A year ago the name Botshabelo meant very little to me. All I knew was that on completing my Abitur, I wanted to get out into the world and work as a volunteer before starting my studies. I heard about Botshabelo from a school friend who had applied to work in the children's home in Midrand, South Africa. I decided to try my luck and was pleasantly surprised to be accepted at Botshabelo as a volunteer pending of course the necessary police clearance certificate and the visitor's permit, which is required for South Africa. Now Botshabelo means everything to me.
At first I was scared for I never travelled on my own before and now I was to journey 11 hours by plane. Also I never had to look after myself; my mother did everything for me. I never bothered to learn how to cook because she has always been there. Furthermore I did not know what to expect of the live at an orphanage; I wondered what it would be like. I was not scared to go to South Africa though since I have been there before and a part of my family lives there. At the beginning it was weird to be back in a country I had last been at at the age of thirteen but I got used to it quickly. To me South Africa still feels and will always feel like a second homeland.
Of course I had certain expectation and wishes in prospect of my own special adventure. Concerning myself I wanted to break the mould and become more confident and unaffiliated given that I am quite shy. As to the work at Botshabelo I expected it to be fun inasmuch I love children. Besides I wanted to improve my English and meet other volunteers from different countries. I have to say that my expectations were more than fulfilled. I met really interesting people from all over the world which have become friends and I also gained a bit more confidence. I still remember my first day in which as a start I had to pick up the children from school. I was very nervous for I did not know the children nor did they know me. What if I got their names wrong or worse what if they did not like me? But my concerns were swept away the minute R., one of the children, came running out of her classroom and right into my arms greeting me like she had known me for years.
After school working at the orphanage was more stress free and most of all very different. Suddenly I was in the position of giving instructions looking after a whole bunch of children. Sometimes it was very chaotic especially in the beginning. As I had feared I got their names confused and I did not know what they were allowed and what was forbidden. The whole daily routine was a mystery to me; I did not know the bottle times for the babies or the snack times etc. But the caregivers have been very patient with me and after a short adaptation phase there were no such problems anymore. I really enjoyed working with the children and babies. Basically I cared for them including feeding, reading, bathing, playing and cuddling. It is amazing how quickly those little children worm their way into your heart. After spending nearly every day with them you get to know their character and see them for who they really are. They are not just children; each of them is special in their own way.
The past six months have been very emotional six months. I saw a lot of children come and go and it has not always been easy. At first it was hard for me to say goodbye to the children which got adopted because I would never see them again. Once they were gone you did not know whether they were fine or not. Where they happy in their forever family? Did they get along well with their new parents? Yet one day a family came back to have a look at the orphanage and I saw how well the child had settled in his forever family. Also the parents were so happy for they had waited a long time to finally be able to adopt him. I just had to cry at the side of this perfect family and after that I got real exited for the children when they were going to be adopted.
Time went by so fast and before I even knew it it was time for me to go. I did not want to leave but I knew I had to. Saying goodbye to those wonderful children and the caregivers was so hard. It was one of the saddest goodbyes in my life. I spend the whole day at the orphanage for I wanted to spend every minute of my last day with the children. While hugging them for the last time I tried not to cry but I just could not help it; these children mean a lot to me and will forever hold a special place in my heart. I will go back for sure though I hope that the children I cared for now are placed in their forever families by then but there will be new babies who will need lots of love, hugs and kisses. The time I spend at Botshabelo has been the best time of my live. Thank you Botshabelo for this great experience!
