(Text by Mark Wijsman and photos by Olga Kousi)

 

If morning already blesses you with a comfortable 24 degrees, and there are no white condensed sheep to be found in the sky but merely a blue blanket of summer happiness, you know that one way or another your day has to be spent outside. If you are a new employee of Projects Abroad, it is the ideal opportunity to experience the surfing project from a volunteer’s perspective. Getting there requires a vast amount of initiative and also a pair of sweet puppy eyes, bringing out that affirmative nod and bright smile from your boss saying: “Go for it!”

Friday was one of those days.

Olga and I were the fortunate two to go to Muizenberg and experience the surfing project first hand. For our extra visitor, we brought along Chink, the attention drawing sausage dog from Elaine Isaacs, a great host mom in Fairways. We reckoned our short-legged friend deserved to share in on our outside work day, and Chink rewarded us with Duracell-filled enthusiasm and inexhaustible curiosity.

In the early afternoon many kids were running around the volunteers at the Muizenberg promenade. With the shark alarm still on, the kids had to be entertained landside. Some of the guys played soccer with the kids, while others prepared themselves in their wetsuits. When our Great White sea hunters finally decided to look for seal look-a-likes (not the artist) elsewhere, the kids were prepared for their surfing lesson. I was very impressed by the volunteer’s enthusiasm and motivating abilities during the warm-up session. Every kid had to participate and come up with their own warm-up move, followed by a good run to the lighthouse and back. The kids were also challenged in a competition to build the highest sand-castle in teams. This was then used as a balance exercise for the surfboards.

After that, the volunteers took the kids out in the sea with either boogeyboards or surfboards. Because there is a good amount of volunteers, the kids are treated to plenty of personal attention and safety in the water. Some of the children have amazing surfing skills already, while I was gasping for air being thrown off my board several times.

I was really impressed by the surfing project, the volunteers and the children. It’s great to see that such a leisure activity can be used to not only help the children of Cape Town, but also allows us to learn something about ourselves.

Chink's first experience with sand, overlooked by Projects Abroad volunteers.

 

 

Olga, official dogsitter and photographer of the day

 

 

 

Mark and Joran going over some surfing basics.

 

The volunteers getting ready to brave the cold waters of Muizenberg.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our very own Aaron Baxter has written a Projects Abroad Song! We're all very proud of him, and think it's quite a snazzy tune! (Catch Emma Graham in the song, too!). You can see the video on youtube.com.

Here are the lyrics:

Verse 1: 
Care, Human Rights, Business, Teaching 
All across the world various destinations 
volunteers come and demand a meeting say 
'I don't wanna go, Dana give me job!'

Verse 2: 
So many places and different faces 
Up and down emotions and different races 
They come into the office and try embrace us 
'I don't wanna go, Dana give me job!'

Chorus: 
Projects Abroad 
Help learn explore 
Projects Abroad 
Help learn explore 

Verse 3: 
Some want five star we've got one star 
Taking a taxi, 'oh the office's too far' 
Volunteers come still 'just trying to change the world’

Verse 4: 
Various host fams in different places 
Volunteers please and some disgrace us 
I guess it’s just what we do, we're changing the world 

 

 

By Shuan Solomons (Lead Volunteer co-ordinator)

Last night was such fun with 17 volunteers and Meschak, as we went go-kart racing in Kenilworth at Access Park.  I was very impressed by the girls as they really showed some of the guys how to race but at the end it was just guys in the “final 6” race.  One of the six was fellow staff-member, Meschack, but the overall winner ended up being Tom Richell (Journalism, 4 months) from the UK. It was a fun night and I would happily go go-karting every day with the volunteers!

 

(Above: volunteers and staff on the track!  Below: The other team watching, before taking to the track themselves!)

(Below: Staff member, Shuan Solomons, pleased with his time on the track!)

(Below: Staff member, Meschak, showing his excitement for the race ahead:)

(Below: And the overall winner is... Tom Richell! :) Congratulations!

(by Mark Wijsman - Volunteer co-ordinator)

With a presence of over 25 volunteers, the social at Cubana on Wednesday was a great success. It was a fine mix of the ‘oldies’, the more experienced volunteers that have been here for a while, and the ‘newbies’, our new green fresh (and still slightly pale) volunteers that arrived in the last weeks. Over a good amount of drinks, and Cubana’s great selection of meat and seafood, the new volunteers bonded well and the oldies relived memories. It was great to see a group of such mixed nationalities get along so well on such a common ground. Some of the volunteers left after the dinner, while others might still be stranded somewhere on Long Street. I guess for everyone it was a great evening. Thanks guys!