In life you have to be able to handle every kind of situation or at least make others believe that you can. Today during break I saw myself faced with 15 primary school kids that I needed to encourage and motivate to help me with the boring task of removing the weed between our planted vegetables. Being enthusiastic about a thing that you´re not is quite a mission, especially if your face is an open book. Finding a way to create a balance between productivity and fun is then the way to do it which was in our case: Who manages to remove weed with the longest root? It´s all about selling a product!

Apart from working in the garden we continued painting the walls and playing with the children. Getting familiar with the circumstances the children grow up with we had to realize we cannot change the world, at least not at this stage. But making the school look nicer and spending time with them – may it be through playing a game or listening already makes a difference to them.

Spending only one day at a school in an environment that is similar of where Fontein Combined School is located in is an experience for itself. You have to be spontaneous, enduring, be able to handle uncomfortable situations and most of all, you have to be passionate. Only one day will push you out of your comfort zones, you will have to deal with issues that you are not confronted with in daily life  and you will see things that you won´t forget too soon. But after you went to bed after the first day you will realize that there is no  better feeling such as knowing that you have achieved something, that you broadened your own horizon and that you made a difference to a child’s life, even if it was only by bringing a smile on its face. And if you get up on the next morning you will immediately know you will come back.

written by Rebecca Berker