Our Tour of the Township Khayelitsha.

Today we went on a tour of the township Khayelitsha. It was the most fascinating and wonderful experience. Khayelitsha is the third biggest township of Cape Town and between 500.000 and 1 million people live there. The township is situated on the outskirts of Cape Town in the Cape Flats. The name Khayelitsha means New Home.

During our tour of this township we went to Mama Amelia's house. Mama Amelia takes in abandoned children and raises them as her own. This place is not an official orphanage and she runs it with a few other women volunteers. We we're all lucky enough to meet her and visit the children she cared for. At the time that we were there she had 95 children, the older ones were at school so we met all the very little children. It was so nice to see what she had done for these kids and so nice to meet them. The children were extremely friendly and not shy at all! Even though we couldn't understand each other we got on very well with the children and played with them for some time. They were all so cute and very friendly!

Here are just a very small amount of the pictures I took today:

Here are all the little children singing a song for us as we left the house. The sang in English and said good bye.

One of the little girls. She was fascinated by my digital camera and loved being able to see the pictures that I had taken of her.

This was the little friend I made. She was so sweet and sat on my lap for the entire time that we were there.

These two little girls must have been the happiest two there, they couldn't stop smiling.

Another little girl who liked her picture being taken very much.

A local shop.

The shacks, these were also called 'smartie box houses' because of the beautiful colours.

The tour of Khayelitsha really was the most amazing experience. As poor as the people lived there they still had a wonderful community and everyone was very friendly. Some of the houses really were the most basic shacks, made out of any material the people could find, but there were also other houses in the township made out of concrete which actually looked very nice. I definitely think though that the visit to the children was the best part, it was so nice to see them and actually interact with them. We also all made donations to Mama Amelia for all that she had done for these kids.

That was it for now. We are going to Katherine's Aunt's farm this weekend, so I will probably only update sometime next week.

Kirsten

Where I'm Staying (The Thompson's House)

Here are a few pictures just to show you all where I'm staying and how beautiful it is here.

This is my bedroom.

The gate at the front of the house.

Part of the backgarden.

The Swimmingpool.

My First Weekend in South Africa

This was our first real weekend in South Africa and it was absolutely amazing. One of the huge social events of the year was on, the JB Met which we all went to. The JB Met is a horse race, but everyone seems to go even if they are not at all interested in the horse racing.

On Friday afternoon Katherine, Nienke and I went to Cavendish, which is a huge shopping center about 5 minutes walk away from Hershel. We desperately needed to buy shoes and sunglasses for the JB Met. Cavendish is such a nice shopping center, it is really big and you can buy absolutely everything you need. I love the shopping in South Africa, everything is so much cheaper here than back home. The clothes are significantly cheaper, even all the brand names, but the food is just unbelievably cheap!! After spending the afternoon shopping we got picked up by Katherine's mom and went home. That evening we went out for supper at a really nice fish restaurant. After that we headed to Herschel for a comedy act that was being held there. The comedy show was to raise money for the girls hockey team to go to Malaysia. The show was hilarious and we all enjoyed it very much.

Saturday was the day of the Met. Katherine and I went to a friends house to get ready that morning. We spent probably about two hours there and only arrived at the Met by 1.30. In the beginning it was extremely hot and not that nice. But by about 15.00 it was lovely, there was a cool breeze and the sun was not so high in the sky. Absolutely everyone came to the Met and I met so many new people that day. I actually didn't see a single one of the horse races. All the people I knew and everyone from our age group stood in a big shaded area under the trees socialising. This also was so much fun and I'm very glad to have been able to go.

That evening we all went to a house party, somewhere in Cape Town. That was loads of fun as well but by this time I was very tired and had very sore feet (from walking around in heels all day). Katherine and I went home at about 11.00 and spent the rest of the evening watching TV, with Nicole (who slept over that night).

On Sunday Nicky (Kath's Mom) took me and Nienke to Smithswinkels Bay. Katherine's grandmother owns a house there and it is the most beautiful place you could imagine. You can't actually reach it by car, you have to park your car at the top of a hill and then walk your way down to the house. The house was situated about 400 meters from the sea and it was absolutely stunning. In total there are only about 25 houses in this area and because it is hidden and hard to reach the beach was very empty and quiet. We spent that day lazing around in the sun and swimming in the beautiful clean and clear water.

Now it's Monday again and I can't believe how fast the weekend went by. This week we have a really good week ahead of us again. On Wednesday we're going to miss a day of school and go on a Township tour with all of the exchange students in the area and this weekend there is of course another party to go to.

That was it for today, I will post again sometime next weekend.

Kirsten

The First Couple of Days

The whole exchange started on the 20^th of January. We had to get up extremely early to go to the airport. We all turned out to have overweight bags, me being the most with 11 kg. Luckily we were able to buy the extra weight with air miles, otherwise I would have been in big trouble. After an hour of the essential duty free shopping we headed to the gate to board the flight. The flight was delayed just half an hour due to bad weather. We were all very pleasantly surprised to find that we each had out own mini TV screen, where we could all individually watch movies. So the entire flight (12 hours long) I spent watching Step Up, The Devil Wears Prada, The Emperors New Groove, Friends, Will and Grace, You me and Dupree and the beginning of The Break Up. The flight really was quite pleasant and it felt as if it went by very quickly. When we stepped out of the airplane a huge wave of heat hit us, it was about 28 degrees even though it was 11 o’clock at night. The first night the heat was nearly unbearable, but I soon got used to it and now I’m loving the sun!

We arrived very late on Saturday night and after catching up and chatting for a couple of hours I only went to bed at about 2.30. The next day we all had a late morning and that afternoon we had a Braai (SA BBQ) at Katherine’s house, where I’m staying. At about 12 o’clock people started arriving. The two families that Sandra and Nienke are staying at came: the van As family and the Commins family. Also Katherine’s relatives came and a load of her friends. We had a fantastic first day. It was very hot, but we swam which made the heat lovely. The Braai was very nice as well and we all had ‘Boeren Worst’ (SA sausage) for the first time.

Monday was the first day at school. We have to get up earlier here than at home, about 6.30. The first lesson starts at 7.45 and school ends each day at 15.00. The days at school are longer here, but most people have one free period a day. The first day at school was very exiting and extremely different to home. We started that day with an assembly. During the assembly we were all welcomed to a new school year, we sang hymns and all the Matric Students (eindexamen klassen) were called up to the stage and given a badge. The assembly was very long, about an hour, but a good experience. That day I followed Katherine around and went to all of her classes. By now we each have made our own timetable to suit the classes we want to attend. I’ll be taking Biology, Science, English, French and Maths while I’m in South Africa. Most of my classes are either with Katherine, Sandra or Nienke which is nice. Also we get two free periods a day for us to do our own homework.

At Herschel they also have a very extensive ‘Clubs and Societies’ program. They also encourage everyone to get as involved as they can in these activities, every student is obligated to do at least one. The clubs and societies include things like, the baking club, bead making club, drama club, art club, pilates club, choir etc. Sandra, Nienke and I have signed up for the JUMP program. The JUMP program gives us the opportunity to teach underprivileged children from another school basic Maths once a week. Also Nienke and I are going to try out Life Saving on Thursdays. All of these activities, clubs, societies and sports are held on the school grounds. So often you stay at school well after 3 o’clock if you have a club/society/sport to go to.

It is now Wednesday and we have had three days at Herschel. So far I am really enjoying the school. Everyone is very friendly and nice, also the classes are small which makes the lessons more comfortable and pleasant. I have now also finally learnt where all the classrooms are.

Also this weekend there is a huge social event in Cape Town, the J&B Met. It is basically a horse race, although the social side is a lot bigger than the horse race. Everyone that I have spoken to is going and Katherine, Lily, Ashleigh, Nienke, Sandra and I are as well. After the Met I’ll write a new post about the whole weekend.

- Kirsten