"Oh My Soul!"

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Just as I had predicted in my last entry, it was SO hard to say goodbye to all of the wonderful people that I have met in my month in KwaZulu-Natal. I've hardly even written about the kids at THANDA and how utterly amazing they are. The basketball kids that I worked with for the past month are incredible. There are three boys that stick out, and the ones that brought the tears to my eyes on my last day. Emmanuel, Nduduzo, and Ayanda. They are just some of the happiest kids I have ever met. So easy going and wonderful to talk to.
Ayanda is a senior (grade 12) and should be matriculating soon. He wants to be a science teacher someday. I got ayanda on my side on the first day of class when some of the kids were playing around with the netball, it bounced over to me and he defended me. I quickly pulled "my move" and went behind the back and around him, with all of his peers watching! Now that will quickly shut down any 18 year old boy, I think I gained all the respect in the world with those kids right then and there. Ayanda is about 6'1" and his legs take up about 3/4 of his body, those things are long! He can get down our dinky basketball court in about 5 steps, and dunk on the 8 foot rims that we have to work with! It's quite funny, he thinks he is "all that and a bag of chips" because he can run far with each step and dunk! Let's hope he never sees a real basketball court, because it would blow his mind!
Emmanuel is a grade 8 student, and that kid has a voice like an angel. He can sing like I've never heard before! He and his two cousins (who are in the netball program) have a little choir and their sound is like nothing I've ever heard before. If you check the THANDA documentary (www.video.google.com and search THE THANDA PROJECT) you can hear that boy's voice! Not only can he sing, he can also ball, and he has the most genuine smile and attitude of any 14 year old boy I've ever met. especially considering he has recently lost both of his parents.
Then there's Nduduzo, a sly dog. He's always up to something, but hides it well with his charm! He challenged me to a game of one-on-one for my iPod. But there was no way I was losing that iPod, it's my only music for the whole year! Needless to say, I quickly showed him who was boss!

That's just a little about the main players in my daily life. I got to hang with them a lot because it seems like there was never actually any school, the teachers just kind of didn't show up, so they would be hanging outside of our offices around noon every day, saying, "No Teachers!" and we would go do some math work or play ball until our program started at 3.

Anyway, onto the tears... The last day I was at THANDA the team and Lungelo made me a posterboard with the basketball court painted on it. They each wrote a note and posted it to the court. It was the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. Lungelo wrote me the cutest story, which I forgot to bring with me to this cafe, but will type out so everyone can see it. That sent me off bawling for sure. I had such a connection with that girl. I will never forget her.
On the way home from work that day, I got to go to her home and meet her parents and sister. which was really neat. They all live in a one room circular hut with a tin roof. two beds, one which she shares with her little sis. As usual in the African homes I've visited, within 5 minutes I had a warm plate of rice, chicken and potato stew to chow on while I chatted (in broken English and Zulu) with her parents.
Lungelo gave me a bracelet of hers to keep! I had given her a dress earlier that day, one which she had commented on before when I wore it. I figured it was the best place for that dress to go, into her wardrobe!

Well, that's about it for saying goodbye.
I am currently in Capetown, after a nice adventure along the south Coast of South Africa, where i hitched a ride from Coffee Bay to Capetown with some study abroad college students...
all that and more in the next edition of "Blogging with Marissa"
CHEERS!

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