Back at it again . . .

We have had a busy last couple of days! Yesterday, we returned to a church in Langa where we completed our painting project and rebuilt a table. We enjoyed our time working with the community there, and it was satisfying to see the finished project. We returned to the flat to refuel and gather supplies to go to the Maitland Cottage Children's Rehabilitation Center. We had visited the previous week and seeing the progress the kids had made in so little time brought smiles to all of our faces. In the boys' and girls' wards we decorated the walls using snowflakes and and paper cut outs of the children's hands. Some of us worked in the art room with the kids and did their makeup. It was such an energizing experience to work with the kids there. When we had to leave, many of us already expressed a desire to return. 

After a day of service, we had an exciting activity planned for dinner! We went to something called "Food Jam" where we were tasked with preparing our own dinner in teams. We all chose a team name out of a hat, and the names varied from "Love Triangle" to "Beer Chicken." We gathered in our teams and read over our recipes as lively music played in the background. We laughed, danced, and cooked as we discovered that our group has a variety of cooking skill levels! Overall, it was a fun way to end the day.

Today, we did not have any service activities planned, but rather we experienced some Cape Town culture! In the morning we took a beading workshop where we learned how to make beaded keychains of a variety of shapes. We then returned to Ned Dorman secondary school for a cultural exchange where we enjoyed food from both Afrikaans and Xhosa cultures while listening to the schools marimba band. We also shared what we had learned in our Afrikaans and Xhosa language classes. Then we went to the Green Square Market where we all learned how to bargain (some of us more than others!!). Afterwards, the group met for lunch at the Food Lovers market and concluded our outings for the day.