Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls

I realised this morning on my way to class that I have now been away from home for just about a month…four weeks to the day! It’s really strange because that feels like it’s not time at all but yet it also feels like I’ve been here for a long time. I guess that just shows how easy I’ve found it to settle in here and what an amazing time I’ve been having. The only place to start this week is with last weekend’s excursion to Jeffries Bay or as the cool kids call it, J-Bay!

A group of 15 of us comprising of Finns, Swedes, Dutch, Americans, Germans and Irish decided to pay a visit to the world’s premiere surf spot. We had originally intended to hire out three cars but after discovering the gearbox on one of the cars was faulty we ended up with one car and one vehicle which I can only describe as being like the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo and it was mine for the weekend! This thing was so fun to drive I can’t even begin to explain driving through mountains and along expansive coastline in this thing with 9 passengers in the back! We pulled up to our hostel on Saturday morning not expecting much due to the measly £10 for the night cost but were amazed at how luxurious the place was! Yes, we were sleeping in rooms of 6 and 8 but our living area had a massive brand new kitchen, pool table, digital TV, internet and a braai area! Not only that it was also literally on the Super Tubes wave which is the undisputed best wave in the world. Needless to say I didn’t even get into the water at such a place but the surfers among our group certainly seemed to enjoy themselves!

I did however venture onto a surf board for the first time in my life though at J-Bay, further down from our hostel at the sand break! Instructed by a Finn who himself had only had one lesson it goes without saying that I didn’t have much success but I can now say that my first wave was at J-Bay. After a very fun afternoon I was super pumped to find out that I could watch the rugby at our hostel only to be super disappointed by the actual Irish performance! We did however have a braai which quickly dispelled any feelings of sorrow at the defeat. It’s funny how food does that! That night we hit the town with myself as the taxi driver because I was the only one who could drive on the left hand side of the road with a gearstick and also because I was one of the few to be sober! Had a fun night at a pub with possibly one of the worst names ever…’The Jolly Dolphin’. I mean if that doesn’t get you pumped up for a night out I don’t know what will!

Sunday morning brought about another trip to the beach where I preferred to body surf rather than board surf. The water is so salty here that you come out of the water and your throat is almost burning but it’s well worth it for the banter! On the way home from J-Bay we decided to stop at a waterfall that we had heard some friends talking about! So we took the Mystery Machine over some fairly bumpy terrain (proper African roads) and rolled up through some ladies yard and onto this ‘waterfall’. As I’ve said before we’re experiencing a drought around PE so the waterfall was actually just a rock with a trickle of water running down it. We were however able to jump into the big pool below the ‘waterfall’ from the top of the rock face and there was also a ropey looking zip line that ran from the top down to the water so without hesitation we went for it. It was really fun doing the zipline and even funnier watching other people dong it and falling off into the water. We were all set to head home and loading into the Space Wagon when suddenly it started rolling down the hill. I reached to grab the handbrake only to discover that it was on so I jumped out of the van to see it rolling towards a cliff face and with people still in it. Not really thinking, and I can’t really remember what happened, I think I ran to the back of the van and somehow managed to bring it to a stop. As I say, it all happened so quickly and I don’t really remember what I was thinking or doing but the picture of that thing rolling down the hill will stick with me forever…very scary stuff. I later discovered that the guys in the van were literally throwing themselves out of it whilst it was rolling away. After we composed ourselves we headed back for PE and taking the scenic route we drove through a bush fire, which I think lacked the drama deserved after the previous hour’s events!

On return to PE I witnessed a proper fist and kicks fights between two taxi conductors how were fighting over passengers. The most amusing part of this was that the driver of my taxi just sat in his taxi and watched hooting at his guy trying to tell him to hurry up and beat the guy. Livewire on Sunday night was at the Boardwalk which is this huge outdoor entertainment complex with a cinema, bowling, mini golf, a casino, amusements and lots of shops and restaurants. It also houses an outdoor amphitheatre which is where Livewire was and man was it off the hook on Sunday night! The place was mental! It was amazing to see so many people on fire for God and giving their all in praise and worship for him. People singing and dancing like there was no tomorrow. Incredible!

What else have I been doing? Looking through my journal and it’s all pretty routine stuff compared to the weekends antics! On Friday night I went to a young adult’s bring and braai (which is phonetically pronounced…bry…see I did learn something in literacy this year…b b b bry!). Was really good to get to meet some new locals and begin to feel part of a Christian community. After the eating of the meat we played this game 30 seconds which is basically like Taboo so there were plenty of laughs at some peoples explanation of things…one person even suggested that Mother Theresa was Gandhi’s wife! I’ve had a few more hockey practises which have been intense but fun, especially to do some proper goalkeeping again, I forgot how much fun that was! Monday night was varsity cup rugby night under the lights where our boys got another hammering and I got another free T-shirt for dancing…I’m good at this game. Yesterday was pancake Tuesday but apparently nowhere else in the world has pancake Tuesday apart from the UK and Ireland so I made pancakes for a few of the Americans who have now decide that this is actually a really good idea for a day!

I also had my second day of observation at Kwhezi Lomso yesterday. http://khwezilomso.co.za/ This involved getting up very early (6.00am) to catch a shuttle bus to the school, which I think is still making me tired now! I spent the morning  playing an indigenous game with a few classes which involved throwing a stone up into the air, moving other stones out of a circle and catching the thrown rock again. Then you have to throw the rock up again, catch it, but leave one stone outside the circle whilst the others are pushed in. If that sounds a little confusing, it’s pretty much similar to jacks! After a few free periods (seriously secondary teachers have it easy) I got a tour of the school from the PE teacher. On the opening of the PE store I saw what was basically an empty room. It had a few cones, boxes and hoops but the teacher explained that she had had to bye these herself. It really is shocking to see how a school can be so under resourced. What hope is there for these kids if they can’t even be provided with even the most basic of PE equipment. The school rugby field has no grass, is littered with glass and rubbish and is open to anyone walking across it whenever they like. It really is shocking. My teacher said that after 28 years at the school she still can’t get used to it but she just gets on and does what she can for the children. What an inspiration! I think it will be worth the early mornings to actually invest some time with theses kids and to do what I can for them. Classes at university are continuing to go well and I’m beginning to get an understanding of the South African Educational system. By admission of lecturers and classmates it is a long way of perfection but I think it is moving in the right direction. I’ve handed in my second assignment this week and presented to the class on collaborative teaching which I think have both gone well.

OK, seriously enough talking! I’m going to see Valentine’s Day tonight and knowing how I love a good chick flick it’s sure to be fun…plus Taylor Swift is in it so it can’t be bad. Before that though I must go for a run along the beach and take a dip in the ocean. Keep me updated on all the happenings back home and all the inevitable TP stories. Love you all,

Peace

God Bless

“Never stop praying” 1 Thessalonians 5:17