TTILTW: part X

June 23, 2015 by Imogen 1 Comment

And so we have finally made it to the last coaching stop of the journey. After a quick pit stop in East London, we’ve moved down the coast to Port Elizabeth. We’re lucky enough to be staying at the United Through Sport hostel here in PE (as us travellers call it). In symmetry with Bhubesi Pride, young volunteers from around the world (UK, US, Germany, Holland) have teach a wide variety of sports in the local public schools with the aim of improving educational standards, raising health standards and imparting vital life skills. The UTS team have 16 volunteers here at the moment working in the same schools as Bhubesi Pride teaching hockey, football, netball, cricket and rugby as well as going into the classroom and teaching english and maths. The UTS, kids from Port Elizabeth are nominated and put forward for scholarships. If they excel academically and in sport, they may be eligible for a paid passage through a private high school. A worthy charity, I’m sure you’ll agree. Check it out.

Anyway, enough plugs for other people. Let’s talk about me for a while.

 

1. South African hospitality is second to none

You cannot fault the South Africans on their hospitality. Nothing seems to be too much to ask. One of our key sponsors, Flya, took the team out for an evening of snake handling, night golf, and food. I don’t think my hand was empty all night. If I wasn’t being press-ganged into a glass of wine (or, later in the evening, when my protests were finally heard, diet coke) then someone was making me try out the food they’d just cooked. It was such a fantastic evening – not only for us to have a little bit of social time together, but also to talk to the vast range of people there and get a chance to tell them about all the great work their sponsorship is funding.

2. The language and accent may change, but rugby clubs are rugby clubs

The boys are always on the look out for a game on our travels. At the night golf evening, we met up with a couple of guys from Cambridge rugby club in East London. The boys wangled a chance to run on for their first team and so, after a morning coaching in Duncan Village we made our way to a beautifully kept rugby ground for them to make their South African debut.

I propped up the bar.

Obviously.

After the game, the boys were hustled away for a fine session and then the whole team ended up in a distinctly dodgy club with a multitude of shots and bad music.

Rugby clubs are rugby clubs.

3. I’m more girlie than I thought

I’m not normally that girlie. At all. However, one night, the boys were out and I decided to have a moment to myself. Now, now, calm down, minds out of the gutter please. What I mean is I had a long bath with a glass of wine and a book, then spent some time painting my nails before settling down to a rom-com.

I hang my head. Apparently I am quite girlie. It’s weird how just a little bit of time to myself, away from the constant hubbub of people around me, makes all the difference in the world.

For now, however, I have a week left of coaching before we make the leisurely drive down to Cape Town.