Update from South Africa Orientation Week

It has been a energetic as well as a rainy first week here in Mageobaskloof, South Africa! We are working on building our community for the rest of semester through various team building exercises and physical activities. We played mind games and puzzles with the Mageobaskloof crew and sat around a bonfire with some of the workers as they gave us a quick lesson in Afrikaans and Pedi -the local language in this part of the Limpopo region. On our third day in Africa, having yet to of seen the sun, we were in Global Studies when the clouds broke, and we all ran outside to meet the African sun for the first time! Never have I seen so many smiling happy faces. The rest of the week was spent in orientation activities and classes. On Thursday night we had a traditional cook-off, the girls had to split up into two groups and were given various cooking ingredients and cooked us a traditional Afrikaans meal over the fire. The highlight of the week was the eleven line zip-line canopy tour over the ravines of George's Valley. The first step off of the deck was the most nerve racking, but nothing could compare to the line over the 25 meter waterfall. Girls struck a pose over the falls and screamed as they flew across. Though some of the activities were not as adrenaline loaded, the mind games on the ropes course got the shy girls talking more and the more vocal girls listening , thus allowing for every girl to find her voice in the group. The more team building activities we conquer, the more we start to move and think as a cohesive team, preparing the girls for adventurous activities in the weeks to come!

Brenna Kelleher