Birthday Bash


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Africa
February 19th 2010
Published: February 19th 2010
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Helloo!
So the countdown is back on. The best day of the year is 365 days away, but this years birthday will not soon be forgotten. My housemates and the staff at my project were great and made me feel special all day. At the project they sang happy birthday to me 4 times because as they were singing, someone else would walk in and ask whose birthday it was. Every time this happened they all started singing again which resulted in 10 minutes of my face being redder then a tomato with embarrassment. When I got home I chilled out with the girls tanning, reading/being read to and jamming to music. I also bought myself a super cool watch for my birthday present for a total of 20 Rand (about 2.50 USD). At night to celebrate we decided to have a Braai (barbecue) with my favorite South African meal. I shared an assortment of kebabs, garlic bread and of course my favorite, snosages with Tim and Bekki. We also invited a few boys over from the surf crew and local friends. There was a cake and more happy birthday songs and even a few presents! I got a red boa, a bracelet from Peru and a Hannah Montana address book--practical and entertaining! I was really happy to speak to Kristen, Julez, Alex, Elizabeth, Mary, Alaine, Molly and Paul, Eileen, Papa and of course my Mom and Dad-- so thank you all for calling! All in all, it was a great day and the celebrations will continue on Saturday when 136 takes on Long St. clubs in Cape Town!

In other news I have really been settling into the routine here in Fish Hoek. My placement is half over but it feels like I just got here. Time goes a lot faster when in a routine. Three weeks on the over land trip was a long time because we did so much everyday. I'm still quite busy here but everyday isn't packed full of activities. I take a taxi bus to the project everyday with a few other girls. The whole concept of a Taxi Bus is genius. It really is a hybrid between a Taxi and bus. You flag them down on the road and ask where they are going. If your stop is along the way you hop in and pass 5 Rand to the person sitting in the front seat whose responsibly is to give change and make sure everyone has paid enough. I always try not to sit in the front seat so I don't have this job. When you need to get out you just yell STOP DRIVER and he pulls onto the side of the road and you hop out. The Taxi Bus is one of the hi lights of my day because each of them have so much character. The drives has a lot of pride in their vehicle-- they name it, paint it, decorate it, install massive speakers and use the speakers to their full volume. The is usually 10+ people packed in who are coming or going to the townships.
My project is just a short walk into the township. Once there I am responsible for playing, feeding, entertaining and supervising the children. Three days a week a physical therapist comes to the project and I have asked to work with her to get some experience. Many of the children have Cerebral Palsy so I have been reading up on exercises I can do with them. Its getting easier to work with the children now as I am learning what they like and don't like and how to play with them. As a result they throw less food, spit on me less and pull my hair less... all positive things! Once my day at the project is over I meet the rest of my housemates at home and plan our afternoon. They usually consist of reading magazines, going to the beach or into town, doing laundry or shopping. The time is going by quickly but I am enjoying everyday of it.
I'm off to do laundry and prepare for the weekend. Lookout for more updates in the near future! xoxox

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