Inner Child

The other day we walked up the mountain to see the medicine wheel, cemetery and wishing stones. A few years back a Hopi Indian came to visit Botshabelo and constructed a traditional medicine wheel. The wheel consists of various stones placed in a circular pattern on the ground. Each stone represents one of the astrological signs and crystals are placed beneath each one.  In the center of the wheel is another cluster of rocks that represent the four Earth signs: Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water. There is an additional cluster of rocks that has something to do with animals. It’s complete purpose and meaning I’m still unclear about, but it certainly was an interesting structure to see. Further up the mountain past the wheel is Botshabelo’s cemetery. The graves aren’t like traditional graves in the states. Most are a plot covered by a pile of stones. Headstones are scarce and instead most graves are topped with a hand written sign to remember their loved one. Many of the graves were quite small making it clear that a child had been buried beneath the stones. We stood there in silence for a moment just taking it all in. Before we headed back down the mountain we stopped at the wishing stones to make a wish. The children often go up the mountain, choose a stone, make a wish, and place it on a pile under a tree. Over the time the pile of stones has grown and today it’s quite a large mound.

Later in the week we were invited to observe Marion as she counseled a man from the village. Marion’s therapy of choice is known as Inner Child Work. This is a method of therapy where you access your inner child in order to address negative thought patterns or traumas in a gentle and positive way. While her work was very different from many of the practices I’ve been taught, there were still a number of similarities. She used quite a bit externalizing by personifying the clients negative thought patterns, a strategy that reminded me quite a bit of the narrative technique of externalizing conversations.

The other night they decided to have a bonfire! They've been collecting branches and such since Christmas so you can imagine the size of our pile. The children gathered around with their meals and we all just relaxed in the warmth of the flames. After dinner, the children started singing and dancing around the fire...they eventually joined hands creating a merry go round of joy and delight. A beautiful evening to be a part of...

I’ve become the resident baking guru at Botshabelo. I’m still not sure why…I love to bake, but I’m certainly not an expert so I’ve tried my best to live up to my new title. My newfound baking skills were put to the test when I was asked to teach the college group how to bake a cake. They recently started a college program here for the high school graduates. They can choose from two majors, electrical engineering or hospitality. It was the hospitality group that I got to educate. I suppose it went well, the kids seemed excited, and the cakes turned out edible. They weren’t the prettiest cakes I’ve ever seen, but not one slice was left come that evening! :)

After a day of baking, I came back to my room to find quite a commotion. Our neighbors had a cobra in their shower! A spitting cobra! Botshabelo believes that all living things should be respected so there was no snake killing involved, only snake catching and releasing. We all crowded around the window as Marion gently and bravely caught the snake. She put a piece of glass over the bucket so that everyone could catch a glimpse of the slithering creature. It was quite a sight to see! Check the photo albums for pictures…

The evening before Tammy arrived for her midterm visit we hosted a dinner for a group of the teenage girls. We haven’t had many opportunities to connect with the older girls so we figured this would be a good way to bond. When the girls arrived they were all dressed up, make-up, hair, evening gowns…it was almost like we were mothers sending our daughters off to prom! :) After dinner and plenty of laughter we had the girls each create a photo collage that represents who they are. Similar topics seemed to emerge: beauty, love, strength, success, and music. They all did a wonderful job and it felt good to give them a night of expression and fun. Many of the girls wrote us notes of thanks. Here are a few of their words:

“Thank you for everything you did for us. It was the first time I ever did this and it was really fun! I enjoyed it very much.”

“I just want to thank you guys for what you did for us! We wish you could keep doing what you have been doing for the family. Thank you for everything. “

Overall, a very rewarding experience…

The next day Tammy arrived with her family. We had a whirlwind week…trips to Sun City, Pilanesberg National Park, Cradle of Humankind, Durban, and Cape Town. I’ll post another blog of our adventures soon. Until then…

All my love,
Alexis