It's FRIDAY!!!!
As of 5pm today, we have officially been in Africa for a week. This morning we are heading off the Ithembalihle - Place of Hope for a brief visit. Ithembalihle is now funded by another UK charity but we maintain out links with the staff and children there and like to pop in when we can to say hello.
Another quick visit to First Step Right to say Happy Birthday to Gael who is the founder and driving force behind this project and a fond farewell to the staff and children from Sarah.
Yes, it's Sarah's last day today and she flies home later this afternoon, it's also Sarah's last day working for GAGA UK - find out more here https://claireandsarahinsa2019.blogspot.com/2019/01/salakahle-from-sarah.html
Claire has another full week and already has a packed schedule planned out.
Picking up from yesterday's blog.... lack of wifi and a long return trip from Durban to blame for not blogging last night.
So, best laid plans and all that... we went to First Step Right after a quick stop to pick up some apples for the children to mark Gael's birthday. When we arrived some of the children were still arriving in their taxis - these are the only form of transport, they are really mini buses or mini vans and the children pile in the back. Sometimes the journey is shared with some chickens and also on a memorable occasion a dead pig! The taxi costs R350 a month and school fees are R200 a month, which demonstrates the impact of the high cost of fuel in this country. Often families will pay the taxi and then fail to pay the school fee... so the child arrives because the driver knows he has been paid for the month and they arrive at school and cannot be turned away irrespective of the unpaid school fees. It is a constant battle for the school to collect the school fees on a timely basis. It was rather a wet and dull morning and we saw first hand how difficult it is to teach in the classrooms that don't have much natural light when there is no electricity! I had to use the flash to get the photo of the class above. After saying a quick "hello" around the classes, Claire stepped in to help the Grade 4 with their maths lesson - the skills of writing number in words rather than digits and visa versa, followed by expanding numbers... to show how the number is made up of thousands, hundreds, tens and units etc. It was good fun and the children are enthusiastic and keen to show their work.
Just before break the children gathered on the back veranda to sing some songs, I have a video which I will share on our Facebook page shortly after my return to the UK. They sang the First Step Right School song and a lovely farewell song to Sarah! The children of the creche lined up on their veranda, out of the drizzly rain, too shy to sing along but looking so cute, all wrapped up in coats and hats! Whilst the children were on "wet break", playing ludo, snap, connect 4 or reading their library books, we said our Friday farewell. School finishes early on a Friday - 12 instead of 2pm - so the children have a short morning break and an early lunch before the taxis return for the trip home.
We made a brief visit to Ithembalihle, so that Sarah could direct Claire and Claire could save the location to her Google Maps, as we realised that the planned trip to meet the children would have to take place on Saturday morning instead of Friday due to time constraints. The orphanage is in a rural spot, on the sight there is a creche, with 29 pupils, a small church and the dormitories with two sides, housing 6 boys in one and 8 girls in the other. Some of the children attend First Step Right whilst others now go to High School in PMB. The compound is on a steep slope, at the end of a deeply rutted dirt track. As you turn off the road, you can see a football pitch - or rather a flat rectangle of scrub grass with two wooden goal frames at each end (no nets) - and the track goes right across the goal area at one end!!! However, this is a good landmark and proved to be invaluable when Claire returned to the area on Saturday...…
Our next destination was Hillcrest where we enjoyed a delicious "Mugg & Bean" lunch - this is a super coffee shop / restaurant chain which is an extremely popular meeting place for us to meet with our Sangobeg Scholars for a rare treat! But today we were meeting our friends Mary & Adrian (from Letcee) whom we had stayed with for our first weekend. It was Mary's birthday in the week and they also wanted to say a final farewell to Sarah. From there it was a drive to Durban to the airport to drop Sarah for her return flight home. The drop off area at King Shaka was pretty hectic, Claire waited patiently for a space and then realised that waiting in turn was not the way to get a spot and just muscled in like everyone else! Sarah safely dispatched for the return flight, Claire then had to tackle the drive back to Hillcrest alone!
As the rain came down heavier and heavier, so the visibility of the roads decreased! Claire had her South African DORIS (Driver Orientation Road Information System :-) ) on and intended to follow the N3 all the way.... SA DORIS however had other plans..... due to the heavy rain and heavy Friday afternoon traffic on the N3, SA DORIS decided a country road route would be better and directed Claire onto the Inanda Heritage Route..... Well reader, I am sure this is a beautiful scenic route on a sunny day.... but Claire became increasingly concerned as the road wound deeper and deeper into the mountains and villages, when SA DORIS suggested a right hand turn that looked like it went directly through a rural settlement, Claire decided it was prudent to pull a U-Turn and head back to find the N3 - traffic or no traffic. Eventually the signs for the N3 appeared and, about 40 minutes later than planned, Claire was back on a familiar road and safely returned to PheZulu, our accommodation.
As the lodge is fully booked for the weekend, Claire has been moved to a chalet overlooking the Valley of 1000 Hills. This will be beautiful.... once the cloud clears! After a little problem with the lights was resolved, Claire curled up on the sofa and enjoyed a well deserved glass of South African Sauvignon Blanc with a gecko for company! And so, to bed! A full week done in South Africa and so many sights and sounds, thoughts and plans to bring back to the UK.
As of 5pm today, we have officially been in Africa for a week. This morning we are heading off the Ithembalihle - Place of Hope for a brief visit. Ithembalihle is now funded by another UK charity but we maintain out links with the staff and children there and like to pop in when we can to say hello.
Another quick visit to First Step Right to say Happy Birthday to Gael who is the founder and driving force behind this project and a fond farewell to the staff and children from Sarah.
Yes, it's Sarah's last day today and she flies home later this afternoon, it's also Sarah's last day working for GAGA UK - find out more here https://claireandsarahinsa2019.blogspot.com/2019/01/salakahle-from-sarah.html
Claire has another full week and already has a packed schedule planned out.
Picking up from yesterday's blog.... lack of wifi and a long return trip from Durban to blame for not blogging last night.
So, best laid plans and all that... we went to First Step Right after a quick stop to pick up some apples for the children to mark Gael's birthday. When we arrived some of the children were still arriving in their taxis - these are the only form of transport, they are really mini buses or mini vans and the children pile in the back. Sometimes the journey is shared with some chickens and also on a memorable occasion a dead pig! The taxi costs R350 a month and school fees are R200 a month, which demonstrates the impact of the high cost of fuel in this country. Often families will pay the taxi and then fail to pay the school fee... so the child arrives because the driver knows he has been paid for the month and they arrive at school and cannot be turned away irrespective of the unpaid school fees. It is a constant battle for the school to collect the school fees on a timely basis. It was rather a wet and dull morning and we saw first hand how difficult it is to teach in the classrooms that don't have much natural light when there is no electricity! I had to use the flash to get the photo of the class above. After saying a quick "hello" around the classes, Claire stepped in to help the Grade 4 with their maths lesson - the skills of writing number in words rather than digits and visa versa, followed by expanding numbers... to show how the number is made up of thousands, hundreds, tens and units etc. It was good fun and the children are enthusiastic and keen to show their work.
Just before break the children gathered on the back veranda to sing some songs, I have a video which I will share on our Facebook page shortly after my return to the UK. They sang the First Step Right School song and a lovely farewell song to Sarah! The children of the creche lined up on their veranda, out of the drizzly rain, too shy to sing along but looking so cute, all wrapped up in coats and hats! Whilst the children were on "wet break", playing ludo, snap, connect 4 or reading their library books, we said our Friday farewell. School finishes early on a Friday - 12 instead of 2pm - so the children have a short morning break and an early lunch before the taxis return for the trip home.
We made a brief visit to Ithembalihle, so that Sarah could direct Claire and Claire could save the location to her Google Maps, as we realised that the planned trip to meet the children would have to take place on Saturday morning instead of Friday due to time constraints. The orphanage is in a rural spot, on the sight there is a creche, with 29 pupils, a small church and the dormitories with two sides, housing 6 boys in one and 8 girls in the other. Some of the children attend First Step Right whilst others now go to High School in PMB. The compound is on a steep slope, at the end of a deeply rutted dirt track. As you turn off the road, you can see a football pitch - or rather a flat rectangle of scrub grass with two wooden goal frames at each end (no nets) - and the track goes right across the goal area at one end!!! However, this is a good landmark and proved to be invaluable when Claire returned to the area on Saturday...…Our next destination was Hillcrest where we enjoyed a delicious "Mugg & Bean" lunch - this is a super coffee shop / restaurant chain which is an extremely popular meeting place for us to meet with our Sangobeg Scholars for a rare treat! But today we were meeting our friends Mary & Adrian (from Letcee) whom we had stayed with for our first weekend. It was Mary's birthday in the week and they also wanted to say a final farewell to Sarah. From there it was a drive to Durban to the airport to drop Sarah for her return flight home. The drop off area at King Shaka was pretty hectic, Claire waited patiently for a space and then realised that waiting in turn was not the way to get a spot and just muscled in like everyone else! Sarah safely dispatched for the return flight, Claire then had to tackle the drive back to Hillcrest alone!
As the rain came down heavier and heavier, so the visibility of the roads decreased! Claire had her South African DORIS (Driver Orientation Road Information System :-) ) on and intended to follow the N3 all the way.... SA DORIS however had other plans..... due to the heavy rain and heavy Friday afternoon traffic on the N3, SA DORIS decided a country road route would be better and directed Claire onto the Inanda Heritage Route..... Well reader, I am sure this is a beautiful scenic route on a sunny day.... but Claire became increasingly concerned as the road wound deeper and deeper into the mountains and villages, when SA DORIS suggested a right hand turn that looked like it went directly through a rural settlement, Claire decided it was prudent to pull a U-Turn and head back to find the N3 - traffic or no traffic. Eventually the signs for the N3 appeared and, about 40 minutes later than planned, Claire was back on a familiar road and safely returned to PheZulu, our accommodation.
As the lodge is fully booked for the weekend, Claire has been moved to a chalet overlooking the Valley of 1000 Hills. This will be beautiful.... once the cloud clears! After a little problem with the lights was resolved, Claire curled up on the sofa and enjoyed a well deserved glass of South African Sauvignon Blanc with a gecko for company! And so, to bed! A full week done in South Africa and so many sights and sounds, thoughts and plans to bring back to the UK.
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