My Volunteer Placement

I have been home for a few days now and I have finally finished the task of sorting through my 600 plus pictures. My trip was simply amazing and I am excited to share all of the details with you. I did so much in 4 weeks that I thought it would be easier to break things down for you a bit. So my first post is about my volunteer placement.
My volunteer placement was at Silvertown Educare which offers day care and preschool services to 170 children ages 1-6years. Silvertown operates under the Cape Town Child Welfare system. Many of the children at Silvertown are from single parent homes. Most parents are employed which is great considering South Africa has an unemployment rate of 40%!
I chose to work with the 3-4 year old classroom assisting Teachers Alma and Tonia. There were 46 kids in the room. Yes it was very crowded! Many days there were not enough seats at the tables so kids had to sit along the wall. I would arrive around 8:00am and most of the kids were already there. They would be playing or singing until it was time for breakfast. Most mornings the kids had porridge or oatmeal. They got very small portions and seconds were given out until everything was gone, but most kids never got seconds. After a bathroom break there was usually some kind of lesson on colors, numbers, shapes, alphabet or safety. Then the teachers would set up some stations for them to work at. Often it would be play dough, coloring, threading, reading, puzzles, or just playing on the carpet. Snack would be around 10:15 which was bread and fruit. If the weather was nice enough they would go outside to play. Before lunch I would read to the kids and of course there was more singing!! I would leave around 12:15p as lunch was ending and nap time was beginning. One of my favorite times of day at my placement was before the meals when the class would pray (I have included a video below).
The kids were great and I had so much fun with them! English was spoken by both teachers and all the kids. On occasions they would speak Xhosa, which I only learned very little of. As you will be able to see in the videos I posted their English is sometimes hard to understand because of their accent. I caught on pretty quickly though. I taught the kids several songs which they had mastered by the end of my three weeks. I also learned all 46 of their names which I am extremely proud of. I think Teacher Alma and Tonia were impressed with me. The teachers definitely have good control over the class. The kids are meant to be obedient and they really listen to Teacher Alma and Tonia, me not so much. I had a hard time taking on the kind of authority they did. Sometimes their approach was very different from what I am used to.
Silvertown was not located in one of the townships or “shantytowns” but it was in a very poor community. The school does not have a lot of supplies or resources for their classrooms. The one thing that really broke my heart was how few books they have. I would read to the class everyday and I was reading the same 4 or 5 stories over and over. One of their favorite stories was The Ant and The Sweet so one day I brought them all a snack – Ants on a Log. I also made them a book for them called Hands Are For . . . I included the pictures I had been taking of them learning, playing, helping, eating, etc. Then the last page said Hands Are Not For Hitting! Teacher Alma posted it on the wall before I left saying she wanted all the parents to see it. I already miss them very much and I hope to write them and of coarse send them more pictures. Here are some videos of them singing and just being adorable.

Hayden singing 5 Little Monkeys


The class praying


The Frog Song I taught them


Goodbye Teacher Dena!

I'm Home

Hello Everyone! I landed back in Indianapolis earlier today! The flight was long and I am very tired, but otherwise I'm fine.

Goodbye Cape Town!

In a few hours I will be boarding a plane home. I am excited to get home and share my experience with everyone. I have taken over 600 pictures!! I have missed family and friends. I am also sad to leave Cape Town. It is absolutely beautiful here and there is so much to do. The people have been very nice and welcoming. They always ask where we are from and are interested to hear about the US. They love President Obama and we frequently see shirts and other merchandise with his face on it. This has been an amazing trip that I will never forget. Thanks again to everyone who supported and sponsored me. I couldn't have done it without your help. I will post pictures as soon as I can. I will be back in Evansville sometime Saturday.
Love,
Dena

Rain, Rain and More Rain!

Yesterday was a very cloudy/foggy day here so today of course it started raining. The forecast is showing rain up until Thursday when I leave. So my goal of repelling down Table Mountain may not happen. It is a little difficult to do too much here with the rain, but we have checked out some more markets and shops. Tonight we are meeting some other CCS volunteers who are still in country for dinner. My friend Aly and I took an speed-boat adventure tour of the coast yesterday which was really fun!! I am doing fine and I feel very safe in the hostel here with the other girls so no worries!
Love,
Dena

Last Weekend in Cape Town

Today was my last day volunteering at the Silvertown Educare. I had a lovely send off and received some nice gifts to bring home including art work made by my class. This is my last weekend in Cape Town and we are supposed to have nice weather. Tomorrow a group of us are going to try to go to Robben Island again in the morning. Several people are heading home tomorrow as well. I have been feeling sick today, but I hope to get better fast. It is hard to believe I only have one week left, the time has flown by. This has been a great experience so far and I look forward to sharing it with you all. I have taken over 500 pictures so far!
Dena

Here's What I've Been Doing!

Hello Everyone!! Sorry my blog posts have been short, but I haven’t had much time to write. The three week program has a very busy schedule. Today is a National Holiday in South Africa so we had the day off from placements, which are mostly closed. This has given me a chance to fill you in on what I have been doing. We have had a few cultural learning activities which have included speakers on HIV/AIDS and the treatment of workers on farmlands. We have also visited the District 6 museum and an area called Bo Kaap, which is home to most of Cape Town’s muslim community. We also visited the Slave Lodge, where actual slaves were housed years and years ago.

There is so much to see in Cape Town and the history is very complex. The country director gave a talk on the history of South Africa and we talked about the education system, which I found particularly interesting. I definitely want to read more about South Africa when I come home. Several girls here have suggested books they have read. Cape Town’s scenery is also a good reflection of their difficult history. Everywhere you go in the city you can see Table Mountain which is beautiful. Our home base is located in a nice little suburb, but you don’t have to go far to see the townships where millions of people live in shacks. As we drive to placement everyday we pass by the townships and see the mountain in the background. It is such a contrast to see this massive natural made mountain and then these shacks that are a result of man made apartheid.

My placement is a lot of fun. The kids are very excited to see me everyday. The teachers here don’t really play with the kids much so they are all over me when I sit down to play or go outside with them. I have taught them several songs which we sing everyday-multiple times. They even decided to sing a song I taught them for a concert the Educare is putting on. I have posted a few pictures of the kids. The first is Numaan and Logan on the playground and the second is Yanda, Zika, and Jeremiah playing outside. The last is Hlengiwe eating the snack I brought in for them. They love it when I read this story about ants so I made them ants on a log. I have taken a lot more pictures and some videos to share when I get home. I am very proud to say I have learned all 46 of their names! I only have 3 days left at placement which makes me sad, but I have a lot of good memories to take home with me.

Next week I will be staying in a hostel in Cape Town with three other volunteers who are also staying to travel. I hope to explore downtown more and get in some time at the beach. I still have plans to repel off Table Mountain. I am just waiting for good enough weather. I hope everyone is well at home and I will try to keep updating the blog, but it might be more difficult next week so don’t worry if you don’t hear from me.
Love,
Dena

Adventure Weekend

This weekend a group of us went about 5-6 hours east of Cape Town along the Garden Route for some Adventure activities. We went zip lining and caving. Most of the group went bungy jumping off of a bridge (don't worry I didn't go). I also did the Elephant Sanctuary where we got to feed the elephants and ride on them. It was very cool. We also stopped at a wildlife game reserve on our way home. We stayed at a hostel since it was so far away. It was a good time, but I am very tired. Tomorrow I start my final week at my volunteer placement. The kids continue to be lots of fun and very cute. They love singing and getting their picture taken so I will have lots of good stuff to share when I get home.
Love,
Dena

Cape of Good Hope & Table Mountain

The past two days I have seen some of the most beautiful parts of Cape Town and South Africa. On Sunday we spent the day driving along the coast and stopping at some amazing sights. We saw the penguins in Simon's Town and my favorite was the Cape of Good Hope, which includes the southern most point of the African Continent. We had great weather all day and the non-stop mountains and ocean was breathtaking. Today we had another amazing day of weather - not a cloud in the sky. A group of us decided to hike Table Mountain. It was a very difficult hike that took 2 hours and was very steep. This hike completely out does anything I ever did at Camp. I will definitely be sore, but the views were amazing. I have included a picture of me at the top of Table Mountain for you to see. I am also taking pictures at my placement this week that continues to be lots of fun.

Emails

I just found out that the emails I have been sending are not going through. I apologize to those of you I told would be receiving updates via email. I am able to receive emails, but you are not able to get them from me. Please don't hesitate to send me an email or comment on the blog. I would love to hear from people back home. Things are going well and I am having a good time. I got to pet a cheetah today!! We also toured the winelands which were beautiful. The only complaint about my trip so far would be living with so many girls. Since I have lived alone for 6 years and never lived in a dorm during college I am having trouble with the different personalities of the house. There has been a lot of unexpected drama going on. There are however, others like me who are avoiding it so hopefully we will be able to continue doing that. I will update again soon!

My Placement

I am having a lot of fun at my volunteer placement with Silvertown Educare. I am working in the 3-4 year old room with Teachers Tonya & Alma. The kids are very excited I am there and they are frequently hugging me, jumping on me, pulling me, etc. They all call me Teacher Dena (which I hear at least 100 times a day). I have been working really hard to learn all their names. There are 40 in my room and some have very American names like Justin and Lisa, while others have very South African names like Indiphile or Asiphe. They are being very patient with me and they love to sing!! I have taught them a couple of songs I know from working at Camp Koch. I can communicate pretty good with them in English, but they also speak Xhosa, which is really difficult to understand and learn. They think it is very funny when I try to say things in Xhosa. You can imagine things are a little choatic with 40 kids, but they listen really good to the teachers. I'm still trying to get them to listen to me. It is very sad to see the kinds of toys resources they have to use. The boys play with leggos and OLD wooden blocks, The girls enjoy the babies and kitchen. I am taking my camera with me next week to get some pictures.

Everything else is good, except the constant cold, rain and wind. I am really hoping our weekend plans don't get rained out. Tonight we are going to a restaurant called Mama Africa.

I'm Here!!

I arrived safely in Cape Town on Saturday!! I met some of my fellow volunteers at the airport before we boarded. The flight was very long and uncomfortable. It was a big plane and it was full! We have had orientation the last couple days and we took a driving tour of Cape Town. The city is so beautiful and there are some amazing views! We drove up Signal Hill to get a view of the city and ocean. Then we drove down to Clifton Beach, which has huge boulders in the water and on the beach.

I am staying at Home Base 2 which is a little smaller, but is nice because it is quieter. I only have one roommate and we have our own bathroom to use. I have made fast friends with Aly from Ohio(my roommate), Amanda from Michigan, and Claire from Long Island.

Today we took a tour of the Townships(shantytowns). Our guide was Mama Ivy from the townships. She was great and gave us a lot of background history on the culture and lifestyle. It was an eye opening experience that is hard to put into words. I start my placement tomorrow and I will be at Silvertown Educare which is a creche (daycare) with kids ages 1-6years. I am very excited and ready to get started with my volunteering. I will continue posting updates, but the internet at Home Base 2 is down so I am using a friend's computer. Hopefully it will be fixed soon!
Love and miss you all!
Dena