I was actually pretty busy this week, considering I was only in class for 3 days. Since Tuesday was International Women's Day, classes were cancelled both Monday and Tuesday. On Monday, Sara and I went to service in the afternoon. Another girl in the program, Emily, tagged along because her site was closed for the day. It's so much fun bringing people to Brooklyn Chest. Who doesn't love playing with little babies?! Tuesday was actually Women's Day. People here treat it like the big deal it is. All the men wished us girls well. We celebrated by going to the Company's Gardens and having a picnic lunch. It was a beautiful day, so I just wandered around outside and some of the others went and explored some museums. It was nice to be apart from everyone, if only for a few hours. It can get a bit hectic living, learning, and servicing together. For dinner, David and Joel, the two boys in the house, cooked us a lovely meal in honor of Women's Day. I'm definitely bringin the seriousness this holiday is celebrated with back home!
Wednesday and Thursday brought normal classes. We had a guest lecturer talk to us about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that attempted to help heal a deeply split South Africa after the abolition of apartheid. Basically, victims of apartheid were given an opportunity to publicly tell their story. At the same time, the perpetrators of apartheid were able to request amnesty in exchange for their honesty in telling their stories. There are many different views on the success of the TRC. This is a trend I'm noticing in SA; mixed reviews of the post-apartheid government and how successful they actually were at alleviating the massive amounts of inequality that was so evident during apartheid.
Service was pretty exciting this week. One of the girls, Asive, was discharged on Friday. Sara and I brought in lollipops for celebration. It's a great thing when the kids are discharged, but I can't help but feel sad at the same time. In many situations, life at the hospital is much more stable than what the children face at home. Balanced meals, no violence, no drugs or alcohol, mandatory school, and friends around all the time are things that might not be so available at home. On a lighter note, all those years in elementary school learning how to type on those silly programs came into use when I caught a boy "hunting and pecking" instead of proper "asdf jkl;" finger placement. I began to teach him how to type properly and he loved it! I have never felt like such a proficient typer before last week!
On Saturday, CIEE took us wine tasting. I am not the biggest wine lover. In fact, I usually take a sip of my mom's and make the same face I've made since I first tried wine at church. This changed yesterday. I actually found two kinds I like. One of them is called Cap Classique. It's champagne, just not from France. Typical French won't let other people use the same name! I learned that vintage basically just means the year it was made, not that it IS vintage. We also learned about the process of making wine. Apparently, some of the best oak to put the red wine in is from America! Woohoo! All I could think of when we were in the wine cellar, was the wine barrel lid my mom sells as a lazy susan.
We also went to a rugby game. It was raining and the men's white shorts were completely disgusting before they even finished warming up. I loved it. Rugby players are actually just monsters. Their thighs, arms, and necks are just too big to be normal humans. I just don't believe them! Apparently, doping is totally taboo in rugby. I read in the paper last week that 19 university players had tested positive and the union is punishing them very severely.
Here are some pictures from this week! Enjoy!
Wednesday and Thursday brought normal classes. We had a guest lecturer talk to us about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that attempted to help heal a deeply split South Africa after the abolition of apartheid. Basically, victims of apartheid were given an opportunity to publicly tell their story. At the same time, the perpetrators of apartheid were able to request amnesty in exchange for their honesty in telling their stories. There are many different views on the success of the TRC. This is a trend I'm noticing in SA; mixed reviews of the post-apartheid government and how successful they actually were at alleviating the massive amounts of inequality that was so evident during apartheid.
Service was pretty exciting this week. One of the girls, Asive, was discharged on Friday. Sara and I brought in lollipops for celebration. It's a great thing when the kids are discharged, but I can't help but feel sad at the same time. In many situations, life at the hospital is much more stable than what the children face at home. Balanced meals, no violence, no drugs or alcohol, mandatory school, and friends around all the time are things that might not be so available at home. On a lighter note, all those years in elementary school learning how to type on those silly programs came into use when I caught a boy "hunting and pecking" instead of proper "asdf jkl;" finger placement. I began to teach him how to type properly and he loved it! I have never felt like such a proficient typer before last week!
On Saturday, CIEE took us wine tasting. I am not the biggest wine lover. In fact, I usually take a sip of my mom's and make the same face I've made since I first tried wine at church. This changed yesterday. I actually found two kinds I like. One of them is called Cap Classique. It's champagne, just not from France. Typical French won't let other people use the same name! I learned that vintage basically just means the year it was made, not that it IS vintage. We also learned about the process of making wine. Apparently, some of the best oak to put the red wine in is from America! Woohoo! All I could think of when we were in the wine cellar, was the wine barrel lid my mom sells as a lazy susan.
We also went to a rugby game. It was raining and the men's white shorts were completely disgusting before they even finished warming up. I loved it. Rugby players are actually just monsters. Their thighs, arms, and necks are just too big to be normal humans. I just don't believe them! Apparently, doping is totally taboo in rugby. I read in the paper last week that 19 university players had tested positive and the union is punishing them very severely.
Here are some pictures from this week! Enjoy!
The ladies enjoying our home cooked meal!
Me at Simonsig, where we had our wine tasting
Getting excited to watch the rugby game!
At the Company's Gardens for our picnic. They have massive dinosaur-esque birds there. Not so relaxing for me..
James Lebron..
Sara out with the kids during their recess. Antique rollerblades=stressful, but fun, time for the two of us..
At the vineyard, part of the separation process. It was a little too science heavy for me. But, they do have a four year degree in wine-making here!
New lazy susan product, Mother?
My new drink of choice!
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