On a Wave of Kindness. Volunteer surf tour to Africa

The Surfer Kids charity program helps children from impoverished areas of Africa immerse themselves in the freedom, wind and surfing for a short time. Volunteers from all corners of the world travel to South Africa to help children learn to ride a board, and at the same time distract themselves from life in a disadvantaged environment. Instagram-blogger Anastasia Morozova told “Championship” her story of participation in the program.

I learned about this program when I was in South Africa on a surf tour. As part of this tour we were brought to Mosselbaai, where we spent the whole day with children. After that I decided that I would come back here again, but as a participant in this program.

Financial side of the issue

I will tell you about the financial side at once, so that I don’t come back to it again. The program itself costs about 50 thousand rubles (for one month), this cost includes transfer, food, accommodation, and the use of all necessary equipment. Airplane tickets can be bought for 35 thousand round trip. Internet cost me about 8-10 thousand rubles, but this amount can be safely divided by three, because I used it very actively, as I had to work during my entire stay in Africa. For standard use of social networks 3-4 thousand will be enough. There’s not much money to spend on the ground, but even if you decide to go out for dinner somewhere separate from the program, a bottle of good wine and a steak will cost you 500 rubles.

As for housing, I certainly expected the conditions to be terrible. However, the apartment for volunteers is in a good residential complex, it has several bedrooms and generally has all the conditions for life. It is a new apartment, they started renting it only in September 2016. Before that, the volunteers lived in the village, with local families. But because the village was far away from the beach, it was decided to rent apartments that would be closer. I was the first volunteer of 2017, so I lived alone in a huge apartment. The second volunteer didn’t arrive until two weeks later.

What do you need to know before going to Africa?

One of the most frequently asked questions is: “Do I need any immunizations to travel to Africa?”. Specifically in South Africa no vaccinations are needed, it’s even stated on the embassy’s website. The only thing you really need when traveling to do any kind of activity is physical fitness. Of course, you don’t have to be a super athlete, but you shouldn’t be out of breath after a kilometer jog. You don’t have to have a deep knowledge of surfing either. I, for example, was one of the few volunteers who can surf myself. Usually foreigners come and learn on their own first. In such conditions, whether you want it or not, your own level will rise very much, the daily practice of 8 hours makes a difference.

Daily routine

Speaking of daily practice. The daily routine there was like this: early morning breakfast, from 9 till lunch (depending on weather conditions) you practice alone or with a trainer – this is your own time for surfing. Then you have lunch and from about 2 to 5 pm you do your kids’ workout. After your workout, you do whatever you want. The evening is your personal time. I used to have dinner, after which I would go out for a drink with my new South African friends. It’s standard entertainment for any small provincial town because there’s nothing else to do there.

Sometimes I feel like I have some kind of magnet inside me that attracts strange people and strange events. For example, when I first arrived in Mosselbye and went into the local supermarket, a bearded young man and his friend came up to me and asked: “What’s wrong with your knee? Can I pray for it?” (I was wearing a bandage because I have a bad knee.) And he didn’t look like some kind of thief or homeless person, and I was so tired from the road that I said, “Please, do whatever you want.” He sat down on the floor, put his hand on my knee and began to pray, “Dear Jesus, I ask you to give this girl health so that her knee can be healed,” and his friend repeated every word. At that moment I didn’t realize what had happened at all. A short time later, he added me as a friend on Facebook with a message: “I found you with God’s help!”. And when I went to his page, it turned out he was a local evangelism star with tens of thousands of followers.

Not surfing alone!

The next day I went to my first class, met the kids and all the surfers on the beach. That’s how I made new friends on the first day. They were all South Africans, by the way. We did not only surf with them, we often made braai (South African kebab). They even have a Braai Day there – it’s a day off when everyone goes out and roasts meat. Absolutely in every house and every apartment there is a special place for this braai, they have it, you could say, a national pride and in general a very important moment in the life of any South African.

By the way, despite the fact that we ate meat all the time and often drank alcohol, I came back from there in very good shape. Surfing is an absolutely exhausting story, so you have to eat a lot, eat heartily and eat properly, otherwise you just don’t have enough energy for anything.

About the kids

As for the kids, it’s been a very interesting bonding experience. At first they didn’t even say hello to me. Didn’t react to me in any way, didn’t socialize. First of all, I was older than the other volunteers, because usually there are guys who have just finished high school (17-19 years old). And these are the kind of people who like to “babysit” children, buy them chocolates and play with them on the beach. But the task of playing on the beach is not worth it. I realized that I was there for a specific purpose, so I was quite strict with the kids. They realized right away that I’m not to be trifled with. Besides, I already have some experience in surfing, so I started training them right away, not just pushing them on the waves. Due to all these circumstances, the first time they looked out for me and were quite strict about it.

It was with the advent of surfing and these guys in my life that I realized how little you need in this life to be happy.

The day, probably on the fifth or sixth, I was a little late and got to the center a little later than usual. And when I approached the center, I saw that they were sitting all sad, although usually they were always dancing, shouting and hooliganizing. When they saw me, they immediately started shouting, laughing and clapping their hands, while chanting: “Frost! Frost! Frost!” (which is what most of my friends and acquaintances call me, and the guys were no exception). Turns out, they thought I had left and were insanely upset. At that moment, my stony heart melted and I realized that contact between us had finally happened. Since then, the relationship between us has been perfect. One boy, Sammy, was very modest and shy, it was difficult to try to communicate with him because he was silent all the time. One day I approached him while he was drawing. He immediately dropped his pencils and ran away. I looked at his drawing and I got really hysterical because I realized he was trying to draw my wetsuit.

Coexistence with sharks

Of course, Africa is not without sharks. There are a lot of sharks there, because this is their habitat area. Andres (my coach) calls it “coexistence”. You have to realize that you are not in your element, not at home, but as a guest of these sharks. There was one instance when I was sitting on a lane-up with my friend from Portugal and we saw a shark fin in the water. My friend was on shore in three seconds because it was the first time he had seen a shark, it was stressful and shocking for him. And I was probably more prepared for this encounter morally.

Andres has often told me that if you have seen a fin, you are basically safe. The fact is that sharks are very smart and cunning predators that survive by hunting. And if the shark has shown itself, then there is nothing to worry about, because they attack from below. Besides, people are not their diet, sharks eat seals.

First person

What do I think overall about this program? Not all of the guys I’ve coached are talented and athletic. A professional surfing career awaits 2-3 at best, but it’s really better for them to be playing sports with their buddies on the beach than to be in the depressing atmosphere of their township amongst drugs and alcohol. These kids have nothing but a program where they party and have fun. And I find myself thinking more and more often that they have taught me so much more than I have taught them. It was with the advent of surfing and these kids in my life that I realized how little in this life you need to be happy.

Nastia’s next trip to South Africa will take place on June 5. She plans to continue to keep her telegram channel called “I’m a volunteer at my mom’s” and tell about her South African adventures.