We left Cape Town early Sunday morning without my South African as his work decided he actually was not going to receive time off - and thus we promised to at least wait until the rain died down for me to make the solo (+mandy and Buddha) drive out of the city bowl and onto the N2. He was very worried. I was not.
We left around 11:30 and took the familiar route along de waal drive and onto the highway that cuts through the suburbs around the city. By now this was a familiar route, as I've been practicing it quite a bit with my South African. I take him home at night (more like 3 or 4 am after his shift as a bartender) down the N2 to Vanguard drive, straight across to Mitchell's Plain. I'm actually getting quite good at it! In any case, this time we sped right along past all the familiar exits and neighborhoods, past the airport and the R300, out into the fantastic open fields and mountainous passes of the Garden Route.
As the N2 snakes along the countryside, you are treated to fabulous views of the fynbos and farmland alike. Bright fields of flowers are interspersed between cows, sheep and even ostrich (who I find alarmingly unsettling). So we sat on the N2 going 120 kmph (whatever that means) and after a pleasant 4.5 hours where we listened to the same hsterical cd my south african had given us (call me maybe may have been on repeat) we came to George, the largest city before Knysna and Sedgefield.
Finally, we took a very nondescript turn off the N2 (called "road" on the GPS) that hiked us up a mountain ridge and into Elandskraal, where after some confusion, dirt roads and African directions, we finally made it to the farm. I'm going to let Mandy speak about how the self sustaining organic farm and midwifery program here run as that is very much her cup of tea, and she is the one who dragged me to this amazing place, but if I were to add my two cents I'd have to just say it's gorgeous. Stunning in its simplicity, inspiring in its closeness to the earth, heartland organic farm is so entwined with a way of life it forces you to appreciate each and every aspect of living on this planet as a human being, no exceptions.
Aside from Mandy learning about midwifery in South Africa, our time is spent working in their impressive as well as extensive garden. Also, we were fortunate enough to have several volunteer opportunities provided to us by the local community. Monday morning was spent in a meeting with one such organization in a local colored township called Smutsville, meeting the directors and staff of Masaithandane, a word that means "let us all love one another" In Xhosa. They outlined where we would provide the most help and support during our week here, and we eagerly agreed to lend a hand in any way we could.
That afternoon Mandy went off to a hospital in Knysna to organize a doula program (im sure she will have more on that later) while I did some serious gardening. I planted lavender and blueberries, and, to my surprise, found it less backbreaking and more enjoyable. After a quick lunch, Mandy and I went back to more gardening, and eventually we were treated to an incredible dinner by our hosts, made fresh with ingredients harvested from that very garden. Great people, delicious food and even mediocre wine makes for a fantastic evening and we stayed late, chatting about all things South African and American, trading some hysterical stories of the Midwest. We are truly lucky to have had the opportunity to meet such fantastic people and been invited to share in their enviable lifestyle.
Not only are Mandy and I making friends, but Buddha has been loving farm life too! He and a recently rescued 1 year old pitbull puppy have done nothing but play nonstop since he arrived. At 6 in the morning she sits outside our little trailer and whines until he comes out to play and won't let him alone until we head to sleep at night. I'm quite sure they're in love. Puppy love. Buddha also gets along great with the other two male farm dogs and together they make quite an adorable mishmash of a pack.
Tuesday morning we woke early (partially because we were so exhausted we fell asleep as soon as the sun sets and partially because Buddha likes to spend from 4-6 am barking and growling at Russell Crowe, the resident rooster, who awakens that early to crow and patrol his territory). We all hopped in the jeep and drove to the local public (provincial) lower/middle school called Redlands. I was more than apprehensive at first, I am generally terrible with kids - I've never even babysat before let alone been in charge of a bunch of 11-13 year olds who's main language is Afrikaans. I am not very good at censoring myself and almost always end up talking about something horribly inappropriate like visceral leishmaniasis or why Hitler caused World War II... Usually it ends in crying and my getting very stern looks from parents. In any case, I was worried.
The Redlands school gave us about 30 children for 4 hours. Their teacher was absent and we were in charge of providing something educational. The first subject was phys ed. When we asked if they had any sport equipment they came back with 2 cricket bats and a tennis ball. Aha! Taking an entirely stupid and unfun British sport (cricket) and making it much more enjoyable for kids to play (baseball) was a fantastic way to show these kids something exciting and entirely American. Also, luckily I played softball all through middle and high school, so I was quite good at it. Mandy, being completely useless with sports, also needed a refresher on the rules, so I endeavored to teach these 30 or so kids America's favorite pastime!
They took to it surprisingly fast - manning the infield and outfield, running from base to base, and getting wholeheartedly competitive between the two teams. Mandy pitched the entire game (woohoo!) while I corrected batting positions (they kept trying to imitate cricket players) and coached runners on when to stay and when to sprint for home plate. It was quite a spectacle to watch, as cries in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa rang out with each swing, and one boy even chest bumped a girl classmate after he hit the only home run of the game. We had a fantastically good time, and the innings ended with a double play, as an outfielder caught a pop fly and whipped it to his friend on second. I taught them well, and I think baseball may have taken a foothold on the garden route!
The boys wanted to keep playing through lunch, but we ended the game and headed back to the classroom. There, once we'd broken the ice with some teamwork on the field, and they were feeling more confident speaking English, kids were more bold when we asked if they had any questions for us. We answered everything from what we thought of lil Wayne to if we had gay or transgendered friends in the states. We also spoke briefly about how we also had HIV/AIDS in the USA, and I was thoroughly impressed with their confidence, inquisitiveness and maturity throughout the whole session.
I left that day feeling so optimistic. They were incredible kids. We gave them out address in the hopes that they may write to us and so that we could write back, and we will be sure to visit them again whenever we make it back to Elandskraal (November).
Then, as I was pulling out of the parking lot, a telephone pole nearly fell on my jeep. We cleared the wires from the car and made sure the pole was propped up on a fence before moving on, but it was a serious scare!
That afternoon we made a short trip over to the local beach where a gorgeous lake rushes into the warm and inviting Indian Ocean across a massive beach. Unfortunately since the recent oil spill off the Knysna coast, the mouth of the river was damned with sand to prevent oil contamination. It was still absolutely beautiful. Mandy was very excited...
Wednesday morning Mandy and I ventured out by ourselves to find the Masithandane community center in Smutsville to help out at a tea for the elderly of the community. After getting a little lost with more African directions, we finally pulled up, immediately greeted by an elderly lady with a bright green head wrap. Her smile was infectious and I almost instantly felt at ease. While working with the elderly can sometimes be very rewarding in the US, most of my experiences have been with people stuck in nursing homes, either very bitter or quite sick (dementia, Alzheimer's, etc) and while I would've been happy to volunteer in that setting as well, this was just not what South Africa had in store. South African elders are vibrant and as full of life as the 12 year olds at Redlands school. They dance, sing, clap and laugh with the vivacious spark that instantly reminds me of Desmond and Leah Tutu. They are jovial. Each conversation was peppered with real laughter, bookended with hugs and slathered with genuine enjoyment, and we were treated to full views of wide wide smiles, many of which sported only one or two teeth. I've never seen such a lively group of wrinkly people. They sang us a welcome song as well as held a prayer, then we had a lucky draw (read: lottery) where the prizes were bags of fresh apples, carrots, onions and assorted treats (coffee, gravy, even Colgate toothpaste). Afterwards, Mandy and I served everyone sandwiches we helped prepare, a pastry and cupcakes that our hosts daughter had made the night before.
We ended everything with a cup of either tea or coffee to top it all off, and we had the chance to catch up with some of the staff while everyone ate and gossiped amongst themselves. We were given a full run down on their program as well as the issues they faced in the elderly community: diabetes, high blood pressure, seizures, cancer and HIV/AIDS. They spoke about how they monitor each and every persons medications (which they all get for free from the government and are stocked at the center) as well as give them important advice and recommendations for their diet, test their blood sugar and stay on top of their blood pressure. They also organize free taxi services to pick up and take home each weekly group that comes for the tea. Their program was AMAZING. The impact they have on their community is huge, and was evident in how happy and healthy the participants seemed.
Overall, I was blown away. The elders of these communities were desperately poor, often charged with looking after other sick family members (even sons or daughters), and struggling to even feed themselves. But here they were, laughing from their bellies, full of life and warmth, all bundled up in brightly colored winter wear. It was a great pleasure to spend the day with them.
So this evening (after on the drive home we had to navigate through a troop of 50+ baboons) was spent working more in the garden and watching Buddha play with his little pittie girlfriend, Luna. I am fantastically happy, even though I am missing Cape Town just a bit! Interesting side note, when we told the Redlands students we lived in Cape Town they asked if we were nervous that we'd get shot! Talk about a bad reputation! Though a bit dangerous in some parts and swarming with Tik (meth) and gangsters in others, we explained that Cape Town is a beautiful place, and if you stay away from trouble, hopefully trouble will stay away from you!
Ok I must end this post because its getting quite long and I'm sure Mandy also wants to speak about how wonderful life on the farm is! Also, I have to go make sure she's not lost in the woods somewhere.
With love from South Africa!
- Rh
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