The most challenging part of the week was trying to adjust to the slower pace of work in South Africa. I think this will be an ongoing challenge throughout the year. Although I might be eating my words soon, as Chris Barkley, a GRS staff member from Cape Town is coming to spend two weeks with us and has warned us that he has a very extensive "to do" list for us.
This week we worked closely with Thuso Jones, our assistant site coordinator (our head site coordinator doesn't arrive until September 1st). He is a soft-spoken, 22 year old Black South African with a genuine passion for GRS and preventing the spread of HIV. We have definitely helped him open up with us a lot more this week. Some of the discussions we've had with him about about race and HIV in South Africa have been the most valuable and heartfelt conversations I've experienced. I look forward to working closely with him this year.
The highlight of the work week was getting to observe a Skillz Intervention at a school in Galeshewe. A Skillz Intervention is the actual delivery of Grassroot Soccer curriculum to youth. Local coaches visit each school once a week to teach 45-minute lessons for a total of eight weeks. We watched three coaches (Nombu, Vicky, and Kevies) teach a group of almost fifty kids between the ages of 12 and 14. Seeing them in action was impressive. They alternated between English, Afrikaans, and Xhosa to clearly convey the messages to the kids. I loved the "energizers" they did to keep everyone engaged. The kids caught on to new energizers very quickly. Vicky would explain it once and they would repeat it flawlessly. My favorite energizer was a "remix kilo" in which they would clap quickly three times, twice, and then do the remix move of moving a leg up and outward. "Kilos" are a GRS form of celebration. The common "Skillz kilo" involves the same clapping, but is followed by everyone saying "skillzzzzz" while drawing a large Z in the air with their finger.
We saw the coaches almost everyday, whether in the field or the office, and I really enjoyed getting to know them. I love that there are so many women in the group. They're always teaching us new games and handshakes and joking around with us. I was initially a little worried that GRS seemed like a great organization and had a great team working for them in Cape Town, but that in other sites the reality of the program might not live up to the expectations. Fortunately, my worries were erased by the quality and dedication of coaches in Kimberley. Working with them this year will be very rewarding. We come from such drastically different backgrounds, but have already begun great friendships.
Galeshewe is the township in Kimberley where the Skillz Internvetions occur. The racial segregation is especially apparent when driving from our neighborhood to Galeshewe. Our neighborhood is composed of all gated homes occupied by White South Africans with nice cars. Galeshewe, on the other hand, is almost exclusively Black. It has paved roads, grocery stores, and gas stations like our neighborhood, but many house are made from scrap metal and wood and trash lines the streets. I think the comparison of these two neighborhoods is a great illustration of South African life. For the most part, the Whites and Blacks do not interact with one another unless a business transaction is occuring. For example, every day our neighborhood has many Black people in it, but it is not because they live here. They are here to perform yard or house work for their wealthier White counterparts. It reminds me a lot of immigrant labor in the United States. Thuso pointed out that a lot of people will stare at us when we are with him because they are not accustomed to a group of White people socializing and work with a Black man. The effects of Apartheid (which ended just 15 years ago) are still strongly felt.
Kimberley has been beautiful for our entire stay. Great sunny days without clouds (and it's winter!). The nights get chilly, but we layer up and drink lots of tea or coffee before bed. We've also forgone movies for a few days and I've been able to enjoy reading from our great selection of books we all brought along with us. Our outings have mostly been to scout good restaurants/bars to watch soccer games since my roommates are both former players. The games are fun to watch, although I think I'm becoming more of a rugby fan - the fast pace is great!
Thanks for following... emails (kristin.fladseth@gmail.com) to say hi or ask questions are always welcome!
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