Friday:
Pulling up to Emafini on Friday, there were maybe 75 students within the whole school. Instead of hearing the joyous commotion of students running to their classrooms, the hallways were relatively silent. When Maria and I got to our classroom, there were only around 10 students waiting for us outside. Despite the small turnout, we would not let this low attendance spoil our fun. As a group, we decided that we should have our very own "Emafini Field Day."
We split up our students by grade levels, and each teacher was assigned a different grade. Ashley and I were paired with the lovely 2nd graders, a few of whom were in my class. The students seemed extremely excited for this fun filled event. We started out by having the students split up into two groups of 6 and held a relay race between them. At first, some of the students struggled with the concept that they must be tagged before they could run and many of the students simply started running off before they were tagged. However, once they began understanding the rules, the race became rather intense and you could see the competitive spirit of these students truly emerge. After several victories by "team 2," we decided to change up the teams and make it fair for the rest of the learners. We then had the learners sprint to one side of the field, then hop back to their partner who was waiting to be tagged. Most of the students got a big laugh out of this event and it was fabulous to see the ear to ear smiles that they expressed.
Throughout the rest of the afternoon, we played a variety of different games such as leap frog, follow the leader, duck duck goose, and others. All of the students seemed to really enjoy themselves and I think it was a very successful day all around. Unfortunately, afterwards I had to say "goodbye" to a few of my learners as they told me they would not be returning on Monday. This broke my heart, however, I am extremely grateful for the privelige and honor of working with these students. Knowing that they will go on to achieve great things in life, helped to make the closure a little easier.
After school, Neil picked us up and we drove to The Seaview Lion Park. When we got there we quickly found ourselves lost, driving up and down a dirt road in search of the Lion Exhibit. We soon heard a gawking noise coming from the left side of our vehicle and when we turned around we saw a huge peacock, standing on top of tractor. It was impossible not to laugh at this colorful bird, who gleamed at us from afar.
Once we finally got our bearings and escaped from the peacock, we were able to find our way up to the top of the hill where the Lion/Tiger's were. The view of the pristine blue, Indian Ocean below was breathtaking. After taking an abundance of fotos, we finally got into the game lodge and decided to sit down for lunch. Following lunch, we split up and some people went to play with the baby tigers, while others went straight for the Lions. Chris and I decided to play with two of the Lions that were six months old. All though relatively young, they still had an immense amount of power, and the strength of them was impressive. While petting them, I thought one of them was going to take a swipe at me with his long, sharp claws. Fortunately, he spared me and I was unscathed by the large feline.
While leaving the park, we saw several large male Lions, Zebra, and to top it all off several Giraffe. I finally felt like my wildlife experience in South Africa had been complete.
Saturday: On Saturday, Chris and I headed to the famed surf spot, Jeffrey's Bay. Around 12 P.M. Chris and I loaded up the rental car, which was a red Nissan Micra, and hit the road. Jeffrey's Bay is one of the most famous right break surf spots in the world and I was ecstatic to be going on such a trip. The drive from Port Elizabeth was gorgeous and we encountered a variety of different terrain. From lush, green forests, to farm land, to mountains covered by a thick layer of moisture left by clouds. During this drive I got a great sense and feel for the beauty that South Africa's geography has to offer. After about 45 minutes, we arrived in Jay Bay. Home to the Billabong Pro, one of the worlds largest, premier surf events. We then checked into our B & B, named African Perfection, which was beautiful. It had a spectaculiar view that overlooked "Supertubes," the main break at Jeffrey's Bay.
Anticipation consumed me and I eagerly raced across the street to rent a surfboard and wetsuit. After twisting and contorting my body, I finally got into the wet suit and sprinted down to the water. Paddling out was a bit sketchy and the sharp jagged rocks tore into my feet pretty badly. However, it was well worth the pain. This was a dream come true. Although now that I had a gaping cut on my foot, I couldn't help but think about the avaricious great white shark that might follow my blood trail and have me as an afternoon snack. I was fortunate enough not to have any encounters. The waves lined up perfectly, breaking on the metamorphic rocks below. These sloping, right handed waves seemed to peel for hours. Although, the waves were only in the 3-5 foot range, the amount of power behind them was intense. I continued surfing for about an an hour before I had to get out and return my board to the rental shop. That night we went to an amazing mexican restuarant cleverly called "The Mexican." The food was delicious.
Sunday:
Sunday morning, I woke up at around 4:45 to watch the sunrise. After waiting around for 30 minutes, it finally rose. The amber and crimson hues from the sun were spectaculiar as they spread their rays on the ocean below, and brought in a new day in South Africa. Following breakfast, I walked about a half mile down the beach and went for a surf. The waves were small, in the chest high range, but clean. Unfortunately, we had to check out by 11, so I could only surf for an hour. All in all, it was a great trip, and I was pumped to cross surfing Jay Bay off my bucket list.
Overall, I had a phenomenal weekend. From field day with the wonderful learners of Emafini, to surfing Jay Bay and going on a road trip with Chris, the weekend was both action packed and exciting. Although I am sad to see the weekend come to a close, I am looking forward to getting back to my learners at Emafini on Monday, and enjoying our last few days together.
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