Skills Exchange
Jane "Sizakele" Ansell
(Wednesday 7th March)
So much has happened in the last 2 days, I feel I have been here weeks. But that is South Africa! The things I know are:
1. When someone says, "I'm coming", particularly transport, it is really just a greeting. It bears little significance on anyone arriving!
2. Every journey is "via Tekweni Backpackers Hostel" event though it is not a central place!
3. Whatever is planned each day will always change.
4. Most of the people I have met just consider us their extended family.
So on Wednesday we went out to Umlazi to see "Place of Safety" where some of the gap year students are working. Rows of cots with babies in them who don't have parents who can take care of them, whether they are orphans or their parents are still in school. The staff see to all their basic needs but it is out girls who play with them and cuddle them and talk with them.
Then Alex discovers that the strike which is taking place affects the Khumbis (public taxis) as well and we race off to find one or we wouldn't get back. We all squeeze in even where there appear to be no seats. I haven't yet found a whole seatbelt in SA, either the belt or buckle is always missing.
Our evening is spent celebrating the Jewish festival of Purim - a lovely way to end our day.
(Thursday 8th March)
Today was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. Nombulelo, head of special needs education for the whole of Kwazulu-Natal province, had organised a training session for me to present a paper on Autism and sleep to representatives from all the special schools in KZN.
One of the schools were hosting the lecture so Nombulelo drove off to Ningizimu Special School. Isaac and I were greeted by a wonderful band made up of the pupils from the school. The music was so good. Isaac will post a video up soon. The large hall was decorated for the occasion. We were excited by this opportunity.
We first went around the school, meeting and greeting pupils and staff. Isaac and I are looking for special schools to partner with St Crispin's and possibly others in Scotland. The hall started to become full and still more people arrived - with only two days notice!
Isaac was a brilliant IT support. It was an old projector screen linked with a laptop. As I didn't know I was doing this before I came Isaac produced extra slides whilst I was talking to address some questions. How to deliver half of your knowledge in about an hour to 70 plus people...
It was a brilliant session with all these teachers and reps from the education department. So many links; so much work to do. I bequeathed them Isaac who is going to visit some more schools and run parent workshops!
Thanks to Alex's introductions I had a wonderful opportunity - just the beginning, not the end.
The evening was ended beautifully by a meal with Emmanuel's family. Tomorrow Isaac and I will go to Umlazi to meet Ti Ti's family and hopefully he will come again and spend most of the weekend with us.
Before I sign off, I just want to say that all these Gillespie's young people who are known to many people here are so well thought of. Someone said to me, "They give such a good name name to the youth". A thought echoed by many.
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