Guns and Masks…and School?!

Home Page: Willmore Adventures in South Africa

If someone had mentioned guns and masks and schools in the same sentence six months ago, the assumption would have been that it was probably an incident in America, and never to do with safety. But here in South Africa it’s actually government policy to have just that. Temperature taken on arrival at school, and masks to be worn at all times. With a temperature gun held to your head however, it’s difficult not to break out into a sweat! Here’s our update from the Southern Hemisphere…

School rules during Covid...

Schools returned in June, which was a heartily celebrated affair in the Willmore household. Who would have thought that the aforementioned mask wearing and temperature checks, along with social distancing and washing hands all day long would be a more inviting prospect than remaining home with parents? Or was it that those parents painted a rosy picture of seeing friends again at school, to regain some sort of balance and control in the house once more…

Elowen on the first day back at school.

Amelie having her temperature taken.

Day 1 complete.

Joel returned to his school in July on a part time basis. The class was split, with the two groups alternating days. He too has had to wear his little mask and adhere to all the protocols put in place (whilst making sand cakes or singing merrily with friends).

Joel's first day back at school.

The Steiner school welcome back.

Both schools have had cases of Covid 19 in staff and pupils as schools have been up and running in the peak of the crisis. Joel’s school chose to shut whilst the girls’ school deep cleaned the specific classrooms and stayed open. The drills are so slick now that we can transition between going to school and working online at the drop of a hat. We received a text one morning saying that the girls’ school would be online that day due to transport strikes in the area, and 30 minutes later, the kitchen was transformed into a studio, and Elowen was learning a dance routine with her teacher over Microsoft Teams. Twenty first Century life in South Africa when you can afford the fast lane.

Elowen in her online dance lesson.

The school where I teach reading and writing, Riversands Primary School, in the township of Diepsloot, has not had such a straightforward transition. With children crammed into classrooms and desks spilling out of doors, complying with regulations has made it impossible for all children to return. Students in the most important grades have spread out into more than their allocated classrooms leaving lower grades without a place to learn, and therefore without school. The classroom where I and several other volunteers teach, is currently being used for grade 7, so our grade 2s are going without… It’s a real tragedy and the gulf between the haves and the have nots continues to grow…

Many people have lost their jobs in South Africa due to Covid 19 and so unemployment has soared. For Tari, my friend who runs the Buttercup 2 Preschool in the township of Cosmo City, this has meant that not only was she forced to close during lockdown, but that the hardship continues, as people no longer require childcare, as they themselves have no work. And so, whilst she is open for business, currently only 4 children from 15 have returned. With a team of school and church friends in the UK helping me, we are continuing to support Tari as she offers a special place for those at the start of their education in Cosmo City, and 4 precious children are at least receiving that care.

Tari at the preschool entrance.

Meeting up in Cosmo, in preparation of the preschool opening.

As soon as parks and open spaces became legal to visit in South Africa in July, we raced to the countryside. Having visited a few at the beginning of the year with a rather unconvinced Elowen, we thought we would return for a much-needed change of scenery. Remembering the luscious greenery, flowing rivers, bird hides and much more, we excitedly set off for the Modderfontein Nature Reserve. As we approached however, (along with the rest of Johannesburg it turned out), the area wasn’t looking as attractive as we remembered it to be. We started our walk as Laurence explained that the lack of rain in winter in Johannesburg, means that controlled fires are used to burn the dry land to prevent any wildfires from spreading without warning. I must admit, rather than escaping a pandemic, I felt like I was walking through nature's version of one. Either that or we had been transported into Michael Jackson’s Earth Song video, which is a song that I of course proceeding to wail at the top of my voice as we walked along, much to Laurence’s displeasure. A aa aaaa…you’re welcome to join in with me, ha ha! It was so lovely to get out though and a real breath of fresh air. 

At the burnt to a crisp Modderfontein Nature Reserve.

Around about the time I broke out into Earth Song!

With Amelie, having a rest at Modderfontein.

As we come to the end of August, and the end of a bitterly cold winter, I hope that spring is a bit kinder to South Africa. I hope that the numbers of those with the virus continue to drop having surged in July; that schools be available for all students young and old; that work opportunities open up so that Tari sees more little ones returning to preschool; and that nature and us humans can flourish in harmony, as we find a new normal. One can wish…

We have been somewhat green-eyed as we’ve watched Europe open up and enjoy the summer, but we know that challenges still lie ahead up there. Good luck for those with a transition back to school soon, and lots of love to those still isolating or feeling the effects of Covid.

Jess x

Next post: Pinkies and Penguins

Previous post: Alcohol is Banned...?

A few extra photos from the last two months...

An outdoor meet after 5 months of not seeing Laurence's siblings.

Dragging the kids away from Minecraft to donate
to a feeding program run from a local church.

The absolute irony of a wall of toilet rolls
denying the sale of alcohol during the pandemic.

A toast to alcohol being back on sale in mid August.

Alcohol is Banned...?

Home Page: Willmore Adventures in South Africa

Apart from Bill Gates and many scientists around the world, who would have predicted a worldwide pandemic in 2020…? In South Africa, we watched on as China suffered, thinking that, with the close trading ties between China and South Africa, we would be next. We then watched Europe struggle to contain the virus, and still we waited. But then, as the half term skiers returned from Europe in early March, the inevitable happened, and South Africa announced its first case of Covid-19. By the 18^th of March schools were closed, and by the 26^th of March the country was in lockdown. This meant that everyone had to stay at home, only to leave for medical supplies and food (unless you were a key worker); there was to be no movement across provincial borders, and no movement into or out of South Africa, national borders were (and still are) closed. It has been one of the strictest lockdowns in the world and it has also included the banning of alcohol and cigarette sales (cue the choking/spitting out of coffee in shock at this last restriction!).

So, with friends in the townships of Cosmo City and Diepsloot, in Johannesburg, I have had a glimpse into how lockdown has affected many people living in South Africa.

Tari, my lovely friend who runs the Buttercup 2 Preschool in Cosmo City, was visiting her daughters in Zimbabwe, one of whom she had not seen for a year, when the closure of schools was announced. She quickly came back to South Africa to deal with her preschool closure, keeping on a few children of key workers. In fear of the virus and the government, local residents near the preschool saw these children being dropped off and protested (which in SA is called a toyi toyi) outside her house. Buttercup 2 was forced to completely shut its doors. Like so much of South African business, the preschool is informal, and Tari was and still is, unable to claim any compensation. The government immediately began handing out food parcels in the townships, but this hasn’t helped much when Tari has had to pay rent; pay the helper at the preschool; and pay for her own children and elderly mother in Zimbabwe. We hope that July sees a relaxation of the lockdown rules to allow preschools to start again, and for Tari to get up and running once more.

Me and Tari during the Buttercup 2 Preschool build.
From the post, "When building a wall is a good thing"

Tari and the children at Buttercup 2 Preschool,
before lockdown.

Playing in the new outside play area at
Buttercup 2, before lockdown...

Nelson, who was our handyman during the Buttercup 2 play area build back in August last year, was also forced to stop his building work without any means of compensation. Like Tari, he too is originally from Zimbabwe, and relies on informal work because he is unable to find a job despite his truck driver qualifications. He rents a little room built behind a government-built house in Cosmo City, where he stays with his wife and two boys, aged five and one.

Nelson lives behind this house on the right.

Nelson at the preschool build in 2019.

Our dear friend Shepherd, who I wrote about in my last post, “Shepherd’s Dream of Chickens”, made it home from Diepsloot to his rural home in Limpopo Province just before lockdown was implemented. There he spent ten weeks with his five children, and reared chickens, which is a new business venture of his. Shepherd’s usual gardening work in the city is regular so he was paid during lockdown. He was therefore able to enjoy his time at home despite government food parcels not arriving in the rural areas by the time he returned to Diepsloot for work, in June.

Shepherd back in Jo'burg after lockdown in Limpopo 

The government, like elsewhere, has had a very hard job of doing what it thinks is best for South Africa. The early and extreme lockdown meant that the virus almost completely stopped spreading and our rate of infection curve was well and truly flattened. With no alcohol on sale, the numbers admitted to A and E dropped dramatically and hospitals were quite empty. We chatted last week with our friend Yvette, who we went skiing with last year, and as a doctor she was able to tell us that lockdown gave hospitals time to establish Covid-19 protocols in advance of cases arriving, and it gave them time to order PPE from China, which took two months to arrive. After lockdown was relaxed and people started to present with symptoms, Yvette’s hospital was able to successfully isolate people who tested positive for the virus, and successfully track and trace the virus, and quarantine those who had been in contact with it. As it stands today on the 1^st of July, South Africa has had 2657 Covid-19 related deaths, during what has been a bitter winter.

So there has been an incredible economic sacrifice by the people living in South Africa but some real successes too. And where the government has not been able to help, charities and churches have stepped in. We are very much in the thick of it as I write, and hope that by spring we might start seeing a reduction in cases. We will see…

It appears so easy and indulgent when compared to what our friends have faced, but finally, what have the Willmore’s been doing in lockdown? Joe Wicks workouts of course! And plenty of online quizzes and online church, with family and friends. The girls were thrown straight into online schooling, which I found very stressful and quickly learnt I shouldn’t be in the room for, (for fear of shouting when their microphones were on…!), and Joel has had some creative activities sent home from his Waldorf school. Laurence has managed to employ four people in lockdown, still having never met two of them, and his team is working out extremely well. We have had some secret alcohol drops as Laurence’s mum kindly shared her wine with us once ours had run out, and our first day of being allowed out in Lonehill after seven weeks in isolation was described as being like a Christmas Day. And with duty and satisfaction, (and help from our friend Mary in the UK), we have also taken on the role of looking after our dear friends Tari, Nelson, and Shepherd, who have suffered so terribly during this pandemic and will continue to do so until we all get back on our feet as a country. If ever there was a place to see how the pandemic has dis-proportionally affected people, it is here in South Africa. Once again, we are reminded of how lucky we are.

Thick as thieves during lockdown.

As I’m sure, for everyone, it has been an emotional roller-coaster with the pandemic and lockdown. 2020 will truly go down in history. I hope we get through it one way or another, and are able to help, or be helped, along the way. Our little family unit should be back in the UK at the moment, which is really sad, but we’ll get home at some point, and it will be all the sweeter when it finally happens.

Please keep South Africa in your thoughts as the virus continues to spread here.

Lots of love to you all, Jess x

Next post: Guns and Masks...and School?!

Previous post: Shepherd's Dream of Chickens

Here are some photos from our Willmore Lockdown...

Painting rocks and rock hunts.

PE with Joe, fancy dress Friday!

Another PE with Joe, fancy dress friday...

A weekend PE with Joe, with Laurence

Sunday quizzes with the Moloney's.

Elowen in the lounge class for Grade 3

Amelie in the kitchen class for Grade 4

Joel and his home Waldorf Schooling

Our Christmas Day walk of freedom!

Camping in the garden before it got too cold.

The girls...

More camping fun...

Some baking, their (and my) first time
at making meringues...

Elowen's school project to make a mask

Elowen's homemade mask!

Laurence's 40th Birthday!

Elowen's 8th Birthday.

An 8th birthday party for 3...

And just one last picture of the trio.

Sun, Sea, Sand and a Standing Ovation!

Home Page: Willmore Adventures in South Africa

We have discovered that it is possible to have both a tough and truly wonderful experience at the same time out here in South Africa. After the shock of Laurence’s father passing away, and with Christmas following so soon after, the last two months have been spent enjoying the company of Laurence’s family and the peace, or just the change, that comes at this time of year. A week by the coast in Port Elizabeth as well as some city fun in Johannesburg, it has been really special, and we have entered 2020 content and excited for the new year and all that lies ahead.

We said goodbye to Geoff towards the end of November. Laurence carried his dad at the funeral service with other family members, and spoke so beautifully about him, alongside his brother and sister, Gavin and Robyn. Geoff’s life flashed before us in photos, taking us on a unique journey – all the highs, all the best bits, all the love. Everyone came back to our house afterwards, which with Laurence’s huge family is no mean feat, but as these occasions do, it worked itself out and it turned out to be a really great day.

Our last photo with Geoff in October.
His favourite, and now Elowen's; playing games.

At the top of Lonehill's hill (Koppie). A perfect place to reflect.

It’s a funny time of year in South Africa, where there is a real sense of endings. I said goodbye to the children that I tutor at the township school as they move on to a new grade; Amelie, Elowen and Joel said goodbye to their friends and teachers at school as the six weeks of summer holidays began; and we counted down the days to Christmas and saying goodbye to a memorable decade.

Saying goodbye after an awesome year together

Christmas party at Riversands Primary School

End of term at Crawford Prep, Lonehill

I was on a bit of a mission this year to find, or just appreciate, Christmas in the sun. Our first stop was the market that runs on the grounds of Joel’s school. Bryanston Organic Market consciously slows the pace of life down and is a place of refuge in the rush of city life. At Christmas it opens at night, lit up like a European Christmas market, only with the feel of a Mediterranean summer’s evening. Sitting on hay bales to sing Christmas carols and meandering around the stalls, there was a relaxed and merry feeling, which was really enjoyable.

Christmas carols on hay bales.

A warm summer's evening at the moonlight market.

Candle making for Elowen and Joel at the moonlight market.

We also attended our local church for a Christmas carol service. At this point I should mention that Johannesburg had a fair amount of rain fall in December which meant that all the coal reserves had gotten very wet. Power stations therefore ceased working and electricity ran out. So, it was a rather atmospheric carols by torchlight, which was actually great fun and a reminder of the fragility of the infrastructure at the moment out here in South Africa.

Christmas carols by torchlight!

Christmas itself was by the coast with Laurence’s stepmom, Bev. We hung stockings outside by the braai chimney, and Christmas morning was spent having fun in the pool. Over the course of the week, we tested out lots of beaches along the coast of Port Elizabeth, and dusted off the body boards, always mindful of strong currents and sharks! Many a board game was played, and a relaxed time was had by all.

Stockings hung by the braai chimney on Christmas eve.

Christmas morning in the pool.

Fort Willmore building with Daddy and Uncle Gavin

As safe as houses...

Running on the sand dunes at Maitland, Port Elizabeth.

Playing in a Lagoon in Kenton with cousins.

Family pic in Kenton minus Joel who was busy making
 a slime and strawberry cake at the time.

All of Laurence's Dad's family at Barnicles, Port Elizabeth.

At McArthur Pool, overlooking the Indian Ocean
 in Port Elizabeth

Back up in Johannesburg, our last Christmas activity was to see Peter Pan on Ice with Laurence’s mom, Lynn. The theatre itself is in a huge complex of buildings called Monte Casino, which is designed to look like an ancient Tuscan village. So, it felt like we were once again back in ‘the med’ for this fantastic event. The performance was truly magical and the level of skill, mind blowing. As with all performances, you never know quite when it will end with all the bows and extra songs and dances. I mention this because Joel’s bladder was in no doubt of when the performance needed to end… a.s.a.p!  Conscious not to ruin it for others, I resisted taking him until tears were running down his cheeks. It was no use; we weren’t going to make it to the end, and I was going to have to take him out. With a sigh of resignation, I stood up. But with timing that you couldn’t achieve if you tried, the theatre simultaneously erupted into a huge round of applause, and like a ripple effect from my seat, everyone also stood up. Without meaning to, I had instigated a standing ovation! I found myself having to join in rather heartily so as not to reveal my true intentions, but it did mean that poor Joel was left suffering for a few moments longer. We eventually made it out and Joel reached the toilet in time; a disaster was averted; and we had a very funny story to tell.

At Monte Casino having just seen Peter Pan On Ice.

So, we move forward to a new decade, a new school year, with a new family dynamic. Amelie has moved from the Foundation phase (Infants) to the Intersen Phase (Juniors); Elowen navigates life at school without her big sister around; and Joel returns to the same classroom, with the same teacher, which is exactly what he needs. Laurence and I enter a new decade of marriage, with all the ups and downs that marriage brings, but with an ever-growing love and respect for one another. Sun, sea, sand and a standing ovation; it’s been a glorious few months here in Africa.

10 years of marriage!

Back to school 2020!
 (It was a rushed morning, this was my only photo...)

From the Moloneys and Willmores, we wish you a kind and peaceful new year.

Lots of love x

Next post: Mother Nature's Disruptions and Elowen's Eruptions!

Previous post: Hier Kom Die Bokke

Some extra photos...

The Waldorf Advent Spiral Celebration with Joel at his school. 

End of year swimming gala for Elowen.

Christmas holiday fun with the Buttercup preschoolers

Summer holiday maintenance crew at the preschool.
Joel on sweeping.

Amelie on lawn mowing.

Elowen and blue pony on edges.

Piggy back wars with Auntie Gina and Uncle Phil.

Meeting up with a close school friend, Sophia,
 in Port Elizabeth.

Meeting the New Year's newest addition

 to the preschool, two month old Ollie.