Chatham Hall in South Africa 2008

Hello, world! We apologize for the delay in posting yesterday – your faithful blogger, Mr. T, was very tired and went to bed early on Thursday night. There are two major activities we have continued since Wednesday: working with the children at Lawrencia School and working with the needy and the ill in Bloekombos township. The entries on these will have to be split up. We’ll talk about the kids today!

We want to answer a few questions from the commenters… Thank you, Sacred Heart Geographers, for following our trip. To answer your questions: 1) Yes, we have working cell phones. Some members of our group have cell phones that work internationally, but others of us have rented cell phones (to keep in touch with each other on our trip) or use other means to call home. 2) Unfortunately, we have not seen any elephants or shrews. The area where we are spending our nights is an urban area: Cape Town is a very large city (you can find a lot of information about it online). However, we will be going to some natural preserve areas over the weekend, and we hope to see penguins, ostriches, and baboons! 3) We do feel quite safe. The people we are working with have been very nice, and we have excellent guides to help us. However, we have to be especially careful in the evenings, because the downtown area of Cape Town is like any other large city. Parts of big cities can be dangerous, so we travel in groups and use the well-lit streets!

The last two days have been extremely busy for us. We spent Thursday and Friday at the Lawrencia Primary School in Bloekombos, completing one of the most difficult yet rewarding experiences I have ever undertaken. The hardest part was saying good-bye to the learners and teachers this afternoon. The day concluded with a very moving and impassioned assembly with an abundance of singing, dancing, hugging, handshaking, and emotion.

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“The whole Lawrencia School experience definitely went beyond the expectations I had about our work there. Building a library for the children was an eye-opening experience. To see the children so happy with a simple book was heartwarming, so heartwarming that Amanda, Ridgely, Rebecca, and Mr. T cried!

“One thing that we learned today at our last day at the Lawrencia school is that age is only a number. One student, Curt, who is thirteen, showed us that something as simple as dancing can make you happy. I just wanted to stick him in my suitcase and take him home!”

– Rebecca, Ridgely, and Amanda

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Mr. T indeed cried during the closing festivities, and many others struggled to hold back tears. Even more emotions rose to the surface at a group meeting a few minutes later, when Mr. Peters, the Assistant Principal, told us that he was very appreciative of all we had done for them during the week. He was amazed at how we could leave behind our own status and spend our money to travel all the way to Bloekombos to be the servants of their community. He proclaimed himself an “ordinary man,” but we believe the hard work he and his colleagues are accomplishing is truly extraordinary. I personally hope that we can continue to be servants to those in need, especially the learners at Lawrencia, for years to come.

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