Mai Hashimoto

More acitivities and achievement

Fri, 12 Sep 08 13:20:07 +0200

Hello all,

Early this week, we went to shopping for some kitchen stuff, cleaning stuff, school uniforms (inc. socks, shoes, shirts and so on), toiletries and stationery with the cook, the caretaker and one of the Chird Care Workers. We just told them how much we had on our budget (30% of the fund we had raised at home) and they decided what to buy for the house. It was quite exciting as it was like what people do on the TV! It was also very nice to see them happy with the shopping^^

We also got each boy a shoe case in which tjey can put 10 pairs of shoes and some rails where they can hang their clothes to make their room tidy. For most of the stuff we and the staff got, we got some discount by explaining that those stuff were for the boy's home! (One of the volunteers is very good at asking for discount^^) It was quite impressive that the shops gave us the discount as I don't think it could happen so easily in Japan..

Another thing, which I was personally most pleased about, was that the boys, the other volunteers and the members of the staff at Liebenhaus loved banana and walnut cake I baked:D I was so glad the late night (I went to bed at 11pm, late ne?!lol) and the early morning for baking the cakes paid off^^

Today is our last day!!
Our plan with the boys for today is going to St. George's Park, playing 4 games (Simon says, wheel-barrow races, spoon races, and musical chairs) there, having some treats (candies, crisps etc.) going to MacDonal's, eating meals and giving them pictures of them we took over the last 4weeks! As we already told them what we were going to do, they look so excited^^

Although the project is finishing, I'm going to keep writing on here as there are lots more I'd like to tell people about. Please come back soon:)

Thank you for reading,

Mai xxxx

Activities, achievement so far

Mon, 08 Sep 08 15:09:25 +0200

Over the past 3 weeks,
we have;

taught origami, making baloons, boxes, rabbits, cups and so on;
done colouring and cutting with the small boys;
given the older ones computer lessons,
tried to play volleyball (the volleyball I'd brought from home soon turned into a soccer ball, never mind!);
tried to play a game combining three-leged race and another game outside (and it turned into a water war with plastic bottles and everyone got wet and freezing!);
painted the ceiling (white), the walls (lovely spring light green!);
drawn soccer balls, soccer goals, rugby balls and grass;
got another wooden soccer goal done (now they have a pitch and 2 goals!); and brought a lot of hangers from shops in a mall for the boys and the caretaker to keep clothes tidier.

Today, three carpenters placed pigeonholes in the boys' bedrooms and put up the noticeboards (pinboards) we got on the walls in the bedrooms. They worked for Liebenhaus for free and we have paid only for the materials. Nice people, thank you and great job!!

It's so nice to see the boys and the members of the staff after 2days off!
They really like our work on the bedrooms' walls:D (I'll upload some pictures of it later on!)

It's time to help them do their homework!
Have a nice day!!

Mai xx

Photos uploaded

Sun, 07 Sep 08 19:19:17 +0200

Please go back to my previous posts as I've just put up photos of the small boys' room, Liebenhaus and the dinner at Peter and Daphne's place! (Me, Zoe (Liebenhaus), Sheron (Liebenhaus), Daphne (the host), Marloes (Liebenhaus), Marloes (Ithemba) and Janneka (previous Liebenhaus).

Off two weeks

Sun, 07 Sep 08 18:39:35 +0200

Hello all,

I'm finally back on my weblog..

We used up the internet capacity (1G or something) for August before the last day of the month and got the internet back early this week!

Two things I've already written on here need to be corrected.

One is that the idea of putting up blackboards for each boys to draw and decorate was changed to notice boards on which they can stick cutting, their pictures or whatever with tapes and make collage of their own.

The reason is because, according to the principal of Liebenhaus, it'd be hard to draw a line between drawing and graffiti, which is seen as one of gangsters' activities. Also, the kids are not going to be given pins to decorate the notice boards as pins aren't safe for them.

The other thing is the story about the guy whose family didn't visit him when he was in a hospital for 2 months. He wasn't shot. That was my misunderstanding. He was in the hospital for his operation for his kidney, which was so damaged from excessive drinking.

Now, let's move on to some new stories!

The boys get some chicken or something special to eat only for sunday lunch and on someone's birthday. Although it's special for them, the food is what we get everyday or even for every meal. However, I think that the less you are given, the more special it will be to you when given and the harder you try to make most of it. And the more often and more easily you are given, you just forget to appreciate what you get. I've felt so spoilt in terms of everything I've been given and taken for granted in my life since I came here.

Ermm, I know I'm just rambling on.. I'm a bit tired.
Well, my point is that having a lot isn't always best and we could stop wasting without necessarily getting less but actully getting something more like thankful feelings, if you know what I mean!

Anyway, the kids are lovely and warm (as well as cheeky, of course:).
When we were about to leave the house on the day before our first weekend, the boys waved at us and shouting 'see you on wednesdaaaay!' or 'thank you for the gaaaamme! from all the windows and the front door we could see from our car. It was only two days off! How adorable!! :D

The other day, although we ususally bring lunch from home and don't get food at Liebenhaus, I was sitting on one of the tables with the boys at lunch time. Because it was someone's birthday, they got pudding after lunch and one of the boys brought me some pudding, saying 'Mai, it's for you'. I was so happily surprised:)

And then, I started wondering if I use the same spoon for pudding or go wash it (The kitchen is only a few step away, you know how lazy I am..lol). Then, a boy sitting in front of me smiled at me, grabbed my spoon and came back with a clean spoon with a big smile! I was so pleased to see their beautiful aspects myself. Most of the time, it's hard to see that they came from broken families because, as I've just said, they are nice and give us a lot of lovely smiles.

I have loads and loads more to write but I shall stop here for now.
Thank you for reading it:D

Mai xxxx

The photos are of breakfast, lunch and dinner at Liebenhaus.
Unfortunately, we are not allowed to put up photos of the boys because they are under court. I'll write about the detail of their condition related to the court later. I'd be more than happy to email you some photos of the boys (and me, no choice:-P) if requested!

The situation in Galvendale (Don't worry, fun stuff will be followed:-D)

Fri, 22 Aug 08 12:40:03 +0200

Liebenhaus, the kid's home I've been working at, currently accommodate 23 kids aged from 6-17. They are all from very very broken homes, abused or neglected.
Until a couple years ago, Liebenhaus had to call around and ask for basic stuff like food and toiletries. They were always short of food and are still in need for other things to make the home comfortable for the kids so that they can feel proud when they come home.

This area, Galvendale, as a whole has also faced difficulties such as a high rate of unemployment, violence, crime, poverty and so on.

A volunteer who worked for another project told me that a boy's family members don't care about each other at all and none of his family, even his mum, visited him when he got shot on the street and was in hospital for two months because, to them, it was just his fault.

Every morning 4 of us drive from our house to Liebenhaus and see many children who can't go to school, some of which walk along roads where you can see rubbish all over the places and look for something like copper they can sell from the rubbish. And adults too. We see many people who just stand outside their house around 10am. Someone told me that the unemployment rate here is very high and even if they can find a job, it's often temporary and blue-collar.

Four of us were invited for a dinner last night by Peter and Daphne, who have been involved with Liebenhaus and especially he told us a lot about situations in South Africa in the past and the present.

His stories reminded me of something I thought I always knew.
For example, although apartheid was abolished more than ten years ago, people's attitude can't change as quickly as a legislation can be implemented.
Older colours can still be shy or nervous with white people and in turn some of the white show little respect for the colours. As Peter said, apartheid was something not only to separate white and black but also to put black down.

However, as I hear from evreyone I meet here, those who live in this poor situation have a great heart and everyone on the street smiles and waves at us in the car! Lovely:-)

Well, having written the sad and unfair stories,
I've already had great fun at Liebenhaus.

Two days ago I met all the 23 kids, who had never met any Oriental before and just keep staring at me..haha It was not as uncomfortable as it sounds as I always feel good to be the first:-p Now I have to behave myself, representing Japan!

They were shy with us for a couple of minutes so I was wondering how we could interact with them but, as you'd know, there was no need to worry. Now, after 2days, little ones run around us, clime up on us and teach us how to play their games, and the older ones enjoy playing volleyball (one of few things I know how) and talking with us. Everyone is keen on finding out where we are from and where we've been to on a World map, which is so fun:D!! I've shown them pictures of my family and my trips and one of them told me I looked older than my mum, yaa, thank you!!lol

They are all so lovely and special! Hope I'll feel and know it more in 3 and a half weeks time^^

Also, as I've written above, the dinner last night was very nice, food, people, talk, the house and everything:-) And last night I looked up the sky for the first time here and the stars are brilliant!! They seem just so closer to you and rounder!! You must see it one day^^

In about 30 minutes time, the kids will come back from school and we can play a lot today as they have no homework time on fridays! It means I need to get ready for all the energetic running and playing before they get home:-)

Eeeerrm, this is enough to realise that it's not easy to keep my messages here short as a lot of things are always going on and I'm still learning various new things from the kids and people I meet here.

Thank you for visiting and reading my page!
Hope you are not tired of reading it and come back later:D

Mai

Doing good in Port Elizabeth^^

Wed, 20 Aug 08 12:51:54 +0200

Hello all,

Thanks for visiting my weblog:)

I've arrived here in Port Elizabeth safely in the evening two days ago WITHOUT my luggage, which was delivered yesterday with the locks broken and opened.. What a start! But for some reason, I didn't get too upset about it; rather thought this kind of things just happens!

In 30 mins time, we, 4 new volunteers, are going to meet the 23 boys.
Can't wait!

We all have raised some fund and can decide how it's gonna be spent.
So far, we've decided to paint one of the two boy's rooms (one for little ones and the other bigger ones) and draw some pictures on the walls.

Like always said here, we should keep in mind that we are not here to just give stuff we can buy them and end up spoiling them but to help them become independent so that they can live better back in their family and cope well with the society.

From that point of view, we'll ask the kids to help us with the paint job and also we'll put blackboards on their own lockers so that they have individual spaces to draw whatever they like. It'll be useful to use blackboards and chalk as kids keep coming in and going out of this house.

I'll try to keep my messages short and interesting to read.
Please visit again:D

Have a good day!!!

Mai