On
the Twelfth Day of Danika’s Christmas, 2013 has brought to me……
»»One snowless Christmas (on the beach!) Things
will be very different this year in shorts and flip flops eating Malva pudding
on the beach, but somehow I think I will manage. J
»»Two incredible new jobs! 2013
has blessed me with this opportunity of a lifetime! Five days after walking across the graduation
stage, I got on a plane to Port Elizabeth, South Africa where I came to work
for Masinyusane Development and Mater Dei Church. The development agency keeps me busy in many capacities, but primarily I have been
working on self-esteem and future plans 18 teens of New Brighton Township, and
teaching English to grade three. I also
have been leading a weekly Life Teen youth group of 30 high school students at
a Catholic Church.
»»Three super beautiful roommates! Life
living at the Bullpen was the best decision I could have made for myself, but
the worst decision for my GPA! Gretchen,
Savanah, and Andrea taught me a lot of things, but most importantly a Friday
spent on the couch watching TLC is never a bad idea; PBR is the only option,
especially from the Middy; Cards against Humanity is always a good start to any
night; Harry Potter actually can be watched on repeated, daily; the enneagram
can explain everything life throws at a person; when in doubt, do it some other
time; and maybe most importantly.. Its ok to be vulnerable, but only sometimes J
»»Four years at College of Saint Benedict
came to a close! Hands
down, best choice I could have made for myself.
So many lessons, so many memories, so many beautiful people to teach me
about the world and how I fit in to it!
In May, I walked across that all important stage and got my BA in
History, and whatever that means for the coming years, who knows! But for now,
ALUMNI STATUS!
»»Five part thanksgiving dinner THAT I
COOKED! To
stand in for missing my family celebrations, I hosted a South African
Thanksgiving dinner party. I cooked two
stuffed chickens, as turkey wasn’t available, and all the standard
accompaniments. A friend even brought
waffles “because that’s what Americans eat, right.” I only burnt the pumpkin
pie as I left it in the oven for an extra hour, but as a testament to my new
friendships, everyone told me how great it was!
»»Six new babies: Two
cats and four toy Pomeranians. Yes.. you
read that right! I sort of have fallen
in love with animals. It’s weird. The South African family that I am staying
with is wonderful, but Ozzi, Minky, Sam, Elsi, Toots and Eli are even better.
»»Seven months down, seven months left in
Africa! Shout out to all of my new friends and
family in PE who have made my life quite the journey. Jim and Fiks provided an excellent model of
how to lead a selfless life, and the Life Teen Core has become true family, with
build-in bonding opportunities!
»»Eight supportive family members who all
think I’m nuts for moving to Africa. Probably
my greatest family memory came from the Father/Daughter dance where Grampa
Dennie and I tore up Sal’s d-floor all night long with ma, granny and Christian
all there watching! A week later, dad,
his fiancé Mary, Granny and Pops Lindquist were all able to share in the
excitement of graduation. Memories of some authentic love!
»»Nine months since I have heard Piano Man
sung, and danced the proper way!
»»Ten amazing kids that I don’t know how I
will say bye to! Neo,
Snowball, Athule, Lutho, Solly, Breezy, Madoda, Simon, Pikoli, Anele (and a few
more, I just needed to fill in 10..) have blessed my life and taught me so much
about life! They make all of the frustrating days’ worth it.
»»Eleven students passed exams! When
I came to Lwandlekazi High School, the pass rate was 4% for the ENTIRE
school. As much as I tell myself that I
cannot solve all of the problems, I needed some quantifiable evidence that my
work is valued. I just found out
yesterday that 11 of my grade 10 learners that I have spent so, so, so many
hours passed their boards, and have qualified for bursaries!
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