In Memory

This post is probably quite unexpected, it is for me too, but I felt like I had to write it before getting back and writing about the travelling.

Earlier this evening I recieved some very sad news from one of the teachers at the Enrichment Centre. She phoned and told us that one of the children passed away this morning after spending a few days in ICU. Obviously it's a huge shock, none of us were expecting to lose anyone this holiday. Especially because all the kids seemed healthy before we left. 

I would like to dedicate this post to the little girl who died this morning, she was truly a joy to work with and had such a fantastic personality. We are so lucky to have played a part in her life and I will miss her greatly when we return to school. 

Here's to you kiddo! Thank you for letting me get to know you. Rest in peace.

 

Final Week!

The last few days have gone by quite slowly, and that's probably because school has finished and we're just waiting to get on our way. All the children left for the Summer holidays on Wednesday after Prize giving so we had to provide our own entertainment for the remainder of the week which felt strange and slightly boring...

The Prize giving was a lovely way to end the term because myself, Kathryn and Zoe were given the opportunity to help the Enrichment Centre children receive their prizes. We were paired with the kids that have difficulty with walking or are wheelchair bound and walked onto the stage with them to collect their certificate, (that's the closest I've ever come to receiving a prize at Prize giving). The ceremony went on for quite a long time and by the end we were left with two of the boys and they both fell asleep. It was such a funny image - both boy's heads right back, mouths open and snoring... I think it captured how everyone else was feeling by the end. But it was a great morning and we were all really proud of the kids for working so hard, most of them have improved in something since we've been here and it's been a privilege to witness that improvement.

Before the children left we had a 'water day' in the Enrichment Centre and we set up a big water slide and bouncy castle for the kids to enjoy. They all loved it and some of their reactions as they went down the slide were hilarious. One girl would keep her mouth wide open with excitement all the way down, meaning that by the end her mouth was full of soapy bubbles. It was a great way to say goodbye at the end of the year and it feels strange that we're not going to see them all for six weeks!

On Tuesday my day was made when we rescued a little kitten off the Enrichment Centre roof. We were working inside the office when we started to hear a series of tiny meows coming from outside. It took us a while to realise that the noise was actually coming from the roof but when we did, we climbed onto building, wrapped him up in a towel and brought him down. After that it was decided that his name would be Mitch because he was found on the roof of Mitchell House. He was then taken home with one of the staff members and collected the next day by a re-homing centre which would provide him with the necessary medication, food and water.

Little Mitch 

Safe and sound

  On Thursday we left in the afternoon for the Enrichment Centre Staff Social which was a night spent on a farm in Tzaneen. Much like the farm at the Buddhist retreat it was very green compared to Polokwane and the farm itself was absolutely beautiful. It had a very open plan interior with big glass doors leading out into the garden where there was a pool overlooking the dam and valley below. We actually went for a raft ride on the dam and were warned about the local crocodiles and hippos - a swim definitely wasn't an option. Later that evening we set up a fire and had a braai with chicken, lamb chops and boerewors (South African sausage) and afterwards played charades while toasting marshmallows.

It was such a great evening but my favourite part by far was when all the teaching assistants just started to sing. One lady, Rose, stood up when we were all a round the fire and started to shout lyrics in Sepedi. The next thing we knew all of the assistants were up on there feet singing traditional South African songs. After they started it off we all got up and started to dance, and they showed us how to "dance like South African".

The forest next to the farm

Pure luxury!

Raft ride

This will be my last blog post for a while. We're finally starting our journey down the eastern coast on Tuesday and won't be back until the 3rd of January. If I come across some internet access between now and then I will try to squeeze in a blog post between all the exciting things we'll be doing. If not then I wish you all a very early Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Gabotse!

Travelling essentials (Spongebob tissues)