What It's All About!

It is truly hard to believe that this time next week, I will be standing once again on American soil. Three weeks have passed in the rainbow nation of South Africa but it feels as though we just arrived. Am I ready to leave? There is no true answer to that lingering question but I have some idea. I am ready to go home; to see my family, to spend time with my friends, and to begin course work at Mizzou once again. Yet, I still have this feeling deep inside that I want to continue my adventure here in South Africa. By all means, we have not seen South Africa. We have traveled all over the country seeing all the beautiful, breath-taking landscapes; yet, we have not seen South Africa. We have journeyed to the farthest tip of the African continent; yet, we have not seen South Africa. We have ventured through the warm, sunny fields of Kruger National Park; yet, we have not seen South Africa. We have not seen the South Africa behind all of its glory. As a group of students from the United States, we have had the distinct pleasure of being treated to the highest quality of South Africa. We reside in a stunning apartment complex within walking distance of We have been through the townships, we have seen the poverty but we haven’t lived it. We haven’t lived what nearly 75% of South Africa’s population lives. In my opinion, that’s the real South Africa; a country hidden by the glory of tourism and vacation destinations. More importantly, I haven’t seen the South Africa that my students see every day.

School concludes promptly at 14:30 (7:30 a.m. CST) every day. As the students prepare to leave for the school premises, they have to walk in groups back to their homes in some of the most difficult living situations one could imagine. The students must walk in groups simply because they need strength in numbers. It is normal for students to hear gun shots as they return home from school or be approached by gang members living within their community. When they walk together, they don’t have the fear of being prey to an unwanted predator! When they finally arrive home, the majority of them are greeted by 10+ family members living in a home that could comfortably sustain four people. Many are given bad news when they arrive home. Their parents have disappeared; in jail or even worse, dead. A friend has become pregnant because she fell victim to rape. A family member has died because of an overdose of drugs and other paraphernalia. This is the South Africa my students see every day. Thus, I have so much sympathy for my students and have grown utterly close to each and every single one of them.

I returned to Montevideo Primary today after a long weekend of winery tours and fun-loving evenings with my fellow companions. We arrived slightly late today after a mishap with our transportation. It was too late for me to interrupt my seventh grade class so I joined Grade R (Kindergarten). As I walked in with my fellow companion, Teacher Cathey as the learners call her, all eyes were on me again. They were playing the hokey-pokey, a fun ice breaker that they start each day off with. It was so entertaining to watch them play and sing to the lyrics. The majority of them did not know their right from their left but they got the main point of it. After that, the students were asked to use recycled bottle caps to learn how to count to six. The teacher explained to them to take away certain amounts and add others. Overall, they were trying to learn the general concepts of addition and subtraction but they weren’t really aware of it. This visual representation of addition and subtraction with the use of recycled bottle caps is an intriguing teaching method that I may use in my own classroom in the near future. After this group activity, the teacher made use of her two new teaching assistants and let the class participate in an art project involving candles and wax. Of course, they put me on the front lines of this project. It was quite difficult to control small groups of Grade R learners with hot candles and dripping wax but I made it through with no casualties. The students really enjoyed the project as well as my company!

After the project, first interval arrived and I returned to my normal schedule with Grade 7. I spent the rest of the day with 7B and they were exceptionally excited to see me! I was not able to do much, however, except observe the classes so nothing exciting happened from that point onward. Thus, the day went by really slow. School got done 30 minutes early, though, so I returned to the apartment and enjoyed a well-deserved nap!

Day 25 in Cape Town, South Africa has finally concluded. With that being said, there is only six days remaining until I return to the United States. It is so hard to believe that the time is nearly here but I am so fortunate for the time that I have had! I have crossed so much off my bucket list and I have achieved my ultimate dream. I wonder what is in store for me next!