What an incredible day! Tesha, Nathan, and I went on an amazing adventure with our neighbor’s son Heinz. First, I feel the need to describe our neighbors a bit. They are incredibly, interestingly eccentric and kind. They come from Germany and have lived here since Heinz was young (I’m guessing about twenty-five years). Dieter speaks so quickly in his German/South African accent and is usually incredibly difficult to understand. Brenna has three windy white curls protruding from her chin mole and a little dog with long, white hair. The dog’s balding and has patches of bright pink skin peering through it’s fur. I can hardly look at it! But they are seriously the NICEST people I’ve met in a long time! Dieter walked us to call our families the second night when we were really freaked out, Brenna continually gives me advice, from shopping to laundering (which I must learn to do by hand). Their son Heinz has offered to drive us around whenever he has a day off (he’s a baker).

So, anyway, today, we went with Heinz on a three-hour car ride around "my mountain" stopping at Clifton Beach, Hout Bay, and various other spots for an entirely new perspective of this country. Let me tell you, it was spectacular!

We overlooked the city and various suburbs, saw some amazing Oceanside apartments and mansions, a castle (pictured), beautiful mountains, seals, a police helicopter (looking for Nathan), dolphins, lots of people… it was beautiful. Then we hiked up part of Table Mountain and had yet another amazing view. We ended up having to leave Tesha for the wolves (seriously, we left her on the trail as she refused to hike any further!), but it turned out that when we reached "the top," there were about six different trails to choose from the shortest of which was an hour long. We couldn’t leave Tesha for that long, so we turned back, but we’re definitely going back soon because you can hike all the way to the cable cars at the top of Table Mountain or through Kirstenbosch Gardens! By the end of the day all of us had shaky legs (literally), and decided to head home for some much-needed relaxation.

My first week of school went pretty well. It’s so different from what I expected. The girls color A LOT. I teach my first lesson on evens and odds on Monday, so I’m excited to plan plan plan away tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, my teacher won’t mind if they do something besides dittos or … COLORING! My teacher, Mrs. Meyer (pronounced Mayor) is very nice, though. She’s older and we’ve had some interesting discussions on the end of Apartheid and how the education in South Africa has changed since then. She explained how difficult it is to reconcile the ideals versus the realities of this nation. While every group of individuals wants to be heard and respected, the schools can only do so much.
I volunteered to help one of the other third grade teachers with the Swim Team, so that should be fun.

Finally, a short anecdote from the classroom:

Roxi: Miss Heinz, Miss Heinz, I got a 10 out of 10 on my Maths (pronounced Mats)
homework. Oh wait, in America you say Math (pronounced Mat).

Me: Actually, we say Math –th –th (emphasizing the -th sound).

Roxi: -th –th (she repeats with her tongue shoved between her teeth and halfway
sticking out of her mouth). [She shakes her head and looks at me like I'm crazy]

P.S. Just tried handwashing laundry... = not fun!

Also, check out new pictures!

Stories from the other side...

...of the equator.

So, every time I finish blogging (oh, I am so technologically advanced!), I finish feeling like I had nothing to say only to arrive home and realize I didn't tell any of the funny happenings that occur daily.

Story #1: The Cockroach

A shriek from the kitchen!
nathan and I look at each other and don't do anything. We decide to go into the kitchen after a little while. Tesha is hiding behind the refridgerator. Tehsa has discovered a cockroach in the kitchen. It goes without saying that this is gross, but I'm a big girl. I'm not afraid of bugs (too much). I have lived by myself and been forced to kill more bugs in various shapes and sizes than I would care to remember, so I ask her where it went and quickly attempt cockroach death squat position 9B. Then I saw it. It was HUGE!!! At least two inches long AT LEAST and fat! I scream, which makes Tesha scream again and we both hide behind the refridgerator. So, long story short, Nathan tries to catch it with a tube sock! Tesha and I keep screamign when we see it, so he thinks there are more cockroaches and starts freaking out. We (mainly Nathan - although I offered some serious moral support) captured the cockroach and nathan set him free somewhere... I never did ask.

Tale B: The Pushover

So, after just a few short days with nathan I realized that he says "uh-huh" a lot when he doesn't understand what the person is saying instead of doing what I do which is ask the person, "what?" "excuse me?" "one more time" until you understand them. So, the trio is at the mall and we stop to have something to eat. The lady takes our drink order and nathan says he'd like a water with lemon. nathan seems to think she is confused, so he tries to explain he'd like a lemon and water. the woman says "lime." He explains again what he'd like. Tesha and I start to laugh and tell him that she gets it.

two minutes later:
Nathan's water and lemon comes out.... it's GREEN. She made him a lime water, water with lime juice. Tesha and I proceed to crack up (kindly, after the waitress has left). Nathan won't send the water back since he spent two minutes trying to explain to the woman exactly what he wanted and he still didn't get it. We let it go. (although not without the picture I took).

The bill comes. nathan was charged 9 rand for the lime water! Tesha and I proceed to pee in our pants!

So, again, just two stories I failed to mention.

Life has been stressful the past couple of days. Tesha and I both hate our schools.

All my kids have done for the past week is color and there is NO and I mean NO behavior management plan in my classroom...? It makes no sense.... She says she gets stricter and they have more to do as the term progresses... I'm crossing my fingers because right now I just feel terribly disappointed.

I have learned a couple of math (which they call "maths") techniques that I think are helpful, but when I asked her today if they use manipulatives... she stared at me like she'd never heard of them... hmmmm....

Anyhoo, we're going to go hiking with Heinz again this Saturday and I'm super excited. Tesha and I joined the gym yesterday, so hopefully the endorphins will help me keep from crying at school.

More later.

I added new pictures of Rhodes Memorial (where we went with Heinz on Sunday).

Pictures!

For pictures go here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/heinz.christie

I'll be updating them frequently... oooh ahhh!

My first week

So, it's only been one week since I left. That's hard for me to realize since everything feels so new, but I think I'm really starting to adjust to my life here now. This weekend was nice. We just relaxed mainly, went to the water front yesterday (check out new pictures on picasa - just use the same url from last time). We walked around, shopped, ate, Tesha got her nails done (haha), and just enjoyed the weather. Today we're going to Kirstenboch for a concert, then early to bed to start our first offical days of school. I'm excited! and I got my first assignment - I'll be helping my teaching teach about the Solar System! WHOOH! Seriously, though, I do look forward to it. I think it'll make me feel like I have a purpose...

I guess that's really it. I went on my first run today (man, that altitude's a killer... couldn't be I'm slightly out of shape...) and almost got hit by a car.... OOPS! Guess I'm really not used to the opposite driving yet. It is very HOT here. But Cape Town really does have all four seasons in one day, by nighttime it's chilly and I have on long pants with a jacket... although I am a well-known freezy-cat.

My first day of South African third grade

Although originally, I was supposed to be in an sixth grade classroom, this morning, Jean and I switched it around, so I could participate in a third grade classroom (a grade I haven't been a part of yet). It went pretty well. I left at tea time (11am). And no, I am not joking! They have tea. The students take English, !Xhosa (a tribal language), and Afrikaans starting in primary school. I was very impressed! Today, we experienced our first black out. Tesha and I went to the grocery yesterday and attempted to stock our tiny fridge, so luckily the blackout didn't last too long and none of our food spoiled.

Nathan was sick all day yesterday (some sort of stomach bug) and I feel generally clogged today (some sort of nostril disaster!).

I feel that I'm finally settling into the ways of Rondebosch although I cannot get used to the cars driving on the opposite side of the street and the drivers on the opposite side of the car than I am used to. I cannot tell you how many times I double take when I think a child is driving a car. I also have to be very cautious crossing the street because I cannot figure out which way the cars from. Tesha and I both stand there looking around in all directions "just to be safe." But I remember what my wise ol' mama always says, "you may be right, but you'd be dead right" (said about the traffic in Pittsburgh).

I'm really grateful to have roommates as a kind of buffer who I can laugh with when things start feeling overwhelming. The other day in the grocery store Tesha, Nathan, and I just wandered around in a daze, starving, exhausted, and unable to process. The currency is different, the nutrition facts are different, I'm learning about all kinds of new fruits and vegetables (rocket, lichi, and some derivation of passion fruit.) But whenever I have asked for help, the Capetonians have been very friendly and helpful.

Nathan and I are back to school tomorrow, but Tesha has the day off. Then, I'm going to put money on a pre-paid cell phone, which is free if you all call me. The number is 079-428-6365. Although I don't know how much it would cost anyone from the US calling me. Just remember that I am 7 hours ahead.

I think the jet lag is finally subsiding and I'm starting to feel more like myself. I look forward to getting super involved in my school, so I stop feeling so homesick...

This morning at school the teacher briefly introduced me and then had me read a story to the class. The girls all looked around and whispered as I read. At the end of the story, Mrs. Meyer verbalized that I did not sound like they did and asked the girls where I thought I was from. In awed voices, they cried, "Ameeeerica!" It's funny. People will turn around when they hear us talking in the street and eavesdrop at the supermarket at our funny accents. Definitely a first for me!

Saturday we are going to the waterfront shops and to the beach and then on sunday we are going to Kirstenboch (sp?) to walk around the botanical gardens and then to a picnic and concert.

Hope everyone's doing well!

Pictures!

Okay, so it's impossible to contact people right now. long story. But I will have a cell phone probably by monday. Anyhoo, below is my picasa web album. let me know if anyone has trouble looking at it. gotta jet. tesha's waiting on me. bye bye now. love love to everyone!

http://picasaweb.google.com/heinz.christie/MyCapeTownApartment

down south

Down here in the south, the weather is sunny and beautiful. I just got here at 6:15am this morning, and it still doesn't feel real. I'm goign to try to post some pictures of my new abode now before my time at the internet cafe expires.

p.s. i was asked for the first time yesterday if i spoke english...