A Day in the Life...Thursday

Molo,
I am sitting in our Avanza Truck, also known as "America Car" as we have rather large USAID and Grassroot Soccer magnets attached to both sides of the car. The magnets are great for publicity for our organization however they can sometimes garner unwanted attention from everyone around--especially in townships late at night. The car screams, "Hey I am a foreigner!"
 It is 7:52 in the morning and I have just entered onto the N2 (a national highway in South Africa) when I hear large screeching sounds from the left side of the car. The whole car is also vibrating and singing a very mad, angry song. I pull over to the side of the highway, and sure enough, I have a flat tire. This morning I was left to my own devices as Kait and Barret took the "Jellybelly" our small, teal Toyota Spark to work. So I am alone with my thoughts, a flat tire, and the "America Car".
I have never replaced a flat tire before, however my manly instincts kick into gear (unlike my dear friend, the America car) and I tell myself that I can fix it up even without prior experience. I begin the checklist in my head: What's the first course of action: find a spare tire. However, after several minutes of searching the vehicle up and down, my manly instincts have vanished and I resort to calling the office for help.  One of the CPC's, VIP  says he will come out to help me, and asks me if I have looked under the car for a spare tire. Obviously I had not, and obviously that is exactly where I find it. Just as VIP arrives to help me in my predicament another car pulls over to the side of the road to help.  He had noticed our van and the Grassroot Soccer magnet and had actually worked with us before and wanted to make sure we were ok. I always knew the magnets were a good idea! After about 10 minutes we had the old tire out and the new tire in...good as new!

Skillz Street

It is now Thursday afternoon at 3:45 and I'm sitting in one on my first skillz street (curriculum designed by Grassroot Soccer specifically for girls). Today is the last practice for the girls--graduation for the 100+ girls in attendance. At the beginning of the practice the girls gather around into a large circle and start singing and dancing. Their rhythm is absolutely incredible, and the smiles on their faces show how much they are enjoying themselves. During the song, the chorus is sung  followed by the coach singing a name of one of the girls in the group. The girl then has to dance for everyone while keeping the rhythm of the song. I get the pleasure of guarding the snacks (chips, a lollipop, and biscuits) that we have brought to celebrate with the girls.
The girls then split into smaller groups and meet with their coaches one last time. After the coach gives her last instructions from the curriculum, the girls practice songs and dances that they have prepared for the larger group. While the girls are preparing their performances a couple of the coaches are trying to teach me the song in xhosa and laughing at the emphasis that I put into random words. After we joke for a little bit about my terrible memory and pronunciations, the girls begin their performances.
I feel like I am in another world entirely when they begin. The girls sing and laugh while a slight breeze crosses my face and the sun kisses my cheeks. To the side of the school there are modest houses painted in various shades of the rainbow. Moms are talking outside with each other while little children are running in the streets. Beyond the school and the town, there are mountains with small clouds perched over top. I laugh and smile to myself as I have just been hit with an onslaught of sensual bliss. I get out my journal and put pen to paper. This has probably been one of my favorite moments so far..

Sneak Peak for tomorrow's post: Local University, lactic acid, full court press, coming up gold...