A Full Friday

I am sorry that is has been so long since my last post! Technology is not my friend sometimes and last time I tried to post the whole thing was deleted! However, that is okay I will not let it overcome me!

So much has happened since my last post and time is flying by here in P.E.! I continue to learn and grow every day! I want to start by talking about last Friday. It was the last day of exams for the learners and quite a crazy day for us as well. Our normal routine of going to school was very different, but replaced with awesome opportunities. We began with a visit to the Department of Education. This was a wonderful experience where we had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Ntsiko, who is the district director of education, about the educational instruction taking place in Port Elizabeth, what the department’s role is in education, what we have seen at Emafini, and much more.

Once we left there we went to another school called Sunridge Primary School. This was a very different school from the school that we have spent many hours here in South Africa. This school had over 900 learners enrolled. The tuition monthly for students to attend Sunridge was 750R which is about $100 a month. It was very hard and difficult to see all of the resources that this school had. It was probably nicer than some of the schools in the U.S. They had two computer labs, a huge auditorium, and their classes had about 20 students in each one.  A flood of emotions washed over each person in our group as we toured this school and thought about all the students that we have come to love at Emafini, who would be ecstatic to see a school like this and use the resources that are provided in this facility.  

After this visit I returned to room 34 full of bright smiling grade 3 learners. We stayed there briefly until it was time to move on to the next thing on our agenda for the day. We were off to visit some of the “homes” where our students lived in the township. We visited two different homes. As we began our journey down the dirt road where there were many bumps and pot holes, I do not think that could ever prepare my heart for what we would see in this place. I am just at a loss for words as to how to begin to describe these visits. I am going to post a few pictures from these homes.



Class Photo!



Beautiful People!



We also went to the Red Location Museum. This is a museum deticated the apartheid in South Africa! I really enjoyed learning more about the history of South Africa. The museum was a place of knowledge and reflection on the history that has taken place.

After a few minutes of rest and a little time to process the events of the day we were off to Mr. January’s (the principal of Emafini) for dinner with him and all of the teachers. They came to pick us up from the Bed and Breakfast! We were so excited and had no idea what to expect from the night. Little did we know that we were in for an evening filled with food, music, dancing, and a lot of laughter. Here in South Africa people love to sing and dance. When we arrived they already had music playing. They had snacks for us to munch on while we waited for dinner. For dinner they had beans, potato salad, salad, and meat. The teachers entertained us with all of their wonderful dancing and we entertained them by trying to dance! Although we were in a small room with a lot of people these wonderful people still found a way to dance! It was so much fun! It was heartwarming how welcomed we were in this foreign country. These people shared their culture, food, and homes with us! I was so thankful for this night and it is a memory that I will never be able to forget about when I think about this beautiful country and the beautiful people here.

The Girls at Mr. January's! I love them!

Emily and I with Mrs. Vava our teacher!