Friday, one of my favorite days
yet, was spent shadowing a physiotherapist for the Free State
Cheetahs (Bloemfontein’s rugby team), Christiene. While standing on the
sidelines of the morning’s practice, she explained the game of rugby in between
tending to the athletes’ injuries and falls. It was exciting to finally see the
infamous rugby in person and learn more about the sport. It is obviously a high
injury risk sport, and we saw first-hand why that is the case! After practice,
she drove us to the physio clinic and even gave us a tour of the stadium right next door. I very much enjoyed watching her work with
players from the three age groups of the Cheetahs (18s, 21s, and the “Vodacom
Super Rugby” aka the main team). We got to see her tend to Juan Smith, who was
team captain before he was recently forced into retirement from too many
Achilles injuries. It was obvious that she and the athletes have a great
relationship. After attending church with her Sunday evening, we found out that
she feels led to act as a sort of mentor, which explains the motherly traits we
clearly saw in her work. Needless to say, she was a joy to shadow. I learned so
much, for she explained her every move, even pulling out a textbook to show us
specific anatomy. Hopefully, we will get the opportunity to work with her
again.
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| Christiene tending to an athlete |
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| Scrimage during the 18s age group morning practice |
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| On the field in the Cheetahs rugby stadium |
Words
cannot do justice to describe Saturday’s Game Festival, the WildsKOSfees. One
of the physio students, Marna, we had met last week generously drove us to the
festival, which was situated on the middle of a farm less than an hour from
town. It was an entire day of meat and wine tasting (complete with a complimentary wine glass and an endless supply of plates). Even though their identities ran together once on my plate,
I do know that I tried ostrich, wildebeest (delicious!), kudu, porcupine,
springbok, and sooo so much more. Plus, I finally got to cross “eat crocodile”
off my bucket list. Spoiler alert: it was not so tasty. We spent the rest of
the evening eating, talking with Marna’s family, and having the best time.
Hospitality is undoubtedly a common trait among South Africans, for almost everyone
we have met seems to accept us as family (as cliche as that may sound). A little generosity and warmth go a
long way, and we have been blessed to meet many people willing to share that
with us.
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| One of many platefuls |
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| Yeah, I ate that |
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| Marna (to my right) and some of her family friends |
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Every type of meat had its own booth with people preparing it
a few different ways, which meant even more things to try |
Eeeeew, a crocodile head next to the meat! That would've been to much for me. You're so brave, sis :)
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