The Day!

Today was an exhilarating, in the best way – mentally and emotionally.

We started the day cutting grass with these large blade cutters along the fence, as we’ve been doing for the past week. I am getting stronger, I can feel it! They don’t feel as heavy anymore and the morning went pretty quickly. There was a couple shanties squatting on the land just outside the fence, and a boy about 8 years old came out as chickens squawked around and dogs ran and just sat and watched me for some time. We exchanged big smiles (as literally you will with every person you pass on the road around here), but he didn’t speak English. Was a little bit of a highlight for me though…

Then Madelaine and I took off this afternoon for the weekly Pretoria trip. I must say, I’m getting very used to driving here. The best you can do is watch out for the cars coming from the other direction and passing (all two lane highways), watch out for the side of the road where it meets red dirt, because the drop off is always slightly steep, and ESPECIALLY watch out for the hundreds of people hitching, walking, riding bikes along the side….all while going 120km. Dad, you are probably scared right now…haha, but I am getting used to it. And driving through Pretoria and Joburg, with all the “roadworkds” (construction) and vendors in the middle of the road selling newspapers, car chargers, DVDs…it’s wonderfully weird getting to know streets and highways. Today one of the vendors selling papers even remembered me from when I saw him going to the mall, to when, 4 hours later, we were on our way back. Haha “see you next Wednesday” he says!

Anyways – the whole point of this blog is to say “We did it!” My heart is still somewhat in my throat. I experienced something I’ve never done before. I took a shopping cart in a large books/supplies centre and threw in anything I thought would work for the children in Venda…dictionaries , thesauruses, Learning Guides for as many grades as I could get, Exam Prep Guides for English, Learn to Spell books, Learn to Count books, Math Learning Cards, fun Activity Pads (Spooky & Scaaary), Nancy Drew books (because what little girls don’t want to be Nancy Drew) and my favourite – backpacks. Four girls and four boys. I also got two books to start the volunteer pile going up there, as Mary had said “I was literally starved for one thing – books!” So of course, Obama’s Audacity of Hope and Slumdog Millionare (an inspiring read I think). I stopped to literally have a little happy cry in the store. I was grinning madly, people must’ve been frightened?! But my heart was just swelling thinking of everyone who made it happen and all of the children and teachers whose lives will be enriched with the guides and tools we provided… Then I went to the counter where they were oh soooo happy with me (haha) it was very cute.

I heaved everything down to the car when I was done, it was a bit more than I could carry. I was texting with Nyawira all day and then we met outside the mall around 4:00 and passed everything to her car, which will be going up sometime this month. She was ecstatic and warm and welcoming. As I described the past couple of weeks and what’s to come in Vic Falls and Cape Town she did say, “oh! You’re already one of us!” And so that’s that. I am an Africaaaan!

Anyways, like I said it was exhilarating. When I got home, I made sure to show everyone the pictures and was gushing and I don’t know if they have seen me like this…yet! So, we did it! I had also brought some t-shirts, stickers and games from home to include (thanks to those people too!) Hopefully we will receive pictures of the students – I will definitely be keeping in touch with Nyawira.

Enjoy the pics:

Yes, this was me with a ridiculous grin after just buying everything and hauling it to the car



The trunk before I got it organized

And finally, Nyawira & I with big smiles after the transfer...


To a BE-A-UTIFUL day and a prettier sunset…xoxoxo!