Dreams to Reality

On my last day at Daylight Educare, where I volunteered during my last two weeks in South Africa, all the kids ran up to me, hugged me and said ``I love you.'' Volunteering isn't just about what you give, it's about what you receive. And what I received during my time with Dreams to Reality were lasting friendships with volunteers from all over the world, adventures ranging from the world's highest bungee jump to cage diving with white sharks, and -- most importantly -- the reward of helping children from extremely poor, violent, drug-infested neighborhoods. They were the most loving, affectionate children I've ever met. They appreciated what little they had and never took anything for granted. I learned as much from them as they learned from me.

Without hesitation, I can say that my heart belongs to Africa. I fell in love with the country, the culture, the people, the food and the scenery.

When I got off the plane and arrived in CPT airport, I knew it was going to be a fantastic adventure. Two workers from Dreams to Reality welcomed my friend and I to South Africa and we soon found ourselves in a van with two other volunteers; one from Virginia and one from Belgium. Even though it was around 11pm at night and I had been up since the morning the day before, I was wide awake trying to take everything in. We arrived to our volunteer house and were greeted by fellow volunteers who showed us our room.

The next morning we had an exciting morning with our orientation, a tour of Cape Town and signing up for adventures! I quickly became friends with everyone! One thing that I will never forget is what I saw when our driver took us through Capricorn to see where our kids were living. We have poverty in Canada but it is nothing in comparison to what I saw in this township. It was so surreal to me and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. To me, I felt as if I was watching a movie because 'how could anyone live in an environment like this?'. I could not believe that this is what our kids lived in; storage containers, garbage all around their homes, lack of clean amenities or proper supplies of food. I came so close to tears because I know that this is all these kids know. I knew that I wanted to make a difference to at least one of these kids lives if that's all I can do.

Since the kids were still on holiday, I got to volunteer with the Holiday program which consisted of going to the beach, the daycare centre, and the parks with all of the kids from Capricorn! I can't even describe to you how I felt when I first met these kids. They were so full of joy, so welcoming and so ready to become friends with you and to show you all of their dance moves/sports skills.

I don't think I ever stopped smiling while I was with the kids. I grew so fond of them and I knew I would hate having to say bye to them. I just remember one of the boys in my classroom pulled me aside and told me that he loved me and when he gets older he would buy me a car and that way I could go and see him whenever I wanted to. He is three years old and for him to say that to me, made me smile so much because he doesn't have much where he is and yet is willing to give to other people so that they are happy and that's what makes him happy.

Alongside having an amazing time with the kids at the childcare centre, I had an amazing time with my housemates. We all came from different parts of the world which makes us different but what makes us alike is that we all came to South Africa for the same reason; to help out in the community and try and make a small difference in at least one child's life.

I will never forget my time in Africa. The friendships I formed, the children and locals that I met, the adventures that I went on, the beautiful sunrises/sunsets I saw, the culture that I immersed myself in and my overall experience being in a foreign country.