After settling in, the Gryphon’s Abroad team have enjoyed their first day of school.
Read about how they got on with our student blogs below and keep an eye out tomorrow for the next update…
Rosie Kerr
The first day in South Africa did not disappoint! No amount of stories or pictures could have prepared us for how amazing the children are. After being shown round Gratton School by the head teacher and feeling pretty emotional after seeing the non-profit hostel run by the school, we were thrown straight into teaching the children. They were so excited to hear what we had to say! Snapchat face swap went down an absolute treat too! Can’t wait for more of the same tomorrow!
Ellie McGrath
What an amazing first day! Once we arrived at the school we were taken on a little tour around by the Principle. The one thing that really sticks in my mind and what definitely pulled on our heartstrings was being shown the wall of motivational quotes in the dining hall. The kids were awesome, so full of energy and always happy. I have never seen smiles like it when the football was brought out.
The first day has been brill and I cannot wait for the rest of this trip!!
Jess Fogarty
What a day! From meeting the most amazing children, who literally go full force into everything they do, to having the opportunity to teach them and to play with them (whilst also maybe getting a little too competitive during a hockey tournament) to chilling out at the hotel, playing cards with the group (who are already some of my best friends) and getting excited about tomorrow by planning out the day in full, p.s. tomorrow is netball, it’s time to get excited! I honestly don’t think there are enough words or pictures to demonstrate how fantastic this place is and how much of an impact the children here have already had on us all… I can’t wait for tomorrow!
Charli Brunning
Once again, Africa has not failed to disappoint, and it’s only day one!
Having been shown around the school grounds, the school crop fields and the boarding hostel, we were ready to get started with coaching and leadership lessons.
We were told, last night that the children were super excited to meet us, and we were certainly not disappointed. We were greeted by the most enthusiastic children who were keen to ask questions of us and our culture, especially getting us to say and repeat many words that they thought sounded funny in our accents! It was incredible that they were not afraid to get stuck right in with our hockey tournament, especially for those who had never picked up a hockey stick until today.
An incredible day, filled with a lot of love, learning and laughter. Here’s to the next 2 weeks!
Find out more about the project and apply to be part of the team for next year on the Gryphons Abroad Webpage.
