claramsong

My expectations were extremely low, I thought I would be living in a hut with no running water or electricity. Obviously not in South Africa since it’s more developed but you get the point. And I think it’s best if you don’t expect anything when volunteering. I was then shocked to see the beautiful house we got to stay in and I felt more grateful for it.

As for the schools, I first volunteered in a school called Nyakallo for 2 weeks. I was just getting the hang of the school after a week and it was really draining because there were so many children and not as many volunteers. Schools don’t have many regulations compared to as in the states because of the poverty level. For the second week, we were a total of 3 volunteers and it was still a bit chaotic. To be completely honest though, the schools are much nicer than I expected. The schools are usually the teachers home as well as the school. This school kept trying to get themselves back on their feet for the past year, and there was a lot to do. They had a lot of clutter and organizing to do. It breaks my heart because I was only their for a month and I would have loved to plan and help them get there school up and running again. Then as we discussed with the other volunteers and on site leader we thought it was best that we go help at another school. I still feel extremely bad for leaving because I had a connection with the children. I will forever remember them.

We got moved to a new school called Harare. We were going to be the very first volunteers at this school and I think we were the best volunteers for it. The principal and teachers welcomed us with so much love and gratefulness for us being there. The kids had more room to play around and we would take them to the park and they would go absolutely bonkers for it. We helped them paint walls and make the area more lively for the children.

Saying goodbye is so hard especially since we were the first batch of volunteers at this school. The children don’t understand that we are leaving but new volunteers will arrive. One of the girls named Shimmer got really sad as we were leaving and started crying. It really hurts to say goodbye and I really hope that these kids can grow up and follow their dreams.

Overall, I think that the more you see of the world and what some people and kids are going through makes you see life from a whole other perspective. Also, the wonderful people you meet through volunteering is insane. Meeting other volunteers from across the world is crazy. Because we all come from different backgrounds and were raised differently. These friendships will last forever and I’m so grateful for all the people I met.

Feels like ages have passed by but at the same time it flew by way too fast. I feel old. Don’t know why but hey old lady Clara. Sorry I haven’t posted in a bit I get stuck writing sometimes. Good news is that I have arrived safely in Kenya and it is raining with lighting! Very beautiful so far!! Sending you all so much love!!