“God gave us crying so other folks could see when we needed help, and help us.”

Very early on it was obvious to me that the place I felt I could have the deepest impact on was in the Creche.  I was not familiar with the term Creche, so as soon as I had access to internet I looked up the definition.  There were two... both fitting:  a group of young animals gather in one place for care and protection by one or more adults OR a day nursery.  There were days when working in the Creche was like being thrown to the wolves... and other days it was the sweetest, most rewarding experience of my life.

It was in the Creche that I fell in love.  I can admit it without feeling badly, I had my favorites.  If you have checked out my pictures, it is obvious that there were a few kids that worked their way into my hearts and profoundly changed me.  

How can anyone resist this face?

What a belly!

Lebo melted my heart!

The Creche Babies were an adventure... there was never a dull moment.  It was here that I realized what I was seeing in every baby at Botshabelo... desperation.  When people ask me what was it like, that is what I think of.  No one wants to hear that, so I focus on the uplifting stories, not the sad, lonely acts of desperation that occur every day.  The Botshabelo kids are without a doubt the happiest and most desperate kids I have ever worked with.  I understand that statement could be confusing, but that is truly how I look at it.

Desperation could be seen at any moment... There were 8 to 10 babies in the Creche on a daily basis with only 2 adults working there.  Clearly, the babies were not getting a great deal of love and attention.  The care givers in the Creche were inexperienced and young themselves, so I do not fault them for not being as involved as I think they should have been.  

When Kay and I would walk towards the Creche, the babies would run to the fence and call to us... "Visitors, visitors".  If we entered, they would run to us with their arms raised begging to be picked up.  If we walked by the Creche, the babies would run to the fence and reach through it.

When we would sit down, the kids would pile onto us and want out love, our arms around them.

The kids were desperate for attention, for love, for hugs, for toys, for a hand to hold, for a smile, for their picture to be taken, to sit on your lap, to be picked up when they were tired or cold or hurt or crying.  There was a level of desperation that could not be met.  Kids would fight over holding our hands... kids would push to knock someone out of our arms or our laps... kids would cry when we would put them down and beg to be picked up again.

Lebo was the worse of them all.  Lebo learned early on that if he cried, I would stop what I was doing and pick him back up.  If I didn't immediately pick him up, he would lay on the ground and "cry" until I reached down and loved him.  

Checking to see if I was looking... so cute.

I clearly picked him up every time...  I couldn't let this adorable little baby lay on the ground and cry. 

My time in the Creche taught me that if I can make someone feel better just by loving them and caring for them when they need it the most, then that is my responsibility to do so.  My arms miss holding my Creche babies... I hope they remember that someone loved them, even if it was only for a short time.

A Place of Refuge

Botshabelo is many things to many people.  I am still trying to figure out exactly that it means to me.. the definition is:  a place of refuge, but it is so much more than that.  I am struggling to put my experience into words.

After 30+ hours of traveling and a quick stop in London, we arrived in Johannesburg (Joburg), South Africa.  An early morning arrival meant we had to wait for a bit to be picked up and delivered to Botshabelo.  Our ride "home" was relatively uneventful, although we stopped numerous times, something we learned was very typical in any adventure away from Botshabelo.

The housing accommodations were so much nicer than we were expecting and there were 2 other American volunteers there, Heather (who left a couple days after we arrived) and Sitara (who is going to be there for a total of 8 months).   Both women were very helpful in getting us settled and explaining how things worked at Botshabelo.

As you can see in the pictures, we had a full (working) kitchen, nice, open dining room, full bathroom and 2 bedrooms.  Kay and I shared a room after the first night because Sitara moved into the house with us.  Adding Sitara completed our house and the adventure began.

The kids of Botshabelo were about to finish up with school and begin their 3 week holiday, so Kay and I were charged with developing holiday programming.  This was right up my alley, until I realized there were NO supplies.  No balls, no ropes, no bases, nothing.  On top of no supplies, there was a language barrier, difficulties with organization and lower social skills than I am used to.  Kay and I got creative and made a list of games that we could easily explain and had supplies for...  Steal the Bacon was a huge success.  After the first couple of days the village kids were playing without us running it!  Ultimate Frisbee was another big winner...  I am not sure the kids got any of the rules I tired to explain, but the certainly had fun tossing the disk around.

During my first few days at Botshabelo, I was exposed to a way of life very unfamiliar to me.  Everyone was accepted for who they were.  People moved forward every day regardless of what life had handed them.  Children smiled and appreciated everything that was given to them... the "babies" (anyone that has grown up at Botshabel, regardless of age) are the happiest group of kids I have ever met.

Everyone at Botshabelo has a story to tell... a traumatic experience they have lived through... some bare scars that can be seen, some do not.  In the 4 weeks were we at Botshabelo we heard many stories, saw raw emotions, brought a little bit of happiness and love to kids that are so desperately in need of it.

More than a Month

I apologize for not blogging while I was in South Africa, however we did not have access to the internet on a regular basis...  it's funny that I started that sentence with "I" and ended it in "we" because everything for the last 5 weeks, has been a "we".  It is my goal to write posts this weekend and fill everyone in on my experience...  I have not decided how I am going to organize them (that is what is holding me back).  

For now... I just wanted to say thank you to Kay.  She began planning this adventure long before I decided I wanted to go.  We shared an experience unlike any other and I am forever grateful.  There will forever be things that trigger a memory that only she will fully understand... I hopeful there will be more adventures in my near future.  

Thailand next summer??  What do you say?