Jakkals Camp

Prologue

(Translation for song in the AN)

"Good morning everyone, my name's Jana. I've been working at Jakkals Camp for three years." I took a deep breath and continued... "I am a permanent facilitator and I will be coaching you through everything." Another breath..."today your training begins."

A single hand shot up in the crowd, "Are you like our boss?" He asked. I grit my teeth and then replied.

"No 'sir' I am not your BOSS. I am your teacher. And like any other teacher I expect to be listened to, I just told you who I am and what I'm doing. So because you didn't listen, like I would do with any child that comes to this camp. You will sing for everyone in this room." Everyone in the room laughed and whistled as he stood up, walked forward and stood in the front next to me. I smiled in satisfaction.

"Thank you..." I paused handing him the mic.

"Michael," he says in heavily accented Afrikaans, "and I will be singing Hande, but the teacher is supposed to help the child. So you'll be singing with me!"

"Kak" I said under my breath. But I couldn't get out of it now...

"Okay...fine. I'll sing with you."

I plugged my phone in and played the song. He went first.

"Diep in die donker nag... daar waar die stilte vir ons altwee wag."
Deep in the darkest night, where the silence waits for us...I comply the words, saying the English in my head as he sings the Afrikaans.

I took one last breath, before beginning...
"Waar jy ontskuldig en so veilig, jou hart vir my verduidelik. Dis waar ek vir jou sal wag..." where you innocently and carelessly tell me you heart. That's where I'll wait for you...He raised his eyebrows in a challenge. And then we sang together...

"Ek wil jou hande voel..." I want to feel your hands. He reached towards me, I took a step back. The audience laughed, "Jy weet my lyf is net vir jou bedoel." You know my body is meant for you. I held my arm and spun. Enjoying myself. Suddenly I felt a hand grab my arm. "Dis meer as woorde wat ek vra, soos jou hart met myne praat..." It's more than words that I ask, like my heart talking to you. I turned slowly and then faced him. And sang looking into his eyes, trying to glare while singing. "Dis intiem en dis sielsgevoel..." It's intimate and soul touching. I pull away quickly as his eyes pierce mine. And press pause on the song...

"Thank you Michael, you may go sit down," I say clearing my throat, the audience hoots and claps as he sits down. "that's enough of a show for you, meet me outside our dorms in ten minutes, we're going to be doing the Team Dynamics activity, if you can't do that then how can the kids!" I smiled teasingly. And walked out the room.

xXx

I laughed as the newbies struggled to push their bums in. The trick was to have complete trust. Two wooden poles were placed touching on one end and then they got wider making a triangle shape with one side missing. One had to hold a partners hands and lean your whole weight against them so that you were carrying each other. It didn't matter what shape, size, weight or anything jut that you trusted your partner. If you pushed your bum out you pulled your partner off when it got wide, if one person pushed completely and the other only a little you pulled them off. So both people had to push all their weight so they were completely straight and diagonal, and eventually almost horizontal. I kept laughing softly until I felt a hand on my shoulder. Suddenly I tensed up, it was Michael. Without turning I spoke, "Having trouble?" I smirked.

"Ja, but I doubt you can do any better. Juffrou Jana." He said sarcastically.

"Hmm, I promise I can do it with anyone here. And get to the end." I say.