New Family in Leratong

Here it is- an account of the highlight of my trip. I tried to make it as brief as I could without leaving out anything. 

Initial Road Bump

When I signed up for a week of community service, the attitude I had was very different to what it was when I actually started working there. I signed up for a project with some slightly selfish motives. I chose a construction project- one that would allow me to get some hands on experience on site. Besides actually wanting to use my knowledge of architecture in an act of service, I also figured that this opportunity would look great in my portfolio and would be a nice step for future career plans. 

When I arrived in South Africa, the news of my chosen project being cancelled completely annoyed me. My first thoughts were probably on the lines of, 'This trip is a complete waste now!' and I put myself in fault-finding mode. I frantically inquired about other similar construction projects and while I waited to be transferred, I joined a group of five from the island of Vanuatu in the South Pacific and moved out of the city to the little town of Soshanguve for a project at the Leratong Early Learning Centre. 

It was only on the way there that I forced myself to alter my mindset. Waiting to be transferred would probably mean losing another day of work (I had already missed out on one day because I arrived late) and the very definition of community service meant doing whatever was needed without any self demands.

New Home and New Family

Day 1 at work took away all my initial irritation. We stayed at the home of the school principal- the most hospitable woman in South Africa, who we called 'Mama' for the rest of the week. It is rare to find someone who'd give up her own bed for two of us while she slept on the floor. 

I had come prepared to somehow 'manage' in terms of food because South Africa is a predominantly meat eating nation. You cannot possibly understand my relief when Mama said that she was a vegetarian and I got to thoroughly enjoy the vegetarian version of traditional South African food for that week.

The kindergarten school is situated in a lower middle class residential area with a small staff of 8 teachers, 2 cooks and 2 caretakers for 100+ kids. I got an exciting tour of all the little details in the classrooms, kitchen and playground by the very enthusiastic teachers. We got things ready for the little bunch of toddlers who arrived shortly after (school holidays meant that we'd only meet about 20 of them).

I guess all things work out perfectly in the end. Mama had some ideas for an extension to the building and wanted me to draw it out for her. With no AutoCAD or even a laptop, no draughting board, set squares or a t-scale, it was back to architectural stone age. A table was set up for me outside and once in a while a little head would peep over the table.

A Bunch of Fabulous Kids!

The following days at Leratong were nothing short of amazing. The kids were the cutest, brightest bunch I've met. We told them stories and taught them many songs, some that had them on their feet with plenty of actions. It was especially rewarding that they learnt so fast. 

One Random Day in Ethiopia

I've been looking forward to this big trip for ages- The World Congress on Youth and Community Service that was to be held in Pretoria, South Africa. I had even signed up for one week of community service that would precede the congress. I thoroughly researched the few things I could do in the weekend between the two, so that I could fit in as much sight seeing as I could in my short trip.

The hullabaloo I had with my visa forced me to take away all that excitement until the day I left Sri Lanka when I picked up my visa. One short stop over in Bangalore, frantic packing and I was off on a long long journey- 3 flights and 20 hours in total (so I thought) and I would finally reach Johannesburg. 

A 5 hours wait in the crummy Mumbai airport became 2 hours longer with a delay that effected the rest of my trip. Thankfully I found comfy chairs in The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf the last bit of my wait and I made that hot chocolate and muffin last till boarding time.

I hoped the pilot would make up for lost time, but sadly he didn't and after a couple of hours of waiting in Addis Ababa airport with many angry, impatient passengers and frantic, disorganised ground staff struggling to accommodate all of them, I landed up in the Yordanos Grande Hotel in the middle of the city. Grateful for clothes in my hand luggage and even more for the jacket (the wet season temperatures lingered around 12 degrees, but that morning seemed a lot colder), I quickly made plans for a quick walk around. 

The city is unlike any other city I've been too. I mean, it seemed more like a lonely suburb than the middle of a capital city. Large plots of barren land separated the built up area and there was none of the city noises that I was used to. The unnecessarily wide roads had barely a few cars driving on them. I was probably the only tourist out that day, and the many odd stares I got only made me feel even more like one.

The closest thing to see was Meskel Square about 15 minutes walking distance away. It was a large open area embanked by terraced seating where the annual Meskel festival, May Day parades and concerts, etc take place. A few restaurants and a war memorial surrounded the square. The exhibition grounds were hosting something, which brought a lot of people there. I was dying to take pictures, but in a place known for pickpockets and when all eyes seemed to be on me, it didn't seem like a good idea to flaunt an expensive camera. The place seemed a bit hostile to tourists, but maybe it was just the emptiness of the place that gave me that impression.

The overcast rainy sky meant that it would start to get dark around 5 in the evening and most of the shops had closed already. I walked across the road to St. Stephens church. The main building was unfortunately closed, but I managed to peep through the windows without seeming too nosey. It started to drizzle, so my walk had to be cut short. I didn't want to be stuck in the rain in the dark.

I thought I would get to try some interesting Ethiopian food. The buffet spread didn't have anything particularly different for vegetarians. So much carbohydrates on my plate though- bread, potatoes, pasta and rice! 

Dinner and the last of the reassuring Viber calls with my Mum before a hot shower and a good nights sleep ended my random little Ethiopian adventure (I even got the stamp in my passport!)