Greetings one
last time from South Africa,
It is with great
pleasure that I write to you one last time from sunny South Africa. It is with
incredibly mixed emotions that I am leaving the country tomorrow night. This
experience has been eye opening, magical, challenging, rewarding, rich, full of
patience, and one that I will take with me for the rest of my life. The last
few weeks of work were truly spectacular with quality time at the school, over
two hundred children attending our programs during the start of the winter
holidays, and some great final memories with the kids.
A few weeks
before the school closed for the holidays, the grade sixes and sevens went to
Durban for a wild and crazy blitz-style field trip to four different tourist
attractions. Sadly only about 80% of the kids could afford to come as the trip
cost approximately $16 CAD. We stopped at the Shark’s Board (a learning
aquarium-style facility focusing only on sharks!), Ushaka Marine World, did a
harbour cruise, and took photos at the 2010 World Cup stadium. The kids had a
blast and several of the teachers did too as they disappeared half way through
to have an extended lunch! We returned home late as how can you fit in all those
fun adventures in one day!?
The new Ukulapha
interns arrived in South Africa to take over from us and they joined us for our
final few days of school. With classes winding down, there wasn’t a whole lot
for us to do educationally, so we were able to clean up, pass along any
documents the new folks would need, and spend time with the kids. On June 24,
we were sent off with a cultural tribute to our time in Slangspruit. Each grade
from grades 4 to 7 performed a drama, skit, or song and the choir sang as well.
The teachers individually thanked us and we were able to express our gratitude
at the end as well.
Over the past
six months I have seen many children grow so much. Saying goodbye was really
hard as some of the kids really appreciated the love, attention, and support
that we gave them. Remember that many of these kids do not come from homes that
we may come from in Canada with loving parents, resources, food readily
available, and opportunities. To be a part of these children’s lives since
January has been one of the greatest honours that a human can hold. To have
witnessed them become a bit more confident, to pass math after working so hard,
or just to see them smile each time we encountered each other on the school
ground is a privilege that I am so glad I got to be a part of. Working at
Slangspruit Primary School has reminded me of the truly important things in
life and I thank the kids of the community for welcoming us and unknowingly
teaching and reminding us of what really matters in life.
Following the
closure of the school we did see many of the kids again the next week at the
day camps that we held for the grade six and seven students. You may remember
that we held similar programs for the grade fours directly before Easter in
March. This time around we had a huge turnout, some days with sixty kids
showing up for breakfast, a whole bunch of fun, lunch, and then more fun before
heading home around 3:00pm. Canada Day was our last day and it consisted of the
leadership kids coming for one final morning of good times with us. We played a
giant game of capture the flag and then got down to business organizing the
next few months of projects. I am especially going to miss these kids as I have
gotten to know many of them so well. They are the future of this country and I
am so glad for this!
Following the
leadership day camp, which was the actual last time of seeing the kids, I went
straight to Durban with a friend to catch a flight to Johannesburg to go and
meet up with friends from Canada, another friend from here, and my brother!
After a really fun weekend in Johannesburg with Gabby, Ntando, Luyanda, and
Mthobisi eight of us headed to Kruger National Park for the safari of a
lifetime! Just like so many times before, I had to switch hats from development
worker in Slangspruit to curious traveler looking to experience the amazing
sights, animals, and cultures of South Africa.
If you have
never been to Kruger National Park, you need to put this place on your list. It
is nothing short of extraordinary! We spent three days in the park seeing some
of the most beautiful scenery, animals, and natural wonders that this earth has
to offer. You name it; we saw it! See photos below of lions eating a buffalo, a
leopard with a kill in a tree, the very rare African wild dogs, a cheetah
taking it easy on a Friday, and the gentle giants (elephants) that roam in
search of greener places. We definitely saved the best for last, visiting
Kruger at the end of our trip.
These last few
weeks have been amazing, traveling around the country with new friends and old.
The relationships that I have made here with the kids and people in the
community are what make it so difficult to leave tomorrow. This is the second
time that I have temporarily lived in another country and combined, these two
experiences are two of the richest times of my life. Thank you to everyone here
in South Africa and in Canada that have supported me along the way and shown me
kindness as I found my feet living in a new place. I am looking forward to
seeing family and friends in Canada, eating sushi, riding my bike, petting
Brandy, and enjoying BC’s summer. But these things don’t make it any easier to
leave my favourite continent and the people that I shared this life changing
time of my life with!
Cheers from down
here,
Russell
“The longer I
live, the more my mind dwells upon the beauty and the wonder of the world.” –
John Burroughs
Grade sevens performing a skit at the final assembly
A keen grade four homework club student
The grade four homework club crew on the last day of school
Proud students showing me their report cards
The final assembly, 1100 people!
The little girls that we tutor came for a sleepover and wanted to do a fashion show. I was security for the models and DJ
Eighteen lions eating a buffalo
Elephant bath!
Hyena mom and two cubs
A cheetah scanning for impalas
Cam and I at Blyde River Canyon
Gabby and I enjoying the sights!
Eight African Wild Dogs came for a morning visit
A leopard snoozing after making a kill
The crew!
One last visit to Cape Town
Checking out the fish at the aquarium
One last hike through the Drakensberg
Amazing new friends that I made!