Heritage Day in the R.S.A.

Another busy week in South Africa filled with volunteering, running around, and a public holiday. Most of this week has been focused around today, Heritage Day. For the last three weeks, Simone and I have been spending extra time after homework sessions working with the kids at Sparrow in preparation for their annual Heritage Celebration. Every year groups of children at Sparrow but together different acts and items that capture the culture here in South Africa, and present them during a big program. We had the pleasure of working with two groups of kids for this year’s program. Our first group consisted of around a dozen 7 year olds that were nicknamed the Rainbow Buddies. We helped the kids paint a South African flag using their hand prints and lead them in singing the SA national anthem. Needless to say it was adorable. Our other group, was a group of 4 teenage boys that were performing a bit of a Scottish dance in honor of Rev. Corrine McClintock, the founder of Sparrow. Taking some bits from Braveheart, we helped paint their faces in Scottish colors and taught them a very, VERY simplified version of the Scottish sword dance. Thankfully, the guys had fun with it and Rev. Corrine seemed to enjoy it.

The rest of the program was filled with singing and dancing, all in the spirit of Africa. It was very exciting to be a part of this special event at Sparrow because it allowed us to see the Sparrow Village community come together as a whole, and it exposed to more of South Africa’s rich culture. With this event behind us, we can now get back to the homework and the students upcoming exams!

As stated before, the weeks have been plenty busy with other bits of running around. Simone’s grandmother has been battling some health programs so we have been doing what we can, where we can to help out. Thankfully, she seems to be doing better and we should be able to cap off the week on a positive note with her birthday.

Simone and I are still pursuing the gym actively, as I am trying to gain some physical change from this trip as well as mental, emotional, and cultural. Things seem to be off to a good start but I have a long road ahead of me…

Other than all of this, we have been in a bit of a lull when it comes to adventures. We are starting to gear up for a week in Durban, where we will be able to take in the sights and sounds of the Indian Ocean. We have budgeted for several more exciting outings but are keeping them for the end half of our trip. But what can I say…everyday in SA is an adventure in itself.

Ek mis Amerika en almal daar (Missing America and everyone there in Afrikaans)

Mike