WARNING: not for those with weak stomachs, but a good story nonetheless

The story starts a few weeks ago when I receive an email from the Connect-123 staff about a volunteer opportunity to take kids from a township out for a day to do some fun activities they might not get to do otherwise. Eric and I receive the email and immediately sign up to go, it sounds like a great opportunity!

Within a few days we get our confirmations, and then email Belmont to get the convo form emailed to us. I also emailed the program coordinator of the organization and asked if anyone was coming from our side of the Cape to get over there and if we could potentially get a ride. She said that was possible and would ask, and then we waited.

A few days into this past week people in Connect start talking about it, who signed up, who didn't, who got spots who didn't, the usual. As of Wednesday night there were 3 of us, Eric, myself and Katie. So Eric calls a taxi for Saturday morning at 7:15am for 3 people, and they give us a pretty good deal to get out there. (R250 to the far side of Muizenberg isn't bad at all). Then Thursday rolls around and we find out that maybe more people are signed up than we had expected, for some reason a lot of the volunteers had dropped out last minute so they sent out an SOS email to the wait-listed volunteers. 3 more Connect people got in, Brent, Liz, and Jake. So now we had 6 people to split the cab between or to find a ride for.

Then Brent got sick Friday. We were down 1 person for all of 60 seconds because Jeff immediately stepped up to take his spot. Crisis averted.

So we called the cab company to let them know "hey, it's 6 people, not 3 you have to pick up. make sure you send a big enough car." they said alright, still R250, see you at 7:15am. by this time i still hadn't received an email about us catching a ride with other volunteers (and i never did).

so 7:15 comes around way too early and i'm 5 minutes late to meet downstairs. Emerging from the turnstile at 7:20, i see that we're all still sitting in the lobby and no cab has arrived yet. Wonderful. Then katie comes downstairs 5 minutes after me and says she got an email from someone about being able to catch a ride with them... Which was weird because I sent that email about a ride, not Katie, even though i included her on the list of people who need rides.

7:30, still no sign of a cab or Katie's ride who was to show up at 7:15 also. Now Cape Town isn't necessarily known for it's timely manner, but when you've been called twice in 48 hours and double confirmed the time, it's best to make sure you're actually delivering. So we call the cab company because we're stressing out a little bit... Guess what? They don't know what we're talking about, they never got a call about 6 from the perspectives building to muizenberg, who were we? Eric explained the situation, and they got a cab there in the next 10 minutes, Katie came with because her ride was running late and the volunteer coordinator said over the phone it would be best if she could just send her on over.

We get in the cab and drive what we're sure is the "long way" but the cab driver agreed to honor the R250 quote. We get to the Capricorn Pick n Pay at around 8:10. Then we had a nice volunteer debrief, and got on the Golden Arrow bus to the township that was a few blocks over. But the bus driver didn't know which community center we were going to, so we were lost in the middle of a township in a giant bus. great. after asking directions to about 6 people and making a phone call to the people from the organization that were already there, and finally a friendly person on a motorcycle driving in front of us to show us how to get there, we finally arrived.

This paragraph and from here on out is where the warning kicks in:

We got tshirts, met our kids, signed a form, and were off to Hout Bay! It was a very windy drive through Constantia Nek to get there and the bus driver had no regard for his passenger's stomachs. The people in charge passed out breakfast, and then, Eric turns to me and asks me to look after his 3 girls for a minute, then he bolts to the front of the bus, grabs a bag and pukes. Just after that happens, one of my girls turns to me and says "i'm going to vomit." I panic, then follow eric's move to go get a plastic bag, but i didn't move fast enough. I arrive back to our seats to find puke everywhere. After some cleaning and relocating, Keisha, the one who puked, got put next to a window to cool her down, and my other 2, Jamie and Bianca attach to another volunteer and have little-to-no interest in me for the rest of the day.

We arrive in Hout Bay and half the group goes to the beach and the other half goes on the boat to "Seal Island". Disclaimer: It is not THE Seal Island featured on animal planet/discovery channel series. That one is on the other side of the cape, on the Indian ocean side out of False Bay. We were in Hout Bay, the Atlantic freezing cold side. I was in the group to go to the beach, we walk around for a bit, play in the water some, the kids find jellyfish to throw at each other, and then some karate instructors come out to exhaust the kids. Then it was our turn to go on the boat.

We get in line and head for the back of the boat since the front would get absolutely soaked. After about 15 minutes or so of sailing we get to the "island" aka big rock covered in seals. No sharks or anything, it was cool, but just as the boat was turning around to head back to shore the same kid taps me on the shoulder and says "i'm going to vomit". i immediately turn to the crew member next to me and say "i need a sick bag please. now." he does not come back in time, however luckily we were on a boat, so i held her as she puked over the side of the boat. Then the ride back was very bumpy and we got very wet, the captain lied by saying back right was the driest spot.

next up: lunch. fish and chips all of a mile down the road. it was chaos, and cold, and windy. things were flying everywhere and kids were covered in reddish-purpley "tomatie" sauce (aka really cheap ketchup that doesn't even really resemble ketchup except maybe in consistency). no puking.

then we drive out to the World of Birds. it's a bird/animal sanctuary, although the most popular animals were the monkeys not the birds. we only had an hour and a half to pull off this massive place with sugared-up kids. it was rough, but we did it and then they played around for quite a while.

we then head back to their community center. they hand out library books to read on the bus (worst decision ever.) so i had to keep myself, and my already-puked kid from getting sick while being begged to read books to all the other kids. then they handed out more snacks... Keisha still wasn't feeling well, but we had made it back. the bus was parked and we were filing out when she covers her had with her mouth, taps me on the shoulder, and tries to indicate to me that we need to get out of the bus 5 seconds ago. I turn to push our way through, but too late. Puke. everywhere. All over my feet/legs, all over the floor, all over her. WE WERE SO CLOSE.

and what made it worse? Kids were less likely to move once she had thrown up. traffic slowed even more. we finally got off the bus, tried to wash up (there was no soap to be found), and then went outside to end the day with pictures being handed out, with more snacks.

we get back on the puke-ridden bus to head back to the cars, and it turns out almost every volunteer that day was willing to drive us back home, free of charge. so the 6 of us piled into 2 cars and we came home.

i tried to stay awake/be productive, however after being puked on 3 times i should have figured i would get sick too. and so this is where i've been, in bed, on the computer for about an hour in between 3 hours of sleeping at a time. in the past 24 hours i've slept at least 18 of them, and now i'm hoping i didn't actually get sick that will last for days and it was just my body letting me know "yesterday was rough. let's not do that again".

but the weird part is i think i would do it again... it was a chance to let these kids be kids, for once. most kids in that township have parents who abuse alcohol, or drugs, or them, or all three. and this weekend was payday weekend, which means many people were under the influence of something... when we were leaving the township a fight broke out not even 20 feet from the community center the kids were in. it was a startling image i don't think i'll ever be able to get out of my mind, leaving that little haven inside of such a dark place. Thank goodness for carers like Natolie and Elizabeth who help give these children a chance at something other than the lives of their parents. This is the South Africa that needs our help, and these are the Educare centers changing the face of South Africa, one child at a time.