I have been here a nearly a week, that's nearly seven days, a hundred and sixty-eight hours, wow, the time has flown by, I'm halfway through my stay here already - unbelievable! And, I have enjoyed every moment of it!
It's been hard work, it's been emotional, it's been dirty, and cold, but I wouldn't have changed a thing....what an experience!
I wouldn't have even changed the jumble sale I helped at this morning in the township at Clermont, and that was something else! The COPT (community outreach project trust) was raising funds, so was selling donated clothes, shoes, kids toys, and toiletries, for no more than R1 - R3 (10 to 30 pence).
We took the clothes etc, and two trestle tables, and set up in the middle of a street in the township, and it was bedlam.....as soon as we started unpacking the pick-up we were swamped!
I was 'in charge' of the toys'. One minute I had a cardboard box full of them, the next minute, kids were crawling all over me, and the box was empty, not a kid in sight, not a toy in sight, and I had R1 to show for it - 10 pence - they might be little, but my goodness they're quick!!
Lesson learnt, I moved up the table to 'women's clothes', and even though these were selling for R1, the women drove a hard bargain - although, to be fair, it's amazing what some will buy, some of the goods I looked at and I thought 'no way', and yet these women in Southern Africa, with nothing, were arguing over them , desperate to be the one to 'have it', I guess that taught me a lesson......
After 2 hours...we then had some free time, so were taken to Vic Street Market in the centre of Durban. This is a covered Zulu market and was amazing.....you could buy anything from 'hell hot masala powder' ( I resisted) to a wooden giraffe head (couldn't resist!) to zulu canvas paintings....it was amazing.
Next we went next door to the butchers market, which was, well, slightly different to the UK, and has made me want to be a little more vegetarian than I am now! Goat meat and cheese, and lamb is a big thing over here, and that's what you see here, particularly the heads, rows and rows and rows of them lining the counters, hanging from hooks, fresh, boiled, roasted, steamed, with eyes, without eyes, with teeth, without teeth, with entrails, without...you get the picture...this was then followed by lunch...and I had to give lamb bunny chow a miss and go for bean instead!
The afternoon was free time, this was spent at Westville, and it was nice to have time to catch up, do some washing, email, blog, as we have been really busy here and time flies by!
Yesterday morning was spent planning for teaching at Happy's in the afternoon. The children are taught by children from COPT on a Friday afternoon, and have a bible based lesson, but one that also teaches a 'life skill', or 'life lesson'. This week it was about friendship and jealousy, and the organiser thought it would be good to 'act out a play' as the children love visual aids. Hmmmm! So Friday morning practising and planning, and then Friday afternoon to Happy's to perform. Again it was great to see the kids, they now recognise us, and come to greet us when the pick- up drives up, we shouldn't have favourites, but you do get attached to certain ones, and they do come and find you. Again, it's heart wrenching to see them, but you tell yourself that these kids are, in fact, the lucky ones.
We stayed at Happy's till sundown, and then it was time to head to Osharka beach, and supper at Moyo's, and an early night - again!
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