Hi everybody,

another week just passed by and I have quite a lot to tell.

On Monday we had to say goodbye to Michaela because she was leaving to another project in Jeffery’s Bay. We had some cake in the meeting and afterwards she was leaving. I hope you will have a good time J But it also means that I am the only volunteer in Nuwe Begin.



On Tuesday all the volunteers and some children went to the hospital of Greytown to sing songs there, remembering the National Children’s Day on the past week. We studied two English songs with the kids, but they also started to sing Zulu songs and that was an awesome feeling :)

On Thursday was the “Prize Giving and Closing Concert” of the Indlovana High school, which is located right next to the Children’s Home. We could see the girls wearing really short traditional Zulu skirts and tops while the danced Zulu.

 

 It was weird to see them almost naked in school, but I guess it is the tradition here. There were a lot of guest speakers, even the Police, but sadly we could not understand what they were saying because it was Zulu.

We also could see the boys doing traditional dancing. They wore fur and it smelled as it was properly fur. They were not only dancing, but also singing and playing traditional drums. It was such an experience to get to see this.

After this ceremony we were invited to have lunch at the Hall. We were traded like special guests and the only white people there. For lunch we had different kinds of Salads, the traditional meal rice with meat and terrible sweet juice. Or dessert it was ice cream with fruits and pudding and again a really sweet cake. Leonie and I sat on a table with three guys, two teachers from the school and one father, whose son got honored for his academic effort.

It was a strange situation because one of the first questions was:” will you be my bride?” After negate Leonie had to dish up for everybody. And once again we were asked:” Can I at least marry one of you?”

Gladly the conversation turned into a different way and we got taught some Zulu. We got to know that the one guy’s name would mean “Thanks Sheep” in English. We really tried to not laugh.

Even it was a strange situation it was memorable.

In my study time this day I got to learn some more Zulu and also Zulu songs. It was probably my favorite study time so far ;)



On Friday Pieter had a meeting in Durban and offered Hannah, Leonie and me to come along. Since the weather was supposed to be good this day we decided not to come along to the Kinderhuis there. Instead we asked his to drive us to the beach. This was defiantly a decision we would not regret.

The moment we got to see Durban for the first time, I instantly liked the city, the soccer Stadium, which was built for the Fifa world Cup in 2010, looked awesome. The next time I will be in Durban I have to go there. But this day we only had about three hours so we walked along the beach and on the Pier, which was an awesome felling. I really miss the ocean a lot! Afterwards we decided to walk along the road, where people tried to sell traditional stuff like bracelets or figures made out of wood. I will buy me one of them for sure :)

Later on we ate delicious ice cream and Hannah and I went into the water. It was cold and there were so high waves, but I loved it a lot!!

It was so strange because people kept looking at you and we even were asked if someone could take a picture of us.

On Saturday we made some decoration for the Christmas party next week.

love from South Africa 

 Sawubona everybody, :)

Well another weeks just went by and I have to admit there was nothing special going on here. We had really nice weather until thursday noon, than it started to rain and still did not stop. I love the nature here,especially these purple leave trees, called Jacranda are so beautiful .

I continued to have a aching tommy and I realized I become it right after I ate the rice. So from now on I can't eat the rice anymore and have to cook my own meal. But I missed cooking, so it is fine :)

On friday everybody was excited to celebrate into Hannah's birthday! WE played games while eating chips and cookies. But it was not only Hannah's birthday, but we also had the birthday party for the Children on friday.

Hannah became a chocolate cake at midnight and we spontenous decided to call a friend to take us to the wembley club, but the party there was almost over when we arrived, driven on the back of the trunk in the rain. We had a couple chats with the guys there and made some fried eggs after we came home. Totally tired we all fall in bed.

Maria, Leonie, Signe and I got up early to suprise Hannah with a birthday and Michaela with an goodbye breakfast. Since she will leave us on monday. Today we will have to bake a cake for her and say goodbye.
So but for the breakfast we had pancakes and toast. I think both girls liked it.

This morning Hannah, Leonie and me went to the Salom Chuch with the Children. It was nice, but it kinda reminds me of a German church, with the difference that all smaller Children were seperated and had their own little ceremonie.

I think this was all about my last week here.
Miss you guys!
Love Fredo

Hey everybody,

another week just went by…and I have so much to tell…

Actually the week was a usual week at the children’s home, I guess.

But at the weekend we were not here. We had to work for half a day and afterwards some friends, we have already had a Dutch Oven Fire with them couple weeks ago, picked us up. 

We had a more than three hours drive, with four girls on the backseat of the pickup ( yes, it was not very comfortable ;)) before we finally arrived in the Imfolozi Game reserve, near St. Lucia. It was already dark, so we could only imagine how the reserve looked like.

Jan, the guy who works there, showed us where we would sleep the next two days. I really liked the tents in between the Game Reserve J Of course it was protected with a fence but while we had a barn fire, we could hear the hyenas’’ noises. Additionally the stars in the sky were absolute beautiful. I think if have never seen so many stars. Around the 90000ha wide Reserve are only Homelands, that’s why.

Workers pushing the rhino

 We got up the next morning by 6 am. We were able to so Rhinos, which were caught out of the park, because they had to go to another Game Reserve. We could see how they got an anesthesia, an towel over their eyes and the workers pushed and pulled them into a box, where they where stored for the transportation.

Babyrhino

Afterwards had a little breakfast at a store and drove with the cars through the reserve to see some animals. Gladly we got to see antelopes, zebras, rhinos, buffalos, an elephant with its baby and giraffes. 

It was amazing and for the first time I have been here I felt like I am in Africa. Later that day we drove to a supermarket, which kinda remind me of America and bought some food to eat at the pool. While we made our Hot Dogs, some monkeys stole our bread, and some big birds got the rest of the meat from Jan, who threw it upin the air and the birds picked it up- nose diving.

We got to see a nice sunset and then we drove back to our camp to have Hot Dog and a bonfire again.  But before we arrived there, we stopped at a little bar in one of the homelands. It was so small, but we all tried to fit in there. At least for a moment 13 persons could drink a beer and eat a cookie tighter while we listened to some Zulumusic. I really enjoyed this moment! Sine another group arrived we talked and played together.

The next morning we got up early again, but had to wait for the boys for a long time (I think they drunk to much the night before haha), to drive through the park again. Sadly it was raining the whole day and we didn’t get to see many animals.

We took some pictures of our accommodation and made the way back home.

We had Pizza at the Ocean. KwaDukuza is a really beautiful place to be and I must say: I really missed the ocean!

My roommate Leonie nad myself

So this is it for today, I hope you liked how my weekend looked like and you are excited for my next post.

Hope to hear from you soon!

Love, Fredo

All the volunteers

Sawubona from Greytown,

it is Sunday again.. gosh time runs by soo fast...
My week was pretty good!
On Wednesday we went to a bakery with the children and they seemed to be really interestest. But our baby Bendile fall asleep on my arm though, but it was okay since he is only three years old and didn't get his nap this day.

All Volunteers and Toddlers with the employers of the bakery

The children try the sweet cream for the cake :D

Our housemother also had birthday this week so Michaela and I backed a cake for her and she said that it made her day. It was a beautiful moment when we all started to sing “ Happy Birthday Nono” for her.

Nono, Simpiwue(her son) and me

NB house

On Saturday we girls decided to have a girls evening and went to supermarket to buy some stuff. We played “Canada” while we couldn’t stop to laugh. As all the time we baked some cake, which was eaten in a couple of minutes. :D It was a nice evening.

Tranquili Tea

Today we also decided ,after a morning jogging round and delicious breakfast , to walk to Tranquili Tea( the café we have already been to) again. Since it was a sunny day we had a wonderful view and a great time.

Pauline, Signe and Leonie with me infront of the beautiful landscape at Tranquili Tea

This evening we had macc’n cheese, which is probably the best food here, but of course not as good as it is in America :D

Good night :*

My first weekends :)

The last two weekends we had the possibility to get to know some Africaans, who are really really nice and offered to show us the nearest beautiful places.

After Maria, Hannah and I went to a bar on Friday two weeks ago we could visit some hot springs, called Shushu. The weather was good and it was a really nice place to be. Afterwards we drove by the President’s house. It was weird to see this big place and the Townships( little small houses the poor people live in) right next to it.

The last stop was a view point, where we could see the whole area we have just been to this was so beautiful. This area is totally different than the area around Greytown.

The following weekend we were invited to a small Dutch oven party, were we ate a typical zulu cooked rice and vegetable meal with oxtail, defiantly not what I like. My stomach didn’t like it either and so it started to hurt for a couple days.  This evening we had a terrible thunder storm.

On Sunday the weather was good( this was really nice because we were used to rain and bad weather), so we decides to walk to a little café about 20 minutes to walk from the children’s home and this was definitely worth it!

So I got an impression on how beautiful the nature of South Africa is and how different it can be in a couple of kilometers  :)

Meine erste Zeit in Südafrika :)

So meine Lieben,

 after almost three weeks of difficulties and some struggles to adapt to the new situation and a totally new life in a really differnt country than Germany, I started to feel better and kinda like I finally arrived.

I  now life in the Kinderhuis Greytown. The Kinderhuis is in the middle of Greytown, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. This  is about 1 1/2 hours away from Durban.

I life together with 150 children in a age from 3 years to 18 years as well as with (in this moment) 8 other german volunteer girls in this Kinderhuis.
 Since we are this many volunteers we have seperate rooms in the differnt houses. In the first two weeks I had my own room in the high school girls house, named Milly Scott, but last monday my new roomate Leonie arrived and I can happily say: I am glad to share my room :) We now have a bunk bed in there. The room is small and we are often ineach others way.

So my daily life task is to help the toddlers, these are the children who to Kammaland, the kindergarden in Greytown, in their daily life.
I have to be in my house, Nueve Begin, by six am to assist my two girls, Nesi and Anele, with cothing, having breakfast and brushing teeth. At 10 to 7 all other volunteers meet with their children from their house to bring them to Kammaland. Afterwards there is a meeting with the housemothers ( each house has a "mom" who takes care of "her" children.) and all other stuff. We talk about what will happen on this day.

Until quarter to 12 we have our off time. Most times we go and sleep again and have some breakfast afterwards, but there is only the choice between toast or porridge.

We separate into two groups, one brings the children and one fetches them from kindergarden.

We have lunch with the children, toast with jam, peanut butter or butter (yummyyy :$ ). We decide to go to the supermarket and get some fresh fruits and vegetables. SO now we can eat healthier and I actually prefer this meal !

The children are supposed to sleep for an hour and we have from 2 to 4 office time, so we play with them.

Three of the Toddlers and myself

 Last week we also started to read with them and to teach them numbers and letters, what is actually great fun but it is also a tough task to do.

From 4 to 5 we have study time, which means we help the older children with their homework. My children are grade 6 . In the past week Michaela, who also works in NB and me could recognize how bad the school system over here is. For example the children were supposed to dived 72 by 3 and drew 72 lines on a paper and made little 3er groups, afterwards they counted the groups and had their result.

After study time we prepare dinner. Well we set the table and put the food on the plates. Most of the time we get rice or a zulu alternative to eat. The meals differ every two weeks. I am so glad that I am vegetarian, so I get some other sauce, which is okay to eat. At least better than the meat :D

After dinner our work day is over. Most of the time all volunteers sit in our kitchen to chat or play cards.