The Shift of Sarah

My time at Masigcine Children's Home would have never been the same if it weren't for the wonderful girls I volunteered with over the course of  those 10 weeks in Cape Town.  I can't imagine life without having met Malene, Linda, Katie, Emma, Jen, and Ingrid.  We got each other through some of those crazy, exhausting days with the kids.  We worked so well together, splitting responsibilities, knowing when to step in and take over when we could tell someone had had enough, taking turns with the duties, not questioning each other when one of us needed a break, sharing new ways to do things, new ways to be patient, and of course, how to love more than I ever could have imagined possible.  Not only were we so fortunate to have each other at work, but we were a hell of a lot of fun off the job as well!  Never in a million years did I think I could connect with these girls the way I did.  They were some of the most mature young women I have ever met and I learned something new from them everyday.  We had so much fun talking, laughing, crying, loving, teasing, dancing, shopping, partying, and learning.  I could probably go on and on forever with the amount of memories we made, but here is just a tidbit...

• Learning Xhosa!!  Practicing every night before bed, using it on and off shift when we could, asking the Si Sis to translate for us, singing the South African National Anthem, and reading the Xhosa Dictionary.  Some of our faves were:  Ndiyakuthanda (I Love You), Sithandwa Sam (My Love - "Oh, Ronel!") :) , Suka (Go Away), Bafana Bafana..my girls know the rest of this one..
• Kate, Emma and the ladder incident  
• Jen and Na Kangaroo.
• Introducing yet another person (or 4) to peanut butter & jelly.  
• Staying up making Fat Koek (source of probably 5 of the pounds I gained...) and chatting with the Si Sis.
• The Bok Bus Weekend (Driving the jeeps, Ashley's pile of boxer shorts, campfires, forbidden flowers, mosquito nets, and Jen poking penquins)
• Falling off the seat in the van.
• Emma calling me "so charming" when I would lose/drop everything and have a trail behind me she would pick up.
• Oh, those African Boys...
• Partying and dancing on Long Street, Trenchtown and late nights at Stones.  The stolen toast and Nutella, Emma and me getting followed back to the house, hiding from the creep calling over the wall "Emma, Emma, I love you!"
• Removing the Akon Poster
• Trips to/from Creche (the kids preschool).
• Jen and me explaining "It's an expression!" to Emma.
• Ingrid, Emma, and Me going nuts at Canal Walk and pushing around a shopping cart full of our goods.  "I'm so glad I bought this shit!" - Ingrid
• The breezer in the freezer
• "Hey, Malene!  Hey, Malene!"
• Ingrid running into the glass sliding door on the infamous night we "stayed in"
• All the fun expressions:  "It's all about sharing, mate!", "Woop", "Eish", "Hilarious", "Pissin", "Good for you", "Who knows? Only God." 
• Small Big Mac meals
• All of our text response discussions and the boy advice.
• What do you call a fish with no eye?  Fsshh  (Good one, Ingrid!) ;)
• Emma in La La Land.  "Oh, Emma!"
• Me, Malene and Linda running in the township and our backyard bootcamp
• Painting our nails (and toenails).. 
• Emma and me sitting outside with boys when they came home from school
• The Biscuit Mill, Wine Tours, Safaris, Sunsets, McDonalds, Shop Rite, Table Mountain, Moyo, SATC, 
• The Norwegians and their beautiful eyes
• Emma sitting in Qamane's wet spot
• The mini-bus rides
• Finding Emma passed out with a bowl of pasta in bed
• The birthday party upstairs for the girls
• Ingrid and my crazy day/night at Fan Fest with Andisiwe.  Bafana, Bafana...
• P.S. Bars.  "Have you ever thought about being a lesbian?"
• The whistler...
• Dressing up the kids in the silly costumes we found hidden in a closet
• The uneventful sunset.  I mean sunrise...
• Tip Top Tommelopp
• Malene and Linda dying their hair
• My little pumpkin
• Our late night talks
• Music sharing
• Movies, movies, and more movies.  

I could go on and on...So many  memories in such a short time together.  I can only hope our paths will cross again; but for some reason, I'm really not that worried because we had a bond that cannot be broken or replicated and I just know we will make the effort to see each other again soon someday...  Ndiyakuthanda, Si Sis!!  Obokeka Gakoshe!