Visitors and Library News

I get so caught up in life, I don’t realize how long its been since I’ve last blogged.  My mom and aunt have come and gone.  I have been on a retreat in the Eastern Cape and back.  I’ve had tests and papers, and given tests…no papers!

The week mom and Aunt Nancy were here was like living in an African paradise.  I was so incredibly blessed to stay with them every night for the week.   We stayed a block away from my house in a bed and breakfast where we all got our own rooms.  We explored Cape Town and Obs, hiked Table Mountain, went on a brewery tour, to Kirstenbosch, Old Biscuit Mill (a market in town), Hout Bay, Aquila Safari, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point, and my service site.  The weather was absolutely amazing the entire trip, minus the day we went on safari which was rainy and cold.  It must have been quite the scene to see us three, after being left behind, basically getting our own personal game drive, cuddled in blankets and ponchos…. We were lookin good!!  Nonetheless, we had an awesome time every day.  It was rare to come across a moment when we weren’t laughing.

When they left, I was so rudely interrupted by reality.  Surprise!!  Ethics test the next day!!  After spending the entire day at Hlengisa, where the students definitely missed the visitors and were not up for learning, I was on my way to UWC for a night exam. 

Friday morning, we were out of the house by 6am and on our way to St. George’s Cathedral where Archbishop Desmond Tutu said mass for us.  We were in attendance with only one more group of students and the Templeton crew.  He had won the Templeton prize of R15 million the day before.  After snapping a few pictures, and then attending our Marquette classes for the week, we were off to a retreat at Volmoed retreat center which was about 2 hours away in Eastern Cape.  There we had a lot of free time to explore the town, but also met with John deGruchy about his book “Reconciliation: Restoring Justice.”  We discussed Christianity and reconciliation in South Africa and in the USA related to the world.

The most interesting thing we discussed was being a “global citizen” instead of an “American citizen” or “South African citizen” or even “IL citizen.”  Many of the things John described made me think of what Judy Mayotte (the MU program founder) described to us.  John focused on “Christian humanism” which he described as being a Christian and seeing everyone as a human.  This means there is no race, no nationality, and ultimately no differences.  Though we all have very different life experiences, we are all ultimately just humans.  Judy told us a similar story.  When she snuck across the Berlin Wall during the war, one of the guards told her to come with him.  After a long discussion over a beer in a random back room, he finally said to her, “why are you not afraid of me?”  Her response was, “you are a human, just like me.”  This is an extremely refreshing way of looking at the world.  I truly believe this is at the center of what we are learning during our stay in South Africa.

When we arrived home Sunday, it was time for reality again.  School, teach, school, teach, school…

This week, I have felt more “a part” of the Hlengisa community than ever.  There have been observers from UWC and the Department of Education coming and going.  Each of these visitors has been introduced to me.  I am grading all my 8^th, 9^th, and 5^th graders’ work, teaching every lesson, beginning to catch on to what I am missing the days I am not at Hlengisa, and what they really need more help with.  Wednesday night, after my MU paper was finished, I had a bit of time to make some grammar worksheets for Thursday.  The difficult part of teaching here is the different levels within one classroom.  Through there is the same issue in many classrooms at home, the students here can range (and do range) from about 14-22 in one classroom.  So, even making a short story on a worksheet was hard because of the broad age difference.

My reading club is doing extremely well.  They are all reading fluently—with a stumble here or there.  Mom and Aunt Nancy brought hundreds of “Allie the Angel” books that Mrs. Calmeyn still had.  (THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!)  On Tuesday, I handed out the books at the end of reading club because the students couldn’t wait for Thursday to start them.  I made them promise to bring them back for the lesson Thursday.  We spent all of reading club reading those books and discussing rhyming words on Thursday.  Thanks to Mrs. Calmeyn and Mom and Aunt Nancy’s 24 hour plane ride, the reading club had a mini Christmas in April.  The rest of the books will be distributed to various schools.  One girl in my house has already been using them with her 6^th grade class at Mkhanyiseli. 

I have grown closer and closer to these students each day, especially 5^th and 6^th grade.  But, its still hard being in such a different environment for so long.  I truly am missing the American education system, as a student and teacher.

THANK YOU to everyone who was able to send some money.  I found two rugs—one of the world map and one alphabet rug.  I will be ordering them this week for the library.  The kids will LOVE being able to sit and read in a more comfortable environment than just the wooden chairs and “container” floor.