Love from Loyiso

Some of the kiddos on the playground

For the second half of the semester I have spent my Monday and Tuesdays at Loyiso pre-primary school chasing these little ones around. I work with 3-6 year olds teaching the alphabet, numbers, writing, English vocabulary, and songs. Sometimes that stuff actually works, but most of the time I am just telling kids to sit down, stop hurting each other, and listen to my directions. I have talked about Loyiso a little in some of my other blog posts, but I did not have any pictures to accompany it until now. This past Monday I brought my camera to Loyiso for the first time. It was an interesting experience, and I have so many beautiful pictures of the beautiful kids. They really are something special. I do not have space to put all of them up here, but these are some of my favorites.

Asiphe gives me this look a lot and then runs away to create havoc out of my reach.

The boy on the left reminds me so strongly of someone, but I just cannot figure out who. 

The little boy in the middle has burns up and down the back of his legs from a car accident. He doesn't talk much (the principal thought he couldn't speak at all), but he walks around holding onto my hand even when I'm playing with the other kids. Eviwe on the right is a treat. She does her own thing and doesn't mind the other children.

I have faced a lot of challenges at Loyiso, but the hugs, smiles, and laughs from the little ones make up for all the hard parts. They look so innocent and cute in these pictures…who knew they could be such terrors on the playground.

 This is Schmonga on the left and Indipile on the right. I worry about these two, and the lack of positive male role-models they seem to have in their lives. However, even amid all their trouble-making they have  beautiful moments like this one.

At first I was reserved about bringing my camera to Loyiso to take pictures of the kids. I thought a lot about my intentions and what I would do with the pictures once I took them. There has been a lot in social media lately revolving on voluntourism- the notion that privileged Americans (like myself) visit less well off places (like South Africa) and engage in activities they are not qualified to do. They do this to make themselves feel better, splatter a Facebook page with pictures of foreign children, and have a good story to tell later on. I am trying to avoid that as much as possible. I am so incredibly glad I brought my camera to service on Monday because these pictures make me smile every time I look at them. However, I struggled a lot with figuring out how not to exploit the kids in the pictures- it seemed unfair that I would walk away with pictures of them and they would not benefit in any way from them. Maybe it's silly, maybe I'm over thinking it, but  I do love these kids and I want to protect them from becoming just another cute African child. Just another picture of underprivileged kids in the developing world. So, I share these pictures with you in the hopes that what is conveyed through the pictures is their joy, their humanity, their similarity to children you might see everyday. Because they are just kids- they run, they cry, they fight, they giggle, they hold your hand just because.

It was so fun photographing all the kids. I wanted to capture them being their normal crazy selves as much as possible, but I had to be quick. Once they realized I was taking pictures, their attitudes changed and they stopped being themselves. I had to put away and then pull out my camera when they weren't paying attention. I think the results are more pure and authentic pictures.

These three are good friends. They walk around doing silly and crazy things together. 

I only have a couple more weeks at Loyiso, and I will be sad to say goodbye. I am so incredibly thankful for my time spent there. I don't remember when I came across this passage by Teresa of Avila, but it has stuck with me ever since I read it:

Christ has no body but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

Compassion on this world,

Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,

Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.

Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,

Yours are the eyes, you are his body.

Christ has no body now but yours,

No hands, no feet on earth but yours,

Yours are the eyes with which he looks

compassion on this world.

Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

-Teresa of Avila 1515-1582

This is the prayer I prayed before coming here. I asked that I might be the hands, feet, and eyes of Compassion. I did not know in what capacity I would be asked to do that, but I have been motivated to be this for the children at Loyiso. I hold dirty hands, kick deflated soccer balls, dust off sandy backs, look into crying eyes, and giggle at silly kids. At Loyiso I have learned about unconditional love. They have tested and then increased my patience. I have learned words are not always needed to make everything better. The kids at Loyiso have been wild, but fun. 

In addition to service wrapping up, I head into finals next week! I'll be hitting the books this weekend, but yesterday was such a beautiful day that I had to take an adventure with some of my housemates. We took a cab to an area of Cape Town called Bo Kaap. Bo Kaap is known for its brightly colored houses set into Signal Hill. It was a lot of fun walking around the streets looking at all the different houses. Before heading home for the day we stopped at a recommended coffee shop  and gallery I had found online (I am always looking for new and different coffee shops to visit). We sat at a table in a back patio area that we had all to ourselves. It was such a good way to celebrate the nice weather. 

The streets of Bo Kaap

Zan, Kari, and Maira walking the streets of Bo Kaap

Me in Bo Kaap!

Up for this weekend is lots of studying and some fun! Hope you enjoyed the pictures and I cannot wait to show you the rest of them when I get home!

Tour de Obz

Hello all! Today marks one month until I will be boarding the horribly long flight back to the United States. I have many mixed feelings about being sad over leaving such an awesome place and being excited to see everyone I have missed these past months. But I won't think about that now! This blog post is dedicated to a short tour of my neighborhood Observatory- affectionately known as Obz.

We'll start with the house I have been living in with 19 other people for the past 4 months. This is the Kimberly house. We just call it K-House for short.

K-House!

K-house has 9 rooms inside and 2 rooms outside (detached from the house). In the back/side is a small yard. When it was nicer outside we would sit underneath the avocado tree to read, do work, or relax. A lot of times we use the side yard for working out or yoga. We all cook our meals in a huge kitchen that gets very busy. It's loud, it's fun' it's a little bit crazy, but it's home. 

K-house kitchen and table

First stop in the neighborhood is the corner coffee shop of course! Cocoa Cha Chi has cappuccinos, coffee crushes (kind of like frappuccinos), and cake! Since they have free wi-fi, studying there is a nice change from the kitchen table. They randomly also play pretty good music. Not the best if you're in a hurry, but it does the job for a caffeine fix. Bonus: they have a rewards card!

Cocoa Cha Chi

Next on the tour is Lower Main Street. Lower Main is only a couple of blocks away from the K-house and is full of restaurants and bars. Our favorites is Panchos (the only Mexican restaurant around- yay margaritas!), Hello Sailer (yummy little cafe with great food), Stones (terrible, but wonderful bar), Armchair (bar with live music a couple nights of the week), and Honeybun (corner cafe with coffee and bakery). 

Lower Main Street

Just around the corner from the K-house is the Metrorail train station. The train station is an inexpensive way to travel, but can take a bit of time because of all the stops. Ever since the weather has cooled down we do not take the train as much. It used to take us to the beach in Muizenberg, but is not very effective if we want to go into the city of Cape Town. I've had some interesting encounters on the train, but it is an experience I treasure nonetheless. 

Observatory Metro station

Fields are a somewhat rare occurrence in Cape Town, but we are fortunate to have one near our house. Local soccer and rugby teams practice here regularly, and we kick the ball around once and awhile too. Early in April we hosted a soccer tournament for four boys teams from some of my housemates' service sites. We officiated the games, made them sandwiches, and cheered them on. We used to do sprints and other work outs on the field, but people thought we were crazy and it has started to get too cold anyway. 

Field near our house

The always surprising Obz always delivers, and this time it's a circus tent! We first noticed the deserted circus tent early in February, but recently there has been more actively around it. There might even be shows happening soon! 

Observatory circus tent

Parking lot in Obz

When running around the neighborhood we go back and forth underneath the train tracks to be able to run farther in residential areas. There's a lot of graffiti art around the train station, and it makes for a fun run. 

Artwork underneath train tracks

The artwork even sometimes appears on the outside walls of residents' homes. Like this chameleon! 

There's actually 2 chameleons in this picture…can you find the other?

The last picture I have is more of a reflective one than anything. The barbs like in the picture below are found on pretty much every single home. There are more bars on windows, barbed wire, and fences than I have ever seen. Cape Town does not have the best reputation for crime, but it makes me sad to see everyone so fenced off. It makes me wonder sometimes if it's meant to keep people out or in. I know they are all safety precautions and such, but I wish it did not have to be like that. Being someone who has a particular need for open spaces, I sometimes feel trapped in the various buildings I move through each day. Maybe it's because I grew up in a neighborhood where fences were actually prohibited. Maybe it's because I don't like feeling confined. Who knows, but for everything I love about Observatory and Cape Town there are the things like fences and barbed wire that I could do without. 

You'll find these on the tops of almost all the walls/fences around yards/homes

And that completes our Tour de Obz. Of course that is not everything in the neighborhood surrounding the K-house, but hopefully it will give you all a good sense of it at least. 

In other news- last weekend I hit up a new local coffee shop for breakfast. Queen of Tarts was as cute as it's name and provided us with a scrumptious meal. After scarfing down a yummy breakfast, I headed over to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens for a walk around. All the trees, plants, and water features were so fun to explore. Even though not a lot of the flowers were in bloom it was still fun to walk around and relax on the grass. As beautiful as it was, I think I would still take Forest Park over it any day. 

Queen of Tarts breakfast!

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens

                           

 Today was a grand day indeed. The rain has come to Cape Town, so we have adapted our plans from beach days to exploring other things in the city. Today a group of us ventured downtown to one of my favorite coffee houses. Origins Coffee Roasting has the most amazing coffee and quite a good breakfast too! After eating and talking for a bit, we headed over to the Labia Theatre for an afternoon showing of Wes Anderson's new film The Grand Budapest Hotel. In my opinion, the movie was fantastic. Wes Anderson has such a creative vision that he brings to life on screen throughout every little detail. I might just have to go see it again this week. 

Other than that, I am just finishing up my classes and beginning to prepare for exams. I have 2 exams, 2 papers, and 2 projects to complete before all the school work is out of the way for the semester. I am not too worried or overwhelmed. 

And on a final note, tomorrow May 11th is Mother's Day- I am so blessed to have such a wonderful mom who let me spend 5 months in another country when she wouldn't even let me attend a college farther than 6 hours away. I am sad that I will not be able to celebrate with her, my grandmother, Aunt Kim (all the important women in my life) and other family, but I hope they know that I am thinking about them! Mom- get some rest and make sure to order dad and Bouler around for the day! Love you Mommy, you really do make my life more exciting, give me the only advice I actually listen to other than my own, and have taught me endless lessons I continue to discover every day. Happy Mother's Day to all mothers out there and make sure to call your mother and wish her a happy day tomorrow too! 

Me and the one and only Mama Kaz!
Happy Mother's Day!

3 Peak Challenge and More!

As we enter the month of May, I am increasingly aware of the limited time I have left in South Africa. I try to see every day as an opportunity to take in more of the city, enjoy the company of those around me, and check off the final items on my bucket list. Last weekend was a big one. Friday morning my group attended a service at St. George's Cathedral presided over by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Marquette group with Desmond Tutu

Although we were unable to talk with Archbishop Tutu for too long, being in the presence of such an influential and faith-filled man was amazing. Later in May we will be meeting again with Archbishop Tutu and his daughter to hear about their Peace Foundation run from Cape Town. 

Friday night a group of us met for snacks and drinks with some of the parents who were visiting. Then, us kids went out on Long Street (the main street for night life activity in Cape Town). There was dancing, music, and lots of laughing. I was happy to have finally gone dancing and that I was able to check Long Street nightlife off my bucket list. 

Saturday was another well-spent morning at Old Biscuit Mill neighborhood goods market. I have raved about OBM before and I am sure I will again. I go back each week to try food from a different stand, people watch, and browse. 

Not exactly sure what they're making, but it looks fun!

The market also has a lot of colorful flowers for sale! Proteas are South Africa's national flower (in the white buckets at the bottom of the picture)

 And now for the big kahuna…THE THREE PEAK CHALLENGE!!!!!
The official Three Peak Challenge is a race hosted by Cape Town in which participants begin in the town center, run up the three peaks on the Cape Town horizon (Devil's Peak, Table Mountain, and Lion's Head) returning to the town center after completing each peak. We decided climbing all three peaks in one day would be enough of a challenge, so we skipped the whole going to the center of town after each peak thing (and the whole "running" up the mountain thing). Let me tell you, it was still a hike! Below is a  picture of the three peaks we climbed.

While I was rafting in Namibia, I met a girl from Australia who lived down the street from me. Last Sunday was her last day in Cape Town, and she said she wanted to complete the Three Peak Challenge   as her last hurrah in South Africa. The Three Peak Challenge had been on my bucket list from the beginning, but I did not think I was ready to attempt it. However, I decided there was no better time than now and thought spending the day with Jazz on her last day here would be awesome. So, Sunday morning Jazz, Duke, and I got dropped off at the base of Devil's Peak at 6:30am before the sun was up. We had a bit of trouble finding the trail head in the dark, but eventually picked a path and were on our way.

Jazz, Duke, and I are a lively bunch at 6:30am!

Sunrise over Cape Town 

As we climbed, we talked. As climbing became more difficult heavy breathing replaced talking. Devil's Peak was the most challenging of the hikes, and it did not disappoint. I had been feeling somewhat nauseous that morning from waking up earlier than usual and doing so much exercise that early in the morning. Therefore, hiking up a bunch of stones that resembled a stair master from hell was not my most favorite thing. However, as I hiked I was thankful for the ability to do something so strenuous. I was thankful for my health, and my body, and the two other women who were sharing the struggle with me. As we neared the top of Devil's Peak, we began to see other early morning hikers farther down on the mountain. Devil's Peak was a devil to say the least, but we did it and continued on a path near the base of the mountain over to Table Mountain. After hiking for about four to five hours, our legs were not excited to trek up Platteklip Gorge. While we were ascending to Table Mountain, the sun came out in full force. Now we were tired and hot, but on we went! 

View from Platteklip Gorge Trail

View of Twelve Apostles Mountain Range from top of Table Mountain

Second peak victory! (That's Devil's Peak in the background)

Along the way we asked ourselves why we would ever thought climbing three peaks in one day was a good idea, but our smiles couldn't be any bigger every time we reached a peak. I knew that if I could make up Table Mountain, make it halfway, I could do the whole thing. That didn't make the rest of the day any easier, but it made it possible. Traveling in a small group was nice because we were able to stay together and stop as often as we wanted ( and at this point in the hike, that was a lot). Going down Table Mountain was not too bad, but it was especially hard on Duke's knees. I think the most mentally challenging part of the hike was making it from the bottom of Table Mountain to the base of Lion's Head. In order to do that, we had to take a trail near the base to the end of Table Mountain, walk down a huge hill, across a street, and then up a huge hill just to make it to the bottom of Lion's Head. We sat down to rest before attempting our third and final peak. Once we sat down, we weren't sure we were getting back up.

Trying to psych ourselves up enough to finish the challenge!

We finally did get off our butts and made our way up the last and easiest hike of the day. Our legs were shaking, our water was running out, but we were determined to finish strong. Everyone we passed saw our agony and thought "what weaklings!" but little did they know what we had already accomplished that day. I didn't look up so I wouldn't try to gauge how much left of the hike we had. I would stare at my feet and make sure I took myself one step forward each time. We finally made it to the top and raised our fists in glorious victory. Everyone thought we were nuts, but we didn't care. We asked a group of guys sitting down to take our final picture, and they were thoroughly impressed to hear we had just completed the Three Peak Challenge. Too bad we didn't have time for them, we wanted to get down the mountain and to comfy chairs! 

Three Peak Challenge complete! 

I have never been one for endurance sports, but I am so incredibly glad I did the Three Peak Challenge.  By the time we hiked down Lion's Head we had hiked for a total of 10.5 hours that day! I am so proud of Duke, Jazz, and myself for trudging on when we thought we might fall over (Duke actually did a few times- no worries, she's fine!). The Three Peak Challenge was incredible in more ways than one. I am so thankful I got to spend time with Jazz on her last day in Cape Town. Although I am sad she had to go so soon, I will forever remember our day together. That night I went to bed with sore legs, but a happy heart. Being in South Africa has tested and rewarded me in so many ways, and the Three Peak Challenge was no exception. By the end of it there was no book to sign, no t-shirt to buy, and no one to pat us on the back, but the satisfaction of having completed it was enough. 

Amazing things are happening here and will continue to happen, I'm sure! I'll keep you updated on the adventures here as they occur, but for now I have to decide what I'm going to eat at Old Biscuit Mill tomorrow morning!