Well, we are back. Checking in with kids and adults, I find that we are all at various stages of shaking jet lag, with the exception of one student who simply does not get jet lag!I really wanted to spend just a couple of paragraphs thanking Lynne and Lourence for doing such a wonderful job with our group during the ten days we were away. When Gary Fountain (head of school) repeatedly said that we would love Lynne, I figured I would love Lynne, but not having been on this trip before, I did not know how much we would love Lynne and count on her, daily, to make sure that we were doing the right thing at the right time in the right place. She really is our feet and voice as the trip is being organized. She understands this age group, seems to love people in general, and, of course, having grown up in the Cape Town area, was able to act as our cultural interpreter at those moments when one was necessary, and did a lot of negociation for the group.
Lynne knew our program and our schedule intimately. She drives out to m
eet people at all of the sites where the Chatham Hall group will be working, gets to know the people, and makes decisions about which groups would be worthwhile establishing relationships with. All of her prep work made this trip flow. Her level of organization and her ablility to remain calm made her a joy to work with. She also notices just about everything. The morning after our first night at the game reserve, she approached me, looking a bit concerned, and just asked if I were all right as she had not seen be at dinner nor at the activity afterwards. I assured her that I had eaten (but was disguised as a student at that meal) and that I had been wrestling with the blog and Internet connection after dinner. I appreciated the concern and her willingness or professionalism to ask the question.
eet people at all of the sites where the Chatham Hall group will be working, gets to know the people, and makes decisions about which groups would be worthwhile establishing relationships with. All of her prep work made this trip flow. Her level of organization and her ablility to remain calm made her a joy to work with. She also notices just about everything. The morning after our first night at the game reserve, she approached me, looking a bit concerned, and just asked if I were all right as she had not seen be at dinner nor at the activity afterwards. I assured her that I had eaten (but was disguised as a student at that meal) and that I had been wrestling with the blog and Internet connection after dinner. I appreciated the concern and her willingness or professionalism to ask the question. The girls loved Lynne and I know they were excited about the Wynberg event she made happen. They were tired as they readied for the meal and activities, but were so grateful that that school visit had been arranged. It was such a fun night for the girls and I know that some will keep in touch with girls they met at the occasion.
Lynne maintains a low profile yet accomplishes so much. I just wish to thank her for all of her attention to detail, for her good spirit, sense of humor, and hard work. We recognize that all of those combined to create a very memorable experience for us all.Now, Lourence. I have been on two hour bus rides from Western Massachusetts to Boston with great bus drivers and bus drivers who have made the trip a challenge...made the two hour trip a challenge. When you are in a foreign country and waking up at 5:00 for an early departure to a site, who that person is greeting you as you get on the bus makes all the difference in the world. Lourence, from Day 1
, fit right in. He knows teenage kids, seems to love that age group, treated us all well, and kept us going with his kindness and sense of humor. We could count on him to get us to the right place (Lynne had visited all the sites in order to be able to help Lourence with this), could turn our huge coach bus around in a very small space, pulled over when we wanted to buy grapes, stopped when we saw a beautiful beach, and went to pick up our lunches several times, made sure that we were comfortable, and kept us going with his puns, as with Lynne, his kindness, and his knowledge of the area. Lourence was well-versed in several of the languages of the Cape Town area and could mingle, culturally, with lots of different groups.
Lourence was there when we woke up, helped us prepare meals, gardened with us, accompanied us to restaurants, offered his own unique perspective and knowledge on the area, and was a wonderful complement to Lynne's guide talents. The thing that surprised all of us was that until Lynne and Lourence came to the airport to pick us up when we arrived, they had never met. Their collaboration and ease with which they worked together speaks to the wonderful people they are and certainly made this trip even more enjoyable for all of us!
, fit right in. He knows teenage kids, seems to love that age group, treated us all well, and kept us going with his kindness and sense of humor. We could count on him to get us to the right place (Lynne had visited all the sites in order to be able to help Lourence with this), could turn our huge coach bus around in a very small space, pulled over when we wanted to buy grapes, stopped when we saw a beautiful beach, and went to pick up our lunches several times, made sure that we were comfortable, and kept us going with his puns, as with Lynne, his kindness, and his knowledge of the area. Lourence was well-versed in several of the languages of the Cape Town area and could mingle, culturally, with lots of different groups.Lourence was there when we woke up, helped us prepare meals, gardened with us, accompanied us to restaurants, offered his own unique perspective and knowledge on the area, and was a wonderful complement to Lynne's guide talents. The thing that surprised all of us was that until Lynne and Lourence came to the airport to pick us up when we arrived, they had never met. Their collaboration and ease with which they worked together speaks to the wonderful people they are and certainly made this trip even more enjoyable for all of us!
So, thank you, Lynne and Lourence. Your talents, hard work, humor, and knowledge were most appreciated by all of us. We miss you!
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