People

A beautiful landscape is wonderful, but it is the people who populate it that make it come to life.  The richness of our experience with the people we have met is what is making these weeks more than just an amazing holiday in paradise.  There are so many people but here are a few “snapshots” of the rich tapestry of humanity around us.

The staff at the Bungalows are amazing. Michelle is the manager, and she has such a heart for the people of the area.  She co-ordinates the outreach programmes to the schools and has a deep understanding of what is needed – which is often NOT what is asked for.  She has shown such warmth and interest in what we are doing.  So has the rest of the management staff – Lettie always has a word for us and wants to make sure our students are well and happy; Callista and Gareth, who are leaving to start their own hotel next week, have wonderful stories to tell about their staff; Charmaine, Louise, Graham, Anthony and all the others are also full of stories and support.  Anthony cycles through the district often and his insights into village life have been very valuable as we learn not to dish out sweets indiscriminately – something I want to do every time I see the round faces and hear “sweeties” in imploring tones.

In the dining room, Sylvia, the maître d’, is always so friendly.  I know her isiXhosa name, but like to call her Sylvia because she makes me think of my Mom each time I greet her. Madelaine in the bar, whose real name is Nobantu, is a special favourite.  Her daughter, Bazelwa, works in the shop, and her grand-daughter, Naye, is at Vukandlule.  What a beautiful child!   Bazelwa tells me what a mission she is to dress each morning – she knows exactly what she wants, and it’s always got to be “just so.”  Seeing her, you know there is a fashionista in the making.

Nelson and Aubrey, who are involved in the kids entertainment programme, are just amazing.  Last night I watched Aubrey teaching a whole group of kids to dance.  They ranged from just bigger than toddlers to pre-teens, and he had everyone slapping their legs in a gumboot dance (albeit not always very rhythmically), and doing a conga of epic proportions to the beat of a djembe drum and the singing of the nannies.  The patience these two guys display - playing 4 ball, tennis, sandcastle building, and so much more - with kids who are often spoilt, indulged or just plain otherwise, is amazing to behold.  I wonder what their future holds? – they would be such a boon to education in this area.  Someone said to me last night that Aubrey’s greatest gift was making every child in a competition feel as though they were the winner, even when they weren’t.  What an amazing tribute.

Helen and Peter are a mother and son I met at Vukandlule.  Helen used to work at the Bungalows, but now lives in the community.  Before her husband died, he built them a home high up on the hill but sheltered from the worst of the wind.  Helen tells me that she lives off the land as far as possible – what she can’t grow, she trades for. She has taken Vukandlule under her wing, and is trying to help develop the school.  She has book-keeping skills and is trying to help Mr Nofonte develop a budget, stock register and accounting procedures.  She is helping with the development of the ECO Schools project and is learning about coastal forest as quickly as she can to take them on a tree hike; she has a plan to teach the teachers to use the computers – if they ever get the power back on!  She also edits Honours and Masters theses for students and is helping the HOD at Vukandlule with her thesis.  She is an amazing lady and I look forward to visiting her next week at home.  Peter is living with her at the moment as he is between attempts at a career – he has tried all sorts of things and is now trying to work on alternative technologies for rural living.  He has built a solar cooker using cardboard boxes and old CDs and a fridge using two clay pots with sand between them.  An interesting young man.

And then there are the students.  What richness they are bringing into my life.  I kind-of knew them when I lectured them once a fortnight or so, but now we have become family.  There’s Callie, who is such fun to be with – we go and look at the jewellery in the shop at reception and drink daiquiris together on the bar deck while we download books for our kindles and update our Facebook status.  It’s like having one of my daughters with me.  There’s Nobantu – the lady of the group.  She calls me her “homie” because she has grown up in Ndwedwe near Verulam, where I grew up.   What a gorgeous girl – so mature and also such fun.  There’s Thelma – a mature student who agonizes over her teaching and her classes but in many ways is our conscience.  There’s Kevin – restless and energetic – just like our Kev – and ready for fun at the drop of a hat! There’s Smangele – a born teacher with a real presence – I see her as a Director of Education one day.  She will make a difference in the world.  They are all special in their own way – and this month together has made them a part of my life forever.

This has been a rich month – and I look forward to meeting more amazing people.