Africa - My last weeks continued....next up - Hout Bay & Guguletu Townships

Ok so one of the best things I did on my entire trip was meet a guy who goes by the name Ginger.  An amazing man if you ask me, Rasta, and a musician, but the thing I was grateful to him most for was being willing to take me around other townships to show me how the people REALLY LIVE.  During the world cup he told me there was a lot that South Africa was doing to try and "clean up" the streets for the tourists, but that was not how things "really" were.  It was such a blessing to meet him and see the true lifestyle for many South Africans.  The experience was priceless really and I could not have gotten it any other way than by knowing this local man.  Ginger became a very special person to me and I will always remember him for his amazing spirit! Thank you Ginger! ~es 

This is Ginger's son and niece. In Guguletu.  So adorable! 

More of his family.  The kids having fun with the camera! 

This is his sister Grace.  Such a sweet person.  This is also her newborn baby and the most common way you will find women in Africa carrying their babies.  It seems to work great!! 

The kids playing around again! 

This is Ginger and his son Nikelo; so cute!

This is an overview of the Hout Bay township.  You can see all of the shacks are set on the hillside.  An amazing thing to be in front of.  

Look closely and you will see someone looking back at me.  I had to take this shot! 

Just some women enjoying the beautiful weather that day.  

Amazing how they are able to get electricity to some of the homes, yet so dangerous.  

Another view of the shacks. 

A daily thing eaten by many of the locals.  What we call a BBQ in America they call a Brai  and they grill many kinds of meats.  I think those who do not have much money Brai these.  Not the most appealing thing to eat.  

These two boys saw me from way up the hill with my camera and could not wait to get their photo taken.

Some teenage kids just spending their day out in the sun.  Life is very simple here.

Africa - My last weeks continued....next up - Devotion Day!

So as many of you know I spent my time in Africa working at a primary school teaching art.  I did however have several days off each week where I got to go to a childcare center and spend time with pre-school age children. I fell in love with so many of these youngsters.  Every Friday they would have what they called Devotion Day where all the classes got together and spent the day singing praises to God.  What a beautiful thing to see.  I got really close to many of these kids and still wish I could bring them home to stay with me.  Here are some highlights...~es

Here the kids sat and listened so intently to wait for the next song they would be singing.  

This little girl is so cute and sweet, Makayla.  

The girl on the right is so adorable and SUPER TINY!! I taught her sister at the primary school and they are both so small and cute.  Just want to pick them up and hug and love them all day.  Taryn is her name.  

This is Nicole. So sweet and SO photogenic.  She is gorgeous!  She is also in the picture above, but I am reposting this one because it is the one that won the competition I entered.  I'll post another of her now, just so you can see how cute and awesome she really is!

See!!! SO CUTE!! LOVE HER!!

Africa - My last weeks Continued.....next up - Table Mountain

Ok, so here are another post from my final weeks in Africa.  I got to see one of South Africa's most famous landmarks which is called Table Mountain.  You can hike or ride a cable car to the top and see the entire cape from the top.  It is absolutely breathtaking.  A few other volunteers and I got to take one of the workers from the organization we went through for her birthday.  Her name is Rudo and she came to South Africa from Zimbabwe.  She had never been to Table Mountain before and we couldn't think of a better person to bring with us!! We had so much fun that day!! Here are some of the photos. ~es

This is the ride up the cable car to the top of the mountain.  

The beautiful Rudo wanted a photo at every possible place on her special day!! She stood out from among all the others in her pretty pink dress.  I love Rudo! 

One breathtaking view.  

Another....

So there is this flower in Africa that is everywhere and guess what its name is?  You guessed it, Erica! 

Walking on the pathways around the top of the mountain I almost stepped on this lizard.  Yikes! 

One of the many species of pretty flowers on the top of the mountain. 

One more breathtaking view of the sea below the mountain.  So gorgeous! 

Africa - My last weeks

Hi Everyone, so I have been a little behind on posting updates so I am combining the last half of my trip into one post.  I will say that the last few weeks of my trip undeniably had the MOST impact on me. Just to name a few of the things that happened I will say this: (1) I was taken on a tour of the township I worked in by a local and was nearly robbed by gang members. (2) I got to spend a day helping out at a maternity hospital with women who have HIV and are pregnant or have just given birth. (3) Got to see some of South Africa's most famous landmarks. (4) Got to meet one of the most amazing people I have ever met and he was able to take me around several other townships in Cape Town so I could truly capture the essence of their way of life. (5) I participated in and WON a photo contest with the volunteer group I went through!.....the list could go on and on!! Although I have been home for nearly a month now it seems I still wish I was there.  Don't get me wrong now, there are things about America that I will never want to give up, but the people in South Africa have really made such a big impression on my heart.  I got a wake up call in my last weeks of just how lucky we are in countries like the United States, but I also was able to learn so much about life from the people of South Africa.  I will never forget the friendships that I have made and the influence these people have had on me and my life.  What a blessing it has been to me to know and serve them.  They have taught me that adversity does not determine your happiness in life but that your reaction to it does!! We all have struggles and trials that we face in this life, but we also must remember how much good is in our lives and how grateful we must be to have the things that we already have!! I will always love Africa for teaching me to be more grateful.

This is deep into the township where non locals do not normally go.  The shacks in this part do not have toilets or water.  Often there is a portable toilet chain linked in between 5 or 6 shacks.  

This was at the end of the tour AFTER we almost got robbed.  It is on a hill over looking the entire township.  

A typical road side in the township.  Houses/Shacks are made up of any materials that can be found/salvaged.  

This was a grandmother on one of the streets who asked me to take a photo of her and the children.  She is holding her newborn baby grandchild in the blanket.  This was the first photo taken of the baby.  

The girl in the photo, Rianna, is the local who grew up in the Capricorn township and offered to take me on a tour.  The men are her friends, possible gang members, but rivals of the gang who we were almost robbed by.  These are her childhood friends and they did warn and walk us to safety.  Rianna is no longer living in the township, but  she does work as a teacher aide at the primary school I worked with.  I love her! 

I am going to have to post the rest of the photos from the last coming weeks in another post!!! Too many for one entry! ~es

Africa - Week 3

The time seems to be flying by!! I can’t believe how fast the weeks have been going!! This week has been amazing; again! So many things happened this week that I could go on forever!! I am working at Capricorn Primary School teaching Art to Grades R through 5. In the states it would be Kindergarten to 5th grade. I see four to five classes three days a week. Each class has about 32 students and depending on the age we spend 30 minutes or one hour with each class. When I was preparing for my trip I purchased quite a few materials for the class as they have little to no budget for projects. I have learned how to make use of EVERYTHING!! I was thinking of projects to do with the kids and came up with animal masks to make from paper plates. The head teacher liked the idea so I did it!! It was so fun!! The kids loved the project!! Not all of them made animals, but they were very creative. It was so great to see the smiles on their faces when we were finished. I’m not much for having attention from a large crowd, but it was so cute because at the end of each class the head teacher would have all the children look at “teacher Erica” and say thank you to me for making this project possible for them. I felt embarrassed at first, but then I was so happy to be able to put a smile of the children’s faces if even for only a small period of time. Here are some photos from the project:

I also had the opportunity to meet a family in the township I am working in and see the living conditions inside their “shack”. I met an elderly lady named Rosy. People in the township call her “Aunty” Rosy. I was able to make dinner for her one night and went into the township and give it to her. She had told some of the nearby children and they had come over to have some food. I was later than they had expected, but once I arrived they all came over to try some “American Style Food”. I made a casserole of chicken, cheese, and broccoli!!! It tasted just like home and made me a little homesick I must admit. The living conditions are quite meager in the township and have really given me and opportunity to reflect on all of things I have in everyday life that are often taken for granted. Here is was a typical shack may look like. It is probably in total close to the size of one small bedroom in an average single story house in the states:

I have also had the opportunity to attend the church of my faith in Cape Town and have met an amazing family!! They are the Hawthorne’s; Tony, Michelle, and daughter Thalia. They have been so generous and kind to me in the short time I have gotten to know them. I am so grateful for them and I hope to remain in contact with them for a very long time. I actually spent the weekend with them and flew to Johannesburg to go the temple for my church in Africa!! This was one of the most exciting things I have done on my trip overall. My religion is one of the most important things to me and very close to my heart. I am so blessed to have been able to experience the things I have and to see the temple. For members of my faith Temples are very sacred and we try to attend them as often as we can to perform sacred ordinances. Back in the states I live a mere 8 miles from a temple and I can attend it at least one time every month, if not more. In Africa it is a very different circumstance. The country is close to being considered third world so majority of the residents here live in very humbling circumstances. There is also only two temple for the entire continent of Africa; one being in Johannesburg, South Africa. Many of the members of my faith do not have the resources to fly here or drive as often as I am afforded in the states. I met a man at church services one Sunday and he exclaimed to me how fortunate I was to live so close to a temple. I had asked him when the last time it was that he was able to attend the temple and he told me it was nearly 5 years ago. I was really humbled by this man. I indeed am blessed to live with the freedoms that I have in the United States and I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to go to the temple in Africa. Here are a few photos of the temple:

This has really been one of the best weeks~es

End of Week 2

It is the end of week two and I cannot believe how fast the time has flown by!!! This week has been a little more challenging as I have caught a cold and have been pretty sick.  Many of the locals that I have talked to have mentioned that due the weather many new people get sick.  The weather in Cape Town is quite erratic.  They say this is the place you can experience all four seasons in one day.  I have learned that to be true!! Yesterday was a beautiful and sunny day, and this morning it is cold, rainy, and overcast.  They do not have the medicines here I am used to unfortunately; I was really hoping for some Nyquil to help me sleep, but I managed to find some cough syrup and something similar to alk-seltzer that a pharmacy recommended and I am on the road to recovery!! Woohoo!! 

On the top of my favorite things this week is an experience I had with a boy in Grade 3 named Siya.  Here he is:

Before I get to the story I must tell you what I did not mention last week.  These children LOVE seeing straight and long hair.  It is so new and different to them. In class last week I was sitting at the girls table and the entire class someone had been playing with my hair.  Naturally I had assumed it was a little girl, but at the end of the class I turned around, and there was Siya!! It was so adorable.  

Onto this week's class.  The children were given a project which was to make drawings of people and then to cut out pieces of fabric to use for clothing.  Siya was drawing his person and as I was sitting next to him helping him he asked me of my name again and then tried to spell it on his own.  He spelled ARICA.  I told him that was close, but then showed him how to correctly spell it as ERICA.  He then continued to finish his drawing as I went about the rest of the class tending to him and other children.  At the end of the class he came to me and handed me his drawing.  Here is what he gave to me:

Needless to say I will be framing this when I get home!! He absolutely made my day.  I was so touched by this and gave him a big hug and let him know how thankful I was for him making it for me.  These children are so greatful for even the smallest of things.  It makes me really reflect on the things we have in life and how often we take them for granted.  All Siya seemed to need from me was some positive attention and affection.  Someone to let him know they were watching over him.  I will always remember this little boy.

I have also been able to form some good friendships with other volunteers since I have been here and was able to meet some other volunteers from the states.  Most of the volunteers seem to come from Austrailia, England, Canada.  The two I met had grown up together on the West Coast, one now living in Los Angeles, CA and the other in Harlem, New York.  There names are Tyson and Rebecca.  They were two of the most friendly people I could have come across on my trip and I am so fortunate to have met them.  They were only here for two weeks, but no doubt made a difference with some of the children, and with me.  It is so wonderful to meet other people from all over the world and all walks of life and come together for the same purpose to serve those in need of help.  I hope to remain in touch with them and maybe see them again somewhere in the world helping give of their time and many talents.  ~es

South Africa - Volunteering

For those who may not know I am currently in Cape Town, South Africa on a volunteer mission for the next six weeks.  I am working in the Capricorn Township just outside of Muizenberg.  The township is considered a "shack" town where the houses are made out of pallets, metal scrap, and pretty much whatever can be salvaged.  The township is full of waste with many of the people in the community having no desire to clean the streets up.  It is very common to throw things on the ground or street.  There is garbage everywhere you look.  In this particular township there are approximately 30,000 tenants.  Some have electricity and water, but not all of them do.  Many stray dogs roam the streets and many of the shacks also are comprised of gang members.  The township is not a safe place to be alone.  We must always be with at least one other person so that we can look out for each other. 

In my first week volunteering I have been able to work in two projects.  The first is the original project I signed up for which is an Arts Project.  I am working three days a week at a Primary School with children ages 5 to 13.  I get to spend a portion of each day doing art projects with each of the classes; and I love it. The children are very active and have such a need for some type of attention and/or affection. The second project I have had the opportunity to do is orphan care at another center about two blocks away and it has also been SO wonderful.   For those who know me, they know how much I love children.  This orphanage has about 220 children ages 2 to 5.  It has only been one week and I have already grown quite attached to many of them.  I wish I could take them home with me!!

One of the great things I have learned about these children is that they LOVE having their photo taken.  As a photographer that has been so wonderful.  These children often do not get a lot of love and affection and they are so greatful for so much as a hug or even just looking at the photo I have taken of them.  They are so greatful for even the smallest amount of attention you can give to them that I sometimes am overwhelmed with emotion that they have so little. 

I have also been able to visit some of the sights in South Africa and I am learning how beautiful this country is!! Sorry for such a long post, but I hope you enjoy some of these photos! ~es