The kids from the Orion Township are a handful but it is cool to have them and they enjoy surfing. There are around 14 of them if they all come and they mostly they go out and play in the surf. But occasionally they like to hide from us too, which sends everybody looking once the head count comes up wrong. They come after school on Tuesday and Thursday and Project’s Abroad sends a van over for them and from what I gather, they somewhat literally scoop them up as they drive around the township. The van just drives around and the kids come out running when they see it. They were not able to come over on Thursday due to other volunteer projects going on in the Orion Township that day, so instead I and another surfing volunteer went to them. We actually missed the building part but arrived just as they were giving a walking tour of the township. It was an eye opener for me and makes me appreciate the program for them even more.
The Orion Township is just like what you might see in a
movie. If feels a little cheap to say it that way but it is true, what I have
seen about South African townships in the movies is dead on. Make shift homes
constructed from corrugated steel, old shipping pallets, shipping containers,
and other assorted bits that they find and use to build homes. The roads are a
maze without any signage or real layout to it and are just dirt paths strewn
with bits of trash and with dogs running all about. It is an appalling way to
live and makes the ghettos of Chicago look like castles. That is not to say
that life on Chicago’s south side is not all that bad, just that this is a very
different place from what I am used to seeing. I have never seen anything like
this in the United States, not even remotely close. The kids are a little rough
with one another but you would never suspect that they come from a place like
this. Maybe that is one of the advantages of being young in that you don’t
really know any better when you grow up like this until you get older.
Another group we work with some is adult drug rehabilitation
patients. There are usually more but thus far there have just been two of them
who have come. These guys are both in their mid or late 20’s and are very
sociable and cool to talk with. They just enjoy getting away from everything in
the water once or twice a week in what I think is a bit of a chance to clear
their minds as they get things back on track for themselves. Chrisjan has said
that they are recovering from some pretty hairy addictions and it is cool to
see them trying to get their lives back on track and I understand the value of
having an outlet that lets you forget and get away from the stresses. We also
just started working with some girls from a local detention center, they have
only been there once so far but it was cool to watch their faces. Several told
me they thought this would be boring and they just wanted the chance to get out
for a bit but at the end they totally enjoyed coming and wanted to come back
the next day.
The fourth group that we work with a lot is the Lotus River
High School kids. This is essentially a high school surfing program for what I
am guessing is an underprivileged school and when they all show up there is
about 15 of them. These are really good kids too and very well adjusted and
generally keep out of trouble. There is not a whole lot we need to do with them
as they have the routine down and generally get out and get their practice in.
On Wednesday we held a surfing competition with them and three other high
school programs in the area. It was the first time they had participated in
something like this and all and all I think it was pretty successful. Our kids
came in 2nd and everybody seemed to have a great time. I used my
GoPro to take some footage of the competition and have to see if I can get some
of it posted on YouTube.
Outside of the surfing project, two of the other volunteers
who have been living at the Smith’s house, my host family, were leaving that
week so we went out for dinner one night and later that evening went to a
karaoke bar called the Brass Bell, which is a Wednesday night stable for the
foreign volunteers working in Cape Town. Sorry I did not sing.
Friday is our normal day off so I got in a couple of hours
of surfing at Muizenberg Beach in the morning. Or rather I rolled around in the
surf for two hours as I have gotten close a few times but have yet to master
the skill of standing up on a surf board.
Saturday I decided to hike to the top of Table Mountain and
spend some time in Cape Town, which is a posting of its own that will be
separate. Sunday was a chill day for me as I was super sore and tired from my
hike so I just hung out at the beach in Fish Hoek for a while and walked the
shops in Kalk Bay after that. Kalk Bay was the more interesting of the two and
they have a bunch of shops and vendor stands there, clearly targeted to the
weekend visitors. They also have a bar/restaurant called from Cape To Cuba
which quickly became a favorite place for me. I am not sure somebody from
Havana would feel it has a Cuban feel to it but they décor is very eclectic and
they have sand on the floor in the bar, so it has a feel very different from
other places I’ve been to here. Better yet, Sunday’s they have live music in
the bar.
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