DAY 12 --- CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - So the time has come for us not only to return to our homes, but also to write our final blog. This honor falls upon me (Coach Gess) as the rest of our team finishes out the final leg of their epic journeys from E&H. As someone who is not usually short on words this should be an easy task however the scope of what we encountered these past 12 days can never be encapsulated in a short few paragraphs.
We have seen a country that boasts in beauty and pride. We have met people who ever so recently lived through turmoil, destruction, physical abuse and worst of mental inferiority. However we were met with open arms everywhere we went. People were overjoyed to meet us and share their various lives with us. From the people of Kruger National Forest, to our hosts in Cape Town to the teams that we played, and the inhabitants of the townships who opened their doors to us. We saw wealth in all its forms: money, family, love, strength, pride and many more. On the soccer fields we were met by under-equipped, under-coached and under-prepared dreams. What showed on the field was talent, organization, determination and sacrifice. Most of all they were humble, no matter how much their talent outshone ours at times; they still yearned to learn from our ways and us. Friendships that will last a lifetime were formed. Memories of the different fields we stood on, engulfed by some of the greatest beauty the world has to offer were burned into our minds and our hearts and will be recalled to us during every ODAC game.
I pray that each one of us is able to pass on the inspiring messages we were learned onto others around us. That we too may help others learn about the history, the present and the future of the epic nation.
I thank each and every individual who allowed this trip to take place including Rose Katz and Rebecca Buchanan who were the original foundations of the putting the class structure together. To Jimmy Whited to inspiring and pushing me to take this incredible group abroad, Joe Matthews for posting our blogs every day, all the families for entrusting me with their daughters in order to experience this incredible time, and most of all the young ladies and Chad who joined us on this trip. Every single person made a profound impact on the experience and for that I can never be grateful enough.
So I will leave you with the incredibly true words of Archbishop Desmond TuTu who sums up what I believe we learned and embraced on this trip… Ubuntu: my humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up in yours, we belong in a bundle of life, we say a person is a person through other persons. I am human because I belong, I participate, I share. A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good for she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that she belongs to a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished when others are tortured or oppressed or treated as if they were less.
DAY 10 --- CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - Gabby Paspa and Coach Alex Gordon decided to be a little bit different with their blog post and do a quick question and answer session.
What was the most fascinating aspect of your tour of the townships?
Gabby: The vast difference of houses. They ranged from shanties to apartment complexes to individual brick and concrete homes. These different homes are just a few yards away from one another. It's incredible to see how these people live compared to us. They can adapt to their surroundings and are very intuitive in using what they are given to make the best possible living for themselves.
Alex: The sense of pride and unity in their community was very cool. There are a number of professional athletes who have come from Langa, as well as artists and leaders. It's also the oldest township in South Africa. Everyone knows one another and looks out for one another in a way that I've never seen in American communities.
Describe your lunch experience in the township of Langa.
Gabby: My experience with lunch was incredible. The food was awesome! It was one of my favorite meals on the trip. The owner of the restaurant made her home into a restaurant and made a point to make us feel at home and welcome. The food was very local and I think everyone tried something new. Overall a very welcoming, exciting, and tasty experience.
Alex: Kudu, ostrich, beef, and a bunch of fruit/vegetable combinations. It was spectacular. The music as also very fun. It was a band with three xylophones and a slew of bongos and djembes, and they jammed out during our entire meal. At the end, they invited a couple of girls from the team to give it a try. I didn't expect them to have that much rhythm and talent!
Any feelings on the loss to University of the Western Cape?
Gabby: The team was very good and talented. They had lots of speed and technique that made very challenging for us to compete with. It was an interesting game, but we really showed true heart and character in the second half. However, my favorite part of the whole game was when we gave out our shirts. Their reaction was unforgettable.
Alex: The UWC postgame was unforgettable. We gave out t-shirts and then they have a tradition of post-game dance parties with the opposing team, which was a total blast and a great cross-cultural experience. The game itself was rough. They were a very good team, who plated their system and tactics to a tee; the kind of team we aim to be. But all in all I was very proud of our goals for holding them to a 2-2 tie in the second half. They really fought hard.
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Greetings from the two internationals, Head Coach Linda Gess and Athletic Trainer Chad Parker that have graced this trip with our presence. Today is our last full day in South Africa! Time has flown, and it seems like years ago that we saw lions, elephants, etc. at Kruger.
After starting the day on a high note, especially after my coaching fiasco from last night, we had another beautiful day with a brisk walk down to Green Market Square, a very busy and exciting marketplace where the girls got all sorts of souvenirs and learned bargaining tips from our tour guide Joleen.
After about an hour there we gathered all of our soccer stuff and headed to a township called Mandela Park to meet some local school children. We arrived during a time when all the children were in class, but once recess started, we had a rough time leaving. Every time a child came up to us to give us a hug, take photos, or engage in the occasional thumb war, we really wanted to stay more and more. Bethany and Gabby literally had children hanging off of them. We were all very popular with the kids, and it was very eye opening to see where and how they go to school.
Chad: Being the only male figure on this trip, I have been very proud of our Emory & Henry girls on how they've behaved, the amount they are engrossed in learning and the questions they've asked in order to absorb everything around them. I'm sure the stories that they will tell will show just how many memories they've made, and how much they have really enjoyed the experience and the time here. I will never forget my time here, and will never forget how much I've learned and how much my eyes have been opened by the time here. Thank you EHCWS, it has been amazing and I'm looking forward to being a professional whistler all the way home! *Rhino noise*
Today our eyes and hearts were opened beyond anything we could ever have imagined. After our shopping trip (coffee stop off for the coaches) we headed to the stunning mountains. We arrived at a school located within a neighborhood of gated communities, houses with pools and stables and some of the most glorious views we had seen thus far. We were curious as we had been informed we would be coaching in the townships. We were stunned to learn we were to enter a school that taught the poorest of the poor kids who walked here from a newly founded township in the area. We coached three sessions of which no words will ever encapsulate the joy, elation, inspiration and love that was shared in these moments. We then were given a tour of the township by Nandipha, a local girl who prevailed through all hardships to graduate from school and has now founded a sisterhood to inspire and help other girls who are struggling to get through high school. She inspired every single one of us. Our hearts were stolen and we hope to bring her to E&H to inspire others. This was certainly most people's favorite day!!!!
We have now returned to our hotel and are heading out to our final dinner here in Cape Town. The ladies have truly given the greatest account themselves, this team and their families our lives have been changed and relationships formed that will forever be treasured. We will post one last blog tomorrow. Thank you for following, you have filled our fuel tanks and we are excited to share our new experiences with you all (y'all). - Coach Linda Schirmeister-Gess.
DAY 9 --- FRANSCHHOEK, SOUTH AFRICA - Greetings, y'all! Today we started our morning off with a series of wine tastings at three different vineyards. This area, known as Franschhoek, became known for its vineyards because many Dutch and French wine enthusiasts came to the area after being exiled from France and not having adequate soil in the UK.
We visited three wineries: Grande Provence, Zorgvliet, and the Neethlingshop Estate. The first, Grande Provence, had a very modern feel with lots of statues, paintings, and sculptures displayed throughout the estate. Here we had samples of two white wines and two red wines. We all had different reactions to the tastes of the wines, but overall, we all enjoyed the experience!The next vineyard we visited, Zorgvliet, had a cozier, homey atmosphere and we tried five different wines. After our second wine tasting, we went to lunch at Neethlingshop, where we also had our final wine tasting.
The lunch was a buffet with incredible food. We even got to try a traditional South African bread pudding! After lunch we tried five different wines, all of which were great! From our wine tasting experiences we learned a lot about how different wines vary in taste to different people, the history behind the vineyards, and got to indulge in some good quality wines.
After the wine tasting we drove into town and Becks and I visited a lovely church that was one of the first churches established in Cape Town. One of the older ladies of the church showed us around and gave us a great history lesson about the church.
While some people were visiting the church, a couple of us went to a little shop at the corner of the street. Upon first walking in, there were tapestries covered with hand painted art on them. The room was full of colors and paintings of animals and townships. Most of the animals consisted of elephants, rhinos, hippos, and lions. I was very excited that there were a lot of elephant paintings because I love elephants. The people that were there bought a couple of paintings to bring back to the states.
After our amazing morning filled with wine tastings and a buffet of wonderful South African native foods, we went to a cheetah farm. There were about seven cheetahs that we could visibly see, and some that were babies. The babies were about 10 months old and already about the size of a full grown cheetah. They grow really fast because they need to survive in the wild, and their life span is not the longest. In the wild, they only live about 6-8 years, but on the farm they live about 10-12 years.
Cheetahs are mostly built to run, and run really fast and that's about it. We were told that one single cheetah has more than 3,000 spots on it. While some of us were up close and personal while petting the cheetah, it does not look like they have that many spots. When we were asked that question, most of us guessed around 400, so we were just a little off. When we pet the cheetahs, it felt just like a cat, but the fur wasn't as soft as I thought it would be. The oldest cheetah we saw, Joseph, was sleeping and the more and more we petted him, the more he relaxed and started purring.
After petting the cheetahs, we ventured to look at the couple of animals that were there. We saw little white bunnies that were scared of us, a meerkat that was moving too fast to take a picture of, bat foxes, and huge dogs that were being trained to herd cheetahs from destroying local farms so that they are no longer being killed by farmers. We also watched a couple of the baby cheetahs running around and playing.
After that it was back to the hotel for a little free time before dinner. For dinner we ate at a local favorite place called Nando's that has sauce that is just made in this area. Once we got back we prepared all the donations that we are taking to a township tomorrow! -Blair Vaughn and Marissa Mathis
DAY 8 --- CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - IT WAS BLAIR'S 20TH BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!!
This morning we got up early and left the hotel at 7:00 a.m., to head to the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point. Before we went to those places, we stopped at some different points of Cape Town.
Our first stop was by a bay with seals, where we fed and watched them. We then moved on to the place that overlooked all of Cape Town, and the views there were amazing. Our last stop was to an ostrich farm.
From there we went to the Cape of Good Hope, which is the south-western corner of South Africa. We then hiked up to Cape Point. The views from the top were incredible. Cape Point was also very cool because there was a pole that had different countries and how far away they were from Cape Point. (London was 9,623 kilometers (5,980 miles) away. Beijing was 12,933 kilometers (8,036 miles) away. Rio de Janeiro was 6,055 kilometers (3,762 miles) away.) We were so sore from walking up but it was definitely worth it!
On our way back to the hotel we stopped at the Penguin Colony of the Table Mountain National Park. It was only about $5.00 to get in and we had to walk down the wooden path that led through sand and brush areas where some penguins were living. At the end of the path was a whole section on the sand where the penguins were sleeping and playing with each other. They were so cute!!! We were more excited about seeing them than the beach view from earlier! Chad was the most excited because penguins are his absolute favorite animal!!
Tonight we played the Santos Futbol Club which takes girls from the area and in order to keep them off the street, have them play soccer and they don't have to pay, they just tryout. The girls were really good and very fast! We played a lot better today but came up short 0-2. After the game we gave them each an E&H shirt and talked to the girls. They were all so nice and even tried to teach us some Afrikaan words.
Everyone is very sore from the last two games and all of the walking but we are hanging in there, just getting out of bed is slowly getting harder. But I'm sure tomorrow morning we will pop right up for the Winery Tour! -Natalie Bright and Erica Merriman :)
DAY 7 --- CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - We began the day with our first international game against the University of Cape Town. Going into the game, we had some reluctant thoughts of not knowing what to expect from our opponent, because soccer is such a huge part of the culture, but despite the cultural stereotype our two teams were well matched!
As a team we faced a lot of obstacles in which we fought through but unfortunately it didn't reflect on the score board. Even though we lost 3-6, Bethany Myer had two goals and Sam Sampson added one. It was an amazing once in a lifetime experience!
After the game we had the pleasure to have a meet and greet with the Cape Town soccer team. While talking to them we found out we actually had a lot in common with the girls despite the continental differences.
They were shocked to hear that we have been living without social media for the duration of our trip which honestly has been a blessing not to have access to it. We are starting to realize that too often we are quick to capture the moments just for an upload, without taking the time to truly capture and live in these moments.
In light of living in these moments, we wanted to take the time to recognize how amazing our team really is. While being in Africa we have had the chance to grow together as teammates and would like to take the chance to recognize how wonderful each one of you are! What better way than to have a shout out with events from our trip so far!
Coach Gess: Who says things don't get better with age after four years of retirement you've still got it!
Coach Alex: Where did those skills come from? You're amazing!!!!
"Coach" Chad: Thank you for putting up with all of us; we know we can be a handful but you are a great "coach" and you keep us entertained with your rhino noises!
Emily: Thanks for giving us your all when it's only your first game back! You have a lot of heart and it definitely shows!
Katherine: Way to be supportive and unselfish and even though you're stuck in that brace you always find a way to have fun and look at the brighter side of things!
Gabby: Thanks for pushing through the tough times and never giving up; you really are a head above the rest! #Giraffe
Marissa: Your sense of humor puts the spice in our life!
Josie: You're always bringing the good vibes wherever you go!
Becks: Watch out world Becky is international!
Baylee: We appreciate your adaptability and being able to play center back you did amazing!
Sam Sam: Congrats on your first international goal!!!! #Dreams really do come true -Disney
Natalie: Spending more time with you has shown your true colors so always let them shine because we love it!
Erica: Thanks for leading by example and putting up with a little pain for the betterment of the game!
Erin: Great combinations on the field had you working up an appetite.... A calzone as big as your face!
Blair: If pictures are worth a thousand words than so you have a garden full of bushes?
Allie: Thanks for being supportive and compassionate when we needed it the most!
Bethany: Congrats on your two goals you played amazing! We are glad to have you and your outgoing personality back on the team!
Jerome: Thanks for hanging out with all of the freshman we appreciate it and had a great time!
Crocs: Thanks for always supporting us and having a bubbly personality!
Seniors: Although it's bittersweet with you leaving next year we appreciate the hard work you've put in! So, here's to one last road trip we will miss you so much! Way to go out with a bang I mean who can be sad about a last game in Africa!
-Bethany Myer and Vicki Fenley
DAY 6 --- CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - On Sunday, we experienced the spectacular view of Table Mountain. In order to get to the top of the mountain we had to take a cable car. Before we even reached the top, we were still able to see a beautiful view of Cape Town. Once we stepped off the cable car at the top of the mountain, it was an absolute breathtaking experience. The city, the ocean, and the mountain landscapes came together in perfect harmony.
In the afternoon, we took a ferry ride to the infamous Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 of his 27 years as a political prisoner. It was truly a sobering experience to view first-hand a place where hundreds and thousands of people suffered. Our tour guide was a former political prisoner on Robben Island. He was sentenced for 30 years for committing the crime of high treason, but only served time from 1986 to 1991 because that is the time apartheid ended.
An interesting fact that we learned on this tour was that the political prisoners were held in maximum security facilities, while other criminals such as rapists and murderers were held in minimum security facilities. Fortunately, we were able to view the actual cell that Nelson Mandela was held in for most of his imprisonment on Robben Island. We were also able to see the area where Mandela gardened and where he secretly held his manuscript entitled "Long Walk to Freedom." Actually being able to step into the prison doors had more of an emotional impact on all of us than when we read about it and studied this in the classroom. - Baylee Dozark and Becca Hansen
DAY 5 --- CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - Thanks for keeping up with our blog! We all greatly appreciate your continuos thoughts, support and prayers you've sent our way! Today was mainly a traveling day, so not too much action but we finally made it to our last stop Cape Town, South Africa! Let's get you caught up with the daily events shall we...?!
After a delicious and fresh breakfast we left Krueger National Park! A bus full of sweaty soccer players (and Chad), a crazy bus driver zipping around anybody and everybody, seeing a hippo out of the water and a blown transformer within two minutes of each other, a decently hot 80F weather with poor air conditioning, and an hour and a half later we arrived at the cozy Nehlsburg airport, located right outside of Krueger National Park. After unloading our trailer full of luggage we headed to the counter to check in our baggage! Coach stepped up to the plate first with our guide, Jolene, right behind her making sure everything went smoothly! Coach's luggage came to 43kg and the lady stared her down from across the counter. She promptly informed coach the limit for all her luggage was 23kg and that she was going to have to pay a fee. Jolene snapped into action and informed her that nowhere did it say that and that we weren't paying. The lady tried to fight back but Jolene has this crazy eye power that makes people break and do whatever she says! So we all ended up getting our luggage on without paying one rand!
After check in we had our passport and tickets checked to make sure they matched up and then had us and our body scanned for any harmful things. Our whole group of 22 people got through in about 30 minutes! We had to wait for the plane to pull up and when it did it was so cute! It was a lot smaller than the airbus we took to get over the Atlantic!
Since the plane was smaller we flew a little lower than our first flight! As others slept and played games others watched the landscape evolve back and forth from township to jungle! It was really interesting! As we moved more towards Cape Town most of us noticed these huge mansions with pools that were not seen in Johannesburg; however, they slowly changed into nice but smaller houses and then into tin shacks closer to the center of the township right outside Cape Town, but then the houses were nice in the city. While several of us discussed this observation later, the two of us believe it was a bigger awakening for our team on just the extent of Apartheid. It showed us just the history of how the whites moved into the town and forced the Afrikaans out to the edges of the city, which made them start their lives anew.
We landed at approximately 4:00 p.m. here, which is about, 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time in the States. A friend of Jolene, Shawn, meet us at the gates! Shawn and Jolene informed us that he would be hanging out with us and helping Jolene with our tour through Cape Town so we can receive the most out of our stay! He helped us load up into another bus and took us to the hotel where we will be staying for the duration of our trip, The Lady Hamilton! On our drive we got to see some breath taking views of the Cape, Table Rock, Robben Island and the Ocean! Hang in there for pictures, we visit the top of Table Rock tomorrow and the next group will surely post pictures!
As we arrived to the hotel our welcome party greeted us at the door! Jolene's family came to welcome us to their home, Cape Town! This party included but not limited to her sister and brother in law, their baby Ruby, Jolene's brother and her mother! They are such an amazing and welcoming family! They were excited for our arrival and Ruby was so cute!
Coach pulled us away to discuss our schedule for our duration of our stay! Then she turned us away and gave us an hour to unpack our belongings! Then we met up in the lobby and headed to Nando's down the street! We all ate some great chicken and had a great time! Then we walked back to the hotel and hung out in the lounge for hours just talking, reflecting, and enjoying the company of our teammates.
This trip has already been a wild roller coaster! It has pushed some of us out of comfort zone, challenging our emotions, and allowing us to appreciate the smaller things in our life which we lose sometimes due to our modern dependence of electronic devices. I'm proud to say that this team is a beautiful group of strong women with amazing personalities, and women I know one day will not allow the world to change them but use their hearts to do great things and change this world. It has been an honor to be here with some of them and to just play soccer with all of them!
Tomorrow Emory & Henry Women's Soccer steps on the turf for the first time this trip against the University of Cape Town! Pray for health for some of us oldies, and that we can connect as fluidly on the field as we have on this trip! We are so proud and honored to represent not only the fine establishment of Emory & Henry College but also the country of the United States!
With heavy eyes, a full belly, and loads of anticipation and nerves for tomorrow we sign off and wish you an amazing and safe evening! We miss you!
Love,
Sam "SamSam" Sampson and Hillary "Crocs" Carter!
DAY 4 --- KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH AFRICA - Today we started our day at 3:30 a.m. to go on a 5:00 a.m. safari. The drive was extremely cold but the team got the chance to see a lion, kulu, hippo, a lot of hyenas, giraffes from far away, and a couple other animals. It was a solid three hours of photo taking until we called it a day.
We had the chance to do as we pleased today, which meant exploring for the soccer team. During this time we spotted elephants, monkeys, crocodiles and a water buffalo. It was crazy we could be walking on a path and suddenly a bunch of monkeys run past you!
We really got the chance to bond as a team and learn more about each other. We spent time reflecting as a team with the coaches and talked about our day and hopes for this next week in South Africa.
We then went on an afternoon safari and saw two more lions and baby elephants fighting each other. Our safari guide told us this was only his second time in 10 years he saw this occurrence! Once we finished our safari we went back to the resort and we were greeted with a baari, which is a cookout with chicken, borewors, and pap - a South African specialty.
After that, we were able to go back to our rooms and had time to enjoy each others company before going to bed. All in all it was an exciting day and we are all looking forward to what the rest of our time in South Africa will bring. - Emily Belanger
DAY 3 --- KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH AFRICA - Hi everybody! Erin Kirk checking in! Sorry this is late, but we had no wifi when we arrived here at Kruger National Park.
We started off day two by heading over to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. After the powerful experience at the museum, we began our five-hour long haul up to Kruger. On the way, we had the opportunity to stop at what could possibly be the best orange juice road-side shop ever; it was even better than Florida's!
DAY 2 --- JOHNANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - Greetings from South Africa! Josie Rappold and Sarah "Jeromey" Jerome here reporting from one of the more quaint rooms at the Greenwood Manor.
We finally made it to Johannesburg after 18 hours of travel with one stop in Senegal for fuel. Some of us used our time wisely and watched movies, while others slept in awkward positions... we even made a few new friends.
I had the opportunity to sit by a lady from West Africa - she has been living in the United States for 17 years now and has two children. Her older son was born in West Africa and her daughter was born in the United States.
She told me how they have such different perspectives on what they consider to be home and simple living. She wants to retire in West Africa because it will be cheap- $20/month! We had a great conversation on perspective.
Josie is going to be filming this entire trip... she's already gotten in trouble for trying to film out of the window of the airplane! All is good because we still have the footage. We are excited to tour the apartheid museum, see Nelson Mandela's house tomorrow, and then move on to Kruger National Park.
For now, we are listening to sweet melodic jams while charging our phones so we have alarms set for tomorrow morning. Wish us luck!
DAY 1 --- EMORY, Va. - At 7:30 a.m. Monday morning, a huge adventure began for the Emory & Henry College Women's Soccer Team. They took to the ever familiar Interstate 81 and headed north to Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C. There the Wasps will catch their flight to Johannesburg, South Africa.
The 18-hour flight will be the gateway to a whirlwind 12-day trip that lies ahead. These 12 days will be spent in a variety of ways from running soccer clinics in Johannesburg townships, going on Safari in Kruger National Forest, summiting Table Mountain in Cape Town, visiting Robben Island and competing on the international level versus numerous club teams, just to name a few.
Head Coach Linda Schirmeister-Gess and other members of the team will provide daily updates on the trip and will send along photos (provided they have Internet access). We look forward to sharing our adventures over the coming two weeks right here at www.GoWasps.com stay tuned.
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