Founders Day, teaching, and baboons (OH MY!)

Friday, January 25-Sunday, January 27

Everything has been going well. Friday was my first day teaching my Grade 8’s class. It was actually a lot of fun. I really enjoy teaching at my school because so many of the girls really do want to learn and want to have fun while learning. Katie H., you would be proud of me because the classroom that I am in for my Grade 8’s has a SMARTboard. The girls were so intrigued by the board and were telling me things like “Ms. Daughters, did you know that if you pick up the red pen with your left hand, you can use your right hand to write on the board?!” I did already know that, but I did it in front of them and all I heard out of their mouths were “WOWWWWW! That is soooo cool!” So nonetheless, it made my first teaching experience at Rustenburg a successful one. Good thing my first experience with it was in your classroom, Katie! I felt really confident with it and it was awesome! First lesson down… mark it as a success.

Friday was shortened because there was a ceremony titled “Founders Day.” It’s a day to mark the school’s birthday and it’s a ceremony they just started not too long ago. They invite the “old girls” (alumni) back for the celebration. The girls at the school sing all sorts of songs: The Lord’s Prayer, South Africa’s anthem, the school’s song, etc. I love when the girls sing The Lord’s Prayer. It really brings a sense a peace into the school. I actually got some video footage of the songs being sung so hopefully I can post those soon on my picture site. Then, Friday night was our staff braai which was also nice. I brought Terrez with me so he could see my school and meet some of the people I spend everyday with. Quite interesting. They were serving lamb, pig, and pig skin from the grill. It actually was really good. I tried the pig skin and it was pretty crunchy. Hmm. Overall, the day really made me think about how much I enjoy spending my student teaching practicum at Rustenburg. The staff is so friendly and everyone is making sure I’m okay with finding my way around town, the school, etc. I know I have two months left, but it’s going to be really hard to say goodbye. L

As a way to get to know my students, I created a “Fact Sheet about YOU” asking various questions such as if they have nicknames, what are their interests, what are they looking forward to most during the school year, favorite subject, etc. I also gave them an opportunity on the sheet to ask me any questions they had about me. I gave the sheet to my form class and to my Grade 8 (A3) class. Some of the girls were asking me what I was interested in, where in America I was from, how I’m doing in South Africa, why I chose to become a teacher, and if I’m enjoying my time at Rustenburg and SA. They were very sweet … I wanted to make sure I replied back to them so I spent most of my weekend writing on individual note cards to each girl in my form class. It’s an opportunity for me to get to know my students and for them to see my interests and to learn more about me.

On Sunday we woke up early and left the house around 9 AM to head to Cape Point. Cape Point is a site of interest because it’s the point where you look down to your right and you see the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean is on your left. It’s really neat. Too bad it was cloudy though L We’re going to go back on a clearer day. So… Cape Point has baboons and by baboons I mean like, crazy food-grabbing baboons. We actually saw some on our way up to Cape Point (you’ll see what I mean in my pictures when I post them). So there were signs all over Cape Point that said be cautious of the baboons because they are after food. Something along those lines. Anyway, we decided to get out of the car and to sit for a little while to eat some lunch. Wendy made the comment that as soon as we sit down, the baboons will probably come out. I suppose I really didn’t believe them when they said that the baboons come out for food. I guess it’s because I hadn’t really seen a baboon up close. Well… she was right. As soon as we sat down, out came running two baboons who were being chased by a man with a stick. One of the baboons stopped and looked at my food and I seriously sat there in disbelief. I’m thinking, uhhhh… what am I going to do if this baboon comes after me? Run?!?!! I jumped up pretty quickly and luckily they have these guys that run around chasing these baboons to stay away from people. What a job. Thankfully that man came running or else it would have been me against the baboon for my lunch. Yikes. I probably would have just chucked my lunch at it. Oh, and baboons bark. HA! I’ve never seen anything like that in my entire life until today. Quite an experience. I will try to post my pictures very soon. I know you want to see my baboon friends.

I apologize it takes me a while to respond to questions. But, I definitely wanted to take the time to do so. The main beverage here is wine. There are wine vineyards all around Cape Town so wine is pretty popular. They do have Coca-Cola and the best, Fanta soda (orange, grape, etc). There are also a lot of fruit drinks: pear juice, grape juice, apple juice, etc. The school I am at does have school sports teams. During the summer (right now), they have water polo, cricket, swimming, touch rugby, tennis, and also running club. They also have netball (equivalent is basketball I believe), but it’s offered in a different season (I think winter?). The school I am in is a racially integrated school. There are many different religions represented throughout the school which is why during Assembly they cannot emphasize a particular god. They still sing songs about God, but they cannot force one’s beliefs. As for fast food restaurants, they made it here! They do have a McDonalds and KFC. Those are the only two American fast food restaurants that I’ve seen. I should try both and see the differences. I can tell you that the ketchup here is actually tomato sauce. It tastes more like tomatoes. I actually like it more than home J

By the way, Kyle, I think of you every time I see a KFC. Yep… believe it or not, KFC made it to South Africa. Don’t worry, I took pictures for you. Oh, and I took two pictures for you. Just in case you were wondering my latitude and longitude J I’ll post them soon!

I miss all of you! I seem to really think and miss home a lot when I get really tired. I’m not sure why that is, but I just realized today that I only have two months left. That might seem like a long amount of time, but I can tell you the time is flying by.

And last, but not least… I am giving serious thought to running the “Two Oceans Half Marathon” here in Cape Town. They have an Ultra Marathon (56 km = 34.8 miles) and a Half (21 km = 13.1 miles). There are some stipulations such as being able to finish the half in 3 hours. Talk about an incentive to run faster, eh? I am really considering it because having a medal from SA would fit nicely with my other half marathon medals. The date of the race is March 22. So that gives me less than 2 months to prepare. Oh, and this is also an opportunity for you to come to Cape Town to cheer me on. I'm serious. Who's in?! What do you think I should do?

Love Always!