April-
- Lots of LSAT prep
- Lane, one of my best friends in Peace Corps turned 28!
- Continued teaching at local schools and finalized the shelving and painting in the learning center
May-
- Got to meet Lane's mom and her best friend while they were visiting!
- Two big birthdays--George, a cluster mate turned 30, and Ed turned 35!
- Even more LSAT prep
- wrapping up planning for girls camp the following month
June-
This was just a great month. We had a Volunteer Support Committee meeting on June 13th, right after the LSAT on the 10th, then a lot of us hung out in Pretoria for my birthday on the 14th! It was so much fun to be surrounded by great people, and I could not have asked for a better birthday or week.
At the end of the month we held a girls sleepover camp, where over 45 young women ages 13-20 came with 10 counselors to a lodge outside of Pretoria and we had a huge health workshop for 4 days and 3 nights. We talked about relationships, sex, education, and even squeezed in time to have a talent show and make smores. All I can say is, I was blown away by all of these young girls. They completely came out of their shells, and it was so much fun to get to know my kids on a deeper level and spend some quality time with them. Coming back, I got so many messages from their parents talking about how much fun they had, and I am so happy the camp had a positive impact on them. It is hard to put into words how much joy it brought me to make them feel appreciated and cared for, and empower them in ways they had not experienced. I loved the camp, and I am so glad I was able to make that memory here.
July-
This month is just coming to an end but it was SO GREAT! Lauren and Christina arrived in Namibia on July 2nd, and for the next 2.5 weeks we traveled Namibia and South Africa together, ending at my site. All I can say is it was a wonderful visit. Sitting with them, drinking wine and catching up felt like no time had passed, and like we were picking up right where we left of. I LOVED having them here, and I feel even closer to them than I already did, which I didn't think was possible. I feel so blessed to have friends and family who will travel this far and spend quality time with me. The memories we made will be some I will remember for the rest of my life!
It is really hard to update even a month behind, so I apologize on how brief this is. However, in the next couple months, I am going to be finalizing the learning center project (books are on their way), working with The Mother Bear Project to donate some teddy bears to children in my area, as well as put together an event for World AIDS Day, which is December 1st. I am hoping to have a fundraiser/dance and singing show in my local community hall, bringing everyone together and raising awareness about HIV. These are a few of my final projects, but I will continue to do after school girls and boys clubs as well as teach dance.
I will try and upload photos as soon as I can, it all just depends on my access to fast internet.
I cannot believe I only have about 8 more months in country, but I am hoping everything will wrap up smoothly as I enjoy the time I have left in South Africa. Thanks to everyone for reading and know the closer I get to finishing my service, home fills a bigger and bigger space in my heart!
All my love,
h
