wherever you will go

Oh hearts.

Today is Friday, and this week has been a funny one. Sorry, but if you are expecting funny like... A fought off a lion.. or that I ran into Luke Wilson and had to turn him down... or that someone threw a pie in my face.. maybe stop reading, maybe that is next week.

It has been funny because I think I have found another calling. A spinster.. you know, those ladies that have 1000 cats and crochet everything they wear? But don't despair, I have come to terms with it.

Let me just elaborate on my past few days here. I am now on a diet of a good three cups a tea a day, which I absolutely love. I go through books like I never have before, well never have had the time to before. Again, so refreshing. Also, everyone knows the aged look that crocheting can give a person. So in addition to those, I now sit across from the lovely Taryn. She is Bernard's girlfriend from the US, who came back to South Africa to be with him. (romantic I know). So of course I have heard all about her, counting down to her arriving, until today, when he had her room filled with wildflowers ready for her. And then, to top it off, last night me and Hylein watch three very romantic, movies. The kind that make you bitter.. then put hope in you...then make you sad.. then put hope in you again.

But I am not bitter. With all of this time in comes self actualization.. respect.. new wisdom and so on, and hey I painted.

Haha, but wait, now that I think of it. Men have been drawn to me... This week I had an oldish man with Golden Teeth tell me that it is a fine for not smiling on the street. He must of been charming because I ended up giving him 100 rand? And then, not a day later, an Indian man came up to me and put jewels all over me. I tried to tell him that I prefer string bracelets, not gold ones, but he insisted that I try them on. When he found out my name, he made sure to tell me that his ex-girlfriends name was also Nicole.. (apparently that is a pickup line) HaHa.

In other news, I learned how to change a tire, and put some new pizazz into our classroom.







Oh hearts.

-Nicole, the temptress spinster.

funny, I left two months ago today.

Hello Hello

Bono once told me over tea, that he doesn't know which way the wind will blow. I couldn't agree more.
Winter is coming here, you can really feel it in the mornings. I still really like it though, I have always loved waking up and being able to smell moisture and freshness everywhere. It is quite comparable to Vancouver weather right now

This picture shows the beginning of my winter project. Some how these hats have turned out much better, less bowl like, then ones I have made before! 8 down... 1 999 992 to go!


On the weekend we went to a place called Kwa-Zulu weavers. South Africa is divided into provinces, we live in the Free State where black people are mostly Sutu, but in the Netal province the people are Zulu, and that is where we were. It was quite a neat shop, just on the side of the road. They had all sorts of hand woven rugs and then crafted candles and things.

This sign was hanging over the shop. In Zulu it means 'Go well'. To say that in Sutu it would be Sala-hantle.


Here is me again trying to bribe the kids with candies to count.


And then, our class pet. The ladies are not too pleased that I made a home for the frog that they had a horrible time discovering inside of some cabbage... but I have high hopes that he can become part of the family. He doesn't have a name yet, I struggle enough to say his Sutu name. Sin-nthan-nthan.



Let me leave you with some new Sutu words that I now use.. I have only really picked up basic commands to help me teach. Caution, the spelling is not even close, but it should help you with pronouncing them. Again.. language geek.

Ja...Eat (I tell them that from across the room during lunch, sometimes I repeat it to a nice tune over and over)
Qui-ma... Who is that? (When we say good morning Nicole, good morning Martha, and so on I ask them who that person is. The kids now call me something that sounds like may-knee-ole-eh)
Di-kai...How many (they answer fooh, or die, or oot, and I usually give in and pretend they got it right)
Bana... children (boo-ya bana! is come here children!)
tati/mem... sir/mam (de-mela tati is good morning sir)
E-Fey-deal-eh...finished (They are never hesitant to say that one after I have made them count to 10 over and over.)
Robala...sleep (We have a scheduled nap time where Bernard puts on 'soothing music' and shuts the blinds. I really can't take it seriously.)
Hantle...well (you can attach this one in so many places, onto sleep-well, go-well, listen-well)

So maybe you can decipher this sentence.. Ah De-mela tanti, sheyba! poola! muya metsi!... Ish-wenya bana, booya, du-la-fatsi, ja, ja ja ja. E-Fey-deal-a?? Ok, ro-bala, ro-bala hantle! (If you know anyone who knows Sutu, do not show them that embarrassing effort to the language!)

Enjoy yourselves, take care of each other and thank you for reading about me.
love love love

both sides now

Demela.

Some photos to spark you.

I have begun making winter wear for our kids. Can you believe it snows here?



I will apologize in advance if you are completely sick of seeing this little one. This is a good one of her when I first arrived.



From that to this.
A piece that has been sitting in my head for a long time and I am going to try my hardest to post this without it ending up as a rant.

Thinking about organizations, foundations, and groups that offer aid to people in Africa. Where does the money that people give go? How far is it dispersed among employees and expenses before it reaches a child?

I only bring this up because before coming here I really had no idea where my $1 a day or whatever I give ends up. I think that the shocking statistics that people can provide stop my brain from thinking further and I just feel that I need to help. Also, while being here I have been able to sort through a year's worth of this ministries receipts and I know where they spend their money. I know that the money I brought over, and that people sent me with goes into bricks for a building, teaching supplies, gas, and food for example.

What I am saying is that I think that is important to check up on the money you put into organizations. I am starting to think that the bigger the organization, the less money goes into the lives of the people it helps. The bigger the organization, the more salaries to pay, the more cars to drive. Here is an example: There is a foundation here called the Nelson Mandela Children's Foundation. Now if I was in Canada, all I may know is that Nelson Mandela is a good person, and so I would feel comfortable giving to this fund. But what I know now, which has nothing to do with Nelson Mandela himself is that millions from this fund were given to a faulty orphanage in South Africa. This is what I mean by donations being lost. They gave this lady millions and millions to run an orphanage, the majority of which she pocketed. This left a horrible living situation, I am talking rats eating children, at the orphanage. Something else that has had me thinking. Making really appealing t-shirts in order to raise money for Africa. How much money is spent creating those t-shirts, paying those GAP employees, and on advertisement? Would you agree that is is bit unfortunate that in order to get money over to Africa, we need to appeal to materialism? Another evil?

I am just suggesting spending time researching a place where you know that your money goes directly into the land, into the people. Knowing that when you give $50, $50 makes it through and is invested in the right people and projects. What about knowing that your money is actively being used to help people, not lost in transition of salaries and promotions?

I am saying all of this because I can see where money can be lost and I just don't understand why the millions raised around the world are not invested more directly into this continent. I have no real solution, mostly because it seems that the most powerful people here are the most corrupt, and the need would be no less if the biggest organizations were shut down.

just a start, lets open our eyes even wider now.

Questions? Comments? Feelings of raging injustice?




Still tons of love,
speak with you now...

the way I see it

Hello,

For my wonderful Grandparents. I am safer than safe, these pictures are recent I promise. Also for you Ms. Welch, you can look into how I do things in the classroom with my little ones. It sounds like our kids are about the same ages.

This is how we do our daily attendance.


And this was my most recent project. I made a birthday tree with little birds to show the birthdays of each kids. You may able to imagine how much I loved crafting this..



Today I went to church with Bernard. It was completely in Africanse except for maybe two songs. It was still a good experience, nice to have a something to dress up for, and I just read during the sermon. The main man that was singing had a voice comparable to Mr. Robert Gulay, but it wasn't funny for some reason; it was actually a bit charming.


happy day-after-saint-patty's to you all. I hope you didn't wake up with a leprechaun in your kitchen and a four-leaf clover ta too on your lower back after way to much green substance.


fields of love

when people lead

Dee-mel-a!

I hope this reading finds you all healthy and happy. I am not sure of the current weather where you stay, but the days are still quite hot here. It makes for a very tired young lady, with about 4 different colors of skin now due to tan/burn lines.


Here you can see me with, you guessed it, the wee-one who does not escape a photo of mine... miss mongshwesh.


1-une-way, 2-pay-dee, 3-ta-hoe, 4-nn-nay, 5-hha-new! And here, I was doing some very effective counting with them.. with the wonderful aid of Jelly-babies.

My delicious pasta awaits me, but first I must share with you that Hylein (the mother in the family I am staying with), has shown me her secret recipe for Chai Tea. Made from complete scratch, it is a traditional Indian method. I cannot tell anyone of you how to make it so you will just have to join me when I get home for a cup!

peace, love, macaroni and cheese

all at once

In the last few days...

We went to a huge huge mall in Durban. But what is more interesting than that is the way people live in South Africa. I noticed it more in Durban than anywhere else so far. But just the irony in how the communities are set up. Durban is a huge city, filled with hotels, rich people, white people, malls, and then people that work for all the rich people. Driving in Durban you see normal houses in it all,but before you are even 20 minutes outside the city.. it is back to shacks and complete poverty. I just wonder the mind set of the 'haves' in the city. Do they do what they can to help? Do then think ignoring it and living normally is all they can do? Do they have any idea??

And then for a couple of days at the home I have been helping Wim work on the website and get some other organizational things done. Have I found my calling as a secretary?

Some of my new favorite things, the store Mr. Price. Seriously, $3 Canadian for a shirt, and Rooibus tea lotion??
The TV show, 7 de laan.
Making 3-D art.
South African pancakes. (You would swear they are crepes. Just don't tell them that)
and learning how to cook from the ladies on the mountain.


Picture of the day..
Note their (painful) fascination with the hair of a white person, and how one some of the black kids may have an odd resemblance to someone you know. I swear it happens.


Did you know that there is no 'Day Light Savings' in Africa?? How wild is that.
Well my little pancakes, I am only 8 hours away from most of you now.

find joy today,

In the sun

Good day,

Just a little post today, I get to go to Durban tomorrow for the day, which is quite nice. Nothing too new on the mountain here, we are going through a water unit, and today was brought to us by the letter C!!

This a photo of the daily teeth brushing routine. (Toothbrushes supplied by the wonderful Kram family). Mamoshweshwe shown here.


And this is Miss Rejina, who we call cabbage-patch. The two of us together make quite the set of Cheeks to be reckoned with!



speak with you soon,
much love

snakes, spiders, and singing seniors

I forgot to mention!

My bravery has been forced to a new level. First, there was a spitting cobra in one of our houses at the mountain. But get this, the 86 year old man that works with us beat its brains through its mouth with a stick! And then, I got bit by a spider in my sleep. Two little marks sit on my arm, they get itchy. They really arnt bad though, they swell a bit, then go down. But then... a couple of nights later... he came back for seconds! No joke, it was pitch black in my room, I was laying down with my head lamp on and I turned the light onto my arm. There was a spider, the kind with a big butt and little head crawling towards the holes. It was quite dodgey.

But you see, because of these instances, I am instantly more brave. Pit of piranas, here I come!

This is a short snip-it of the shack church we were at.


enjoy.

Ja-boo-lani Africa

Ah, demela.

It has been a couple of weeks now, I was able to spend them up on mountain top. A couple from California came to stay with us. They were so much fun to have around, I learned a lot from the guy, he reminded me of Andrew Clark. And the wife and I were always laughing, she actually reminded me of Miss Lauren Jung.

I dont want to carry on about every last detail, so I will give you some highlights, and then let you in on my absolute best day.


I was able to see the milky way, and a constellation called 'three sisters' very clearly each night.

I braided an entire head of cornrows.


I visited a cultural village and sipped beer with the chief.


I went on what was probably the hardest hike of my life. Hard in got my heart going, but also, just sketchy. I found a bright green grasshopper about two inches long, in my shorts! We walked through tight tight bushes, and lots of unknown water. It was all to reach some natural pools though, where Mary and I got gutsy and took a bath.


We went to a Lion park and went on a Safari drive. There we got to eat incredible burgers right beside the lions, and go on a neat jeep tour.




Another highlight was the time I got to spend with the ladies I work with. I remember when I was in Mexico, how great it was to cook, even though I was horrible, with the ladies we were building for. Usually I sit and have tea with them, but when we were on the mountain, I got to do a whole bunch of laundry with them.


My favorite place that visited during those two weeks was a shack church in Qwa
Qwa. It is a church of about 50 people held in a little tin shack. The pastors name was Stumpy and he was the kind that shouts AMEN! (with everyone saying it after). They sang with the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. I moved to stand beside this lady who just belted it out. She shook her bum and clapped her hands, she was incredible to stand beside. (I am going to try and post some video later). We had a little contest back at the orphanage and picked 5 kids to come with us and we preformed some songs. One song, is called Jaboolani Africa. It means, sing for joy Africa... It is so fun to dance to.



Ok, and now the full day to mention. It started out about 5:45am with a wonderful sunrise.

We hiked to cliff called Pride Rock that oversees most of the town to read for a while. Then we came back, had a regular day at the Care Center, and then older kids started coming around 3 or 4. We saw a bit of an afternoon storm coming on so we invited a couple of them in. Now earlier this day, I had almost burnt my face off. I really don't know how I avoided it, but I poured cold water into boiling oil, thinking it would cool it down. Huge explosion. So to make up for my severe lack in cooking skills, I hosted a tea party for some people. I loved it. We were able to sit with this guys and really get to know them. At one point though, we found out that the two of them had each lost both of their parents. The girl started crying and the boy just became quiet. I could not believe this from them, every day that I see them they have the biggest smiles on out of any person on the mountain. It was sad to see them like this, but we were able to cheer them up and play some cards. That night, the storm was terrifying. I slept in my own room, with a tin roof, and the hail and thunder kept me completely, wide eyed awake. Very scary.


And then, the child that has become like my daughter as I have never heard of or seen a single member of her family. She is like a cat to me. She will sit with me for hours and I could talk and talk and talk. She just takes it all in, sometimes lets a little noise out. One of her fingernails was pulled back completely, just hanging on, and it was rotting underneath. I had no idea until she hurt it playing. We decided to pull it off because it would have come off in such an unpleasant way otherwise. That made me so sick, she didn't cry, she just cringed and them squirmed a bit. Her name is shweshe, or mongshwesh.


And lastly, here is a picture of the craft we did yesterday. We are studying the ten plagues of Egypt with the kids, and we made DARKNESS glasses with them.



thank you for reading,
I hope you are all healthy and happy,
love Nicole