This is the story of how we begin to remember.

Well here it is... the last few moments of this journey.

We filled our last morning with a tour of the oldest township in South Africa, The Langa Township. It was here that I saw what I expected to see when I arrived here 3 weeks ago. A community of about 80,000 people all living in what was described as "below poverty" but also people who were so welcoming and eager to teach us of their culture. Our tour guide showed us his home, probably the size of my living room at home, which he shares with 27 others. He showed us the traditional african healer in the community, the place where they prepare boiled sheep heads, and the place where they brew their own beer. I knew this was going to be a different place because while we were being introduced to the tour and given the rules and told what to expect, we heard the sounds of what seemed like a giant celebration. Our guide quickly informed us that it was a funeral. The sounds mimicked those that would come in a time of happiness, and it immediately showed the strong spirit of the township. He told us of the "initiation" all men must go through at the age of 18, of which I will not share the details on here because I don't think many would appreciate it. He also showed us the center where many locals create their own artwork and clay pieces and where a band practices. I got to drum with an African band today. Now Steve, when you finally get to read this I want you to know that I was nervous to get up in front of everyone but I immediately thought of you and how you would be right up there and so I did it and it was one of the best moments of my life.

So as these experiences turn to memories, and the comforts of home are so close within reach, I can't help but wonder what I will think most about on the first day of classes, next month, or even in 10 years. I believe that the children's faces with be burned in my brain forever and the sense of pride and all the other indescribable feelings I have from this trip will never fade.

See you tomorrow Mom & Dad... you can finally breathe. <3

"It always seems impossible until it's done."

Nelson Mandela has it right.

It was our last day with the children today and it was very hard to say goodbye. Not so much for the kids I don't think because they are used to volunteers coming and going, but for us it was tough. Without even knowing it these children have changed us forever. As I laid in bed last night I tried to think of every child I've been with through these 3 weeks. Their faces came easily to me. The looks we got when we would come onto the ward with toys, the way they would laugh at the littlest thing we would do, the way they would hold your hand just to know you're there when they weren't feeling good and had no one else with them, that will be clear in my memories forever.

Although we were not able to take pictures within the hospital,
the faces and memories will never fade from my mind.

As every one of us received a hug from the head of the Friends of the Red Cross volunteer program today, who had tears in her eyes, I realized just how much of a difference three weeks can make in anybody's life. And how much good there really is in the world.

All the way to end of the world.

Today was full.. no other way to describe it.

We started off the day with our last visit to Maitland Cottage. The spirit of this place is unmatched by any other hospital I have been in. The children are all suffering from orthopedic issues but don't show an ounce of pain and they do not hold back from anything. Being that they do not have a regular volunteer program, they light up whenever we come around the corner. Today we had nothing more to offer them than some crayons, stickers, chalk, and old halloween coloring books but they all had smiles on their faces every second we were there. We've talked many time in our group meetings about how refreshing it is to see children who are happy to have something as simple as one crayon and a piece of paper rather than an Ipad or some other electronic. These kids are the definition of what we have been talking about.

After we left the kids, we immediately hopped on our bus and headed down, down, down. We stopped along the way for a beachside lunch and to see the African penguins we've been hearing so much about. I still can't fully understand how I saw Penguins in the middle of the African summer today... but I did. Also something I can't understand is why about 10 minutes after we left we saw crazy baboons walking along the side of the road! They were EVERYWHERE. We've been warned about these guys and they were not kidding.

A bit further down the road we arrived at the Cape of Good Hope, the south-western most point of the African Continent. More baboons here too, and they were climbing on top of cars! We also had to stop on the road for a couple minutes, but not because of your typical squirrel or bunny or anything like that. Nope. It was an ostrich. An ostrich that caught it's reflection in our bus windows and wanted to get reaaallllyyyyy close to check itself out!

Our final stop of the day was Cape Point. That's right.. today I traveled to the southern most tip of Africa. 

"Uh guys... something just flew into our room."

We think it was a bird... but we also think it's gone. We hope.

Ok. So this morning was our second to last day at the Red Cross Children's Hospital and it was a kind of quiet day. One of the children who has been with us this whole time was surprisingly not there. I think him suddenly not being there when we walked in was a bit of a wake up call as to what this Friday is going to bring when we say our goodbyes. My little friend who was feeling terrible last week was fully back into her usual mood: bossing us around and making us do goofy things so she could laugh at us. She had me draw a picture of my family and since my art skills only extend as far as stick figures and a pretty mean sun drawing, that's what she got. She laughed a lot. 

We had our final trip to Camps Bay this afternoon and I can honestly say I will never forget the feeling of walking onto that beach for the first time almost 3 weeks ago. It was truly the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. To be with my friends, some new some old, all screaming and running around because of the beauty of a view and the realization of where we were was a memory I will hold onto for a long time. 

A nose in need deserves puffs indeed.

So that title isn't as random as you may think. I unfortunately had to miss out on our second day at Sarah Fox Hospital this morning because as my good bud Forrest Gump puts it.. i have a "cough due to cold." It was decided that it would be not only in my best interest to stay and rest today but also that of the children. The last thing these poor kids need is a cold on top of it all. I did get a full report on the day from my friends and the kids apparently had a BLAST with the sprinklers today. The weather has been hanging around 90 degrees with the slightest breeze.. it's almost cruel how windy it usually is and then when it's this hot it's as still as can be. I have a wonderful picture in my mind of the kids running around like the children they don't usually get to be in the cool water outside. I'm hoping to be feeling much better in the morning and back in action! 

Also, here's a picture of the group who we went surfing with on Sunday, and one of our instructors!

looking real good in our wetsuits, if I do say so myself!

Not much to report today... another good morning at the Red Cross and another beautiful afternoon at the beach. But in honor of Martin Luther King Day here's a song I think is fitting. It's been on my "Africa or bust" playlist since the planning stages of this trip and today seems like a great day to share it.

Another one off the bucket list.

I went surfing today!!!! And I actually stood up on the board... TWICE!!!
Also, it was in the Indian Ocean.

Muizenberg Beach
where we went surfing this morning

Hlanganani

I went to jail this morning. Heh.

We took a ferry ride over to Robben Island, the site of a maximum security prison for political prisoners and criminals during the Apartheid. The tour started with a bus ride through the island highlighting particular buildings and explaining the history of the Apartheid and the prison. At the end of the bus tour we met an ex-political prisoner who brought us through the actual prison and told us about what they would do to pass the time and some of the little tricks they had to keep secrets from the guards. He told us about one man who was the "artist" of the group who would study the guards master key and eventually carved his own copy out of a wheelbarrow leg. The final stop on the tour was Nelson Mandela's cell. It was quite humbling to be in a place that has so much history packed into a very small area. 

some of us on our tour of Robben Island

Nelson Mandela's cell

"Soar. Because sometimes we're broken open but that's when we fly."

That quote came from one of my chaperones, Cynthia, and I think it was a perfect saying for today, and this trip.

We had our first morning at Sarah Fox Children's Hospital, a convalescent care hospital for children no longer "sick enough" to be in the hospital but not well enough to go home. The children come to this "step-down" facility to get better before they head home, or in many cases, into foster care.

This was the toughest day I've had here so far. We got a brief introduction to the hospital followed by a quick tour. During our initial walk through, when we enter the toddler room, a little boy sprinted across the room and latched right onto my legs. When we split into three groups I immediately wanted to be back in the room with the toddlers. When we walked back into the room, many of the kids stood up and did the same as the other and ran right over to us, so happy to have some people to play with.

The experience today was one that I was expected to have while I was here but something I don't think I could've prepared for. Children were screaming to be held, screaming to get out of the room, screaming for toys, and screaming just because. We couldn't hold them all but that's all they wanted. It was a completely overwhelming experience and definitely an image I will have in my head forever. After about an hour I saw one boy who stood out because he was so quiet, standing by the door just looking out of it and then back into the room. He looked so scared. I picked him up and he immediately curled into me and as I rubbed his back he fell asleep and stayed just where her was for the rest of the day. Even when he woke up he kept his head tucked right under my chin. I cried as I held him for hours for reasons I don't quite know how to explain but in this small room of pure chaos I think we both found comfort in each other.

"Love Summer. Love Cape Town."

It's snowing at home and I have a sunburn... HA!
And yes Dadddd I did put on sunblock.
Mom you understand that this is great news.

But I also got pooped on by a seagull today...

You win some, you lose some.

Ok but onto serious matters. We had another day at the Red Cross this morning.. it was pretty low key but we got some more quality time in with the kids which is always just amazing. I think I forced a new friendship between two of the young boys on the ward and they were playing happily together when we left this afternoon. My little friend that was very sick was feeling better today, some of her sass was back. She was still tired but was able to trace her hand, and mine, in my little book of the children's handprints I've been keeping. Every day but one that I've seen her she has gone through the pictures on my camera and every time she just shakes her head and says "silly pictures" but it's nice to see her laugh at them. 

We got a couple hours to go to the beach this afternoon (where both the sunburn and seagull poop incidents occurred) followed by a nice dinner at Camps Bay. We're all happily back in our rooms after a group meeting looking red and feeling great!

Just another day in Africa! 

Live the High Life

Alright people we're at the halfway mark (stop cheering Mom & Dad).

Standing outside of Maitland Cottage this morning

Today was our first outreach excursion.
We spent our morning at Maitland Cottage, a long-term orthopedic hospital housing patients from all over South Africa. The hospital is split up into two wards, male and female, each holding up to 35 children. Maitland Cottage doesn't have an established volunteer program like the Red Cross so the kids were noticeably surprised and excited when we came into their wards this morning. I spent my morning on the boys ward and I think I may have a new boyfriend (sorry Steve : P.. just kidding I love you.) I held up a puzzle and asked who wanted to work on it and this one boy immediately called me over and we got started. It was a Cars puzzle and it just so happened that he was wearing a Cars t-shirt, perfect match! When I told him he got to keep the puzzle he was ECSTATIC. Throughout the day he kept kissing the box and saying "I can't believe it's mine!" and showed all of his friends around him. I was so happy to give this boy something he was so proud to call his own.


After our morning at Maitland, our Connect-123 bus driver was kind enough to bring us to Table Mountain where we took a cable car ride right to the tippy-top! We were all expecting to see chair lift-type cars that seat maybe 4 or 5 people but instead we found a car that held more than 40 people with plenty of room to spare. The floor inside of the car spun slowly during the climb to ensure you got to see the entire view of the mountain as we rose and the ocean beneath us. At the very top the air was still warm and the sun was nice and hot... it felt so good to be close to the sun. As we looked over the edge we could see the clouds over the ocean
                                          ... I think this is what people might picture when they think of Heaven.

The group on the way up to the top of Table Mountain!

"just be free"

Today I met someone awesome who I think could really teach a lot of people some good lessons.

We started our day off at the Red Cross Children's Hospital again today and as always there was a mix of sad and happy moments. My friend Simwamkele that I wrote about yesterday was feeling even worse today. She was sound asleep all day but she woke up for just long enough to put together a Rapunzel puzzle. She had a feeding tube inserted after I left yesterday BUT her mom was there today! You could feel how comforted she was just by having her mom next to her bed.

I was the first to walk onto the ward today and to my extreme delight a little boy who my roommate Brittany Tomasetti has formed an extremely close bond with, was waiting in the hallway and ran towards me as soon as he saw someone coming with games. He hasn't been out of bed since we have been here and to have him literally run at me this morning was the greatest surprise. He pulled me right over to the tiny table and we got right to work on some puzzles. Seeing the way both he and Brittany lit up today when they saw each other outside of his room was really special. 

I also realized that I was getting even more attached to some of these children than I even thought I was. When I couldn't find one of my favorite little guys, Likaya, I was so sad that I didn't get to see him before he left. About an hour or two later he came strolling around the corner and I was SO relieved to see him. I know that sounds really selfish but it's not like I want them to stay, I just want to say good bye before they leave. The reality is that I will not see this kids ever again and they have made such an impact on me already. 

My final story of today is probably also the most prominent. We got some time at Clifton Beach this afternoon and while we waited for our taxi we got to talk to a local man who was working the parking lot. He is the one who people should learn a lesson from. He told us about how he was exiled Tanzania before Nelson Mandela "came through" and how he was a soldier there during that time. He told us that he wanted us to feel safe in his country because he would protect us because he knew what it was like to be in another country and fight for them. He gave us some of the best advice a person can give.. "just be free" and he promised us that if someone came to us and tried to take our things or hurt us he would surely protect us because one day he may be in our country and would want the same. So I would like to pass along just one more time what he said to everyone reading this.... just be free. 

Brave.

Ok so after our little tour of the African savannah this weekend, today we got back to real life (or at least our real life for these 3 weeks). We took the bus back to the Red Cross Children's Hospital for 9am and headed to the wards with toys as usual but this time I was greeted with something a little different than last week. One of our little buddies on the cancer ward from last week, Simwamkele, who was the ring leader of all the children and a little diva with a personality the size of Africa, was laying in bed. She motioned me in to the room to her bed and looked absolutely exhausted. The little girl who was running the duck, duck, goose circle last week was now barely even able to speak. She asked me to get a book to read her and when I returned she grew tired from just listening after only one chapter. She asked me to stop reading and just sit with her and said so quietly "don't go." I didn't. She tried to sip some water but it turned out to be a bad idea.. seconds later I was rubbing her back as she was getting sick.

As she laid back down she put out a hand and asked for mine. I only needed my thumb to rub her tiny hand and as I began to she started to rub my hand. I don't know who was holding onto whose hand but I think it was an equal need from both of us. As she drifted off to sleep she whispered again "don't leave" and that's exactly what I did. For the next 4 hours I just sat next to her bed and thought. I thought about my friend who died from leukemia when she was only a year younger than Simwamkele, I thought about how happy this little girl was that her mom was coming to her tomorrow and then I saw it... She had an award hanging next to her bed.. "the Brave award." I realized in this moment that these children are braver than I have ever had to be and they were so young. To this day when I get sick, my first reaction is to call my mom (Hi Mom) no matter what time of day it is (sorry mom... and dad heh) and this girl hadn't seen her mom in who knows how long and was sick with cancer.

Today really put some things into perspective. The first couple of days the children were all running around and happy and today one of the most active children could barely move. It really showed the true struggle of what these children are going through and showed me how strong they really are.

The Big Five

This weekend I learned 3 things...
      1. Buffalo are the most underestimated, dangerous animals
      2. Cheetahs WILL try to eat small children when given the chance
      3. Elephants are still the best ever

We just got back from our first excursion of the trip to The Garden Route Game Lodge about 4 hours away from Cape Town. The drive there was almost as beautiful as the views on the safari. It was really awesome to get out of the city and see the savannas of South Africa. Within only an hour of driving we were surrounded by only mountains and rolling hills of grass. Beautiful.

When we arrived at the site for the safari we could see a zebra and an elephant off in the distance and any tiredness from the drive there was wiped away! We checked into our two-person chalets where my roommate and I were greeted by a spider the size of my dog with a face only a mother could love... not beautiful.

one of the chalets we stayed in overnight

We had a couple hours to enjoy the pool overlooking the safari lands before we departed on our first game drive... the only thing I could think as we started to move was "CHECK" because the first item on my bucket list  was to go on an African safari and here I was at the beginning of one. We got to see a cheetah that hadn't been spotted for "awhile" and we even got to see it attempt to attack an antelope running by it (she made it thought!). I literally got to see every single animal I would have hoped to have seen... lions, giraffes, rhinos, buffalo, antelope, cheetahs, and so many more. Next, we went on a (very quick) walk through a building with snakes in different displays... I only went in to get pictures for Steve because I don't think he would forgive me if I didn't ;). We ended the weekend with the Cheetah Conservation Sanctuary which housed 5 cheetahs being integrated into the land. The guide warned that parents should keep their children close to them and away from the fences... and we found out there is a reason. I was standing right behind a little girl who almost became lunch for one of the female cheetahs! She was hungry and saw the perfect sized meal for her... and she didn't hesitate to pounce right at the fence and to all of our horror (and excitement) her entire head and one of her paws made it right through and almost swiped the little girl... woah. That was a nice little ending to the weekend and we were on our way back to the city.

From Pieces to Peace.

I think today was the best day of my life so far
... and it's only day three.

As soon as we walked onto the unit, the children's' faces lit up.. they knew it was time to play! Within no time they had us outside throwing a ball around and playing duck, duck goose (goose, goose, duck as the first little girl decided on). One of the little boys, my own little buddy, had the biggest impact on me of all today. Every time he was picked as the "goose" he ran and he laughed harder than I've ever heard anyone laugh before. Watching him be so happy like that while he was still being so careful not to use his hand with the IV in it made me realize how strong these children really are.

After we left the hospital, 7 of us went on our own little adventure. We called our taxi and we were off to Camps Bay. I don't think there is any possible way to describe what it was like to walk out onto the beach with Table Mountain and Lions Head behind us and an endless ocean in front of us. It was the first time I have ever been thankful that I didn't have my camera on me because I don't think anything could have ever captured that moment in my life. We all just kept saying over and over, "What is this place and are we really here??" I don't think As I just stood there in the sand staring out at this beautiful view I actually started to cry because it finally hit me all at once that I was really here, and all my hard work had gotten me here, and that I would never be the same because of it.

I don't think I have ever been more alive.

"The rhythm of life starts now."

Today on the bus ride back from our first day at the hospital I feel like I really saw the true face of Cape Town. We weren't just a group of students from the US walking around, we were actually temporary members of the community. I was trying to take in every thought I was having and trying to memorize every sense I was feeling and I looked over to my right and saw "the rhythm of life starts now" scribbled on the wall of the bus. I actually felt the meaning of the sentence and realized in that exact moment that everything I was about to experience was going to permanently affect the way I live my life.

I have been assigned to the oncology unit at the Red Cross Children's Hospital for the remainder of time here and I feel so blessed to be there. I lost a close friend at the age of 6 to leukemia and today I stood next to a young boy and his mother as they were being told the boy had leukemia for the first time. He was told he wouldn't be joining his classmates for his first day back to school on Monday and not even a tear was shed by him nor his mother. I didn't know if this was a culture thing or whether they didn't fully understand the horror of a cancer diagnosis but I couldn't help but freeze for a moment with sorrow for this boy and wonder whether it was better to not know.

I also had the pleasure of putting together some puzzles with a 5 year old girl receiving chemo therapy for her cancer. She was one of the liveliest children I have ever encountered and she even made me pinkie promise her that I was her friend. She asked my mom's name, my dad's name, my brother's name, and my sister's name and made me promise to tell them they were friends too.

After only this first day at the hospital some of us decided to go out and fully enjoy the amazing opportunity to be in South Africa. We did our first grocery shopping (very interesting brands here) and then we caught a taxi over to the waterfront... finally some other tourists! We were FINALLY not the only ones taking a million pictures of absolutely nothing and yet some of the most amazing sights I've ever seen. We did some shopping, found some amazing african shops, and walked through the warf. We ended the night with a dinner out on a deck overlooking the harbor as the sun set (I know... so cliche but you're jealous) and a meeting with a group back at the apartments.

We've only been here 2 days now and I feel like I have seen so much and yet almost nothing compared to what I'll have seen by the time I have to come home.

I'm in Africa!!!

Ok so after careful scrutiny I've made a decision... this is, in fact, real life. Two flights, a long layover, and two days later and we finally arrived at Cape Town. We have about 90 minutes to shower and get down for orientation but I thought I would just post a quick little note with a small glimpse of the amazing view we have right from our apartments...

Table Mountain -- Cape Town, South Africa