Monday 21st - Sizinda

Ben:

Hello everyone, I hope you are all having fun whilst I'm away. I know I am! Anyway, let's get on with what I did today...

First, we had breakfast which was porridge, beans, avocado and toast, and it was very nice to wake up to. I had a cup of tea to wash it all down with, and then we made our way to work on our community project for the week. 

We are working in a home for aged and destitute people. We had a tour and were told about the history of the slavery that is linked to the home. We then split into 3 groups and my group went to work on a recycling project, which at first I thought might not be as exciting as the construction work that the other groups were doing, but as it went on I enjoyed it more and more. This project was setup by an ex-student, George Young, who visited for the first time in 2011. We were shown the process of recycling plastic; first they collect the rubbish around Zimbabwe, and then they cut open and clean the plastic, before sorting it into colours and shredding it into small pieces. Then they put the bits of plastic into a machine that heats the plastic up to 285 degrees Celsius so that the plastic melts. It is then squeezed out into a mould to make beads that they turn into bracelets and coasters. We decided to use white, blue and green as our signature colours. Finally, we took the now cool beads and thread them onto string and made a bracelet with them. 

Lunch was pasta and lentils, and even though I don't normally like lentils, it was nice. We then split into four groups and went to some local schools do to some coaching. I didn't expect it to be much different to Zambia, but the pitch looked like a beach with no grass and the kids didn't understand many of the rules, so we had to focus on the basics with them. 

Our students had another event to go to, so we didn't spend the full two hours with them. Instead, we joined another group and helped them. I went and danced with some kids on the side who weren't playing as they were singing local songs. 

After a while we went back to the camp and just chilled out for the rest of the day. Dinner was rice, pork steaks, sausage and an assortment of vegetables. After that, we sat around the campfire and sang some songs. 

Anyways, I'm going to leave it there, so goodbye and I'll see you soon. 

Ben. 

P.S. There may be a few souvenirs from the recycling project for you...

Esme:

We started today with a leisurely wake and a good cooked breakfast. We were taken to a community centre for the elderly. After having a tour of the vegetable garden, accommodation and the murals of the buildings previously painted by ex Esher High students, we were split into 3 groups. My group started on brick laying, and we are contributing to the construction of a store room. 

Brick laying was hard to start off with, however I got the hang of it after a few bricks. All 6 of us managed to build four layers high in around 2 and a half hours, so maybe it's not our forte, but not bad for beginners. 

After our community work, we were treated to some lunch, then headed off to coach tag rugby. The kids at the school I coached at were very enthusiastic. After coaching, we all headed back to Sizinda, and enjoyed a calm afternoon. For dinner we were treated yet again with a warming meal. To wrap up the day we all gathered around the fire and taught each other songs. 

Overall, an amazing first full day in Zimbabwe. 

P.S. Miss you lots Mum, Dad, Louis and Cara x