This one time when I lived in South Africa....

Greetings one last time from South Africa,

It is with great pleasure that I write to you one last time from sunny South Africa. It is with incredibly mixed emotions that I am leaving the country tomorrow night. This experience has been eye opening, magical, challenging, rewarding, rich, full of patience, and one that I will take with me for the rest of my life. The last few weeks of work were truly spectacular with quality time at the school, over two hundred children attending our programs during the start of the winter holidays, and some great final memories with the kids.

A few weeks before the school closed for the holidays, the grade sixes and sevens went to Durban for a wild and crazy blitz-style field trip to four different tourist attractions. Sadly only about 80% of the kids could afford to come as the trip cost approximately $16 CAD. We stopped at the Shark’s Board (a learning aquarium-style facility focusing only on sharks!), Ushaka Marine World, did a harbour cruise, and took photos at the 2010 World Cup stadium. The kids had a blast and several of the teachers did too as they disappeared half way through to have an extended lunch! We returned home late as how can you fit in all those fun adventures in one day!?

The new Ukulapha interns arrived in South Africa to take over from us and they joined us for our final few days of school. With classes winding down, there wasn’t a whole lot for us to do educationally, so we were able to clean up, pass along any documents the new folks would need, and spend time with the kids. On June 24, we were sent off with a cultural tribute to our time in Slangspruit. Each grade from grades 4 to 7 performed a drama, skit, or song and the choir sang as well. The teachers individually thanked us and we were able to express our gratitude at the end as well.

Over the past six months I have seen many children grow so much. Saying goodbye was really hard as some of the kids really appreciated the love, attention, and support that we gave them. Remember that many of these kids do not come from homes that we may come from in Canada with loving parents, resources, food readily available, and opportunities. To be a part of these children’s lives since January has been one of the greatest honours that a human can hold. To have witnessed them become a bit more confident, to pass math after working so hard, or just to see them smile each time we encountered each other on the school ground is a privilege that I am so glad I got to be a part of. Working at Slangspruit Primary School has reminded me of the truly important things in life and I thank the kids of the community for welcoming us and unknowingly teaching and reminding us of what really matters in life.

Following the closure of the school we did see many of the kids again the next week at the day camps that we held for the grade six and seven students. You may remember that we held similar programs for the grade fours directly before Easter in March. This time around we had a huge turnout, some days with sixty kids showing up for breakfast, a whole bunch of fun, lunch, and then more fun before heading home around 3:00pm. Canada Day was our last day and it consisted of the leadership kids coming for one final morning of good times with us. We played a giant game of capture the flag and then got down to business organizing the next few months of projects. I am especially going to miss these kids as I have gotten to know many of them so well. They are the future of this country and I am so glad for this!

Following the leadership day camp, which was the actual last time of seeing the kids, I went straight to Durban with a friend to catch a flight to Johannesburg to go and meet up with friends from Canada, another friend from here, and my brother! After a really fun weekend in Johannesburg with Gabby, Ntando, Luyanda, and Mthobisi eight of us headed to Kruger National Park for the safari of a lifetime! Just like so many times before, I had to switch hats from development worker in Slangspruit to curious traveler looking to experience the amazing sights, animals, and cultures of South Africa.

If you have never been to Kruger National Park, you need to put this place on your list. It is nothing short of extraordinary! We spent three days in the park seeing some of the most beautiful scenery, animals, and natural wonders that this earth has to offer. You name it; we saw it! See photos below of lions eating a buffalo, a leopard with a kill in a tree, the very rare African wild dogs, a cheetah taking it easy on a Friday, and the gentle giants (elephants) that roam in search of greener places. We definitely saved the best for last, visiting Kruger at the end of our trip.

These last few weeks have been amazing, traveling around the country with new friends and old. The relationships that I have made here with the kids and people in the community are what make it so difficult to leave tomorrow. This is the second time that I have temporarily lived in another country and combined, these two experiences are two of the richest times of my life. Thank you to everyone here in South Africa and in Canada that have supported me along the way and shown me kindness as I found my feet living in a new place. I am looking forward to seeing family and friends in Canada, eating sushi, riding my bike, petting Brandy, and enjoying BC’s summer. But these things don’t make it any easier to leave my favourite continent and the people that I shared this life changing time of my life with!

Cheers from down here,

Russell

“The longer I live, the more my mind dwells upon the beauty and the wonder of the world.” – John Burroughs

Grade sevens performing a skit at the final assembly

A keen grade four homework club student

The grade four homework club crew on the last day of school

Proud students showing me their report cards

The final assembly, 1100 people!

The little girls that we tutor came for a sleepover and wanted to do a fashion show. I was security for the models and DJ

Eighteen lions eating a buffalo

Elephant bath!

Hyena mom and two cubs

A cheetah scanning for impalas

Cam and I at Blyde River Canyon

Gabby and I enjoying the sights!

Eight African Wild Dogs came for a morning visit 

A leopard snoozing after making a kill

The crew! 

One last visit to Cape Town

Checking out the fish at the aquarium

One last hike through the Drakensberg

Amazing new friends that I made!