little this week and be with just Greg instead of the normal fifteen other girls. I think I really learned this week while showing him around and explaining my experience to him was how much I've learned and grown since I've been here. He really noticed it how passionate I am about everything I am doing here and how affected I have been by witnessing the poverty and quality of life of so many people here. 

 

Lion at Aquila Game Reserve

My other favorite part of the week was going to my ballet class which I talked about in my last blog but I am so excited to continue to work with the children in the coming weeks and I just hope to be able to let the kids have fun and enjoy themselves for an hour with us every week.

Sam finds every day amazing

I am seriously amazed by something new every single day here. 

At work I learn so much from these kids! I am so grateful that they are so willing to open up to me and trust me. But I think what amazes me each and every day is when I see their bright smiles. 

Yesterday I was observing in a 2nd grade class and there was one boy who looked incredibly sad and wouldn't speak and just wanted to hug the teacher. The teacher told me that his mom had passed recently from AIDS and he is still very upset about it, his dad is nowhere in the picture and is raised by his grandmother. This boy made me so sad and I tried to cheer him up and it worked a little bit. Then today, the same boy RAN up to me full of smiles and jumped on me for a hug. He said "yesterday was so sad but today is happy and I want to hug you!" and it just amazed me. This boy is so young and only has his grandma taking after him and its just so frustrating to me because for the rest of his life he's going to go through all these ups and downs and have nobody. 

Sam & Molly with kids at dance class

Molly and I started our activist project which went well! We split the dance class into 2 different age groups. The first group was all young kids and wow were we in over our heads when we thought we could teach them ballet.. they do NOT have the attention span or control for that SO we decided next week we will just do something along the lines of an (organized) dance party to release their energy and get them moving in a positive way. It went really well with the older kids though!! They were very interested and eager to learn ballet and are very excited about the class. Molly and I work perfectly together because she enjoys teaching technique and I enjoy teaching choreography so it will be good that we can both use our strengths. We also gave them dance shoes which they were SO excited about! It’s definitely going to be a lot of fun!

                  

Molly learning and growing through interactions with others

So the past two weeks have been a mix of emotions for me but also probably my favorite part of the trip so far. Just today Sam and I started our dance class as a part of our activist project in Manenberg. I was really nervous going into this because everyone that we would explain our project to would say that Manenberg is too dangerous for us to be going to. However, I was very passionate about this project because I really wanted to make an impact on children's lives even if it was just giving them a fun activity for a few hours. After today I really see that I am doing that here. The shining faces and excitement on the kids faces when we walked through the door was reward enough. It was definitely tough to calm them down at first but once we got going I was so impressed with the way they handled themselves. We had an age range from two years old to twenty one years old which was so cool for us to have such a variety. I worked with a lot of the older kids on ballet technique while Sam did the more fun activities but at the end of the class when we handed out the shoes that were donated for the children it was really amazing seeing the look on their faces. I cannot wait to continue with this project and really look forward to seeing what more we can do for the kids. I am so grateful that I have this opportunity to work with them because not only are we trying to help them but they are helping me learn and grow and that is what I am looking for in Cape Town, to find out about myself and to grow as a person. I can't wait to have our recital at the end of the class and to be able to share our journey with others but I really do hope we get close with these kids, I already was asked to take about 10 pictures on the first day, and to be able to provide what they are looking for in this class.

 

Bernie meeting new people, hearing their stories, and learning

The highlights of this past week were working on my activist project and attending the human rights weekend. So when it comes to the activist project, Maria and I are working with a soccer team called the FireFighters who are based in Khayelitsha, which is a township in Cape Town. Maria and I went to practice with Bongi on Thursday afternoon. We took the mini bus into Khayelitsha and walked to Mandela Park to watch them practice. When we got there Bongi threw us right in and had us run some drills for the U11 kids. They were so excited to start practice and were so good at the drills they were doing. Being there and seeing these kids with such energy and so many smiles on their faces made my heart swell because this is the best part of their day and I am so happy to have been apart of it. The best part is when practice was over and they had to go home, none of the kids wanted too. They continued playing and having a fun time when no one was even coaching them. That is what’s so great about the FireFighters; these kids are occupied by a sport that involves teamwork and leadership and they can learn valuable qualities that they will carry with them for the rest of their lives and these practices and games they participate in are ways for them to avoid getting into trouble.

The second highlight was the human rights weekend. When it comes to this past weekend I had no expectations as to what would happen. I did have hope to learn about human rights because I honestly don’t know as much as I should about human rights and I was happy that at the end of this weekend, I did learn more about human rights. This past weekend we were with other African students and hopeful peer educators. Working with them and getting to meet them was the best part of the weekend because its great to learn more about peoples views and opinions and how they might be different or the same as yours. The best part of the weekend was also when we had to do a presentation on an African country of our choice. The country that I was in was Somalia and my group performed a skit to show the history, political and socioeconomic status, human rights, and culture of that country. We did this presentation in order to try to win money from the World Bank and after all of the presentations, we found out that our presentation was the best so we won! I was very happily surprised because it was a lot of fun doing the skit and working with everyone in my group! The human rights weekend was fun and was a way to meet new people and hear their values and I’m glad to have been apart of it.