Dreamcatcher South Africa

Ally Olejniczak A day in the life of Ally Olejniczak: I usually wake up at 7 o'clock to do my mourning routine before heading off to work at 8 a.m. I only hit my snooze button once... My office is about a 5-minute walk from my house, maybe a little less. I carry my bag which has my two journals, my lunch, keys, and my computer. At the office, I design posters, and playbills, work on my research, write my blogs, or prepare a schedule for the days that the kids come. I hang out with Rachel and Christene on Tuesdays and Thursdays painting or sealing murals. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I see the Dreamcatcher kids and we work on our music and dance together for a couple of hours (with a watermelon break in between). I also have external projects I work on like things for college so I can be prepared once I get back home in the fall! More sporadically I have other assignments like when I need to build Green Johannas or run errands out in Stilbaai. When I get home I either join a...

         Guys, it finally happened. Wednesday night at 8pm all the lights all over South Africa turned off. I had been waiting for this moment to happen on a clear night. Load shedding is a common thing in South Africa that happens so that the towers holding the power don't override because of all the electricity use. When load shedding happens there is always a notification with the time and date that it will happen and for how long, I stopped paying attention to it after the first couple of times it had happened. That didn't mean I wasn't waiting eagerly for this exact opportunity to see all the stars in the sky. As soon as the lights went out the sky lit up. I love stargazing, most nights I lay on my back on the wall in front of my homestay and looked up at the sky scanning the stars like I would the pages of a textbook. Here in Melkhoutfontein, I'm seeing a completely different side of the galaxy and I want to have it memorized by heart before I go home back...

            Dear Mom and Dad, It was March 13th, 2025 that the rain in Melkhoutfontein started. Usually, I am fond of the sound the water brings from the heavens but for too long the days became cold and grey. You could barely see past the frontier and needed to squint your eyes to protect them from the thick mist. Even in the office, one could not escape the cold. Mother, I can only share words of gratitude that you had reminded me to bring my raincoat and pestered me about adding warm clothes to my luggage. Though the days are dreary I have plenty of things to complete, that do involve being safe inside. Me and the other children fair just as well finding games to play. I have to remember when days are like this, even prolonged, that there will one day be sun again. It is quite odd bundling in my jacket and sweatpants, accessorizing with a beanie on my head when just yesterday I basked in the sun. Mother you would laugh if only there were such thing ...

  Finishing off the final steps to building the Green Johanna.          Starting strong with another eventful week! On Tuesday I got to build my third Green Johanna with the help of Christene (left) and Elmodine (middle), for another local Dreamcatcher; Moses had been doing amazing work helping to build and clear a safe space for me and the kids to work. Like all Dreamcatchers, he uses his talents to the fullest and puts them towards something good.  You have to look closely to find Flonky the eel! Can you see him?          Saturday I went to the Melkhoutfontein Museum.   The museum is small but it holds tons of interesting artifacts and information. I had been meaning to go there because it's important to be knowledgeable of where you are and why you are where you are. It fulfills my mission for being here, and understanding what I'm creating in my theater production that I am creating with the kids! Connected to the Muse...

 Eggs for sale in Spar grocery store .         Today's post is definitely going to be mainly bragging...  Look at all those eggs! On Saturday I went with Mary to Spars, a chain grocery store in South Africa. It's always super busy on the weekends. When I passed the egg section I was reminded of home. A little before I left the egg shortage in America began I thought it was funny to see all the eggs on four different shelves not only fully stocked but also on sale. Meanwhile, at home, it costs a fortune to get eggs that are rarely on the shelf.  I love grocery shopping on the weekend and seeing the different types of brands and comparing prices. Every tourist should visit at least one grocery store during their vacation.  Kids playing the African version of Duck Duck Goose with the visitors.          This weekend two visitors came from the Netherlands to visit Melkhoutfontein and help with Dreamcatchers programs. They ...