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Hi
I am sorry I was unable to access my weblog whilst away and keep you up to date as promised.
I had an amazing month and experienced many aspects of life in South Africa.
The children were adorable and I shall really miss them all. In the main they are well cared for and happy but I found a month too short a time to get to know them  and assess what I could best do to contribute. Just spending time and helping with the creche and homework class was great but it was difficult to feel that there was any continuity with so many of us staying for such short periods. We tried to continue the good work done before us but without a strong internal co-ordinator it takes till the third week to get into the swing of it.
We did mange to maintain some kind of stucture to the creche and homework class which I hope the next set of volunters will continue.
The children did enjoy our cinema trip and time at the beach (regardless of the rain).  These may seem mundane activities to us but I was struck by the realisation that true integration is still a long way off. It is still uncommon for a group of black and white people to actually go out together in one group. Just being seen going out in this way was actually making a differance!
A couple of parties went well. We celebrated Heritage day in the third week and had our farewell do last Thursday. We bought presents for all the children who had a birthday during our month and supplied cakes and soft drinks.
One of the most interesting days was when we visited other projects and saw what different stages they were at. So much needs to be done and we met some inspiring and dedicated people. I will always remember the singing at the Tree Clinic and Jackie's inspiring talk at Bobbi Bear.
Getting away at the weekends is a must and we had three good trips. The first around Duban gave us an insight into living in South Africa - both good and bad. The second was unforgetable when we went on a mini safari. We got to see elephants, giraffes, white rhino, buffalo, warthogs and lions. At the wild cat sanctuary I even got to hold a baby cheetah! Our final weekend was spent driving up the Sani Pass and into the tiny Kingdom of Lesotho. If you are a volunteer this is not to be missed! The scenery is spectacular and staying in one of the small vilages in a rondavel was a valuable lesson in the joys of simple living. I went pony trekking for the first time and although saddle sore got an opportunity to get right away from all civilisation. It was just the tops! Well, we were at an altitude of over 9,500 feet! 
Although we did have a couple of security blips (now resolved - so future volunteers enjoy the new accommodation house) I think I will leave you all on a high. I had the time of my life (warts and all). It was one of the best experiences of my life - and I'm no chicken. The laughter of the little ones when we all sang and 'danced' to the nursery rhymes. The hip hop dancing of the teenagers, Auntie Gogo singing and the safe driving from Vincent are all memories I will treasure. Learning just a little about the complex situation in South Africa makes me appreciate what we take for granted and realise that if we can raise awareness and touch the lives of some of these wonderful children perhaps we can each actually make a tiny difference. If anyone reading this is undecided about volunteering - I say GO FOR IT!

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