Wednesdays

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Wednesdays

Wednesday’s are different. The whole school finishes at 1.15. for sports which don’t always take place but it has a different timetable. I assumed mine was the same . We arrived at Joe Slovo very late - last for the drop off and the minibus needed air in the tyres - plus it was taking a visiting past volunteer back to Emmanuel project - a health project focused on supporting HIV. I changed my time plan for period one to fit in my two groups in a shorter time. I had only had group2 for about 20minutes when a bell went. The electric bell is not working so it is a hand rung bell. I said that can’t be break time and they all frowned at me. When I went outside they were all flooding out of the classrooms so I had to let them go. I managed to find a time sheet and worked out that unlike Monday Tuesday and Thursday I could do 2 groups in the last period which magically is longer on Wednesday and Friday because break and lunch are earlier. Every other Friday is however big cleaning Friday and school stops at 11. It is easy to see why they need a big clean. It is always very dusty and dirty because of the dirt roads and lack of vegetation around and the dryness of the soil. I think this is why I can’t get rid of my cough. I am also unused to the amount of voice needed to get back into teaching and the general atmosphere outside the classrooms is very noisy so you need a bit of projection!
I did buy myself something called Woods Peppermint Cure yesterday - mostly because of the box.It looks like something from my grandmother’s medical supplies. It is interesting in flavor but I ahave no voice left this evening which may be a relief to the others but I find very frustrating.
Tried to watch the news again tonight but it is difficult to work out when the English version is on and sometimes it seems to be mixed with the announcers speaking one language and the interviews speaking others. It is , however, all signed with the signer appearing in the corner in a box.
I have noticed that the schools are better provided this time and do seem to have more supplies of pencils and exercise books and the essential rubbers which are used assiduously. I have never seen so much rubbing out. They are very precise about letter size and the position on the page and they have to put their name and date on each piece of work in their books which takes some of the grade 2’s quite a while. I try to tell them I don’t need it but it is a bit ingrained.
For us volunteers it is “Shopping Wednesday” and we are taken to buy supplies on the way home. I find that anything liquid runs out really quickly so the marker pen I brought with me is already dry. We all shopped quickly so we cpuld get back for afternoon tea and a blow on the beach. It is still damp and cloudy and windy too. We did think of paddling but the bluebottles were out on the beach. They are strange looking small jelly like creates with a blue tin and with long blue fronds and they sting apparently. Anyway we avoided them.
Two of us finished the evening by going to an ecology talk by Dr Paul Martin about the environment around PE which was really interesting but a bit fast for after dinner and a drink and without having taken anything to jot a few notes down. The biodiversity of this area is amazing and the number of plants and birds only found here. It also has about five different environments. He was informative about how the social changes are impacting on the environment and there were some intereting bits of data. 80 new families have to be accommodated a month here which impacts on the infrastructure as they need power and water as well as space. Doing it the quickest and cheapest way has more impact on the environment and maintaining the biodiversity but is necessary in human terms to meet the needs ( my rough summary) There is apparently a lot of coal still around but to avoid dirty power it is note mined. Announcements this week in the papers indicate power costs doubling. There is a power allowance for those In most need but others will have to pay. There is a recession and job losses here too.
We also got an explanation about the wind which related to two weather systems. PE is known as the windy city. Robin and I are hoping to go on a morning out with him on the last day we are here. I have my binoculars ready.

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Comments

[rose]

Hi Sue
Hi Sue, I'm sorry I have been so slow at getting in touch. I have been reading your blogs with great interest. You are so good at describing everything! I feel that I can imagine to some extent what you are seeing and doing and hearing. Are you now totally proficient with Xhosa clicks? Will you teach me when you come home? I do hope your cough goes very soon and also that the sun appears! x Rose