Saturday, a little later...

Something I’ve learnt about this place the past week is that if you have anything, there’s going to be someone who wants to steal it from you.  That’s the story.  Especially shiny things or things that work with electricity.  You also get a faint start at imagining  what it must be like to never have or have had any of these things.  For a lot of people in the world that is just something unimaginable.

This truly is a world apart.

I’ve also learnt that I have to move.  This place has served it’s time now, this camping place I mean.  No, I’ll still stay here for sometime still, I owe my landlord some money in any case.

But God has given me a new dream.  He wants me to open an after -school English extra classes school.  Not a big school.  Only for children who are really serious  about learning English.  And eventually it can spread out to become a place where they can learn other skills as well.  The possibilities are endless. 

Library is still a priority, as is sowing centre… And veggie garden.

I’ve been feeling that the caravan is too small and now I’m also paranoid that some of the boys may want to rob me.  Yesterday I was teaching Buyana and his brother, when another boy who I’ve seen in the street and know by name, just waltzed into my tent without a word.  He seemed kind of surprised to see us and just stood there, so I asked him in Xhosa what he was doing there and he just said ‘andiyazi’ (which means I don’t know).  So I asked him if he was hungry and gave him some fruit and sent him on his way.  I want to believe that he was just there because he was hungry or want to learn, and really doesn’t know any English, but had a strange feeling.  And when he left the boys said he was a little tsotsi and wants to steal my stuff.  I think these boys seriously want my ancient ipod and laptop although they don’t even have electricity to charge it…

So I’ve decided another rule for them, no one allowed in the caravan anymore, they’re getting all too comfortable.  The other day Buyana left with my torch without even asking.  He did bring it back, but still, I actually use it at night.  I don’t know what he thinks, probably thinks I’ve got enough light and don’t need it.  And our communication is still at a very beginners level, hard to make sense to each other.

But anyway, about the space thing.  My friend Lucy said she would be happy to rent her land to me for R500/month, although I’d like to give her more if Im at all able to.  And fix the place up quite a bit.  

It’s perfectly situated, right below the Coffee Bay school and next to the road in the centre of the village and a river runs at the bottom of it.  She’s built a rondavel and a little flat house which is not quite finished yet, still needs glass in the window, cement and paint on the outside and of course there is no form of water or bathroom or electricity or fence. 

But if we make it a group project it could work!  I wish someone would come to visit to see the potential.  But I’m going to look for Lucy tomorrow and ask her what she thinks about the idea.  And if there are people out there who are keen to help, we could do with some volunteers to come and paint and start a garden and stuff like that!  People could contribute and we could get a bathroom of some sort running there…  I’d better also find out if the Municipality would allow that… How’s that for an idea!