Feb. 11th to Feb. 22nd

Tuesday Feb. 22nd 2011

Today was good! It was hard to wake up... I have to go to bed earlier tonight. I’m STILL tired from the weekend I think. But today at school we had sport practice again because this Thursday is the competition, so we’re “training” for that. But after sport we just worked on some worksheets and I walked around and helped the kids. Its really hard to tell if the kids really need help sometimes or if they just want my attention. But it’s really neat to help the kids, it’s just hard when you have 43 kids who all need your help...who do I help first?! Haha but yeah, it was tiring. After school we went to Naudia’s house to wait to be picked up, we were there for like 3 hours so we watched 17 again and a little bit of Toothfairy and a little bit of life as we know it... I fell asleep... Then when we got picked up we stopped and got dinner to bring home, it was a huge sandwich they call a Gatsby. It was really good. And then I got started on typing all this up! So you get to read it now! :) haha hope you enjoyed it! Comment on it or facebook me if you have any questions :) love you!!!

Monday Feb. 21st 2011

Today was a really really good day! I am still super tired from the weekend but today at school went by really fast because I was keeping busy the whole time. This morning was sport practice so that took up most of the morning. When we got back from doing that I was able to take some kids out individually and test them on their reading. One kid I told to start reading the given paragraph and he looked at the paper and started telling me this story about soccer and how his mom took him to the store... Yeah he couldn’t read so he made up his own story!
After school we got home and I started right away at writhing in my journal and writing about every day this last week since I’ve been such a slacker! And then tomorrow I can type up everything I write so you can read it now! Haha sorry it’s been so long since I’ve updated you all! :)

Sunday Feb. 20th 2011

Well the lessons in church were really really good. It was kind of hard to stay awake a couple of times but for the most part it wasn’t bad! After church I got dropped at my old host families house because Jamie and I wanted to say a proper goodbye since we left so quickly when we moved. When I got there they had already started eating so I just joined them and then we sat and talked for a bit while we waited for Jamie to get there. When she got there she ate her plate that they saved for her and then Morgan and Celeste told us we were leaving! So we ended up saying goodbye again quickly and we were off! They took us to a local market next to the beach and it was really great! Everything was so much cheaper than the other markets I have been to because it wasn’t a touristy market. So I was able to buy some bracelets and what not. Also, I was just walking through the market and I fell in love with these amazing Ostrich eggs that were carved with different things. I really really wanted one that had an elephant on it, it was so so beautiful! I asked how much and he said R200 but I literally only had R150 on me!!! And I was lucky I had that because there was a dress there too that I was thinking of buying but I was smart and I decided to walk around more before I bought it. Anyway, he wasn’t going to give it to me so I was really sad that I didn’t have the money, so I started to walk away and he said in a not very happy tone “pick one” so I said REALLY?! And he gave it to me for R150! I was so so happy!!! I also tried their toffee apples. They were really good! They don’t have carmel apples here but it’s the same thing but doesn’t have carmel on it. After the market we met up with Siv and Ilaria because they were also at the market but came with their friend Mike. We all went out to this gross restaurant by Kalk Bay, it was such a weird restaurant. And the food wasn’t anything amazing. So that was a bummer. But then we came home and I uploaded the new pictures for the day and then I went to bed!

Saturday Feb. 19th 2011

Today was such a long day!!!!
I woke up at 5:30 this morning and left to go hiking with friends I have met at church. They picked me up at 5:45 and I found out we were going to hike up Elephant’s Eye Mountain. There were 5 of us that ended up going and it was really great. The mountain is beautiful, there was a lot of greenery and at the bottom there were baboons!!!! It was so so neat to see them! There were more at the bottom when we came back down the mountain so I quickly snapped some photos as I walked by them. Juan told me not to stop for too long or they would come up to me and steal my stuff... So I tried to keep walking. But it was one of those ahhh haaa moments when I was like “holy crap, I’m in South Africa...” so neat! When we got the top (the “elephant’s eye”), we went into the cave and it was covered in greenery, we sat and ate a mango and some sweets and then we headed back down the mountain. It was such a good hike.
When I got home everyone was waiting for me so we could leave and go to a food market called the old biscuit mill. Colleen told me to go ahead and shower, which was so nice! Haha but then we left and I was on this happy high because I had had such a great morning already. It was awesome. The Old Biscuit Mill was awesome. The food was incredible! Yummmm. Then we walked around for a bit and then all the girls went to the mall to get some lingerie for a bachelorette party that we went to next. We spent most the day at the party and then we went to the bride to be’s house and we danced in the living room and socialized a bit. Then we came home and got all ready to go to a club! So we got ready and even did some more dancing in our own living room and then we left for the club where we danced some more. Colleen ended up taking me home early because I literally could have fallen asleep standing up I was so tired. So I ended up going to bed around 2:00 in the morning. So I had a 22 hour long day... Eh! But it was really a lot of fun :)

Friday Feb. 18th 2011

Jamie and I taught grade one today... We were her teacher’s substitutes. I’ve decided that one of my biggest pet peeves is when you look at someone and you are talking to them but they just look straight back at you and don’t say anything... Grrr... So I feel awful but I reverted to just helping who needed help and let Jamie run the class which was good because she did way better than I would have done. Afterschool we came home and then when colleen came home I rode with them to drop Jamie off in cape town for the weekend. Traffic was absolutely insane because this weekend there is a U2 concert at the stadium. Driving back I was able to talk with colleen about all the things I’ve noticed/learned since coming here. And just some other random stuff. It was nice. She is wonderful. When we got home we all just kind of did our own thing and Neil started to braai (bbq) cape town’s most popular fish “snook”. I was a little hesitant to eat it because there are so many bones and I have never really liked fish. But I ate it and it was good! I’m glad I landed a family that knows how to cook such wonderful food. After eating we stayed sitting around the table and just talked and talked until 10:30 or 11 when I found out that tomorrow I am going to be picked up at 5:30am...

Thursday Feb. 17th 2011

So today... To be honest... I procrastinated writing today and it caught up to me and I really can’t remember what happened today. But I’m sure it was a good day! Probably didn’t do anything too exciting since I didn’t remember haha but I do know that the evening was relaxing and dinner was great as usual. :)

Wednesday Feb. 16th 2011

Today was a full regular school day. It was really good! But the kids had a bad day today. They were all talking a lot and Mrs Randhir was getting pretty upset with them. The last 20 minutes of class she had them all sit on the mat and practice being quiet. They were actually able to do it! Today Mrs. Randhir was telling me during the break that she is really having a hard time. She’s supposed to be a high school teacher but is teaching grade 2. She’s really wondering if she is in the right place. And I guess before I came she had been asking to have someone in the class to help her but they hadn’t done anything because it wasn’t in the budget. She is the only adult in the classroom and is in charge of 43 7-8 year olds! She said that I was sent by and angel or something because I came just in time to give here some relief before she broke down. So hopefully I can help her lots. She was talking about how grateful she is that I was here and said it is a blessing for her. I’m glad I’m here too.
After we got home Ilaria and siv started making dinner and I talked wit Colleen about the different things that other volunteers have done when they came here. I feel so selfish when I look at all the money people spend when they come here just to help people. They did fundraisers and stuff before they left to come here and got tons of money so that’s how they funded it but I wish I could say that I did a whole bunch of fundraising before I came... But I didn’t even think to raise money to buy supplies and such... How silly of me. Maybe I can go home and raise money and then come back! :) haha
Dinner was great! It was a cheesy pasta, a salad and bread. Yum. And then they made their special muffins and put some strawberries in them and made them all beautiful and such.

Tuesday Feb 15th 2011

Today was kind of draining because it was so hot. But the morning was dedicated to sports. The school is split up into 4 “houses” basically teams with a mix of all ages in it and each age group will compete with each other. The house I was with went to the park to practice. I basically just watched them practice. It’s basically track practice. They do racing and relays and such. It’s really intimidating for me to be around the 7th graders though because they are older and just kind of look at me like “ who are you and wyhy do you think you can tell me what to do?” so that is kind of hard but I think they’ll get used to me and that should make it easier. I just need to stop being intimidated haha. After we got back from the park we had to try and settle everyone down which was hard in and of itself... But then we had a fire drill! Oh my goodness. So that didn’t help.
After getting back from the project I got on an exercise bike that’s in the garage and that felt good haha. Don’t wnt to get fat while I’m here! That’s for sure. After showering we jumped in the car and Ilaria wanted to practice driving stick on the opposite side of the car and the opposite side of the road! Haha so she drove us to Colleen’s cousin’s house and we stayed there and talked for a bit. But then we came back home and ate some fish and chips that Neil made. He’s such a good chef! :) I’ve never liked fish and I took seconds on this. :) but then we all just sat around the table and talked a bunch! It was fun! And then it was time for bed! It went by so fast!

Monday Feb 14th 2011

This morning we woke up bright and early at 6:30am and left around 7:10 for the project. The school we are at is an actual school! It feels so nice! Haha. But there are around 300+ students and only 7 teachers. One class for 1st grade, one class for 2nd grade etc. All the way through 7th grade. Then there is a principle and his secretary. I am helping in grade two in Mrs. Randhir’s (Randy) class and Jamie is in Grade one. I’m really excited about the next 4 weeks! Life is so good right now!
Since it is valentine’s day today the shool had a fun day and everyone was dressed in red and white and in the morning I did “maths”, abc’s, and read a book to the children and then we had a break and then went to the school’s Valentines program/assembly. Jamie, me and Mrs. Randhir were the judges for the re. And Miss valentine pageant! It was so so cute! They did three rounds... A casual, swimsuit, and formal walk. And then the judges picked their favorites. One of the queens that we chose cried so hard when she realized she had won! It was by chance too! We only picked her because she was our favorite in the walks! It just so happened that she was one that needed it the most. She was so shocked! I’m so glad that we chose her!
Another thing that is neat is that this morning a man accross the street from the shool saw the kids playing soccer with a water bottle so he came over and donated a socerball! It was o so sweet to see! :)
When we were done we came home and got ont th internet for a bit and then we sat down for a super delicious pasta dish. We me tthe other volunteers! Siv. From Norway and Ilaria from Switzerland. They seem really great. They brought home their friend Adam and he hung out with us tonight. Everyone just sat arought and talked and smoked hooka. It was just a good night. :)

Sunday Feb. 13th 2011

The big move!!!
I went to church as usual and it was really great, as usual. After church I got dropped off and then ate with Franklyn and then I had nothing really to do so I packed all my things and then had like 3 hours to kill so I took a nap and layed on my bed... Anyway... Skipping ahead!
Jamie was gone this weekend so she was on her way home while I was relaxing... She didn’t end up getting to the house until after our transport was already at the house! She literally packed in ten minutes, we said goodbye and jumped in the car. She didn’t even get to say goodbye to Franklyn and things just ended really quickly so we said we would be back to say a proper goodbye.
When we got to the new house my first thoughts were good! Haha the house is so cute and it’s yellow and happy :) we called Colleen our host mom and she came out to greet us! She is so stinkin cute! I can tell I am going to love it here already! It’s amazing! After getting our bags and bringing them inside she gave us a tour! The house is beautiful! It is decorated really modern like and it is just so comfortable and clean! Oh my goodness... I’m in heaven. I’m really really glad we were placed here. We are really lucky. There are two other volunteers that live here, they aren’t here yet because they are out for the weekend, so we will meet them tomorrow.
My first dinner here was steak, potato salad and an amazing salad with cucumber, pickles, cheese blocks etc. So that might just give you an idea about what a good place this is! Jamie and I were completely in shock. It was amazing. My host dad Is Neil and I guess he loves to cook and is really really good at it! He kind of looks like and reminds me of Gerard Butler. They have a 17 year old son named Matthew and he’s in his last year of high school. Oh and they have wireless internet here! Amazing. Oh and we kicked Matthew out of his room! We felt bad and said we were sorry but he said it was okay because he is used to it. Haha. Guess this happens a lot. Jamie and I are in his room and share a double bed. We’re tight ;) haha. I’m in heaven.

Saturday Feb. 12th 2011

Today was a pretty good day. No big complaints, I didn’t have the project today again so I was able to sleep in and lounge around a bit. After a while I got ready and took the train to Cape Town. Once I got there I walked to the waterfront and went to the Two Oceans Aquarium. It was really amazing. I enjoyed taking my time and looking at all the details and what not. But I do wish I had someone there to appreciate it with me. After a while of being there they announced that they were having a diver feed the big fish and sharks so I went and watched that. It was really sort of mystical actually. I just sunk into my “zone” and kind of meditated and watched these amazing creatures. My favorite were the jelly fish. They are so so amazing. And I got to see the bottom of a sea turtle. It was swimming above me and I only saw it for a second but it was so so cool. I love turtles. Oh and I got to pet a star fish. Pretty neat.
Then I went and walked the mall and got a local subway sandwich. Then I took a minibus taxi to the station because I was pretty tired, so I headed back to Tokai. I’m moving tomorrow! So crazy! Should be fun.

Friday Feb 11th 2011

This evening was wonderful! This morning I had no place to be be so I just slept in and then eventually took a shower and got ready for the day. SASTS called this morning and said that they found a placement for us!!! Ahhh!!! So exciting! We’re moving to Wynberg Sunday night to a new host family and starting anew project on Monday! It all happend way way fast! But I’m excited for the new project! It’s called Ottery Road Methodist primary school. And there are over 300 students and only 9 staff!!! I don’t know how that actually works but I guess I’ll see! I’m way excited to meet the new family and get to know new things.

After relaxing this morning I went and got on the internet for a bit and found out more about Croc cage diving!!! I’m totally going to do it before I leave! Then after lounging around the house for a while I went to the Blue Route mall down the street and I walked around for a while and eventually got some toiletries. After the mall I came home and ate dinner then I was picked up by jean and I went tot institute. It was about Joseph smith History and the Apostasy/restoration. Really great lesson. After institute Juan dropped off our friend Zingy, then him and I went to McDonalds! Haha and we got a mcflurry. The Mcdonalds here is better than the ones at home. I thought that was kind of interesting. It was delicious. Then Juan took me for a drive and showed me the city from a hill while we were driving, so I got to see all the lights and everything. It was amazing. And then he took me to Kalk Bay. It’s a fisherman’s bay basically, there is no beach but every morning around 11-12 all the fisherman come in and lay their fish out on these cement slabs and sell their fresh fish! So when we got there it definitely smelt like fish. But we went out on the dock and watched people fish and we talked about South Africa while we ate our ice cream. It was awesome! I got to watch the water splash up against the rocks... It was really cool.