2010

Updates! After the Hole In the Wall Camp that ended on Christmas Eve, three friends and I rented a car in South Africa and drove down the coast of the Indian Ocean. We went to Kosi Bay which we set up a tent along an empty vast white sand beach. 1K down the shore from where we swam were giant sea turtles. We spent all of Christmas day reading on the beach, swimming, and eating peanut butter sandwiches. Once the moon came out, we went to watch the sea turtles lay their eggs. It was so interesting. The turtles follow the moonlight back into the water. We had to keep our flash off so it wouldn't get confused and follow our flashes back to the tent. We were crowded the way it was. After that, we went to St. Lucia for a few nights and then ended up about 4-5 hrs. south of that in Durban. Durban has the largest mall in the southern hemishere (which I guess isn't that hard to beat...), restraunts, and a Sea World! We watched a dolphin show and went to Indian Markets. One night we went to Avitar. Avitar fans have made it to South Africa. I repeat...the craziness has made it south of the equator. It was nice to be in an atmosphere that felt a little like home. Especially during the holidays. Lastly, I got to go surfing! The Iowan taught the Cali girls how to surf. That is sad. Moreso because they probably are doing it very wrong. haha I like to invent my own ways to surf and teach them to people who don't know I am an amiture. Everytime I would wipe out it I would tell them it was because that is what real surfers are supposed to dohalf way through a wave.

Roofing project update: It is funded! Fully funded! Woo hoo! The school and I met last week and our holding a community/parents meeting on Thursday this week to plan and plot the best ways to get the materials from town to up in the mountains where I live. I am so thankful for all the prayers and help from my peeps at home! Thank you! You guys have made a difference. A huge difference! Not only through helping them get a roof on the building, but also build relationships between people in the US and Swazis. They don't understand how you could take the money you've worked so hard to get and share it with them, people you haven't met. You guys have taught them a lot about how to help one another and understanding what the "church" means. This is something I've been trying to teach them day after day, workshop after workshop, and you guys have helped be an example of that. The cool thing is your money is going directly to the materials. So in reality you didn't donate money, but what the people will see is that you donated timber, nails, iron, etc. Materials not money. That is cool.

Lastly, I will tell you about my friend, "T.I.", a kid I worked with at camp last month. When I picture T.I., I see a small kid (the size of a small 6 yr old, although he was 10 yrs old) with an oversized backwards hat on. His clothes were loose fitting the way he liked it and although soft spoken, he carried this confidence around with him everywhere. The girls loved it. Throughout camp he had this mean cough that would come out with no warning, but it didn‘t keep him from going right back into his illuminating Swagger that he always seemed to follow him. During the last night’s talent show, T.I. lip-synced and danced to “Whatever You Like” on stage with his friends. The young girls were screaming as if it was a concert. Two of my girls couldn’t stop gasping while looking at each other squeezing each other’s hands while watching him scoot around the stage. Young love does that. (Wink.) I don’t think the real T.I. could have had a better stage presence. The volunteers and I were laughing so hard. T.I. went home the next day after our crazy week at camp at the end of December. We were all expecting to see him at future support group meetings which are held monthly, but apparently the cough worsened and it got to the point where T.I. got really sick. His poor body couldn’t fight off the things attacking him with his weak immune system and last week Wednesday we found out T.I. had died. T.I. is the first kid from our camp that has passed away. The thing is, I can’t imagine what the other kids/campers think when they go to support group meetings and see someone missing and hear they had died. What is going through their mind? Does it scare them? I’ve been with adults and seen them get sick and even die living with AIDS while I‘ve been here. I’ve even seen babies on my homestead or at that clinic that also living with the virus, but seeing an child like T.I. and seeing his personality and how he just started to have crushes on girls…it looks differently. They tell jokes, have these crazy personalities, they’re going through puberty, they are at this awkward age and yet their bodies are slowly telling them they are sick. Its interesting that even living here for almost two years now, I still find myself surprised. I see how each life is so unique. These kids were at a camp to feel free and relax. To take their meds and not worry about who is watching them or where to hide the pill box after so the other kids on the homestead don‘t see and tell kids at school and stigmatize them. T.I. and those kids reminded me of the uniqueness in life and with each life and environment. There is no “normal” person nor a “normal“ life. We are really each very special people. Different circumstances and different opportunities. Unique means: different from others in a way that makes somebody or something special and worthy of note. I couldn’t describe my family and friends back at home any better. Nor could I better describe those kids who attended the camp. Including T.I., “different from others in a way that makes somebody or something special and worthy of note”. T.I and his life is worthy of note. May he rest in peace with his new body performing “Whatever You Like” with the people who have been waiting for him and love him. :) Thank you T.I. for reminding us to see the uniqueness in each life and to be thankful for the opportunities we do have.

Miss you. Talk to you soon, everyone!