Sunday, February 6, 2011
IsiXhosa Crash Course Completed!
Today was another great day at Namzamo! The kids were in a great mood and I was lucky enough to be puked on within the first 5 minutes of being there because one of the little girls got so excited after she ate breakfast. Good times! I helped feed the children and toddlers and then spent the morning outside playing with the children. It’s been really neat to see how much one of the little girls has opened up since arriving. At first she was very shy, introverted and had a difficult time eating but in the last few weeks has begun to smile, laugh and interact with the other children. I then met with my supervisor to talk about a helping them take pictures of the facility and staff so they can show case the services Nomzamo offers.
Shortly thereafter one of my favorite staff members stopped by with a broken wrist and to let us know that she needed to have surgery the next day. It was really sad for me to say goodbye knowing she would no longer be there. Muriel is such a kind woman who truly loves the children and she and I really connected. After I said goodbye I met back up with the remaining staff and took some staff pictures and then moved on to the children. They LOVE having their picture taken. Unfortunately they are Xhosa speaking so I often need help translating to them in the process. The minute they see the camera they start yelling, pushing and running up to me and the lense. There is no such thing as stand back and smile…only full speed ahead. They also love to jump in to each others pictures so there is minimal opportunity even with staff help to take individual pictures of the children. None the less they loved it and then start yelling and laughing when I show them their picture on the review screen. Simply adorable little ones…I know that leaving them is going to be really difficult. I actually started tearing up today as I was getting ready to leave just thinking about the fact that I only have 2 days remaining with them. On a positive note we are going to have a tea party as a farewell on Tuesday and I am bringing a dessert for them to share. If anyone has any fun ideas please pass them on!
After volunteering we went back to the Kirstenbosch Gardens and walked around. The grounds are massive and it is impossible to get through the entire garden in one day. It was very peaceful and relaxing and we were in awe of all of the amazing scenery and nature that was surrounding us. After dinner we took a little adventure into our neighborhood downtown of Rondebosch to pick up a few things and eat some ice cream at a fabulous place called Marcel’s!! Best soft serve in Cape Town!!
We also had our last Xhosa class with Arthur. He and Lihle came and he talked about how our group was one of the most enthusiastic groups he had ever taught which is why he extended our class an extra week. He is such a kind man who really taught us a lot about the language and culture. It was sad to see it over and I really wish we could have had more time to have language multiple times a week. We spoke today a lot about cultural traditions and I can share more with all of you when I get back but it was incredibly interesting! Well…off to bed! I have another fun and exciting day tomorrow!
Nomzamo Bound!
Monday here we come! Today was my first day back at Namzamo! I was so excited to be back but truthfully a little nervous going back since it had been two weeks since I have been there last and I was worried that the kids would have already forgotten me. Boy was I wrong!! As I arrived and walked down the corridor I heard the kids in the dining room eating breakfast. As I passed the glass window one of the little boys immediately saw me and smiled, said something to the other kids in Xhosa and pointed. They all looked, smiled and got so excited! The look on their faces made me want to cry! They definitely remembered me! I let them finish their breakfast and immediately headed in to see the Mama’s (caregivers of the children) and the babies in the nursery. They too were very excited to see me again and it felt so great to be back and wanted! I immediately started to feed the babies and play with the toddlers. A few minutes later I heard the stampeed of little feet and voices coming towards me. Before I knew it I was being engulfed by 10 little kids knocking me to the ground in the process and all giving me hugs, kisses and affection. It was precious. We spent the rest of the day playing outside, singing songs, coloring our handprints and taking pictures. I can’t tell you how much fun I had being with them today.
After volunteering Laurel, Becky and I went to St. George’s Cathedral, the Gardens downtown, the peace march exhibit and Long Street. Then after getting stuck in traffic finally arrived home only to be picked up and whisked away to a South African softball game. Pat is one of the staff members at Friends of Valkenberg Trust and her husband Michael is who I help teach the cooking class with. He scores for a local softball team and he was excited that I played softball back in the day. They are absolutely fabulous and took me to the game. They even brought me softball snacks and a blanket. I am telling you…they are awesome! Ironically softball has always been viewed as a “colored” sport in South Africa and is not as wildly viewed or played as soccer, rugby and cricket is here. We watched the first game and unfortunately they lost by one run but they played really well and were considered the underdog. I then got to meet the coach and we went to the concession stand for some food. In South African tradition…they have something called “chips on a roll.” I had no idea what this was but when in South Africa…eat what South Africans eat! In South Africa “chips” are the equivalent to our version of French fries and a roll is actually a hamburger bun. So…you are basically eating French fries in a hamburger bun with either ketchup, mustard or chutney sauce on it. It was a tasty treat but I can tell you that I met my caloric and carb intake for the day with that Softball treat. I guess chips on a roll would be the equivalent in popularity to eating a hotdog at a baseball game…take me out to the ball game! After our little snack we moved to the next field which is one level higher than our team (think A team and B team) and watched the remainder of that game and how fast the pitcher was throwing. Even though the team we wanted to win also lost by one run...it was one of the most fun nights I’ve had while being here with great company! Off to bed to rest up for the kids tomorrow...xoxo from Cape Town
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