Introducing...

I may be far away from home, but I want to introduce my family here in South Africa. These people have my utmost respect and they have changed my life. I think it could possibly be the best team I will ever work with.

The Khay Team :) From left: Poppi (Director of the Pre-school programme and the Community League), some useless tall goofy guy, Mams (the mom of our center), Mphaki (Community Project Coordinator, or CPC, for SKILLZ Street), the amazing Vuyo (our Programme Coordinator who also acted as our Site Coordinator, and Office Administrator for 3 months), my fellow intern Anna, Buntu (Community Project Coordinator for Generation SKILLZ), and Anna's sister Jenny (who came to visit in Ja nuary).

 Site Staff

Mphaki in action training our new coaches during our Training of Coaches (ToC) in early February

Mphaki and Vuyo having some fun singing and dancing during the ToC

Buntu being goofy at our Preschool Graduation in November

Chris Mfiki, our Monitoring and Evaluation guru on site, up on his perch. 

Friends, Coaches and other Football for Hope Center Characters

Sihle, 11, is a regular on our soccer pitch and unofficially the "president" of our center. 

Khaya, one of our new GRS coaches, who also worked as a Community League Coordinator before becoming a GRS coach. 

The one and only Lucky Mfundisi. Of all the GRS coaches, Lucky is the one with whom I spend the most time. After helping coordinate the filming of a documentary on Lucky, I am now working hard to get him a visa so that he can attend the film's premier in NYC. So you may see Lucky more...

Lucky doing what he does best, facilitating a Life SKILLZ session during a 3-week tournament that we hosted in November. 

Mr. Kuna, the fixture and result genius who keeps our Community League running smoothly

Aaaaaaaaaaaannnd LINO!!!! Lino is Poppi's 4-year old daughter who attends a preschool near the center and who halts my productivity at around 4 every day. Between Lino and I, it's sometimes unclear as to who is the one in preschool, though...

 And of course, the two strange umlungu (white) interns...

December Holidays Around Africa

 Zambia, Livingstone and Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls, Livingston Zambia

Chobe National Park, just outside of Livingston, Zambia

My Travel Buddy and I at Devil's Pool, at the Edge of the Falls

Insane...That's the main current of Victoria Falls right behind me...

GRS Stud Pic

Kilimanjaro

Tanzania...and guess who greeted us from our hotel room the morning of the start of our hike

The Claire Watt Expedition, with Mt. Meru in the Background

Below, Native Kilimanjaro Truffula Trees from Dr. Seuss!

Late Afternoon Clouds at our Second Campsite, Looking Across at Shira Peak

Summit Day

Christmas Morning! Sunrise, 5:00am

HHS Soccer at Uhuru Peak, 8:45am

On our way down, with glaciers turning smoothly into snow white clouds

SO Happy that I had a white Christmas Morning

Okavango Delta, Botswana

Sunset in the Okavango Delta

Stay Tuned! I'll be introducing all the Site Staff with whom I work in my next post...

Happy (Almost) Holidays From Cape Town!

Well, it doesn't look like December, and somehow I have already made it through a third of my GRS internship. What is going on!?!

It has been far far too long since my last blog post, I  know. But the last few months have pushed me in ways that makes Colby finals weeks look like a leisurely stroll. Currently, I am on my 9th straight day of work, and I will continue to go just about full throttle until Friday when we close for the holidays.

I know I won't be able to cover all that I want to, but here are some snapshots from the last couple months...and what a couple months it has been!

Cape Town in December! Looking at Lion's Head from the Contour Path of Table Mountain

Our GRS crew for the Cape Times Big Walk on November 10

The first 2013 FFHC Site Staff vs HQ Staff Soccer Match in November

GRS Coach Lucky Facilitating an Under-13 Life Skillz Session in our November Community League Tournament

Lucky Facilitating "Risk Field" with Under-19's During the Same Three-Week Tournament

Welcome to Jankershoek, Ladies and Gentlemen! Looking down from the top of Stellenbosch Mountain

My Partner in Crime

Riding on the Back of a Crocodile (or a rock that looked like one) on our way up Stellenbosch Mountain

Coach Mr. Kuna addressing the Community League Under-13 All Star Team at a Tournament in Cape Town on December 6

Coaches and Participants after our Decmeber Holiday Programme at Bosasa, a Juvenile Prison in Khayelitsha

GRS Coach KK and I looking so stylish at the HIV Counseling and Testing Tournament (HCT) on December 7 

Another Amazing Cape Town Sunset :)

 Stay tuned in early January for pictures of my holiday adventures! The line-up includes: Victoria Falls, Kilimanjaro (Summiting on Christmas Day!), and the Okavango Delta in Botswana...not too shabby.

October Photo Album

I'm once again reverting to the photo essay for this post, but there are some good ones!

The AMAZING GRS Site in Soweto: the Nike Training Center

Focus Group Discussion with GRS coaches and interns at Soweto

A handful of us Cape-terns with some GRS coaches from Soweto after a great day on site
(Photo Courtesy to Katie Pelo)

All the intern Kaiser Chief fans (with a few random additions) after watching the Soweto Derby, the biggest soccer game in South Africa between the two best club teams in the country. Amakosi for Life!

Energizer before Preschool graduation :)

How many preschoolers can you fit in the multi-purposr room at the FFH Khayelitsha? 383. I still can't believe we were able to fit them all in there.

FFHC Community League Graduation!

Vuyo, our Program Coordinator and all-around best guy ever, greeting the audience

Jones, a member of the community who chairs the Social League (over-30) Commitee, giving a motivational speech to the young participants

Nothing like a trophy to make you smile! Coach Raymond and his captain with the U15 winners' trophy.

Winners of the U13 Division with their winners' trophy and new set of bibs

Eric's hard work in material form...participation certificates for all 300 Community League players!