Well our time is winding down now. On Dec. 7th we land on Canadian soil.
The last month or so we have been passing on our work to others here so there is a smooth transition. The lady who took over Caleb’s position has been doing a fantastic job thus far and Caleb will be able to come home quite relaxed about the situation now. My duties at the school have been distributed amongst various teachers. My work at St. Vincent’s Children’s Home also came to a close yesterday.
Caleb and I really enjoyed our time with our Denouden parents who came for two weeks to visit. It was a nice relaxing break for us and it was great to be able to show them our work and tour the areas around so they can now picture everything when we share stories.
The last of the students left yesterday for their summer holidays. The grade 12’s last week had their graduation lunch so all staff were busy preparing the lunch together, setting the tables, etc. I am amazed everytime we do a large event like this how easy it is for them to prepare a lunch for about 150 people. I have never defrosted so much chicken before and seen such huge pots of curry…it is fantastic…hopefully I’ll take back some of these skills with me.
Tomorrow we are having a staff party to close the year. Caleb and I are very happy we were able to be here from the beginning of the year to the end. The timing worked out perfectly.
We look back on our year as a fantastic opportunity where we learned so much about ourselves, others and the culture here. It is an experience we are grateful and blessed to have had.
There were constant ups and downs in our experience this year and we both keep saying…I don’t think we will ever meet people with such unique personalities as here! It is so hard to describe the people you meet, and we will take a lot of life lessons along with us.
We would like to thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, encouragement and following our blogs while we were here. We look forward to seeing many of you once we return.
Caleb & Brittany
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
End of August/September Update
We aren’t sure if you heard about the strikes here in South Africa. But the teachers union went on strike for almost 4 weeks in some schools. The union was demanding an 8.5% increase and a R1000 housing allowance. The unions here work on fear and intimidation. Negotiating is not an option they choose. Unfortunately the situation got out of control as teachers & students who tried to attend school despite the strike, were being attacked. After 2 weeks of the strike affecting all public schools, St. Francis being a private institution was also eventually affected. Members of CASATU were heard marching down our street, singing, yelling and blowing their vuvuzela’s. Our principal was ready at the gate to see them before anything happened and our school was closed for the following week and a half. Luckily our school is back up and going now and we won’t be affected like other schools. Due to the length of the strike other schools have classes until 7pm and their holidays will be cut short. Although the schools open again the “negotiating” between government and unions is still trying to be resolved.
Not only was there a teacher strike but also a public servants strike. Nurses didn’t go to work and those that did were attacked on the way to work. The hospitals were in chaos as people were left stranded. Women in labour and emergency patients drove all around looking for a hospital that would accept them. The private hospital (St. Mary’s hospital) that is here in Mariannhill was so busy that they turned away everyone except for those in extreme emergencies. It was an extremely unfortunate situation in which some people suffered losses. Petrol stations also decided to strike, leaving only the managers to pump gas. In SA the attendants pump the gas, so the lines were long at the stations as the one or two managers rushed around to help everyone.
With that said, the week and a half or so without students we got to explore and work on new projects at the school. We cleaned out the cellar of the school. We found boxes and boxes of used school textbooks and other books. We sorted them and no we have hundreds of used textbooks to sell to learners next year which will really help cut their school book fee cost. There were also many other beautiful books and about 200 were added to the school library. We still aren’t quite sure why they were in the cellar… We checked out all around other parts of the school to see if we could find more “hidden treasures”. We found amazing antiques such as old desks with the ink blots built into them, old typewriters, beautiful old cabinets. Also stacks and stacks of new cupboard doors. So after examining everything we thought we’d try to contact some people here and sell these things to help the school. Also, we want to start a museum in the cellar we cleared. The school has such a rich history and it would be nice to display some items. Mariannhill has some tourists who come to check out the monastery and their museum, and the Cathedral, etc. So we’d love to add the school as somewhere where they can also stop, check out and donate.
The last few weekends we have enjoyed touring more of South Africa. We headed to the Southern Drakensburg and did a few hikes one of them being through the Sani pass (only road connecting our province in South Africa to Lesotho). We drove to the border post but then we had to hike the rest of the way as the road only allows for 4X4 vehicles. We really enjoyed our hikes in the mountains. It was a very hot day but as we climbed it got cooler and soon we were seeing some snow and ice still on some parts. We went through the border post of Lesotho and hiked in there. The country is very different to South Africa. Very remote, quiet and peaceful, almost eerie like as it is so desolate. Just mountains and mountains and you see the odd random person walking through the mountains, and you think- Where would you be going? We are definitely planning to do more hiking in the Central and Northern Drakensburg also as we really enjoyed it.
Back to the schoool…We are very pleased that the school has hired a new financial manager to take Caleb’s place just last Thursday. The lady is a former learner of St. Francis and a Zulu. We were very grateful to find someone like this and pray everything works out smoothly. Caleb will start showing her around and train when she begins late October. Today Caleb and I are sporting the school uniform along with the other educators. It is “Market and Fun Day”. The students don’t have to wear uniform while the educators do and the students set up tables and sell different items and food to fundraise for the gr. 12 trip. The students think it is just hilarious and they haven’t stopped laughing since the morning seeing the teachers in the uniform. Other recent event at the school was Prize-giving day where awards are given to students for academics, sports, etc. Along with the other teachers, I enjoyed choosing the trophies out and designing and printing the certificates. It was a great day and the students also performed some dances and skits afterwards the awards were given and they again, blew us away with their talent!
Well we think this is about all the “new news” for the last bit. Our flight was recently booked for Dec. 6th. So we’ll keep you updated on our experiences until we see you then. We hope you are all well. Thank you for all your responses to our emails, we love hearing from you guys!
Love Caleb & Brittany
Not only was there a teacher strike but also a public servants strike. Nurses didn’t go to work and those that did were attacked on the way to work. The hospitals were in chaos as people were left stranded. Women in labour and emergency patients drove all around looking for a hospital that would accept them. The private hospital (St. Mary’s hospital) that is here in Mariannhill was so busy that they turned away everyone except for those in extreme emergencies. It was an extremely unfortunate situation in which some people suffered losses. Petrol stations also decided to strike, leaving only the managers to pump gas. In SA the attendants pump the gas, so the lines were long at the stations as the one or two managers rushed around to help everyone.
With that said, the week and a half or so without students we got to explore and work on new projects at the school. We cleaned out the cellar of the school. We found boxes and boxes of used school textbooks and other books. We sorted them and no we have hundreds of used textbooks to sell to learners next year which will really help cut their school book fee cost. There were also many other beautiful books and about 200 were added to the school library. We still aren’t quite sure why they were in the cellar… We checked out all around other parts of the school to see if we could find more “hidden treasures”. We found amazing antiques such as old desks with the ink blots built into them, old typewriters, beautiful old cabinets. Also stacks and stacks of new cupboard doors. So after examining everything we thought we’d try to contact some people here and sell these things to help the school. Also, we want to start a museum in the cellar we cleared. The school has such a rich history and it would be nice to display some items. Mariannhill has some tourists who come to check out the monastery and their museum, and the Cathedral, etc. So we’d love to add the school as somewhere where they can also stop, check out and donate.
The last few weekends we have enjoyed touring more of South Africa. We headed to the Southern Drakensburg and did a few hikes one of them being through the Sani pass (only road connecting our province in South Africa to Lesotho). We drove to the border post but then we had to hike the rest of the way as the road only allows for 4X4 vehicles. We really enjoyed our hikes in the mountains. It was a very hot day but as we climbed it got cooler and soon we were seeing some snow and ice still on some parts. We went through the border post of Lesotho and hiked in there. The country is very different to South Africa. Very remote, quiet and peaceful, almost eerie like as it is so desolate. Just mountains and mountains and you see the odd random person walking through the mountains, and you think- Where would you be going? We are definitely planning to do more hiking in the Central and Northern Drakensburg also as we really enjoyed it.
Back to the schoool…We are very pleased that the school has hired a new financial manager to take Caleb’s place just last Thursday. The lady is a former learner of St. Francis and a Zulu. We were very grateful to find someone like this and pray everything works out smoothly. Caleb will start showing her around and train when she begins late October. Today Caleb and I are sporting the school uniform along with the other educators. It is “Market and Fun Day”. The students don’t have to wear uniform while the educators do and the students set up tables and sell different items and food to fundraise for the gr. 12 trip. The students think it is just hilarious and they haven’t stopped laughing since the morning seeing the teachers in the uniform. Other recent event at the school was Prize-giving day where awards are given to students for academics, sports, etc. Along with the other teachers, I enjoyed choosing the trophies out and designing and printing the certificates. It was a great day and the students also performed some dances and skits afterwards the awards were given and they again, blew us away with their talent!
Well we think this is about all the “new news” for the last bit. Our flight was recently booked for Dec. 6th. So we’ll keep you updated on our experiences until we see you then. We hope you are all well. Thank you for all your responses to our emails, we love hearing from you guys!
Love Caleb & Brittany
Monday, September 20, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
July Update- "Feel it... it is over!"
We are not sure whether you heard the Moto for the World Cup “Feel it, it is here!” there in Canada- but it was posted all over here and everyone was saying it. Mr. Zondi (an amazingly unique and hilarious man) who is the school driver looked over at a man selling things to drivers through their windows and said- “Feel it, it is over!” So I guess the World Cup is over now. We really had an amazing time experiencing it here- although unfortunately the Netherlands just couldn’t pull through at the end.
So now the students are back to school after a long holiday. In-between watching the soccer games, Caleb and I spent our 5 week holiday doing little projects and visiting friends nearby. We enjoyed setting up the school tuck shop. We (or shall I say Caleb) replaced the ceiling and did repairs while I enjoyed painting it. The first week we ran it and now we are into the fourth week where students are running it themselves. I do the inventory and the students do the selling. It is working great! The steady funds from the tuck shop is really going to help the school. If it keeps up, the funds should cover the salary of at least one teacher. The grade 12’s are also having their class trip so we may also use the tuck shop to help raise funds for events such as this.
During the holidays I was invited to a students home for the weekend. We had a great time and they treated me like a queen. I really enjoyed cooking alongside them and baking- I don’t think I stopped eating for one minute while I was there. The Zulu people really welcome you so much to their home and they want to provide you with everything. Their tradition teaches them that anyone who comes to visit you, you must provide them with at least something to drink when they arrive. No one is suppose to say they came from a Zulu home without at least something to drink. They definitely stick to this, because every Zulu home we enter as soon as we arrive they pour us something to drink and they fill the glass until it is almost running over the top-you literally can hardly even lift it up without spilling it! They are such welcoming people!
Sr. Ursula’s family also welcomed us this way. Before Sr. Ursula returned to Canada she invited us to her home and her extended family home. We had a nice visit with them and they cooked us a traditional meal. It was so nice to visit with Sr. Ursula in her home town.
The beginning of this third term has been a bit rough. Before the holidays began the school sent a warning letter to parents that if school fees are not paid, their child won’t be accepted back to the school until they are. The school is fantastic in providing low school feels for a good education and with government funding lowered and only 30% of parents paying the full amount of school fees it puts the school in a very tight situation. So it was an awkward first day of school as many students were turned away. After 5 weeks many still hadn’t paid their school fees. For the parents who dropped their kids off in a BMW we didn’t feel bad, but those others in difficult situations the Principal dealt with them on a more personal level. We realized here that budgeting is definitely not a strong point among the Zulus. Unfortunately many people seem to only live for the day. Anyways, things are a bit better now, although Caleb and the Principal are still working on the other 10% or so that still haven’t paid.
Mandela’s birthday was in July- 92 years! Many people all over celebrated on this day. Music filled the streets of Mariannhill from the Church as they sang, danced and celebrated all day long.
We were also thrilled to witness the Sardine Run in Durban. Millions of sardines flock to the shore chasing after the cool waters. It is an amazing sight- so many sardines pulled onto the shore! So many people crowded onto the beach to watch, many also holding plastic bags trying to get the scrapes from the fishers nets. People got a little out of control grabbing for the fish even through the nets of the fishers. But all in all awesome to witness!
It has been an extremely busy few months! We really CAN’T believe it is the middle of August! On some of our weekends we have been to a few Nature reserves and I was so excited that we spotted three cheetahs- my favourite animal! The weekend past was a long weekend as it was Women’s Day on the Monday, Caleb and I headed to Kruger National Park and the Blyde River Canyon. We were extremely fortunate and saw all of the big five (lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhino). We had quite a few “too close” encounters with some angry elephants.
Back to the school now…the school recently had a festival (talent show). It was absolutely astounding!! I really can’t express how talented these students are in song, dance, poetry and acting. From Zulu dancing to hip hop dancing, to choir songs, to 1930’s dancing- these students put on an amazing show! Again, we sold snacks and lunch as a fundraiser and it went very well.
The school is conducting some interviews to take over Caleb’s position at the school. The first set of interviews went ok- but not great. So they are still searching. We wanted to find someone 6 months before we left so the transition was really smooth, we can’t believe we only have four months left, so the pressure is really on to find someone.
Well, this update was overdue and now it is getting too long.
Till next time.
Brittany & Caleb
So now the students are back to school after a long holiday. In-between watching the soccer games, Caleb and I spent our 5 week holiday doing little projects and visiting friends nearby. We enjoyed setting up the school tuck shop. We (or shall I say Caleb) replaced the ceiling and did repairs while I enjoyed painting it. The first week we ran it and now we are into the fourth week where students are running it themselves. I do the inventory and the students do the selling. It is working great! The steady funds from the tuck shop is really going to help the school. If it keeps up, the funds should cover the salary of at least one teacher. The grade 12’s are also having their class trip so we may also use the tuck shop to help raise funds for events such as this.
During the holidays I was invited to a students home for the weekend. We had a great time and they treated me like a queen. I really enjoyed cooking alongside them and baking- I don’t think I stopped eating for one minute while I was there. The Zulu people really welcome you so much to their home and they want to provide you with everything. Their tradition teaches them that anyone who comes to visit you, you must provide them with at least something to drink when they arrive. No one is suppose to say they came from a Zulu home without at least something to drink. They definitely stick to this, because every Zulu home we enter as soon as we arrive they pour us something to drink and they fill the glass until it is almost running over the top-you literally can hardly even lift it up without spilling it! They are such welcoming people!
Sr. Ursula’s family also welcomed us this way. Before Sr. Ursula returned to Canada she invited us to her home and her extended family home. We had a nice visit with them and they cooked us a traditional meal. It was so nice to visit with Sr. Ursula in her home town.
The beginning of this third term has been a bit rough. Before the holidays began the school sent a warning letter to parents that if school fees are not paid, their child won’t be accepted back to the school until they are. The school is fantastic in providing low school feels for a good education and with government funding lowered and only 30% of parents paying the full amount of school fees it puts the school in a very tight situation. So it was an awkward first day of school as many students were turned away. After 5 weeks many still hadn’t paid their school fees. For the parents who dropped their kids off in a BMW we didn’t feel bad, but those others in difficult situations the Principal dealt with them on a more personal level. We realized here that budgeting is definitely not a strong point among the Zulus. Unfortunately many people seem to only live for the day. Anyways, things are a bit better now, although Caleb and the Principal are still working on the other 10% or so that still haven’t paid.
Mandela’s birthday was in July- 92 years! Many people all over celebrated on this day. Music filled the streets of Mariannhill from the Church as they sang, danced and celebrated all day long.
We were also thrilled to witness the Sardine Run in Durban. Millions of sardines flock to the shore chasing after the cool waters. It is an amazing sight- so many sardines pulled onto the shore! So many people crowded onto the beach to watch, many also holding plastic bags trying to get the scrapes from the fishers nets. People got a little out of control grabbing for the fish even through the nets of the fishers. But all in all awesome to witness!
It has been an extremely busy few months! We really CAN’T believe it is the middle of August! On some of our weekends we have been to a few Nature reserves and I was so excited that we spotted three cheetahs- my favourite animal! The weekend past was a long weekend as it was Women’s Day on the Monday, Caleb and I headed to Kruger National Park and the Blyde River Canyon. We were extremely fortunate and saw all of the big five (lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhino). We had quite a few “too close” encounters with some angry elephants.
Back to the school now…the school recently had a festival (talent show). It was absolutely astounding!! I really can’t express how talented these students are in song, dance, poetry and acting. From Zulu dancing to hip hop dancing, to choir songs, to 1930’s dancing- these students put on an amazing show! Again, we sold snacks and lunch as a fundraiser and it went very well.
The school is conducting some interviews to take over Caleb’s position at the school. The first set of interviews went ok- but not great. So they are still searching. We wanted to find someone 6 months before we left so the transition was really smooth, we can’t believe we only have four months left, so the pressure is really on to find someone.
Well, this update was overdue and now it is getting too long.
Till next time.
Brittany & Caleb
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
June Update
FEEL IT, IT IS HERE!
Well the vuvuzela’s remind us everyday that the World Cup has begun. It has been amazing to experience the excitement here! Especially on days that Bafana Bafana play, the hills around here are bursting with the sounds of vuvuzela’s starting bright and early and lasting late into the evening. My lips are almost healed now from blowing the vuvuzela. We have been enjoying many days and evenings down at the Durban beach watching the games on the big screens they have set up all along the beach. The atmosphere at the beach is just about as thrilling as going to a game in the stadium. We are enjoying meeting many people from all over the world. We didn’t intend to go to any other game than the one we already had tickets for (Netherland-Japan) but we couldn’t resist purchasing tickets on the street for the German-Australian game in Durban at a real good deal.
Of course the most exciting game was the Netherlands-Japan game where the city was filled with the colour orange. There were tons of Holland supporters here! We took along with us ThulaSizwe who works on the grounds at TreFontane where we stay. He is a big soccer fan and plays himself on a team. He really enjoyed the game with us.
The school holidays started on June 11. The grade 12 students still come to school for 2 weeks during the holidays for extra lessons. The administration staff just started their holidays today. Caleb and I have been working and will continue through the holidays, however we will come and go a bit more during the day especially when there is a particular soccer game we want to watch. This week we hope to organize the tuck-shop at the school. It used to be run privately but now we have decided that the school will take it over in order to raise more funds for the school. Caleb is going to replace the ceiling and we’ll paint the walls, etc. It is nice during the holidays to finish up some random jobs we have wanted to do throughout the school year. Last week I was washing the windows, walls, floors, etc. in there. The ladies who clean around the school were quite surprised to see me doing this and said…she is a real magoti (wife). They were asking if I also cook. I think there is bit more of a divide between those that do physical work and those who work in the “office”. So they were surprised to see that line crossed. These holidays we don’t plan to travel around too much. We might do a few weekend trips to areas close by. There is so much excitement around here and we really love just visiting with some local friends we have made here.
Just last week was “Youth Day” a public holiday and at the beach they had all these fantastic activities for youth. So we took Sindisiwe and her two kids, as well as her brother’s child and her neighbour. We enjoyed a great day and the kids had a blast! Sindisiwe works on weekends so it is nice during the school holidays to be able to visit with her and her kids more often.
Although we didn’t attend our own graduation I was thrilled to attend Mbali’s graduation (former student of St. Francis when I was here 5 years ago). She had a traditional outfit made for me 5 years ago and she was so proud that I brought it with me and wore it to her grad. A sat with her mom and was so privileged to have attended as she only had the two tickets. The graduation here was awesome. The parents were so proud of their children! When their child was called to receive their diploma they stood up and yelled…whistled, etc. and one mother even yelling in Zulu “I was alone in the delivery room with her!” Mbali’s mom really got the whole crowd going…she was the first to start calling out and yelled Zulu names to even the white students receiving their diploma. When Mbali was called…she stood right up, danced and said “that’s my baby!” It was a beautiful and joyful occasion to have witnessed.
You’ll notice in the pics that I had my hair plated. Along the streets of Durban there are many young women who advertise hair styles and then they take you to their shop. So I found a girl on the side of the street and after bargaining a bit she took me down and alley and up a few flights of stairs into a long hall full of shops, it was a like a whole other world of shops up there. It took about 3 hours to complete. The people here really love it, and often say “Hibo!” when they see it.
We also went ice skating to celebrate Lihle’s birthday, she works here at St. Francis. Felt weird…ice skating in South Africa. But that isn’t the only weird thing that happened. It has been cold here lately and we even had a day where it hailed! We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw big drop of ice falling from the sky.
Well, I think this is long enough now! South Africa is certainly AYOBA!
Bafana Bafana aren’t finished yet…so keep cheering
Love Caleb and Brittany
Well the vuvuzela’s remind us everyday that the World Cup has begun. It has been amazing to experience the excitement here! Especially on days that Bafana Bafana play, the hills around here are bursting with the sounds of vuvuzela’s starting bright and early and lasting late into the evening. My lips are almost healed now from blowing the vuvuzela. We have been enjoying many days and evenings down at the Durban beach watching the games on the big screens they have set up all along the beach. The atmosphere at the beach is just about as thrilling as going to a game in the stadium. We are enjoying meeting many people from all over the world. We didn’t intend to go to any other game than the one we already had tickets for (Netherland-Japan) but we couldn’t resist purchasing tickets on the street for the German-Australian game in Durban at a real good deal.
Of course the most exciting game was the Netherlands-Japan game where the city was filled with the colour orange. There were tons of Holland supporters here! We took along with us ThulaSizwe who works on the grounds at TreFontane where we stay. He is a big soccer fan and plays himself on a team. He really enjoyed the game with us.
The school holidays started on June 11. The grade 12 students still come to school for 2 weeks during the holidays for extra lessons. The administration staff just started their holidays today. Caleb and I have been working and will continue through the holidays, however we will come and go a bit more during the day especially when there is a particular soccer game we want to watch. This week we hope to organize the tuck-shop at the school. It used to be run privately but now we have decided that the school will take it over in order to raise more funds for the school. Caleb is going to replace the ceiling and we’ll paint the walls, etc. It is nice during the holidays to finish up some random jobs we have wanted to do throughout the school year. Last week I was washing the windows, walls, floors, etc. in there. The ladies who clean around the school were quite surprised to see me doing this and said…she is a real magoti (wife). They were asking if I also cook. I think there is bit more of a divide between those that do physical work and those who work in the “office”. So they were surprised to see that line crossed. These holidays we don’t plan to travel around too much. We might do a few weekend trips to areas close by. There is so much excitement around here and we really love just visiting with some local friends we have made here.
Just last week was “Youth Day” a public holiday and at the beach they had all these fantastic activities for youth. So we took Sindisiwe and her two kids, as well as her brother’s child and her neighbour. We enjoyed a great day and the kids had a blast! Sindisiwe works on weekends so it is nice during the school holidays to be able to visit with her and her kids more often.
Although we didn’t attend our own graduation I was thrilled to attend Mbali’s graduation (former student of St. Francis when I was here 5 years ago). She had a traditional outfit made for me 5 years ago and she was so proud that I brought it with me and wore it to her grad. A sat with her mom and was so privileged to have attended as she only had the two tickets. The graduation here was awesome. The parents were so proud of their children! When their child was called to receive their diploma they stood up and yelled…whistled, etc. and one mother even yelling in Zulu “I was alone in the delivery room with her!” Mbali’s mom really got the whole crowd going…she was the first to start calling out and yelled Zulu names to even the white students receiving their diploma. When Mbali was called…she stood right up, danced and said “that’s my baby!” It was a beautiful and joyful occasion to have witnessed.
You’ll notice in the pics that I had my hair plated. Along the streets of Durban there are many young women who advertise hair styles and then they take you to their shop. So I found a girl on the side of the street and after bargaining a bit she took me down and alley and up a few flights of stairs into a long hall full of shops, it was a like a whole other world of shops up there. It took about 3 hours to complete. The people here really love it, and often say “Hibo!” when they see it.
We also went ice skating to celebrate Lihle’s birthday, she works here at St. Francis. Felt weird…ice skating in South Africa. But that isn’t the only weird thing that happened. It has been cold here lately and we even had a day where it hailed! We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw big drop of ice falling from the sky.
Well, I think this is long enough now! South Africa is certainly AYOBA!
Bafana Bafana aren’t finished yet…so keep cheering
Love Caleb and Brittany
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
May Update
It has been an exciting month or so since we have last emailed. Parent’s Day turned out to be a success. Just a few hiccups in trying to braii (BBQ) for about 1000 hungry parents and students, but we managed. My hands smelled like the chicken for a day or so after marinating the hundreds of chicken pieces. South Africans certainly enjoy their food and they like to buy! So it makes fundraising efforts here pretty easy. The braii’s here using coal make it taste so much better than using propane. Our popcorn machine couldn’t keep up with the demand…only Durocher’s will understand when I write this but I think they beat us in our love for popcorn (I know… hard to believe anyone could beat the Durocher’s!).
Sport’s Day was also a fantastic day! The learner’s astounded us! The learner’s were grouped into houses: lions, cheetahs, etc. Each house had to create a cheer. Well, this was more than a cheer… it was a performance! Their cheer included everything you can imagine, including back-flips. It was amazing to experience.
We also really enjoyed watching our first ever Rugby game. It is thrilling to watch and Vuyani and Sphelile (the two boys we took along with us) constantly were saying “Hibo!” as the huge Afrikaan’s men crashed into each other.
As far as our work goes at the school, Caleb is hoping to finish the auditing reports by the end of this week. That will be a load off his shoulders. Myself, I am helping Olga in the office gather funds from the students, as well as the normal library classes. I now tutor a darling young girl in grade 9 in her English after school before I go to St. Vincent’s. I am really enjoying my work at St. Vincent’s. The struggles of the girls I have recently been working with often bring me to tears. Their constant smiles and bright eyes amaze me despite it all. The computer lessons are also still going well. I was challenging the boys to get 100% accuracy in a particular exercise. Sindiso was really getting into it and completed a set of arm, wrist and head exercises before putting his hands down on the keyboard to begin…it was adorable!
On the weekends we were enjoying some visits with some locals. A former student from my last visit to SA came to visit again and it was great to catch up on 5 years. I will soon be attending her graduation from college in Business Management. As well we visited with a former employee from Tre Fontane guesthouse when I was here last. She lives just in the township close to Mariannhill. We enjoyed visiting her home and playing with the children. After a long day of playing, the kids were exhausted and the one girl fell asleep on Caleb’s back during a piggy-back. Caleb finally got to do some work out of the office and enjoyed helping them clear the land where they are going to build another small house.
Just this past weekend we attended a wedding of an employee at Tre-Fontane guesthouse. Typically the white wedding and traditional wedding are on separate days, sometimes even a year or two apart. But she had them both on the same day. It was a busy and exciting day. The white wedding was just like a wedding we would have back home. They rented a hall, etc. It ended with a lunch and then after pictures everyone headed to the groom’s parent’s residence. They changed into the traditional Zulu outfits and there they did many symbolic ceremonies. It was very interesting to experience. They will live at the groom’s home for a couple months or so, so they can be sure that the wife can cook well, take care of her husband and then they will move into their own home.
Well that’s about it for now. We hope everyone is doing fine and also enjoying the nice weather we hear you guys are having.
16 days till the World Cup…
Love Caleb & Brittany
Sport’s Day was also a fantastic day! The learner’s astounded us! The learner’s were grouped into houses: lions, cheetahs, etc. Each house had to create a cheer. Well, this was more than a cheer… it was a performance! Their cheer included everything you can imagine, including back-flips. It was amazing to experience.
We also really enjoyed watching our first ever Rugby game. It is thrilling to watch and Vuyani and Sphelile (the two boys we took along with us) constantly were saying “Hibo!” as the huge Afrikaan’s men crashed into each other.
As far as our work goes at the school, Caleb is hoping to finish the auditing reports by the end of this week. That will be a load off his shoulders. Myself, I am helping Olga in the office gather funds from the students, as well as the normal library classes. I now tutor a darling young girl in grade 9 in her English after school before I go to St. Vincent’s. I am really enjoying my work at St. Vincent’s. The struggles of the girls I have recently been working with often bring me to tears. Their constant smiles and bright eyes amaze me despite it all. The computer lessons are also still going well. I was challenging the boys to get 100% accuracy in a particular exercise. Sindiso was really getting into it and completed a set of arm, wrist and head exercises before putting his hands down on the keyboard to begin…it was adorable!
On the weekends we were enjoying some visits with some locals. A former student from my last visit to SA came to visit again and it was great to catch up on 5 years. I will soon be attending her graduation from college in Business Management. As well we visited with a former employee from Tre Fontane guesthouse when I was here last. She lives just in the township close to Mariannhill. We enjoyed visiting her home and playing with the children. After a long day of playing, the kids were exhausted and the one girl fell asleep on Caleb’s back during a piggy-back. Caleb finally got to do some work out of the office and enjoyed helping them clear the land where they are going to build another small house.
Just this past weekend we attended a wedding of an employee at Tre-Fontane guesthouse. Typically the white wedding and traditional wedding are on separate days, sometimes even a year or two apart. But she had them both on the same day. It was a busy and exciting day. The white wedding was just like a wedding we would have back home. They rented a hall, etc. It ended with a lunch and then after pictures everyone headed to the groom’s parent’s residence. They changed into the traditional Zulu outfits and there they did many symbolic ceremonies. It was very interesting to experience. They will live at the groom’s home for a couple months or so, so they can be sure that the wife can cook well, take care of her husband and then they will move into their own home.
Well that’s about it for now. We hope everyone is doing fine and also enjoying the nice weather we hear you guys are having.
16 days till the World Cup…
Love Caleb & Brittany
Saturday, April 24, 2010
April
Greetings to all!
So the last you heard was that we were having two weeks school holidays after the first term. We really enjoyed our travels to Cape Town. We took our time and camped our way all down the coast until we reached Cape Town stopping at all the lovely cities and doing some activities along the way. We enjoyed some sea kayaking where we saw hundreds of seals jumping all around our kayak- they were so playful. We did lots of hiking up different mountains along the way (the last one being the famous Table Mountain). Our drive alone was enough of a "trip" as each curve we took(and there were lots- a sign even said...350 more curves and you'll be at "Spar"(grocery store)) had us saying "Oh wow" "so beautiful". The landscape was spectacular, specifically in the Eastern Cape where mountains surrounded us on both sides and little valleys where huts were spread around and cows, goats and sheep roamed freely (even on the highway).
Most of the trip we stayed along the coast but we also made our way inland and enjoyed seeing the hundreds of ostrich farms. We thoroughly enjoyed our ostrich ride (we were shocked how fast the ran with us on!)We climbed through the famous Cango Caves and also enjoyed some sandboarding. We had fun abselining through the forest and down a waterfall, and enjoyed watching people bungie jump from the tallest bungie in the world.
All in all our travels were fantastic and we felt refreshed and ready to being our work again.
The newest things on our plate at St. Francis is helping to organize events such as parents day and sports day. Both which are happening in the next two weeks. Caleb has been busy with these as well as his day to day work. He is also working on how to make things more efficient at the school and also organizing with an German group to come and make some repairs at the Boys Hostel.
Library classes have been going fine for me and with some funds from my friend in Canada I had purchased some new novels. The students are rushing to check to see if other's have finished reading them so they can borrow them next. After school now I have arranged with the Social worker to work at St. Vincent's the Children's home just down the street from St. Francis College. On Monday and Tuesday's I have been doing play therapy with some of the children. The boy Siyanda I have been working with is such a joy! On Wednesday and Thursday's I have been teaching computer lessons to some of the highschool girls there. They are working with Mavis Beacon 8 and doing really well in their typing. Their smiles and giggles make my heart melt.
This weekend is a long weekend as Tuesday is "Freedom Day" and so the students are allowed to go home and school resumes on Wedesday. Caleb and I are using this time to do some work at the school and to visit with some youth around here. This afternoon we are taking two boys from St. Vincent's along with us to go to two Rugby games in Durban.
The weather has cooled down here now I think the "winter" has begun. It is about 23 today and overcast, but it is amazing how quickly we have adjusted, and I can't help but wear my sweater on a day like today.
So the last you heard was that we were having two weeks school holidays after the first term. We really enjoyed our travels to Cape Town. We took our time and camped our way all down the coast until we reached Cape Town stopping at all the lovely cities and doing some activities along the way. We enjoyed some sea kayaking where we saw hundreds of seals jumping all around our kayak- they were so playful. We did lots of hiking up different mountains along the way (the last one being the famous Table Mountain). Our drive alone was enough of a "trip" as each curve we took(and there were lots- a sign even said...350 more curves and you'll be at "Spar"(grocery store)) had us saying "Oh wow" "so beautiful". The landscape was spectacular, specifically in the Eastern Cape where mountains surrounded us on both sides and little valleys where huts were spread around and cows, goats and sheep roamed freely (even on the highway).
Most of the trip we stayed along the coast but we also made our way inland and enjoyed seeing the hundreds of ostrich farms. We thoroughly enjoyed our ostrich ride (we were shocked how fast the ran with us on!)We climbed through the famous Cango Caves and also enjoyed some sandboarding. We had fun abselining through the forest and down a waterfall, and enjoyed watching people bungie jump from the tallest bungie in the world.
All in all our travels were fantastic and we felt refreshed and ready to being our work again.
The newest things on our plate at St. Francis is helping to organize events such as parents day and sports day. Both which are happening in the next two weeks. Caleb has been busy with these as well as his day to day work. He is also working on how to make things more efficient at the school and also organizing with an German group to come and make some repairs at the Boys Hostel.
Library classes have been going fine for me and with some funds from my friend in Canada I had purchased some new novels. The students are rushing to check to see if other's have finished reading them so they can borrow them next. After school now I have arranged with the Social worker to work at St. Vincent's the Children's home just down the street from St. Francis College. On Monday and Tuesday's I have been doing play therapy with some of the children. The boy Siyanda I have been working with is such a joy! On Wednesday and Thursday's I have been teaching computer lessons to some of the highschool girls there. They are working with Mavis Beacon 8 and doing really well in their typing. Their smiles and giggles make my heart melt.
This weekend is a long weekend as Tuesday is "Freedom Day" and so the students are allowed to go home and school resumes on Wedesday. Caleb and I are using this time to do some work at the school and to visit with some youth around here. This afternoon we are taking two boys from St. Vincent's along with us to go to two Rugby games in Durban.
The weather has cooled down here now I think the "winter" has begun. It is about 23 today and overcast, but it is amazing how quickly we have adjusted, and I can't help but wear my sweater on a day like today.
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