A new beginning... Service Sites

Kids at the crèche

So last week we started working at service sites and I have loved every second of it.  I am working with 12 other people at a service site called RivLife.  RivLife does a wide variety of things around the community.  While we’re working there, we get to help out at the crèche (day care), hang out with kids at an afterschool center RivLife puts on, go on home visit around the community with care workers, visit an HIV support group with a social worker, and talk to kids at the local high school.  Our group is split up into 4 subgroups with about 3 people in each one and everyday one of those groups does something different in the morning.  So far in the morning, my group has visited the HIV support group twice, talked to kids at the local high school, helped out at the crèche and helped cook a meal that was given to kids at the afterschool center.  During the day each group does one of these projects and then after lunch we all get together to help out in the crèche, which is basically a daycare.  Then around 2:30 when most of the kids from the day care have left, we head over to the after school center and hang out and play games with the kids there until we leave around 4. 

  

Last week, we were only at the service site Thursday and Friday.  On Thursday, my group visited the HIV support group, which was incredible.  This was my first time meeting people with HIV and I was surprised by how they looked completely healthy.  We don’t hear too much about HIV and AIDS in the states but from what I have heard I assumed people with it were really sick.  But these ladies were walking around and doing normal daily tasks, I would have never guessed they have HIV.  They introduced themselves to us and told us about how long they’ve had HIV and how it has affected them.  I was surprised to learn that some of the ladies have had it for 9 years but have yet to suffer from the infection.  After they finished talking they asked us if we were afraid of them and it shocked me.  My heart broke hearing them ask that and our group immediately got up and hugged them to show them we weren’t.  They later talked about how many people in the community are scared of them because they think they’ll get HIV by simply touching them.  We also learned that many people with HIV don’t publically say they have it because many will think they have made it up or they will no longer accept them.  It saddened me to know that these people who are in a time where they need the most love and acceptance are being rejected.  This experience was one I’ll never forget and it really just showed me how important it is to show love to EVERYONE you see because you can never tell from the outside what someone may actually be going through.  

Kids at the drop in center :)

  After this visit, we went to the crèche and got to play with the little kids and then when they left we headed to the afterschool center.  The afterschool center at RivLife is called the drop in center because many kids just drop in there after school for a meal and a safe place to play.  On our first day at the drop in center we met a lot of kids but they weren’t very comfortable with us just yet. But by Friday that changed.  In the morning on Friday, I got to visit a local high school and talk with about 10 students who were a part of a Christian group that meets during lunch.  I only had about 15 minutes to talk with them but we made the most of that time.  We began by introducing ourselves and then the questions began flowing.  I asked them a few questions but once they answered they began asking me one question after another.  These questions were all very different.  They ranged from what differences I noticed between South Africa and the US, to what my thoughts were on speaking in tongues.  I answered their questions and tried encouraging them as best I could to fight the temptations and peer pressure they deal with on a daily basis in high school.  After we left the high school, we returned to the crèche and drop in center.  This day at the drop in center the kids greeted us with hugs and were much more responsive to us when we talked to them. It was completely different from the day before and it was great getting to know them better.

On Saturday that weekend we went to Durban.  In Durban we spent a couple hours souvenir shopping at the market then we went to the beach.  Unfortunately, it was super windy at the beach but after a couple hours we left to go to a Rugby game.  I was so excited to go to my first Rugby game and cheer on the Natal Sharks, which is the rugby team of Kwazulu-Natal (where I am living right now).  The game was so much fun and I have decided that Rugby is an awesome sport, it’s a much faster pace then football but yet very similar so I loved it!  It began raining during the beginning of the game but the Sharks made it through and won with a 27-22.  We ended up getting back late that night and on Sunday I just relaxed and worked on my paper that was due for Community Engagement. 

Then Monday we had Community Engagement class all day and I spent the rest of the day, night, and early Tuesday morning writing my paper which was due before we left for service sites on Tuesday.  I finished in time though and surprisingly had plenty of energy for service sites that day.  On Tuesday at service sites, my group visited the HIV support group again and we had a great discussion with them once again.  We were also able to help them with craft making.  They make jewelry, clothes, and many other things to sell as a way of making extra money.  So while they were working on those crafts and talking with us we helped them.  I helped knit a scarf that was being worked on and some other girls taught them how to make some new bracelets.  It was great to just spend time with them, help them with their crafts, and talk. We then finished the day by going to the crèche and drop in center.

Wednesday was Human Rights Day, which is a South African holiday, so we all had the day off.  Instead of going to service sites that day, we got to sleep in and go to Drakensberg to see the Drakensberg Boys Choir perform.  They are one of the best choirs in the world, so we were all really excited to see them and I was excited to enjoy the beautiful drive to Drankensberg again.  After a 2-hour drive, we got there and had a chance to experience just how amazing these boys’ voices are.   

The performance was a couple hours long and I loved every minute of it!  When the performance ended, we walked outside to a stunning lightning storm.  It was absolutely incredible to see this and especially to see it in Drakensberg of all places!  The drive back to campus was stunning because the storm followed us the whole way.  It by far turned out to be the most amazing lightning storm I’ve ever seen.  All the thunder and lightning made it a great end to a great day.

Thursday and Friday we were back at service sites.  We found out on Thursday that the kids at the crèche would be going on a two-week vacation starting next week, which meant that Friday was our last day with them.  So we had to make the most of these two days!  Thursday, I spent most of my time at the crèche but for a couple hours I went over to the drop-in center to help cook for the meal that the kids get after school.  The cooks were coming in late that day so we had to help make preparations to feed 70 kids. We basically just cut up vegetables and prepared all the food to be cooked, so when the cook got there everything was ready for her to begin cooking.  The rest of the day I enjoyed my time at the crèche with the children and cherished the time I had with them.  Friday our whole group spent the day at the crèche, which was great since it was our last day with them.  We took many pictures with them and loved on them as much as possible all day.  I had such a great time with all of the kids but once time to say goodbye came along, I was sad and just wished I had more time to spend with them. Luckily we don’t have to say by to the kids at the drop in center yet and next week we will be doing a project to clean the crèche and make improvements on it.  At least this project will allow us to still love on the kids even when they’re gone.  I will miss them but I’m glad for the time I spent with them and all the memories that were made in such a short amount of time.

I’ll let you know how our project at RivLife goes next week! Hope everyone is doing well, wherever you may be.  Take care!

God Bless,

Yvette

Concert, Safari, Cliff Jumping, and Zip-lining... Fun, Fun, Fun!

Well it's been quite an adventurous week!  It all began Tuesday night after finals :-) 

That night we went to the Jesus Culture concert in Durban and had a blast!  It was great to get away for the night to listen to fabulous music and worship God! I wasn't familiar with Jesus Culture before the concert but I really enjoyed the band and their music.  This was definitely a great way to end classes and begin the new segment of our time here in South Africa.  After the concert I prepared and packed for the big adventure to come on Wednesday... Safari!

Wednesday morning we left for Safari.  We traveled about 4 hours by bus to the Hluhluwe Imfolozi Game Park, where we would be spending the next 2 days on Safari.  Once we got to the game park we ate lunch and jumped in our safari vehicles.  It was so exciting and surreal to be in an actual safari vehicle on an actual safari!  I just couldn't believe this was happening!  It was about noon when we started our drive through the park in search for animals.  Our first animal sightings consisted of many Impala and Zebras but we soon got to see some of the Big 5.  About and hour into the safari we began spotting bigger animals like buffalo, rhinos and elephants.  When we first saw the elephants they were far away but we waited and two of them eventually came up right in front of our vehicle.  There was a pool of water and mud that we had parked in front of, so the elephants came up to it and began to bath in it.  It was so cool to see this take place no more

Our fancy tent

than 20 feet in front of my eyes.  Later one of the elephants even tore down a tree with his trunk!  This was by far the highlight of my day because it was just so shocking how calm the elephants were and how close they got to us.  After seeing more animals that day we made it to our camp and got assigned our tents.  The tents we were staying in were NICE tents, they are permanent tents set up in the camp with their own big beds, bathroom, kitchen, and deck.  I loved that we got to stay in these tents it was incredible, I felt like I was camping but also in a hotel at the same time :)  That night me and my roommate slept deeply and peacefully to the sound of nature.

 

Rhino that charged at us

The next morning we woke up at 4:30 to begin our full day of Safari.  Our goal of the day was to see some cats but unfortunately that didn't happen.  We did however see more elephants and rhinos.  There was one moment when we stopped to look at some Rhinos that were about 15 ft away and one of the rhinos tried to charge our vehicle.  It was staring at us for a while and then it began coming at us but luckily it stopped after our driver had stomped on the gas to get away.  I was a bit frightened after this but I also loved the adrenaline rush!  Even though we didn't see lions, cheetahs, or leopards that day, I still had a great day with my Safari group driving around the game reserve on the search for wild animals.  We also got to enjoy a lot of delicious food that day, which was quite nice!  That night when me and my roommate were sleeping quietly inside our tents, we heard the sound of Hyenas at night walking through the camp.  It was incredible to hear this because I got to realize just how amazing it is that we were sleeping among all this wild life.  On Friday, we had an early start again because we were determined to find some big cats before we left the Game Park at noon.  But sadly, we drove around the whole morning and saw none.  We did however see a herd of giraffe, herd of elephants, and a crocodile.  Also we learned that we had just missed a leopard sighting by a minute.  If only we had been a minute faster!  After a great morning and an experience I hope to never forget, we left the Game Park and headed back to Pietermaritzburg.  Due to Friday traffic we finally arrived at campus around 6pm.  That night we relaxed and got a good nights rest before a fun Saturday to come.

Saturday we decided to go cliff jumping.  After breakfast we packed up and headed to a nature reserve where we could go cliff jumping and have a Braii (South African barbeque).  It was fun to go out on this adventure with a group of about 20 of us and not have to worry about any homework.  Also, I love cliff jumping! So I was excited to for this adrenaline rush :)  When we got to the nature reserve, most of our group headed down to cliff jump, while some stayed behind to make our lunch.  Cliff jumping was great and I jumped from the highest rock about 3 times.  A lot of our time was spent convincing people to jump, but I was glad to see that we got everyone to jump off.  We then returned to the camp to eat a delicious meal of barbequed meat sandwiches, salad, and other snacks.  After lunch those who didn't go down to the river the first time joined us and we got to see some new people make the big jump.  Once we had our adrenaline fix for the day we all headed back to the vehicles to return to campus.  That night our group got dressed up and went to Thai food for dinner.  This was a great way to end such a fabulous day!

Sunday we went Zip-lining!  We drove about an hour away to Karkloof, where we would be doing the Karkloof Canopy Tour.  This excursion was one I had been looking forward to for quite sometime, so I was really excited!  I've only been zip-lining once before and I loved it so I knew this experience would be just as great.  When we got to the zip-lining place we broke up into groups of 8 and went up the mountain, after we had been given all our equipment.  There was a total of 8 different zip-lines we would be doing that day.  The second one was by far my favorite!  It went really fast and it was the first time we got to see the incredible view of the valley below.  I loved soaring through the air and seeing the beautiful landscape of South Africa!  We later went on many more zip-lines with gorgeous views but nothing compares to the first time I saw that view.  The day was great and although it was sad that our weekend of adventure was coming to an end I was excited about what was to come.

On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we were in our Community Engagement class from 8 to 4 everyday.  We had breaks throughout and our professor is incredible, so I actually really enjoyed it.  I have learned so much valuable information from our teacher, Francis, and I am so excited to apply the information when working at my service site.  Francis speaks a lot about empowering communities and how our job in the community is to be a facilitator.  He continually tells us that we are not to go into a community and give, give, give or lead them but in fact walk along side them and listen to what they have to say.  By listening to them and showing them they have all they need to accomplish their goals they can create a sustainable solution to any problems they have.  I have gained so much wisdom about community engagement throughout the past 3 days and I'm so glad we are able to learn from such a brilliant man!

Tomorrow we start service sites and I am so excited although a bit nervous too.  I can't wait to get there and see what God has in store for our group to do at RivLife.  Bring on this new adventure!  Well time for sleep, I'll let you know how service sites go after our first few days.  Take Care!

God Bless,

Yvette

Done with classes... now Concert, Safari, and Ziplining :-)

Just finished finals an hour ago!!! Woohoo, it feels so good to be done with classes :) I'm done with three of my classes now, the next one is Community Service and Engagement which is the class we take for service sites.  This class last for four weeks and we're in class on Mondays and then visiting service sites after.  I found out what service site I got a couple weeks ago too :-) I ended up getting my first choice which was RivLife.  When I visited it I absolutely fell in love, so I'm glad I'll be spending the next four weeks helping out there.

Since we just finished classes, the last two weeks have been filled with homework and studying.  But we did make time to visit the beach and do some other fun activities :-)  Here's some pictures of what we did when we weren't studying:

We went to the beach in Durban for a day of relaxation before a tough week of studying began

I had a fabulous dessert night with my D-Group at the mall

We had a little kids dress up Birthday Party for Michelle's 20th Birthday

Aside from these little adventures, it's been all studying for me.  But now that we're done and we will be going on many adventures.  Tonight I'm going to a Jesus Culture Concert in Durban which should be a lot of fun and it is a great way to finish classes.  Then we leave early tomorrow to spend 2 days and 2 nights on SAFARI! :-)  I'm so excited and when we get back we have a soccer tournament on Saturday which should be fun and then Sunday we go ZIP-LINING!  It will all be so fun and I'm really excited! I'll take a lot of pictures and make sure to post when I get back.  Well time to get ready for the concert!

God Bless,
Yvette