A walk in my shoes: Holiday Club Week #3

HOLIDAY CLUB IS OVER!!!!!!

oh my goodness these last 3 weeks have been a trip! I have been more exhausted than ever but each day was great. Some days were challenging and other just went by with flying colors. Since I was out in Overcome we always had to be flexible in case it rained...which Cape Town's weather is quite bi-polar so anything could happen. This last week it rained hard one day so instead of doing all the things we had planned, i pulled out a tarp, layed it on the damp floor, dumped a bag of colors out and let the kids color for a good while. Crazy how entertained kids can be with a white sheet of paper and a few colors. I wish I could still be entertained that easily. Another day the rains came and we all got into the container and had a movie day. I got to see Rio for the first time. We didn't make it all the way through but what I saw was cute. Might just have to go rent it and finish the rest.

Throughout these three weeks I have looked forward to one part of the day. getting the food. The lady that makes the food for the kids, which is usually either soup, rice, or sandwiches lives in Capricorn. For normal club we drive by her house and get the food before we drive out to Overcome. Since its Holiday Club, the kids come in the morning so we have to drive back to Capricorn to get the food. I am the one to do this since I'm the one with the car. Well I love driving through the township. I love seeing the same faces everyday. But my ALL TIME FAVORITE moment is when I drop off the food in Capricorn for those kids. There is always a group of boys that run to me and give me hugs to where I almost fall over...every.single.time. It never got old seeing their faces light up when they saw me walk in. They would always yell SHELBY!! why aren't you here again! Why do you have to be in Overcome all day? Your our favorite leader and we wish you were in Capricorn because we miss you. melts my heart!

these are my boys in Capricorn, with the exception of a few. Love them even they have their 'tough' faces on. Precious precious boys.

At the end of last week our fantastic summer volunteers from the first session left for America! we were all sad to see em go because they were all great! Last week we all got together and had a final dinner with everyone. Majority of all the volunteers, short & long, made it and it was a great time of good food and fellowship.

the gang.

BUT

now we have the second wave of summer volunteers here! We get three of them out in Capricorn/Overcome. Holden, Berrit && Becca. They have been with us for a week and a few days so far. I think they are going to fit in with the team pretty good.

Me && Berrit

Welcome Y'all!!

Anyways back to Holiday Club. So the week before it started, we were getting all our supplies together we ordered and Ilana mentioned we ordered that scratch art papers. For yall that don't know what it is...its what appears to be a black sheet of paper, but when you scratch it there is a color underneath so you can make a design or picture. Well you can't get those in Africa...it's an American thing. Well me being me said OH. I can make that no problem. I mean I did want to be a elem. art teacher at one point so I know my fair share of crafts. She seemed surprised and said great thanks! I thought I was doing my good deed and helping out with holiday club. That was until she mentioned how many she wanted...200. yep, that is 2-0-0. two hundred. This is what my 'home made' version looks like

anyways, hope that helps you visualize. Now it might not look too difficult to make...but what might not seem visible from the picture is you have to press down HARD with not only the colors but the black that goes over it. After 2 your hand is killing and your forearm hates you. I tried to get people to help and usually after 3 I didn't see them again haha. I do appreciate all the help I got from random helping hands. Well it took me 3 weeks....but I did it! I didn't do 200 because well lets face it, there wasn't going to be 100 kids in Overcome and Capricorn. I made 160 which is still a ton! I was SO thankful when I could throw that black crown back into the crayon box. My middle finger has an indention from holding the crayon. But today was the day I let the kids have this craft. When I was packing up the car in Capricorn this morning, Jeremiah came in to give me a hug and saw the paper. He said Ah! I know what this is!! you scratch it and its a color. I said yes!! and you better keep it and show me when I come back to Capricorn. He just smiled and said he was going to write 'I love Shelby' on his. I just love that kid. We bonded from the first day. (certainly my favorite if I had to pick, good thing I don't)

I will never forget the contribution I gave for Holiday Club of 2012. Everyone...Tammy&&Danielle said I was crazy for saying yes...and I will admit that I was. But they loved it and it was worth it. :]

I'd say my efforts payed off...these kids can be pretty artistic.

but seriously glad I never have to make another one of those...for a good while anyways!

Then the higlight of Teen Club this week was our beauty day! We showed the guys how to shave your face. Which was really funny because there are only girl leaders in teens club in the afternoons out in Overcome. Stacey, Ilana, myself, & Berrit. So we used balloons. The guys seemed to enjoy it and had some fun with it which is what we wanted. Then the girls got their nails painted and Stacey did some eyebrows...you know just girly stuff.

Me and my 3 wonderful teens that came in the mornings to help us with kids club. Naeem, Jade, && Devon. We bonded and they are all awesome.

Well that yall is the last week of holiday club. Still can't believe it's done! The next one isn't until the very end of September. So we get some down time. Now it's back to my mornings at the main office in Capri and out to normal kids club in the afternoon. Im excited to get back into my routine. Jennifer got back today!! so that will make it feel even more normal. I haven't gone out with the outreach team in almost 2 months so I'm REALLY excited to get out to those HIV/TB testings :] the other day actually, Eric, one of the health counselors I work with mentioned they went back to Hanover Park. There is a drug rehab place there in the township that we went to awhile ago. It was alot of fun because the people there for treatment were really funny and just hitting on my and Siya every 5 seconds. Well he said that alot of them were asking him where I was! I was actually quite shocked they'd even remember who I was much less my name. But I think sometime next week they're going back and I'm going with them. Should be interesting.

One of the perks of having to be over in Capricorn at 8 in the morning was getting to see the sunrise on my way to work every morning. I could have taken a picture almost everyday but this is the only one I have from the past 3 weeks.

then the other day on my way home I walked down to the beach and saw this. God is an unbelievable artist. Still blows my mind that he gave me the opportunity to live in this place. I see his beauty the most when i'm really missing certain people and things about home. Maybe it's his way of cheering me up and letting me know he's in charge and here is where I need to be right now.