Hello everyone!
Now that I’m done filling you in on my spring break adventures I want to mention some fun things that happened in my first week back in Stellenbosch.
- On Thursday I did 9 miles as my last distance run before the half marathon (which is coming up in 4 days now).
- On Friday we get to go back to Lynedoch for the first time in 3 weeks and it was really a breath of fresh air. I didn’t realize how much I missed the school until we got there. It’s going to really tough when we head home in only 9 weeks. We had class all day but, as usual, Grant broke it up quite a bit. In the morning before our morning snack (homemade muffins!) we went downstairs to the big hall where the learners were having an assembly. They were being dismissed at 10:30 for their spring break, but before they left the 8th grade teacher, Mr. Myburgh, told them to say goodbye to all their friends. We didn’t know what he was saying because it was all in Afrikaans, but at this point all the kids turned to each other and gave everyone around them the biggest hugs. I think people often underestimate how caring children are, especially in this community that struggles with violence on such a regular basis, but it was nice to see all the kids so genuinely happy. On their way out of the hall most of my 6th graders came up and gave me a hug and it was definitely the highlight of my day. After out morning snack Grant took us back downstairs to the now empty hall and had us play tag for a while. He’s been encouraging us to find our ‘golden child’ so he wanted us to run around and let some energy out. We had delicious homemade hamburgers for lunch and had a lot of good discussions about service work, reciprocity, and the importance of proper reflection.
- On Friday night I had a basketball game in Cape Town. Again we only had 6 players, but this time we won 60-15. I’m pretty sure it was the first time in my life that I’ve been on the winning end of a blowout. It was really exciting to win a game, it was a feeling I’d kind of forgotten about. This coming Friday is out last tournament game so hopefully we’ll get to win one more.
- On Saturday I went to movies with some friends and saw How to Train Your Dragon. I had no expectations at all and didn’t know what the movie was about, but I really enjoyed it. I’d definitely watch it again soon. Afterwards we went to Earth Hour which was a world wide event that consisted of turning the lights off for one hour in order to raise awareness about environmental causes. Our event took place on a grassy lawn in the middle of campus that’s usually pretty well-lit at night, so they turned the lights off and people hung out listening to an African band play instruments for an hour. I guess this initiative has been gaining momentum in recent years and places such as the Eiffel Tower and the Great Pyramids in Egypt participate.
- On Sunday I hiked up Table Mountain! It was a really steep hike but well worth it because the views from the top were incredible. You can see almost all of Cape Town, from the waterfront and Green Point Stadium to the beaches on the west side to Robben Island 8 miles offshore to downtown CT. It was amazing, and luckily the seemingly ever-present cloud above the mountain moved while we were on our way up in order to make the views possible. I was pretty tired by the time we got up and walked around the top (remember its flat, so there’s a lot of exploring to do even after you reach the summit), so I decided to take the cable car down. It’s only R85 ($12) and it rotates 360 degrees to give you a complete view of the city before you get down to the ground. The animal in the 3rd picture below is called a dassie and they're all over the mountain.
Now that I’m done filling you in on my spring break adventures I want to mention some fun things that happened in my first week back in Stellenbosch.
- On Thursday I did 9 miles as my last distance run before the half marathon (which is coming up in 4 days now).
- On Friday we get to go back to Lynedoch for the first time in 3 weeks and it was really a breath of fresh air. I didn’t realize how much I missed the school until we got there. It’s going to really tough when we head home in only 9 weeks. We had class all day but, as usual, Grant broke it up quite a bit. In the morning before our morning snack (homemade muffins!) we went downstairs to the big hall where the learners were having an assembly. They were being dismissed at 10:30 for their spring break, but before they left the 8th grade teacher, Mr. Myburgh, told them to say goodbye to all their friends. We didn’t know what he was saying because it was all in Afrikaans, but at this point all the kids turned to each other and gave everyone around them the biggest hugs. I think people often underestimate how caring children are, especially in this community that struggles with violence on such a regular basis, but it was nice to see all the kids so genuinely happy. On their way out of the hall most of my 6th graders came up and gave me a hug and it was definitely the highlight of my day. After out morning snack Grant took us back downstairs to the now empty hall and had us play tag for a while. He’s been encouraging us to find our ‘golden child’ so he wanted us to run around and let some energy out. We had delicious homemade hamburgers for lunch and had a lot of good discussions about service work, reciprocity, and the importance of proper reflection.
- On Friday night I had a basketball game in Cape Town. Again we only had 6 players, but this time we won 60-15. I’m pretty sure it was the first time in my life that I’ve been on the winning end of a blowout. It was really exciting to win a game, it was a feeling I’d kind of forgotten about. This coming Friday is out last tournament game so hopefully we’ll get to win one more.
- On Saturday I went to movies with some friends and saw How to Train Your Dragon. I had no expectations at all and didn’t know what the movie was about, but I really enjoyed it. I’d definitely watch it again soon. Afterwards we went to Earth Hour which was a world wide event that consisted of turning the lights off for one hour in order to raise awareness about environmental causes. Our event took place on a grassy lawn in the middle of campus that’s usually pretty well-lit at night, so they turned the lights off and people hung out listening to an African band play instruments for an hour. I guess this initiative has been gaining momentum in recent years and places such as the Eiffel Tower and the Great Pyramids in Egypt participate.
- On Sunday I hiked up Table Mountain! It was a really steep hike but well worth it because the views from the top were incredible. You can see almost all of Cape Town, from the waterfront and Green Point Stadium to the beaches on the west side to Robben Island 8 miles offshore to downtown CT. It was amazing, and luckily the seemingly ever-present cloud above the mountain moved while we were on our way up in order to make the views possible. I was pretty tired by the time we got up and walked around the top (remember its flat, so there’s a lot of exploring to do even after you reach the summit), so I decided to take the cable car down. It’s only R85 ($12) and it rotates 360 degrees to give you a complete view of the city before you get down to the ground. The animal in the 3rd picture below is called a dassie and they're all over the mountain.
- On Monday I went back to Lynedoch with 12 other students for an optional day of work (because the learners are away on vacation now). I spent most of the day working on our garden that we’ve developed for the kids. It’s coming along nicely and I was happy that we finally got the soil ready for plants (we put in cabbage, basil, and cosmos flowers for starters). Grant’s mom made us salami sandwiches for the morning and homemade macaroni and cheese for lunch, and for dessert Grant took us to the store and bought ice cream for everyone. That evening we all headed to the stadium for the final rugby game of the season. Kurt Darren, one of the biggest Afrikaans singers, performed before the game and Francois Penaar (Matt Damon’s character in Invictus) made an appearance to shake all the players’ hands (in the picture below he's the second guy in the row of four with suits on). It was a great game and we ended up beating UCT 17-14 to become national champions for the third year in a row! Everyone rushed the field afterwards and fireworks went off as the trophy was presented to the team. It was a really cool experience, but I kept thinking how much more excited I’d be if it was a team I felt more connected to (i.e. NHS softball in 2006 or St. Mike’s men’s basketball now). Regardless, it was great to experience such a crazy and awesome event with the Maties.
Hi roomfacelove!
ReplyDeleteGood luck in your half marthon, you'll do great. Remember to replace fluids at every chance you get and to eat a big carb full dinner the night before. I can't wait to hear how you do! I miss you and LOVE reading the blog.
lovelovelove
-Christine