A Message for my Grandparents!

 

I've been told my Grandparents don't believe I'm eating well enough so here's solid proof I can cook!

Catching up on my Vlogs:

www.vimeo.com/joewilkins/vlog7

Another Video, this is from about a week ago. Climbing, spitting goat poo, cycling and eating, what more would I want from a weekend? There's a lot of people in this video that have had a huge part in making my first 6 weeks here as amazing as it has been, lots of brilliant memories with these guys!

A Late Bloggy Vloggy Vid:

www.vimeo.com/joewilkins/vlog6
I haven't had a strong enough internet connection to upload this video so it's a bit delayed. Just a quick vid I made from footage I took in Kaapschehoop with some friends and a stray dog...

Back In Welverdiend

Today we had the opportunity to go back to Welverdiend to meet our hosts at the Community Based Organization there. As soon as we got there me and Leyton greeted our friends and we swapped stories over the last few weeks; he told us how his sister misses teaching us to cook and his young nephews asked him “Uncle, where are the mulungus?” – mulungu is their word for foreigners or white people. We didn’t get a chance to see his home and family but we saw him and his younger brother which was great.

We kicked around a half-flat football for a bit and he and his friends told us about their latest football matches and scores, they’re now second in the league and not far behind the leaders. We were then invited to eat pap, cabbage and a gravy/mince sauce with them, we had only just had lunch but we managed to force a tiny amount down to be polite. Eating with them brought back memories of the weekend we spent together really vividly; it’s weird how smells and tastes can do that so suddenly and powerfully.

It was odd going back to such a familiar place and seeing friends that seem like we’ve known them for ages. I had to remind myself that we had only met two weeks ago. It’s a shame it was such a short visit but it was worth the hours of dusty, bumpy roads to see them. I had to explain that I wouldn’t be able to see them or txt them again for a while as I’m going to Zambia (more on that in my next post) which made me sound like I was avoiding talking to him. I’d love to go and stay with his family again sometime but for now it’s not possible, I told him I’d come and see him when I’m back in the country.

3 Nights in Welverdiend

Last weekend I stayed with another volunteer called Leyton in a family's house in Welverdiend. We arrived on Friday afternoon and met our host for the first time. He is 17 years old and took us to his home where we met his Mother, three older siblings and younger brother, niece and two nephews. All nine family members lived in 3 rooms, the three men/boys stayed in two rooms on one side of the yard and the 6 others stayed in one room at the far end. It was odd seeing the family split up like that but in African culture the men in the family often have the better rooms and food etc.

That night the oldest sister (36) cooked pap and chicken for us, pap is kind of like mash potato but made from maize, it doesn’t taste like much but is filling so it’s eaten a lot in the communities we work in. The chicken and cabbage was delicious so we sat and ate with our host while the rest of the family left the room, it was weird being served like this and we didn’t feel comfortable having not helped cook or wash up after. We told his sister that she had to teach us to cook the next day, partly because we wanted to learn and partly because it was the only way she’d let us help out.

We spent the night with our host asking each other questions and watching an old 12” TV, his mother had saved and bought him this to help him learn English; he watches African soaps listening to the actors and reading the subtitles, if he finds a word he doesn’t know he looks it up in his dictionary. He told us that he wants to be a meteorologist or failing that a journalist, he’s definitely clever enough but he just needs the money to get to university. But with 98% unemployment in Welverdiend he will struggle to find a job after he finishes school, I have no idea how he will be able to afford university without finding a job.

His parents were originally from Mozambique, I’m not sure when or why they moved to South Africa but it was probably during the war in Mozambique, lots of people fled the country and risked their lives to get into SA. His family then moved from Belfast (not the one in Ireland) when his father died. He was just 6 at the time and his mother decided to move closer to her sister so they ended up in Welverdiend.

We spent a fair bit of time watching the local football league, there are 11 teams in Welverdiend and the winner of that tournament moves up to play against other villages. Our host was the captain of his team and we watched them win 2-1 on Sunday afternoon. It was really good seeing a social side of the communities, we always hear about the un-employment and broken families and shortages of water so it was great seeing two local teams doing what they love in a properly organised and refereed match. The atmosphere of these small matches showed how much a part of their lives it is. I was told the league was properly organised by coaches and village elders to keep the kids out of trouble, an encouraging sign that the village is a hopeful, positive community that is starting to actively encourage the children and young adults.

We were taken to church on Sunday morning with our host and his friend who was hosting two more volunteers (Dave and Russell). The church couldn’t afford a building so people took their own chairs and sat in the shade of a huge tree. The service was all in Shangaan but the people we sat next to translated bits of what the pastor was saying. Apparently he was preaching about abandoning ancestor worship which is still strong in a lot of communities across Africa. After the sermon we were asked to go to the front and introduce ourselves, they then gave us the seats of the church founders and their choir performed for us; they sang in Shangaan and English and it sounded fantastic. Afterwards we were given food that had been brought as a social lunch meeting; the church also sent a boy to the store to buy a bottle of coke for us. It was amazing receiving such generous hospitality, the church were unbelievably welcoming, it was a great example of African hospitality… and also a reminder that wherever you go in the world you still can’t escape the reach of huge brands like Coca-Cola… although it did taste amazing under the African sun!

The weekend was a tough experience which stretched my comfort zone a long way. I now realise how important the work that Hands at Work does is, having seen the people it supports and hearing the stories of how it affects so many children and young adults in the communities. I’ll never forget the names of the people we stayed with and the amazing kindness, generosity and hospitality they showed us. That family will stay with me forever and I can’t wait to go back and see them soon.

Back at Hands

Just got back from a three-night community stay. I stayed in Welverdiend with a family of 9 and another volunteer called Leyton. The family we stayed with had a Mother, 5 Children (Aged 36-13) and 3 Grandchildren (Aged 15-4). There will be another blog in more detail when I've had time to type it all up but for now I'm back at Hands Village all safe and sound.