Hello blog watchers!
Oh boy was it raining this morning!!! I had promised I would take watermelon and bananas to the children at Ithembalihle, so in spite of the torrential rain I headed out in the backie, down the drive onto the main road. The water was running down the driveway like a river and the road was awash with surface water. I sincerely hoped that SA DORIS (aka SAT NAV) would behave after the roadtrip she had taken me on yesterday, as I was heading back to the rural community that is home to Ithembalihle. Visibility was so low as I made my way through the roads of the Valley of 1000 Hills, familiar landmarks were hidden by the heavy fog and visibility was all but impossible through my rear view mirror and side mirrors and the windscreen was only cleared by my constant wiping. I was delighted to see the playground that I had noticed yesterday on the turning that SA DORIS instructed me to take - she was behaving! As I headed along the road SA DORIS kept saying "you have reached your destination".... but I hadn't! Soon I realised I must have missed the track that led up to the football field I mentioned in yesterday's blog! So, as soon as the opportunity presented itself I executed a 3 point turn and made my way back towards the last landmark I recognised.
Out of the fog I saw a track and squinting hard I just made out the posts of the goals! So I turned up and soon saw another landmark, the yellow painted post just before the gate. There was no sign of movement, such a wet day keeps every sane person inside, but after sounding my horn, a little girl ran up to the gate, closely followed by one of the care givers.
I was warmly welcomed and everyone laughed when I said I had brought the rain from England for them! Thandiwe (who runs Ithembalihle) told me that the person who arrives in rain brings good luck, so that bodes very well indeed for 2019!
The children were delighted to receive their fruity breakfast and everyone also received a new knitted hat, kindly made and donated by our wonderful knitters who provide some many lovely items. There were also two beautifully crocheted blankets for the smaller children and two smart tank tops for the smaller boys. Some of the girls also received new school dresses and three of the older boys were delighted with their new football boots! The smiles and laughter made the drive worthwhile and the bananas were delicious! I was also pleased to pass on some new clothes for the older girls so that they could have some new things to wear while at home or to go to church.
After saying goodbye I was very pleased to be able to turn the backie round and make my way out without the embarrassment of wheelspinning or getting stuck due to the mud! SA DORIS kindly escorted me out of the community and onto the N3 heading for Pietermaritzburg and my meeting with two of our Sangobeg Scholars!
The road to PMB was straightforward despite the continuing rain and the Liberty Mall was easy to find. I located Mugg & Bean (#favouritecoffeeshop) and then, as I had 20 minutes to kill, I wandered the Mall. It was interesting to see the usual brands, Vans, Adidas, etc alongside shops that I remembered from my childhood in Africa like Truworths and Checkers. I bought myself a rucksack (a bargain at R69 or £4) as due to luggage weight I had removed my rucksack to take my case below the 30kg level but was finding it rather unwieldy to manage with a shoulder bag that I had borrowed for the first week. Looking like a Grade 6 pupil (with my school bag!!) I headed back to Mugg & Bean and ordered a delicious and very welcome cappuccino! Sitting in a conspicuous spot with my GAGA T-shirt on, I waited for the students to arrive. Soon Pretty arrived, you may remember her story from the summer newsletter - follow this link for her story
https://us6.campaign-archive.com/?u=5d954937833bad912d5416de5&id=5c152221c3
She is now working at an NGO called Umkhumbi kaNoah which provides meals and school uniforms for children who would otherwise go without. Pretty is keen to continue her development and hopes to enrol in a PGCE course to teach at High School later this year. Hlengwe is one of our new Sangobeg Scholars, she is about to embark on a two year course which will qualify her as a Primary School teacher. We shared a lovely lunch and it was wonderful to meet these two ambitious and accomplished ladies. I look forward to following their progress and sharing it with everyone in our newsletter throughout the year.
Blogger is not letting me upload any more photos, so I will try to publish this one now and will update it later if t'internet starts playing nicely again! Bye!
Oh boy was it raining this morning!!! I had promised I would take watermelon and bananas to the children at Ithembalihle, so in spite of the torrential rain I headed out in the backie, down the drive onto the main road. The water was running down the driveway like a river and the road was awash with surface water. I sincerely hoped that SA DORIS (aka SAT NAV) would behave after the roadtrip she had taken me on yesterday, as I was heading back to the rural community that is home to Ithembalihle. Visibility was so low as I made my way through the roads of the Valley of 1000 Hills, familiar landmarks were hidden by the heavy fog and visibility was all but impossible through my rear view mirror and side mirrors and the windscreen was only cleared by my constant wiping. I was delighted to see the playground that I had noticed yesterday on the turning that SA DORIS instructed me to take - she was behaving! As I headed along the road SA DORIS kept saying "you have reached your destination".... but I hadn't! Soon I realised I must have missed the track that led up to the football field I mentioned in yesterday's blog! So, as soon as the opportunity presented itself I executed a 3 point turn and made my way back towards the last landmark I recognised.
I was warmly welcomed and everyone laughed when I said I had brought the rain from England for them! Thandiwe (who runs Ithembalihle) told me that the person who arrives in rain brings good luck, so that bodes very well indeed for 2019!
The children were delighted to receive their fruity breakfast and everyone also received a new knitted hat, kindly made and donated by our wonderful knitters who provide some many lovely items. There were also two beautifully crocheted blankets for the smaller children and two smart tank tops for the smaller boys. Some of the girls also received new school dresses and three of the older boys were delighted with their new football boots! The smiles and laughter made the drive worthwhile and the bananas were delicious! I was also pleased to pass on some new clothes for the older girls so that they could have some new things to wear while at home or to go to church.
After saying goodbye I was very pleased to be able to turn the backie round and make my way out without the embarrassment of wheelspinning or getting stuck due to the mud! SA DORIS kindly escorted me out of the community and onto the N3 heading for Pietermaritzburg and my meeting with two of our Sangobeg Scholars!The road to PMB was straightforward despite the continuing rain and the Liberty Mall was easy to find. I located Mugg & Bean (#favouritecoffeeshop) and then, as I had 20 minutes to kill, I wandered the Mall. It was interesting to see the usual brands, Vans, Adidas, etc alongside shops that I remembered from my childhood in Africa like Truworths and Checkers. I bought myself a rucksack (a bargain at R69 or £4) as due to luggage weight I had removed my rucksack to take my case below the 30kg level but was finding it rather unwieldy to manage with a shoulder bag that I had borrowed for the first week. Looking like a Grade 6 pupil (with my school bag!!) I headed back to Mugg & Bean and ordered a delicious and very welcome cappuccino! Sitting in a conspicuous spot with my GAGA T-shirt on, I waited for the students to arrive. Soon Pretty arrived, you may remember her story from the summer newsletter - follow this link for her story
https://us6.campaign-archive.com/?u=5d954937833bad912d5416de5&id=5c152221c3
She is now working at an NGO called Umkhumbi kaNoah which provides meals and school uniforms for children who would otherwise go without. Pretty is keen to continue her development and hopes to enrol in a PGCE course to teach at High School later this year. Hlengwe is one of our new Sangobeg Scholars, she is about to embark on a two year course which will qualify her as a Primary School teacher. We shared a lovely lunch and it was wonderful to meet these two ambitious and accomplished ladies. I look forward to following their progress and sharing it with everyone in our newsletter throughout the year.
Blogger is not letting me upload any more photos, so I will try to publish this one now and will update it later if t'internet starts playing nicely again! Bye!
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