You Deserve the Best

I arrived in Durban yesterday to the weather forecast of 100% chance of rain every day I am meant to be here. Come to Durban they say, don’t forget your shorts and sunscreen they say, yeah not so much this time around. When I got to where I was staying I was a bit concerned for my safety. It wasn’t so much the people ,but the place was more like the next location for a slasher flick than the B & B that I was looking for on my last few days in South Africa. My room is partially connected to the bathroom by a “door” but it might as well be a piece of paper. Honestly, I think some man died in there last night with the sounds he was making. My first day/night in Durban was kind of like that part in a movie after the montage of all the happy moments when one thing goes wrong and the happy ending feels doomed.   But alas, my happy ending came in the form of my visit to the Ethembeni School today. It was quite honestly the perfect way to end my trip here in South Africa.

Great things happening behind this wall!
Great things happening behind this wall!

If you will entertain me for a bit, I will give you a quick description of the school and how I was blessed to get to know about it. The Ethembeni School is a boarding school for primarily Zulu children who are Visually Impaired (both partially and fully) and or have physical disabilities most commonly caused by Cerebral Palsy. There are a few other children who have been in accidents and have motor impairments or cognitive impairments as well. Many children at the school are albino. In some parts of African culture albino children are considered a curse and sometimes are tossed aside or locked up. Even the children that attend the school are still on high alert when they return home on holidays as their body parts are highly sought after by witch doctors. Seven or maybe it’s eight years ago when I started running with Fleet Feet, I found out about the Ethembeni School. Brett and Kim the owners who I’m now lucky to call my friends have been committed to supporting the school since 2006. Hearing about the school from them and being a part of some of the fundraising running events has always left a mark on my heart and I knew if I came to South Africa, I’d very much want to see the school.

 

The Ethembeni School staff and community welcomed me with open arms. And I mean that literally. Every room or office I went into I was greeted with a warm hug and smile. The positive attitude of the staff is radiating. I was lucky enough to be at school today for their Monday Morning Assembly. Today they were celebrating with Organization Jump Start on receiving the organization’s 16,000th wheelchair. Obviously not all 16,000 of Jump Start’s wheelchairs have gone to the school but many of them have. These wheelchairs have given the children of Ethembeni their independence.

Dancers getting ready to perform at assembly
Dancers getting ready to perform at assembly

At the assembly, there was the dance group, the choir, some prayer and some announcements. I will include my videos of the dancing and singing. But I wanted to tell you how the prayers began. It began with a teacher starting a quiet chant that turned into a louder chant and then subsequently into a song. She was chanting “You deserve the best.” And hearing the children all chanting and singing warmed me to my core. I truly believe after being at this school that that is what these children are getting. Their school is fully accessible, they have 3 OT’s, 2 PTs, 2 SLPs , 3 nurses and 1 social worker, they have a life skills group and most importantly they have each other. They are all Learners at a school.

 

Today I witness some of the most determined children getting their work done. Something like the printers are down or the Wi-Fi not working can totally throw my game off and I start to grumble. But here some of the children have no upper limbs or use of them and they are still doing the same exact work. They’ve just been taught or have figured out alternative ways to do it.

There was a will and she found a way!
There was a will and she found a way!
Using an adaptive device to do his Maths
Using an adaptive device to do his Maths
He used to just hold his pencil in his mouth but now is using part of a bottle so it's more hygienic
He used to just hold his pencil in his mouth but now is using part of a bottle so it’s more hygienic
Every teacher at the school can read the braille that the students produce.
Every teacher at the school can read the braille that the students produce.

The respect the students have for their teachers was quite enchanting. When myself or another teacher entered the room, the students would stand right up and say “Good morning visitor/teacher.” And then ask how you were doing. I visited every class today and by the end I was able to say Hello, How are you, Good-bye and Thank you in isiZulu. The children were very excited to help me and I also think they thought it was equally as exciting when I messed up. Thankfully I had one student that would whisper the answers to me if I got stuck.

Fleet Feet Sports!!!
Fleet Feet Sports!!!

If you watch these videos* and look at these photos and your heart is not just filled with joy and pride for these students then I’d suggest going straight to your doctor because I think you might be broken. If at some point you’ve run with a Fleet Feet San Francisco event that has benefitted Ethembeni please know you’ve done a wonderful thing.

Last but not LEAST…HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!  I know you are one of the few reading this so I know you’ll see this:)  Cant wait to celebrate on the course with you!

XOXO

*videos will need to go up tomorrow when I get in better service.

 

July 4th and 5th!

 

First, missing you all and loved seeing all of your 4th of July posts. For me, yesterday was just another Monday, but in South Africa of course, so not really just any old Monday. The most patriotic I got yesterday was wearing my stars and stripes socks, my Patriots shirt and listening to the National Anthem when I was live streaming Evan’s Hockey Tournament. Funnily enough I convinced one of the British girls in the house to come get burgers and dogs with me for dinner. Clearly we can leave our past in the past;) Next year I will get after it again.

 It was a whopping 36 degrees as I went for my 4th of July fun Run.
It was a whopping 36 degrees as I went for my 4th of July fun Run.

 

Burgers and yes that's a coke for the girl who said no more cokes once in South Africa!
Burgers and yes that’s a coke for the girl who said no more cokes once in South Africa!
Proud Auntie and Patriotic moment. Go Junior Bs
Proud Auntie and Patriotic moment. Go Junior Bs
Me pretending it was warm sitting by the pool. It was lovely, but not quite pool weather.
Me pretending it was warm sitting by the pool. It was lovely, but not quite pool weather.

And Second, even when you are aware of your privilege and your access to resources in the United States, it never quite prepares you for the injustice in other areas of the world.   It turns out that while I will be helping some of the children at the Learning Vine School, it’s also been put out into the community that there is a very FREE Speech therapist in town and people can make appointments. I’m not quite sure what I can even do for some of these people that have made appointments, but if I can leave having just helped one that will have to be enough.

Yesterday I went to visit the home of a little Congolese boy and was saddened and quite shocked to find out that because of his disability (non-verbal autism), his mother who was out of resources and options had to lock him in the their apartment when she went off to work and his sister went off to school. And before you start judging and thinking how terrible and they must not care about him or love him, it’s just the opposite. There was nothing but love for this darling little boy and when faced with make money to keep her house and feed her children or stay home because no school would take David decision, she chose.  As people and as parents we make choices every day, but I honestly can’t imagine having to make one like that. Just FYI this boy now attends the Learning Vine School and from what I hear is making great progress.

Today I started to put together a basic Picture Exchange System (PECS) for that same boy and it was a true labor of love. Something that would have taken me 10 minutes to do back home took me two hours and I’m not even finished.  At least I now know how much time to dedicate to some of the materials making. I guess I’m just having a hard time wrapping my head around just how much harder it is here. And I don’t mean for me making the pages, but just how the access to things for these children and adults with disabilities is almost non-existent save for a few self-less people who themselves don’t have a ton and give more than they have. Tomorrow I have another appointment and I’m hoping for the best.

Just came in from a run in the rain with another girl in the house. It is great to have a running partner here and especially since she’s quite a few years my junior, she’s pushing me to my limits. But now it’s time to warm up in the shower before curling up with my book. Hey Cousin Matty you were right, the book Brighton is great so far!

I've found a running partner!!!
I’ve found a running partner!!!

XOXO