AdventuresInAbseiling

Molweni!

It's about time I post the photos from my daylong absailing (rappelling) adventure a couple weeks ago...

This has been one of my favorite days here...so much so, that I'd love to it again. The company picked us up from Kimberley House around 6:30 am, and we drove a little over an hour out into the country, near Paarl. There, we had breakfast and packed up our gear for the day. Then, we hopped in the back of a couple of pick-up trucks and headed up the mountain, which we would spend the day descending via ropes and harnesses (absailing) and what we coined "water hiking." It was the one of the most physically exhausting days, but it was a blast and completely worth the lack of sleep the night before, the sunburn, and the numerous "wilderpees." (figure that one out on your own...)

After the 2nd wall we descended (the one where you'll see I'm IN a waterfall), we did a bit of cliff jumping, as well. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of me doing this, but I didn't venture to the higher cliffs, so it wasn't quite as much of an adrenaline rush as it was for the daredevils who jumped from 11m. (I think the highest I jumped from was 5m.)

Anyway, let me know if you have any burning questions. This is all for now, but I could drone on about this day for awhile...


~On our first absail


~Near the top of our 2nd absail: the waterfall into the [ridiculously cold] pool below


~Going down the waterfall of our 2nd absail


~A view from above...me struggling down the waterfall


~The group going through a "safety rope" area (aka, uber-slippery area)


~What we dubbed "water hiking": trudging through water and over rocks all day


~Waiting to do our final absail


~getting ready for our last wall


~Cheesy pose as I start my descent


~last wall


~ Our last absail: the slipperiest and most mossy


~At the bottom: Gorgeous, yet precarious for absailing


~The view opposite the mossy wall


~Me and Ranice


~Me and my roommate, Viv


~View of the mountain range as we were leaving to go home

WhyImReallyHere

Hello again everyone,

Look how speedy I’m being with these entries! As I promised at the conclusion of my last blog, I’m going to talk a little bit about my service learning sites, finally. Service learning is a huge part of why I’m here, and I spend the duration of my Mondays and Thursdays at them. I have been attending Thembani Primary School for three weeks now, and my work with the female empowerment programme, Ilizwi, has just started.
I arrive at Thembani at 7:45 for the daily staff briefings, and school starts at 8:00. For the extent of the school day (which ends at 13:45 for the younger kids), I assist a second grade teacher with her class of 40+ “learners.” (I find it interesting that the male/female ratio is so unbalanced: only about 13 girls.) As I expected, my time at Thembani has been challenging, but I have already learned a great deal and am continuing to soak everything in like an eager, totally-in-over-her-head sponge.

The teacher, Ms. Jekwa, typically divides the day into three parts: math, Xhosa spelling/speaking, and Xhosa writing. Naturally, I don't know the Xhosa language, which is the first language of everyone in Langa township. (The teachers speak English, though.) Thus, it's no surprise that I am most helpful during the math portion of the day. Usually, I work for part of the math time with a group of ten students who understand some English. They tend to be the smarter children, so I work with them on more accelerated concepts than the majority of the class. For the other part of the math time, I walk around the class, helping students individually with basic addition and subtraction. With the language barrier, I've found that using beans as counters works better than anything else.

Still, it's incredibly difficult at times. There have been several instances in which I've realized a student completely doesn’t understand a broad concept, such as subtraction. As you can imagine, I find it difficult to explain the notion of "susa"...when all I know is the word "susa." Furthermore, with 40 seven- and eight-year-olds, one teacher, and one only semi-usual assistant, you can imagine how many kids get left behind in the learning process. (And it doesn't help that they're constantly running around, climbing on things, crawling under things, and punching/hitting each other...) It's difficult to be helping a child with an addition math problem, to realize that she/he doesn't understand, and to have six other children tapping you on the shoulder, petting your hair, and climbing on you while they wait their turn for attention. It's also difficult to realize that some students simply aren't grasping a concept, knowing that it would take more time to reach a point of understanding, to know that there simply isn't enough time, and that I am not able to help due to my lack of Xhosa knowledge. (I wanted to take Xhosa at UWC, but there was no way to make it work with my schedule.)

During the Xhosa portions of the lesson, I tend to feel pretty useless. Because I can't help directly, I usually end up doing mundane tasks, like sharpening kids' pencils because they aren't allowed to use the classroom sharpener, for fear that they'll break it...or going around the room and cutting/gluing worksheets into their workbooks. Even though these are mundane tasks, they are things that need to be done, and given the huge volume of students, I realize I am a big help.

The 2nd grade curriculum does not focus on English language acquisition because they’re still working on their Xhosa basics, such as spelling and pronunciation. However, after class, there tend to be a couple of girls who stay late and try to converse with me in English. It's really wonderful for me because I get to learn about their lives in Langa (even though I often hear upsetting things), and I get to help them a bit with their English in the process.

The two images that I have here are actually ones I found online. (I have yet to bring my camera along, but I will at some point.) However, I wouldn’t put up pictures for you if they didn’t reflect my experience, so really, I could’ve easily taken ones similar. The first is a glimpse of the kids on a Friday morning during their weekly assembly in the school yard. The first time I went to Thembani to meet the teachers and principal, it was a Friday morning, so this was my very first taste of Thembani. During their assembly, the kids sing, clap, and pray in unison. Also, you’ll notice that they’re not wearing uniforms in this picture. This is because Fridays are casual days, so they can wear whatever they want.



The second picture gives you a taste of their adorable periwinkle/navy uniforms. It was taken during the mid-morning breakfast delivery (my favorite part of the morning because 2/3 of the kids leave the room for ten minutes…a much needed break for us.) Because several children don’t get adequate nutrition at home, the school provides them with an optional morning meal that usually consists of some sort of oatmeal/porridge.



After I finish at Thembani around 14:00 (after the English-speaking girls run off), I have about an hour break, and then I walk over to meet with the Ilizwi girls. Ilizwi means "voice" in Xhosa, and it's a program that was started last year by a girl who did this Marquette program. I work with another young woman named Thuli who has been involved since last year and helped start the group with Liz. The aim of the group is to focus on four realms of empowerment with teenage girls: art, motivation, careers, and sexual health.

We have only met twice officially, and so far, we have just been getting to know each other. Most of the girls already know Thuli, so it's easy for them to slip into Xhosa, and they know that I don't understand…so that has been a bit of a challenge. However, Thuli doesn't respond to them unless they speak English, so I think it’ll get better. I can tell that communication will be a challenge, but I think that they will start to open up to me in English once they become more comfortable and trusting.

At the moment, Thuli and I have a lot of ideas for what we want to do with the girls (pen pals in the US, scrapbooks/journals, dancing in some form, time capsules, talk about historical influential women, just to name a few), but we need to hone in on what they would like to do, as well as from what they would benefit most. Another issue is funding, so we’re planning to do some fund-raising throughout the semester, such as the idea of Thuli and I hosting dinners at Kimberley House and having everyone in the house and other Obz friends come and donate. Once things get up and running, I'll share more about the specific programmes that Thuli and are implementing.

Peace, love, and mangos,
Sarah Ann Olivia

RetreatToHermanusAndMoreObzervations

[Every time I type the title in the box, it changes it to some form of Asian characters...and the only to avoid it is to use no punctuation and spaces. Sorry!]

Molweni!

I realize that I haven’t been doing very well at keeping this up to date, so these pictures are from a little over a week ago. We went on a weekend-long retreat to Hermanus, which is about an hour and a half drive away. The main purpose of the retreat was to meet John de Gruchy, the author of a book we were required to read about the theology of reconciliation in the context of South African apartheid and the resulting TRC (Truth and Reconciliation Commission).

We stayed on a property specifically meant for retreats called Volmoed. As you can see from the pictures, it was incredibly gorgeous, as was the drive along the coast on our way to Hermanus. I felt that the majority of the views I took in were post card-worthy and that the photos I took simply can’t do justice to the awe-inspiring landscape.



Aside from our sessions with John de Gruchy, we had a lot of free time, which we spent relaxing and exploring the beauty of the property. There were a few hiking trails, and you’ll see pictures from the one that led to a waterfall. Also, several people in the group encountered groups of baboons, but I wasn’t so lucky…which might’ve been a good thing, after all, considering they can get violent if they feel threatened. Nonetheless, I would’ve like to have seen them…perhaps I’ll steal a picture from someone so you can all see, though.


~ the waterfall on Volmoed property


~Ranice and me near the waterfall :)


~another view while hiking around Volmoed


~oceanview in Hermanus...if it were whale season, this is where we would've seen them

Also, I’ve been continuing to add to my list of obz-ervations…

4) Mangos: This didn’t take much detective work to uncover, but mangos are incredibly popular and available here, so I eat them a few times per week. I’m getting really good at cutting them, too, which was always a cryptic challenge in the past. (Mom, you probably remember our unsuccessful attempts…)

5) Stolen phones: Apparently, it’s so common to have your phone stolen here that our program director claims that everyone goes through one or two phones during our 5ish months here. Well, as of this past weekend, I’m #4 in the house to have my phone swiped. Perhaps it’s some sort of right of passage to South African living? Ha. I don’t know, but I do know that our phones are the cheapest models anyone can purchase here, so why someone would go through the effort of stealing them is beyond me. Regardless, I was prepared for this to happen, so I’m currently trying to enable the phone I used last summer in Paris.

6) Raw carrots (and vegetables, in general): When I go to my service sites on Mondays and Thursdays, I always pack a lunch. Typically, I pack some raw carrots to munch on, and I’ve discovered that the 2nd graders get a huge kick out the fact that I’m eating them. The teacher told me that it’s nothing huge, but that no one here really eats raw vegetables, so the kids think I’m funny…

7) Left side of everything: One would think I would’ve noticed this more prominently during my long stay in Europe last summer, but it wasn’t until I’ve lived here that I realize that rules of the road are reflected everywhere. What I mean is that people constantly, naturally move left, rather than right, so my housemates and I have been finding ourselves in awkward run-ins with locals while trying to pass them and then realizing that we’re going the wrong way. Oops. I guess I have something to work on.

8) Hand soap: The only place I go where I am guaranteed hand soap is K House. Every bathroom I set foot in has a soap dispenser, but there has only been ONE time that I found one with soap…and this includes public bathrooms, the bathrooms at the elementary school, the bathrooms at UWC…everywhere.

9) Toilet paper: Along the same lines of bathroom etiquette/tendencies, living here has caused me to no longer take toilet paper for granted. Some bathrooms have it in the stalls (but run out often), but many have one roll outside of all of the stalls, so you have to take it before you go in. For example, the kids at the school have to get toilet paper from the teacher before they run off to the bathroom.

10) Condoms: As many of you know, South Africa has the highest HIV/AIDS rate on the globe. As a result, they stress the use of condoms EVERYWHERE. Please believe me when I say everywhere. To paint a picture for you, while we were registering all day at UWC during orientation week, they put us in this education classroom, where there were drawing that children has done wallpapering the walls. The theme of the assignment was apparently condoms because every single drawing was focused on them. Keep in mind these were done by primary school-aged children. Along those same lines, there is a massive mural on the side of one of the buildings at Thembani Primary School (one of my service sites) that says something like, “Safety First: Use Condoms” and is complete with pictures. (I’ll get a picture of it eventually…) In addition, every bathroom in UWC and even the faculty bathroom at Thembani have a free condom dispenser. Finally, to take the cake, my roommate had a big scrape on her leg a couple weeks ago, so while she was at UWC, she went to get a band-aid. They charged her 1 rand for each band-aid, but they offer you a lifetime supply of condoms every time you use the bathroom. Really? You’d think restraining blood from a cut would be just as important in the context of HIV/AIDS…

Anyway, I’ll let that one sit with you for now. My next post will hopefully be centered on my service site experiences thus far at Thembani and with Ilizwi. I’m in midst of my third week of going to service learning, but I’ve refrained from writing about it just yet, until I feel more settled in with them.



...So stay tuned. In the mean time, I have a few requests: Be well, take care, and take deep breaths. Be constantly mindful. Laugh at yourself often, don’t take everything so seriously, and do something foolish for the sake of exercising your freedom. Stray from your comfort zone, if only for two minutes. Live. Be…a human-being, rather than a human-doing.


~ Sunset, viewed from the deck of our cabin :)

(Yes, I know I sound like a mix between a fortune cookie and Thich Nhat Hanh right now, but just humor me…)

All my love,
Sarah Ann Olivia

Penguins

Hello again,

This will be a short, light-hearted post, but I figure no one can resist the "awww" factor of penguins. :)



Last Saturday, some of us ventured to Simonstown to see the wild penguins that live on the beaches. It was my first time taking the "train" (essentially a metro system, not a formal train), and it takes about an hour by train from Obz. Upon arrival, I realized that Simonstown is pretty touristy (a big turn off for me), yet it was beautiful for a day trip and well worth the visit.



As you can see, we were able to go right up to the penguins, and one of the guys in our group even touched one (not advised)...and then the penguin proceeded to get upset, so we all backed away.