Update # 1: Duck, Duck,... Goose!

Dear Bridge Southern Africa Family and friends,

Greetings from Windsor Mountain!
We had some time to chat with our leaders today and hear about what’s been happening in South Africa, and about how our students are doing. The weather in South Africa has been sunny and beautiful and a little chilly in the evenings. And now that everyone is through their jetlag, team morale is high, everyone is on time, and the attitude is cheery.

A little Day-By-Day:
Thursday, July 10th – Up at 6am. We drove from Johannesburg to Durban. Here we arrived at our hostel and unpacked. Next, we took a drive to North Beach where we went for a swim and body surfed in the great waves! Our students had a fabulous time, enjoying the sun and surf!

Friday, July 11th - Today, we went to see Clowns Without Borders (http://cwbsa.org/), and had a workshop in a township just outside of Durban. Our workshop included lots of juggling and circus acrobatics. In the afternoon, we went to the Aryan Benevolent Home to play with the 150 kids that live there permanently (many are HIV orphans, and other are victims of child abuse). Our students had the opportunity to lead all sorts of games like Tag, & duck duck goose in the beautiful afternoon sun. Tonight, we plan on going to a poetry/spoken word event at a coffee house across the street. Other than that, everyone is very healthy, and overall, we are enjoying great team dynamics. In fact, even our contacts have made comments about our fabulous teamwork. So we’ll keep hoping for fantastic weather

Student Notes:

Caroline “lina” – has impressed us by diving deep into the issues of HIV. At the hospice in Klerksdorp she asked many questions and with the team she continues to engage and share her social and political opinions. We were also pleased to see that she took lead at the Aryan Benevolent Home, jumpstarting our games and fun.

Andrew – Also asked some very insightful question on HIV strains when patients are non-compliant with Anti-Retro Viral medications. He continues to impress us with his willingness to volunteer for group tasks, and has a shared his guitar skills with us.

Emma – At the HIV hospice she passed out NY postcards and had a great time connecting with the kids at the Aryan Benevolent Home. She is also a Master grilled cheese maker.

Alex – really enjoyed the one-on-one time at we had with the folks at City Year. We’ve also noticed that he goes out of his way to take care of friends even in small ways, like making toast for them at breakfast. He is even keeled and actively participates with our group.

Bryn – enjoyed working with kids at hospice and Aryan Benevolent Home. She is a leader and role model for the team through her positive attitude. She also knows how to have fun and really enjoyed herself playing in waves at North Beach.

Julia – enjoyed the experience working with kids at Aryan Benevolent Home. She lead loads of games including a rousing game of duck duck goose with the kids. We also want to give her notice for being very flexible with what food is available in SA since she is a vegetarian.

Wil – our 3 year Windsor Mountain veteran is our compass. In his easygoing manner, he encourages everyone to have patience and to embrace diversity in the team.

Sonia – Took the lead in putting together our full value contract (this is one our most important team-tools and keeps us focused on who we want to be and how successful we are as a team). She is also an absolute asset in the van, keeping us entertained with riddles and games.

Raul – Is a great leader in daily tasks, since he’s been around we never realized how much fun cooking and cleaning can be. In fact his energy is a fantastic support for the entire group.

Holly – Is awesome at giving out affirmation to everyone around her, including leaders. We were really impressed that she is a very quick learner having excelled at the following: body surfing, ultimate Frisbee, juggling, guitar, and…we hear she rides a mean unicycle!

Jamie – has a gift for putting emotions and feelings into words… we have been blessed by her brilliant metaphors which help the group to process some of the difficult information and realities we are encountering. She is also a skilled listener, light hearted, and quite the acrobat.

Gracie – is always the first to say she’s having fun and her enthusiasm is contagious. We have notice that she is building relationships with all team members and exhibiting the Windsor Mountain ideal non-exclusivity.

Liz – has been really great about sharing her past WMI experience, games and ideas, which greatly improves our trip quality. She also has great energy with the kids, and played a boisterous game of tag, making her well loved by all the kids.

Becca – another WMI veteran, has been teaching and sharing her Windsor Mountain spirit with our team. We were pleased to see she had kids climbing all over her at the Aryan Benevolent Home. We’ve noticed she is always trying to learn from the contacts, by giving them her attention and asking questions.

Nicole – is very patient and has a marvelous sense of humor. She is awesome on guitar and is always volunteering with team tasks.

This is all for now. Our BSA team will keep checking in as they are able, and possibly keep spoiling us with their great posts and pictures. Aside from that, you can expect a student call on Sunday, July 13th, and an official email update on Monday, July 21st.