I haven't posted a blog in several weeks only because I, seriously, haven't experienced much to blog about. The school year, for the children, has officially ended in my village. This means more downtime during my days; time to spend with my family, myself, or other PC friends.
There are a number of difficult parts to "PC Life", but one of the most difficult is dealing with friends deciding to go home to America. Our group is slowly getting smaller and smaller, and I was personally effected this past week because a very close friend of mine decided to go home. It was actually bitter sweet. Bitter because I'm loosing someone I've built a bond with and, more than likely, won't see for another two years. But sweet because she is very happy with her decision AND she gave me ALOT of good stuff that she couldn't take home with her. Examples: Microwave Oven!, plastic shelves, canned food, school supplies, DVDs, exstension cords, lifetime supply of baby wipes!, and other things.
The microwave oven is going to completely revolutionize dinner time for me! To be able to bake ANYTHING and EVERYTHING is so exciting for me right now that I'm having a difficult time deciding what to bake first! It also helps that she loved mac n' cheese as much as me, and supplied me w/ enough to feed an army (well....maybe me for a few weeks).
This was the first Thanksgiving in all my twenty-six years that didn't involve turkey, stuffing, ham, candy yams, mashed potatoes, etc. I was, however, able to spend the holiday with other Americans, which is always nice. And for that....I am very thankful.
till next time...
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Rain Rain Go Away
Before I came to South Africa, I did a variety of research on the country. The one thing I was most curious about was what the Rainy Season would look like. Would it be non-stop rain? Torrential rain showers? Wickedly scary thunderstorms? Days and days of continuous light drizzle?...
Well over the past few weeks I’ve begun to understanding what “Rainy Season” means? It is non-stop rain, torrential showers, hella-scary thunderstorms, and days and days of on-again-off-again drizzling. All is fine and dandy, but let’s add to the equation my stylish and trendy tin roof. It accentuates the sound of ANYTHING. It’s like a natural sound system. Thunderstorms in “the condo” sound like tornados back in North Carolina. There have been times when I thought the roof was going to fly off the house, like in some type of Wizard of Oz scenario. Rain on the tin roof (that sounds like the name of some Broadway play) has kept me awake many nights. However the roof is ridiculously sturdy, BUT more importantly (and to my shear joy and happiness), it doesn’t leak!!!
While visiting one of my friend’s village, I survived a near drowning experience. Well...not exactly...I was sleeping on her couch during a CRAZY thunderstorm and rain leaked through the roof onto my face. I thought (for about 5 seconds) that my friends were playing a trick on me by throwing water on my face as I slept. It scared THE MESS out of me, and for the rest of the night I kept thinking I was getting sprinkled with water. Just another situation where my mind was playing tricks on me.
With all the rain lately, I’ve been introduced to some new South African wild life, specifically mosquitoes and wasp-like bugs called “dinhlaw”. I don’t see the mosquitoes but I do see their trade mark signs all over my arms. Yep…mosquito bites…oh joy! Thanks goodness for Malaria medication. The dinhlaw are harmless insects. As a matter of fact, humans cause more harm to them than they do to us. That’s because they are a tasty post-rain treat. People eat them raw, or cook them in a frying pan with water and salt. When I travel abroad, my motto is “try anything once”. The dinhlaw are actually pretty tasty, but its difficult to get over the “I’m chewing a bug” gag-reflex. I ate a handful, just enough for my family to be proud.
My two primary schools began their “end-of-year testing” this past week. I have to be honest, I was really surprised because the last day of school is December 5th. I was (well...I still am) confused as to why they are testing so early. The children go to school, like any other regular day, and spent most of the day playing outside and socializing. They take tests for each subject throughout the day. This will be the schedule from now until December.
It frees up my daily schedule because the teachers are no longer teaching the kids. I’m currently trying to find small things to take up my time at each of my schools, but I prefer to be in the classrooms. However, I’m not interested in staring at children take tests for the next three weeks.
I’m sure I’ll find things to occupy my time, like staring at the mountains after a rain storm. They are so clear and green, it's gorgeous!...
Well over the past few weeks I’ve begun to understanding what “Rainy Season” means? It is non-stop rain, torrential showers, hella-scary thunderstorms, and days and days of on-again-off-again drizzling. All is fine and dandy, but let’s add to the equation my stylish and trendy tin roof. It accentuates the sound of ANYTHING. It’s like a natural sound system. Thunderstorms in “the condo” sound like tornados back in North Carolina. There have been times when I thought the roof was going to fly off the house, like in some type of Wizard of Oz scenario. Rain on the tin roof (that sounds like the name of some Broadway play) has kept me awake many nights. However the roof is ridiculously sturdy, BUT more importantly (and to my shear joy and happiness), it doesn’t leak!!!
While visiting one of my friend’s village, I survived a near drowning experience. Well...not exactly...I was sleeping on her couch during a CRAZY thunderstorm and rain leaked through the roof onto my face. I thought (for about 5 seconds) that my friends were playing a trick on me by throwing water on my face as I slept. It scared THE MESS out of me, and for the rest of the night I kept thinking I was getting sprinkled with water. Just another situation where my mind was playing tricks on me.
With all the rain lately, I’ve been introduced to some new South African wild life, specifically mosquitoes and wasp-like bugs called “dinhlaw”. I don’t see the mosquitoes but I do see their trade mark signs all over my arms. Yep…mosquito bites…oh joy! Thanks goodness for Malaria medication. The dinhlaw are harmless insects. As a matter of fact, humans cause more harm to them than they do to us. That’s because they are a tasty post-rain treat. People eat them raw, or cook them in a frying pan with water and salt. When I travel abroad, my motto is “try anything once”. The dinhlaw are actually pretty tasty, but its difficult to get over the “I’m chewing a bug” gag-reflex. I ate a handful, just enough for my family to be proud.
My two primary schools began their “end-of-year testing” this past week. I have to be honest, I was really surprised because the last day of school is December 5th. I was (well...I still am) confused as to why they are testing so early. The children go to school, like any other regular day, and spent most of the day playing outside and socializing. They take tests for each subject throughout the day. This will be the schedule from now until December.
It frees up my daily schedule because the teachers are no longer teaching the kids. I’m currently trying to find small things to take up my time at each of my schools, but I prefer to be in the classrooms. However, I’m not interested in staring at children take tests for the next three weeks.
I’m sure I’ll find things to occupy my time, like staring at the mountains after a rain storm. They are so clear and green, it's gorgeous!...
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Pride and Joy!!!
Wednesday, November 5th around 4am was the date and time that I learned Barack Obama would be America's next president, and first Black American president. The emotions that flowed through me are indescribable. Actually, I know I don't even need to try to explain them, b/c those of you reading my blog probably felt the exact array of feelings.
I am not what people would call "a cryer". But all that went out of the window early Wednesday morning when me and my friends (other PCVs) realized we'll be serving as Peace Corps Volunteers under President Barack Obama come next year. At the same time, I was crying tears of pride and joy. I'd never felt so proud before to be a Black American. I thought about the YEARS and YEARS of struggle that Blacks have gone through in America (and are still in many ways still going through). I thought of Martin Luther King Jr, W.E.B. DuBois, Fredrick Douglass, Malcolm X, Angela Davis, Huey Newton, Fred Hampton, Assata Shakur, Stokley Carmichael, my paternal grandparents, and my mother and my father. I thought of all the Black Americans who fought(and lost their lives) for The Struggle. The ideology and principal behind equality. It existed in law, but not in practice. The idea of a Black president was usually the punchline of a joke. Now its my reality. Our nation's reality. It's the proof that our country is moving in the direction of equality...and that, to me, is such a beautiful thing :)
President Obama may step foot in the White House next year and not change anything. It's possible (doubtful...but possible). But the fact that he worked his way into the soul's of millions of Americans to become president of the United States of America is worthy of adoration, respect, and now a place in the history books. I can't believe this day has come, and I've never felt so proud to be an American. I feel I can say that, because for all 26 of my years...I've never felt this type of emotional pride for my country. What a great feeling!
At the same time, I'm so proud to be a North Carolinian. All the voter registration drives, speeches, canvassing, phone calls (and begging) FINALLY paid off. Obama did the unthinkable...he turned North Carolina blue. Of course NC had to be one of the last few states to get there votes in. (Side Note: I'm actually not even sure its been announced the he won the state). I continuously checked up on the status of NC, only to receive the EXACT same outcome: "to close to call right now".
The whole world is watching America right now. Throughout the election coverage, I thought how fun it would be to be in my home state celebrating w/ everyone else. But then I thought about how amazing its been seeing the different reactions to Obama's election here in South Africa, by both blacks AND whites. As I bought a cup of coffee this morning, a white South African woman (I'm not sure if she was Afrikaans or English b/c I have a difficult time hearing the difference between the accents) walked up to me and my friend smiling. She actually walked up on us so fast that we thought we were getting in trouble for something. Strangers....well, let me be more specific..... white strangers don't EVER approach me here, so it caught me off guard. Anyway she noticed my NC for Obama t-shirt (I wore it three days straight) and wanted to congratulate us, and let us know that Obama has inspired her and the whole world and she can only imagine the emotions we're feeling. It was great! Just like that, Obama was the bridge between two strangers of completely different cultures/ethnicity/nationality/languages. It's an amazing thing.
On the taxi ride back to my village, a young Black male was reading a newspaper w/ the First Family on front and a few passengers started talking about Obama. He became the center of conversation for complete strangers crammed in a taxi heading into the rural depths of South Africa. How trippy is that?!?!
I look forward to watching this man evolve into an awe-inspiring leader of the United States of America.
till next time....
I am not what people would call "a cryer". But all that went out of the window early Wednesday morning when me and my friends (other PCVs) realized we'll be serving as Peace Corps Volunteers under President Barack Obama come next year. At the same time, I was crying tears of pride and joy. I'd never felt so proud before to be a Black American. I thought about the YEARS and YEARS of struggle that Blacks have gone through in America (and are still in many ways still going through). I thought of Martin Luther King Jr, W.E.B. DuBois, Fredrick Douglass, Malcolm X, Angela Davis, Huey Newton, Fred Hampton, Assata Shakur, Stokley Carmichael, my paternal grandparents, and my mother and my father. I thought of all the Black Americans who fought(and lost their lives) for The Struggle. The ideology and principal behind equality. It existed in law, but not in practice. The idea of a Black president was usually the punchline of a joke. Now its my reality. Our nation's reality. It's the proof that our country is moving in the direction of equality...and that, to me, is such a beautiful thing :)
President Obama may step foot in the White House next year and not change anything. It's possible (doubtful...but possible). But the fact that he worked his way into the soul's of millions of Americans to become president of the United States of America is worthy of adoration, respect, and now a place in the history books. I can't believe this day has come, and I've never felt so proud to be an American. I feel I can say that, because for all 26 of my years...I've never felt this type of emotional pride for my country. What a great feeling!
At the same time, I'm so proud to be a North Carolinian. All the voter registration drives, speeches, canvassing, phone calls (and begging) FINALLY paid off. Obama did the unthinkable...he turned North Carolina blue. Of course NC had to be one of the last few states to get there votes in. (Side Note: I'm actually not even sure its been announced the he won the state). I continuously checked up on the status of NC, only to receive the EXACT same outcome: "to close to call right now".
The whole world is watching America right now. Throughout the election coverage, I thought how fun it would be to be in my home state celebrating w/ everyone else. But then I thought about how amazing its been seeing the different reactions to Obama's election here in South Africa, by both blacks AND whites. As I bought a cup of coffee this morning, a white South African woman (I'm not sure if she was Afrikaans or English b/c I have a difficult time hearing the difference between the accents) walked up to me and my friend smiling. She actually walked up on us so fast that we thought we were getting in trouble for something. Strangers....well, let me be more specific..... white strangers don't EVER approach me here, so it caught me off guard. Anyway she noticed my NC for Obama t-shirt (I wore it three days straight) and wanted to congratulate us, and let us know that Obama has inspired her and the whole world and she can only imagine the emotions we're feeling. It was great! Just like that, Obama was the bridge between two strangers of completely different cultures/ethnicity/nationality/languages. It's an amazing thing.
On the taxi ride back to my village, a young Black male was reading a newspaper w/ the First Family on front and a few passengers started talking about Obama. He became the center of conversation for complete strangers crammed in a taxi heading into the rural depths of South Africa. How trippy is that?!?!
I look forward to watching this man evolve into an awe-inspiring leader of the United States of America.
till next time....
Monday, November 3, 2008
History In the Making (I Hope)....
I spent another week teaching one subject to different grades at each of my schools. I'm working my way up through Grade 3 this week, but in all honesty....my heart/mind aren't focuses on the little ones this week. All I can think, dream, talk, and write about is tomorrow. November 4th. Election Day! The moment of truth!
It's hard to believe this day has finally come. Even if you can't stand politics, this election season has been so long that everybody (I think) has been drawn in. Peace Corps has given us permission to take a few days off and spend time with our friends enjoying the election results. I'll be heading to my Provincial capitol tomorrow to watch the results with other PCVs in my area.
The enthusiasm, optimism, pride, and yes....HOPE that Senator Obama brings with him is unexplainable. The man has motivated an entire nation (well...alot of people) to get involved in politics again and actually give a damn about what's going on. His family, for me, is a model of what I hope to accomplish as a young Black American. Michelle Obama is an example of a strong minded, successful, and determined mother/wife/professional. She is today's modern woman with a kick! During this campaign, she has developed into a role model for me and so many other young women, she'd be an amazing First Lady.
My next blog posting will be emotional....let's just hope it's full of happy sentiments and not explicit words that I probably shouldn't write on my blog anyway.
Si se peude.....
It's hard to believe this day has finally come. Even if you can't stand politics, this election season has been so long that everybody (I think) has been drawn in. Peace Corps has given us permission to take a few days off and spend time with our friends enjoying the election results. I'll be heading to my Provincial capitol tomorrow to watch the results with other PCVs in my area.
The enthusiasm, optimism, pride, and yes....HOPE that Senator Obama brings with him is unexplainable. The man has motivated an entire nation (well...alot of people) to get involved in politics again and actually give a damn about what's going on. His family, for me, is a model of what I hope to accomplish as a young Black American. Michelle Obama is an example of a strong minded, successful, and determined mother/wife/professional. She is today's modern woman with a kick! During this campaign, she has developed into a role model for me and so many other young women, she'd be an amazing First Lady.
My next blog posting will be emotional....let's just hope it's full of happy sentiments and not explicit words that I probably shouldn't write on my blog anyway.
Si se peude.....
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Un-eventful Week
This was a pretty uneventful week here in my village. I decided to create a schedule for myself and my principals so that they (well...and myself) have a clear idea of what I plan to do now until the end of the school year (in Dec). I never realize how much of a teacher I’ve become b/c I find myself miserable and unorganized if I don’t have a weekly schedule or at least some set plans for my week. So to fix the problem, I sat down Monday and mapped out a 7 week schedule. I tweaked it from the one PC gave us :)
I decided to begin team-teaching w/ each grade at both of my schools. I’ll spend between 3-4 days with each grade and continue to observe the teachers, but also teach a few lessons w/ each class. One day a week, Wednesdays, I do work in my community which always involves Girls Club in the afternoon. Friday was my first day of teaching a lesson, and it’s really crazy….but I’ve really missed teaching. I didn’t realize how much until I was doing my lesson. With a Grade 1 class at each of my primary schools, I taught a Maths (not a typo….that’s just what “math class” is called here) lesson counting 1-10 (in English). I was curious if the students could count 1-10, write the numbers, but more importantly recognize the numbers, especially out of sequence.
But before I teach a lesson w/ any of the students in both of my schools, I plan to explain where I am from (AGAIN) but with a map this time so I can point, and act out, my exact whereabouts so there is no more, or at least less, confusion about where I come from. The list now includes: Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Jamaica, and Cape Town. The Cape Town guess threw me off too. I sound funny to them when I talk; especially when I speak Sotho. And so they all know I’m not from around here. A lot of people know there is a Black American woman living in the village, but they aren’t exactly sure what to expect when they see me. For starters, most believe only White people live in America. But then they are TOTALLY thrown off when they meet me and see that I’m Black (like them) but sound white. On numerous occasions I’ve heard people say “she speaks Sahowa (English) but looks like us”, and a lot of people call me a “lehowa” (white person).
Anyway, for one class I was alone w/ the kids for the introduction part and it was…..well…..interesting. Grade 1 students are taught in their native tongue, so none of them speak English. So I attempted to teach them about where I’m from by pointing, gesturing, and speaking the little SothoI actually know. It took me a very long time just to get them to answer my question “Where are you from?” with South Africa, instead of saying their village’s name. I forgot how to say “country” in Sotho. Thankfully, after repeating the same question and getting the same answer, one kid blurted out South Africa! Then I said, “And where am I from?”, and that just got a whole bunch of blank stairs….haha. Anyway, the small introduction eventually worked itself out.
I built the Maths lesson around the game B.I.N.G.O., the kids played in groups and then I showed them how to make their own cards, and we played individually w/ the winner of each round getting to come to the front and call out the number. The kids had to recognize the number I called out (in English) and then find it on their card (if it was one of the numbers they wrote on their cards). Things went very well, and I’m grateful for the teachers' help in explaining how the game works. I spent lunch (eating stamp….chunky/creamy/corny-type porridge) talking w/ the teacher about the lesson and other educational issues, like a need for a Remedial Education-type program at the school and dealing w/ disciplinary issues.
It’s pretty cold today, so I’ve spent my day inside which hasn’t been too bad b/c I enjoy the alone time (every once in a while). I’ve also got’n myself in a little predicament. As I mentioned in previous posts, I pay for my internet by the megabyte. My time limit on using all the megabytes is 30 days, and my limit is up on Monday. Well…I’m having a hard time using up all my MBs and I don’t want them to go to waste. Its funny how when you don’t have regular access to internet there are so many things you need to use it for. But now that I have more than enough (and it will go to waste in another day), I can’t think of anything to use it for. I just keep reloading the news websites (haha).
Anyway…..till next time…..
I decided to begin team-teaching w/ each grade at both of my schools. I’ll spend between 3-4 days with each grade and continue to observe the teachers, but also teach a few lessons w/ each class. One day a week, Wednesdays, I do work in my community which always involves Girls Club in the afternoon. Friday was my first day of teaching a lesson, and it’s really crazy….but I’ve really missed teaching. I didn’t realize how much until I was doing my lesson. With a Grade 1 class at each of my primary schools, I taught a Maths (not a typo….that’s just what “math class” is called here) lesson counting 1-10 (in English). I was curious if the students could count 1-10, write the numbers, but more importantly recognize the numbers, especially out of sequence.
But before I teach a lesson w/ any of the students in both of my schools, I plan to explain where I am from (AGAIN) but with a map this time so I can point, and act out, my exact whereabouts so there is no more, or at least less, confusion about where I come from. The list now includes: Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Jamaica, and Cape Town. The Cape Town guess threw me off too. I sound funny to them when I talk; especially when I speak Sotho. And so they all know I’m not from around here. A lot of people know there is a Black American woman living in the village, but they aren’t exactly sure what to expect when they see me. For starters, most believe only White people live in America. But then they are TOTALLY thrown off when they meet me and see that I’m Black (like them) but sound white. On numerous occasions I’ve heard people say “she speaks Sahowa (English) but looks like us”, and a lot of people call me a “lehowa” (white person).
Anyway, for one class I was alone w/ the kids for the introduction part and it was…..well…..interesting. Grade 1 students are taught in their native tongue, so none of them speak English. So I attempted to teach them about where I’m from by pointing, gesturing, and speaking the little SothoI actually know. It took me a very long time just to get them to answer my question “Where are you from?” with South Africa, instead of saying their village’s name. I forgot how to say “country” in Sotho. Thankfully, after repeating the same question and getting the same answer, one kid blurted out South Africa! Then I said, “And where am I from?”, and that just got a whole bunch of blank stairs….haha. Anyway, the small introduction eventually worked itself out.
I built the Maths lesson around the game B.I.N.G.O., the kids played in groups and then I showed them how to make their own cards, and we played individually w/ the winner of each round getting to come to the front and call out the number. The kids had to recognize the number I called out (in English) and then find it on their card (if it was one of the numbers they wrote on their cards). Things went very well, and I’m grateful for the teachers' help in explaining how the game works. I spent lunch (eating stamp….chunky/creamy/corny-type porridge) talking w/ the teacher about the lesson and other educational issues, like a need for a Remedial Education-type program at the school and dealing w/ disciplinary issues.
It’s pretty cold today, so I’ve spent my day inside which hasn’t been too bad b/c I enjoy the alone time (every once in a while). I’ve also got’n myself in a little predicament. As I mentioned in previous posts, I pay for my internet by the megabyte. My time limit on using all the megabytes is 30 days, and my limit is up on Monday. Well…I’m having a hard time using up all my MBs and I don’t want them to go to waste. Its funny how when you don’t have regular access to internet there are so many things you need to use it for. But now that I have more than enough (and it will go to waste in another day), I can’t think of anything to use it for. I just keep reloading the news websites (haha).
Anyway…..till next time…..
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
When I decided to blog my experiences here in South Africa, I contemplated on how negative I would get with my posts. Because we ALL know my Peace Corps service is not simply crazy adventures and wonderful rosy experiences. It involves those two things, as well as, learning to cope with culture norms that I COMPLETELY disagree with, sitting in classrooms and watching educators teach in a manner that goes against everything I’ve been taught and believe in, seeing (first hand) dependency on government institutions and the negative effects of this dependency, hearing racial and sexist comments w/o being able to....well....curse those people out and tell them how I really feel.
I’ve been here for three months and have already experienced things that I never came across in the States. Some of these experiences have been wonderful while others have made me question the natural goodness that I believe all people have somewhere (however deep down) within themselves.
I’ve seen teachers talk on cell phones while their class goes out of control...I’ve broken up 2 boys kicking each other while the same teacher continued to talk on her cell phone...I’ve listened to a teacher explain how stupid and useless a young girl is as the child STOOD there and listened...I’ve watched a teacher sleeping on the floor in the back of the room while class was in session (in his defense…another teacher was teaching the students)...I’ve watched a teacher get angry and yell at Grade 1 students for not being able to do division problems...I’ve seen the same teacher flick, thump, and smack the heads of these learners b/c they were unable to do these division problems (by the way...I don’t know of any 6 year olds who can do double digit division....do you?)....I’ve watched teachers sit in the teacher’s lounge while the students hangout in the classroom doing...NOTHING!
The magnitude of the work ahead dawned on me last week...
I’ve been here for three months and have already experienced things that I never came across in the States. Some of these experiences have been wonderful while others have made me question the natural goodness that I believe all people have somewhere (however deep down) within themselves.
I’ve seen teachers talk on cell phones while their class goes out of control...I’ve broken up 2 boys kicking each other while the same teacher continued to talk on her cell phone...I’ve listened to a teacher explain how stupid and useless a young girl is as the child STOOD there and listened...I’ve watched a teacher sleeping on the floor in the back of the room while class was in session (in his defense…another teacher was teaching the students)...I’ve watched a teacher get angry and yell at Grade 1 students for not being able to do division problems...I’ve seen the same teacher flick, thump, and smack the heads of these learners b/c they were unable to do these division problems (by the way...I don’t know of any 6 year olds who can do double digit division....do you?)....I’ve watched teachers sit in the teacher’s lounge while the students hangout in the classroom doing...NOTHING!
The magnitude of the work ahead dawned on me last week...
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Community Work
Yesterday morning I was awakened at the bright and early time of 6:30am by a local Community Development Worker (CDW) I met a month ago when I first moved to the village. He wanted to know if I would come along with him for the day to do some work with an organization called Disabled People of South Africa (DPSA) in surrounding villages. The CDW is interested in creating a Assisted Living Facility in our ward (my village and 4 other surrounding villages) for people with disabilities.
I spent the day helping register the information of people in a village near mine and getting to know people in DPSA. It was a VERY rewarding experience. The DPSA volunteers were informing the people of their rights as disabled citizens here in South Africa. They wanted the people to know they have the right to equal opportunity, and if they are experiencing discrimination because of their disability, they have legal rights too.
The turnout for the meeting was big and the people were very interested in the help from DPSA. The CDW had gone around in the community (door-to-door) informing people of the meeting, and his grassroots efforts were very effective b/c alot of people attended. The CDW has A LOT of ambitious ideas for how to help disabled people in our community, and I'm looking forward to helping out any way I can.
Sadly, too often people with disabilities are taken advantage of or even abused by their own family members. If an Assisted Living Facility is built in our community, these individuals will have a place to go. Sort of like a refuge where they can be cared for and live peacefully with others. I'm looking forward to see how this all develops. I plan to continue to be involved in the meetings and planning.
I never thought I'd be involved in working with disabled people in my village, but I go and help where I'm needed. I'm very happy for the opportunity!
I've still been observing teachers this week, and today I was back at it again. I wanted to get a chance to watch all the teachers at my two schools teach at least once class, and by tomorrow I'll have accomplished that goal. Starting next week, I plan to begin team teaching with the teachers. I can honestly say that I'm feeling more and more welcomed at both of my schools each day I go! It's a very nice feeling.
I have A LOT of work ahead of me though in regards to helping improve the teaching at my two schools.....A LOT of work indeed.....
Girls Club this afternoon went well. I taught a session (w/ the help of the two other women who run the club) on women's health. I titled it "Keeping Our Bodies Healthy", and we went over four topics. (1) Cleanliness in regards to what types of products women use when menstruating and how they use them. My demonstrations during this part were.....interesting. (2) Breast exams and how women should get into the habit of checking themselves every month. I then explained why and how. (3) Yeast Infections in regards to the symptoms and what to do if experiencing the symptoms. I explained yeast as a type of fungus, like a mushroom, but then I had to go back and explain that mushrooms won't grow on your private area, just ANOTHER TYPE of fungus. And then (4) Safe Sex, dealing w/ what actually is considered safe sex, what's birth control, what types of birth control is there, and how do you get it. Birth control is free here in South Africa, so I'm always encouraging the sexually active young people to take advantage of the free service. I haven't figured out why so many choose not to.
Till next time....
I spent the day helping register the information of people in a village near mine and getting to know people in DPSA. It was a VERY rewarding experience. The DPSA volunteers were informing the people of their rights as disabled citizens here in South Africa. They wanted the people to know they have the right to equal opportunity, and if they are experiencing discrimination because of their disability, they have legal rights too.
The turnout for the meeting was big and the people were very interested in the help from DPSA. The CDW had gone around in the community (door-to-door) informing people of the meeting, and his grassroots efforts were very effective b/c alot of people attended. The CDW has A LOT of ambitious ideas for how to help disabled people in our community, and I'm looking forward to helping out any way I can.
Sadly, too often people with disabilities are taken advantage of or even abused by their own family members. If an Assisted Living Facility is built in our community, these individuals will have a place to go. Sort of like a refuge where they can be cared for and live peacefully with others. I'm looking forward to see how this all develops. I plan to continue to be involved in the meetings and planning.
I never thought I'd be involved in working with disabled people in my village, but I go and help where I'm needed. I'm very happy for the opportunity!
I've still been observing teachers this week, and today I was back at it again. I wanted to get a chance to watch all the teachers at my two schools teach at least once class, and by tomorrow I'll have accomplished that goal. Starting next week, I plan to begin team teaching with the teachers. I can honestly say that I'm feeling more and more welcomed at both of my schools each day I go! It's a very nice feeling.
I have A LOT of work ahead of me though in regards to helping improve the teaching at my two schools.....A LOT of work indeed.....
Girls Club this afternoon went well. I taught a session (w/ the help of the two other women who run the club) on women's health. I titled it "Keeping Our Bodies Healthy", and we went over four topics. (1) Cleanliness in regards to what types of products women use when menstruating and how they use them. My demonstrations during this part were.....interesting. (2) Breast exams and how women should get into the habit of checking themselves every month. I then explained why and how. (3) Yeast Infections in regards to the symptoms and what to do if experiencing the symptoms. I explained yeast as a type of fungus, like a mushroom, but then I had to go back and explain that mushrooms won't grow on your private area, just ANOTHER TYPE of fungus. And then (4) Safe Sex, dealing w/ what actually is considered safe sex, what's birth control, what types of birth control is there, and how do you get it. Birth control is free here in South Africa, so I'm always encouraging the sexually active young people to take advantage of the free service. I haven't figured out why so many choose not to.
Till next time....
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