Blogs from Siyabuswa , Mpumalanga , South Africa, Africa - page 3

Hello, Holly here! Today we were based in juniors and it was raining off and on all day! This is one side of South Africa we haven't seen so far. In the morning, assembly was rained off so we went into classrooms and had separate assemblies, it was good fun and then we went into lessons. I was in maths and Bella was in Nursery, Grade 2 Maths was interesting as Mrs Reeves was doing the teaching and Robert, Will and I were teaching assistants. I ( now Annabella talking) was situated in the nursery all morning and Angela and I took the lesson as well all though we thoroughly enjoyed playing with the children and teaching them maths, we also showed them the Macarena. I (Will here) played with the younger kids during break. I ... read more

We have just concluded our evening meeting, basically a beginner's Ndebele lesson (sorry, Louise, but we don't understand what you wrote!) after a fascinating discussion about the day's experiences. The children shared their views reflectively--what struck them, touched them, made them sad or happy, seemed different or unexpectedly similar--and now there is a happy hubbub in Chtistmas Cottage as the children enjoy an end of day game of cards--one group playing canasta and the other mao (if that is how you spell it--Nathan thinks it isn't mow, anyway). Some nuts (unsalted) and raisins (salted!) and pieces of chocolate contribute to a very cheerful atmosphere, and we have more tea drinkers than I had expected, so I had to get more teabags. Some of us boys did a quick shop in the new mall when we got ... read more

Hello! So on Sunday, Charlie and I went on BBC Radio Berkshire! This meant an early start - especially for Charlie. Even after this 5:30 rise we were awake enough (I hope) to answer some questions on live radio.So after picking up Holly and driving to Caversham where the Studio is situated. As we arrived we were met by the Security guard who didn't realise that we had arrived as he was on his morning break. The huge ramp/barrier things blocked the simple drive and to my surprise instead of going up, lay down to form a yellow thing that was possible to drive over. Finally, my turn. So when we were in the studio we saw at first the IT guy who seemed nice enough, planning the whole day ahead on the Radio and giving ... read more

So, having concluded that local radio would not be interested in our exploits, I was surprised to receive the invitation yesterday to bring a couple of team members along to the BBC studios early on Sunday for a live interview about the trip with Paul Coia. We are on between 7.00 and 7.15 (ouch!) so many thanks to Holly and Charlie for being willing to get up so early (perhaps it's not early for an Iron Woman?) for their broadcasting debut to millions--well, to a few dozen early risers in Berkshire, anyway... They would like us to make an audio diary. Not sure yet whether this will be broadcast during our visit, or saved till our return, but it does mean we are invited back after the trip when it will be the turn of others ... read more

The photos here are a tour of the people of South Africa, with some thoughts on cross-cultural integration. I have always laughed at Charles Dickens’ absurd characters. I read a few more of his novels last year and discovered that the author was not trying to exaggerate their characteristics. Dickens explained this in his foreword to Martin Chuzzlewit where two English men are duped by American con-men and then helped by another American. He said something like this: that his story is not as much a caricature as it is an exhibitionof the American character--of that side which was the most obtrusive, and the most likely to be seen by such travellers. I think what he meant was this--that against the backdrop of an unfamiliar time or place, people seem so different ... read more