Student-Student Blurbs

Libby (written by Anna):

Libby really enjoyed our last night in Soweto, the braii we had at Lebo’s Backpackers was really fun. She was very good with the kids at the SOS Camp, she tolerated a lot of energized kids there. She is very kind to everyone in the group, and never shows annoyance and has a lot of patience with each and everyone she meets. Her hugs get me through my tough days when I may be feeling upset or down. She held one of our team member’s hand the entire way down a very steep mountain to help our group member feel more stable and comfortable, I thought that was very brave of her, it shows how thoughtful of others she is.

Soo (written by Jacob):

Well, it looks like I’ve gotten Soo, and I can honestly say I couldn’t be happier. She is by far one of the awesomest people on this trip. Her ability to find the good in everyone is unmatched and she is one of the kindest, most virtuous people it has ever been my pleasure to know. This does nothing to disparage her hilarious sense of humor epitomized by the statement “I’ve always wanted to eat an owl, because I used to have mice, and since owls eat mice, it would sorta be like revenge.” Good stuff. Hilarious. In all seriousness though, it has truly been my pleasure to meet her, and having the opportunity to write this review has been tanfasmic. Shout out to her family, who must have raised her well. J

Cheers, Jacob

Jacob (written by Ari):

Jacob has truly enjoyed everything that we have experienced on our journey in the past few days, from hiking up Sheba’s Breast to spending a day teaching in a classroom full of Swazi elementary school kids. He has a tremendous ability to invent games and activities out of thin air, keeping the kids on their feet and entertained at all times. Jacob is always the first to help out when something needs doing, and often steps up as a leader when we need it. I’m really glad to have Jacob on this trip and I hope to get to know him even better before the trip ends.

Ari

Anna (written by Libby):

Yay! I got Anna! Anyways, Anna Banana is super awesome. I mean it! She has an incredible amount of patience that could make anyone envious. While teaching at the art school in Soweto, Anna dazzled the kids with her smiles, kind words and ability to enjoy every single picture and card thrust her way. No matter what happened, she was able to deal with it calmly. Not many people can do something like that! In our last night in Soweto at the braii (a barbecue party), Anna spent it not only cleaning the dishes – and there were a lot of dishes – but bonding with the friends we made in the township. It was a beautiful sight to see! Never will I forget the feelings of warmth and friendship from that night. Anna also deserves INSANE mad props for her endurance. While driving through the game park in search of some last rhinos and giraffes, Anna’s head bumped into the window. Not only did she stick it out, she didn’t complain. If I were hit in the head, I would have definitely voiced my pain all the way home. I also appreciate that Anna gives really good hugs all throughout the day and always with a smile. She’s really open and helps the chefs or the sparklers clean up. Anna challenges herself by teaching the kids at the SOS camp . Even though she has to deal with rowdy kids that like to tackle people in hugs, Anna somehow manages to create enough space around her but still shower the kids with attention. Great job, Anna! There’s so much more to say, but this isn’t the Anna Blog. However, it has been an absolute joy to review her. Go Anna! We love you!

FASHOOM!

Libby

Ari (written by Satchel):

Ari enjoyed hiking up Sheba’s Breast on the first full day we had in Swaziland and he has been a great team player the entire trip. He was great with the children at the Umbuyisa Art School and he ran some really good activities there. On our last night in Soweto after the barbeque, he did dishes for a solid hour and a half! He’s been a huge help to the group. I appreciate that Ari always speaks his mind and that his sense of humor always seems to help the group out when we’re all tired or frustrated. Also, Ari has challenged himself just by coming on the trip as he is not getting much sleep and I know it’s incredibly difficult for him to operate on little sleep. Ari has been doing fantastically on this trip.

Augusta (written by Aly):

Agoustes Gloup is an awesome person. She is living up every moment of this trip with a smile on her face and amazing attitude. She acted like the crazy camp counsolour in Soweto and the kids absoloutly loved her. She is showing her crazy and goofy side which is something she is doing so well at mixing with the group and all the locals. Which she deserves mad props for!!!!(: We are having a great time and I appreciate how unique she is. Unique in a good way because with her I never stop laughing. Augusta is shining and becoming a real super star on this program. She stepped out of her comfort zone and taught a class with me today. She is a great role model and someone for everyone around her to admire. She loves and talks about her family all the time. Even though we are having such busy packed days she still talks about you guys. So if she was writing this she would want me to say hi! I am going to miss Augusta when this is over and I know she will have some wonderful stories when she gets back!!

Love Aly.

Satchel (written by Augusta):

Satchelito Sturtzenager has enjoyed every moment so far on this trip. He really likes to take advantage of all the time he spends with kids. At one point Satchelito was sitting for nearly an hour with the same little boy in his lap looking so serene and peaceful. It was amazing to see him sitting there so calmly for so long looking so natural. Since our last night in Soweto, Satchelito has had fun watching rhinos. We went on a safari and that is all he wanted to see! He even joked about getting out of the car and riding one… BARE-BACK!!! Satchelito definitely deserves mad props for being so enthusiastic. He never mutters a bad word about any of the activities we have done. He also is a very good person to have random conversations with. He listens very intently and has really interesting responses to even the strangest of questions. Mr. Sturtzinager has challenged himself by being open with the whole group about everything. He is very real and “human-like”. Mr. Sturtzenager has acquired multiple nick-names from this trip: Sturtzenager, Satchelito, Sancho, Satchsquach, Statch Match, Giggle Pig, and The Twitch.

-AK47

Aly (written by Soo):

So Aly. Surpriseeee

So the first question asks me to write something that you really enjoyed since our last night in Soweto, which was already 4 days ago. Time flies.. Well, you’re always happy so I guess it’s hard for me to choose a certain instance in time when you were enjoying yourself. Something you did really well so far is that you are really comfortable around children and keep them laughing. Especially the wee little ones. You’d be a great mother in the future. I think half of the time, you’ll be having more fun than your kid.

Something awesome about you (and also something that I appreciate) isssssssssssssssssss that you are super honest, headstrong and humanlike, which are things that I can relate to because I am somewhat like that myself. And although I only recently (Yesterday) realized those things in a strong manner, I really found myself smiling because I think those qualities adorn you with the beauty that you possess.

The next question asks: “In what way did you challenge yourself?” Well, I give respect to all people alive, just because I think that being alive itself is a huge accomplishment. I believe every single day is a challenge for everyone, so just the fact that you are still trooping through with us here in South Africa is a challenge worth appreciating. J Smile Ali. You’ll be great. You are great.

```````````````````````J

Student Blog: Swaziland (July 15~17)

Our time in Swaziland started with a six-hour drive in rural South Africa, from dawn to noon. During the trip, we stopped for bunny chow, Indian food and mini pizzas. The hostel that we came to was a nice, simple place with many bathrooms and many huge wooden giraffe statues. The dinner that night was amazing, not only was the food of curry chicken and cooked vegetables delicious, but the conversation we had over dinner was excellent. That night was the first time we actually had the chance to digest and reflect on our last day in Soweto when we visited Kliptown and the Soweto Kliptown Youth group (SKY), we had been so busy previously. Our experience on that last day was rather raw and emotional - seeing how the poorest of Africans live in metal shacks made from leftover metal plates, without proper plumbing. Recollecting our memories of that intense day was hard, but successful beyond any of our expectations. We talked about why Kliptown was the way it was, why poverty existed, what we felt and what we should do with that feeling. With the guidance of our leaders, and free communication of our individual experiences, we turned a sad and potentially depressing experience into one that would fuel future actions to help solve poverty and the various problems we saw that day in Kliptown.

Early the next morning, we left at six AM again to climb Swaziland’s Shibas Breast, a mountain near our hostel. It was an enjoyable 1 ½ hours up, and an even more enjoyable time once we got to the top. We took silly pictures, shared our packed lunch, and read an excerpt from the book The Impossible Will Take a Little While. A lot of us overcame our fear of windy steep mountains on that morning. After making our way back down, we stopped at the local crafts shop where many of us bought African crafts at a very low price and practiced our bargaining skills. For dinner we had a cooking challenge to make four traditional Swazi dishes. With luck and the help of friendly natives, we succeeded in enjoying a great dinner of porridge, chicken, veggies and chocolate pudding.

The next day we relaxed and saw the wildlife of Africa on a game drive. We excitedly took hundreds of pictures of the animals we saw. We even got a treat and saw two lions mate within a two feet distance :)

Kliptown Youth Choir

And thanks to our more technologically advanced travelers, here is a little snippet of the performance the group participated in in Kliptown:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9sBjWjkQq0

Umbuyisa Wrap Up: Blogging Madness!!

Trip Leader Adam Aronovitz

Hello World!!! Greetings from the motherland! It’s been a beautiful and intense experience thus far in our Southern African Escapades. At the moment, we are celebrating the end of our Soweto experience with a fireside poetry jam with members of the art community and reflecting on a mindblowing week in the world’s largest township. The group moved another inch towards human unity by leading an incredible camp experience for children at the Umbuyisa Art School, culminating in a screen-printing collaboration to celebrate Mandela Day!!! As the clock tick tocks and morning creeps closer, we are preparing for our cross country drive and border crossing into the Kingdom of Swaziland to begin a week of service work with the SOS Children’s Village!!!

So be prepared to feast on the blogging madness!!

Adam

Check out the first week of Windsor Mountain Bridge South Africa 2011 through the eyes of our students. Each student has a bit to say including someone they have met, someone to send a shooting star (a special pat on the internet-back to) and a shout out. Enjoy…

Augusta AK Klein

GREETINGS from South Africa!

This is such a lovely country. Although the weather is rather chilly (it IS winter), I feel warm due to everyone’s kind and open hearts. Everyone is so nice and talkative here. I have had so many interesting conversations with local South Africans. One person that has certainly made a huge impression on me is a young man named Eli. He is so intellectual and knows so many facts about South Africa, America, and other countries around the world. He is also a very good conversationalist, which makes up for my lack of talent in conversations. Also someone who has really inspired me are all of the little kids we have been working with throughout our first week here. So to commend them I would like to send “Shooting Stars” to every kid I have met so far. I would also like to send a shout-out to my brothers (who probably haven’t even noticed I’m gone), my parents (who allowed me to come on this fabulous trip), and my dogs (who like to eat things).

~Peace, Love, and Chow~

Aly Centrella

HIII FROM SOUTH AFRICA! This is Aly speaking. We arrived in this beautiful country on Thursday the 7<sup>th</sup>. We were very surprised how cold it really was. The moment we got here we were warmly greeted by all the locals. Everyone we have met has been nothing but welcoming. The most inspiring experience was visiting the informal settlement in Kliptown. They are little shack or shanty town communities that were very shocking to walk through. We were welcomed with a beautiful traditional dance performed by the local kids. They were so amazing I almost cried. I loved how they were full of life and to think that they have so little but love so much amazed me. The kids were the most inspiring people I have met thus far and I would like to give all of the kids shooting stars. I would like to say hi to all my family and friends I miss you all very much!! Mommy and Dad I cant wait to talk to you on the 21<sup>st</sup>!

Love, Aly Cat.

Libby Cohen

Hello Hello Hellooooo! South Africa has been incredible so far with its warm people and traffic lights that are called robots (how cool is that?!). It is super easy to talk to anyone on the street and get to know their family with just a smile. While on a taxi in Soweto, I met a charming man who talked of his experience of the apartheid. We talked about the differences in our cultures until it was his stop. The biggest experience so far has been working with the children. Even with poor living conditions and limited water, these kids never stop smiling or having a good time. Even in Kliptown, half of which is an informal settlement, the kids showered us with hugs and kisses and put on a moving performance that nearly made me cry. In the group, I would like to send shooting stars to Molly for totally being more awesome than anyone ever imagined and lending me her camera when mine broke. Thank you, Molly! I’d also like to shout-out to my family – thanks for all your love and good wishes! – and my friends Sam and Evan – thanks for being so supportive! I’ll go teach baby seals Shakespeare now. That’s about it….

Libbles’n’Bits, signing out!

Satchel Sturtz

Hiiiiiii! South Africa has been absolutely incredible so far. When I got here I was very surprised as Jo-burg looked nothing like I expected. It was very built up and pretty modern. Early on in the trip we went and visited Constitution Hill where Mandela was kept for a short period of time. I learned about how horrible the conditions were for prisoners there and a ton of them did not even deserve to be there. Conditions for political prisoners there were even worse as they were kept in solitary confinement for their whole stay. The culture in South Africa is amazing. We recently went and visited an informal settlement in Kliptown. The spirit of all of the people there was so inspiring because they had almost nothing. They planned an amazing performance for us. I’d never seen anything like it. I’ll also never forget about a man I met named Tshepo. He founded a non-profit children’s art school and he’s there every day with the children. He quite honestly may be the nicest man I have ever met. He’s highly respected in Soweto because of all of the amazing things he’s done purely for the benefit of others.

- Sturtzenegger

Anna Wickenden

Wow where to begin? A lot has been going on here in South Africa. The first day here had such an impact on me, we met with children suffering from HIV/AIDS, along with that some were orphans or in bad living conditions. It really affected me when I encountered this. We have visited many sites like the Mandela House, South Africa’s version of the Bill of Rights, we passed by Winnie Mandela’s House, an informal settlement (such an amazing experience). We have met many amazing people while being here, and such wonderful children at the camps we help run. Everyone here is so friendly and welcoming! It is very important that we see the more difficult side of South Africa as well, so when we return to the U.S we can share the information with others and help make a difference.

-Anna Ecky Wickenden

Ari Weinstein

Hey everyone! If I had to write this whole blog post in one sentence, it would be this one: South Africa is pretty amazing. Over the past week, we have had the opportunity to get hands-on experience with the rich culture, history, and politics of South Africa. I say “hands-on” because we went beyond the tourist experience of visiting museums from the comfort of a plushy hotel; we dove in head first, visiting an intense “informal settlement” called Kliptown where we experienced firsthand the extreme poverty caused primarily by the Apartheid (and I now know what that is). On the lighter side, we’re also having a great time bonding within our group, and running camp has been extremely fun and successful. It’s hard to explain in writing what I feel about this country and this experience, so I think I’m going to leave it at this.

Ari Weinstime

Soo Joo

Everyday at night, the team shares things called ‘high points’. Cooking dinner with the crew everyday was a great high for the whole trip because making food was fun, and eating was gooooood, and feeding people feels great. Another high was the evening activities that we have every day after dinner, which was when we got to know each other deeply and share experiences together- each one of us mustering up the bravery of exposing ourselves to possibly uncomfortable situations. And we do have silliness and plenty of goofiness, which is just so beautiful and arguably the best part of the trip. I really am enjoying seeing us each grow through our experiences together in South Africa, in many tiny ways.

Shooting stars (tokens of appreciation) to everyone who made me laugh. Something I earned from the experience was a chance and an environment to go back to my natural, people loving and goofy self. The chillness and openness of South Africans is really something to treasure greatly and strive to achieve all over the world.

MA! Don’t know if you will be reading this blog at all, but I miss you. J I wrote you a letter, so watch out for it. I’ll send it soon >>!! Do not worry about meJ I’m surrounded constantly with people who love and care about me as much as you do. Thanks for letting me come here. Thanks for supporting my craziness. Love you <3

-Soo Chef Joo Chef

Jacob Senghas

Well, it has come down to me, which isn’t really surprising, being the procrastinator I am. This is being written the night it’s due. In fact it’s about 15 minutes late. So sue me.

But I digress. In short, this trip has been completely mind-blowing. I echo the sentiments of all my good friends in noting the positive spirit that seems to suffuse the entire country. This same energy serves to make this trip truly wonderful, in the amazing people we have met. I could ramble all night about all my new friends, but I will only list the people I’ve spent the most time with: Tshepo (who seems to know everybody- even the Black Eyed Peas), Xolilo (who has an unpronounceable click in his name), Linda (who hates having his name made fun of), T.K. (who has the best facial hair ever), and Eli (who is the smartest guy I have ever met and is insanely worldly). They have made this trip truly amazing.

But by far my favorite part was the visit to Kliptown- it truly put the world into perspective. Think those ramshackle shacks you see in National Geographic during their “poverty special” or something. Then imagine the smell. Yeah.

But I really am having tons of fun, and I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else. Well, maybe that’s a hyperbole, but you get my drift. And yes, I realize that I started pretty much every paragraph with the word “but”, but whatever.

Anyway, I’d like to send a shout-out to my parents, my brother, and my friends, all of whom do not know this blog exists. So… if anyone I know is miraculously reading this, please notify them. That would be great.

Truly yours, Jake the Jam

Trip Leader Molly Ryan

Hello Windsor Mountain Friends and Family! I am so happy you’re reading our first team blog entry. The kids have done a great job explaining the highlights of our trip thus far, so I won’t spend time rehashing. Instead, I will share a few photos with you. Posted on the blog, you’ll find photos of your silly kids at the Constitution Hill Museum posing on cement posts, a photo of the group hanging out in some grass, a shot of Augusta contemplating her 16<sup>th</sup> birthday wish, a photo of the lunches we have been eating (Jacob and Adam have been eating the veggie options, I promise), and multiple images of our kids with the children of Umbuyisa School of Art and Culture and the children of the Matlosana HIV/AIDS Hospice Crèche playing, loving, and screen printing. The man back to back with me is Tshepo, the founder of Umbuyisa and our Sowetan BFF.

The Windsor Mountain Students have been inspiring to work with; they are curious, kind, and enthusiastic. I feel insanely lucky to be watching these kids transform as their hearts and minds expand. And for all the mothers and fathers reading along, I made them wash their socks and undies this morning and have been feeding them greens and whole grains as much as I can!

Until next time,

Mollywood

First Update: Exploring Jozi

"Hello! Bridge South Africa has officially begun. The group is acclimating to community living, South African Ubuntu, and the Southern Hemisphere's winter extremely well. Since arrival we have been touring Jozi (slang for Johannesburg) and filling our brains with information about the South African Struggle against Apartheid, AIDS, and poverty as well as filling our stomachs with Bunny Chow, Koti, and Pap-- African Specialties.

The students have been eager to learn as much as they can about the injustices this country has faced and the struggle South Africans are undergoing today. The context provided for the students within the last few days has prepared them for their work at the Umbuyisa Art school in Soweto, South Africa's largest Township.

The students are truly impressive. I (Molly) have been blown away by their compassion, silliness, and ability to absorb and reflect on South Africa's recent history. We are just now beginning our work with the children of Umbuyisa and look forward to a full week of cultural immersion, exchange, and FUN!

Look forward to our next blog on Thursday-- the students will be posting photos and possibly a video!"

Good Afternoon Bridge Southern Africa families,

The students have arrived safely in Johannesburg! The flight was long but the kids spirits remained high. They are all eager to begin orientation and to start exploring their new home for the next month.

Good Afternoon Bridge Southern Africa families!

If you would like to track the South Africa flight please follow this link:
http://www.flightview.com/
The airline is South Africa Airways and the flight number is 204.

Happy viewing!