We arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday afternoon and after collecting our bags, we were taken to Backpackers Ritz - a youth hostel on the outskirts of the city. We have been staying in the Ritz since arrival just to get some extra days of training in before Monday, when we all set off to our individual projects.
As part of the training we volunteered in the Johannesburg Children's Memorial Hospital on Thursday and Friday, helping out with various tasks. Myself and three other volunteers were placed in an architectural project in the hospital and we had to construct an emergency exit plan. Quite a responsibility! But it was good fun and by the end of the two days we handed in our finished sketches. Even though we were only working in the hospital for two days, it was a really good way to slowly introduce us to the difference between British and South African culture. One of the things I noticed was how outgoing all the children were. Our project didn't deal directly with the children, but if we passed any of them in the hospital corridors they would run up to us and hold our hands, smiling. I have also discovered that South African weather is not what I expected. On Friday it was two degrees... I think that's the only time Scotland has ever been warmer than South Africa.
Spending five days in Johannesburg has been an eye opener for what's ahead. The experience of working in the Children's Hospital has made me even more excited for working with the children in Mitchelle House, Polokwane. There have been times over the last few days however when I just wish we could get to Polokwane straight away, mainly so I can unpack. At the moment my suitcase is beside my bed and looks like a bomb has gone off inside it. I'm dreading having to repack.
But at 9am on Monday a bus will be taking us to our new home. The next blog post will be after my first week of work. Can't wait!
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| Winston the lion |
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| My first South African Sunset |
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| The SA Group in Johannesburg |
