One Year On

''Dear Katie,On behalf of all the staff at Cross-Cultural Solutions I would like to express our appreciation for your time spent in South Africa. As of today’s date, it has been 1 year since you began your Volunteer Abroad program. During your time in South Africa, you became a part of the local community, sharing your culture with the people you met while learning from them about a culture different from your own.Your work has touched lives and opened minds. Our local staff and the community where you worked will remember you as a caring individual who gave your time to understand a different culture and create positive change. We are touched by the schools, orphanages, and other local initiatives who continually tell us about the positive impact of CCS volunteers.We hope you returned home with a new perspective of your place in the global community and feel closer to the community in which you served. ''

I feel that that email which i received today sums up everything i gained from my volunteer experience in Cape Town. Annie my roomate at 3 hermitage and partner in crime is a fellow blogger and writes amazing posts, here is her latest one... 'One Year On' :

On Friday night, we decided to go out. We called a cab and told the driver to take us to Oblivion, a wine bar that the volunteers frequent. Everything started out fine, until we realized that it was taking much too long and that we were driving around in circles. We were a little nervous, because we were driving down narrow streets in pitch dark in an area we didn’t know. Katie, who is good at directions, tried to help the cabbie from the backseat. Leslie was getting a little agitated, and suggested that the driver call base and ask for directions. Thirty rand later, he acquiesced. He got the address from dispatch, but evidently still did not know how to get to that particular street. Instead of risking looking stupid by calling back, he chose to waste more of our time and money, and was getting frustrated. He slowed down and started following a teenage girl, who was walking on the sidewalk, and yelled at her for directions. She did what any smart girl would do: shrugged, picked up the pace and ignored him. "Your mother's a puss!" he shouted at her angrily. Things were getting tense, and Leslie would. not. shut. up. She was spewing contempt, and getting hysterical about our rapidly increasing fare. Katie and I kept shooting each other looks, wide-eyed. I was saying stupid shit like, "It's probably right up here," in an attempt to de-escalate the situation so we wouldn't end up on Dateline. Eventually, the crazy cabbie actually hit another car. Not hard - it was more like a scrape - but he just kept going. He drove to a little store, put the car in park and hopped out to go in and ask for directions. In doing this, he committed a cardinal sin. He left three females sitting in an unlocked, running car with an open door, in South Africa. He was probably praying that someone would jack it and put him out of his misery.
By some miracle, we eventually got to Oblivion. Thanks to Leslie, I am pretty sure that we only paid half the amount that was displayed on the meter. We ended up meeting a couple of guys that night, one of which was the son of a reverend. Leslie made out with him, and for the next few weeks we would frequently burst into, “The only one who could ever reach me, was the son of a preacher man!” Katie got a little drunk and grilled the other guy on race relations, which was pretty entertaining.

There was so much more to come. There would be a wine tasting excursion, trips to the mall, an overnight in a township, African dance parties in the Afrikaans room, a night that Katie and I never came home and thought we would be kicked out of the program, and many conversations that centered around Leslie doubting my judgment, but laughing at me anyway. After that weekend, we would go on to share a friendship with Tom, a special place in our hearts for Western Province rugby, and more nights at Oblivion and the Dubliner. We would share countless meals of chicken and carbs on the porch, Leslie’s hair dryer, secrets, cabs to Rondebosch for chocolate, inside jokes, our love for the staff, a penthouse suite at the Mandela Rhodes, and tearful goodbyes. Most importantly we share a bond with each other and memories that will undoubtedly last a lifetime. And it all started because of that one little weekend.
Posted by Annie http://annielost.blogspot.com/

Its been an amazing year, I would do anything for a reunion right now...I am also graduating this week so off to Leeds tomorrow morning. So very excited to see everyone in Leeds again...

In our hearts a hopeful song...

I can't believe how quickly time is flying by right now, I only have 4 weeks left of this Semester before the Christmas Vacation. Its scary, the academic work is starting to pile up and i dont think the horizon will be clear now until i finish my degree in May. Although after Christmas time always goes so much quicker.

I have not been home for 2 months now and it really has not bothered me, so after 3 months it will be nice to get back to some home comforts, i have now been away for longer than when i was in South Africa. I am still missing it dearly, and its strange what we learn and appreciate. The thing i miss the most is my Grade 5 class, i wish i could just go and spend just one hour with the kids and see their smiles and have some awesome hugs from them. I hope for them all that everything is ok and their troubles are somehow getting easier if that is possible. I am still emailing the teacher i was working with who is keeping me updated with Blossom Street news. Once i have some spare time in January or over the holidays i am going to try and organise some fundraising or getting some supplies out to the school.
For me, things have changed ever since i stepped off the plane in Cape Town. I still think i dreamt it all sometimes, there is so much out there, 'Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this.;The opportunities are endless if you just believe' Thats something South Africa taught me to believe in...XOXO

You Need Love to light the shadows on your little faces...

Its 5pm on Saturday. Channon and I have just got back from the airport run. About 25 people left on the delta flight. It was surreal and so emotional. This journey has been totally amazing. I left London over six weeks ago having no idea what was ahead of me. I couldn’t have expected anything as amazing as this. It has exceeded my expectations 100 per cent.
The last couple of days have been very hard mentally and emotionally. Yesterday was the last day of placement for me at Blossom Street. I bought all the kids in my grade sweets and we had a little party. The girls did a special dance for me. Every single child had made me a leaving card and it was so hard not to cry the words they had written completely touched my heart. The principal then came to my class and read the thank you card I had written to the staff out and presented me with a letter of thanks and a small gift from the school. He thanked me for all my time and energy and told me he feels like I have really found ’home’ here in Cape Town and he couldn’t be nearer to the truth. Half 12 came and my driver arrived with everyone else already in the van. I went through to the other grade 5 class and stood in the middle of the room and all the children came and hugged me. I saw Apillele one of the little boys who has completely stolen my heart and I just burst into tears. I totally want to bring him home with me. I was just holding onto him and then I had to let go because I didn’t want to upset him. As I went to the entrance the teachers where all standing on the step waving me into the minibus. Mrs Abrahams who I have been working with was crying and it was so hard. They must think I am crazy, they have this western world white girl coming to their school and I am leaving in tears how can I explain that to a 9 year old? They have no idea how much they mean to me, how much I care for them and how much I hope every second that they will be ok. I don’t know what else to say. It has been a totally amazing experience and I have gained more than I ever could have imagined.
I climbed into the van and just put my I pod on ‘Wherever you will go’ came on and I realised how fitting it was. All these children need is love. We came home and it was tough. Annie was already home and she was a mess too. We had lunch and then started to do some packing…Channon and I walked to Little Mowbray to go to the shop and I realised that there is so much more I wanted to do and see and now I am out of time. These 6 weeks have gone in the blink of an eye. The weather was amazing so we slept in the garden before getting ready to go out for the last time as a group. We went to Cubana in Green Point and the whole house came which was awesome as this second group have really all integrated so perfectly and we had a great evening. I didn’t want to wake up this morning as I knew what was coming. The long goodbyes continued. Channon , Kate and I went to La Med in Clifton for brunch and one last outing. A couple of hours later and everyone was standing outside with their luggage and I sware I thought I had a lot of stuff with me it was crazy. We stopped at Home Base 2 for the last time and said our farewells. Cape Town international was pretty crazy and some of the girls had problems with their bags but all worked out. Once they had chacked in it was time for us to go back to the van and home back home. I really don’t think it has hit me yet. Theres only about 7 of us at home now. The fact that I am leaving tomorrow is hard enough but ill be travelling alone and I think that is when it will hit me. I am flying to Johannesburg in the morning and then on to Heathrow tomorrow evening. I don’t know what else to say at this point. There is just no way to describe how 50 people in 2 groups over 6 weeks can all click so well and experience so much together. It has been an emotional roller coaster at times but I wouldn’t change a second of it….. Love K xx