Short and Sweet

Soooo... yeah, sorry I’ve been really delayed on this post. It only spans over two days really last week. I’ve been laying low because of a need to conserve finances lately... in other words, apologies for being a hobbit, but this will be short and sweet. Other than school work and the normal routine, not much exciting has happened since the Garden Route. I think so much was wrapped up in that weekend that I might have hit my spending limit on my “priceless” adventures for the moment. Anyways, here are the few highlights that did manage to root themselves into my life over the past week...

This past Friday, I was blessed with my first volunteer experience at the Tuberculosis Hospital in the children’s ward. I will be volunteering there twice a week for the remainder of the semester. Five other American exchange students and hopped into a creaky van at about 3pm on Friday and putted on over to the hospital. Upon entering, the office was not expecting us... something that happens quite often in South Africa, its not a country for urgency or over-the-top organization. Nevertheless, we were pointed in the direction of about 20 plus toddlers, scarfing down a bowl of rice and meat. Most of them where clothed in thin sweaters and had crusted faces from their persistent runny noses. Some were crying, others tugging on our pant legs with bright, eager eyes. All of us, including the one boy volunteer with us, were referred to as “mommy.” This reaction is the same that I had witnessed in the past whilst working with children in Casa de Esperanza (the non-profit placement agency all of my adopted siblings came from) who are taken care of by more than one person at a time. “Mommy” turns into a role, rather than just a title. Volunteers are only allowed to work in the children’s’ ward due to the fact that after a certain age, Tuberculosis becomes highly contagious. All 20 pairs of bright eyes looked to us, and the drill was literally: choose a kid, play mom. I knelt down and my first pal for the semester was a little boy named David. I assume that David is about twenty months old. He never spoke a word or cried. As if performing a fire drill, he simple sat down in my lap, handed me his spoon, and allowed me to shovel rice and beef into his willing mouth. Many of the other energetic toddlers were screaming at me in Xhosa, attempting to coax me into being their human jungle gym. All of these children spend a minimum of 9 months at the TB hospital in order to get well. They are allowed to go home on weekends once they've passed a certain stage in their recovery, however it is risky due to fact that if ever removed from their drugs, they can build up a resistance that renders treatment hopeless. Their resilient smiles and love of volunteers makes spending time with them fly by on the days that we all visit. On my last visit, I spent time with the older children and they taught me how to crump and dance like I'm pretty sure I can't. I traded them for dance lessons with yoga moves and a couple of jives that I'm pretty sure came out in the 1920s. I can't wait to go back :)

On Saturday, our program took a trip over to a local Stellenbosch vineyard called Neethlingshof . The estate was beautiful and rolled through the valley, right next to the Spier estate which dominates most of that section of the region. We toured the rooms where the wine was made and learned about all of the diverse wildlife (which I was unaware of) that lived in the vineyards. There is a whole food chain that goes on between the snakes, birds, bugs, etc. It was like being told the story of "The Little Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly!" After learning about the history of the old estate, we finally made it to the best room of all... the tasting room. We sampled about 7 different wines and then had the opportunity to purchase a bottle if we were so inclined. Of course I was, and so I made my first more-than-$12-bottle-of-wine purchase! I haven't had it yet, but I'm sure it will be divine! Following our tasting, we scuttled over to lunch where 6 of us decided to ditch the big group and find a place of our own. We ended up and this really cool out-door restaurant called Moyo. It had traditional South African cuisine and much much more. There was like music, dancing, singing, and face paint. Considering that we were in Stellenbosch, their wine list was also breathtaking. I ordered possibly the best blend of my entire life. It was a cabernet sauvignon merlot.... yum freaking  yum. After we all got painted and filled our tummies, we headed back to Cape Town and retired their for the rest of the weekend.

This whole past week has been really dull, filled with school work. But in a couple of weeks we have our Spring Break (haha so cool I get two of those this school year) and I have another trip back to Stellenbosch for a few days planned with a friend. We are going to bikeride through the vineyards and fit in as many tastings as possible. Don't worry, we won't be driving ;) haha but anyways, I'll step up my game and report back more frequently... I just feel of my rocker for a little while!

Cheer to you all!

Hopper

**PHOTO CREDIT TO MY FRIENDS WHO ACTUALLY TOOK PICTURES OF THESE ADVENTURES!!**