Saturday 13 August 2016

Last Days in South Africa

August 10 - Wednesday Mimi's class and concert

Back to Emafini this morning and to another Grade 1 classroom. I only was able to spend a few hours in the classroom this morning but enjoyed every minute of it. I read Goldilocks and the Three Bears to the students using my amazing acting skills (ha ha) to get them to be able to understand and then Mimi read them the same big book in Xhosa. After we read the book we had to students make small book of their own. We then had the students act out the story with students being the characters and the students were allowed to take the books home with them. This is really a big deal for the students to be able to take the books home with them. You see, usually no matter what they make it has to be glued down in their notebooks so when administration comes to check them they can see what they have done. It is very important for them to put everything in notebooks and the teacher sign the work. So for them to be allowed to take these books home was wonderful.


Reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears in Xhosa.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears book the students made in Xhosa

Mimi and myself

After leaving Emafini we headed back to NMMU for a chorus concert. This chorus was amazing and have been invited to Canada and the US to sing. They are just waiting to see if they have enough funding to be able to go. They sang all acapella  with only African drums on the last two songs and danced while singing. The first few songs they sang were written by American composers but the last 5-6 were South African songs in native language and they were so good.

NMMU Choir

August 11 - Bay World, Emafini and a Braai

We began our morning differently today heading to Bay World educational classroom. This aquarium offers educational hands on classes following the Port Elizabeth grade level curriculum. We observed a group of Grade R students learning about recycling and how when you liter you could hurt the animals around you, and two upper grade classes one learning about fossils and the other learning about skeletons of ocean animals compared to humans. We learned this aquarium tries to help the township schools by offering a discount for them to come and visit since most children do not get the opportunity any other way. Bay World offered more than just learning and seeing ocean life. They also offered the chance to learn about South African history and native birds and reptiles. It was an amazing opportunity.


Grade R students (kindergarten) learning about recycling

Since we hatch eggs in my classroom I thought this was a neat display
of egg hatching. 

African Penguin

Seals

Leaving BayWorld

After Bay World Julien (our driver for the month) took us to Emafini for a going away ceremony. This ceremony was the best I have ever been exposed to. All of the staff was dressed in their native Xhosa attire and were beautiful. I did not know that married women are suppose to cover their heads with a head dress, wear a longer dress that covers their knees, and have their breasts covered with an extra cover. Most of the women dressed up wore native beaded necklaces, anklets, bracelets, and shoes. They sang and danced between each thing on the agenda and we all had such a great time. I love the "South Africa" they gave us and can not wait to hang it in my classroom.


Julien our driver and friend

last day headed out

Shops on the way to Emafini

Shops on the way to Emafini
Lara and myself with PoPo and MiMi in their native dress. You can see
that PoPo is not married and is allowed to show her head and knees. 

check out those shoes. 

Lucy and myself. She was singing to me. 

Emafini uniforms


PoPo was so excited with her gift from all of us


Receiving our "South Africas" from the staff

Singing and dancing
They painted me and Melonies faces in the native way using calamine lotion.

To end the wonderful day we had Mr. McKay the principal invited us all over to his house to have a native Braai or cookout. I had never eaten lamb before but instead of hamburgers or steak this is the normal meat they cook for their braai. It was delicious. I got so caught up in eating that I forgot to post a picture of the desert. It was malvo pudding with icecream... so yummy!

Food on the braai

August 12 - Good bye Port Elizabeth Hello Cape Town

We got up at 4:00 in the morning and boarded an airplane for Cape Town. I am going to miss Port Elizabeth and Abalone (our home away from home). After arriving in Cape Town (which is definitely more of a city than Port Elizabeth) and getting settled into our new "home" 40 Winks. We headed down to the Central Library to the American Corner (which the US Consulate in Cape Town opened) to meet and learn from Nigel Worden the author of The Making of Modern South Africa. This history book was a hard read for me, discussing it as a whole group like we did in Port Elizabeth helped me to understand it better but listening to the author explain helped it to all really sink in. I am amazed at all the South African people have been through and survived. A long day was completed by dinner on the waterfront with friends.


Good bye Abalone my home away form home 

Nigel Worden

American Corner 

The very spot where Nelson Mandela addressed the nation after being released
from prison and elected President of South Africa.

New home for the next two days

Beautiful view of  Lion's Head or Signal Mountain

August 13 - Roben Island and last day in South Africa

Woke up this morning to a beautiful day. The weather was calling for lots of rain but man did we get a blessing instead. We walked down to the water front and boarded our ferry headed to Roben Island. If you do not know already it is the island that housed the prison where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years along with over 3,000 other political prisoners during their fight to end apartheid in South Africa.

School on Roben Island 

Mandella's cell in Section B they were kept seperate from other prisoners
to avoid conversation. This is a 2x2 meter cell. He would have had to
roll and unroll his bedding each night to have room in the cell.
There was no toilet to use, they used the red buckets
in their cells

This is our prison tour guide Kgotso Glen Atoselengoe. He was one of the 4,782
political prisoners in Cell Block D form 1984-1991 when he was released early
thanks to Nelson Mandela.

Roben Island


Guard tower that was manned 24 hours a day even though it was nearly
impossible to escape.


We fly out tomorrow and although I am super excited to see my family I will truly miss South Africa. I have gained so much wisdom and love from this country and can not wait to spread some of it to my Kinder babies this year. 

Good Bye South Africa!






Wednesday 10 August 2016

Days 22-24 including whale watching

Day 22 - August 7

Happy Birthday to me... I was spoiled as soon as I woke up with my awesome roommate singing Happy Birthday and giving me a grape Fanta and a Nosh candy bar. Grape Famta has been my drink of choice over here in South Africa and you are wondering what a Nosh bar is I bet. A Nosh candy bar is hazelnuts, nougat and caramel covered in milk chocolate. I am definitely going to miss these when we go back to North Carolina. We then traveled to the open air market for the last time on our trip and had some free time until 5:00. At 5:00 we had a discussion on the book The Making of Modern South Africa  by Nigel Worden. This book gives us an in debt understanding of how South Africa came to be with all of the different things going on around the country. It discusses the major issues from racism, segregation, apartheid and resistance movements. Ya'll South Africa has come a long way. After our book discussion I was taken out to dinner by our marvelous teachers at CFIE plus Donyell and Kathy. It was a wonderful evening of eating, talking and laughing.

Day 23 - August 8

Busy day today at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. We headed out for a session with Dr. Paul Webb on An International Look at Educating Young Adolescents in South Africa. Among many items discussed one was how South African children's schools are over crowded and it is difficult for the teachers to teach deferentially with so many students in a classroom. We also compared our classes to those in South Africa. After our discussion with Paul we met with Ron again for a Xhosa lesson. We have one more lesson to finish up our Xhosa language learning. Tonight we learned counting. I can not wait to teach my kindergarten students how to count in Xhosa. 

Day 24 - August 9

Happy Women's Day in South Africa they celebrate all women on August 9. It is a national holiday. Here we are at News Cafe and they gave all of us a beautiful rose for Women's Day.



I woke up super excited today to go whale watching. We arrived at Raggy Charters in the Algoa Bay and met Lloyd. Lloyd explained to us about the Baywatch Project and how they at Raggy Charters work to take care of the environment and save the animals. All of the money that comes into their charter goes back into the environment. The Baywatch Project aims to educate the community, specifically the youth, about the marine environment and the need for its conservation and protection. This is done through the running of the marine eco-tour company, Raggy Charters, which allows volunteers hands-on experience. Profits from Raggy Charters go directly to The Baywatch Project and the Penguin Research Fund. They also have beach clean ups and planting trees. After learning all about the company and how wonderful they are we got on our boat with Ellie (our guide) and took off. We traveled along Algoa Bay to many islands. Although we did not see any whales in our travels we met a very cute and exciting cape fur seal that was throwing his food up in the air and catching it, hundreds of bottle nose dolphins (man were they amazing), tons of African penguins and many other birds. It was an amazing and educational trip that I am so happy I went on. Lloyd made us promise to plant 5 trees a piece for the amount of fuel we would be using during the trip. So when we get back to the states we have already decided where we need those trees at on the Carolina Forest campus. 
African penguins

Cape Fur Seal

Our crew before take off
Lots of bottle nose dolphins the picture just does not do it justice.

Lloyd, Ellie and our driver (I can't believe I have forgotten her name)

St. Croix Island (penguin island)



Saturday 6 August 2016

Days 20-21 - PoPo's Class and Northern Lights

Friday, August 5 - Day 20

We began the morning back at Emifini and I was in PoPo's class. I wish I could get my videos to post because this class were some of the best singers. She said she felt like they learned better and didn't talk as much when they sang everything. PoPo is in one of the containers and has 31 students. I was able to help them with math addition, a lesson out of their English book and complete an interactive read aloud with them. They really seemed to understand the book I read on Picking Apples. I then was lucky enough to have some left over apples in the room that I cut into small chunks for us to eat. That made the story even better. :) It is neat to see the different ways each teacher tackles lunch. During lunch each day student leaders bring the lunches to the containers for the grade 1 students. In PoPo's classroom she had the spoons for each student so they only needed to bring a drink. She also had a bucket full of soapy water with a squirt of lotion in it for them to wash their hands before eating. She definitely loves her students.  

PoPo sharing a reading.

Lunch 

English lesson

English lesson

After leaving Emifini we headed over to a special needs or exceptional school called Northern Lights. I thought it was odd that there were no exceptional needs students in any of the other schools that we have attended. They all attend the same school. There were approximately 150 students Grade R to High School at the same school. Most of the teachers have an assistant but not all of them. These students were so independent and loving. I enjoyed talking and interacting with them. Most of the students here would have been in our normal classes or small group settings in the United States some would have needed  a one on one but not all of them. 

Beautiful just beautiful!

Sporting their CFIE bracelets.

Loving their suckers Mary Ludwig passed out. 

This is their only Grade R student. I felt bad for him that he was the only
one in the classroom. 

Enjoying the stories I am being told. 

Saturday, August 6 - Day 21

Beautiful day off today on the beach and shopping with the girls. I also finished the book The Making of Modern South Africa which we will be discussing tomorrow night. This evening we attended a high tea at the hotel on the boardwalk. It was very pretty and yummy! I had never gone to a high tea before but really enjoyed it. After high tea we went for a walk to watch the sunset. Such a wonderful relaxing day. 

High Tea

Desserts at High Tea

Sandwiches at High Tea

High Tea
Beautiful Sunset on the beach.