A week of teaching, construction, painting and two very different kinds of ‘game’… Monday 23rd July- Sunday 29th July

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I have had a fantastic week on projects and almost can’t believe how much I have packed in! I’ve loved working with some of my fellow volunteers at Inkanyezi Crèche, and the children are really starting to make progress. It constantly amazes me how quickly they learn new concepts, and how much joy they take from their learning; even if it is only making the letter ‘A’ from a pipe cleaner!

I am also still surprised by how placid the children are; between activities they simply wait to take direction from the older children or the teachers. This is pretty amazing, especially considering some of the children are only 2 or 3 years old, and I love that they don’t express the desire to be constantly entertained - they simply ‘take it all in’.

We have achieved a lot in our afternoon projects, too. On Wednesday afternoon I went to another crèche that is supported by African Impact and built a tyre course for the children’s play area! It was pretty exhausting work, but extremely rewarding. On Thursday afternoon my carpentry skills were put to the test when I worked with some other volunteers and Zakhele (the ‘handyman’ of the project) to make a bed for Inkanyezi Crèche, completely from scratch! My sanding and hammering skills certainly improved throughout the afternoon…

Friday afternoon was spent back at the container, where I continued painting. The library is looking spectacular, and some of the volunteers also started a literacy club for the local children to check their reading skills! It was a fantastic afternoon, and a great end to the working week. :o)

On Friday evening most of us went into town for some drinks at ‘Reef and Dune’ which is becoming our local bar! We stayed to watch the Olympics opening ceremony and although I wasn’t particularly impressed by England’s efforts at an incredible opening event for the games, it was great to be surrounded by volunteers from so many different nations! These include Italy, USA, Canada, Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, Germany and Holland.

Saturday was an unbelievable day, involving a very different kind of ‘game’… A group of us hired a car to drive through iSimangaliso Game Reserve to Cape Vidal; iSimangaliso means ‘a miracle’ in Zulu, which seems a fairly appropriate phrase to describe the day!

We were on constant lookout throughout the drive and were lucky enough to see crocodiles, warthogs, impala, water buck, wildebeest buffalo, herds of zebra and, most exciting, we were just a few metres away from rhinos!! We also stopped at Mission Rocks, and from the road down to the car park we spotted whales surfacing between the waves!

Cape Vidal is a beautiful beach and we enjoyed an afternoon of sunbathing. I also tackled some fairly big waves to fulfil my desire and love of sea swimming! It was a very scenic drive back through the reserve as the sun was beginning to set and we took a route past a large lake where we spotted three large hippos relaxing on the bank, enjoying the late afternoon sun.

It has been another perfect week, and I am simply loving my time here and how much I feel at home in Africa. :o)

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