Some Final Thoughts...

It has been a month since my last entry.  I am back home in Northern Michigan.  I don’t know where the time has gone, but every day seems completely full.  How on earth will I ever find the time to squeeze in a job?  In a couple of days I will be speaking at some of the local churches about my trip.   I’ve been trying to reflect on my entire journey and figure out how I can accurately describe the past 6 months in such a limited time.  After reading through many old journal and blog entries my mind is overloaded.  I doubt I will ever be able to share what my heart feels, but it will be interesting trying.   

A friend of mine commented that as they followed my blog they noticed at first I had this “conquer the world attitude”, but then my spirits seem to drop as I realized that no matter what I did the poverty and evil would always continue.  I think my friend was right.  I look back at my journal and remember a few entries where I felt utterly helpless and wasn’t sure how my presence in Africa could ever help anyone.  But somewhere along the way I felt at peace with my situation and realized that it was possible to make a tiny impact and that was sufficient enough.  Maybe that is all God wanted me to do there.   One tiny impact was more than I ever would have done back in America.  On my final day, Kuyasa had a little going away gathering for me and some people spoke about how I helped them.  I had no idea.  Here I was feeling like I didn’t really help anyone because I couldn’t see any results.  I quickly learned that the impact I had on a few individuals helped all of the other people that they worked with, which rippled down to help others and so on....  What a simple theory.  Be kind and helpful to everyone because more than likely they will be kind and helpful to the next person and then the kindness can spread like an infectious good disease.  

Speaking of diseases, before I went to South Africa I never quite understood how crime, poverty and HIV could be so prevalent in a country.  Like most sheltered northern Michiganders I was pretty ignorant growing up in my safe little environment.  We didn’t even use locks on our high-school lockers.  That part of my journey was very tough and still hurts my heart to think about everything.  Kids grow up witnessing sex, violence and alcoholism on a very personal and serious level.  They are affected by it daily and abused in ways we could never imagine.  Those kids grow up thinking that is normal and never understand what a healthy family might be like.  Sadly, many of the teenagers get pregnant very early on and find themselves in a complicated financial situation and struggle.  The father of the child generally leaves the pregnant girl and she ends up a single mother with yet another baby in a shack, growing up without a chance.  The cycle continues. 

On a positive note, some of my favorite memories were at the camps where I was able to bond with the children and teenagers away from that environment.  At these camps away from the township we were together 24/7, sleeping in the same bunk rooms for days at a time.  We shared the same bathroom and showers, ate the same food, played the same games and shared very personal stories.  We were all equal.  I grew to care for these children so much and it broke my heart even more when the bus returned and I got in my car to drive home to my safe, warm, clean house with running water and electricity - and they walked back down the dirt roads to their tiny little shacks.  Many times things felt so unfair and there was nothing I could do about it.   What a helpless feeling.

I think one of the most exciting parts of my journey was near the end when I was able to help Yandiswa get into college.  I can’t thank my friends enough for the support and the financial help.  Everybody had a part of this.  Anyone reading this blog now.  If you are reading it, then you are emotionally involved and I’m assuming you care about me and were praying for me over there.  Your prayers gave me the energy and courage to help this one child have a chance at a better life.  I prayed every night for God to help me find a way.   And he answered.  He always does.  That was amazing and I cried many times with Yandiswa.   Happy tears.  Sad tears.  More happy tears. Good-bye tears.   Yandiswa and I are keeping in touch through emails.  She is doing very well in her classes and loving every minute of being a college student.  She tells me all about the friends she is making, how much she is enjoying her classes and I can see her confidence growing.  It’s so incredible.

Some people have asked if I regret quitting my job.  The answer is no.  Not at all.  I would do it all over again and couldn’t have asked for a better journey.  I felt God calling me to serve over in South Africa and although I was scared and at times crying with the decision at hand, I decided to listen (for once) and obey.  The experience was amazing.  I’ve never felt so many different emotions before.  It was a big leap of faith and I am very blessed to have had the opportunity to do such a thing.  At times it was scary, lonely and mentally challenging, but those times made me stronger and my trust and faith in God grew.  Our friendship grew.  I knew he was in control and would keep me safe.  The time away made me realize just how important my family is to me and how fortunate I am to have a family that loves me so very much.  The time away gave me such a fresh perspective on my life and everything that I always took for granted.  I feel very different now.  I had a lot of time to think and process my life.  It was a good thing for me.  I have peace now, and I would have never had that had I stayed in my job and never took this journey.  While I helped others God helped me. 

In my mission journal there was a paragraph that I high-lighted:  “Don’t ever let anyone convince you that you have no power.... All significant changes in the world start slowly, at a single time and place with a single action.  One man, one woman, one child stands up and commits to creating a better world.  Their courage inspires others, who begin to stand up themselves.  You can be that person.”  

Now I start another chapter in my life.  A little wiser, a little stronger, and a bigger heart.   I hope that some of my words throughout the past 6 months might have inspired you a little bit.  Maybe to consider all of your blessings or to spend more time with your loved ones.  I would highly recommend trying to go on some type of short term mission trip through your church.  I promise you that it will be life changing and you won’t regret it.   And if you don’t have that opportunity at least try to volunteer from time to time in your community.  So many people out there need a little help.  You never know how your tiny impact might change their lives, even if its just once.  Kindness is contagious. 

Thank you for all your prayers and support.  If anyone would like to contact me, my cell is: 704-996-5850.   I will be relocating to the Traverse City area and am happy to be giving Northern Michigan a try once again.  =)  

Much Love, 

Katie

Swim Lessons and New Beginnings

Only 5 days left.

This past week I had the honor of taking 25 of the Kayamandi students to one of our local pools for swim lessons.   During the first half I took pictures and enjoyed being the silent observer trying not to laugh.  The kids make me laugh with their comments or facial expressions, and just their excitement in general.  A few of the kids could swim and they were bored with the lesson, but most of them were afraid of the water and were eagerly listening to every instruction.  The life guards started with very basics while they held onto the wall.  They were taught how to hold their breath under water, how to kick, etc.  Very basic fundamentals.  It was fun to watch their confidence grow and slowly their little fingers peeled away from the wall and they would try to venture off a bit on their own.    

When the lesson ended, I gave the kids 45 more minutes of free swim time before we had to return to the bus.  I joined them and ended up back at the deep end where I now had 4 or so little guys wanting me to teach them how to dive again.  It was so much fun.  I will attach the swim pics to a Kodak photo link.   It was the kids final day of summer break before they resumed classes again.  My 7th graders were sad that I wasn’t going to be teaching them anymore since they were now 8th Graders.  I didn’t have the heart to tell them that I was leaving anyway.   I need to take care of that tiny sad detail this week.   

The most EXCITING part of my week was taking Yandiswa to get registered and enrolled into MSC College where she will be studying International Bookkeeping for (hopefully) the next 3 years.  I was so thankful that I had called ahead to get an appointment set up, because while we entered the college we witnessed lines of students waiting to meet with anyone about trying to get into MSC.  Apparently there was an overflow of about 200 students this year from the Universities that had thought they were “in” and got their acceptance letters, but when they went to go register for their classes the Universities had no knowledge of them applying and no record of their payment.   This sort of situation happens a lot in South Africa, so it was very sad to see these kids faces as they were desperate.   Because I had the appointment set up, we walked right in and for the next 2 hours we took care of the necessary paper work, fees, student ID, classes, etc, etc.   Once Yandiswa had heard the 200 students didn’t get in, I could see the color drain from her face and she was very nervous.  She assumed the same would happen to her.  But after some gentle explanations I finally calmed her nerves and she realized that this was really happening for her.  

After we got her college shirt and book bag we were finally finished and could leave.  We walked silently down the staircase.   As I glanced over at her I could see this tiny grin where she was just starting to take it all in and realize what had happened.   A New Beginning.   We exited the building and she started jumping up and down screaming and laughing and smiling.  So I started jumping up and down, screaming and laughing and almost crying.  We hugged and hugged and shouted.  I had to tell everyone on the streets that passed us that “She was going to COLLEGE!”  I took some pictures of her as she was still celebrating.  It was an awesome moment!  Unexplainable.  

Afterwards I took her for a celebration lunch so she could get her favorite Spur burger.  She could relax and I could tell that the build up of nerves had finally reached her and she was exhausted. We both were actually.  We started yawning and laughing.   Sadly, it was our last lunch together, so after lunch we sat and I gave her a “Going to College” bag of goodies.  She started to cry and that made me so sad.  I was trying very hard to keep it together.  She cried and said that she didn’t know how to ever thank me or my friends that helped make this happen.  I told her not to thank me and that she needed to thank God, because all of this was a gift from God.  Not me.  I was just the messenger.  I told her that we would email every week so she could tell me how things were going and that I could send her letters and pictures from the states.   I tried to cheer her up the best I could.  I could see that she didn’t want the day to end and I asked her if she wanted to do anything else before I took her home.  We decided to see the Disney movie “Secretariat”.    It was a nice movie and ended our day on a brighter note.   On the way home she was rejuvenated once again because she couldn’t wait to go tell the 7 people she lived with the good news.   I couldn’t believe she already hadn’t done that, so when I asked her why not, she replied “Because I was afraid it wouldn’t really happen and I didn’t want to get their hopes up.”   She was happy when I dropped her off and ran back to her shack to show everyone her new book bag and college shirt!   That made me feel better. (For those of you who helped support her, I will be sending you a personal thank you letter from her and a picture.  She wrote up a very nice one. )

I drove out of the township realizing that this week I would be leaving her for the final time and I did get sad.  I try to keep my crying for alone times.  I get so sick of good-byes in my life.  I keep thinking I should be used to these and my heart would toughen up a bit, but it never seems to happen.  This week will be a tough one.  I’ve grown to love these kids, the staff and the Kayamandi community in general.  It will be a tough Thursday when I say my final good-bye.  The hardest time will be with my new Afrikaans friends and 3 flat mates whom I’ve grown so close to in such a short amount of time.  I haven’t lived with any girls since college back in ’98 so this was quite a new experience.   I was afraid I was set in my ways since I’ve lived alone for so many years, but surprisingly I loved it and it worked well.  I always have someone to talk to and to laugh with.  It has been nice not having to talk to myself.  Someone’s always laughing, cooking or serving tea.  It’s a wonderful thing.  And without realizing it the Afrikaans words have seeped into my regular vocabulary.  I now catch myself using words like:  Lakker, brilliant, pleasure, divine, hectic, shucks, shame, robots, boot, bucky and serviettes.   I’m going to come back to America driving on the wrong side of the road and sounding like a crazy woman.   I guess some things never change.

I return home to Michigan on Friday.  This will probably be my last post until I’m back.  I’m sure during the 23 hours of travel I will have many thoughts and reflections for my friends and family about this wonderful journey.   I look so forward to being able to see or speak to you all again.  

One final request... please pray that I have safe flights and return back to my family in one piece.  =)

Love, Katie

Back to Work

Oh my word.  I forgot how loud working in a township was.  The December holiday was a wonderful mental break, but I probably would have been better off not getting that “quiet time”.  Before holiday I had adjusted to the noise level of the screaming children, the loud music and the adults whose conversations seemed more like yelling than talking.  I don’t know how, but I managed to tune it all out, put a smile on my face, do my job and have fun with everyone.  Now I’m back to work and it is like starting all over with the headaches and tension again.  As I drove home all last week I enjoyed the complete silence in a glazed over fog.  I was exhausted and weak with no energy.  It felt like when I first arrived in August and was completely overwhelmed and on the verge of tears everyday.  It still amazes me how all of the people in the township sleep through the noise or ever feel rested with any quiet time.  I have no idea how the kids ever study.  I’m so impressed with the few that somehow manage to graduate high-school and continue their education.   We really do take our quiet time for granted.   

Anyway, enough of the noise, let me tell you what I have been doing.  Last week we opened Kuyasa and were over-loaded with a huge donation of office furniture from a local company that had shut down.  I was needed upstairs in the main class room rearranging all the new cabinets and desks.  I spent many of hours sorting through books that had been donated and figuring out what to keep, what was garbage and what I could take to the township library.  I love to organize and clean so I was very much in my element - but unfortunately, there is no A.C. at Kuyasa, so the intense summer heat penetrates through the plastic sky windows and the room feels like one giant sauna.  We could only stand about 2 hours at a time before we were sweating so bad and felt dehydrated.  We escaped to the computer lab on the ground floor, which was a bit cooler.  For the rest of the week I worked on admin projects and some of the 2011 curriculums, trying to get them finished before classes resumed. 

The kids return this week and I can only imagine how crazy it is going to be.  They have been on holiday break for almost a month and half now without any classes or discipline.  We will probably get sore throats this week trying to talk over their yelling and get them to sit down and pay attention.  I think I will need to pray very hard every day for God to bless me with loads of patience!   My saving Grace is that mid week I can break from the noise and take the curriculums to the University to get bound and walk around to tape up posters to recruit student volunteers.   Another exciting break from classes is that I am and taking a group of 25 students to the recreation center pool for official swim lessons and practice time.  The coolest part of the week though is on Thursday when I will finally take Yandiswa to MSC College to enroll and get her class schedule.  Although I don’t have all the funds raised yet, I have enough to get her started, which is awesome.  Since she will be taking the train in each day I am going to help her find the station, the correct stop and make sure she knows exactly where to walk and how to get to her classes.  It should be so exciting for her.  I can’t wait.  She is very sad about me leaving, but I think once she starts her classes she will be so busy that she won’t have time to miss me.  That is a good thing.

I will be sure to take some pictures of the swim lessons and enrolling Yandiswa.  I will try to post them next week with my blog.

One more week to go.

Less than 3 weeks......

Happy 2011 my friends!  

My apologies on how long it has been since I updated my blog.  Seeing as though I now only have 2.5 weeks remaining in South Africa I better get to updating you a few more times before returning to America.  So much to catch you up on!

First, to clear up some serious false assumptions, my friend George (Alexis) and I are not a couple.  Never have been, never will.  We are simply best friends of 10 years who travel and vacation very well together.  We pick on each other, laugh at each other, cry together and bug the crap out of one another, and all of this with absolutely no physical benefits.   Come to think of it, I guess we are technically like an old married couple.   Anyway, Alexis took the great opportunity to visit South Africa and his best friend who he knew was very sad missing her family over the holidays.  (thank you pumpkin)  So the guy you see in these “Garden Route” pictures is my good friend Alexis, not some new South African boyfriend.   Sorry ladies.

Our road trip was both relaxing and adventurous.  It was uneventful on the safety part and eventful on the fun category.  Perfect combination.  I sent some of you a link to part one and two of the pictures.  If you didn’t get a chance to look at them I will post the links on my blog.  We started in Cape Town where I could enjoy being a tourist, then we followed the southern coast “Garden Route” East to Port Elizabeth.  Part way through we detoured north to Outsdhoorn where we enjoyed the Cango Caves, a waterfall and some wildlife.  I braved my life riding an Ostrich which unfortunately wasn’t captured too well with pictures since the dang bird was moving too quick.  I wish I would have taped a video camera onto my head.  HILARIOUS.  Thankfully the little South Africans ran behind so that when I did fall off, they could catch me before I broke any bones.  

Being the over-planner that I am, I had planned out the route staying in the most inexpensive back-packer hostel type lodging with my next to nothing unemployed salary.  With most every booking I had reserved separate twin beds when possible.  This posed no issues until some silly folks thought they would be kind to upgrade us to a double bed (obviously thinking we were a couple).  I thoroughly enjoyed playing the Crazy American woman, making a scene and demanding two beds making it look like Alexis did something horrible and was in the dog house.  “OH No you DON’T... you are NOT sleeping anywhere close to me tonight!  Get your own bed!”  Some managers would look at me like I was an angry bitter old woman and gave Alexis the “Oh you poor guy” look.  Of course I always enjoy embarrassing Alexis, so this was a fun part of the holiday. 

Mother Nature apparently didn’t like my plans so the days that were designated as beach days usually rained and turned into a movie or curio shopping days.  Two of the unfortunate rainy days were in Jeffreys Bay which is one of the top 5 surfing destinations in the world.  I was supposed to be admiring good looking surfer dudes, looking for my future husband on those days.  Instead I found myself acting crazy once again and decided to get a 2 hour surf lesson.  Sharks?  What Sharks?   I had myself convinced that the Great Whites didn’t like the rainy weather either.  Of course the day I pick to learn how to surf the wind was severely hectic and the waves were crashing in like crazy.  This seems like ideal surfing conditions, but not for one trying to learn and make it out past the break to a calm spot to turn the big, clumsy, learner surf board around.  Man do I have a new respect for surfers!  Oh my word, it is much harder than it looks.  I did manage to get up a few times and felt a tiny rush of excitement.  But honestly I spent more time coughing up salt water and getting the hair out of my eyes.   I still have all my limbs so overall I think it was a great day!

I won’t bore you with all of the holiday adventures.   It was a wonderful trip.  You can check out the photos to see the places we visited and ask me for stories later.  I will be home soon.  The monkeys were adorable, the elephants were so amazing and the best part was that we made it back home to Somerset West safely without killing one another.  That in itself was a miracle.  

On the drive home I was reflecting on my little vacation and realized how quick we forget the blessings we have.  I felt guilt as I was complaining about the horrible, uncomfortable 3” mattresses and pillows that you could see through and literally needed to tri-fold for any cushion support.  At the very last place we were fed up with the hostel conditions, tired and a bit cranky from the stupid young kids drinking till wee hours in the morning and making so much noise. (gosh I’m getting old)  We made a mutual decision that despite our budget challenges, we would use our credit cards and end the final 2 days of vacation on a high note by staying in an actual hotel with the luxuries and comforts of the typical American life.  Two huge beds with down comforters, pillows and air condition.  There were little bottles of shampoo and conditioner.  A little fridge.  A garden tub. Dark drapes over the sliding glass door. A TV with movie channels. We were in heaven.   How quick did I fall back into wanting the comforts and feeling like I deserved those just because I slept on some crappy mattresses for 2 weeks?  Who the heck am I?  We complained about the previous lodging, but in reality we were spoiled with a roof over our heads, running water, a shower and our own toilets.  We didn’t have 7 other people packed onto the two twin beds in the hot summer African heat.  We were fortunate to have enough savings to actually go on a road trip and experience so many amazing things.  We saw the most beautiful mountains and scenery, the type you see in movies and wish that you could be there.  We had so many blessings and saw more in our 2 weeks then most Africans would see in their entire life time.  

As I quietly drove home, I mentioned my thoughts to Alexis and the fear that I would forget it all, slip back into my old ways and take all of my blessings for granted.  My weeks are limited now and the fear of reality is slipping back.   All the questions in my head once again..... what will I do?  Where will I live?  What job will I get?   How do I keep this experience fresh in my mind?  Then of course I felt bad that I was even thinking about those silly things since I know that no matter where I end up or what work I eventually find, that my living conditions will probably be 100% better than most people in South Africa.   If I end up living in a trailer park with my double-wide it would be heaven compared to my friends in the township.   That thought made me smile and I snapped out of it and quit thinking selfishly about my future and knew I needed to concentrate on my remaining days here and my children.  

Before Alexis left I took him into the township for a quick drive-thru tour.  I’m not really sure what Alexis thought of the township.  We weren’t able to visit Kuyasa as they were still closed and gated.   He was quiet and taking it all in.  He laughed as I had to swerve around the many kids, dogs, and adults who just walk down the middle of the street and assume you won’t hit them.  Like usual I would slam on my brakes as children ran in front of my vehicle chasing one of their balls or empty plastic 2-liters.  I avoided the drunk swaying guys who also enjoy hogging the road.  All was normal in the township.  We picked up Yandiswa and took her out for a nice lunch so Alexis could get to know her a bit.  After dropping her back off in the township, we heard a yell “Sis Katie!!”  and saw 3 of my 7th graders running to my car.  I rolled down my window and they each gave me a great big hug and were happy to see me.  I smiled and knew God was sending me a little message that everything was going to work out just fine.  No worries.

Now I am back to work at Kuyasa and the remaining 3 weeks at work are packed with many activities getting Kuyasa ready for 2011 school year.  I will be working on typing up new curriculums, painting, cleaning, organizing and starting up classes next week with the children.   On a Yandiswa update..... I just received confirmation from Lead to Serve (the NGO) and am HAPPY to share that I am very close to my goal of raising a full years tuition for her!  Unbelievable.  My prayers have been answered.  Thank you to the 13 who have confirmed and sent in money for her!  I promise you this, you are helping to change this girls life.  She has a chance at a real future now.  You guys ROCK.  Thank you!!   I am waiting for the transfer of funds this week so that I can take Yandiswa to the college next week and get her all registered and set up for classes.  She is very excited and I am anxious to get everything in order for her.   There is still time for those of you who may have wanted to contribute but haven’t gotten around to it.  I am still in need of roughly $400 to reach my goal.   Any little bit helps.   Email me if you would like the details regarding the account I have set up. 

Another update to come next week.   Tick, tock, tick, tock....

Merry Christmas!

I wanted to update everyone one last time before the holidays.  One of my very best friends Alexis is flying in today to visit me over the holiday season.  More than likely I will not have time for any updates until after the New Year.  We will be taking a little road trip around South Africa to do some sight seeing.  I cannot believe it is almost Christmas.  My goodness, it really is true when they say the older you get the faster time flies.   I can’t even imagine how fast the years fly by when you have children of your own.

The end of the year summer camp (last week) was exhausting.  I am so glad it is over.  The kids loved it, but it was draining for the adults.  I must admit I enjoyed the older kids Hats n’ Glasses camp a few months ago much more.  This camp was much larger.  There were 106 of us total.  The days were packed with many sessions, games, adventures and worship.  The staff were all up at 6am to prepare for the day and usually we weren’t to bed till around midnight.  It was a long week. WOW, I forgot the energy level of kids, especially when they all come together in large groups.   I was supposed to only be in charge of games and adventures this time around, but they ended up a bit short staffed in the kitchen so I was on kitchen cooking duty as well, along with the person to run into town when we ran out of groceries or needed something.   I have never made 212 sandwiches before..... 3 days in a row.   That was interesting, to say the least.  I think I will add “Expert Sandwich maker” to my resume.   Fortunately all of the games went off well without injuries and the kids really seemed to enjoy them.  I was very relieved.  Mom, I was only joking about the Survivor comment.  I was actually nice to these kids.    I will post camp photos when I can.

Two days after camp I helped to take 14 of my 7th graders out for a celebration trip for graduating and entering high school next year.  We were supposed to take them to the beach but the winds were wicked fierce (as usual) and the sand was unbearable and would have slammed against us at the beach.  Instead we made a quick change of plans and took them to this huge indoor pool.  Oh it turned out SO much better!  It was so relaxing and the kids loved it.  We packed lunch and was able to spread it out so nicely on the bleachers for them without any sand getting into the food.  We let them swim and play for hours and after we packed up we took them for an ice-cream cone before returning to the township.  It was such a lovely day.  I honestly was so exhausted after camp and dreading the day, but I was so surprised how much fun I had and enjoyed the time with the kids.  The coolest part of the trip (for me) was that I taught two of my favorite little dudes Baya and Zuko how to dive.  The pool was Olympic size with platform diving boards and I was racing the kids down to the end.  When I got there I decided to dive.  They were utterly amazed and said “Oh My, Sis Katie, you know how to dive?!”  So I asked if they wanted to learn.  They were so excited.  For the next hour I taught them how and we all dove off again and again as we perfected their form.  For the rest of the day they kept practicing and were so proud of their new accomplishment.  Most township kids never get the chance to even learn how to swim, so these kids felt so lucky.   When we dropped them off they gave me a huge hug and thanked me again for helping them.   Oh that just touched my heart.  It was such a good ending before holiday break.

I mainly wanted to write to wish all of my friends and loved ones a very blessed holiday season.  When you are stressed with holiday shopping and Christmas parties and think to yourself that you have “way too much going on”.....just slow down, take a deep breath and remember how lucky you are to have the money to Christmas shop and the friends who love you and invite you to these holiday gatherings.   When you are stressed driving around like a chicken with your head cut off, remember how fortunate you are to have your very own vehicle, money to fill the tank and a house to fill with the grocery and shopping bags you bring home.  We are all so much more fortunate then we realize and please try to not let the holiday stress ruin the true meaning of the season.  Embrace the stressful hours and those family members that might irritate you at times.   We are lucky to have families.

Merry Christmas my friends.  I miss you all very much!  And to my family I want to say how much I love you and that next Christmas will be so very special for me.  Please take lots of pictures.  Jeff and Cristy, when you are running late to get to all the houses, please drive slow and careful on those icy roads.  I promise you arriving late and safe is much better.   The same goes to you Laura.  

Merry Christmas.

With much Love,

Katie

Let the Festivities Begin

Happy December.  I am officially down to my last two months in South Africa.  I have heard December is a crazy month here.  I am a bit curious and anxious at the same time.  Thankfully our official classes are ending this week in the township so I won’t have to worry about some drunk guy throwing anything at me or my car.  Next week we are taking the kids on their summer camp.  (So weird that it is summer in December.) There will be 100 of us total.  Oh my goodness, that should be a blast.    

Before I catch you up, I must first tell you about the soccer game that I mentioned in my last post.  I am so happy and proud to say that U.S.A. WON!!!  I couldn’t believe it.  The stadium was packed.  It was incredible.  A blur of Yellow & Green.  It was at the stadium where the World Cup was held.  Those $13.00 tickets that I figured would be in the nose bleed section ended up being amazing seats, 1st section, 11th row and close to the goal, so I had a perfect view when U.S.A. scored.  (I wondered what the 3rd level, super high tickets cost.. probably like $2.00.)   The game was amazing.  Although the match was quite boring as both teams had excellent defense, so U.S.A. didn’t score until the 87th minute of the game.  I jumped out of my seat like a mad woman and started screaming and hollering and clapping.  I was so excited.  I have no idea what came over me, but it was such a cool experience to be in South Africa when my country was playing and WE won.  The people around me weren’t so happy about me cheering but I didn’t care. Ohhh and those STUPID blow horns.  I can’t even imagine what the World Cup was like.   My goodness I wanted to take those horns and hit people with them.  Hit them hard.  My ears were ringing all night.   The South African fans were just nuts and I tell you what - those Africans know how to do a proper “wave” around the stadium.  Over and over and over.   I guess that’s what you do when no one is scoring.   I think I spent more time watching the wave go around the stadium then the game.

Things at Kuyasa have been very good.  I continue to work with the older students.  Some of them I help study and show them tips on studying more effectively.  Others I work with on figuring out what they should study.  Some of them just want to talk and use me as a counselor (which I love.)  It has been great and part of me is curious whether or not I should consider going back to school to try to get a masters in some type of counseling.  It gives me such satisfaction talking one on one with the kids and they all open up to me about their issues, difficulties and fears.   I have connected with quite a few of them and I honestly feel our conversations have impacted some of them.  I have encouraged them to deal with some of these issues and to have the courage to try and get an education so they can get out of the life that haunts them.  

I am still so amazed at their faith level.  We have a prayer meeting every Monday morning to start off the week.  In the Xhosa culture they worship by singing, so we start it off with a couple songs.   I bet that sounds dreadful to most of you, but I promise you - it is some of the most beautiful songs I have ever listened to.  No instruments.  Just their voices.  They are powerful and melodic.  They all seem to know the exact moment to feed off of each other and go into their own little harmonies or echos.   I’m not a music person but I just sit there in awe every Monday morning and I try to sing along, but most of the time I get choked up realizing again... “Oh my Word.  I am in Africa.”   Then they sing parts of it in their native language (which I love even more because then I can honestly just sit there and listen.)  It is very cool.  When they pray, they all pray out loud, at the same time, which is so strange to me.  I try so hard to concentrate on my own prayer but all I hear is the other voices and then I catch myself trying to hear what they are praying about.  OH my goodness, I am terrible!   I am used to praying silently to God, unless I am praying at small group or a prayer for a meal... but when they all pray I need my ear plugs.  I think that is why they all pray so loud and with such power and passion ... they need to hear themselves think.   Maybe my very last Monday I will surprise them by praying even LOUDER then them and see how they like it.  LOL.

Onto the exciting news which some of you already know!  I have been mentoring Yandiswa more since I helped her apply at the Universities.  We have spent much time together during the weekends and I have talked her through many different options and her goals and plans for the next few years.  Unfortunately she was declined at all 3 Universities, which I sadly had to share with her.  The good news though is that she met all academic standings and they said she would have been approved, but we were just too late on applying.  Both of her programs of choice were filled back in September.   So, I took her to meet the Admissions Director at MSC College (which was my back up plan) and the meeting went very well.  There is an International Bookkeeping program that she is interested in and it still has spaces available starting mid January.  This is a 3 year program, but after 1 year she would receive a certificate which would allow her to get a nice paying job (for S.A. standards) and continue her studies on Saturdays if by chance she couldn’t get a scholarship for 2012. 

As I mentioned to some of you, I feel a very strong desire to help Yandiswa.  She is unlike all the other students I have met.  She has a very sweet & humble character, with a dream to study and create a new life for herself.   She wants to give back and help other children with unfortunate circumstances.   She has no parental support or older siblings that can offer any financial assistance.  I would like to help her with her 1st year of college to get her a “kick-start”.  I honestly feel with the mentoring and knowledge I have provided her that next year she will successfully apply for the Universities and Bursary’s on her own and get accepted.  The full year cost for this ICB accredited program (which includes all books, registration and exam fees) is R19,000 - which is roughly$2,700.   I have already raised R2000 on this side, so that leaves $2,400 to raise.  I will be contributing to this fund and I ask that you consider it as well. 

This will be the one and only time I will “officially” ask for your help before I leave here.  I will drop it after this as I don’t want to offend anyone or jeopardize friendships.  It is not my intention to come across annoying and begging.  I know that asking for any financial assistance is a very touchy subject now with the economy.  However I also know how much just 1 American dollar can help over here.  So many of you reading this blog have mentioned to me before “Please let me know how I can help you, or if you need me to send you anything.”  This my friends, is how you can help me.  Forget the packages, forget the gifts, letters or phone calls.  This is our chance to send an underprivileged broken child to college.  I believe this girl will change the lives of others someday.  She has a true pay it forward attitude.  For those of you in the holiday spirit who sometimes adopt a family or a child, think about Yandiswa and possibly supporting her with $20. or so.  If we all just put a little bit in the bucket we could pay for an entire year of education.   How many of us during the Christmas holidays over-buy on gifts just because we like to shop and feel good about giving?  Please consider buying one or two less gifts this season and using that money for Yandiswa.  Buy a few less bags of Hershey Kisses.

I have set up a special account through Kuyasa’s NGO “Lead To Serve Inc.” in California.  Any money that is received for her will be wired directly to Kuyasa who will then make the necessary payments to MSC College for her.  This non-profit organization should provide a tax donation 5013C receipt for any of the donations received.  I have set up this account in the states to simplify the process for us and avoid wiring fees, which are around $30.   The organization will handle all the fees.  If by chance I can raise enough for her, any additional money will be donated to the Kuyasa Education Fund to use for other students who need financial assistance for application fees in 2011.

If you are interested in helping to send this child to college, please let me know.  I have both the mailing address and the electronic banking info that I can send you, with instructions regarding what to reference.  I sincerely hope you consider helping just a bit.  My email:  katiedilks@gmail.com.  Thank you.

My next post will be about the end of year summer camp with the kids.  I will be sure to take a lot of photos.  I am on the games & adventure committee, so I feel very sorry for those children.  Have you heard of Survivor??

Have a blessed Christmas season!  Love, Katie

Happy Thanksgiving!

As it is getting colder back in the states, it is getting much hotter here in Africa.  It is finally starting to feel like what I expected Africa to feel like.  Wooh baby, I can’t even imagine what their hot January and February months will feel like.  My skin is starting to get a bit darker and as my family joked, by the end of January I’m sure I will look more African.  I think I am going to be in serious shock when I come home with the frigid temperatures and snow in Detroit!

Some exciting things have happened.  I have started working with the older kids helping them with college applications, career guidance, and Meyer-Briggs type of personality testing.  I just love it.  I am really enjoying working with them and it is wonderful to see how excited they get when they read the results of their tests and learn more about themselves and why they react to certain situations in specific ways.  It is so cool to see their facial expressions and it’s like a light bulb turns on in their head.  After they find out their types I have been sharing with them specific careers that might work best with their style and I think it is giving some of them encouragement and some ideas (finally) about continuing education after high-school.  I have been working with this one 20 year girl Yandiswa who has just stolen my little heart.   She is the one student who actually shows up for my appointments on time, who keeps signing up to meet with me again and again and who is requesting to borrow my books and then asks me to photo-copy some of the pages she loves.  She just can’t get enough information.  Through working with me, she finally admitted that she has a huge desire to get a college education and start a new life, but she had no idea where even to start.  She is living with friends of relatives in a shack, 7 of them together.  No running water.  Like most township residents, she bathes with a sponge from a little basin of water she fetches from the township well.  She doesn’t have any parents or siblings.  I am simply amazed at her optimism and kind spirit through everything she has experienced thus far.  

Last week I helped her fill out 3 different University applications and decided I would sponsor her for the application fees since that was one of the main reasons she never applied.  I drove her to the Universities and we waited in the Admissions lines to get her into the system.  I felt like a mom, which was awesome.  She was very quiet, nervous and excited and it was an emotional day.  She finally relaxed after it was all done and I took her to a restaurant to get something to eat.   Her bright smile finally appeared.  In the evening when I dropped her off at the shack she turned to me with glossy eyes and told me how much it meant what I had done for her and she didn’t know how to properly thank me.   I told her not to thank me yet and that we needed to wait to see if she was accepted and then we would take the next steps.   Over the weekend I met with another college director to review programs and I’m trying to come up with some back up plans for her.  This child is different then most of the kids I have been working with.  I can’t explain it, but I feel such a bond with her and I am going to do everything in my power to try to get her into college to start a new life.  It would be amazing for her to be able to stay in the University or College residence with her own bed, running water, a toilet and a shower.  Those items alone would make a world of difference and I could only imagine they would give her incentive to study extremely hard to get scholarships and be able to stay there year round.  

I will keep everyone updated on the status.  I’ve shared more about her with some of you and am so anxious to find out if she gets accepted anywhere.  We will not know anything regarding her applications until mid December.   I know if I could just help this one person, she would end up helping many more people in all the years to come, and then those people would help people, so on and so forth.  I believe it would be a ripple affect of Love. 

On a lighter note, I did something that I didn’t think I would ever have the opportunity to do.  I’m sure some of you have seen the pictures by now.  I went shark cage diving - which was absolutely amazing.  What an adrenaline rush.  OMG.  It was awesome!  It was the same outfitter that Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Hale Berry have also visited.  Surprisingly, I wasn’t scared.  I thought I would be and as I was driving out there in the early morning I had absolutely no nerves and was smiling the whole time just anxious to get into the water.  I had watched “Air Jaws” with my family before leaving for Africa and my parents all told me that I better not do something “stupid like that” and they were VERY serious.  It made Jeff and I laugh.  Sorry Mom and Dad.... but it was SO worth it!     So my intent was to have it be a little funny Christmas present for my family and I was going to send them pictures or a DVD of the event.  But after it was over I just couldn’t take it anymore and wanted to share the excitement with them.  I really missed being able pick up a phone at that very moment to share my excitement and news!   I will post the Kodak link of the shark pics to the blog. 

The other exciting thing is that tonight I am finally going to attend a soccer game at Cape Town’s new stadium where the World Cup was held.  And get this - it is South Africa vs. USA.  How cool is that!?  My German volunteer friends actually found the tickets and called me.  Surprisingly the ticket was only $13.00.  I can’t believe how cheap.   Apparently they are trying to fill the entire stadium with those prices, or more than likely USA isn't a huge competitor for them.  I have been warned to take my ear plugs tonight as those stupid blow horns will be everywhere.  I’m sure this will be quite an occasion.   The game doesn’t start till 9:30pm... which is crazy late, so maybe it is a Live game for USA?  Who knows, but I’m guessing I won’t be home until midnight or 1 am.   I will be sure to take lots of pictures!  If USA wins (doubtful) I think I will attempt an Afrikaans accent on the way out of the stadium. 

Happy Fall!  Good Luck to all my Michigan hunter friends.