Eternally Grateful

Hello everyone! This past week has been absolutely incredible, and has included a LOT of travelling around South Africa: last weekend I was in Capetown, this weekend I was up at Kruger National Park, and in just a few hours I am going to be heading home to the US (so many mixed emotions about that last one)! It has included many hours of planes and buses, but the trips turned out to be absolutely incredible and gave me so many beautiful memories!

          While we were in Capetown, Jake (the Fr Smith Fellow from Springs) and I were able to visit many of the different popular tourist spots including the V&A Waterfront, Table Mountain, Clifton Beach, and the Kirstenbosch Gardens. I didn’t realize that Capetown is almost completely surrounded by the mountains and the ocean, making it an absolutely beautiful place!

When Jake and I were at the Kirstenbosch Gardens

          After flying back to Montebello on Tuesday, I was able to spend the next few days here with the students at the high school, Creche, and Vianney. It was so wonderful to see them again after being away, but all too soon I was leaving again for Kruger National Park. Because the safari park is far away from Montebello, I bused up to Springs the night before and was able to stay the night with the Dominican community there. It was amazing to be able to meet them and see the people that Jake has been working with these past 6 weeks. Surprisingly, there were a few Brothers from Pietermaritzburg visiting Springs, so I was able to catch up with them and see what they’ve been doing since I last spoke with them.

          After a quick night in Springs, Jake and I bused out to Kruger National Park! While we were there, we were able to go on 4 different game drives in order to see the animals, and my goodness did we see so many! There were elephants (my personal favorite), giraffes, rhinos, zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, wild dogs, antelope, and tons of other animals that I can’t remember the names of. It was amazing! When we weren’t on a game drive, we were at the campsite talking with people from all over the world including Dubai, India, Costa Rica, Italy, and England.

A wild dog

An elephant that got extremely close to our jeep

A little deer that we saw right outside the campsite

The "rocks" in the water were actually hippos!

          I bused back to Pietermaritzburg overnight on Sunday and arrived there around 4:30 am on Monday. Because it was so early, Fr Clement from the Pietermaritzburg community came to pick me up and bring me back to Emaphetweleni Priory. This actually worked out perfectly because I was able to reconnect with the brothers in PMB and say my goodbyes to them before I left. Fr Clement was then kind enough to drive me back to Montebello, and on the way there we pulled the car over in order to eat some Sugarcane! Sugarcane is a crop that grows absolutely everywhere in Montebello, and it is aptly named since the inside of it is filled with a sugary syrup. I’ve seen the Sugarcane every day in Montebello, and I was SO happy to finally eat it for myself!

Saying goodbye to Fr Martin (left) and Fr Joe (right) from the Pietermaritzburg community

Sugarcane as far as the eye can see

First time eating Sugarcane with Fr Clement!

          So that brings us back to the present, where I am now enjoying my last night in Montebello. I said goodbye to the children at Vianney this evening, which was so incredibly hard. They put together some songs to perform for me before I left, and some of the kids gave beautiful speeches saying how grateful they were for all the fun we were able to have together. For these past few weeks, one of the best parts of my day is going to Vianney since the kids always run out to greet me with smiles on their faces and arms spread wide for a hug. That being said, one of the hardest parts of the day is having to say goodbye to them in the evening. If I thought those small, daily goodbyes were hard, this last one we had tonight was next to impossible. The kids there are so amazing and sweet and full of love. While I’ve been there, I have tried to tell each and every one of them how much they are loved; I have tried to show each and every one of them that they have a place where belong; and I have tried to give each and every one of them so many hugs to the point that they are filled with love. It was so hard saying goodbye tonight, but I cannot express how grateful I am that God sent me these 23 blessings to play with, care for, and love.

These kids are so creative! I brought them jump ropes to play with, and the next thing I know they are "plugging them in" to a pipe and having a karaoke party 

My 23 little blessings

          Tomorrow is my last day at the high school and Creche, so that update will come in a later blog. The last story I wanted to share was an experience that happened just tonight. The electricity was out in Montebello all day today, which was not a huge deal during the day, but as the sun went down so did my phone battery. This was extremely concerning to me because not only did I want to take pictures of my last few moments here, but I also had a huge flight coming up in less than 24 hours. After my phone had fully died and all attempts to recharge it with my laptop had failed, Sister Michelin (who runs Vianney) and Sister Sthembile pulled me away and told me to just have dinner with them first and we would work it out later on. So, in the pitch black the three of us had a candlelit dinner and reminisced about some of the moments we had with the Vianney children earlier in the day. It was such a beautiful, peaceful moment. During a lull in the conversation, Sister Michelin sat up and said, “God, please put the electricity back on,” and I kid you not, 5 seconds later the light in the room turned on and the TV started playing. Afterwards, I asked her to please pray for me and my family because apparently her prayers go straight to the top!

          Thank you so much for all of your prayers throughout this whole Fellowship, I am so humbled by the amount of love and blessings I have received here.

          God Bless,

          Jen

How Great Thou Art

Hello! This past week in Montebello has been absolutely incredible, and I could not be more grateful for the time that I have spent with the students and the children here! I’ve been doing similar service activities during the day where I start at the high school, go to the Creche, and then end my day at Vianney. I have felt so much love here, and it makes me so happy to see the smiles on the kids’ faces when I see them throughout the day.  

          These past few days at the high school the students have been having TONS of exams since the term is ending soon! Needless to say, they are all very stressed out! Since there are no more actual classes to teach, I usually am marking the exams, invigilating the students while they are writing, or having little review sessions with the different science classes. I’ve noticed that when the Sisters and teachers at the high school say “Jen” with their South African accent, it sounds the same as “Jane,” so many of the people here genuinely think that my name is “Jane” because that’s how they’ve heard it pronounced!

          Marking the exams was a real eye-opener for me since most of the students do very poorly on them. While there are some who are able to get marks in the 70% or so, the majority get between a 20% and 40%. While I was first grading the tests, I was extremely surprised by this and was asking the Sisters whether there was any particular reason why the marks were so low, and from what I heard from them and from what I’ve observed myself I think there are two main contributors. Firstly, it may just be a lack of effort on the students end. The government here dropped the pass rate from a 50% to a 30%, meaning that students only have to get a 30% to pass the class. Knowing this, the students may study less for the exams that they have. However, it will be extremely hard for students with this mindset to get accepted into colleges/universities here as they have not lowered their own qualifications for acceptance. The second reason that I myself have seen is that some of the students do not fully understand English. Their first language is isiZulu, and most do not begin learning English until they are at the primary schools. For many of the exam questions, students will either just rewrite the question itself or simply guess the answer. 

On their final exam, this student didn't understand the question or know how to respond, so they rewrote the question as their answer

One of the Grade 8 exams. The student tried to answer the question in broken English but crossed it out and wrote "I am sorry" on top.

Not only does the lack of full comprehension impact the exam marks, but it also affects how well the students actually understand what is being taught during their lectures. Since their standardized exams are administered in English, the teachers and students are required to speak English during lectures in order to help prepare them. There were multiple instances when I was teaching where I could tell that the students just couldn’t understand what I was trying to say, especially since the concept they were learning was new to them. I am grateful that I was able to spend time at the Creche during my weeks here because I was able to realize that the kindergarten children do not know any English (unless it is in songs or dances, which they love to do). Whenever I’m with them, I try to talk as much as I can just so that they can hear how English sounds and, hopefully, start to pick up some words before they officially learn it in Primary School.

          After the school week ended, I was able to meet up with the Smith Fellow in Johannesburg, Jake, and travel to Capetown! We landed here yesterday (Saturday) and are staying until Tuesday morning. It is an incredibly beautiful place filled with mountains and beaches, and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to come visit here! So far, we have seen the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront and Table Mountain, both of which are popular tourist spots and have beautiful views of the city.

          It is crazy how much I miss the Sisters and students back in Montebello and the brothers in Pietermaritzburg, and I am so glad I get to spend a few more days with them when I return. Sadly, Sister Antonia had to go to her home to prepare for a special ceremony that she has coming up, so I won’t be able to see her again during my time in SA. However, I know in my heart that we will meet up again, whether here in South Africa or back home in America. I cannot express how grateful I am for her friendship and help, especially while I was still planning the Fellowship. Truly, the Dominicans here are so warm and kind, and I am so beyond blessed to be able to know them and call them my friends.

Last picture with Sister Antonia before she left

God Bless,

Jen

South Africa, You've Stolen my Heart

Hello! This week has been absolutely incredible with the Sisters in Montebello! Over the past few days I’ve gotten more accustomed to life here and have fallen into a really nice routine with the different service sites. There are so many opportunities for service here, I’m feeling torn as I want to spend so much more time with each and every one of them! They have three main schools: Our Lady of the Rosary Secondary School (high school), a primary school (an elementary/middle school), and Euphemia Ruf Creche (similar to a Kindergarten). Also, next to the convent is the Boarding House, where about 300 of the high school girls stay during the school year, and Vianney Children’s Home, which is an orphanage that takes care of children who either do not have parents or their guardians cannot care for them properly. I know, there’s so many places! I am so incredibly appreciative and in awe of the work that each and every do on a daily basis.

          In terms of logistics, I’ve settled into a routine where I go to the high school in the morning around 7:30 to help out the Natural Science teacher here, Mrs. Hlela, and teach science lessons to grades 10-12 throughout the day. Usually there are breaks in the school day when I don’t have classes, so at those times I head down to the Creche to play with the children there, and they are as cute as can be! I have lunch around 2:30 and then go to Vianney for the rest of the afternoon. Around 5 I come back to the convent to have dinner with the Sisters and unwind at the end of the day with them. I wish there were more hours in the day to spend at each place! My experiences here so far have been absolutely incredible, and I am in awe of the Lord for knowing my heart so well as to send me to a place that can fill me with so much joy and peace. To You, God, is all the praise and glory.

          At the high school I have grown closer to many of the teachers there, and we all went to Pietermaritzburg (long time no see, PMB!) this past Friday for a Staff Development Day. Throughout the day there were several talks given about how to support high school students not only academically, but also socially and mentally. One heart-wrenching thing that I noticed throughout the day and though talking with various teachers is that many students here are enduring extremely hard times, whether those be the result of social problems, unsafe home environments due to abuse, or other sources. I get a pit in my stomach just thinking what some of these students have gone through or are currently going through. Thankfully, the high school is currently training two of its teachers to be a resource for these students to listen to whatever problems they may be facing. If you can, please pray for the South African students, especially those at Our Lady of the Rosary, and for the staff members who are supporting them through the difficulties in their lives.

With the High School students at an annual march to raise awareness for child abuse

With the high school teachers at PMB staff development day

On a lighter note, the high school term is ending soon, and any student knows what that entails…FINALS! In the coming weeks, the students will be taking exams in their different subjects, which is always a stressful time. I am so grateful for coming during this time of year as I’ve had the opportunity to have science review sessions with the students both during school time and in the evening at the boarding house. They are all so curious and have so many questions!

          Also, when I went to the Creche for the first time earlier in the week, it was like walking into a dream! They were so excited to see me, and our first meeting quickly led to a dog-pile on Jen! There is so much joy in that Creche, and the smiles on those kids’ faces had me bursting with happiness. It is a little difficult to communicate with them verbally since most of them speak Zulu, but I quickly learned that fun and laughter don’t require words. The teachers there are starting to teach the children English in the form of songs and dances, one of which is about how to make the sign of the cross and how to pray before meal times. I think it is absolutely amazing that some of the very first English words that these children are learning involve how to talk with God and form a relationship with Him; I can think of no better place to start.

First meeting the kids! Getting ambushed by hugs :)

Circle time! They were showing me one of the songs that they knew in English

          I am also just starting to get to know the kids over at Vianney! They are so sweet and absolutely love to play games! I am going to have to Google some more games to play together as they are quickly exhausting some of my favorites from home!! They also love to take pictures, and in a span of an hour they managed to take a grand total of 186 photos on my phone; be prepared for many to come!

Some of the Vianney kids!

They love playing games! Whether playing outside or inside, these kids are all in! Here I'm playing "Double-Double" with one of the girls, which they surprisingly knew already!

          The last thing I want to mention now is the incredible opportunity I had to go with Sister Antonia and Sister Sthembile to Durban today! It was about a two hour car ride through the mountains, during which I got to see the rest of Montebello including the traditional, rural houses. When we got to Durban, we got breakfast, went to the Science Museum, and finished the day over at the Marina where I got to touch and swim in the Indian Ocean!! That was absolutely INCREDIBLE! The list of oceans I’ve seen has climbed to a grand total of two, and I could not be happier! The Dominicans here are some of the most welcoming bunch I have ever met, and every day the Sisters go out of their way to make sure I have a wonderful experience here. I feel so loved!

At the uShaka Marine with Sister Antonia and Sister Sthembile

Indian Ocean!

          Thank you all so much for following me on this journey, it has been an amazing one so far! Also if anyone is interested in donating to the service sites, here is the link to the GoFundMe I’m doing: https://www.gofundme.com/supporting-south-africas-students

          God Bless,

          Jen

We've Made the Switch!!

Hello and welcome to Montebello! I have made the transition from the Pietermaritzburg community to the Montebello Community, and everything is going wonderful so far! I have so many memories from my time with the brothers that I keep looking back on (and that I know I will continue to look back on for years to come), and it helps to know that I am only an hour away from them. I could not be more grateful for how welcoming and kind they were during my time there, and I am coming away from my weeks there with so many new friends and experiences. If any of the brothers happen to find this, thank you so much for everything (you rock!).

Saying goodbye to the Brothers and hello to the Sisters

Saying bye to Fr Martin, who helped me to plan my Fellowship!

            I’ve been in Montebello for 3 days now and it is a LOT different from Pietermaritzburg. It is much more rural, and the only neighbors that the Sisters have are the sugarcane crops, lots and lots of sugarcane crops! Montebello is also further into the mountains, and although this makes the temperature much colder, it also allows for some of the most spectacular views. The entire community is surrounded by the most beautiful landscape, and I feel so grateful to be able to see it every day. The Sisters here have also been so incredible; when I was meeting all of them they all went out of their way to say “you are most welcome here” and give me a big hug. They are such a kind bunch.
          One thing about Montebello that is amazing is that right outside the doors of the convent are so many opportunities to serve. These past few days, I have been observing and teaching in the all-girl high school here called Our Lady of the Rosary. I have been accompanying one of the science teachers here, Mrs. Hlella, to her classes and even had the opportunity to teach a few myself today, which was both very exciting and very nerve-wracking. Everything went wonderfully, though, and the students are all so involved and love to answer questions, which makes my life a lot easier! I am grateful to be here at this time of the year since a lot of the science teachers have units on Genetics and have asked me to assist with those classes in particular. Things are kicking into high-gear since their term is wrapping up and the 12^th grade students have their final exams coming up in a few weeks! So far, things are going great with the classes and I love being able to share my love of science with so many beautiful souls!

Assembly time in the morning at Our Lady of the Rosary High School

          I have also been getting to know many of the students here, and they are so curious about life in the US! Most of them are living at a Boarding House during the school year, and this is also conveniently steps away from the convent. I have visited the students there a few times, and I have gotten so many hugs and questions! They are all so sweet and have so many smiles to share. Every night they have certain homework hours, and I am hoping to have the chance to come to their boarding house during these hours to see if I can offer any help.

With some of the Students!

          One other group of people I have had the chance to meet are the three Candidates. As a Candidate, these women are on the first step to becoming Dominican Sisters, and they are learning more about the Order and what it means to live as a consecrated religious. They are also very close to my own age, and are some of the funniest and kindest people I have ever met! We have had many adventures together already, and I know there will be many more to come.

          There are so many students and children here, it feels like a complete dream! I have met so many Sisters, students, and teachers, and I am looking forward to forming stronger relationships with each and every one of them! I feel beyond blessed by the incredible opportunities I have had here already in South Africa; these are some of the most thoughtful and loving people I have ever met.

          God Bless,

          Jen

PMB

Hello everyone! These past few days here in Pietermaritzburg have been wonderful! I have had time to get to know the brothers better and really witness how they go about their day. Before I tell you all about my week, I would like to first ask for your prayers for my friends and Smith Fellows Dee, Emma, and Kelli. These wonderful people have been preparing to spend their Fellowships serving in the Philippines and doing incredible work there; however, due to violence and unstable circumstances in that country they are not able to embark on this Fellowship. I know how hard these 3 beautiful souls have worked preparing for this trip and how hard this must be for them, so please keep them in your prayers.

            The brothers here at the priory are truly a welcoming and unique bunch: we have Fr Martin, my favorite croc-wearing Dominican; Fr Clement, who is full of joy and has one of the best laughs I have ever heard; Fr Evans, whose strikingly unique character can be found in all 11 of his toes; Fr Joe, who is full to the brim with wisdom and stories; Brother Philippe, who has so much love in his heart for his beautiful family; and so many other wonderful people. Many of the brothers are taking theology classes at a local university and are currently in the midst of exam season, along with most other college students at this time. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the one of the special Sunday masses here that the local university students help to run, and after mass I was able to speak to many of them about their academic experiences, which was very eye-opening.

Meeting the University Students after Mass

            Over the week, I also was able to volunteer with an amazing organization here called Sinomlando, which is Zulu for “we have a history.” This group works primarily with children, many of whom have gone through traumatic experiences in their past. Sinomlando has many different projects that they are constantly working on, including those that target teenagers with HIV, abandoned children, high school students, and migrants. My first day there I was able to travel with the Sinomlando workers to Mvuzo Secondary School where we did a workshop with the students focusing on career goals. Many of these students live in poor conditions and have to endure more hardships than I can even imagine. At the beginning of the meeting we listened as the students updated us on their week, and some of the burdens they carry should never be borne by someone so young. This experience made me even more appreciative of the work that the Sinomlando Center does; they know how to reach out to these students and offer them the support they need.

Banner in the Sinomlando office supporting teenagers who have HIV

The high school where we had the career workshop

My next day was very different and was spent in the office itself with the Skills Project. This project aims to teach parents, especially migrants, the skills they need to find sustainable jobs. On this particular day, they were working on making traditional African bracelets to sell on the market, and they were gracious enough to show me how to make them as well (they have the patience of saints!). It was a little difficult to talk with this group due to the language barrier—many of them spoke Zulu with just a little English—however I was still able to learn a lot about their lives and their children.

The beaded bracelet that I made!!

             During my free time, the brothers have been kind enough to invite me on errands and show me around Pietermaritzburg. Last weekend, Brother Clement took me to Howick Falls and Worldview, both of which gave us breathtaking views of the city. I’ve noticed that this part of South Africa has lots of mountains and hills, making the landscape so beautiful. Yesterday I was able to go with Fr Evans to the Midlands, which is centered in the middle of the mountains and also has amazing views.

At Howick Falls!

          One of the last experiences I would like to share was going to a cookout (which they call a Braai) at Brother Philippe’s home where they celebrated his daughter’s 31st birthday. Many years ago, Brother Philippe got permission from the Dominicans to adopt several children that he could not find adequate homes for. Now, most of these children are grown up and have children of their own, and it is clear how much they love their father. It was wonderful to meet and bond with everyone, and it gave me another taste of what life is like here in South Africa. If anyone is wondering, yes they have the same “Happy Birthday” song, and they also have a wonderful tradition where people give speeches about the birthday girl/boy that remarks on the previous year and offers advice for the coming one. It was an amazing experience to bond with this family and see the love that they have for one another.

One of the kids I was playing with during the braai

With Br Philippe's family!

            In a few hours, the Montebello Sisters are going to be picking me up, and I will be saying goodbye to Pietermaritzburg. I has been incredible how many beautiful people I was able to meet and have conversations with, and I cherish each and every one of them. There is an interesting connection between here and PC that I noticed almost as soon as I got here: Pietermaritzburg is often shortened to PMB, and every time I see that acronym I am reminded of the event that I ran in Campus Ministry this past year called Post Mass Bash, which I often shortened to PMB. I feel as though God worked his special magic in order to make me feel at home here even though I am half a world away. I was also able to meet a South African here who grew up a mere 30 minutes from my hometown in Massachusetts. I am so thankful for these small reminders of home and for how welcomed I feel here, this has been one incredible week. I think that is all for now, I will check back in with you all again when I am settled in Montebello!

God Bless,

Jen