Port Alfred

---

The first question that all the kids as me is, "is Kentucky where KFC comes from?" So I had to take a picture of one of the KFC's in PE. I haven't eaten there yet, but it's on the agenda.

Dancesport is going really well. I was able to teach 2 new girls the basic steps we learned last week. Of course, the students started asking me a lot of questions after that assuming that I knew everything already and I had to tell them I was learning too. It was still nice to contribute.

This weekend was great! Friday I went out with some friends to Vovo Telo Pizza. It was so yummy! The pizza is cooked in a wood-burning oven and made with locally grown fresh ingredients. I had flourless chocolate cake for dessert. Mmm…I’ll have to go again.

Lesley took me to Port Alfred on Saturday and we spent the whole day there. We stopped on the way to Port Alfred at a neat place for coffee and pie. Not like dessert pie, it was like a small quiche. We had wild game pie. So delicious! I bought a hand made bracelet that is leather and brass and painted like a zebra. I saw the beach and some people surfing. We saw a ton of holiday homes near the water - it was a tour of how rich people live. Then we met up with Nicola’s aunt and her family and saw their amazing house. They were so nice and introduced me to “rusks.” I can’t describe them very well…apparently it’s a South African thing and you they can be made a variety of ways. They are hard and look like dried bread/cake fingers. The ones I had were made with spices, nuts, and raisins. You dip them in hot tea of coffee and enjoy. Man, they’re good…I’ll have to figure out how to make them. We drove passed a game farm and pulled over to take pictures of the 4 zebra that were just hanging out in the front eating grass. I love zebras! It was awesome! I think my zebra bracelet called them. We went to a pineapple farm and had lunch. It was so nice. They had fresh pineapple juice that was the best I’d ever had. Then we toured the big pineapple and were able to climb up the staircases to the top where we could overlook the pineapple farm. That’s what it was called, “The Big Pineapple.” It was pretty cool except that I had the Sponge Bob song in my head for the rest of the day. It was a really nice day!

Sunday Lesley and I started out by having coffee and lemon meringue pie before lunch. Oh yeah, that’s right, before lunch. It was the best way to start the day. Then we braai’d for lunch - loving the South African braai.

Monday at school a lot of the students and about 7 teachers were out for an athletics event. That left the student teachers to babysit the classes with missing teachers. I have to admit, I’ve had to babysit several classes since I’ve been here and it’s not my favorite thing. Usually the teachers leave little to no instruction and half the time the classes are in Afrikaans, so that doesn’t help at all. I guess when they don’t have the student teachers, they just split the classes among other teachers, which I’m sure slows down the teaching/learning process. It’s annoying to babysit other people’s classes outside my subject. I also don’t think we’re supposed to be left alone with classes, but I’m not positive. Oh well, what can you do? Everyone is so nice and teamwork oriented, it’s hard to make a fuss about the arrangements. It’s a different kind of place.

We have a new roommate in the flat. He just moved in the beginning of this week. He seems nice, but is a bit strange and topically confrontational. He asks me questions about America and then tells me why I’m wrong, or why Americans are wrong. This went on for several hours. I was trying to do homework and watch TV and eat dinner during this time. He used it to ask me a million questions. It would start out like a nice innocent question and then somehow whatever I was saying was wrong. I’m not used to people wanting to debate constantly, so we’ll see how that works out. I think he comes from a conservative farm family…yeah…hmm…it’s like he wants to know about my culture, but can’t get over the fact that our cultures are just different. Not one being better than another, they’re just different. I kept saying that to him, but it wasn’t helping.

Everything is going well. I really like being here. Sometimes I get homesick, but most of the time I’m good. It’s been really hot here the last few days and it will only get hotter. Port Elizabeth is really windy and at first I thought all the wind was annoying, but now I know how important it really is. Wow - without it you just start sweating as soon as the sun comes up. I guess I can’t complain though since I’d rather be hot than cold.

---

Comments

[Erin]

That is definitely a huge pineapple! And the zebras are so cute! Also, the beach looks gorgeous, and I see you have a nice tan starting! Better than here, where it's icy with a windchill of -1 degree. In other news, did you hear Captain Phil from Deadliest Catch died?? I guess I have to watch all my backup DVR episodes in honor of him now...

[Nicola]

You'll have to bring me a box of Ouma Rusks back. I have a recipe but I haven't tried it out yet. We can put that on our 'to do list' over the summer. Tell the old farm boy to be more open-minded. South African opinions of Americans are very skewed, as are Americans of other cultures. His confrontation on the issues says way more about him than it does about Americans. Until you actually experience another culture, you simply cannot have an accurate opinion. (my two cents) Glad you enjoyed Port Alfred. I haven't seen my aunt and uncle in years. Can't wait to introduce Brian to them at Christmas. Have a great weekend