A new start

Ok, ok....I guess it really is time for a new post. And I know at least Jelmer is gonna agree with me on that one..hehehe (gettin' a lil' impatient here dude, eh..?! :))

Anyways, guys..here are the latest news:

I endet up leaving the kibbutz, so now I'm staying at chill'n'surf, the backpackers we first got dropped off at when we arrived in Cape Town. It's located in Kommetjie, a small town (or village..?!) 40k from Cape Town right on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

why do I live there? Cos I've got a new project roght across the road in a black township called Masiphumemele (yeah, it took me a while until I could pronounce it correctly...). It's a township of informal settlements (I know you all want some pics but you're just gonna have to be patient on that one...) and I work with some other volunteers in a day care center for disabled children. It's really great work cos every volunteer is assigned to two kids so you feel really responsible for their improvement. Nomally about 7 kids get brought in by their parents at 9 am so we have breakfast with them, play games or try to teach them words, letters and numbers. On Tuesday and Thursday Nicki, a german physio comes in and does group activities and also shows us some stuff we can do with the kids.
"My" kids are Philasande, a 2 year old boy but he's more like a baby cos he's got severe epilepsy so he can't move on his own. He still gets fed with the bottle but he's really slow when he drinks and because his mum got annoyed she cut a hole in the nipple of the bottle which means he almost chokes when he drinks. So now he's terrified when anything goes near his mouth nd starts to gag. He's also really stressed and gets muscular contractions so his body is really tense and I try to relax him a bit. I've made him a hammok because he has a round back and this should improve things. They also put him in bed a lot, always on his back and because he's quite chesty, he can't hardly breathe so I put him on his belly and do physio with him, similar to what I do (or should do..!) to keep the thorax flexible. Phila has gotten so much better in the last week, it's unbelivable! I think it's just that no one ever wanted to hold him cos he cries a lot and he's so tiny but that little thing surely can raise hell! And now he's hardly in bed anymore, so gets loads of attention and I don't let him cry for hours either. Yeah, anyways, with this project you feel like you're actually doing something and after a day with Phila I'm actually quite exhausted.
My other kid is Paul,7, he suffered from meningitis and has problems moving his left side so I do some physio with him. Unfortunately, his mom hardly brings him in the center, though, so I haven't been doing all that much work with him.

So life in the hostel with the other volunteers is great. Because we're all on different project there's a great deal of exchange experiences which is cool. Also, I've rented a car again (you really can't get anywhere or always have to try to get a lift off someone which is a pain in the arse if I wanna go for a run at the beach. And hitch-hiking is not really safe.) so I get around again. I really think I've made the right decision coming here. So much better!

And, because this is a backpackers we get infos about all the stuff that you can do around here! So Liz, Cat (two other volunteers) and I went canyoning yesterday! And oh..my..god...I was dead afterwards but it was one of the best days of my life, really!
First, I was thrilled how well things were with my lungs, I was coughing a bit but not at all uncontrolled. And I mean it was a hectic day, I got up at 3.45 am to do my nebs and stuff cos the guys from Frixon Adventures picked us up at 6 am! 3 Hour drive out to the mountains and after a lovely breakfast we took off. Hicked a few K's to the first canyon and man, I was a bit scared going over the edge the first time. Also, we abseiled down waterfalls which made the whole thing a bit tricky and, needless to say, I was soaked after my first abseil. So we hiked and abseiled more until 5 pm and we all slept on the drive back to the hostel.
So yeah, today my muscles are sore as hell and I have problems sitting down and getting up. But hell, it's definitely worth it!!!

So to sum it up: Change of location was definitely a wise thing to do and yeah, thanks so much for all the encouraging comments and emails I got regarding leaving the kibbutz. I really wasn't sure whether I was doing the right thing or not but reading all the mail was really really good!
The hostel rocks and yeah, I realise this huge difference between coloured and white South Africa. It's totally weird to go from one world into the other and I notice how much easier it is here for me to fit in. But I think I've learned a lot living in the coloured community, I realise it when I work in Masiphumelele. It's not hard to adapt there for me at all. But I appreciate the fact that I go there to work, but when I come home to chill'n'surf, I know the rules of the "society" there, I know what to say and how I come across with certain things. I know how to take people and I know how they take me. It's easier and more relaxed.
Great to do another project and to see that volunteering not always means frustration. So yeah, I really like working with the kids, they are great!

And also (because I know there are a few mum's reading this - inclunding mine...) this place is a lot safer that the Kibbutz, simply because we work but don't live in a township. We did have some riots here the other night with burning tyres and stuff cos we just had elections and the housing situations is a disaster but that's peanunts compared to the shootings at the kibbutz area. So yeah, all of you who tend to worry a little bit to0 much....chill out, I'll never be completely safe but we're going down on the risk scale. A tiny bit. hehe.

But I think that's all the news for now...added some more pics though, so check them out - especially from the canyoning!!!