Count Your Blessings

I've got to tell you, I'm feeling a little blessed right now. Do you realize how much STUFF we have in the US? Our streets are clean, we have clean running water that goes to our house, most of us has our own transportation (whether by car or by bicycle or whatever). Another little blessing I've realized: I don't have a single mosquito bite. The girls I'm rooming with show me their arm that has five big bites that are red and swollen. I guess the mosquito's here don't appreciate my Utah blood. Their loss.

Let's talk about another basic thing that we take for granted. Speaking English. How many here realize how stinking silly English can be sometimes? I know I didn't used to. I always thought I was pretty good at it. You know, AP English classes. Having English be the highest score on my ACT. Whatever. I am living with Germans and most of the time we understand each other. I being the native English speaker, naturally they ask me all kinds of English questions that they've never been able to understand. For instance; what's the difference between either and neither. Sounds simple no? NO. Trying to explain it to them was making me question how to use it. Finally I resorted to, "No, you can't use it in that sentence. Why?... Because it sounds wrong okay?!" More and more of our discussions are ending this way. I can feel my English skills depleting.

Okay I think it's time that I try to add some pictures. I don't know how they'll look, but here it goes. The first one is of the compound I'm living in now. It's an organization called AbrahamKriel. They house children who are either orphans or who's families can't keep them anymore.

This is Innocence. If I remember right I told you a little about him in my previous blog. He has kind of stolen my heart. No big deal.

This is Sebuseso and Seyabonga. They're twin brothers and they can be quite a handful!

This is me with some of the German volunteers having a Salad. And some toast. :)

Till next time!

I'm here I promise!

It's been a little over a week and I realize that I haven't been writing in my blog. It just seems kinda redundant after emailing my mom and writing in my journal, there's not much to tell. But I'll stop being picky and just tell the same stories over and over :)

So I have seven more weeks here, which seems crazy! Why in the world did I think two months would be long enough? Most of the volunteers are here for four months to a year... Oh well, I'll just make the most of the time I have left.

Let me tell you about a normal day. Every morning we wake up at 7 am ish. (by the way, I am 9 hours ahead of you guys. So if you want to know what the future is like just let me know ;). By 7:30 we are out the door and dropping who ever off at whichever place they need to be. Around 8 we are at the preschool where we help Adrianna make breakfast for the kids who show up at 8:30. I'm working with the babies at the preschool so it's changing a lot of diapers and hugging a lot of crying kids. I have found the baby that, if I could, I would bring home with me in a heartbeat. His name is Innocence. He is so small with weak arms and legs. I'm not sure how old he is, but his mom is 18 years old. When he was born she didn't want him so she put he in a dumpster. He cries whenever he is put down, so I try to hold him as much as possible. It still breaks my heart, but I've been trying to help him. Now, if I sit down with him on my lap and give him something to play with he will crawl off my lap and play as long as I'm still sitting next to him. 

We get done helping the Preschool at 12:30. We have a break until 4 when we go to the training center and do activities for children ages 6-16. The culture here is loud and it's hard to get them to pay attention, but it's also fun when we are able to get them to participate. We are done by 6:30 then we go home and do whatever until the next day. We work Monday through Friday with the weekends off. Oh! and I found an LDS church to go to! I took two volunteers with me. They said it was different, but they enjoyed it.

Okay I'll try to do better at writing, maybe even two times a week :)

Love,
Hannah

Safe and Sound

Okay I made it! After a stinking long flight I made it to Johannesburg around 7 last night. I was a wondering what I would do if no one was there to pick me up.... but then I found them :) I'm staying at a flat in Potchefstroom with ... I think 7... other volunteers, 2 boys and 5 girls. They are all from Germany but they all know english fairly well. Let's not talk about my lack of knowledge on languages : / .

The Program I'm volunteering for is called Mosaic ( www.mosaicsa.org ). First day at the preschool today with the cutest kids running around me yelling mama to get my attention :). i found the baby I'm going to take home! Now I just have to figure out how... :)

So my computer is about to die and I have yet to find an adapter for my power cord... so my next post might not be for a little while. But know that as for now I am safe and sound.

Vwala!

Here it is, I have done it! My first ever blog (don don don). For all of my wonderful friends... or creepy stalkers :). Here starts the tale of my volunteer trip to Africa. I will arrive in Africa on the 19th of January 2012 and return on the 13th of March 2012. Farewell everyone!