Hometime

Well this is it! My last blog post before I arrive back home. I can't quite believe the time has come to say goodbye to everyone here - it seems like only a couple of weeks ago that we arrived...

The last week has been a strange one. On Wednesday we held a leaving assembly for the school and played the video we made for everyone last weekend. Kathryn, Zoe and I started tearing up on stage while trying to say our introduction which was quite embarrassing... but soon all the teachers and children were crying too - we didn't feel as ashamed after that. The video was liked so much by the staff that the school decided to put it on their website (wow!). We have actually been given permission to post it via our blogs - this is amazing because the first part of the video shows you all the children we've been working with in the Enrichment Centre. So please check it out by clicking on this link: Our Leaving Video

For the rest of the week we just made the most of our time left with the children. I know I'm going to miss them so much when I'm back home again, so we didn't waste a moment with them. As well as our normal schedule, the three of us stayed up late every night wrapping presents for the children and staff members. We had to get everything ready for Friday because the Enrichment Centre was hosting a leaving party for us (as well as the Fear Factor...).

When Friday arrived Kathryn, Zoe and I were all quite nervous. We'd heard about the Fear Factor throughout the year from previous GAPS and it sounded disgusting. It definitely lived up to our worst expectations... The staff and children from all three classes (juniors, seniors and lifeskills) were waiting for us in the physio room when we arrived in the morning. Three chairs, a table, a sick bucket and glasses of water were set up at the front of the room and we all went to sit down. After an introduction by one of the assistants, he lifted up a cloth covering three plates and revealed what we had to eat. On each plate there were fish eyes, worms, chicken intestines, chicken heads (complete with beaks, eyes and brain), chicken feet (complete with nails) and small fish. After a lot of gagging, Zoe and I managed to finish everything apart from the bones of the chicken feet and skull but Kathryn with her fear of birds was unable to touch the chicken parts. I don't think any of us ate anything for the rest of the day because we felt so sick...

Once that revolting challenge was over we had a party with everyone until it was time for the children to go home. Before we catch our bus to Joburg on Tuesday we're doing a quick round of the school to say our final goodbyes. I'm feeling a whole mix of emotions at the moment - excited to come home but sad to leave. It must be impossible to teach somewhere for a year and not grow to love the kids and I do. I really, really love these kids. I'm so incredibly grateful to them for accepting me into their lives for a year and letting me get to know what makes them tick. It's amazing how much you can experience and achieve in just twelve months and I think I've definitely made the most of my time here regarding work and travel.

Thank you to all of you for following my year long adventure. It's been really nice for me being able to share some of my year with you all - I hope you've enjoyed keeping up with what's going on. Apart from that there's not much more to say, I'll be landing in Edinburgh on Thursday evening and am super excited to see everyone again. Gabotse!

Nearing the End

I can't quite believe we're entering our final week of school on Monday. Yesterday Kathryn, Zoe and and I spent 14 hours putting together a farewell video to play at our 'leaving assembly' on Wednesday - finding all the photos and pictures from our year and putting them all together made us realise what an amazing time we've had, and how much we're going to miss the children...

This week I was in Lifeskills and we mainly worked on the veggie garden which is coming along nicely! We've recruited Grade 8s and 9s to help us plant our chosen vegetables - tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, marrows and onions - and it's great for the Lifeskills kids to have that interaction with some of the mainstream pupils.

As well as this we had our usual popcorn and pancake sales and in the classroom we focused on the changing seasons. With the help of symbols and pictures the children seem to be grasping the concept quite well, but it's just a case of going over it until they completely understand.

Apart from that there isn't much else to say! Next week is going to be hectic. Making the most of our last few days with the kids, lots of goodbye dinners with staff and packing which I'm reaaaaally not looking forward to. The following Sunday's post will be the last one before I'm home... Ahhhhhh!!

We finally received our Gap Photo from January (yay!)

Much Excitement

The last week of work has been quite strange - Monday and Tuesday were holidays so I only started work in Lifeskillls on Wednesday. Even though we only had three days of class, we still managed to get a lot done by the end of the week. Wednesday was mostly spent trying to teach the children about seasons - why it gets colder during the year, why we have night and day etc. But some of the kids did grasp the concept of the Earth's revolution which was a big step! The next day when we tested their knowledge again, a couple of them remembered 'the northern hemisphere' and 'the Earth's axis'... That was definitely a highlight for me this week because you could clearly see their progression in essential general knowledge.

On Thursday both the Junior class and the Lifeskills class went to the local bowling alley for their end of term excursion. After an hour of bowling (which all the children loved), we still had some time left so we decided to take the kids to try out the crazy golf course. They were all fascinated when the golf ball went down a tunnel and came out somewhere completely different, it was hilarious to watch their expressions.

On Friday it was pancake and popcorn day so we all spent the morning popping, packing and selling. I was on pancake duty and I think we managed to make about 80, which we then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. This whole process is great for the children, especially those with autism because they depend a lot on strict routine and get agitated if it's interrupted.

On Saturday we were invited round to Jenny's house for dinner. She's studying psychology and has chosen 'volunteering' as her topic of interest. Kathryn, Zoe and myself each had an interview, sharing with her the reasons why we volunteered, hardships that we've overcome, what makes a good volunteer etc. It was very interesting because I don't think any of us had asked ourselves some of the questions, so we learnt some things as well. After the interviews were over we sat down on the couch and ate pita bread filled with chicken - a perfect way to end the evening.

In other news: I think my family will have landed in Cape Town by now after a long flight from Heathrow. After they've spent a couple of days there they'll head up to Polokwane on Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday I'll show them around the school, introduce them to all the children and then on Friday evening we set off on our road trip to Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. This means that I won't be posting on my blog for the next 3/4 weeks, but I'll write a big update on my return. I'm so excited.  

Excursion

Winding down

It's getting close to the holidays now, and the atmosphere around the Enrichment Centre is very relaxed. This week in Seniors we slowly took the pressure off work and concentrated more on enjoying the couple of weeks we have left. After Zoe, Kathryn and myself arrive back from the month-long break, we'll only have three weeks left with the children before we fly home and that fact is starting to hit home! 

During my five days in Seniors we celebrated one of the boy's 12th birthday. Birthdays in the Enrichment Centre are always a big occasion and I've been very lucky by somehow managing to land myself in the class with a birthday almost every time... Much to the annoyance of Zoe and Kathryn. On Thursday during cooking we made a delicious pancake stack - basically pancake lasagne because we filled it with mince and white sauce. It was a huge hit with the children and everyone polished it off - I'll definitely be taking that recipe home with me along with bunny chow and marmite and cheese cake.

At Aftercare this week we had to move the children to the more sheltered playground because of the cold. It was actually warmer in Edinburgh than in Polokwane at various points last week! Kathryn and I also played a very funny game with one of the Grade 00 boys, Tchifiwa. He would sneak up behind one of us while we were sitting on the chairs and shout ARRRRGGGGGGG and then lean in close and wait for us to tell him to go and scare the other person. The funniest part was that he'd always run up to the person he was scaring, so you could hear him coming. Then he'd stop, take a huge inhale of air and finally ... ARGGGGGG. Later on we told him to go and scare one of the Grade 00 girls in the sandpit who had her back to him. She turned around when he was still about five meters away and gave him a very unimpressed look. Kathryn and I were almost in tears.

This weekend we also purchased some daisies from the nearby garden centre. We're going to plant them in memory a fellow Project Trust volunteer who tragically passed away in India about a month ago. We'll plant them in the memorial part of the Enrichment Centre garden, so she can be remember along with the children we've lost over the years. 

Fun and Games

The weeks are now passing by in a blur, I can't believe we only have five more weeks working at Mitchell House (excluding holiday time). The last few days in the Junior class were fun, but as usual everyone had their hands full!

I'm finding it hard to think of things to talk about in these posts, as everything seems normal now. It's funny when somebody from outside the Enrichment Centre comes in for a day because everything seems highly unfamiliar to them, but we're so used to the routine and the children's quirks that anything considered 'abnormal' is a typical day for us. In fact, if a day was 'normal' we would consider it strange!

We've been very lucky to have extra hands over the past couple of weeks because an ex-gap student, Ellie, returned to see the kids. It's been great getting to know her and very interesting to hear how much has changed since she was here three years ago. What's especially encouraging is when she comments on how much certain children have progressed - grown in confidence, improved language abilities etc. Hearing that really makes us feel that we are making a positive difference to these children's lives.

As well as work this week, a lot of games have been played. On Thursday (our cooking day) we decided to join the Senior and Junior classes together and have a braai in the garden. The children cut up the vegetables and made a delicious salad while the teachers took care of the wors (sausages) on the fire. After everybody had eaten we played a couple of games with the classes - 'duck, duck, goose' and 'what's the time Mr Wolf'?' One of the girls in the Junior class couldn't grasp the 'goose' part of the first game, and would just shout DUCK again but extra loud when she wanted someone to chase her.

'What's the time Mr Wolf' was very funny. One person plays the wolf and stands facing a wall at the opposite side of the garden from everyone else. Then the group have to shout: WHAT'S THE TIME MR WOLF? and the wolf will answer something like... 5 O'CLOCK, meaning everybody has to take five steps towards the "wolf". This goes on until the wolf decides it's DINNER TIME and turns round and chases them back, trying to catch someone in the process. Whenever one of the kids played the wolf, they'd always turn round to chase everyone but then run away at the same time... So we'd have to explain that no, you're the wolf, nobody is chasing you.

As well as all that excitement I have also discovered the wonderfulness of raw honey straight from the hive. Kathryn and I both bought a jar each and sit on our beds eating it with a spoon. I disgust myself but I'm just channeling my inner Pooh Bear. Next week I'm in Seniors and it's only two and a half weeks until my family arrive. 

Have a good week!

Back to Normal

The last week in Lifeskills has been very enjoyable. By Tuesday we were all back into our normal routine (no swapping classes) which meant we could get back to focusing one one group of children. 

On Wednesday we took the Lifeskills class to their weekly horse riding period and they all loved it. We help them get on and off the horse and then walk two laps of the field with them. Some of the children need to focus on working their core strength - especially the ones who can't walk - so sitting up on a horse is a good exercise for them. 

On Thursday I decided to bring my guitar into class and play a little bit for the children. A couple of the boys are dead keen to learn, so I think I'm going to teach them some basic songs. One of them really needs to work on his listening skills, so getting to play the guitar will be his reward... Hopefully this bribe will work!

Friday is popcorn and pancake day which means we spend half of the morning making, packing and selling. The class love getting involved with this, it really gives them some responsibility and strengthens their sense of independence. And the pancakes taste so good... cinnamon and sugar... mmmmm. After we've taken the produce round the whole school we come back to class and set up a movie in the projector room. We're trying to do this every week now because it's a great way to teach the children about social interaction. This might sound strange, but most of the kids find it difficult  to understand emotions and what they mean. By showing them a film like Finding Nemo, you can tell them things like: "Look, now Nemo's father is sad because he can't find his son." or "They are scared because of that shark." Being able to understand emotions is an extremely important skill that they need to have when they leave school, especially if they're wanting to work.

In other news I am now sharing a room with Kathryn after being evicted from my own room (sob). Another prefect is moving into the hostel and needs a room with a shower, so I packed up all my things and moved for the third time - no, I'm not bitter. It's actually fine, sharing a room with Kathryn is good fun and this year I've had the privilege of sharing with both my partners! Zoe just got told yesterday that she's going to have to move rooms as well, so she's packing up today.

On Monday I'll be back in Juniors, so I'm expecting a week full of running and action. I'm ready!

Juniors, Seniors and Lifeskills

Last week was the first time I've managed to work in all three classes over the course of five days... A new record! There was a lot of movement between Zoe, Kathryn and myself this week because the Junior's class teacher was away, so we all switched between the three classes until Friday. 

For Monday and Tuesday I was working in the Senior class. During those two days I took one of the boys to inclusion science, history and music which he always enjoys a lot. He always travels to inclusion with a motorised wheelchair that he can control using a little joystick and on Tuesday the chair gave us all quite a fright! During history the joystick snagged on the armrest and he went zooming forward into the classroom wall, taking the desk with him. After we realised that he was laughing - not crying - everyone fell into hysterics as well. Never mess with a motorised chair, those things have power...

On Wednesday and Thursday I was working in Lifeskills. Both days consisted of a lot of counting, days of the week and months of the year and all the children are really coming along with them! 

On Friday I was in Juniors but had a half day with no aftercare because I was invited to join the Grade 10s on their geography field trip to the Mokopane Caves. After mentioning that I would be studying geography next year to one of the teachers, she insisted that I should join them - yay! It was a very interesting trip, the caves were all limestone and we had the opportunity to go inside the caves and look at some fossils, including the ancient jawbone of a sabre-toothed tiger.

On Saturday the school held another netball and football tournament meaning that we had to set up the food stall again. This time we only sold drinks and sausage rolls but it all sold fast and it was a fun morning - hopefully we raised a good amount of money for the Enrichment Centre! 

It's definitely starting to get colder now, on Saturday morning I was wearing six layers... So bring jumpers with you when you come to visit Haas family, only four weeks to go!!!

Fossilised hip bone

Nothing too exciting happened during the last week, work went on as normal in the Juniors and by Friday everyone was exhausted! It was one of the boy's birthdays on Friday so we celebrated by eating cupcakes and crisps and then dressing up. I decided to go for the bow-tie and builder hat look while other people rocked afro wigs and sparkly moustaches. It's always so much fun having a party in the Junior class because the children enjoy it so much - they especially enjoy seeing grownups dress up in silly clothes.

During our cooking period this week we made Caesar Salad (complete with yummy homemade croutons and chicken)! We're teaching the children about the different food groups at the moment so we decided to cook healthy food this week. I was with the Juniors Thursday and Friday of last week and they made unhealthy food (doughnuts with chocolate). I'm so glad I was there because they were delicious...

While we were finishing off the salad one of the autistic boys made a run for the door and actually managed to get outside the Enrichment Centre compound because someone had left the gate open. We all got quite a fright but managed to catch him just before he entered the Junior Phase of the school... This is a perfect of example of why they have been given the nickname 'runners'!

As the weather is getting cooler everyone is getting ill - I don't think I've ever wiped so much snot away in one week. At the moment the temperature is perfect during the day, it's not too hot and not too cold but in the mornings you find yourself having to put on an extra three layers. The swimming pool at the hostel is definitely being used less, apart from the occasional boarder who's had enough of studying and wants to throw themselves into cold water.

Yesterday however, quite a few of the boarders wanted to go swimming in the afternoon because it was 28 degrees and we went paint balling for our hostel outing. We all left Mitchell House in the morning and arrived at Predator Paintball about half an hour later. After setting up the braai area we collected our gear and had three - very intense - games of paintball. The first game was in a small field full of tires and huge water barrels and we each got 20 "bullets" to use. The second game was in a much more difficult environment with long grass, towers and bunkers and this is where Kathryn, Zoe and I got shot the most... Kathryn was ambushed by the hostel master while she was hiding out in a bunker and got shot in the back, leg and head, Zoe got shot on the elbow, leg and back and I was shot on the bum. I don't know if any of you have been paint balling but getting hit is painful. 

In the final game however, we managed to get our attackers back - starting with the hostel master who I shot multiple times while lying ready behind some bushes... At one point one of the hostel boys made a run for Zoe and myself while firing madly, but he soon turned around again after Kathryn popped up from a nearby bush. Don't mess with the gaps!

We finished off the paint balling with a braai and then drove back to the hostel bruised and sore. It was a great day and I think it was the kid's favourite hostel outing yet. It was lovely to see that they enjoyed themselves.

Hostel Team

First field in action

Last field

War wounds

Zoe's elbow shot, owow!

An African Week

I spent the first three days of this week working in Lifeskills, but then on Thursday I had to move down to the Junior class because one of the classroom assistants was away for her children's graduation ceremony.

On Monday we were honored by the visit of Debbie, a woman who has suffered from cerebral palsy her whole life but refused to let it get in the way. The Enrichment Centre asked for her to come and speak at assembly to give the college a better idea of the disease. She gave an extremely moving speech informing us about her early life, how the doctors told her she would never walk, talk or live independently. Debbie is now doing all three and also has two diplomas in Computer Studies and Business Administration - a huge inspiration not only to the children of the Enrichment Centre, but anyone who happens to meet her!

During my time in Lifeskills this week we visited the library to get some books on gardening. Hopefully the books will help the children understand the processes involved with growing vegetables, like planting the seed, watering etc. We also had our pancake sale in the playground on Wednesday, so we spent the morning making cinnamon pancakes and then set up our stall in the Junior Phase playground and sold them in the afternoon. After all the pancakes were sold we walked back to class to count the money. I think we made about R230 - about fifteen pounds, which goes a long way here.

In Juniors this week it was very hectic because it was one of the girl's birthdays, we had to set up for the staff function on Friday and prepare all the children's mother's day gifts for them to take home. By the time Friday arrived we were all pretty exhausted - Thursday and Friday turned into 14 hour working days trying to get things ready for the staff function.

Zoe, Kathryn and I were in charge of the function setting for the Enrichment Centre, so we turned a corner of it into a kraal - a traditional African cow keep. We outlined the perimeter with roughly cut branches and spent Thursday and Friday evening painting life-sized cows that we stuck on the wall. All the effort was worth it because everyone seemed to love the layout.

The function was African themed and all the Phases around the school (Junior, Intermediate, College, Admin and the Enrichment Centre) had to prepare one course of a meal. The Enrichment Centre were in charge of the starter so we made some soup and bread which went down very well. The setting of the function was quite fun because everyone had to walk round the school to the different phases for each course. We started in the Junior phases for cocktails, then walked over to the Enrichment Centre for starters, College for main, Admin for pudding and finally Intermediate for coffee and tea. Because the evening was African themed it meant that we all had to dress up in traditional African clothing - we definitely can't pull it off as well as they can... but we tried!

On Monday I start another five days in Juniors, it will hopefully be a little calmer than last week!

Our floating cows

Action shot

Kathryn looking fabulously African

The cow herders

Zoe serving soup

Two in One

Junior Week

As you know, last week the internet wasn't working properly so I decided to wait and see if it would sort itself out. It turns out it hasn't, so I'm just going to write a post without pictures this week. Hopefully in the near future I'll be able to share some images with you all.

The week before last I was in Juniors and it was very enjoyable. On Thursday - the day we do art - we decided to take the children round the Enrichment Centre garden and collect various flowers and leaves  that they could then stick onto a painted tree. The outcome was beautiful and is now stuck up on the classroom wall! On the Friday - our assigned cookery day - we all made chicken burgers which tasted amazing... The only problem was that this was at 9am so most of the children didn't want to eat their lunches afterwards (I can't blame them). 

On the Saturday there was another sports festival, but this time it was for the Junior Phase of the Mainstream school. The Enrichment Centre held a food stall at the event so Zoe, Kathryn and myself went along to help. We assisted in the kitchen by frying chips and battering corn dogs (very American). The corn dogs actually tasted quite good even if they didn't seem particularly appealing... But everything sold extremely fast and I think we made about £300 from the event which is fantastic!

In other exciting news from a fortnight ago, we got boards put up above out doors - yay! Up until that point there was a massive gap above each room's door, which meant it was quite noisy and the hall light could shine in. Talking about rooms also reminds me that I now have a confirmed place at Queen Margaret's Halls in Glasgow - so I think I'm all set for September!

Senior Week

Last week was quite a strange one because it only lasted three days. We had a Monday holiday at the beginning of the week and then Friday was another holiday, all the children were a bit confused when we started telling them on Thursday that it was the end of the week. Some even threatened to come in on Friday. Autistic children usually find it very difficult when their routine is disrupted in some way, so we assured them all that next week would be back to normal.

It was an emotional Tuesday because one of the boys in the Senior class had his first big trip away from home. When he arrived at school all the kids in the Senior class walked him to the bus and waved goodbye. It may not seem like much going away for only one night, but when you're handicapped with cerebral palsy it's a huge achievement - we're so proud!

During our cooking class on Thursday we made omelettes - I am now equipped with a mean set of omelette making skills... The same thing happened with the children's lunches but we all agreed that it was worth it.

Over the weekend our volunteer friends from a nearby town called Matox paid us a visit. They brought a boy from their class with them because it was his birthday and they wanted to treat him. We took him to see the new Fast and Furious film (testosterone overload) and then went swimming in the school pool. Both of these experiences were completely new to him as he'd never been to a cinema or a swimming pool before. I think it really reminded us how lucky we are to have access to such things. He was almost in tears!

Overall it's been a great couple of weeks, and not just because of the two long weekends! Sorry about the black and white appearance of this post, hopefully by next week I'll be able to post pictures again. I would also like to quickly congratulate my cousins, uncle and my dad for taking part in a half marathon this weekend. I haven't heard from them yet so I hope they've survived. Super proud of you all - wish I could have been there as well!

Winter's Coming

The title for this post was influenced a little bit by my love for Game of Thrones, which will be starting again soon(!)... But of course it's also because over the last week that I've been working in Lifeskills you can definitely tell that Autumn is coming to an end. For a full three days now we've had overcast and heavy rain and I've found myself putting on socks which my feet have grown very unaccustomed to. At night the temperature drops significantly - Zoe, Kathryn and myself wander about the hostel in two jumpers, a blanket and slippers. It's probably still the same temperature as a Scottish summer, but the sudden change is enough for us to reach for a hot water bottle.

The first week back from the holidays is always a hectic one, the children have to settle back into routine and get used to the structure of school again. This week however, was made a little bit more challenging due to the fact that I was on crutches. Towards the end of the holidays I thought it would be a good idea to kick a basketball with no shoes on and this resulted in the swelling up of a ligament in my foot (go me). I was given anti-inflammatories by the doctor and told to keep weight off it for a few days which meant that I had to use some crutches that the Enrichment Centre kindly provided... Now that the swelling's gone down and it's not sore anymore I've ditched the sticks. It has given me a new respect for the children in the Enrichment Centre who have to use crutches - having to use them is extremely annoying.

One of our new projects in the Lifeskills class is building a vegetable garden. Each child will hopefully have their own patch of soil where they can grow herbs and vegetables that they can then sell to teachers or the kitchen of Mitchell House. By doing this the kids will get an idea of how business works, hopefully giving them a skill set that will help them in later years. I also think that the garden will look beautiful when it's finished and will provide the children with some responsibility which is so important for them - having disabilities often means that they rely on other people a lot for things, so being able to give them this as their own project is fantastic.

On Saturday morning Mitchell House hosted a big sporting event, schools from all over Polokwane came and played football, hockey, cricket and netball. I was put in charge of score keeping for the netball matches - I was given my own desk and everything... It was a lot of fun and the all the teams played very well.

On Monday I'm back in Juniors and I'm very much looking forward to seeing all of them again but it's going to be a tiring week!

Catching up with some sketching - finally!

Kruger Park

Sorry for the late post everyone, it took a while to write up. :-)

Days 1 & 2

Arriving at the Kruger Park Safari was very exciting. It's the first time since I've arrived in South Africa that I travelled alone, so it was also a bit nerve-wracking..

The group individuals got picked up in Joburg and Pretoria on Saturday morning. I stayed the night at this lovely guesthouse, that recently had a new building added and contained a ping pong and pool table as well as the stuffed corpses of various wild animals - including half a full grow giraffe.

I was picked up from the guesthouse at 6.10am and met the other eight travellers that would be joining me on the safari adventure. Two of the eight were from Sweden, another two from Germany and the final pair were a mother and her ten year old son, Tom, from Sheffield. It was a long drive to the campsite but when we arrived it turned out to be beautiful. We shared a tent with another person - I shared mine with a lovely German girl called Loreen, who I became good friends with over the four days.

Early, cold start!

On both days we had to wake up at 4.30am in order to get the best, full day of safari as possible. The first day was great, we managed to see elephants, giraffes and different kinds of buck and birds. Our guide was called Loyd and was fantastic, he's been guiding in Kruger for almost 20 years and knew so much about the animals.

We finished our first tour of Kruger at 1pm and then went back to camp to prepare for our night drive. At 4pm we set off to a private game reserve in our safari truck - open on all sides which meant it got a bit chilly in the evenings and mornings. Luckily, we were provided with blankets that kept us nice and warm.

Sunset

When we arrived at the game reserve it was already getting darker, it's amazing how fast the sun sets over here! Loyd confessed that there was a bit of trouble with the starter motor of the truck, so every time we wanted to move he had to get out and push, then quickly jump in before we rolled away into the bushes... Before the sun went down we drove through the bush for a bit, managing to find a male white rhino drinking at a waterhole and a few giraffes. Then we quickly made our way to a clearing where we could all watch the sun set while having a glass of wine and some biscuits... talk about luxury.

Sunset

When the biscuits were finished (mostly my doing) we set of in the truck again, but this time it was pitch black and all we had to spot the animals was a very strong torch that Loyd would move around with one hand while steering with the other. The trick for spotting the animals was looking out for the eyes glinting whenever the torch shone on them. Apparently animals have a layer in their eyes that reflects light instead of absorbing it like human eyes do. This made them easier to spot but was also quite creepy, like something out of a horror movie. As we were driving along later on, Loyd suddenly stopped the truck, jumped out and ran into the bushes, taking the torch with him. We were all left in the truck arguing over who'd drive us back if he got eaten. He returned quickly and showed us what had caught his attention - a tiny little chameleon. We have absolutely no idea how he managed to see it, it was dark and the chameleon was sitting on a bush about 30m away from the road... But from then on we called Loyd 'The Eagle' due to his astounding eye sight.

Further along the road we almost bumped into two buffalo - the only animal out of the big five (lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino) that attacks without warning. I think it was more surprised than angry to see us coming out of the darkness, so we passed by unscathed. When we arrived back at camp we sat down together around the camp fire and ate 'bunny chow', which I first tried in Durban. It's half a loaf of bread hollowed out and filled with beef stew. Traditionally it was bunny meat and the chef told us that the bread is used as a bowl because people were too poor to afford a real one - I personally think it's much cooler and more practical... no dishes.

Bunny Chow

Camping in Africa is amazing. During the day it's beautiful but at nighttime so many different animals come out. While we were chatting we could hear lions roaring in the distance. We hoped to see them tomorrow because they were one of the big five that we hadn't seen yet.

Day 3

Another early start but this time we mentally prepared for a long, exciting day. We'd be touring Kruger in our truck all day - from 6am to 6pm so a solid 12 hours of insane wildlife. The day couldn't have gone better and even Loyd said he couldn't believe our luck, I will begin to explain why..

The weather was cooler that day so the animals were very jumpy, they had more energy because it wasn't as hot. The first evidence of this was when we passed a large female giraffe babysitting four calves, the calves were all chasing each other and bouncing about the place - apparently unusual behaviour for such docile animals.

Just before lunchtime when we were heading to the picnic spot, The Eagle spotted a herd of elephants heading for the road. It soon became quite obvious that the herd was massive, a total of about 50 elephants, including some little babies. About five minutes later they all crossed the road right in front of us - it was amazing being so close to wild elephants, even Loyd was astounded. We then realised that the herd  could be heading to the water hole just below the picnic area, so we zoomed off to have a look. Sure enough the elephants had all made their way to the water, where the babies were splashing about and the adults were drinking. We watched the action while eating bacon and eggs from the picnic viewpoint, still having to pinch ourselves that we'd been so lucky with timing!

Brunch with the elephants

Soon afterwards the elephants plodded off and we got back in the truck in search of more action. We'd been driving for only half an hour when we witnessed the coolest thing of the whole trip - a lion kill. We silently watched from the road as a small group of male lions stalked an unaware buffalo and then attacked it, bringing it down with a bite to the neck. The meat attracted a lot of other predators like vultures and hyenas that were waiting for the lions to move away so they could steal some scraps. We were all really happy because we'd finally seen a lion, not only that but during feeding time - also a very rare sight Loyd informed us.

We drove around the park for the rest of the day looking out for more animals and there was a very funny moment when we spotted a male giraffe eating leaves from the top of a tree near the road. Whenever we moved into a position where we could see him, he'd rotate around the tree so that he was hidden. Well, he thought so but his head still stuck above the branches...

We spent the final night back at camp huddled next to the fire, under the stars while eating our pasta. It's amazing how quickly you become friends with people when you travel, it's also very useful because I now have contacts in Sweden, Amsterdam, Germany and Sheffield... The Swedish pair told us that in Winter they have BBQs on the ice, cut a hole in the ice big enough to jump into and go for a dip - then quickly recover by jumping into a hot tub. Everyone also tried exchanging language tips which was a lot of fun. Something about Swedish means that they find it difficult to pronounce the 'J' sound, it just sounds like 'Y' so we kept giving them sentences like 'yolk is no joke' but it would just come out as 'yolk is no yoke'. This provided us with much hilarity.

Loyd then asked if anyone played guitar so I said yes and then strummed and sang a little bit for everyone. By that time  one of the Swedes had taken advantage of the free wine and was already very drunk, claiming with each note that he "KNOW DIS WAN!". It was very, very funny. At midnight we finally headed off to our tents, preparing ourselves for another early start and a long drive back to Joburg!

Blyde River Canyon (3rd biggest in the World). Stopped at a viewpoint on the drive back to Joburg.

Easter Holidays

Last week was our final week before the holidays started. This meant that there was no inclusion and very little work, so instead of busying ourselves so books, the Senior class kept up with the cricket World Cup. Before last week I didn't realise how long a cricket match could last... The South Africa vs New Zealand match started at 2am and finished at 12pm - sadly we lost.

On Wednesday the school media department held a 'mystery afternoon' and all the children had to dress up as detectives. One boy didn't quite catch on to the theme of the afternoon and refused to wear anything but a clown suit, but he added a bit of oomf to our group to we decided to let it slide. When we arrived at the event we had mugshots taken with the kids and bought some cupcakes decorated with things like question marks and magnifying glasses.

The lighthearted mood of Wednesday was brought down a bit on Thursday when we had the memorial service for the girl we lost over Christmas. The teachers said a few very touching words and then we planted a tree in the garden - whenever a child in the Enrichement Centre dies the staff plant a tree to remember them by, I think it also helps the other children understand what's happened. After we all shovelled some soil onto the tree's roots, one of the classroom assistants started to sing a traditional South African mourning song. It was absolutely beautiful and soon all the assistants were singing together, I think that's when Kathryn, Zoe and myself let the lumps in our throats get the better of us!

Friday was a very unusual day with very little structure, we watched a movie in the morning and then attended the final assembly. During the assembly Zoe and I were sitting with one of the girls from the Senior class, who's known for her sense of humour even though she can't speak. She also has very delayed reactions so when the school had to give a 'hip hip hurray!' for a child receiving a prize, this girl only did the 'hurray' part after the whole thing was done. The hall finished and then from the back all you could hear was "AY.... AY.... AY". Zoe and I could barely contain ourselves.

After the assembly everyone went home, including the hostel kids. It was actually quite sad watching them go because the hostel is so quiet without them! As for plans for this holiday we haven't got round to anything apart from day trips. We're debating Kruger National Park but will have to find a mode of transport in order to get there... As for next Sunday, don't expect a post - I think the next week will be pretty uneventful but if anything exciting happens, I'll let you all know.

Happy holidays!

Mitchell House Anniversary

As usual, the week in Juniors has completely drained me - I managed to make it through the last few days with only a small scratch on my left hand! But of course it was lots of fun being with the little ones again and having an excuse to play 'evil fish' at break time. 'Evil fish' is a game that we invented last week - I found a toy plastic fish in the water tray and started chasing the boys with it while making very realistic sound effects (blubblubblub). It soon developed into this massive war between most of the children in the Junior class and my plastic fish. I gave up after they sussed out that the fish was actually under my control and started coming after me instead of the toy, but I managed to convince them that the evil fish had me under a spell. So - a very exhausting week but lots of fun.

The big event of the last few days was on Friday, when Mitchell House celebrated its 21st anniversary. The school paid for a company to come and set up a water park on the sports fields, that we took all the children to in the morning. There were a variety of inflatable slides and obstacle courses covered in soapy water so we all had a great time and came back to class rather wet. After the water park the whole school met up outside the Admin Block and buried a time capsule which will be dug up again in 20 years! Kathryn, Zoe and I might have to make a special return visit for the occasion... That evening a few speeches were given in the school Theatre by the current headmaster and the first headmaster of Mitchell House, followed by a ceremonial cake cutting. Once the cake was cut everybody collected a helium filled balloon from outside the Theatre and made their way onto the sports field, where we did one lap and then let off all the balloons together. People then brought out picnic rugs and sat down to watch the sunset while having some dinner - such a great day!

In other news: plans for my family's visit have now been made, we'll be travelling through Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe for two weeks in a tour truck, all the while taking part in various exciting activities. I can't wait! Only two and a half months to go...

Having fun at the picnic

Getting ready for the cake cutting

Goodbye balloons!

Busy Body

The last week in Lifeskills was the same as usual - learning the days of the weeks, months of the year and numbers. In between the work we managed to find time to teach the children new skills, like how to cook a very delicious chicken dish that I'm going to steal and use back home... We taught them how to fry and seal the chicken pieces and then put them in the oven, they all really seemed to like the finished result!

We've also started working on the end of year Christmas performance. It might seem extremely early but the more time these kids have to practice, the better. As you can imagine it takes them longer to learn dance moves so by starting now, they'll be perfect! It's a shame that we're not going to be here to see the finished result, but I'm sure next year's gaps will do a great job of rounding it up. 

One of the songs is from a film in which Whoopi Goldberg plays a teacher (I think). The song is from a scene where all the children are singing a gospel song in the playground. I - for some odd reason - was put in charge of the dance moves for this particular track, I spent most of the afternoon standing in front of the class going through each move slowly until they got it. I'm proud to think that in December the children will be showing off my sidesteps.

On Thursday we had an excursion to a small waterpark, that turned out to be empty apart from us! We laid out the picnic rugs and had some lunch, followed by some spinning time on the roundabout - a couple of kids had to lie down after that, I think they spun themselves a bit too fast. When recovery time was over we helped the children get changed and took them into the pool. The water was freezing and it was hilarious watching some of the expressions as they got in, especially the non verbal children - they're faces said more than words could, twisting in confused horror at the temperature of the water. Once they got used to the cold they started to enjoy themselves, some even attempting the small flume! It was a great day and lovely to get the kids out of the school environment to experience something new.

I've started taking an extra homework class for the Grade 7s (S2) after work on Wednesdays which I'm enjoying so far. They all behaved very well last week so I bought some sweets to bring in this Wednesday. It's a catch up class for children in the Mainstream school who haven't handed in homework more than five times in a row, so you get a few trouble makers. But I find that positive reinforcement (e.g sweets) seems to work better than negative, it gives them a goal to work towards... Finished homework doesn't seem to be much of a priority for them, but if they learn that when they do finish their homework they're rewarded, something might click. I hope!

This weekend's been very relaxed, I'm reading a terrifying thriller at the moment called Dead Man Walking and I've had to sleep with the bathroom light on for the past few nights. I did my laundry this morning but apart from that nothing much happens at the weekend, which is nice because the week's so hectic.

Birthday Week!

This week I was working with the Senior class, meaning that I got to celebrate my birthday with my 'day twin' - the little boy with cerebral palsy. We've both been looking forward to celebrating the day together for months so when Tuesday finally arrived it was very exciting... We turned out to have two separate parties, one for my day twin on Tuesday and another one on Friday for me - I don't think I've ever eaten so much cake in the space of one week.

As I've mentioned before, this boy is a little obsessed with mermaids. When I opened the birthday parcel that my family sent me, I found lots of mermaid themed items including some napkins, rice paper and a cake topper. I presented him with these things the next day and he nearly collapsed, he wouldn't stop stroking the hair of the plastic Ariel cake topper and carried it around in his blazer pocket for the rest of the week.

The children were also involved in a Lego Workshop this week. Some students from Joburg who are studying engineering travelled up to Polokwane for the week and taught individual year groups about mechanics. All the students were staying with us in the hostel and it was great to have some more company! I went for a run with one of the ladies, Shaz, on Thursday evening and it was great to have a human running partner again - sorry Plato... After we arrived back I got involved in a very competitive game of table tennis with the boys, it reminded me of our France holidays with all the cousins (also very competitive). Now that they've gone I'm going round the hostel asking of anyone wants a game but no one is quite as serious about it as the engineering students, they couldn't handle the fact that they were getting beaten by a girl (I joke).

Yesterday we travelled out of Polokwane to see the Sunland Baobab tree that has a bar built within the trunk! The tree itself is 6,000 years old and the hollow trunk can fit fifteen people inside it. The tree was so big that when Kathryn and I climbed one of the branches, it was like we were scrambling up a bumpy road. After having some lunch we drove on to a crocodile ranch which is the equivalent to a fish farm in the UK - they breed crocodiles for their meat and skin. Some people might not agree with the idea, but it doesn't reduce the species numbers and it was actually very interesting... We decided to buy some crocodile meat and cook it later. Jenny invited us over to her parents' house that evening to cook the meat and we flavoured it with mango, chutney and rosemary. Thirty minutes later it was ready and we sat down to eat it with some potatoes and rice - it was delicious! A sort of mix between fish and chicken.

Next week I'm in Lifeskills and we'll probably be doing the usual stuff. I have to start looking into things to do during the upcoming Easter holiday, it's only three weeks away. How the time has flown.

Birthday dinner with the girlies 

Sunland Baobab

Baobab Bar

The climbing branch

Picnic area

dinner (don't worry, it wasn't the one I was holding)

Prepping the meat

oven time!

finished result - yumyumyum

Junior Inclusion

I was back in the Juniors this week so it was another busy few days. Since Christmas we've increased the amount of inclusion that the EC children take part in, so for a large part of this week I was accompanying one of the Junior boys to inclusion maths with Grade 3 - which was great because we all know maths is one of the subjects I excel in.

Despite my sarcasm it was actually quite enjoyable. But because this boy is autistic he finds it difficult to concentrate for long periods of time. A two hour maths inclusion is very challenging for him, so we usually ended up leaving when he started to lose concentration because after that point he wouldn't be taking anything else in. The last day we went one of the other boys in the Grade 3 class brought in Stuart, his pet chameleon which was very exciting. The boy from the Junior class was convinced it was a dragon, "like the one from Harry Potter."

On Friday, the Junior and Senior classes both went out into the Enrichment Centre garden and picked up fallen Marulas from the ground to give to the Lifeskills class. Lifeskills are now taking on the challenge of making Marula jam, so I'll probably be helping with that in a couple of weeks! It was difficult trying to get the fruit in the baskets without them getting eaten, but eventually we filled about four containers - they're going to have a lot of peeling to do.

On Saturday Kathryn and I surprised  a little girl from Aftercare by visiting her during her birthday party in Spur (a restaurant). Earlier that week at Aftercare she mentioned that she was having a party there and how cool it would be if we could come, so we decided to pay a surprise visit. We bought her a little necklace and played with the kids a little bit in the soft play area - no, I can't believe I'm almost 19 either... She seemed to love it though and told us that she's going to wear the necklace all of next week.

In other news I wrote up a new half marathon training schedule because I'm planning to run another one in May. Hopefully I'll be able to raise some money for the EC medical funds! Some family back home are running the Tiree half marathon on the same day, so good luck - we'll compare times if I make it to the end alive...

Next week I'm back in Seniors, a breather after being in Juniors for a week. Unfortunately I didn't get round to taking any pictures over the last few days but I saw this and found it amusing.

Long Weekend

Sorry for the unusual Monday post, but the internet was down when I arrived back yesterday so I had to postpone the publishing until today. As I mentioned last time, I decided to do something special to celebrate the half way point of my year. But before I share that I'd like to tell you a bit about my weekend in Durban with 50 sixth year Gillespie's students and my very lovely aunt.

Instead of catching the bus to and from Durban I caught a flight - it was seven hours quicker and ended up costing about the same amount of money! Somehow everything went incredibly smoothly and I arrived at the hotel bang on my estimated time... Very unusual, especially in South Africa. Then I went to reception and asked for my room key which was on the 11th floor, one floor beneath Ann who'd asked them to inform her of my arrival. I went upstairs (lots of them) to my room and dumped my bag on the bed - after travelling for almost a month you learn how to travel light. Once I'd eaten the welcome chocolate on my pillow (priorities), I headed upstairs to see Ann. She opened the door and we shared a good, long hug and then proceeded to talk for the next couple of hours.

While I was there we went out to a township called Umbazi and played football with the local school children, we went out for dinner and lunch at really nice restaurants and just had chill time in the hotel. The Gillespie's kids were so welcoming and I managed to make some good friends in the couple of days I stayed with them. A lot of them are considering gap years when they leave, so it was great that I was able to offer them some advice like: "don't worry, it's not as scary as you think it's going to be."

It was very nice spending some time with British people - I missed the Scottish banter a lot. Thanks Ann for the great weekend away, I really enjoyed my time in Durban! The next crowd from home that will be visiting are the one and only Haas Family in June, so I'd better prepare myself.

Finally, as a celebration for surviving six months, I decided to create a video showing my journey right from the start. The link is below so I hope you enjoy!

Six Months In

Football match in the township

View from my bedroom!

Having a dance with some lunch

A Good Week

This week in the Senior class the children took part in a lot of inclusion - this is when the more mentally able take part in some of the mainstream classes. For a couple of days I wheeled one of the little boys over to Natural Science, Music and History which was really enjoyable! I sat next to him in class helping him with work and taking down notes on his performance, I even learnt a few things myself... What touched me the most about those inclusion periods was how thoughtful all of the mainstream kids were towards this little boy. They'd constantly offer to carry his crutches, push his chair, get him water, offer him sweets and at break he played a very slow game of tag. It was so lovely to watch him being included - okay, all the other children would walk instead of run so that he could catch them, but you could tell he was loving it.

This little boy also shares the same birthday as me so I'm planning on making him a mermaid tail. It might seem like a strange thing for a nine year old boy to want... but mermaids are his favourite thing, ever. I told him that all mermaids receive their 'grown-up' tail on their tenth birthday - to which he squeeled with delight and asked if that meant he could "now swim to Atlantis".

On Thursday are Project Trust desk officer, Peter, came to visit us at our project to see how we're getting on. He spent an hour interviewing each of us, asking us questions about everything - homesickness, safety, work. It was very enjoyable to talk about the project in-depth. That evening he took us out for dinner (the best part of the day) at a place called Mike's Kitchen where they do fantastic burgers. I ordered a Mexican burger with chips and then a slice of cheesecake for dessert - it was all paid for by Peter so we took advantage...

Yesterday we went on a hostel outing to the Heinertsberg Berry Festival. Part of the outing was blueberry picking and we each got given a small punnet to fill - the blueberries tasted amazing so it was hard to resist popping a couple into your mouth instead of the punnet. Then we went to visit the market that sold little hand-made crafts and food. I bought a chocolate brownie which was delicious but not on par with yours, Mum! After about an hour of looking around and trying some free samples, we got the bus back to the hostel and had a Braai. It was definitely a Saturday well spent, it was nice to get out of the Mitchell House grounds for a bit.

Next weekend is a long one because it's the Mid Term break. I'm going to be travelling down to Durban by myself to meet up with my auntie Ann - the first family member I will have seen since arrival! Next Sunday's blog post is going to be a special one to celebrate the six month mark, we're half way there already and the time has flown.

Zoe getting in the berry-picking zone

#1 berry picking team

Mmmmm yum

The Market

Hostel Braai

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