Well - I've been in South Africa for over a week already! Hard to belive - actually I don't even know what day it is anymore... Wednesday sounds familiar.
I arrived on Tuesday the 4th of July and was picked up from the airport in Cape Town by a couple of the SCORE (Sport Coaches OutREach) staff. I spent the day there with Nico, the other Canadian volunteer, and a few other SCORE volunteers from Holland, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. It was a good time of World Cup soccer and bonding. The next day we picked up the other 10 volunteers from Norway at the aiport and headed to Paarl, outside of Cape Town to our hotel where we will stay until the 20th or so for training.
There are about 20 of us plus staff and we were supposed to stay in a school or somewhere but the schools are on a holiday and we got a really good deal on this beautiful resort! So, it's a little ridiculous but we're enjoying the luxuries of heated floors, beautiful rooms, an amazing mountainous scenery surrounding us and exceptional cuisisine! Definitely not what I expected! :)
So far we've been doing a lot of "in-class" training. We just wrapped up a facilitators course today and finished off the day with an afternoon of wine tasting!! Fantastique!
We also visited the township of Mbkweni a few days ago where we met a guide who took us around one of the poorer neighborhoods outside of Cape Town. It was very interesting and we met a lot of friendly people and picked up a few words in Xhosa (The South African clicking language - definitely a challenge!). I just can't believe the difference between the beautiful houses in the city to the shacks that are just outside. It's so close - yet such a different world.
Other than that, we have a little bit of physical activity every morning and a lot of ice-breakers and energizers throughout the day! I tried to post a few pictures but couldn't manage just yet so I'll try again later.
I got a cell phone!!! I'll post my phone number when I find it again!!!
And I also somehow got tricked into joining a dance group! We practice every night and we are going to perform for the group next week!! AAAAAh - They keep telling us that we'll be pushed out of our comfort zones - I just didn't think this is what they meant!! :)
I'm having a great time and I'm excited for the adventure to begin once our training ends and we have to say goodbye to all the new friends we've made and get out there to our communities!
I arrived on Tuesday the 4th of July and was picked up from the airport in Cape Town by a couple of the SCORE (Sport Coaches OutREach) staff. I spent the day there with Nico, the other Canadian volunteer, and a few other SCORE volunteers from Holland, Zambia, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. It was a good time of World Cup soccer and bonding. The next day we picked up the other 10 volunteers from Norway at the aiport and headed to Paarl, outside of Cape Town to our hotel where we will stay until the 20th or so for training.
There are about 20 of us plus staff and we were supposed to stay in a school or somewhere but the schools are on a holiday and we got a really good deal on this beautiful resort! So, it's a little ridiculous but we're enjoying the luxuries of heated floors, beautiful rooms, an amazing mountainous scenery surrounding us and exceptional cuisisine! Definitely not what I expected! :)
So far we've been doing a lot of "in-class" training. We just wrapped up a facilitators course today and finished off the day with an afternoon of wine tasting!! Fantastique!
We also visited the township of Mbkweni a few days ago where we met a guide who took us around one of the poorer neighborhoods outside of Cape Town. It was very interesting and we met a lot of friendly people and picked up a few words in Xhosa (The South African clicking language - definitely a challenge!). I just can't believe the difference between the beautiful houses in the city to the shacks that are just outside. It's so close - yet such a different world.
Other than that, we have a little bit of physical activity every morning and a lot of ice-breakers and energizers throughout the day! I tried to post a few pictures but couldn't manage just yet so I'll try again later.
I got a cell phone!!! I'll post my phone number when I find it again!!!
And I also somehow got tricked into joining a dance group! We practice every night and we are going to perform for the group next week!! AAAAAh - They keep telling us that we'll be pushed out of our comfort zones - I just didn't think this is what they meant!! :)
I'm having a great time and I'm excited for the adventure to begin once our training ends and we have to say goodbye to all the new friends we've made and get out there to our communities!
posted by Myriam @ 1:22 p.m.
3 Comments:
At 4:22 p.m.,
Anonymous said…
This is great Myriam!! Your adventures are so wonderful and so uniquely different from Samina. When you two actually get together, what great stories you can swap. The hotel sounds heavenly, with heated floors even! Even if the rest of the stay is not this luxurious, as least you will have the good memoried of this hotel, plus all the good friends you made while there. Great to hear from you. Love
At 4:44 p.m.,
Anonymous said…
A dance group Myr? What's next? Don't even tell me you're leading worship too. I once learned that same clicking language. I was going to write you out another phrase, but I realized all it would look like is this: click, click, click - click - click. Not very effective, I guess. ;) Anyway, still praying for ya. Take care
At 1:45 p.m.,
Anonymous said…
Hey, that's great! I'm so thrilled for you. I, like Janice, am carried a puzzled look on my face about the dance thinger, but I think you'll do great at it. Sporty and coordinated you!
We're great, nothing new. Love reading up on you! Continuing to pray for you there.
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