Enjoying our last moments in SA

Thursday, September 16th 2010
Created by: Teresa Donovan

Our days are full and often exhausting, yet we aren’t ready for this experience to end. It seems each day brings more children to the classroom and to the community center, yet our volunteer numbers remain at four. How can we divide ourselves up to properly interact with and enjoy our precious moments with each child – not to mention the adults?

Teta’s class is now up to 42 children. Her teacher controls the children through physical punishment – hitting them on their hands with a stick if they are absent, late, or take too long to fetch the water. Teta and brood also coughed their way through today’s lesson as a field fire crept ever so closely to the school.

School was cancelled for Upper Mdumbi today so Dot, with James as her escort, took a stroll through the village. She found her walk to be a much better view of village life than her view from a car window. She was able to get photos of women washing laundry by the stream and was surprised by the rondevelds with satellite dishes. A highlight of the walk was meeting Obama and Zuma – well fed local pigs. James also enjoyed meeting up with some local lads (his words), using a photo op as a means to divert the boys’ attention away from harassing a dog.

Teresa and James met with Olga in the morning to brainstorm about capacity building projects – from training to beadwork to costing out bread production to motivating people to work. She book-ended her day by meeting with Bonke to discuss personal goals and budgeting and the challenges he may face in his marriage.

The highlight of the day was the community center which was filled inside and out with children of all ages. Outdoors, children squealed with delight as they attempted to fly a kite. Indoors, the cacophony of children’s voices was unending as some played tag, some hula-hooped, and others gathered in various corners to play games, read, color, or continue developing math and map skills. Even Olga and Beauty took a lesson or two from Teta and played a game of Dominoes.

Teresa was delightfully surprised by Oleni – a young boy who often hung outside the community center – finally came inside and sat next to her all afternoon. He was teased by the other children, but they soon stopped after it was clear to them he was welcome and given equal opportunity to share in the English lesson.

We all enjoyed having Bonke as our guest for dinner where the conversation focused on the use of corporal punishment in the schools – which, although forbidden, still occurs.

Teta and Dot spent the rest of the evening sorting through all the donations and teaching materials. They restocked the resource cabinet and organized the mounds of donated school supplies which Olga will distribute after our departure.

It is hard to believe that our two weeks of service is coming to an end. It is even harder to believe that we forged such strong friendships in such a short period of time. How does one say goodbye to people who have touched our hearts? How do we say farewell to friends whom we may never see again? Our one comfort is knowing that a part of us will remain in Malungeni and Malungeni will have our picture to prove it.

Addendum to previous day’s journal since Teresa did not give James a chance to speak:
James wants it on record that using a flush toilet and a running tap at Mike’s Kitchen the other night was a true “on top” moment for him!


Thought of the Day - Dot
Maybe,
Someday,
We will all join hands and live together . . .
Helping each other,
Loving each other.
Maybe,
Someday,
We will all make the world
A much better place . . .