6/13

We had to say goodbye to Cinsta today, which was very sad. Mila drove us to the airport, and we said our goodbyes. I don't know how much wifi I will be getting in the next two weeks, but I will post when I can! We are about to fly from East London to Johannesburg! (The plane is super tiny, I'm not a fan) here is Mila (our VA 32 leader), and our Brie (BBQ) last night 

6/11

Today was our last day of volunteering :( we finished our project though! So now the crèche (day care/orphanage) has a suitable toilet! Now the little kids won't have to continue to use training toilets behind the building every time they have to go to the bathroom. We were all reluctant to finish because we didn't want our volunteer experience to be over. It was a relief to have it finished, but very bittersweet. It was a great feeling to watch the little kids go stand on the decks and check it out! Saying goodbye to the kids, and listening to them say see you tomorrow was heart breaking. All of us would love to stay in Cinsta for another two weeks, but we know the adventure tour will be amazing. 

For dinner we had a Brie, or BBQ, with Mila, Kwezi, Thondi, and their kids. We had sausage called breehorn, chicken, pork chops, stuffed potatoes, and garlic bread. It was a great way to sit as a family one more time before our group moves on to the rest of our trip. I don't even want to think about saying our goodbyes tomorrow. I will be returning to Cinsta again in my lifetime. 

6/10

We woke up early to watch the sunrise, and it was totally worth getting less sleep. The sky was absolutely beautiful, and we also were able to watch a storm that was over the ocean. We couldn't hear the thunder, but we saw random streaks of lightening. 

Kelly, our ISV leader, set up an interview on Wild Coast FM radio to talk about what we are doing in Gwelakha. Tyler and I were the only ones in the group that wanted to join her, so we were able to be interviewed also! Wild Coast is a local radio station in Cinsta, that many people in the area listen to on their way to work. The host asked us questions about our experiences so far, what our feelings are about our constantly developing works, and how we like South Africa! It was so cool to hear him say my name on the radio, and our whole group was listening in the van outside. The host was a really nice guy, and he loved that my major is Communication Technology. It was a once in a lifetime experience that I couldn't pass up, and I'm very glad that I didn't! They are going to send Kelly a copy of the interview, and she is going to send me a copy! 

We decided to stay the whole day at the work site, instead of going on a hike, to make sure we will finish our project before we leave. We finished putting up the zinc walls, roof, and one of the toilets. Tomorrow we will be finishing the toilets, the doors, and the stairs! 

We unfortunately have to fly back to Johannesburg Friday morning. None of us are really ready to leave Cinsta, Kelly, or Mila, but we are still excited to start our adventure tour! 

6/8 Pictures

6/9

We worked hard all morning to make sure that we finish the project by the end of Thursday. We ended our day a little early so we could go to Cinsta East to have a village lunch. A few of the women from the village made us a traditional meal of Chakalaka, Fat Cakes, and stew. It was very delicious, which didn't surprise us. My favorite food so far is either the fat cakes, which are kind of like donuts, or spinach and ground up sweet corn. After we ate as much as we could, we went home to take a quick nap. 

At 3pm, we went back to Cinsta East to play games with the kids at the elementary school. The boys got a little too rowdy during soccer, so I stuck with the younger kids and girls. The little girls loved to act like models in my sunglasses, and couldn't take enough selfies on my phone. When one of the girls asked my name, I told her, then she proceeded to say, "Maggie!... Boobs!" She giggled uncontrollably, hugged me, and ran away. I didn't really know what to do except to laugh, and agree. We played with jump ropes, "hey Mr. Fox", and they taught us how to play cricket. It was so sad when we had to leave, because they wouldn't let us go. 

Before dinner, we had a discussion with Shawn about climate change effects in Cinsta. Shawn is one of the founders of Volunteer Africa 32* South. It was very interesting to learn what has been effected in the area, such as the gecko population, which has grown enormously since the area has become more humid. 

Areena Pictures

6/8

On our way to the project site we saw a rhino! It was too far away to get a good picture, but it was very cool to see a wild one on our regular route. Professionals will cut off the horns of wild rhinos to prevent them from being poached. There has been a rumor going around Africa that the rhino horn will cure the flu, so they are being killed more than ever. 

On a brighter note, we finished constructing and building the walls today! I think I finally mastered the tedious art of hammering the stupid four inch nails. Now we need to install the windows, put up the zinc side panels, and install the actual toilets! The sun was out today, so we all got a bit of a tan. The children were also able to be with us outside, and play on the playground that the previous ISV group built.