Women's Day Weekend

Yay for three-day weekends!

This past Friday was Women’s Day – a national public holiday here in South Africa that began in 1994 and celebrates the Women’s March of 1956 when somewhere between ten and twenty thousand women marched in Pretoria to protest the proposed “pass laws.” I’m not going to write much more about the historical aspects because I was neither there nor can I find a source reliable enough to quote on the details of the march. All I can say with certainty is that every year on the 9^th of August, learners and teachers don’t have to attend school.

So, since there was no school on Friday, it was the perfect time to take a quick trip to St. Lucia, a fairly low-key tourist town on the coast. It’s a bit tricky to make it there in one day using public transportation, so I decided to leave after school on Thursday and go just halfway. There are a few volunteers that live between here and there, so I was able to find a place to stay on Thursday night and finish the journey on Friday morning. And as a surprise added bonus, we even ended school early on Thursday. Supposedly there were schools in the area that thought Thursday was a day off as well (I don’t even know how that is possible) so our school administrators decided that we would start cleaning at 11am and close school at noon. You certainly weren’t going to hear any arguments from me; I’ve learned to accept that this is how things work. Now, I’m simply grateful for the positives rather than constantly pointing out that the less time the kids are in school, the less likely they are to do well on the National Assessments. The teachers don’t seem to believe there is a correlation there, so it’s useless to argue that point.

A popular fishing site in St Lucia over Women's Day Weekend.

Instead, I took advantage of the extra time to enjoy a break from village life. After spending Thursday night in Richard’s Bay, I met up with another volunteer in Mtubatuba on Friday morning, and we were in St. Lucia by early Friday afternoon. We didn’t have any plans other than to enjoy the outdoors and eat as many meals as we could. While we were not blessed with sun-filled days, it didn’t rain too terribly, and we were able to get out and about and see a few sites. On our trip down to the beach, we saw residents and visitors fishing in the ocean. As we walked along the river that leads to the Lake St. Lucia, we spotted a hippo coming onto the shore to dry off. And while winding our way through the nature trails, we were able to photograph a few of the unique and colorful birds that are native to the region. We enjoyed burgers, fish & chips, pizza, and curry while dining at an assortment of restaurants throughout the town, and back at the bed and breakfast, we even had a chance to watch some TV. Neither of us has electricity at our sites, so this was a truly exciting experience!

A happy hippo takes a look around.

One of the many colorful birds that can be all around St Lucia.

When Sunday morning came, I was sad to go, but really happy I had the chance to visit one of my favorite places in South Africa. Not sure when I’ll be back next, but it will certainly be before September 2014. Can’t wait.