Week 5 Update

In some ways, I'm comfortable here. I've gotten into somewhat of a routine (which is something I'm always searching for) and the culture shock has slowed a bit. But in a lot of ways, I'm still overwhelmed at the end of each day. Overwhelmed by everything I've witnessed and felt: heartache for the children who have seen abuse, sorrow for the brokenness of this community, joy when I hear my host mother's laugh, and gratitude for being blessed with this experience.

What we've done:

• Survived grade 2. Kaitlyn and I had our last day with the second graders on Friday, because that was their final day of term 2. As I reflect on last week, I think about how hard it is to be a teacher here. There is so much expected of these teachers when this school is so short on resources. I have gained so much respect for these teachers after last week and am incredibly grateful for the experience to be put in their position for just a few days. But as I reflect on last week, I also think about how imperfect I was. Even though the learners improved with listening while we were there, there were so many times that I didn't love them well; so many moments when I didn't praise them for the things they were actually doing right. Yet, when interval time came (what is known as recess in the States), they would run up to me and smother me with hugs before going out to play. As I stood there with so many arms wrapped around my waist, I was dumbfounded. How could they still want to hug me even though I had just forgotten to compliment them for the good things they had done? I felt so undeserving of their love and affection. As I look back now though, I am reminded of how similar that is to my relationship with Christ. How many times a day do I forget to praise Him for the good things He has done for me? To praise Him for the incredible things He's blessed me with? A lot. Yet He still loves me. He still wraps His arms around me and His grace covers all of my imperfections. I feel so undeserving of His love, yet here I sit drowning in it. My heart swells with gratitude.
• Spent the weekend resting. Two things that South Africans are very good at: resting and enjoying life. Our host family takes every Sunday to rest...both physically and in the Lord. They see the value of being at 100% when the work week starts on Monday. Also, our host parents have told us time and time again, "You MUST enjoy yourself while you're here." At first, I thought it was just something that they said, but since meeting others in the community I've learned that it is a cultural thing. They are so good at enjoying life here. So, we've been trying to practice that. On Friday night, we went over to another host home and celebrated Sydney's 19th birthday (one of my team members). On Saturday, we began our day attending a march against drug and violence around the community with our host dad. Then, in the afternoon Kaitlynn and I took a run to the beach with the Indian Ocean that is about 15 minutes away. We sat up on a boulder as we watched the waves break just before they reached up. It was pretty incredible. Then, on Saturday night we fixed our host family an "American" meal. Since they have a lot of food that we have in the States (hamburgers, pizza, pasta, etc...) we fixed them tacos, guacamole dip, and ice cream sandwiches for dessert...all things they had never had before. On Sunday, we had a wonderful worship service in the morning, lunch with our K-State advisor who was visiting with her South African native husband, and then spent the rest of the day walking along the Atlantic Ocean coastline in Fish Hoek. At night, Chantel took us to watch the sunset overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, then drove us through the mountains, and 15 minutes later we watched the full moon rise over the lights of Simonstown, as well as the Atlantic Ocean. It was incredible...I've never seen anything like it. Even though I still struggle with really resting, I think this weekend definitely helped me grow some in this area!
• Helped with tutoring. We have continued to help with tutoring at the local library on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. This week we were challenged with getting learners to attend even though they don't have school. So, our team has been creating worksheets for the children to work on during the hour that they are there. Even when school is in session, most of the children don't come with any books or worksheets to work on. During those times, we simply have to make up math problems for them to work on, hoping that what we're giving them is at their level and what they are learning in school. But over the course of the past week we've been able to create multiple sheets of various areas of math for the learners. It's also been difficult because even though we can have four fourth graders at tutoring, they may all be at different levels...some who still struggle with basic addition and others who are starting on long division. The prepared sheets have helped tutoring run more effectively and efficiently this week.
• Helped with Holiday Camp. For the next three weeks, five of our team members (including me) will be helping with the Holiday Camp for the children in the community. This is the three week break the students (or "learners" as they call them) have from school before their next term starts. The camp is from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Monday-Thursday. Our team has been paired up with the South African youth (the same youth that we had Youth Night with a couple Fridays ago) to lead the different age groups at the camp. I'm working with one of the South African youth to lead the group of about 15 11- and 12-year-olds. It's been challenging at times since most of them have Afrikans as their first language, but it's also been cool to see how a language and cultural barrier doesn't keep us from sharing joy and building relationships.
• Watched "Invictus". Every Tuesday night we have our weekly sessions with Chantel. She is more than the director of the organization we're working with to us...she has been a mentor, a cultural guide, and friend during our time here. We meet every week to share how our service sites are going and do some personal development with Chantel. This week though, she wanted us to watch "Invictus". This is a movie based on the true story of when the South African rugby team won the World Cup the year after Nelson Mandela became president. The movie shows how a sport brought a broken and divided nation together. It was really neat to watch after all that we've learned about apartheid since being here. Also, it was interesting to see with all of the health issues Nelson Mandela is facing right now. Sidenote: Even though we are in South Africa, we are hearing multiple different reports on his current condition (and ones that he's already passed away). We don't really watch the news and I've barely seen any newspapers in the community, so you all probably know more than I do about what's going on. But we DO know that President Obama is in the country and he will be visiting Masiphumalele (which we toured one of our first days here) on Sunday. He will be visiting the center where two of my team members work, and they said that the secret service have been there all week preparing for President Obama's arrival.

What I've learned:

• How resilient South African children are. Most of the children at the holiday camp have either been abused or have seen abuse, yet you would never guess it by looking at them. They have more joy and hope than I've ever seen. If they get knocked down during a game of musical chairs, they get back up and keep running. No complaints. No tears. They just keep running. I feel like that is a common theme for all people here. Even in the face of hardships and obstacles, they keep going. It's inspiring to see their will power and work ethic.
• How my love for Him stems out of His love for me. Last week I talked about how I'm learning how to serve out of an overflow of my love for Him. But after more reading and reflection, I discovered that I have been missing a big part of the whole picture: I wouldn't be able to love Him if He did not love me first. God is love (1John 4:16). Therefore, without God, I wouldn't be able to love Him. So, really, service to others is an overflow of the love that He has bestowed upon me.

 Teacher Kaitlyn and I with our energetic and adorable second graders on the last day of school for Term 2.

 And of course we had to do a silly picture...

 On Friday afternoon we made monster cookies with a few kids who were hanging around out host mom's Creche. Ashley, Ryan, and Erwin loved helping stir and enjoyed eating the cookie dough even more!

 This was Saturday morning when we participated in the march against drugs and violence with our host dad. We marched around the community and then ended in the community center where we watched a presentation from community leaders about stopping drugs and violence in Oceanview.

 I captured this photo when Kaitlyn and I were walking back from the market on Saturday morning to grab some bananas. I love the trees here...they are all so beautiful! The buildings in the background are called "flats", which are basically apartments. They are usually where the more impoverished members of the community live.

 Torie, one of our host sisters, with the dinner Kaitlyn and I made on Saturday night. She was a great help! And note to my mother (who doesn't think I can cook): My host mom said our meal was "perfect". : )

 Kaitlyn took her job of making the ice cream sandwiches very seriously.

 Beautiful Sunday afternoon walking along the coastline at Fish Hoek bay.

 Chantel, Kaitlyn B., Stephanie, Sydney, and me all hung out in Fish Hoek while the other four girls went to Simonstown on Sunday afternoon.

 The sunset over the Atlantic Ocean.

 And then 15 minutes later we saw this: the full moon come up over Simonstown. Simply incredible.

 Yesterday it was rainy and sunny all day, so we got to see lots of rainbows. This full one came out as Kaitlynn and I were walking home from tutoring yesterday. My host home is in the foreground.

Today at Holiday Camp our team led a worship time with the kids. Since it was such a beautiful day, we decided to do it outside! We taught them a few new worship songs and they showed us the ones they love as well! We have been asked on the other days to help with team building activities, as well as plan crafts for each day. It has been a good challenge for us to find entertaining and beneficial activities without using a lot of resources. Yesterday we made paper lanterns with five glue sticks for 70 kids. It was a bit chaotic at times, but it worked!

Week 4 Update

It's hard to believe that we are almost halfway done with our stay here. These past four weeks have been filled with lots of learning: the culture, the country, the language, and the people. Additionally, we've been struck with all finding "our place" at the site we've been matched with. Many of our team members have had little direction with where and how to serve at their site. Through this, we've all been learning that serving is so much more than a task. It's a moment by moment commitment to serve what's in front of you well...letting your desire to serve come from an overflow of our love for Him.

What we've done this week:

• Visited Cape Town: We had Monday off this week because it was a national holiday (more on that in a bit), so we took the long weekend and stayed in a hostel in Cape Town. On Saturday, we climbed Table Mountain, which is one of the seven wonders of nature. I love climbing the mountains in Colorado, but this experience might top it. Then, on Sunday, we visited the botanical gardens in Kirstenbosch. Even though many things weren't in bloom because it's their winter, it was still incredibly beautiful. Finally, on Monday, we visited Robben Island, which is where Nelson Mandela was in prison for 26 years. It was quite an eerie experience to see the place where he endured hardships and abuse for so many years.
• Participated in Cultural Day: Last Friday Chantel invited us to a Cultural Day with some youth from another townships. Townships are the areas where the blacks and coloured were relocated to during the apartheid era. Chantel, the founder and director of Volunteer Mzansi, does a lot of personal and professional development training for the youth in the area. This program she helps with is called "Fit for Work. Fit for Life." It is a seven week course that prepares these 18-24 year-olds for going onto higher education or the workforce. On Friday we met about 12 of the 17 "youth" that are in the program. We gave a short presentation on the American culture and even performed the Wabash Cannonball and the K-State fight song for them. Then, they gave us a presentation on their culture. We heard about the Cape Town coloured culture, the Republic of Congo culture, and the Kosho (pronounced Ko-sha) culture. We also learned some traditional cultural dances and we ended up teaching them The Wobble. Classy, I know. 
• Spent time with our host family: I don't know that I've ever fully explained the host family I'm staying with. So, here it goes... I'm staying with the Marshal family. My host dad is an ordained pastor, but he works for the city doing landscape work during the week. On Sundays he runs a church out of their garage. My host mom runs a creche (pronounced "cresh"), which is like a preschool, from her home. We have six host siblings, three of which still live at home. We have two host sisters who are in grade 11 and one host sister who is grade 6. One of our host sisters who is in grade 11 is not biological to the family. She is a family friend of the Marshals and her family lives in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, which is known as a very impoverished part of the country. She chose to come live with the Marshals a few years ago and they have adopted her as one of her own! Even though those are the only ones living in the house, it seems there are always family members coming in and out of the home. Family is very important to the coloured culture, so the door is always open here! Earlier this week our host sisters taught us the South African version of dominoes and Kaitlyn and I taught them how to play UNO. It made for a fun time and lots of laughs!
• Taught Grade 2: So, Kaitlyn and I thought we were done with grade 2 after last week...but it turned out that we weren't. The teacher that we subbed for last week is retiring and she left mid-morning on Tuesday to visit her daughter and new grandson. They didn't have anyone lined up to cover the class for the rest of the week, so they just handed the 36 eight-year-olds over to us. The first week we were at Marine, the students were taking exams. These past two weeks the teachers have been working on marking (or grading as we would call it) all of the exams, but the students aren't allowed to leave until all of the marking is completed. So for the past two weeks the students have just been sitting in their classrooms working on whatever they want, because the teachers are too busy marking to teach or make lesson plans. It was very frustrating for me to see all of this wasted learning time, so I was very excited and thankful to have this experience to actually teach the students and put to use the knowledge I gained from my education courses this past semester. Kaitlyn and I have spent parts of our evenings making lesson plans, which has proved to be harder than I thought. Since we weren't given any direction when we were handed the class, we weren't sure what the students knew and were learning in class. After asking some of the students and digging around through the teachers' books and resources, we had somewhat of a foundation. So, the past few days we've been teaching them new spelling words and working a lot on reading since the literacy rate is so low in this community. While the past few days have been a struggle, it's been also a joy to see the small steps of progress they've been making along the way.

What I've been learning:

• God wants us to serve out of an overflow of our love for Him. The two times we've been in Cape Town our group has been approached by A LOT of beggars. While it probably has something to do with the fact that we are eight, white females wearing bright rain jackets, it's still been quite a culture shock. It's not that I've never seen people who are homeless or hungry, but just not to this degree. I see people in Kansas City, Kansas holding up signs asking for money on the street corner all the time. But the people in Cape Town actually come up to us, sometimes walk beside us for a while down the street, and literally beg us for money. It's been a heart battle for all of us on the team. By giving them money, are we simply feeding an addiction? Or are we really helping them out? While we are not the ultimate judge of that, it's still a struggle. Many times someone on the team will give the coins they have in their wallet or the leftover food they have from the restaurant. After bringing this struggle to Chantel, she spoke with us about the fact that we should not give out of guilt. We worked hard for the money we have and it's okay that we don't always give. We should give when we truly, genuinely feel that is what we should do. At our Bible study last night we discussed 2Corinthians 8:1-15, which talks about how the people of Macedonia gave generously, even in the midst of a trial...but that their giving came out of an overflow of their love for the Lord. Yes, the Bible tells me that I should give to the poor and the needy. But the Bible also tells me that God loves a cheerful giver, someone who gives generously because they love Him...not because they feel it is their duty. This week I'm excited to seek Him more and wait for Him to reveal how I can give to others out of my love for Him. I would appreciate any prayers in this area!
• How the people in Ocean View discipline. While I was in the grade 6 and grade 7 classroom the past couple of weeks, I got a pretty good glimpse at how the teachers are Marine discipline their students: yelling. They are always yelling at them to sit down, be quiet, and to stop hitting each other. Words of affirmation aren't really a thing here, so the students never hear what they are doing right. This form of discipline results in a lack of classroom management and chaos amongst the students the majority of the time. We were faced with this hurdle when walking into the grade 2 classroom again on Tuesday morning. The students have never been taught how to listen when a teacher is talking, how to raise their hand quietly, how to sit in their chair properly, and how to follow directions from a teacher. They've only been taught to respond to yelling...and they don't even really respond to that. Kaitlyn and I had to go hard on them the first couple of days and it was a battle of maintaining consistency in order for them to learn how to behave: "Where should you be sitting if you have a question for us?" "I need eyes up here and voices off. I'll wait until every student is following this instruction." "Hitting each other is not okay. We use our hands for helping, not hurting." These things are okay at home, so they become okay at school. It's been exhausting, but incredible to see the progress they made in just three days. They are bright, energetic, and fully capable young beings...so it was really exciting today when they got quiet and gave us their eye contact the FIRST time we asked for it.
• About the youth in South Africa: South Africa celebrated "Youth Day" on Sunday and they didn't have school on Monday because of the national holiday. This holiday was formed after the apartheid era ended to celebrate the freedom that the children now get to experience in the country. It was fitting that we got to spend the day with the South African youth on Friday, because we got to speak with them what it is like to be a youth in the country and the social issues they are faced with on a daily basis. Much of what they talked about to us was the corrupt government, teenage pregnancy, and obtaining jobs. One of the things I was struck by most is how the teenagers here don't work, because of two reasons: their aren't enough openings and they don't have experience. Many jobs won't hire people without experience...but if they can never get hired, then how can they ever have experience? The youth that Kaitlyn and I specifically talked with said the biggest factor in being successful in the country is their parents. If youth have parents who care and inspire them to do more with their life, then they will go to college and get a job. But if the parents don't care, then often times the youth will end up getting into drugs and living on the street. The youth really are the future of the country, and their are tons of adults who are trying to help these teenagers get on the right track here!

At the start of our three hour hike up Table Mountain.

This is part way up our hike. Toward the home stretch, we hiked through the valley of two mountains. There were beautiful flowers, greenery, and waterfalls to look at as we hiked.

I've seen some pretty incredible views at the tops of mountains, but never seen mountains AND the ocean at the same time at the top. It was a pretty incredible site!

Reppin' K-State Proud at the top!

This was looking out over the Atlantic Ocean. The sky and ocean met until it just became a blur of white.

Spreading some Wildcat pride over Cape Town!

The top of the mountain is HUGE, so you can walk around the entirety of it. One side is mountains and the Atlantic and the other side is overlooking Cape Town.

This is at the botanical gardens on Sunday, which is kind of at the base of Table Mountain. Beautiful day for a walk through the gardens!

We purchased an inexpensive picnic from a restaurant at the gardens and enjoyed lunch outside on the grass.

This picture reminds me of Kansas wheat...hoping you all are getting rain!

Ran into a geology professor from KU in Cape Town this past weekend. Go 'Cats!

This is Nelson Mandela's cell. Robben Island is truly amazing...the man who gave us a tour is an ex-prisoner of the political prison. Many of the workers at the museum are either ex-prisoners or ex-wardens. The tour guide made a point to discuss with us the importance of enemies now being able to work together for good.

While the prisoners were residing on the island, they would endured hard, manual labor each day. They worked heavily with limestone, which has a horrible effect on vision. Nelson Mandela actually can't cry anymore because the limestone dried up his tearducts. The prisoners worked with the limestone to create and build all of the roads that run throughout the island.

Along with not listening very well, the students at Marine are known for fighting and hitting A LOT. Hitting is also an acceptable form of discipline for some families, and many of these children have either seen abuse or been abused. Kaitlyn and I wanted to teach them how to use their hands for helping, not for hurting. So, we wrote a little poem and had them trace their hands on the paper along with the poem. Today, they wrote five sentences about how they can use their hands for helping. We don't claim to be poets, but the poem is listed below:

God gave me two hands

for helping, not hurting

I will use them to show love

to every living being

Logan is sweet, but mischievous. Here she is with her sentences and hands.

After the students were done with their hands and sentences, we stapled them together and put them on the bulletin boards around the room. These two sweet girls stayed after school a few minutes to read how their classmates will use their hands for helping, not hurting.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the prayers and words of encouragement these past few weeks. Even though I am thousands of miles away, I feel so loved and supported. Thinking of and praying for all of you!

Week 3 Update

Another incredible week in South Africa, and another week of feeling completely spoiled by this experience.

We are continually being fed and loved well by our hosts family, and learning new things about the culture each day. These past couple of weeks have been such a reminder that even though this is a "service trip", we are here to learn. We must humble ourselves and admit our lack of knowledge and understanding of this culture.

What we've done:

• Helped with Youth Night. There is an organization in Ocean View called "The Safe House", which is for children who have either been abused or seen abuse. Every Friday night the teens get together to hang out and have dinner together. The intention is that if they are spending time there together, then they won't be out in the community creating habits that they shouldn't be. We will be helping out with this Youth Night every other Friday. Last Friday we played a lot of ice breakers with them, and they taught us some of their African get-to-know-you games. It was such a joy to get to know their hearts better, because we get to see some of them at tutoring throughout the week. 
• Visited Cape Town. On Saturday, we traveled as a team to Cape Town where we saw an assortment of things. We first visited the Biscuit Mill, which is basically a huge food and craft fair. They have vendors from every kind of culture that serve probably the most delicious food I've ever had. Then, we went to the aquarium and finished our day walking around by the harbor at the Waterfront.
• Taught at Marine Primary. The grade 6 class I've been helping with is done with exams, yet they still have two more weeks of school. The teacher said she didn't have any lesson plans prepared for this week, so she just let me take over for a couple of days. It was terrifying at first, but such a blessing to gain that kind of experience. Something that I've been so struck by here, is that the students don't believe they have worth or potential. Because of that I had the students write poems about the dreams they have for themselves. The teacher liked them so much she had them write them on poster board and put them up around the classroom. These students want to be doctors, teachers, engineers, fashion designers, and detectives...it was incredible to see them start to take ownership of their dreams!
• Survived Grade 2. This morning there was a Grade 2 teacher who didn't show up to her classroom and then didn't have a substitute for the class, so they asked if Kaitlyn (my roommate) and I would take care of the class for the day. 36 eight-year-olds for five hours? Sure. They were adorable, but crazy. After we were able to create credibility and authority for ourselves in the classroom, it went pretty smoothly. Thankful for the strength and patience God gave us to get through the day!
• Started a Bible study. Our team has started a Bible study on Wednesday nights and it was such a joy to start to grow closer together by growing closer to Him. Check out below to read more about what we studied!
• Played with babies. I love babies...especially chubby ones. Our host mom runs a daycare of 80 children, and there is one room with children who are 12-24 months. They are still there when we come home from school in the afternoon, so Kaitlyn and I have enjoyed just sitting and cuddling with them. So many of them don't get the love and attention they need at home, so they are more than willing to cradle in our arms for an hour. 

What I'm learning:

• As a child of God, I don't get to choose when I serve. He has called me to serve and love what's in front of me well....ALL THE TIME. I think much of my focus coming into the summer was on serving at the school and thinking about how I can help bring about growth for this community. Although I've thoroughly enjoyed spending the last couple of weeks learning and observing, it's also been frustrating not knowing where I can use what I've been given to help others. In other words, I was so fixated on the task that I've been given that I was missing the moments God was giving me to serve others. Then, last night at Bible study we read and discussed Matthew 25:14-30 (the parable of the bags of gold). I was convicted about how even though I am weak, broken, and powerless, He believes I am worthy enough to give gifts, talents, and blessings to. I was trying to be so territorial about where I gave of my talents, because I wanted to think intentionally about where it would yield the greatest product. But the truth is, that's pride. And these are His talents and gifts. And my job is purely to utilize those to serve and love who is in front of me well. I don't get to choose when I serve or where the fruit is produced. I am simply the seed planter. It is His job to create the harvest. He showed me this today when I woke up thinking that I was going to work with Grade 6 again today, help them hang there poems around the classroom and teach them more about America. That is where I intended to use my talents that He's given me, but then He put 36 second graders in front of me and called me to serve them well. Even though I don't want to teach elementary school for the rest of my life, that is where He wanted me to use the gifts He's given me today.
• I get my easy life back in a little over five weeks. It's been easy for me to be in this place and desire the easy way of life..."I want to take a shower instead of a bath," "I want my towel to actually dry before I take my next bath two days later," "I want to eat more than a sandwich and a piece of fruit for lunch." It's easy to complain, and then think that in a little over five weeks I will get all of that back. I can take a warm shower and have my towel dry because there is a heater in my house. I can eat when and what I want to because I've been blessed with a pantry full of food at home. But these people don't. There life is always hard, and most likely has always been that way. It's challenged me to reflect on where I find my comfort and what I actually value. Even though life here is more difficult for them, these people considered themselves so blessed. They might not be rich materially, but they have are overflowing in joy, in spirit, and in love for their Lord.
• The perception South African students have of Americans. So many of the students enjoy asking me if I know celebrities like Eminem and Shakira. It's hard for them to understand the concept of "states" and how I live a two-day drive from even being in the same area as those people, let alone running into them on the street. One girl even told me I look like Adele. I don't really understand it, but hey, thanks for the self-esteem boost. I asked one of the teachers about it and she said the students like America and want to go there because the media depicts our country as one of glitz and glamour. She said many of the students don't believe that poverty exists in our country or that we have any "bad things" happen to us. 

We went to a Jazz night in a nearby town last Thursday. Great night of incredibly talented musicians and our American dance moves!

The Old Biscuit Mill that we visited on Saturday morning.

So. Much. Food.

This was when we went to Kalk Bay on Sunday afternoon and evening. The seals come right up to the shoreline, probably because they know they are going to get fed by humans. But it was still really cool to see them so close up!

Teacher Kaitlyn reading to the group of second graders this morning.

This was a vendor serving Tawain food. It made me think of my friend, Leah, who is in Tawain serving at an orphanage for three months. She is such incredible woman of God and it's been great to see how He is using her over there. Check out her blog here: http://lkscan.blogspot.tw/

Great afternoon at the Aquarium! We saw sharks, HUGE lobsters, and plenty of jellyfish. 

Down at the harbor on Sunday evening. We enjoyed dinner at a great Cuban restaurant right on the shore of the Indian Ocean.

Rainbows are very common here. It was drizzling on and off all day Saturday, but it would rain for a few minutes and then a rainbow would come out. It repeated like this all morning.

Thank you so much for all of your continued prayers and encouragement! Even though I am thousands of miles away, I feel so loved by all of you.

Week 2 Update!

What we've done:

• Practiced the Sabbath. Everyone here loves Sundays because they go to church, have a big lunch together as a family, and then spend the rest of the day gaining physical rest and resting in the Word as well. It was so nice to spend the day as God intended it (praising Him, in fellowship with others, etc...), but it was strange (and out of my comfort zone) because in America we are always used to keeping ourselves busy with something.
• Started volunteering at Marine Primary School. This week and next week is when the students are taking their exams before holiday break. So, on Monday I was in a Grade 6 classroom and I've been in a Grade 7 classroom the rest of the week. I've been doing a lot of grading exams and recording grades into the gradebook. It's been eye-opening to see how these students are scoring on their exams and how large of a gap truly exists here. I'm still comprehending what I've witnessed this week at the school, but my emotions have ranged from sadness to frustration. My heart breaks for these students who grow up believing that they don't have the potential to succeed; that it's their fault that they are not comprehending the curriculum. Then I become frustrated with the teachers who haven't been trained how to teach effectively, the school system that has created goals for the next 12 years but has no plan of action of how to accomplish this vision, and the wealthy who are failing to give to those in need. There are so many reasons why the education system is broken, and it's overwhelming thinking about where to start to help.
• Helped with tutoring. We'll be helping with two different tutoring programs while we are here. One is Monday-Wednesday at the local library. This one is run by the community and is for any primary or secondary students who need help with their school work. I've been working with a Grade 11 female student the past few days on physics and trigonometry. Not exactly my forte, but we've had fun struggling and finding success through it together. The other tutoring session is just on Tuesdays and is a program that Chantel started for the primary students in the community to help them with their reading skills. Math and literacy scores are extremely low here. On Tuesday I helped a Grade 6 female student study for her math exam the next day. All she had was a journal, no book or study guide...so I wrote down some practice problems hoping that they covered what would be on the exam. She said they were helping, but my heart hurt as she didn't know how to do long division and large multiplication problems.
• Had our first team session. Every Tuesday night, we meet as a team at Chantel's house to discuss how our projects are going and
• Drank A LOT of coffee. Since it is winter here, they like their warm drinks. The coffee here though is really sweet because they add a lot of sugar and milk. So, I usually don't drink coffee back in the states...but, hey, when in South Africa...
• Tonight we are going to a jazz night in a nearby town. Supposedly jazz is a big thing here, so it should be fun!

What I'm learning:

• When you don't understand what someone says (which happens a lot to me), you say "excuse me" or "pardon" instead of "what?" like we do in America. If you say "what?" it is considered rude in this culture. I've found it's a hard habit to break.
• Nutella and pretzels (shout out to my roommate Kaitlyn) brings temporary comfort, but God is the source of ALL comfort (2Corinthians 1:3-7).
• How to cross the street safely. Since they drive on the opposite side of the road, I'm struggling to remember the correct way to look before I cross the street. There have been some close calls (but don't worry mother...I'm fine).
• I thought Manhattanites were the friendliest people around, but the people of Ocean View might give them a run for their money.
• Everything that is familiar has been taken away from me. This has been convicting about where I find comfort and challenged me to lean completely on God for what I need (comfort, compassion, love, sunshine, etc...)
• The people of Ocean View have worked so hard for what they have. It is a pleasure to them to be able to invite people into their home and be able to feed them. It's exciting to them that they have enough to share with others.
• I've lost my jump roping skills that I had during my childhood. Even though the grade 7 girls giggled while watching me get tied up in the rope repeatedly during interval (their form of recess), I'm thankful they were so patient with me and willing to let me join them.

The traditional first day of school picture! My roommate, Kaitlyn, has been working in a grade R (like kindergarten) classroom this week. She'll move to grade 1 next week.

On Monday afternoon Chantel took us on a drive to the other beach near Ocean View. This one is where the Indian Ocean is. It was a raining day as you can see, but it was a beautiful beach with plenty of mountains in the distance.

After we stopped at the beach, Chantel drove us up through the mountains a bit and we stopped to take this picture of the rainbow that had come out after the storm had passed. Every time I see a rainbow, I am reminded of the fact that God will never forsake us. He is faithful (Genesis 9:8-17)!

Yesterday, Kaitlyn and I took a walk around Ocean View after we were done at the schools (they only go to school from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.). The sun finally came out yesterday after a week of pretty much constant rain, so we decided to take advantage of it. It was interesting to see more of the community and made us thankful for the host home we have.

This is the front of  Marine Primary. There are two more buildings behind the front one and two other ones over to the right. I'll try to get a better picture next week, but I forgot to as I was leaving today.

This picture is for my cousin, Jen, who is graduating from high school today in Mankato, Minnesota. You can't tell, but I'm wearing the Mankato East High School shirt that your brother gave me. Missing you all and wishing so much that I could be there with the family to celebrate! Congratulations and play a game of Molly for me! : )

Rich With Love.

My heart is so rich with love, joy, and life. The guilt sets in at the end of each day. I feel so undeserving of these experiences, but am yet so grateful to all of the family, friends, professors, neighbors, and mentors who enabled me to go on this adventure. Thank you for believing that I was worth taking the time and money to invest in.

The last three days have been a whirlwind. Chantel, the founder and director of Volunteer Mzansi (http://www.volunteermzansiafrika.com/), has led us on an orientation of Ocean View (where we're staying with our host families) and the surrounding areas. For this post, I'm just going to give a quick overview of what we've done and what I've learned so far. Once I am able to process everything further, I'll be able to give more insight on what I'm actually witnessing on a daily basis. At the bottom I've posted some pictures from our adventures! Also, sorry for any spelling mistakes. I'm doing this pretty quickly at an internet cafe in Fish Hoek.

What we've done:

·         Traveled to Cape Town by train on Thursday to gain a better understanding of South Africa's history. We visited three museums: Cape of Good Hope, The Slavery Museum, and The District Six Museum. At these places we learned about how the Dutch colonized this country, then brought slaves by boat from East Africa, and then how the apartheid era began with the white minority rule of the black majority.

·         Visited the Atlantic Ocean in Fish Hoek (a nearby town to Ocean View) and saw dolphins swimming out about a mile from shore. Chantel said that we were pretty lucky to have that happen!

·         Ate an authentic South Africa meal at Chantel friend's house, Bernie. We had a dish similar to lasanga, salad, potatoes, broccoli and cheese, and pudding with sponge cake for dessert. We also heard Bernie's story of how she came to where she is today and the prevalence of abusive husbands in Ocean View.

·         Visited the township of Maziphumalele (Ma-zee-pu-ma-lay-lay). The people of this community were displaced from their original homes during the apartheid era and moved to this impoverished area. I have never seen poverty to this degree and am still struggling to put into words what I saw.

·         Lunch at Chantel's house and our first session together as a team. We wrote down personal expectations for ourselves and made a sad, but energetic attempt at singing "The Man in the Mirror" accapella as a team. Don't worry...we have it on video.

·         Figured out how to learn the taxi system here. Note to self: never ride in the front seat if you don't know how to make change in rands...because the other passengers will hand you their money and expect you to give the correct amount of change.

·         Visited the volunteer sites where we will be serving. I’ll be starting as a teacher’s assistant in a sixth and seventh grade classroom at Marine Primary School on Monday.

·         Went to the mall in Sun Valley. Suprisingly, it was extremely modernized and I felt like I could have been back at Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, KS.

·         Attended a fundraising dinner at my host family's home. My host mother (Auntie Alice) runs a daycare out of her home of 80 children. Yes, 80 children. We wake up to their wonderful little voices every morning. I don't think Kaitlyn and I will ever need to set an alarm again. Anyway, Auntie is trying to raise money to finish putting plaster on the brick walls, putting tiles on the floor, and replacing the tin roof of the daycare. Once she does, she can obtain government funding to provide better supplies and resources for the teachers and children.

·         Taken a bath for the first time since second grade. Because of the water shortage here, most households have bathtubs instead of showers.

·         Visited the South-Western most point of the continent of Africa. This is also where the Atlantic and Indian Ocean meet. Additionally, we got to see the penguins on the beach. See below for pictures!

What I've learned:

·         Never pet the dogs here. Dogs are the cheapest form of a security system here, so they are pretty feisty. There are also plenty of pit bulls that freely roam the streets in Ocean View.

·         Always assume that the forecast is predicting rain. You'll be right 99% of the time.

·         These people don't need us. They can certainly utilize us, but we're not needed. These communities are full of strength, hope, and resilience. They have faith that can move mountains.

·         What a 'need' really is. We've seen people living in shacks, and we immediately think they need money, a car, a better house. How are they surviving? But they are. What they really need is sex education, a home for abused women, etc... There are people dying every week from HIV and Aids.

This is the place where Nelson Mandela gave his first speech to the people of South Africa after he was released from prison.

Cape of Good Hope. This is the fort that the British built when they invaded the area of Cape Town.

This is The District Six Museum. District Six is an area where Afrikan and colored people were forced from during the apartheid area. White people moved there, but people are now allowed to reclaim the land their families once owned.

This famous bakery has its own television show in South Africa. Some famous visitors have been Oprah and the Obamas. I split a piece of chocolate cake with two of my teammates. The chocolate here isn't as sweet, which was a nice suprise.

Jumping for joy during our first trip to the Atlantic Ocean - off the shore of Fish Hoek.

Great quote by Mandela on the side of the library in the township of Mazipumalele.

A typical row of houses in the township of Mazipumalele.

All clothes are line dried here...which proves difficult with all the rain the get during the winter.

This is the view from where we hiked to see the place where the Atlantic and Indian Ocean meet. Like most pictures from this trip, this does not due the view justice.

 EMAW.

This one's for my Grammie. I thought, "She would think these are so beautiful!" So here you go! : )

What up, Indian Ocean?!

At the South-Western most point of the continent of Africa. Also, I didn't wet my pants. I promise. It has been raining all day today.

Penguins! This one's for my sister. I'm sorry I couldn't actually take one. I tried my best.

Sending my love back to you all! : )