The last day. Only one more week to go before the Play on Wheels open its doors to the first six children/youths enrolled in the program. How can time pass so quickly? It feels as if I just arrived. And yet, my experiences with Play on Wheels, Langa and Cape Town over the last weeks are countless. What started out as overwhelming impressions have turned into a personality, a good friend, new skills, a more profound understanding, explanations, background stories, frustration, a sense of being at home and memories. Loads of memories.
And when searching my hard drive for new skills and knowledge that I have obtained during my involvement with Play on Wheels I realize that it is overloaded. J It´s been so much more than a normal experience and more specifically I have learnt and practiced:
- The enormous need of disabled children/youths to get stimulated
- Belief in making a difference for disabled children
- Leadership skills ( Frida; thank you so much! You are my role model.)
- Project management
- Organization/planning skills
- Importance of communication
- Interview techniques
- South African mentality
- A few Xhosa words J
As much as the work with Play on Wheels has taught me, I do hope that I have been able to teach them one thing or two, or at least contributed to the progressing work. Independent of what I have learnt or given back to the operation, I am more than confident that Play on Wheels will make a huge difference to the children participating in the program. That is the main reason why I am so proud to have been engaged in their work for some time.
The last two days have comprised of a lot of good-byes. Although it always feels sad to leave friends and people that you care about, and this time also a job that I love, it hasn´t been heartbreaking. Why? Because I know these are not final good-byes. I will be back. I will meet the people again, I will witness the beauty of Cape Town again and most excitingly, I will experience a Play on Wheels in action. Can´t wait for that day to come! And in the meanwhile, I will nourish from all the memories and learning experiences that Play on Wheels has enriched me with and which I have carefully stored at a special place in my heart and mind.
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