money running and rain

So I just had a really successful week. I am helping some members of the local community start up an athletic youth club that is centered around running and so far its been going really well. The committee members are really motivated and have been trying to get this going for a little while now and have the drive to make it happen.
So me and one of the committee members, who is also my supervisors daughter, went to a nearby town and spoke to the department of sports and found out that we could receive as much as 8000 Rand for our world aids day event which I was really pushing for. HIV is a HUGE problem here and the worst part is people don’t want to talk about it or even recognize it as a problem No one dies of AIDS they are either ambiguously sick or its TB or meningitis or pneumonia, regardless of the fact that 71% of all deaths between the ages of 15-45 are from AIDS. Then we went to the local municipality and spoke to the most straight forward and mildy harsh man I’ve met in south Africa, which was actually refreshing because normally you have to read through the BS, indirect speaking, and formalities to get the real meaning of things. He said he could help us with several things involved with the 9k race we want to have at the end of December especially logistics and he really seems to want it to happen which is great. Finally we went to the department of health who agreed to give us an emergency personnel on call for the race as well as provided us with information about how to get red cross facilitators to our world aids day event. So overall it was a hugely exciting day that we never could have expected to go any better!
Then Friday we had our first club practiced which started out pretty unorganized until one of the committee members got in her car and picked random kids off the street to join. It only took about an hour and a half but we ended up rounding up and retaining about 40 kids it was amazing. In Africa time is a very fluid concept. I ran all sorts of relay races using sand filled coke bottles and a lot of silly gestures to make my point. The shuttle run was particularly interesting especially when the kids would start running to pick up the bottle before the other kid got back and would come close to colliding. Then we did a short 3k run that the kids absolutely loved even if they didn’t stay in the lines we asked them too and finished by rewarding them with icy pops. It was a really great response and we are looking forward to next Fridays club. We are trying to gain official club status so we can get some funding. We need to have a mission and 350 signatures. It may take a little while but I think it will happen. So that’s my exciting news about the running club.
I have been running pretty much every day training for the 56k next falll. I still get accompanied by barefooted children. Today I actually almost met my match with some 9 year olds that kept up with me all the way until the end…it actually kind of pissed me off! I mean I should totally be able to outrun 9 year old barefooted children. But I complimented them at the end and invited them to our next practice. Well at least I think I did. I tried speaking setswana it may have gone badly.
Anyway its pouring and dark and I have to walk back home where there is no internet probably no electricity and a leaky roof. Home sweet home! Oh and all of my laundry is hanging in my room bc I forgot that occasionally it rains in Africa…and it did so right after I dumped all of my clothes in the wash bucket….ouch. Ok remember to keep me updated on your lives! Miss everyone!