Taylor's 3rd week was filled with adventure

We all started our internships this week, so I spent Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday at Eros School! This school is primarily for students with cerebral palsy, but it is open to students with other disabilities as well. Many of the students need assistance in class, so I spent a lot of time trying my best to answer questions and give help on assignments. One of the biggest challenges for me at Eros so far has been the language barrier. Almost all the students and faculty speak Afrikaans, and when they speak English it is with a very thick accent.  While it is interesting to hear the accents and pick up a few words in Afrikaans, it is difficult to focus all day trying to understand teachers and students, especially when many people switch between English and Afrikaans within one sentence. That is definitely something I am excited to get used to, though, because it’s a huge part of learning about the culture.  So far I really love all the kids and I already missed them this weekend! I’m excited to work more with Esme and see more of how the school systems in South Africa function.

This weekend, a bunch of the co-educators headed out to the Garden Route for a 3-day tour! Day 1 started with a Big-5 safari where we saw zebras, elephants, lions, a hippo, rhinos, and much more. My favorite part of the day was actually swimming in the Indian Ocean after, my first time in an ocean other than the Atlantic! On Day 2 we went to a farmers market, got to feed and walk with elephants at a sanctuary, and finally went bungee jumping off the highest commercial bridge in the world! I was so terrified before but I’m so happy I did it!! On our last day of the tour, some of us chose to go to the Cango Wildlife Ranch, where we saw lots of different animals and got to pet a cheetah and a lemur! Overall, every day of our excursion was so much fun and we all tried things we probably never would at home.  It was hard to leave but the ride back through the mountains was so beautiful and I can’t wait to see the students at Eros on Monday!

Taylor bungee jumping off the highest commercial bridge in the world!