I’ve found it much more difficult to journal and blog on this trip. I feel the responsibility to record these experiences, but definitely not the desire. I’ve decided it’s because my motive for being here is different on this trip. My first trip definitely became one of self discovery in both my personal and professional life. This trip I have so many different hats to wear, it’s sometimes difficult to process anything for myself, which is totally fine - my purpose here it to provide a learning opportunity for my students, and it is definitely not about me. I do feel the pressure to not only provide child life learning experiences, but to help them learn about themselves and the world around them. I’ve had to remind myself that the best way to allow that to happen is by exposing them to the new and challenging opportunities, and allow the learning process to naturally occur. While my natural tendency is then to tell them what fruit that experience should produce in their lives, I realize that the most meaningful changes come through self-discovery, not through someone telling you what to do. The challenge comes with creating the safe and supportive environment with exposure to the right experiences in order for them to come to meaningful conclusions on their own. I guess that’s what this teaching thing is all about, though. 

The students continue to excel at their work at the hospital and the “home for physically disabled children.” I wish that I could write more about their experiences there, but I am sensitive to protecting the stories of those with whom we are working. I will tell you that on Tuesday we were able to meet with the creative therapies team at Red Cross. They are a team of massage, art, music and movement therapists. They do great work at that hospital and are working every day to support the psychosocial needs of the kids at the hospital. During our visit, the pain nurse mentioned that a mother had stopped her to talk about about one of our students. She shared that this student had provided play for her daughter at bedside. During this play experience, the mother saw her child smile for the first time since she had been hospitalized. In fact, they named the doll the girl had made “Smile” to commemorate the child’s break through moment. It was in this moment that the mother said she was able to see the daughter she knew, and not the sick, scared girl who had taken her place in the hospital. It was a very powerful moment for that student to see the positive impact she had made on a child through the power of play. We aren’t always able to see the outcome of the interactions we have with children, but in this moment we were able to celebrate with this family and our child life students. 

Along with all the hard work at the hospital, we had plenty of time for fun this week as well. 

On Tuesday afternoon, Caroline and I headed to Kirstenbosh Botanical Gardens with some of the girls. It’s one of my favorite spots in Cape Town. I just love the beautiful scenery and it has some great photo ops. The wind and the cold made our outing even more of an adventure. 

Teaching Caroline to master the jumping shot. 

Thursday, we headed back down to the Waterfront after work to head to Robben Island for our tour. Unfortunately, as we were sitting waiting for the ferry, they canceled our trip due to winds. We were very disappointed, but we will reschedule our tour for another day. 

Caroline and I were able to stay down at the Waterfront to meet up with our friend Martha and her family for dinner. Martha was a child life specialist at Children’s Mercy with us and moved to South Africa last summer for her husband’s work. It was so great to see her and to hear how well she is adjusting to her life in South Africa. I know the move was not an easy decision for her, and I’m so proud of the way she has embraced this adventure for her and her family. 

Friday and Saturday was the big “safari.” Excitement was definitely in the air as we gathered early Friday morning to make the four hour drive to our game reserve. The drive along the Garden Route was beautiful and once we got out of Cape Town, the weather became beautiful as well. We were able to go on a night game drive when we got to the reserve. It was definitely the most emotion filled ride I’d ever been on. 

One of many game drive pictures. 

We divided into two groups. Caroline and I traveled with three of the students and headed out to find all of our favorite African animals. Our vehicle was most excited about the giraffes, the elephants, and the lions. What we didn’t realize was that the most entertaining animal, and the one we would spend the most time with that evening, would be the ostrich. 

As we crested one of the hills, we saw what looked like a woman in a black dress doing the can-can. Our ranger informed us that it was a male ostrich doing his mating dance. It was quite entertaining. But the fun didn’t end then. All of a sudden we saw him catch the eye of a cute little female ostrich. He took off after her, and our ranger sped down the hill after them. We weren’t really sure what to expect when it came to the mating ritual of ostriches, but we sure saw it all. The male ostrich soon took his position and was happily doing his thing. When all of a sudden, out of no where, another male ostrich came running and totally bulldozed the two boofing ostriches. Birds and feathers were flying. The blind sided and now enraged male ostrich jumped to his feet and took off chasing after another male ostrich - the hilarious part was that it was the wrong guy. He was totally chasing after an innocent bystander. That poor ostrich took off running.  He had a look of fear and total confusion in his eye. I was picturing him looking over his shoulder yelling, “It wasn’t me. You’ve got the wrong guy. For real, let’s just calm down and talk this out.” But there’s no use reasoning with an angry, horny ostrich. It was during this chase and perceived conversation that the ostrich being pursued totally wiped out. He was running down a hill and just totally bit it! Face planting right into the ground. The guy had to have a bloody beak for sure. He jumped back up and kept on running, but I’m not really sure what happened because at this point I was doubled over with tears running down my face. It was hilarious. Even our guide was shaking with laughter. I can’t even make it through this story without laughing. It was live animal bloopers at it best. Best moment of the safari by far. Caroline loved it so much, she wants to buy a painting of an ostrich in an ascot. Not sure what the ascot has to do with it, but it seems appropriate nonetheless. 

Our fearless driver safely returned all the
members of our vehicle back to camp. 

There must have been something in the water this weekend, or perhaps it was just the added estrogen in the air from a group of 14 women on safari. Either way, it felt like I was trapped in an episode of Animal Planet does the dirty. We were “blessed” to encounter the mating rituals of giraffes and a number of other wild species before the day was done. 

We ended our evening being chased by a female lion. No joke. It was super scary - one of our passengers may have even relieved herself during the pursuit. We obviously got away and were later told that since these lions had been rescued from a hunting reserve they weren’t used to running long distances and don’t kill to eat - they just kill for fun. But my memory of the event is a huge lion sprinting after our jeep and her giant head flying toward us with her mouth wide open. 

The rest of our stay at the game reserve was definitely enjoyable, but a little less dramatic. 

We are back to Cape Town  now and gearing up for our final week in Sough Africa. I can’t believe how quickly it’s gone. We still have plenty of items on our list of things to do, so it will definitely be a busy week. Hoping we can find the balance between cramming it all in and giving ourselves the opportunity to slow down and really allow this experience to make a lasting and sustainable impact. 

For all of you questing whether I'm doing any work on this trip,
here I am grading journals. :) 

I'm back!

Five years ago...I took a leap of faith. Stopped talking about what I wished I could do. Put my big girl panties on. And finally did it. I have never been the same. 

6 days ago...I returned to the country that changed the way I thought, changed the way I worked, and changed the way I lived. But this time I brought along one of my best friends and mentors. Oh, and 12 excited and nervous college students. My hope was that they, too would be changed. 

* * * *

From the moment I left South Africa in 2009, I have dreamed about the day I would return. In August, when I accepted a job at Missouri State University, as a child life instructor, I knew my moment had come to return. 

So at 4:45 AM on Sunday, May 18, my friend Katy (shout out!) dragged herself out of bed to drive me to the airport. On the way we picked up my good friend Caroline. Caroline was my supervisor when I was a child life intern - and his been one of my best friends and mentors ever since. She has always been one of my biggest cheerleaders in life - and is also the one that can slap me upside the head when I start to do or think something stupid. So I couldn’t imagine going on this adventure with anyone else. 

We met the girls at the airport and began our journey to Cape Town, South Africa. The flight was relatively uneventful. We traveled for over 30 hours, but arrived with all of our party and our luggage in tact , so I felt the first task was a success. 

We spent the first day settling in to Cape Town. Jess from Connect 123 oriented us to the program and the city. Then I took the girls on a short walking tour to some nearby spots. I was amazed at my ability to remember my way around the city - or at least to fake it enough that the girls couldn’t tell the difference. I introduced them to the Company Gardens and Long Street and taught them a few Cape Townian lessons along the way...like how cars don’t stop for pedestrians and how not to take objects from strangers. 

That evening we were introduced to some traditional African dishes at the Africa Cafe. We even had our faces painted by our waitress. All the girls had beautiful symbols painted on their faces. I, on the other hand, was given a giant question mark. I’m still not sure the meaning behind that???

Then on Wednesday, we began our work at the Red Cross Children’s Hospital (our real reason for traveling half way across the world). We were able to meet Lauren from Lionhearted Kids who oriented us to our role in the hospital for the next three weeks. Lauren has been working very hard to establish a strong program to bridge the gap in psychosocial services for the most needy of kids in South Africa. We were able to raise over $6,000 for her program (thanks so much to all who donated) prior to our arrival and have already been able to see the good it will be able to do long after we are gone. 

After the Red Cross orientation, Caroline and I took the girls back to our apartment for an opportunity to debrief. We could tell they were overwhelmed. Not only had they just been dropped into an entirely  new culture, they were being asked to jump in to working in an a very different hospital environment. But they processed well and decided that our theme for the next day would be to “Let it go.” Let go of preconceived notions, let go of what you think you know, let go of fear, let go of nerves...just let go and be present in the moment, and appreciate it for what it is. Our brains naturally make comparisons between new and familiar experiences. We start to categorize and compare...and then we shift to what deciding what is better or worse. The challenge is to appreciate new moments for what they are, and not get caught up in what they aren’t. 

Thursday was the our first day at Red Cross...and the ladies were AWESOME! I can’t tell you how proud I was. They jumped into the opportunity given them with poise and confidence. I had a number of proud teacher moments as I would walk through the halls and see them breaking communication barriers with the universal language of play. One student pulled me aside with tears in her eyes and pointed into room she had just come out of. The children were out of their beds laughing and interacting with one another. 

She told me that she “got it.” All this year I have been pounding into their heads the power of play. And now she was seeing it for herself. There really is nothing more powerful then we as adults communicate with children through their favorite language - play. The fact that these students were already seeing that on the first day of our volunteering makes me so excited to see what other understandings will be revealed to them throughout the remainder of this trip. 

Friday we had the opportunity to go to Maitland Cottage. Maitland Cottage is a home for children needing medical care. We were introduced to the children by the head matron. She walked us through the boys wing and the girls wing. After our tour, we divided into 2 groups and began to play. It was so much fun! Again, the students impressed me with their ability to jump right in and play without hesitation. The students walked away with extremely powerful experiences at this site. We were only scheduled to be there one day our whole trip, but have asked to return a few more times before our time in Cape Town has ended. I wish I had the time to write more about this experience, but I’m so tired and already getting bored of writing this entry, so I can only imagine how you all feel reading it. :) 

Friday night, we headed up Lion’s Head. I told everyone it was a relatively easy hike and so we planned to head up in time for sunset. I guess 5 years is a long time, because I was informed multiple times up the mountain, that this hike was indeed not easy. Evidently one of the groups was even plotting how to throw me off the mountain. Oops. :) But everyone made it to the top. And the breathe taking views were well worth it in the end. 

Saturday was our trip to Boulder Beach for the penguins, and Cape Point for a cold, wet, windy tour of the most southwesterly point of Africa. 

And finally...today. :) Whew! I know this has been a long blog, but I guess that’s what happens when you wait a whole week to write. I apologize to all who have endured this far. You can blame my mother who I am sure is enjoying every moment of this play by play. :) 

Sunday - today - we took a tour of Langa, one of the townships in Cape Town. Our tour guide was MC. He grew up in Langa and was able to share some great history and stories. The tour definitely put the students outside of their comfort zone. But that’s what traveling and learning is all about. How boring life would be if we only did what was comfortable (I try to remind myself of that every time I have to call a cab). 

My favorite part of the Langa tour was Guga S’thebe. It’s an amazing arts and crafts center in Langa. But it’s so much more than that! Artists can work from the center free of charge - using the space and equipment (kilns, etc.) in exchange for teaching young people their trade. What an awesome sustainable, community oriented answer to the some of the unemployment issues facing this township. 

We also had a chance to worship in one of the local churches, and dig into a pile of meat at a braai before heading back home for the day. 

I encouraged the students to really take some time this afternoon/evening to process the thoughts going through their mind after our tour today. I think the biggest thought that I keep returning to is: I have been given so much in my life, yet I am grateful for so little. And in this world I have had the chance to know those who have been given so little, and yet are grateful for so much. 

So, as I pause at the end of this day (and at the end of this blog entry) and reflect on this past week, my commitment is to be grateful, in each moment. Grateful for those times when God has blessed me with what I need. And grateful for those moments when he as withheld from what what I wanted. Grateful for moments to see the world and travel. And grateful for a place to call home. Grateful for moments of safety and familiarity. And grateful for moments that press me into places I may not want to go. Grateful for the opportunity to teach, and grateful for the opportunity to learn - even when it means learning those things about myself that are hard to acknowledge. I am grateful.

“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.”