Cape Town. 3 weeks and 1 day

"Is it?"
I said it today. People here don't say "oh really", they say "is it". So today Chris told me something and without thinking I said "is it?". Haha! He laughed and caught it and then I realized what had done. I wish I had an accent...

sand and sun

well. today at school the guys played soccer after second interval. The sun is alway shining very brightly and in a most inconvenient direction for those of us watching the game..These kids are pretty good soccer players. They keep the dirty playiing down to a minimum and usually leave the field with few injuries. Today my attention drifted past the game and onto this terrifyingly high playgroud aparatus where the smaller boys were playing. I was watching two of the boys on the ground who were wrestling, at least that's what they call it. It looks painful to me... I was concerned they'd mortally wound eachother! But I was stifling my motherly tendencies quite well. Then I noticed things change and the boys weren't playing anymore, the fighting was a little more, ah, intense...so I made my way across the sandy soccer field(the game was over) and got to the boys just in time to see one get smacked acrss the face and the other get kicked. Then they tackled eachother and went crashing to the ground, one of them in tears. When they got up I had to hold one of them back from trying to annihilate the other. They were a bit shorter thanme but it was still surprisingly hard! Thankfully sir Michael came to my rescue but not before one boy had fiercely kicked the other one...Youknow. I think boys handly ager in a much more satisfying way than girls do. They just have at it and then a day later they're friends again, bruises and all. But girls are brutal! Ugh! I'd take teaching boys over girls any day. The girls scare me I'm not gonna lie...

Another day in Cape Town

After a breathtaking weekend at the waterfront and then at then at the beach, today I was back at C.G.Williams school with the crazy kids I'm getting to know better and better. Today wasn't so bad. The grad 6's are quite good generally, especially when the ringleader isn't there (I think he was suspended...). Sir Michael and Mem Wendy are as great as ever, and today I got my "baby-fix" because Sonja was in the office and she brought her baby. I got to play babysitter after the grade 6 English class was through. It was nice. Oh and Sir Michael gave me a book to read about the state Africa is in and why. I am going to force myself to focus and read it because I'd really like to know more about this continent.
On Sunday we went to another new church and I took my violin because I didn't know if they'd want me to play. I had finally completely relaxed because it was the end of the service and no one had even acknowedged the fact that I had brough an instrument...at least that's what I though...I thought I was "off the hook" but I was wrong. I played Tis So Sweet and gave a short sort of encouragement/testimony off the top of my head. I'm getting pretty good at doing things off the cuff these days...:)

Dakar, Senegal "I have no idea what time or even what day it is..."

It's dark and all I can see of Senegal are the shadows and lights from the airport. I'm in AFRICA!! I think it's atarting to hit me. I am actually here! While I was on the Metro train in Paris we met a man with very dark skin and a scar on his face who said he was from Senegal. He spoke 7 languages. Anyway. That was a tangent but it was the first thing I thought of when I hear Senegal. The flight from JFK to Johannesburg stops in Senegal to drop off and pick up passengers. The stop is about half way through the 18 hour flight and the people going to Joburg have to just sit on the plane for an hour. Aaaak! They just turned off the lights! I guess I'll write more later...
Ok the lights are back on now.Wow I could see Senegal as we took off! The sun is rising so there's a little bit of hazy grey light. The ground is sandy and turfy and the buildings are all cube shaped in various sizes. The lanscape was very different from anything I've ever seen before. Oh wow! I can see the coast vaguely! HUGE white foaming waves!
"We invite you to relax and wnjoy our hospitality". So far South African airlines has been great!

I appreciate you

Appreciation weekend is a beautiful thing. I can't describe how beautiful it is. I have never experienced anything like it before. I was a tough bouncer at Brotha's appreciation, got to check the list and be big bad Heather...hmmmm, yes that's me. I was very scary. Ask Rob.
Sista's appreciation was wonderful. Kinda like a dream. We have got some great brotha's here. Too bad it's taken us four years to get this all together.But I am so glad I was here to experience it!
(I'll remember this forever. Lift Every Voice. Ain't No Mountain. Baiette. Jabulani Africa (you better get it Cory Dennie!). Trying to take a group picture without Cedric needing to "say a few words". Little Mama's Crystal, Erin and Heather keepin their eyes peeled for "covenant breaking activity". Josh and his "poem" which he "committed to memory", complete with "dramatic pauses".Hot Seat "all I know is when I get home my plate better be on the table" (Cory might be the only one afraid to leave his room this morning). Most romantic thing you've ever done (Ian and his flower petals). Rob's beautiful spoken piece dedicated to his sistas. Made me tear up... Will:"I know appreciation weekend is supposed to be non-romantic, but when I see all these beautiful black women, I can't help it!" Cory: "I know!!". Will it meant so much for you to sing to us. Someday you'll be famous and we can say we knew you when.(and then there were three...sad day) John your rendition of ordinary people was to die for, you made your sista's proud! And yes, I will sing along with you whenever I know the words! All you guys, thankyou for your words about what makes a beautiful Black woman. You are great brotha's and we appreciate you!)

from the leaves

I learned something from the fall leaves today. I was walking along with my eyes glued to the ground because the leaves were just so beautiful and I had this impulse to bend down and scoop all of them up. Have you ever seen something so beautiful as the patterns and fades and hues on an autumn leaf? Then I realized I couldn't possibly collect all of them. They were all so beautiful and I couldn't possibly choose the prettiest and best because no matter which one I chose there would always be one prettier. So, I thought to myself, "why don't I just enjoy them as they are? All scattered and beautifully askew on the ground? Why don't I just be and let be eh?" Beauty can be acknowledged without having to possess it. Can't it? I mean God created us, He called us good, and being called good by God is unspeakably amazing. He doesn't control us. He doesn't try to forcibly posses us. Yes He's a jealous God, and that is a beautiful thing. But He doesn't try to keep us all to himself just because He finds us beautiful. Maybe He'd like to though? Maybe He wants to scoop all His creations up and keep them, preserve them, enjoy them forever. But because we sinned He doesn't do that till we come to Him and then die and go to heaven. Maybe? Maybe I'm just philosophizing. I don't have to preserve, save or keep all the things I find to be beautiful. But I want to. I want to keep the people I love forever. I want to savor beautiful experiences forever. I want to collect and enjoy things I see as beautiful. Sometimes I forget to enjoy them while they're there and instead use all my time lamenting the fact that they won't last forever. What a sad state. But what a great lesson to learn from the leaves...

I won't worry about tomorrow

I just want someone to tell me everything's gonna be alright. Someone who actually knows and isn't just saying it. But I don't know if that's possible. Life has lots of layers right now. Lots and lots of them and they all need help, they all need someone to tell them it's gonna be alright. All these layers. Maybe I could go to sleep and when I wake up everything will be alright. HA. Guess not. It's all waiting for me and it'll keep aiting for me till I get to it. Till I take care of it. Till I make decisions. It's aaaaalll waiting. *sigh*