This is my last year at school. Oh yes!
We all wait forever for this to happen. People are telling me that I must savour each moment of this year...right.
Right now, I'm just trying to adjust and survive the workload. Matric is no joke. Especially Matric history. Oh my goodness, it really does just get heavier as you go up in the grades. Seriously, no joke.
I have also started doing AP English as an extra subject - so I do eight now. I don't know how smart that is with the afore mentioned epic workload, but I like the stuff we do in the subject, so time will be found somewhere to fit it in.
Hopefully things will become a little more chilled sometime soon. If it does, you'll be the first to know.
:)
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Monday, December 26, 2011
Merry Christmas!!
It is the festive season!
Amazing things have happened this christmas. The way we celebrate christmas may be a little different to other people. We do presents in the morning - that's pretty much what everybody does - and then we organise the house for the afternoon because we celebrate christmas with the Terry family (the other family who founded The Chaeli Campaign) and they arrive at two-ish. Then we start the celebrations.
I think it's much better celebrating with the people you want to celebrate with. This way, everyone has an epic, awesome time. We have christmas lunch. The only thing is our lunch happens a little later than the general population. We have lunch at seven o'clock at night. It's very chilled. It's amazing!
But, being the people we are...we don't really do things slowly and we don't really do the whole relaxation-for-an-extended-period-of-time thing. So, true to this trait, a week before christmas we had the National Dancing Championships in Bloemfontein. We had to drive there because it's just way too expensive to fly a week before christmas (especially to Bloem as there are only two airlines that fly there). This is always interesting when travelling with four wheelchair users. Fun times. I honestly could have died of lack of surroundings.
The only thing I saw for twelve hours of my life were sheep and prickly pears. Do you have any idea how mind numbingly boring that is? I'm pretty sure I lost brain cells due to no activity...
Anyway, I digress. We only got to do our christmas presents on the Thursday before christmas. We decided that it was an awesome thing that I'm in a wheelchair because we get special parking - it's especially helpful during holiday seasons.
I think it's important to use what you have. I don't feel pity for myself and neither should anybody else. It's christmas and I believe christmas is about being with each other and creating amazing memories together.
Amazing things have happened this christmas. The way we celebrate christmas may be a little different to other people. We do presents in the morning - that's pretty much what everybody does - and then we organise the house for the afternoon because we celebrate christmas with the Terry family (the other family who founded The Chaeli Campaign) and they arrive at two-ish. Then we start the celebrations.
I think it's much better celebrating with the people you want to celebrate with. This way, everyone has an epic, awesome time. We have christmas lunch. The only thing is our lunch happens a little later than the general population. We have lunch at seven o'clock at night. It's very chilled. It's amazing!
But, being the people we are...we don't really do things slowly and we don't really do the whole relaxation-for-an-extended-period-of-time thing. So, true to this trait, a week before christmas we had the National Dancing Championships in Bloemfontein. We had to drive there because it's just way too expensive to fly a week before christmas (especially to Bloem as there are only two airlines that fly there). This is always interesting when travelling with four wheelchair users. Fun times. I honestly could have died of lack of surroundings.
The only thing I saw for twelve hours of my life were sheep and prickly pears. Do you have any idea how mind numbingly boring that is? I'm pretty sure I lost brain cells due to no activity...
Anyway, I digress. We only got to do our christmas presents on the Thursday before christmas. We decided that it was an awesome thing that I'm in a wheelchair because we get special parking - it's especially helpful during holiday seasons.
I think it's important to use what you have. I don't feel pity for myself and neither should anybody else. It's christmas and I believe christmas is about being with each other and creating amazing memories together.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Nationals, here we come!
Tomorrow morning is going to begin very very early - 5am early. So excited! Can you see the sarcasm in my face?
We are going to Bloemfontein for our dancing national championships. It's going to be awesome...once we get there.
The team is going to be arriving on mass in 2 Kombi's, so we have to drive there. It means we have 12 hours in a car with 6 other people, which is fine for about a quarter of the journey. Then you start to get tired of one another and bored of the company. The worst thing somebody can ever do to fellow travellers is to open a packet of cheese flavoured Nik-Naks in the car! Trust me, I know what that is like. It's horrific. There is no way to get away from the smell of old socks on dirty feet!
That will not be happening in our car - I have put my metaphorical foot down!
The other thing is that when you travel to Bloemfontein by car, there is not the greatest scenery. In fact, there's very little scenery to speak of at all. The majority of the time you're driving on the same road that has NO life around it for kilometres at a time.
I guess we'll just have to keep ourselves occupied by doing funny things inside the Kombi and not rely on outside to keep our brains functioning.
We are going to Bloemfontein for our dancing national championships. It's going to be awesome...once we get there.
The team is going to be arriving on mass in 2 Kombi's, so we have to drive there. It means we have 12 hours in a car with 6 other people, which is fine for about a quarter of the journey. Then you start to get tired of one another and bored of the company. The worst thing somebody can ever do to fellow travellers is to open a packet of cheese flavoured Nik-Naks in the car! Trust me, I know what that is like. It's horrific. There is no way to get away from the smell of old socks on dirty feet!
That will not be happening in our car - I have put my metaphorical foot down!
The other thing is that when you travel to Bloemfontein by car, there is not the greatest scenery. In fact, there's very little scenery to speak of at all. The majority of the time you're driving on the same road that has NO life around it for kilometres at a time.
I guess we'll just have to keep ourselves occupied by doing funny things inside the Kombi and not rely on outside to keep our brains functioning.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Back home again
So, we are now firmly back in South Africa. We had a day flight, which is okay, but personally I'm not a fan. I felt like I lost a whole day of my life. I kind of did because I spent it in a metal tube where I couldn't do anything other than watch movies - and I can tell you, you can only watch so many movies until you die of boredom. I was very close to dying of boredom.
When we got to Cape Town International Airport, we were welcomed by the family and SABC journalists. We had interviews with them, and then went home to collapse after a hectic day of doing nothing. I was so tired.
It's so good to be home. It's really busy though, interviews with newspapers, tv, radio, it's ongoing. As I told you, really busy. Really tiring. But it's still really fun and I'm having a good time.
Everybody was and is asking me if I'm glad to be back home and have life back to normal...
I tell them that it's awesome to be home but life is definitely not back to normal. At least not the normal we were used to before I won the prize. I guess we are just going to have to get used to a new normal.
That's what life is about. Getting used to new normals.
When we got to Cape Town International Airport, we were welcomed by the family and SABC journalists. We had interviews with them, and then went home to collapse after a hectic day of doing nothing. I was so tired.
It's so good to be home. It's really busy though, interviews with newspapers, tv, radio, it's ongoing. As I told you, really busy. Really tiring. But it's still really fun and I'm having a good time.
Everybody was and is asking me if I'm glad to be back home and have life back to normal...
I tell them that it's awesome to be home but life is definitely not back to normal. At least not the normal we were used to before I won the prize. I guess we are just going to have to get used to a new normal.
That's what life is about. Getting used to new normals.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
KidsRights & cheese
Thursday was a great day.
We went to the KidsRights offices to meet the people there. Everyone that works at the foundation is incredible and you can feel the love. It's really nice to go into an environment like that. I loved it.
The majority of the day was taken up by being tourists - I think it was right that our last day in the Netherlands was done in this way. We went to Zaanse Schans. It's a kind of farm place. It's got a clog-making place, a cheese farm, lots of mills making different things and a whole bunch of things that we didn't get to see.
I had a lot of fun looking at traditional Dutch things - it was a rad experience.
We then had to take Thandiwe to the airport for her to go back to Zambia. It was really sad saying goodbye, but also not sad because I know that we will be meeting again soon.
Our last supper in Holland was incredible. We went to a place called 'Bazar Amsterdam'. It's kind of Moroccan place mixed with many different things. The vibe there was contagious - you just had to move to the music that was playing, your body made that decision for your brain. It was awesome.
We went to the KidsRights offices to meet the people there. Everyone that works at the foundation is incredible and you can feel the love. It's really nice to go into an environment like that. I loved it.
The majority of the day was taken up by being tourists - I think it was right that our last day in the Netherlands was done in this way. We went to Zaanse Schans. It's a kind of farm place. It's got a clog-making place, a cheese farm, lots of mills making different things and a whole bunch of things that we didn't get to see.
I had a lot of fun looking at traditional Dutch things - it was a rad experience.
We then had to take Thandiwe to the airport for her to go back to Zambia. It was really sad saying goodbye, but also not sad because I know that we will be meeting again soon.
Our last supper in Holland was incredible. We went to a place called 'Bazar Amsterdam'. It's kind of Moroccan place mixed with many different things. The vibe there was contagious - you just had to move to the music that was playing, your body made that decision for your brain. It was awesome.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Money, Peace & Parliament
Yesterday was yet another crazy-busy day. It started really early because I was asked to open the stock exchange, then we went for an interview at the peace palace and finally we went to the parliament to meet Jetta Klijnsma. It was a ridiculously busy day, but it was awesome!
Opening the stock exchange was so exciting. It was the New York Stock Exchange/Euronext. We got there and met the men who kind of run the opening and closing of the stock exchange. They were amazing - so helpful and warm. The whole event was actually very fast and efficient. What happens is ten seconds before 9:00, they start a countdown; three seconds before 9:00, the people start applauding; and then at 9:00 we hit the really big gong. Then it's over.
When we had finished, we went back to the boardroom and they gave me presents. I was excited! I got a coin (a collector's item) that they only give to people who open the exchange and they gave me a 'tombstone' with a photo of the opening and a certificate for the opening.
The second thing on the agenda for the day was the peace palace. Generally, people are not allowed to go in, but we were. How amazing?
The interview was with a woman, who also has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair. It was incredible to speak to a person who understands exactly what I'm talking about. It's part of the EU's campaign called 'End Exclusion'. It's awesome to be a part of an initiative like this one. It was very interesting.
In a very busy day, the last stop was parliament. We went to meet a woman, Yetta Klijnsma, another person with cerebral palsy. You would think it would be more rare, but it turns out otherwise. Anyway, Yetta is a member of parliament and an ambassador for the Liliane Foundation - they support children with disabilities. The point of the meeting was to start a relationship with her because there may be an opportunity in the future to travel together.
As you can probably deduce, I was exhausted. But it was an incredible day and I loved every minute of it.
:)
Opening the stock exchange was so exciting. It was the New York Stock Exchange/Euronext. We got there and met the men who kind of run the opening and closing of the stock exchange. They were amazing - so helpful and warm. The whole event was actually very fast and efficient. What happens is ten seconds before 9:00, they start a countdown; three seconds before 9:00, the people start applauding; and then at 9:00 we hit the really big gong. Then it's over.
When we had finished, we went back to the boardroom and they gave me presents. I was excited! I got a coin (a collector's item) that they only give to people who open the exchange and they gave me a 'tombstone' with a photo of the opening and a certificate for the opening.
The second thing on the agenda for the day was the peace palace. Generally, people are not allowed to go in, but we were. How amazing?
The interview was with a woman, who also has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair. It was incredible to speak to a person who understands exactly what I'm talking about. It's part of the EU's campaign called 'End Exclusion'. It's awesome to be a part of an initiative like this one. It was very interesting.
In a very busy day, the last stop was parliament. We went to meet a woman, Yetta Klijnsma, another person with cerebral palsy. You would think it would be more rare, but it turns out otherwise. Anyway, Yetta is a member of parliament and an ambassador for the Liliane Foundation - they support children with disabilities. The point of the meeting was to start a relationship with her because there may be an opportunity in the future to travel together.
As you can probably deduce, I was exhausted. But it was an incredible day and I loved every minute of it.
:)
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
And the winner is...
ME!!
Yesterday was an incredible and amazing day.
It started very early, but it was totally worth it. The ceremony was held in The Hall of Knights in The Hague. It's the oldest building in Holland and it's only used about twice a year - when the Queen does the state of the union address and the international children's peace prize awards ceremony. Epic.
We had a couple of run-through's for the actual ceremony and the morning was largely taken up with interviews for TV, newspapers and websites. It was so much fun.
Then the ceremony started.
We (Thandiwe - 2007 winner, and myself) came in down the aisle. And the other guests of honour entered down the big stairs - clearly that wouldn't have worked for us. We made a plan. Every year the prize is handed over by a Nobel Peace Prize loureate. So this year the loureate was Mairead Maguire. She won in 1976 - she worked really hard to negotiate for peace in Northern Ireland. Mairead is an incredible woman.
There were awesome people who spoke. Someone who really made me think was Susan Bissell, from Unicef. She really spoke to me. Some interesting things are going to happen with Unicef and disability. So, wait and see.
When I had to get up and do my speech, it was a huge moment and my emotions got the better of me a little bit. I started crying (which made me stress because generally when I cry nobody can understand what I'm saying), but I controlled myself enough to be able to do my speech. I was very proud of myself for actually carrying on and doing my speech.
After I spoke, the Maastrichter Staar (it's a 100-strong male choir) sang the South African National Anthem. Once again, my emotions decided to leave me. It was an incredible moment that was quite overwhelming but it was very important that it happened the way it did.
The gala dinner afterwards was so much fun. I had my homies and it was all good. The food, the music, the people, everything was perfect!
Yesterday was an incredible and amazing day.
It started very early, but it was totally worth it. The ceremony was held in The Hall of Knights in The Hague. It's the oldest building in Holland and it's only used about twice a year - when the Queen does the state of the union address and the international children's peace prize awards ceremony. Epic.
We had a couple of run-through's for the actual ceremony and the morning was largely taken up with interviews for TV, newspapers and websites. It was so much fun.
Then the ceremony started.
We (Thandiwe - 2007 winner, and myself) came in down the aisle. And the other guests of honour entered down the big stairs - clearly that wouldn't have worked for us. We made a plan. Every year the prize is handed over by a Nobel Peace Prize loureate. So this year the loureate was Mairead Maguire. She won in 1976 - she worked really hard to negotiate for peace in Northern Ireland. Mairead is an incredible woman.
There were awesome people who spoke. Someone who really made me think was Susan Bissell, from Unicef. She really spoke to me. Some interesting things are going to happen with Unicef and disability. So, wait and see.
When I had to get up and do my speech, it was a huge moment and my emotions got the better of me a little bit. I started crying (which made me stress because generally when I cry nobody can understand what I'm saying), but I controlled myself enough to be able to do my speech. I was very proud of myself for actually carrying on and doing my speech.
After I spoke, the Maastrichter Staar (it's a 100-strong male choir) sang the South African National Anthem. Once again, my emotions decided to leave me. It was an incredible moment that was quite overwhelming but it was very important that it happened the way it did.
The gala dinner afterwards was so much fun. I had my homies and it was all good. The food, the music, the people, everything was perfect!
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