The Weekend

It was one random and crazy weekend. Friday night, I hung out with my friends as we had a little apartment party. We then proceeded to a bar and then to a club to go dancing. My favorite part of the night was the dancing - my friends won't stop quoting me ("all I want to do is dance!").

On Saturday, I visited the Salvation Army again. This time, I played with the younger boys and girls out in the yard. My co-interns and I taught them how to play such games like: "Steal the Bacon," "Freeze Tag," and "Eight" (an English rendition of "Ocho"). I just now realized that we can still teach them "Red Light, Green Light." We don't know who is and isn't HIV/AIDS positive so we have to be on alert for any blood. It definitely puts you on edge at first, but you just have to release yourself of that fear and love these children. Most of the boys really enjoyed hanging out with me because the orphanage is run by older women. These boys have probably never had an older male figure in their lives. That's what I will try to be for them for just a few precious hours each week. Hopefully, they'll get someone new when I leave. Someone constant.

Sunday morning, I decided that I was going to go to Durban for the day. I made my way to my girlfriend's house where we ate breakfast in the sun, went for a walk, and watched soccer/football with her roommates. It turned out to be a very pleasant day and one of my favorites so far this trip. Also, my girlfriend and I have decided to become Liverpool fans.

This morning, I took the bus back to PMB, where I sat next to a young actress from Soweto. We talked about how formulaic Hollywood has become and how striking it is when it deviates. We also talked about her past television projects as well as her excitement for her role in an upcoming American mini-series set in Sierre Leone. Politics, education, HIV/AIDS, religion, and healthy foods - bad traffic allowed me to gain a local perspective on all of these things. I was not aware of this but apparently the South Africans pay for the HIV/AIDS treatment with their tax money. Westernized churches have get-togethers during the week where they sacrifice animals to their ancestors. And - there is actually someone in South Africa who does not eat chicken. Amazing.

An amazing weekend. I am so much more relaxed now and I feel a whole lot better!