The Shack

Week 9 Cultural/Personal

On Friday we decided to take advantage of a day off to head away for the weekend.  We had been invited to stay at Edward and Juanita’s holiday home in Eersterivier which means First River in Afrikaans.  ‘The Shack’ was built by their grandfather and is situated right beside a secluded beach surrounded by beautiful hills.  The house itself has many features that are unique and different; and it was an ideal location to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.  For a house so small it has tremendous character and you can tell the Kotze family have added a different element each time they visited building upon the foundations their grandfather had started many years before.  The location was ideal to simply relax and enjoy another beautiful part of South Africa’s famous Garden route.  It was also the first place where security seemed not to be an issue as there was no need for high walls or electric fences to guard the various properties.  This of course was completely different to the homes situated in the Summerstrand area of Port Elizabeth.  That evening Juanita and I decided it was time for Paddy to get his hand s dirty and cook everyone an evening meal.  Although Paddy, argued this was not a good idea, under supervision he made proofed to everyone that he had the potential to be the next Jamie Oliver (Maybe not quite).

On Friday we spent most of the day exploring the various beaches situated in the area and in the afternoon we decided to hike into the hills behind the shack and explore the rocky terrain. After several attempts of trying to find, Simba the lion cub, we headed back to the shack to start the preparations for the tradition meal; we have both fully embraced and come to love, a South African ‘braai.’  As the evening progressed we all were drawn to the beautiful night sky.  In all my travels across the seas I have never witnessed such a dark clear sky with a wealth of stars to gaze upon.  It was a pleasant contrast from the bright lights found in Port Elizabeth.

The next day we planned to explore further down the coastline to a river mouth that had many things to see in regards to wildlife and scenery as well as a few rocks which Paddy was keen to jump from.  However we experienced some difficulty in trying to reach our destination.  The river mouth was situated in area where we would have to journey through holiday homes owned by the Afrikaans community and let’s just say they were not the most welcoming of people. 

Edward and Juanita informed us of recent tension and trouble concerning the Afrikaans residents and that of the black and coloured community.  The residents want to preserve this particular area for various reasons such as the protection of the local wildlife found in the sea and neighbouring nature reserve.  The coloured and black community feel that they have should also have the right to buy land, enjoy the beaches and help protect the local wildlife and scenery.  Therefore you can appreciate the current tension and problems these differing opinions have created.   For this simple reason the locals stop anybody “trespassing” in this particular area, even though the property boundaries end at high water marks.  We thought is best to turn around and head back to the area surrounding ‘The Shack,’ as we could potentially end up in an difficult situation.

It was a pity to witness the underlying racism that exists among this particular Afrikaans community towards the black and coloured community.  This incident reminded me of the current problems that are becoming more prevalent in both Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, towards people from foreign countries.   We as teachers will have to learn to deal with the trauma that comes with these issues as these children will be in our classrooms.  If we equip ourselves with the tools to overcome the problems effectively and create an environment where everyone feels included, our learners will be able to progress and develop to their full potential.

Unfortunately on Saturday afternoon while swimming in some rock pools, Paddy was knocked back onto a rock by an oncoming wave and caught his hand on one of the rocks and if left him with quite a deep cut on his hand.  Paddy found the whole situation quite funny even though the cut itself needed stitches as the wound was quite deep.  Juanita is a qualified nurse and recommended that Paddy would need to go to hospital to have his hand sewn back together.  However, as we were about to take Paddy to the nearest hospital, Juanita found some sewing needles in her car and we all debated whether he should go to hospital or that we stay at the shack and Juanita would stitch up Paddy as best she could.  The decision was made to stay and try our best to sew Paddy’s hand back together as the hospital would probably charge him a small fortune for getting stitches.  Edward and I were delighted at the prospect of helping in this minor procedure and held the Paddy’s leatherman in place for Juanita to successfully tie the stitches.  Kirsty, however didn’t appreciate our enthusiasm as she is quite squeamish in regards to blood.  It wasn’t long until the job was complete and set about making a fire for the evening’s festivities. 

On Sunday we continued to bask in the beautiful South African sun and had a great time snorkelling in the sea where we collected a few shellfish to add to our lunchtime meal.  Surprisingly they tasted pretty good, even though you had to chew for quite a while.  

On Tuesday I was asked to help with Sports Day for the Primary Phase at Cape Recife High school.   I can honestly say this was one of the best days I have had in my whole experience in South Africa.  One of the children in my Grade1 class Althutho has only started to walk using a walker in the past 6 months.  From an early age doctors told her parents and teachers she would always be confined to a wheelchair and would not develop any movement below her waist.  Therefore, it was amazing to watch her take part in a walking race for the disabled and refuse the assistance of any staff member when she was clearly struggling.  It was clear she was determined to finish the race by herself un-aided!  Althutho was met by cheers from her class mates and tears of joy from most of the primary staff.    I was amazed to witness a child that is only 8 years old prove all the doctors and other professionals wrong, that in fact she can walk. I can safely say this moment will remain with me long after I leave Africa and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to be a part of such a momentous event in this child’s life.

On Wednesday we decided that we should share some of our own Northern Irish culture with some of our South African friends, by cooking some Irish stew and homemade wheaten bread.  Although I did lack some essential ingredients I think everyone enjoyed the meal and the fun and games that followed.

Until next time,

“Baai” (bye)

Callum.