Tuesday, August 28

Good afternoon!

Well, just after I thought I was reaching the point of adjusting to the heat, a big wind comes in and its cold.  I do not have the right clothes along for this weather!  I went to school this morning in sandals, a long dress, a sweater, and my only sweatshirt.  I got in the taxi, and as we pass by all the other school children I see sweaters, fleeces, hats, gloves, shoes, sweatpants, and ear muffs.  I was a little jealous.  But it won’t last long, and tomorrow it will probably be back to the 90’s again.  Weather doesn’t change in seasons nearly as much as it does back home, but the day to day changes are drastic enough to make up for that.  Many of you have asked about the weather, so I guess that may help you picture what it is like here.  But overall, we are approaching summer and it is getting very hot.  When there is no breeze, the sun just bakes on you and feels so warm.  It’s hot, yes, and sometimes hard to bear (especially with 35 kids in a small classroom) but it’s a very dry heat, so it is completely different than back home.  In the shade with a breeze, you can be very comfortable no matter what the temperature.  It also hasn’t rained here since January, so it is very brown and dusty everywhere.

Well, I’m currently sitting a cement storage room on a very old computer typing this.  A really old paint can is half open so I may be high by the end, it smells terribly.  But the school day is now over.  Last week, I would have to rush out the door literally faster than my students to catch the taxi.  But now I arranged to stay until 4pm on Mondays through Thursdays to force myself to get some planning done.  I can get work done where I’m staying, but this way I can focus better and not feel guilty for being anti-social. 

As far as school goes, that is the main reason I am here.  I put much of my time and effort into planning and teaching.  I am trying so hard to begin to plan like I am required to for student teaching, but man is it difficult when resources are lacking!  I guess it will just make me a stronger person in the long run, right?  But every day I try and set a small goal.  My cooperating teacher and I get along great in the sense that she sees me as a blessing and treats me like a daughter, but that is making the teaching aspect a little difficult.  I have been trying to get the guts and professionalism to approach her more directly and lay out some of the expectations that I have for my time here.  Slowly, we are making little strides, but the language difficulty and cultural differences make for some interesting interactions. 

I was able to introduce some spelling words to my students today, talk about some phonics, teach them some sign language and Spanish, and help them with multiples of three.  Each day, my brain keeps trying to assess where they are currently at in their learning so I can come back the next day with a good lesson and convince my teacher to let me take over.  The grade 1 students are still in our classroom too, so its very crowded.  Oh I could go on and on and explain so many things, but it’s really not that important.  There are just many, many hurdles to jump over to get to the point I am hoping to get to.  I’m trying to stay motivated and inspired.  Each day is filled with more ups and downs than I have ever experienced, so I’m really realizing I can do nothing but lean on God.  That’s kind of a scary idea, but also the most comforting thing ever as well.

A few more random things that have happened since I last posted are as follows:

-I am arranged to be married.  Apparently I responded to someone calling me Mrs. Something (a long venda name I don’t know) and everyone died of laughter.  The man is a teacher here at the school, it’s been quite hilarious, but also a little weird, haha!

- I saw a pig the other day that looked like a dog.  It was hairy and its ears stuck straight up and it was colored just like a dog.  Crazy.

- The taxi was late yesterday to take us to school, so my teacher passed by and stopped to pick me up.  I got in the car and Chris Tomlin “Let it rain” was playing in the background of some man speaking Venda.  Oh was it nice to hear!  And I realized let it rain means so much more here, in so many different contexts.

- In morning assembly, students who have been caught speaking Venda while at school are punished by having to come to the front and debate/give a speech based on a topic of the principals choice (he tells them the day before).  They used to have to do chores to make up for it, but people enjoyed that so they didn’t care.  So sure enough, Monday morning, up come 8 students, all who have to give a 1 minute speech for and against speaking English at school.  Most students did not do well, so they will go again on Friday.  But one girl against English said that forcing students to speak English strips them of their cultural heritage.  English should be finished and sent back to America, Canada, and Great Britain where it belongs.  And everyone burst into cheers and laughter.  And there I stand.  Laughing, feeling so funny with all the students staring at me.  It was quite hilarious.  Of all the topics the principal could have picked, did he really have to pick that one???

- In case you were worried, my foot’s pricker wounds have healed J.

- I had a student tell me she didn’t like Americans because they are Muslim killers.  Stereotypes are everywhere.  This opened up an interesting discussion.

-We eat cereal with warm milk here.  Dad, you wouldn’t survive J.

Alright, that is all for now.  Thanks again for reading, I love hearing from you!