2 weeks to go at Tshepo Ya Bana!

As usual, I wrote this 2 days ago but internet went down for a couple days! Haha! But nevertheless here is my update since my return!

So Monday 6th I arrived back at the infamous Tshepo Ya Bana! It was such a warm welcome from all the kids, we all thought I'd be coming back Tuesday so they were all surprised and ran and jumped on me! It was so lovely to give them all a big kiss and welcome me back. Koki didn't want to leave my side so he had quietly followed me down to my cottage so when I opened my suitcase and then looked up to see his big eyes looking at me I got a bit of a lump in my throat. Love them all so much.

That day I quickly unpacked, Im in a different room now, sharing with Arike and Maggie which is great. We are all very easy-going and get on great and whoever is doing night shift or early shift try to keep as quiet as possible!! The next couple days I also manaed to finally skype my family which was very needed!

That thursday Arike and Maggie approached me and said they have arranged for us to go to Derek's lodge across the road for supper to celebrate my birthday! I was so touched! So after work Mark drove us there (a two second drive, yet we cant walk because of the lions which is frustrating!) we had a lovely meal, there were 6 of us there! We now have 6 girls in the cottage which is massive. We now always have someone doing night shift duty and can share the work-load!

That sunday I also managed to skype my family again, it had just been my Granny's birthday so they were having a big party and we usually celebrate mine alongside it. Was sad not to be there but great to see all of their faces and my little cousin is growing up very fast! Cant wait to see him when Im home!

I also did night shift duty Saturday, Sunday and Monday which can be very full-on. Our premature baby is having trouble with wind so giving her Colic drops in each bottle but means she is very restless and can keep you awake most of the night. And at the same time as feeding and settling her, one night, I had Thato awake screaming for a bottle, Mapule woke up for a bottle and Gomolemo refused to go back to sleep so he was crawling around the floor - bearing in mind that was at 4o'clock in the morning it was pretty hectic. But you get to sleep all morning so we aren't all zombies don't worry!!

Friday was my day off and got to go in Pretoria as that is Chris's food shop day and collecting Fetsi from his boarding school. And since Maggie has doen night she she had the chance ot come with! So we got dropped at a local mall and looked in some shops and got some bits and bobs and then went for lunch. It was lovely, in the 6/7 months we've been here it was the first chance we'd had to go anywhere together! So we enjoyed it very much, especially as we both depart South Africa soon.

That friday we also all planned to go on a night game drive and chipped in to take Mark and Chris with us so they could also enjoy it! So after supper Derek came and picked us up on his big truck and Mama Joye came over to babysit for the evening. It was a shame we didnt see any big animals i.e. giraffe or rhino but we did see plenty other animals including a huge herd of zebra running from us but incredibly close. Lots of imapala, jackals, wildabeast, blespock and more.

We got home around 11.30pm and the next morning Mark took me and Maggie to go to a farm near-by so we could do the Microlight!! I had done it previously once before in August with Saskia a past volunteer. But couldn't refuse the chance to do it again, and it was only 300Rand. I went at 6.30am nice and early and in the air the guy asked if I wanted to ride over Tshepo Ya Bana etc. and I asked if theres any chance to try and find the elephants. He warned me there was a chance we wouldn't see them, and had to be very lucky but I wanted to take the chance! So we travelled further north in the game reserve to where they have been known to stay and BOOOOYAAA!! WE SAW THEM! As far as I could make out there were 5 or 6, only managed to get a few decent pictures but we fly over and around them a couple times and went down close. It was amazing, but you can see where they are destroying the bush and trampling down so many trees! There are 11 in total but the game reserve don't want them to multiply because they are causing a bit of havoc!

Sunday we and Maggie had our turn to go to church and decided we would attend Mama Joye's church which is a great lively african church that Ive told you about before. We had a good service but got hom with just 10 minutes to grab some food then back on shift so was a bit crazy as I hadnt had a chance to stop since 6o'oclock. But was nice ot go to church together and enjoy perhaps my last service.

This week has been good so far, busy as usual. The toddlers are as funny as ever. Just to quote some of the funny things these boys come out with:

Me: "Tshepang did your cup fall in the sink?"
Tshepang: "Yes Auntie, it was sinking"

(Koki sneezes and some yummy stubstance drips down)

Tshepo David (very concerned!): "Oh. Auntie look at Koki's nose! It's falling down!"

Sat outside on a hot day Kamo comes to me and say's

"Gemma it's hot.
"Yes."

Then as Kamo tries to climb onto my lap..

"Well, if it's hot its not a good idea to cuddle me."

I take him off. He looks at me with these big beautiful eyes...

"Auntie... it's cold."

There are many more hilarious things but they stick out in my mind right now! Im pleased to report our premature baby is doing amazing, she has doubled in weight since she arrived to us at 1,6kg and drinking 100ml every 3 hours. She is gorgeous but as I said still struggling with wind. And Oarabile, our little girl, is happy as ever. She is gradually getting better, starting to move and try to do more, sitting in a chair and highchair which is great and making lots of groaning noises. She can get grumpy if she's not happy and gets very very frustrated if she can't do something, for example, we try to let her have a spoon when feeding to try also feed herself but if you ever try help her or take the spoon away she will scream the house down. You can see the pain in her face for the fact that she can no longer do any of these simple things, especially when 6 months ago she could do everything. She turns 2 years old next month! And I am growing far too attatched with our 7 month old boy Nao, dreading saying goodbye to him. I love them all to pieces but in 2 weeks time it will be goodbye!

Thanks for all your love and support, nearly the end of my journey at Tshepo Ya Bana but am planning a nice 2 weeks of holiday before returning to England on 24th March!

Love to you all back home and thinking of you in that cold, horrible rainy weather as Im enjoying my last few weeks in 35degree heat, next to a swimming pool, staring out at the bush. (We had zebra's outside the gate last night and when we drove home the other day at 6oclock it was still 30degree!!)

Not to make any of you jealous or anything.....

Peace!!