Our trip is coming to an end.  We are sad to leave this amazing continent.  As a team, we have been through many experiences that have impacted our lives.  From day one of the LASA journey, we couldn’t believe this trip was actually happening and we want to again express our gratefulness to our school and sponsor, Opportunities for Learning Public Charter School. 

Immediately after taking our first step off of the plane in Durban, we quickly realized how different the atmosphere is here in South Africa. When we reached Bottlebrush we were shocked to see how people can live in such impoverished conditions. We realized how grateful we are and we were reminded to appreciate the little things we have back home. Once we were more aware of the conditions of the community in which we were working, everyone was motivated to get to work immediately.

We were all struck by the optimism of the children. Whether they were at school or in the Bottlebrush community, the children were always singing and laughing.  Being able to witness their performances gave us the inspiration to do more renovations than we had initially planned. After three days of intense work, we completed the renovation of the daycare as the sun was setting. We had filled in the holes and repainted the crumbling walls in a bright gold color. We resurfaced the teacher’s rusty furniture and painted it a brilliant green color. We hung bright Chinese paper lanterns from the rafters. We also installed a chalkboard on an entire wall to give the kids a surface to draw on and we painted a mural on another wall to brighten the room. We left the teachers with new educational toys to share with their students. We mopped the floors, scrubbed the tables and chairs, and threw out garbage. Tomorrow we will return to the site to visit the daycare and see the children inside their “new” school for the first time.

We also visited the Brooklyn Heights Primary School for three days of our trip. This school serves many of the children from the Bottlebrush Community. We were only planning on being there to teach a lesson on “How to Define and Achieve your Goals”, however we were also called in to substitute when some of the staff members were on strike. We found out the morning that our lesson was scheduled that we would have to be with the students for the day. Luckily, Ms. Collette led a dance workshop that entertained and taught the kids in the courtyard of the school. We were her back-up dancers and helped get the kids involved in the session. While at the school we were struck by how strict and orderly the expectations of the students were in the classroom, which starkly contrasted with the chaotic and unstructured reality the children seem to live in at the Bottlebrush settlement.

We were also called on to present at the Queensburgh High School in the neighborhood where we stayed. At Queensburgh we presented a motivational power point aimed at trying to get the students to see the big picture and how every day can affect their future. When we finished our presentation we weren’t quite sure if the students were reacting positively out of respect, but then many of the students came up to us to ask questions. It made us realize that our message resonated with them. All students benefit from being encouraged to follow their dreams.

While we spent many days doing service work in the different communities, we were also able to enjoy the beauty of South Africa. We visited different wildlife reserves and were able to see animals we thought we would only see in a zoo: lions, giraffes, zebras, elephants, rhinos, crocodiles, springbok, vultures, hippos, wildebeests, warthogs, and water buffalos.  While getting around we were able to experience the local commerce and culture. We noticed that all the curio shops had a strong artisan feel. Additionally, one of the memories LASA considered truly amazing was taking a refreshing dip in the Indian Ocean.

                Participating in this service project has been such an honor for every single one of us. It has been a life-changing experience and traveling has opened our eyes to appreciate the more meaningful aspects of life. We are all committed to living more purposeful lives with a deeper sense of gratitude for the opportunities we have. Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible.