Exploring South Africa

On 24th October - 2nd November myself, Linsey, Erin and Melissa did our first bit of traveling around South Africa. We took a 10hour baz bus journey to the coastal city of Durban in kwZulu-natal. For the majority of the journey it was just us four girls, the driver called us the spice girls due to our hours of impeccable singing. Traveling out of the busy city of Johannesburg we were soon driving past miles worth of townships (slums). The huge diversity of living conditions in South Africa is astonishing. I understand we also have this big divide in the UK but here it is just so obvious and clear. Looking at all the houses made from tin I had to keep reminding myself that people actually live in these places it just felt like I watching comic relief on tv. We then headed towards Free State and onto KZN (kwZulu-Natal). Driving through Drakensberg was amazing and was our first real insight into rural Africa.

When we arrived at our hostel in Durban we were told that there was a mix up and the dorms had been fully booked. They had to give us a room with two double bed, a big bath room, a balcony and a sea view - shame!! In the end we agreed with the owner to upgrade for the rest of the week for an extra R20 each per night, that's the equivalent of £1. Not bad! 

The first full day in Durban we went to Victoria market, it was in the not so touristy part of town to say the least. Lots of traditional Africa clothing, jewelry and little crafts, my kind of thing. We then went to the beach and had an extremely eventful 6mile walk back to the hostel. There may be a list of 10 ways we nearly died but i'll keep that one out for the sake of my mother. On Sunday Sean and George arrived and we went to a massive shopping centre, I treated myself to a pair of comfy flip flops as that's all I've worn since being in South Africa. On the Monday we chilled by the pool, tested out my water proof camera which is amazing (thanks Nana and Jane) and cooked our own Braai. On Tuesday we visited the boys projects in Tongaat. The boys work for a charity called boys town which cares for boys who either have behavior issues or like St Mary's have no family. The location of their project is beautiful as its situated just a few meters from the beach, their balcony looks over the Indian Ocean - just a tad jealous. On Wednesday the 4 of us girls went to the famous Ushaka a waterpark/marine world. We watched dolphin and seal shows, looked around the aquariums and went on the slides at the water park. The water proof camera was also a hit then and got some pretty funny videos. 

On Thursday we travelled from Durban to northern Drakensberg. We stayed at the most amazing backpackers surrounded by mountains. It was all we could of wished for, a pool, a bouldering cave, pool table, jacuzzi (in the bar), the bar itself and great people. Once we arrived we chilled by the pool with a nice cold Savanna. We'd been stuck in the boiling bus for 5 hours so it was a refreshing treat. On Friday myself, Linsey and Melissa ventured to the beautiful country of Lesotho. Unfortunately Erin hadn't packed her passport so was unable to join us. We took a mini bus from the backpackers with a group of other travelers it took around 2hours to drive to the boarder. Lesotho is the 3rd poorest country is the world and is also the highest country due to it having the highest low point. The scenery was astonishing it was just like something from a magazine. It felt like we'd been transported back in time with traditional mud houses and people traveling on donkeys. We first went to a local primary school which is supported by the ampitheatre backpackers. There were only 5 teachers who each had the responsibility of over 50 children each. It is extremely rare that a child will go onto secondary school and if they do they must walk 2miles to and from school through the mountains everyday. We then hiked upwards where we were shown cave drawings from 4000years ago. Adrian our guide then drove us to a traditional sengoma's house. A sengoma is a traditional healer who helps heal physical, emotional and spiritual illnesses, directing birth or death rituals, finding lost cattle, protecting warriors, counteracting witches, and narrating the history, cosmology, and myths of their tradition. She talked us through her work and her calling to become a healer, this was translated by a local who worked at the primary school. It was really interesting and unlike anything I'd ever seen before. We then went a tasted some homemade beer which was ... different but I give it a try. To indicate that the local people have beer or food for sale they fly a white or red flag from their house. We then went to try some cultural food consisting of pap and spinach which was really nice. The local kids we're so incredibly cute they came up and held my hand and starting walking with me. They were so smiley and happy I wanted to take them all home with me but apparently that's illegal. It was such an unforgettable day which showed me rural Africa at its finest. On the Saturday I released my inner scout and climbed a mountain. We went with the same guide Adrian who was utterly hilarious. The weather was fairly wet and cloudy but luckily every half an hour it would pass and we would get a lovely view. We ascended 600m, 300 of which were up a wet, rocky, vertical gully. It took some time but we eventually reached the and the view was amazing. We took the opportunity to whack out our project trust merchandise and take some photos. On the way down we had to climb two metal ladders which added together were 45meters long. There was no rope it was very wet and very steep but I really enjoyed it and got the adrenaline going! Our stay in northern Drakensberg was brilliant and we met some lovely people from South Africa, California, Germany, Israel, France, Denmark, Canada and last but not least the exotic town of Croydon. 

The holiday was perfect and just what we needed after a busy first 2months of volunteering. The kids were so happy to see us when we arrived back and baby Aaelyah even recognised us both. We cannot wait for new year to explorer even more of South Africa but for now we're very happy to he back at St Mary's.

 

Life at St Mary's

So as I was pretty busy before we went traveling I didn't manage to write a blog post before I went, so here is a brief over view of what was going on. 

Day to day life has been pretty much the same with hospital appointments and homework being our main focus. A slight break through with a few of the children who have been asking for my help for the first time. Which is really great! 

I haven't really said much about the food here. I was kind of thinking the food is pretty much what its like at home. However after waking up and being overjoyed by the fact we have weetabix for breakfast I've realised it's actually pretty different considering I'm not even a weetabix fan it was a nice change from the usual puto pap and jungle oats. Lunch is usually bread and peanut butter or as the kids are obsessed with the famous peanut butter and jam combo. For dinner usually some sort of stew with rice, pap or stamp. However we sometimes eat things like spag-bol or fish fingers and chips.
 

Myself and Linsey are now recognised by the hospital staff and also some patients. We are really getting to know the system at south rand hospital as we spend nearly every Tuesday mornings at the virology department. 

We had a brilliant weekend before we went off on our travels. A very kind old lady who was raised at St Mary's children's home many years ago comes to put on a function every term. She brings loads of food, clothes and toys for all the kids. She also arranged for a smooch (frozen yoghurt) van to come and everyone had free yoghurt topped with various sweets and sprinkles. It was such a great day and everyone was very full and had lots of new toys and clothes by the end of it. On the Sunday myself a Linsey took a group of the children out the back to swim. It was a really hot day so was lovely a refreshing. We played piggy in the middle and had a great laugh with the kids. 

When I arrived at St Mary's little baby Aaleyah could barely stand up. Now she is not only walking but running around the cottage. I quite often look after her when my house mother is busy and I love it. She is sooooo adorable. 

Myself and Linsey were invited to Andile's music performance in Johannesburg. There were schools participating from the whole area. It was such a lovely evening and was topped of by an amazing rendition of the circle of life performed by youth orchestra and 1000 school children...pure brilliance. I also took a group of the kids to a talent show at one of the schools. Brian was taking part and was absolutely incredible showing off his hip hop/break dancing skills! 

All in all was a good few weeks but we were definitely ready for our holiday by the time it came around. Sorry this is a pretty boring post, it's been a while so can't remember everything. About to write my blog from my travels so watch this space.

7 weeks in. . .

So it's been nearly 3 weeks since I posted my last blog and I'm going to have to look in my journal to remember everything that's been going on.

The two children with mumps are fine and have been back in their cottages for a while now. I didn't mention on my last 2 blogs but I'd had a pretty bad cough for the first month here. Luckily that seems to have completely gone now.

For the last 3 weeks there has been another volunteer here over from Germany. She volunteered in South Africa a few years ago for 5 months and comes back twice a year to see the children. We took some of the kids out for dinner with her which was a good laugh and they really enjoyed the treat. She left yesterday but hopefully we'll see her again in march.

On the 24th September we celebrated National Heritage Day. The children all had a day off school. We played in the sun all morning had a braai for lunch then swan after.

I've made a dance to 'he lives in you' with Andile, the oldest girl in my cottage. She is an extremely talented performer. She insisted we showed everyone so we had to go around the home showing all the staff, slightly embarrassing but it was good fun.

We tried to get tickets to see South Africa vs New Zealand for last weekend but unfortunately they were all sold out. Jake and Phil (volunteers in Limpopo) were traveling to Durban last Saturday and had a few hours stop off in Joburg. We met them, Erin and Melissa and went for dinner and watched the game. It was close but the SPRINGBOKS WON!!!! We had a really good catch up and chatted about our projects.

We've spent a few very long days in various hospitals during the last few weeks. One appointment we were finished by 9am but had to wait for the other two kids. We all finished relatively quickly. We had to wait for transport so we nipped to the marketing Soweto (right next to the hospital) I got a lovely skirt for the equivalent of £3.50 we were the only white people and got a few funny looks as if we were lost. We then had to wait 4 hours to get transport back home. Then straight away started to help with homework, choir practice then assisted in the office. (17hour day... Killed me)

Another visit to south rand, our local hospital. It's pretty confusing how all the different hospitals work let alone all the different types of appointments. Waiting around for cards and numbers and files and then different rooms and many different doctors. However we think we've finally sussed the system and we're pretty proud of ourselves. Although if there is a little confusion it can make the whole process even more complicated and add an extra few hours to the waiting time.

On Wednesday 1st October St Mary's hosted their AGM, usually these are pretty darn boring but nope not here. We spent the day cleaning the cottages and in the kitchen preparing the food. The food was incredible as the receptionists son is a chef. Myself and Linsey were in charge of fruit skewers and chocolate covered strawberries. We are now total pro's at garnishing. The children performed throughout the meeting and each time they were amazing. The chairman of the executive committee was really funny which made the evening more informal ad entertaining. Sonja the director (and our boss) of St Mary's children's home gave a little speech, it was so nicely presented and so humbling it made me feel pretty emotional.I feel honored to be a part of such an incredible home that provide such great care for the wonderful children. After the meeting the visitors went into each cottage to meet the kids. Each cottage performed an item for their guests. St Margaret's (my cottage) sang a song and then myself and 3 of the children performed the 'he lives in you' dance .... Classic!!

Homework time is a huge part of what I do here at the home. At the beginning i thought it would become quite boring and tedious however I actually thoroughly enjoy it. It's a complete mix of ability, sometimes I'm helping with simple times tables or teaching the youngest girl how to tell the time ( a lot of patients required for that) and other times I'm actually learning stuff myself, admittedly it is things I should if learnt in year 7 and 8 but oh well.


Last week the children were on holiday. Some of them are away with their hosts but most stayed here at the home. We've been playing outside with them and Judy trying to keep them busy. I did a south rand visit by myself the other day with 3 people, it took a while but all went smoothly. What a relief! On Thursday and Friday we have been working in the office as the receptionist is off ill, taking all the calls and being Sonja's PA it wasactually pretty fun.

We now only have a week and a half into our first holiday to Durban. We cannot wait and if time carries on going this quickly we'll be there before we know it.
For those of you that care I'm now 44% the way through my second book (Gone Girl). Done 5 loads of washing, perfectedmy scottish accent, sewn up mine and Linsey's broken clothes, learnt to cut my own toe nails and only washed my hair 7 times. All in all life here is going really really well and extremely quickly.

SHOUT OUT to Hannah Clarke and my dad who celebrated their birthdays this week. Hope you guys had a great time.

So today is exactly 3 weeks since arriving at my project and Friday will be exactly 1 month since I left  England. I know I said it in my last blog but I seriously feel like I've been away for a lot longer than this. I've officially been away from home longer than I ever have before and I'm honestly coping really well. 

On Sunday 21st September the unthinkable happened... (little bit of dramatic tension there) Amy Claire Schofield finished a book!!! 

UNBELIEVABLE ... I know

For those of you who know me properly you will understand that this is not only a miracle but a massive achievement. I started reading the first night I arrived so 3 weeks ago and finished last night, I only read before bed but I was so excited at the thought of actually finishing a book that I read quite a lot yesterday. To make my parents even prouder I have already started my second book (I'm 5% the way through that) Hold back the tears mum there's more to come. 

Since being in South Africa I have done two lots of washing, the only two lots of washing I have ever done in my whole life. No doubt mums definitely crying now, I can't help being the cleverest most domesticated daughter ever. 

The past week has been really good but also extremely tiring. Most days I start at 5am and finish at around 9pm. Although we are on duty all the time we aren't working every minute of the day. However, last Monday and Tuesday I was. On Monday myself, Linsey and one of the house others took two of the children to their hospital appointments in one of the big hospitals in Johannesburg. It was definitely a lot nicer and cleaner than south rand which is our local one. We waited with them all morning and then we were asked to take some other children to their counseling appointments straight after. We had to catch the bus back from Joburg with the kids, sounds easy doesn't it.. Well it's not!! We then arrived home and started helping with homework and all the evening duties. Tuesday was pretty much the same. 

Two of the children at the home have got mumps which means they cannot live in the cottages as it is contagious. Myself and Linsey have been looking after them in nurse Jennie's cottage. (Fingered crossed we don't get it too). One the the girls from st Mary's cannot go to school at the moment as she is dependent on oxygen and the machine is too big and heavy to lug around with her, we have been asked that everyone morning one of us entertains her for a few hours, either painting, drawing, making bracelets or writing. So we now feel their is more structure and routine to our days but when we need to assist the children to their appointments the structure falls out the window, but that's fine! 

A few of the kids were in a school show this week and we went to watch it on Friday. I didn't really know what to expect but it was phenomenal! The show opened which none other than 'The circle of life' in true African style. There was lots of singing and dancing and all the kids did a brilliant job. (Still got nothing on WAGS though :P) 

The children had been asking me all week when we can next do loom bands. On Saturday I got out the last packets I had and they all went mad (feeding time at the zoo) but it was great fun and they've all got wrists full of them now. 

I'm becoming extremely good at snake, due to my beautiful new Nokia brick phone. It passes hours in hospital waiting rooms. 

We are getting to know the children a lot better and the banter has began which makes living here a whole lot funnier. I feel really at home here already after only 3 weeks. The weather is starting to get really hot although we did have a massive storm on Saturday night. We have booked our first holiday to Durban for the end of October with Melissa and Erin so we are all looking forward to that. 

That's pretty much all for the time being. Lots of love from South Africa. 

First blog from SA

Hello hello, after being in South Africa for over two weeks and now settled into my project nicely it's about time I update my blog.   

I don't really know where to start. It's been a crazy 19 days here is SA. I can't believe I arrived home from Slovakia exactly a month ago today so much has happened in between and I feel as if I have been away from home for ages. 

I'll start from the beginning. We flew from Heathrow to Doha then from Doha to Johannesburg where we were met by our host Ian and Yvonne. Myself and the other 31 South African volunteers along with the 6 Swazi vols all stayed in a backpackers in Joburg for 5 days. The first full day we visited the Children's Memorial Institute. We had a very interesting talk from Ashraf who is a pediatric professor, he spoke to us about HIV and AIDS and its affect on South Africa. We were then put groups and spent the day working in the institute. There are many NGO's that run within the building all doing remarkable things for the children of Johannesburg. The first day I was put with Erica and we had to sort through medical files. The second morning I was in a pre school with 2/3 year olds. They were so excitable and all they wanted to do was hug us and play with my hair. If you ever want dreadlocks I highly recommend them. That afternoon we visited Constitution Hill which is the old prison in Johannesburg. Finding out more about the segregation and seeing how it was implemented was horrid but at the same time very interesting. Winnie Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi had both served time in this prison and Nelson Mandela had been held there before being taken to Robben Island. Some of it was just chilling, the humiliation and torture that they encountered was indescribable. The next day we had talks from Ian and Yvonne about SA and just more info about living here. We also had a lovely speech by Sean Rogers who spoke but kulcha (culture) and how we must be mindful and empathetic, however, we also must remember that we carry our own baggage when it comes to customs and traditions. Day 4 in Joburg we meet Chris Trott who is the Consul General for the foreign and commonwealth office. He did an amazing talk about his transition from being a Project Trust volunteers in Egypt many years ago to now. He has visited 97 countries in his life and has so many brilliant stories which are beyond amazing. 

On Monday 1st September, we all departed to our projects. Some flew, some got buses but myself and Linsey were picked up as our project is only 20minutes out of Joburg. When we arrived we were told that we wouldn't be sharing a room, let alone in the same cottage (st Mary's children's home is split into 5 cottages with a house mother and about 10 children in each) We were initially a bit anxious after finding out the children spend all their time in their own cottages we were really worried we wouldn't see each other and felt kind of lonely. I got shown my room which is really nice although apparently I may be moved once another room is ready, so my room still has all of the girls stuff in but I've put up my pictures now to make it feel more homely. I was introduced to my house mother, Mumma Bessie who is married to uncle Raman, they have a son called Matthew and they have adopted the sweetest little girl who is now 8months old. (She is seriously adorable) All of the kids here are great and have been really welcoming. I'm not going to go through each day since being at my project as I'm sure most of you are pretty bored by this point. But most days I have started work at 5am and pretty much finish around 8/9pm. We basically get up and have breakfast with the kids, kind of getting used to maize now :/ help get the kids ready for school and make sure the cottage is clean before they leave. We then see what needs to be done around the home. Two of the cottages have been moving so we have helped with that and also spent Friday helping out the homes nurse (nurse Jennie) the kids arrive home around 3pm and we have occasionally been on the bus run to collect them all. We have lunch at 3pm (breakfast at 5:30am then lunch at 3pm is killing me) then it's homework time which is our main job. The kids love that I have a mini white board with me. We spend most of last weekend in A&E with one of the kids who feel off the trampoline and hurt her nose (luckily it wasn't broken). Lets just say I really appreciate the NHS now. South African health care isn't quite as nice as Warwick hospital. You sit in the waiting room and can see all the people coming in from the ambulances... Not something I'd like to see again in all honesty. However she was fine and all is good. I have also taken the children to their counseling session in Joburg and had to catch a bus back to Rosettenville which was quite an experience, about 6million people get on a bus at once, there is no need for for seat belts or hand holds because if the bus crashed no one will move an inch as it's so cramped. 

I know there is a mixture of emotions in this blog and many positives and negatives however myself and Linsey are having a brilliant time and feel very comfortable at the home now. Today was our first day off in like 19days so we met with Melissa and Erin who are volunteers near us. We went shopping and had Nandos. Tomorrow we are planning to go to a market in Johannesburg which will hopefully a bit more cultured than Nandos. 

LOVING LIFE IN SOUTH AFRICA!! 

TOMORROW

The BIG day has nearly arrived, I officially leave for South Africa tomorrow. The past few weeks have been a bit crazy, arriving home from my Explorer Belt Expedition in Slovakia, receiving my A-level results and University place and travelling around the country saying goodbye to my family. The last three days have been lovely catching up with friends at home and gradually packing all my things.

I have just eaten the 'last supper' with my family (Sunday roast of course). Tomorrow morning I will say goodbye to my two best friends and then head to the airport. At Heathrow I will meet with the 28 other South African volunteers and we will all Travel to Johannesburg together via Doha (Qatar). As a group we will be spending a few days in the wonderful city before going our separate ways and travelling to our projects where we will all be living for the next 12months. Thankfully myself and Linsey will be living in Johannesburg and won't need to travel very far to get to our new home. 

It is unbelievable how quickly this has all come around. I'm so grateful to all the amazing people who have helped me get to where I am now. The amount of support I have received with fundraising a grand total of £5600 has been incredible and made the process so much easier. Thank you to everyone who has wished me luck, send me cards, written me letters and given me presents. 

HUGE THANK TO EVERYONE WHO HAS MADE THIS ACHIEVABLE!!!!! 

See you in a year England......

Here goes....

Hello All, so I thought it was about time I started my blog. It has been 1 year and 3 months since I was selected by the Education charity Project Trust to spend a year living abroad, now it's 37 days until I embark on my biggest adventure yet. It has all been very confusing with my country and project changing but I can now officially say I will be living in Rosettenville in South Africa and will be working in St Mary's Children home. This Project will be both incredibly rewarding but also extremely challenging. Here is some information taken from the Project Trust website about the home:

"St Mary's Children's Home has been running since 1902. The home provides residential care for around 60 children who have been placed there for various reasons. Some children will have suffered from abuse in the past (mental, physical, emotional and sometimes sexual), other from neglect or have been orphaned or affected by HIV/AIDS. Many of the children come from informal settlements in the surrounding area and are products of incredibly deprived backgrounds."

My main role will be to assist with the running of the home and the day to day care of the children. This will involve using my initiative to run activities as well as acting as a role model and carer for a group of young children. During my time at the home I will also be helping the children with their homework, going on visits and running events with the other staff members.

I have recently been to the Isle of Coll in Scotland for an intense 4 days of training for my year abroad. During this time I met my partner Linsey who I will be working and living with for the entire year (God help her). I also learnt a lot about South Africa and it's incredible history. Although South Africa as a country has come an awful long way there is still many issues which it must face. On training we were taught about the huge impact HIV and AIDS has on the country. We were told a lot more about our Project and the work we are expected to do. The 4 days was very hard work and tiring but I learnt a lot and feel more confident about leaving for the year.

Days are really going fast and I can feel South Africa getting closer and closer every day, with a 2 week expedition in Slovakia, A-level results and saying goodbye to friends and family I'll be on the plane before I know it. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped me get this far whether it be fundraising or moral support. I am BUZZZZZIIIINNNNGGGGG  to be leaving for South Africa and now so happy to know the amazing fellow volunteers who will also be embarking on this great adventure.

37 DAYS TILL TAKE OFF!!