Time Ticks Too Fast

Well getting Internet access is a challenge I wish that I had more time to write! I have been through so many hills and valleys I find it difficult to describe everything that has been going on. We are on our fifth week now and have had some challenges to say the least! We are the first volunteer group to come to Impendle and have been a bit overwhelmed by the requests that we have received for help, money, work...We have not been set to a specific project so we have been doing a variety of things, on Thursday we went to schools and gave motivational speeches to students, we are working on the garden where we live, and in between it seems like everyone wants us to visit us, meet us, play with us (the kids), invite us to events...we can have five things to do on one day but have the next day free. This can be very frustrating at times. The African way of doing things seems to take time, meetings, introductions, speeches, thank yous all a cultural wake-up compared to the 'get 'er done' attitude typical of North Americans. We practice patience everyday, take everything in stride. All of us in the group want to make a lasting impression and leave a 'mark' for the people of Impendle...from Crossroads. However if we do one thing really lasting this trip its setting up for the next group of volunteers to come here. Now we have just have two weeks left here and I feel like we all wish that we could have done more, however logistically and because we really didn't know what to expect, we have done the best that we could with the resources that we were given.
On a more personal level I have also been experiencing a lot of emotions. We rode in the back of a pick-up from Durban to Impendle a two hour drive, however due to meeting some family members of the driver Sabelo, we left after dark. Have I mentioned that it is cold here? Six of us with luggage were crammed in the back and flying down the highway I have never been so cramped and cold and scared and angry for having been put in that situation. It was the first time I cried to myself. Fortunately we were able to re-arrange for the second hour and it was not so bad. On the other hand some of us climbed to the top of Impendle mountain. We arrived at sunset and it was so beautiful, I was so delighted to be there at that time and to see the beautiful scenery I was truly happy and at peace at that moment. I am thankful to Msizi for taking me there...I would not have made it without him. I have also met one of the most giving and wonderful families, the Dlamini's. Nosihle is one of the sisters in the Dlamini family of ten, her and I have become very good friends. Although we live very different lives we have so much in common and it makes me so sad that we have so little time left with each other.