Day 10

Firstly I'd like to say happy birthday Joe, if you read this I hope you had a great day.

Today we were up early to go and meet Joe in Ruyterwacht as he was going to take us to see his son Yonicks football team play in a big play off game. We had also told the Bothasig guys we would try and stop off and see their tournament as well. Busy day ahead. I know back home you have snow and ice, well today we had rain!!!! Only lasted a couple of minutes but still, it's South Africa in the summer.

After a quick stop off at Joes house we were on our way, we drove further out than me and Harry had been before, into an area called Mitchell's Plain. This area has a lot of history and Joe explained to us about the area as we went through it. We arrived at the match someway through the second half, it wasn't long and a mistake from the defence led to a goal. This play off was going to be be played over 2 legs on the same day, the game ended 1-0 and which meant Joes sons team had to win the next game in the afternoon. 

Between the games we drove to see the Bothasig boys play in their tournament, they had 2 teams in the junior tournament and 1 in the senior tournament. Everyone seemed pleased to see us the boys, coach Craig and his wife, other teams and even the local policeman. We stopped for loads of pictures and to speak with lots of different people, we were given food and looked after really well. For the juniors it was just a fun day tournament but when we had left they were undefeated and going for the win. The senior team also won their game while we were there so well done. 

We left there and went back to the other game, another mistake led to another goal and it was now 2-0 on aggregate, this team were holding their own against a team ranked much higher than themselves. With a few questionable refereeing decisions and some missed opportunities the game was gone and they were knocked out. It was a shame but on another it could have been different. 

We then drove back with Joe and dropped him off at a friends house before heading home. Joe thought he was meeting his friend for a quiet birthday celebration, in fact he was just stopping there while his family prepared a surprise party for him. Whilst driving home we had a phone call from his daughter, Jodi, inviting us to join them at the party. We really wanted to as Joe has really helped make us feel welcome and he really is 1 of the nicest guys I've ever met, only problem was getting there and back. We have a car but we wasn't sure if we could use it as it is a strictly work only car, so we declined the invite. But after sitting in our apartment we decided that we had to go and celebrate Joes birthday with him, we asked reception for a taxi number for our journey home and we was off to the station. It wasn't until we were on the train we realised that neither of us really knew where we were going as we'd only been there once, but either out of braveness or stupidity we thought we would have a walk and see if we could find his house. Surprisingly we found it straight away and without any trouble. Before we left we both agreed that you can't go to a party empty handed, so we decided to get a bottle of wine and a few beers. We knew Joe wasn't really a drinker but we thought it was a nice gesture anyway, what we didn't know was that it was an alcohol free occasion, should have checked beforehand. We had a really good evening and we appreciate the invite and were pleased we decided to go. We spent most of the evening talking to Joes kids, discussing how expensive London is and places they want to take us. So we look forward to that. At the end of the evening we went to call a taxi but Joe insisted on giving us a lift back. I felt bad making him and his wife drive out to drop us off but really appreciate the lift and that we made it home safely.

Thank you for today and the last 10days hope you had a good birthday Joe.

Day off tomorrow and no plans!!!!

Day 9

We only had 1 session today, which was nice as it was a Friday and we were looking forward to the weekend. Our session took part by the waterfront, an area me and Harry had visited before. We were guided towards a big group of kids and 2 astro turf pitches. We were told previously that it would be a 'futsal' type session and were pointed in the direction of a guy called Aaron, Aaron is the co-founder of AP (African Passion), AP uses sport to encourage kids to do well at school and to stay on the right track with the motivation being sport. All the kids we saw today were underprivileged, again some turned up in boots, some played in just 1 boot others went barefoot, you take for granted having a pair of trainers to go have a kick about in. AP did supply the boys with kit and what they may have lacked in the footwear department they definitely made up for in passion for football. Speaking with Aaron we found out that the boys only get to play if they are attending school and staying out of trouble, every boy has a report and it is checked before being allowed to play. The 5s football was an idea that came to Cape Town via England from PowerLeague/Goals. Now with 7 sites these pitches are giving kids the chance to play football on good quality pitches.

Me and Harry took a group each on separate pitches and started some possession based drills/games. Splitting the boys into teams with a ball and they had to keep it away from the other teams. The majority of the boys understood very little of what I said but the language of football came through and they did exactly what I wanted which was pleasing. After about half an hour we stopped training and did a mini tournament, we had a group stage on my pitch and group staged  on Harry's pitch. It looked as though it was going to be a tough group to settle, and it was the last touch of the last game that decided my group, a shot from just over the half way line went straight into the top corner. My top team went on to beat Harry's team in the final so I'll take that as my first victory in Cape Town.

 

Really good way to end the week and we are looking forward to going back. Now for a quiet night and an early start tomorrow. We actually have a day off tomorrow but Joe has invited us to go and see his son play in a big play off game so we're looking forward to that. We are also going to stop off and see the Bothasig boys in a little tournament they have this weekend, we've got plenty of time for sightseeing and if seeing us gives the boys a boost it will be well worth it. All the people we have met have been so happy to see us so I hope we are having a positive effect on people out here.

Day 8 week 2 29th January

So today started week 2 of our Cape Town adventure. Days are going quickly even though it feels like ages since we left. Me and Harry have agreed that even though we are here for such a long time we need to sit down and make some kind of list of what we want to do just so it doesn't get to the last week and realise there's loads to do. Anyone that knows me knows how I like to be organised so I'm pleased Harry agrees with me on this. 

Today was another quiet day, we weren't in until late today so decided we would catch up on some sleep have lunch and go out after. We were woken up by a knock on the door from Elizabeth, she just wanted to check if we wanted any meals today. To be honest it was probably time to get up anyway, so we got ready and went for a walk as we had a few hours to kill. Apparently it was 28 degrees today,  I'd say it was definitely higher than that as we built up a sweat just walking down the road. Both of us are pleased we haven't burnt yet as that could stop us from getting out and ruin a few days but we are both a bit disappointed with are tans, as we are acclimatising we have tried to stay out of the sun for large parts but we're here for long enough it'll come.

So we had our lunch at Berghof which wasn't too bad, I'm going to be honest and I apologie if I upset anyone but we are in a retirement home the food is aimed at the elderly residents which is fine but I could do with some proper home cooked food. If anybody is reading this that is thinking of doing this programme or has been placed here in Cape Town with Arsenal the food is ok but if you're abit fussy it might not be for you, but no need to worry 5 minute walk away you have 2 pizza places, a Thai restaurant, a Nandos as well as other pub/restaurant places.

Onto our 1st coaching session of the day at the Bothasig complex, Joe had mentioned that football wasn't that big here but we were to put on a session anyway. We had a look at the area yesterday with Azille which was small but when we got there they decided to play on the bigger field instead. To be honest me and Harry hadn't planned too much for this group, after hearing they weren't big football enthusiasts we decided a simple passing based game with a defender in the middle, similar to 'piggy in the middle' or 'doggy in the middle' as they call it out here would go down well followed by a 'match'  it wasn't just a match there were different rules and a goal would only count if it was passed through for example. Me and Harry decided to get involved with the games, over in London you're told not to get involved in games etc but firstly the kids wanted us to and secondly if they won the ball off us or got past us you could see it gave them a boost. The football out here is of a good standard and considering the heat and the fact that some play barefoot some play in flip flops you wonder what they could do if they had better equipment, kit and facilities. 

After we finished we went off and sat in on a meeting with Joe and 2 other guys involved in the league run by Communicare. We will probably play a part in the running of the league while we are out here, there's also plans for the opening of the Ruyterwacht circle which I mentioned yesterday. 21st February is the set day for the opening and I hope everyone turns out for it. Joe and the community have worked hard to fix up the circle and it deserves a big opening. We then went to visit the team that Joes son plays for, kick off was supposed to be at 5:45, at 7:30 there was no sign of the other team so me and Harry decided to call it a day, we've now been given a sat nav, which should have come in handy as the club was in a new area that we hadn't been to before. Unfortunately it took forever to find a signal and we had already found our way onto the right road before it decided to work. 

After getting home late we went down the road for a Nandos, just under £3 for a chicken burger, 1 side and a drink, not bad, then a quick stop off at Mixas for a pint, at £1.40 a pint a nice cheap evening. That's all for today.

Day 7

Firstly don't forget to read yesterday's I've only just put it on but it's probably 1of our best days so far and there's some photos as well. (Trying not to bore everyone on Facebook with 100s of photos)

So on to today, a very quiet day really, we had to be at the Learning Centre for 10 and as predicted it was me who had to drive in as Harry didn't want to take blame for getting lost. I'll admit it I missed my turn off, but I also found my way without being late which was a bonus. I don't know how we ended up where we did but I'm pleased that it was a place we had driven before and that we could recognise. A few people have said how easy it is to take a wrong turn or miss a turn but how it's easy to find another route. Coming home was easy, just head towards the mountain and you're going the right way, getting there is harder but we did it.

After spending some time discussing the week, our trip and some other things we was introduced to Ozzy (can't quite remember his name but I know it was Oz/Ozzy something, sorry). He runs a transport company and takes tourists up and down the country, we were told he could help us with any day trips we want to do. We will definitely be sitting down with him at some point, Harry wants to go cage diving (I'll give that a miss) and I'd like to go to a game reserve and do some sort of African Safari before I leave so hopefully we can organise that as soon as.

We were then taken out by Azille, she took us with her to pick up some bits and drop off some other stuff. She told us she would take us on a hike up table mountain which we are really looking forward to, if you look at any of our pictures it's right there, you can't get much closer to the mountain without being on it so leaving without going up it would be a waste. Azille also mentioned going wine tasting which would be different but would be a nice experience. Before heading back she took us to see where we would be coaching tomorrow, and then after hearing we hadn't tried biltong yet she took us straight to the butchers. Biltong is dried out meat mainly beef I believe, which is then salted, spiced and cut up and to snack sized bits, if I'm honest and I mean no offence it doesn't look overly appetising, but as a snack it wasn't bad, bit salty but not bad. So thank yo Azille.

This afternoon we had an open afternoon type thing with some of the locals, basically letting them know we was here but also letting them know about the learning centre, I think Joe was slightly disappointed with the turn out but I feel we connected with those that did turn up, even those that were disappointed we wasn't  Arsene Wenger himself. Community is so important especially in these areas so I hope we can help out along the way.

We had a nice easy journey home, not the quickest route but the 1 we know so that was good. 

Anyway after yesterday's blog was late today's is early. Have a good evening.

A few photos of our first couple of days

Day 6 a day late

I never thought this blog would have many people reading it and it has mainly been written for family, my girlfriend and for anyone that was thinking of doing this themselves. But looking at the views and hearing different people say they are reading it has been nice to know. So I hope you keep reading and enjoy our experience out in Cape Town. 

As I'm writing this I've just seen Bafana Bafana have lost and are out of AFCON even though they took the lead in all 3 games, there's alway the World Cup Joe. 

What a day we've had today, we was up nice and early and decided we would jog to the station rather than get a bus, it sounded like a good idea but factor in a heavy bag and the South African heat we only lasted a few minutes. We will try again 1 day, anyway we made it to station with plenty of time and with a little help from Elizabeth from the retirement village we made our first journey on a South African train. I've tried to stay away from mentioning crime and the not so nice part of Cape Town, not because I want to ignore it or anything but because 1 I don't want people worrying and 2 it's talked up a lot in the media etc and its not necessary to keep on going on about it, but I must say using public transport was quite a worry with it not being the safest form of transport. But other than a few adverts on the train it was quite a pleasant journey taking in the sights of the Cape Town to Vasco train journey.

Once we arrived (everyone was surprised we made it in early and without getting lost) we had a small discussion about today's events then it was off to Goodwood crèche, a very nice crèche with a great patch of grass and a reasonable amount of space. We had 2 classes of 5/6year olds and 2 classes of 4/5 year olds, lots of energy and excitement which was great, a mixture of English speakers, English understanders and some that only understood Afrikaan. Quite a difficult task but we decided that fun was the main aim of today, no drills as such just games, we played a tag game, a game that we were introduced to as the Highbury game, which I knew as North, East, South, West, where you give a place a name the kids run around you call out a name they run there. We also tried domes and dishes and some relay based games. I thought all 4 sessions were enjoyed by the kids and therefore we met our aim. They might not have had much time on the ball but they had fun, we will go back there again and do more football related stuff with them. Thank you to Goodwood for having us and for the food it was really appreciated.

Our afternoon session was the first training session with the Ruyterwacht team, the league doesn't start for a while but Joe wanted us to meet the kids and just get them using the circle football area. I've got some photos on here I'll put them up later. Basically Joe and the community have worked together to change what was a piece of land used for drugs and gang related activities into a football pitch for the youngsters. Joe showed us the transformation and you can see the hard work that has gone into it, the kids took to us really well and we played some passing games followed by a passing match which was fun. 

When the day was done we were given the keys to our car for our time in Cape Town, a Toyota Tazz, a nice little car that means we won't have to use public transport as much as last years guys had to. We then drove all the way home without getting too lost, a GPS/sat nav will probably be needed though. 

After we arrived back we had some food skyped a few people and was getting ready for an early night, we'd been up since 6am which doesn't sound too bad but in this heat it's just exhausting. George came up to us and offered us a trip up part of table mountain, a visit to signal hill and back through camp bay, I think I've got the names right. It was an offer we couldn't turn down and I'm pleased we didn't, the views of Cape Town at night are something else, I can't wait to see the view from Table Mountain during the day but this was definitely a night to remember, so thanks to George, and everyone today it's been 1 of our best days so far.

Right I'm off to bed earlyish start tomorrow, Harry has said I can do the first drive into work, I think he just doesn't want to take the blame for getting lost, not that we will, well I hope not anyway. The wind is howling away tonight hopefully get a good nights sleep.

Day 5

Today was our first day of getting the Arsenal  kit on and getting out into the community. We were being picked up by Joe at 10:30 but had to be up early for the cleaner to get into our room. Here at Berghof we have a laundry service twice a week and our rooms cleaned from top to bottom a few times a week, we've done well to get this placement as they are looking after us so well.

We were supposed to go to a few offices this morning but were told not to worry as we would soon meet them in the coming days and weeks. Instead we took a short drive to pick up some equipment and some food. We then made our way back to the learning centre had some food and sat down with Joe and Lorens, discussing our 3 months here and the PonJoe amongst other things. 

We then spent our afternoon at the Victory Outreach centre. The best way I can describe it is a rehab centre that uses religion to help put people back on the right track, but also gives them the skills to better themselves. When they arrive they are on a 9month programme where they must abide by the rules of the centre, show they want to better themselves but also work to help the centre. They can leave whenever they want and are not tied to how long they stay. It's a self funded organisation with support coming from the church. Whether you believe in religion or not it was clear that for the 30ish people sat in front of us it has had an effect. We were  asked to answer a few questions and to talk about our experiences and how we made it to where we are. At first it was quite daunting sitting there being asked question by a group of ex drug users, dealers, prostitutes and gang members. Not because of who they are or were that didn't bother me, they were there to help themselves, I just questioned how much good we could do, would they sit there and take it in or would they question what right we had to be telling them our opinions on life? The more it went on you could tell that actually they were taking on board everything we said, we both told them that we didn't  come from areas like Cape Town, but like them I'm from an area that statistically isn't great, and that I've worked hard to not get mixed up in the wrong things, I've concentrated on my education and have taken my opportunities, and here I am working for Arsenal on the other side of the world. After we finished some of the group took turns to stand up and tell us abit about themselves, most if not all had some sort of family issues which was a catalyst for the crimes they commit. It made me think of how lucky I was to have a good home and a good family to keep me on the right path. We were then treated to a performance, I forget what Joe called it but it was great to see. Before leaving we stopped for photos and had lots of the group as well as people that were helping out come up and tell us how they appreciated our talk and they were going to take what we said and use it. I'm not a trained speaker and to be honest most of what I said was just based on experiences I've had, but if it helps at least 1 person then it was worth it. It certainly opened my eyes and thank you to Joe for organising the trip.

Tonight we were invited out by Elias, I was put in contact with Elias from a friend back home, he picked us up and took us for food by the waterfront. It was good talking to someone who lived here and knew where to go, we had some really good food with really great views, it's a shame I had left my camera back in my room and my battery had died, but I'm sure we will go back.

Tomorrow we need to make our own way in, we've decided to walk into town from there we catch a train. This is going to be interesting, and we need to be in by 8 so the alarms are set for 6, I'm still running on UK time so it'll be 4am in London, so I'm going to watch abit of the Stoke game and then it's off to bed.

Day 4

After writing last nights blog we were joined by George, 1 of the residents, we started talking and he said he had been here last year when the others were here so knew all about why we were in Cape Town and what we would be doing. Him and his wife are staying here and he had some really interesting stories, he first moved to Cape Town in 1965 and after some moving around he loved it so much he came back. He offered to take us out like he had done previously with Luke and Jeff, which me and Harry are looking forward to. We are slowly getting to know people which is important if we are going to make the most out of our time here, George and Conan have offered to show us about and tomorrow hopefully we will meet up with Elias, he is a cousin of a friend of mine from London that has also offered to show us around, people will come to Cape Town and do the touristy things but it's people like those mentioned that have lived here that will be able to show us places that your normal visitor to South Africa might not get to see.

Here at Berghof they serve lunch at 12 on a weekend, today as its Sunday its a roast on the menu. Even though we've been here a few days I'm still on English time so it was a Sunday roast breakfast in my mind, hopefully when we start properly working next week I'll adjust a little bit better. After yesterday's confused look as to why we were there I went down in my Arsenal shirt, sure enough a few more of the residents came to say hello and ask if we were doing what look and Jeff did last year. We saw George again and he had said he would put the word around as to who we were. It's a bit awkward at the moment, we don't want to stand up and announce who we are as though we are something special, and the majority of residents we only see at meal times so we don't want to interrupt, but obviously some of the residents are still slightly confused. Hopefully word gets round and we get talking to more people in the coming week.

We spent part of today just walking around, seeing what is around and found out we are only a 20minute walk from town. Wearing our Arsenal colours as it was game day it was surprising how many people just wanted to stop and talk football with us. It was nice to explore a little as the real work starts tomorrow.

We had organised to go watch the Arsenal game at the Cape Town supporters club with Conan and another member. I had looked the other day and it was roughly a 4km walk through a nice park, so with it being a cooler day it sounded like a good idea. Unfortunately last night we double checked the route and it was the wrong place, and instead of a nice little walk it was quite a distance away. Even though we successfully managed to use the busses yesterday we didn't fancy doing the journey as it involved getting a bus, a train and then a long walk. Our luck was in, Conan offered to pick us up and drop us off.

Conan picked us up with his wife and nephew around 5:30, he drove us to the pub bought us a drink and sat down to watch the game with us. Not the best of games but I'll take a 3-2 win and into the draw for the next round. The supporters club made us really welcome and have invited us along next week to the opening of a new branch and to a braai. Great bunch of guys, really good atmosphere, buts it's Conan we owe the night to. After the game we they took us out for food and drinks and we spoke for ages about Cape Town, London, cars, football, Geordie shore, you name it. They have invited us round there's for food, offered to show us round and even offered to take us clubbing, that'll be an experience. Another positive was they said that they couldn't tell mine and Harry's accents apart, so that's either a compliment to me or an insult to Harry. Harry is very well spoken some would say a rather posh accent, me on the other hand you'd say is a mixture of an East end cockney and Essex accent.

Great day again showing just how friendly people are.

Day 3

Last night we decided we would take in some of the nightlife of South Africa, but instead of going into the main town centre we thought we would stay local to where we are staying. Thinking it'd be best as working out how to get home from a new place in a new country after a few drinks probably wasn't advisable (Give it a few days). We found the bar Mixas that we had heard about from the guys that were here last year. 2 beers came to R37 which is just over £2, not bad, after a few drinks we decided that we would go to the supermarket pick up some bits and go back. Last night Bufana Bufana (South African football team) were playing so we thought we would go and watch it on the big TV in the dining room with some residents. But for the second night running we were on our own, after about 5 in the evening it goes very quiet here. After trying to work out how to turn on the tv, it's not as easy as it sounds, we sat down to watch the united game.

We have been given the weekend off so we thought we would take the opportunity to explore and test out the local busses. Before we left we had lunch at Berghof in the dining, this was the first time some of the residents had seen us, as you can imagine lots of confused looks but very friendly. After lunch we took the short walk to the bus stop to make our first trip on our own into town. Thankfully the. Bus turned up on time and with some assistance on how to use the MYCITI card we were on our way. All bus routes seem to start and finish at the civic centre stop, so we decided to get the bus there and make our mind up to where we were going to go from there. We chose a short ride to the waterfront, a nice area with a big shopping centre and lots of restaurants, we walked around for a few hours taking in the views and the street entertainers. The weather had cooled and became a bit windy so a short walk to the Cape Town stadium, which we plan on visiting at some point, and then to the bus stop to make our way back. We are still getting used to Cape Town and it's way, for example people will cross the road when and where they want even if a car is coming towards them, but also busses won't slow down if someone's coming instead they speed up and sound their horn.

Pleased with not getting lost or burnt we planned to go back to our rooms get ready and go out for the evening. A sleepy Harry had other ideas, after falling asleep in his room for a few hours and after looking at the clouds and wind we had a change of plan, stay in, watch Liverpool and make up for it tomorrow. We've had a few quiet days so far while we get use to our new surroundings, the heat out here takes it out of you and I think we are still recovering from Wednesday/Thursday. 

Hopefully going to find somewhere to watch the game tomorrow and after today's results I hope we take the cup seriously. 

Not a bad view from my room.

Our MyCITI card, which is like an Oyster card used in London, our bus map and guide to Cape Town

Day 2

After an early night and a long sleep we both were feeling a lot better this morning. We were told Joe would meet us at our apartment for around 10 am. We woke up nice and early giving us time to have a walk around and speak with some of the residents before we had to meet with Joe. We were told yesterday just because they're in a retirement home doesn't mean they're your stereotypical old person and if we are here for 3 months we aim to make an effort with them. Whilst talking to a few of them we saw the first sign that things are a lot different out here, the gardener had a ladder leaning against a tree whilst he balanced on it trying to cut the branches down. If this was in England health and safety would go mental, it's difficult to describe but we were getting a bit nervous for the man as we watched on.

Joe arrived and we sat about discussing the programme and the next 3 months. We then went for a short drive through Cape Town to the Communicare office where we were introduced to everyone, which was really nice. We sat down with Joe, Lourens and a few others and spoke about who we were and what we did etc. We were then taken to the train station, the bus stop and other parts of the town.    It doesn't feel like we've come that far when you walk down a street that has a KFC a Nandos a Woolworths and a Burger King. We were taken to Burger King for lunch which is nice, we are being looked after really well here and we are really thankful.

We then took a short drive to the Brooklyn area and to one of the offices down there. Once away from the main part of the town we pulled into a petrol garage, thinking we were refuelling I didn't think much of it until they said "ok get out your turn" my first experience of driving in South Africa. Just think London but with more people just walking out and crossing where they like, we were told we were really lucky, Luke and Jeff last year didn't get use of the car and had to struggle with public transport. Once we arrived we were again introduced to everyone and had photos taken with some of the people, everyone is so welcoming and friendly. We swapped numbers with a guy called Conan who is a big Arsenal fan and another really friendly guy who has offered to take us out to watch some games and show us around. 

Our final stop was at the learning centre, we are told this is where we will spend most of our time. Some great facilities and I'm looking forward to helping out. 

Tonight South Africa play in the African Cup of Nations so after dinner we are planning on heading out and watching the game. We mentioned earlier that we plan on going down to watch Arsenal with the Cape Town fan club to Joe and Lourens, apparently the last time they were in there it was a bit rough, lots of swearing, but because I'm from Dagenham I'll probably fit in because I'll be used to it. We'll see how that goes.

Lourens and Joe if you read this thank you for today, the welcome from everyone has been so nice, I can't wait to see what the kids will be like.

I've left out the PonJoe but you will hear about that soon.

Day 1 21st/22nd January 2015

After a very long journey I'm pleased to say me and  Harry have safely arrived in Cape Town. In total it was a 23hour journey from a winters day in London to a nice summers day here in Cape Town.

After meeting up at Heathrow a quick coffee followed by dropping off our bags and some emotional goodbyes we were off. We finally took off around 15:35 heading towards Doha, we had opted for a longer journey for a lower cost. Flying with Qatar airways we landed in Doha around 6 hours later. We then made our way upstairs ready for our 2nd flight of the day, a 9 hour flight to Cape Town airport. We couldn't fault the service, the amount of food and drink we were given was endless, the staff were friendly and polite, just a shame the seats weren't comfy enough to get much sleep in.

After collecting our bags (after hours of worrying if they'd turn up) we were met by 1 of the Communicare team, Lourens (the organisation that we will work with) who drove us to where we would be staying. I nice short drive and we had arrived welcomed by staff and residents of Berghof Retirement Village. Luke and Jeff must have made quite an impression last year as everyone has been asking about them, looks like we've got a lot to live up to, no pressure.

After skipping lunch which would have been around 10:30am in the UK we decided to go for a walk. Obviously changing out of winter clothes and applying sun cream first. Quick stop off at the shops and back for our afternoon meal. Sitting here now at 17:00 local time falling asleep in an arm chair, after a lack of sleep on the plane it'll probably be an early night tonight for me and Harry.

Being picked up at 10am tomorrow to go meet everyone at the office before being shown around Cape Town.

Will try and write again tomorrow. Have a good evening.

Off To Cape Town in 12 Days

Where to start?

Sorry this is my 1st blog so bear with me. For those reading this that aren't family, friends or people I've worked with ill give just a quick background of who I am and why I'm doing this. Here goes, my name is Martin and since August I've taken part on the Arsenal in the Community Gap Year Programme. This programme involves training with a number of other coaches learning from different people and preparing ourselves to go abroad and coach football to young people as well as going into different communities to gain experience of the country we visit.

I have been chosen to go to Cape Town with Harry for 3 months. Follow our experiences through this blog, we have been assured that we will have a good wifi connection so will hopefully post as often as possible. Harry will also be posting on agpcapetown.blogspot.co.uk Any questions email me at martin1810@gmail.com

Fly out on 21st January 2015