Escape

Cheetahs and little boys

            I took the day off on Thursday, July 7^th, to help Stephanie chaperon her boy’s group field trip.  As an intern for Home From Home, Stephanie’s most meaningful project has been working with a group of boys ages 8-11 once a week.  Over the past five weeks she has planned fun activities for them to do as a little escape from the daily routine like school, siblings, and house moms.  Taylor, Stephanie, and I went out to Khayelitsha to the Home From Home office to wait for the boys to show up.

            Once we had all the boys seat belted and happy in the van, we made our way to the Cheetah Sanctuary in Stellanbosch.  Stephanie, like any good community organizer, convinced the sanctuary to give a tour to the boys for free.  We arrived to the preserve after a sunny drive through Khayelitsha and some South African wine land.

            The boys pressed their faces to windows to get a better look at where we were going.  Wonga, our driver, dropped our group off at the front of the entrance.  After entering, we explored the enclosure for a while before our guide came to fetch us.  The Boys, while we waited, took turns taking pictures of the cheetahs on the other sides of the fence.  Each of the boys was chatty, wide eyed, and fascinated by not only the cheetahs, but also the act of taking pictures. 

            After the guide came, we were escorted into a classroom.  The boys sat cross-legged on the wood floor.  The guide presented all of the amazing facts about cheetahs and wild life conservation.  The boys sat in awe listening intensely to every fact for about 45 minutes.  After the presentation, the guide took all of us around to the different animal habitats.  The boys eagerly moved from habitat to habitat taking pictures. 

            By the end of the day, the boys were tired, but happy.  It was a good day.  Stephanie could see that she was giving the boys a taste of adventure and dropping them safely back home.