Valentine’s Day in March and Other Botshabelo Happenings

Hello everyone! I so appreciate the well-wishes and positive, healing energy...and even virtual soup that you all sent while I have been sick. Let me tell you, lying in bed all day for a week is absolutely NO fun...but since Saturday afternoon, I’ve been back at it and WOW!! I am so grateful to be back outside playing with the kids and running around having fun!! I’m SOOOO happy that my heart has literally been bursting with joy for the past few days!!

So, as you know, most places around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14th, even South Africa. However, in true Botshabelo style, we celebrated Valentine’s Day...March 5th of course! But, I promise there is an explanation for this one—not just “we’ll celebrate Valentine’s Day in a little bit”...So, Botshabelo goes ALLLL out for Valentine’s Day, throwing a HUGE bash with a DJ, BBQ, gifts, candy, Talent Show, and a beauty pageant (what they call here as “contesting”). Unfortunately, this kind of thing takes alotta mullah, and being a nonprofit orphanage, they have to wait for funding to come in for something of this magnitude. The good news: they have funders from Norway that offer to sponsor this event every year. The bad news: the money was supposed to come in time for actual Valentine’s Day...and when it didn’t come, the party was postponed for the next week...and then it didn’t come again. Although the momentum really died after the third weekend it was postponed (so much so, that some of the kids even forgot what they signed-up to do for the Talent Show), when this Saturday rolled around...you could feel the excitement!

Let me tell you: the Valentine’s Day bash was SERIOUSLY the best time we have had since we’ve been here!!! The festivities began around 3:30 pm, but beforehand there was much preparation. The day before, all of the girls were sent to the nearest town—Magaliesburg—to get their hair done (relaxed and styled) at a salon. Then on Saturday, the 12 girls who were contesting (AKA beauty pageant contestants)—plus a few others—came to our house around 1:00 pm to get their make-up done and fingernails painted. Thank goodness Ayla knows a thing or two about make-up, and I’ve become the fastest manicurist around! Then we had a photo shoot (courtesy of my Canon camera) of all of the girls...if anyone is in need of some beautiful models, please contact Model Agent Ilene for details, because these girls are H-O-T!

Strike-a-pose!


The girl's lined up for Ayla and her make-up talents


Getting ready for the contest


Ayla & I, along with a few of the upper management staff, were lucky enough to be chosen as the contest judges.

Judge's Table


There were four rounds: casual wear, sports attire, bathing suits (called “bathing costumes” here in South Africa), and formal wear. Each round lasted about 25 minutes to half an hour, where the girls walked together endlessly in several geometric configurations as well as individually strutting their stuff and dancing for the crowd (you could not pay me to dance in front of the crowd in my bathing suit- but those girls sure can shake it!!!).

The contesters


Walking endlessly...


About half-way into the first round, some new pageant contesters came into the mix: dancing grannys!!!! One granny in particular hit the booze pretty early...and pretty hard, joined in the contest. Moments later we see her in the center thinking she is auditioning for Girls Gone Wild, playfully raising her shirt. We thought it was a tease, but she wasn’t bluffing. The bra made an appearance...a few actually. OMG! Even though, if you think about it, it’s not nice to laugh at, but SERIOUSLY, I’ve never laughed so hard in my life!!

Granny thinks she's a contester


Dancing Grannys! Even the Grannys know how to get down!

So in between contesting rounds, came the Talent Show acts: a karate display, singing by the college kids, and dancing, dancing, DANCING! These kids have got some SERIOUS moves! Even though there was mad drama when the DJ (who was paid to play from noon to midnight, came at 3:30) decided he was done at 8:30 and tried to sneak away...the family settled things, and we danced the night away—until 3:00 am! In fact, we danced sooo hard that two days later Ayla is still sore. We spent some of the dance trying to get down the kids’ crazy South African moves, but they are insanely good dancers with mad intricate footwork and intense pelvic thrusting. I think I got some of it down, however, and will be happy to give anyone a reenactment when I get back to the States. ☺

So it seems that at least half of the money that came in for the V-Day bash was set aside to buy new clothes for the kids. Everyone got new shoes, jeans, shirts, and underoos. And remember how we mentioned a few blogs ago that the boys like dressing like girls?!?!...well, now we know why: the family buys whatever is cheapest and decent quality. In the shoe department for the boys, it turns out that this time around, it was lime green fake crocs that were bejeweled with silver jewels!! Of course the boys don’t know those are “girls” shoes, they’re just grateful for whatever they can get...Oh gender-role stereotypes. All-in-all, it was a fantastic event—full of fun, laughter, singing, and of course DANCING!!!

Alexis, this one is for you!


In other news, remember how we were promised a meal of chicken feet and heads?!?! Well, our wish came true. The other night we (and by we, I mean, me—Ayla “chickened” out...hahaha!), tried chicken feet. One word: RUBBERY. Pretty much, I just kinda put it in my mouth but couldn’t swallow it...it was just too gross. But, hey, at least I tried, right?

Chicken head smooch


Basket-o-chicken feet


Chicken feet high five!


I also have to give a HUGE shout-out to Teacher Rebecca Novick and her generosity: she sent a package full of educational posters for the classrooms and the kids (but more so, the teachers) went crazy for! Each classroom got one poster and Marion (who does most of the tutoring) got the rest. It really is the little things in life that make such a difference...and these posters symbolize that fact to the extreme.

Grade 6 with their new multiplication poster. Who knew math could be this fun?!?!


A picture of my FAVORITE family at Botshabelo. These are 5 of the 9 kids and I want to bring them all over to the States to live with me!


So, next on the agenda: two of my friends from grad school come on Sunday and stay for the week (WOO HOO! I’m SO excited!!), and then it’s our spring breeeaaaak! Phew! This semester is flying by...