Usually on the first day of school I have butterflies in my stomach and thoughts about what the semester might bring, or lately what the placement might be like. For my first day at Kingswood College I was excited, but had no idea what to expect, afterall I am in another country and at a private school. Jean (Prof. Baxen) drove us to school and April and I met with the Headmaster (so offical sounding) to introduce ourselves and get our placements. After discussing what grades we have had experience in, I was assigned Grade 3, which I am very pleased about! We then went up to the staff room where all the teachers congregate in the morning for coffee and tea and met a lot of the staff members. Grades 1-3 have Assembly together every Monday. All the students come into a hall where they sing a few songs, say the Lords Prayer, Happy Birthday's are sung, and announcements are given.
Right now Grades 1-3 are rehearsing their play titled "Going Green," which is just the cutest little story about the Grey Gang trying to take over the planet, while the Green Gang made up of Re Cycle, Rene Wable, Con Servation and others,educate the audience about saving the planet and overtaking the Grey Gang. The play is in a week and half and we have been practicing diligently everday. Oh and it's really cool because they sing a Michael Jackson song....and a song they played a lot during the world cup.
My two teachers (two Grade 3's) are very nice and are great teachers. They are both busy with play preparations and are allowing me to jump right in and teach. One of the most exciting things is that I have a Smartboard in one of the classrooms! It looks pretty funny with a chalkboard behind it, but the students really like using it, and it is great practice for me!
The school days are very different here compared to the United States. I leave for school at 7am, we have break at 10:30 when all the teachers head up to the staff room and have tea and grilled cheese and tomato sandwhiches. Then the day ends at 13:00, the students all stand next to their desks and after Mrs. Reynolds says "Good afternoon Grade 3's" they say in unison: "Good afternoon, Mrs. Reynolds and Ms. L"-it makes me crack a smile everytime, I sometimes feel like I'm in Dead Poets Society. Everyone heads home for lunch and then comes back for sport practice at 14:00. Today (Friday) I got to coach swim practice for a lot of my third graders. I had to think back to what the coaches did at Michelle's swim meets and tried to act like I have been coaching swimming for years. The pool is outside of course and because of the cold weather lately, the pool temperature was absolutely frigid. The little boys kept telling me that they couldn't even breathe it was so cold. I couldn't bare watching the kids shiver, so we practiced our strokes on some benches and did some dry land exercises instead.
This weekend I am going to a school fundraiser at the Monument in Grahamstown, which is a piano performance called the Piano Man (I'm hoping he'll play some Billy Joel) and then tomorrow, myself and the other COST girls volunteered to help at a Swimming Gala (swim meet) in Port Elizabeth...we leave at 6am!!
Since pictures are hard to upload here, this is the website for the Monument:
http://www.foundation.org.za/monument/index.php
And this one is for Kingswood College:
http://www.kingswoodcollege.com/
Hope everyone at home is having a great Fall Friday and Halloween Weekend!
Go State!!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The Weekend
Saturday
So I really wanted to title this one: Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh my! But the only one we saw of those is....LIONS! See the picture below! I still cannot believe that I was so close to that many REAL lions that were not in captivity or a zoo! On our ride alone to Addo Elephant National Park we (Leah, April, Lauren, and I) saw enough wild animals to make anyone happy. I got to see a monkey cross the road, not a deer, a monkey! We also saw giraffes just hanging out on the other side of the road and other deer like animals. Lauren who has been here since August had never driven before, but really wanted to experience what it was like to drive on the opposite side of the road in the opposite side of the car-she did great! We rented a really cute automatic car called a Clio! When we were en route to the park we went through a township which are what slums are called here. It opened my eyes to a whole other part of this area that I am definitely interested in and feel fortunate that I get to see that side of South Africa as well. The four of us got a quick lunch at the park and then headed out on our own in the car all afternoon to look for any signs of wildlife that we could find.
Despite the dreary weather it did not stop Leah, Lauren and I to head to Port Elizabeth for a day of adventure. The whole purpose behind the trip was to go to the market they have right on the beach on the weekends, but because of the weather they did not have the market! It was quite a shame, which people say here instead of "darn-it" or "fiddly-dee." We met up with one of Lauren's friends, Andale, who is originally from P.E. and he showed us an alternative market to go to! We all bought some souvenirs and enjoyed an afternoon of walking around the Boardwalk. When first seeing Andale (On-doll-ay) I had to do a double-take because he was wearing an MSU track jacket! Andale was in E. Lansing this summer for an Athletes in Action program and he listed off all the athletes and coaches he met. I just couldn't believe that I would run into someone in S.A. that knew who Tom Izzo and Mark Dantonio are! One of the souvenirs I bought is a piece of artwork of the township that was done for the World Cup. While at this little vendor/kiosk the artist had asked us if we had been to the township in P.E. yet and after telling him no, Andale offered to give us a tour of it because that is where he is from (and it is much safer to go with someone who is from there). It is hard for me to put into words my experience of viewing the township in P.E.. It is humongous first of all, thousands of people live in these tiny train car like houses, trash is built up on the side of the road, people walking around all over the place...it is very surreal. Townships are a result of the apartheid and it is not looked at as sad or depressing, it is just normal. The whole concept of townships is very hard for me to wrap my head around, I just have so many questions about them!
On our way home we stopped at a Farm Stall which is similar to a country store back home. I got some grapefruit marmalade and some real pineapple juice, the pineapple is delicious here! We had a huge family dinner for Misty who leaves Monday. It was a lovely Family Sunday Dinner:)
So I really wanted to title this one: Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh my! But the only one we saw of those is....LIONS! See the picture below! I still cannot believe that I was so close to that many REAL lions that were not in captivity or a zoo! On our ride alone to Addo Elephant National Park we (Leah, April, Lauren, and I) saw enough wild animals to make anyone happy. I got to see a monkey cross the road, not a deer, a monkey! We also saw giraffes just hanging out on the other side of the road and other deer like animals. Lauren who has been here since August had never driven before, but really wanted to experience what it was like to drive on the opposite side of the road in the opposite side of the car-she did great! We rented a really cute automatic car called a Clio! When we were en route to the park we went through a township which are what slums are called here. It opened my eyes to a whole other part of this area that I am definitely interested in and feel fortunate that I get to see that side of South Africa as well. The four of us got a quick lunch at the park and then headed out on our own in the car all afternoon to look for any signs of wildlife that we could find.
The first animal we encountered was some warthogs like Tamone from The Lion King! They were a lot faster than I would have thought and they looked like they would be singing "Hakuna Matata" all day long. Over an hour had passed and we had yet to see an elephant. The whole energy level in the car was starting to die and we started asking any car we passed where we might see some elephants. All of a sudden when we rounded a corner we saw three huge African Elephants! We were all super excited and took a million pictures. Fast Forwarding a bit, we stopped at a "Picnic" site for a moment and asked a gentleman if he had seen any Lions. He quickly gave us directions to where he spotted some earlier so we bee-lined it to the spot which was hard to miss with all of the other cars looking at the lions as well. There were FIVE of them! Three males and two females. It was just amazing. Then on our way back we were talking about how it is called an Elephant park, yet we saw more lions and warthogs than elephants. Well we had to literally slam on the breaks because we saw an elephant that was standing in the middle of the road and then about five more appeared...and we even got to see a few babies!
Saturday night we went into Grahamstown and experienced a bit of the night life in which is a bit of a college town because of the nearby Rhodes University. The place we went to was called Rat & Parrot which is the must see restaurant/bar in the area. We celebrated Misty's last night in Grahamstown and I had the opportunity to meet some of her friends and a lot of other people from around the town. I was shocked how quickly people realized that we were from America-and how they loved how we say zebra and giraffe due to the long 'a' sound we stick in there.
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| ELEPHANTS! |
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Mufasa |
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| Lauren, April, Me, and Leah stopped at a lookout point for a quick picture, to our left was a "Beware of Lions" Sign |
SundayDespite the dreary weather it did not stop Leah, Lauren and I to head to Port Elizabeth for a day of adventure. The whole purpose behind the trip was to go to the market they have right on the beach on the weekends, but because of the weather they did not have the market! It was quite a shame, which people say here instead of "darn-it" or "fiddly-dee." We met up with one of Lauren's friends, Andale, who is originally from P.E. and he showed us an alternative market to go to! We all bought some souvenirs and enjoyed an afternoon of walking around the Boardwalk. When first seeing Andale (On-doll-ay) I had to do a double-take because he was wearing an MSU track jacket! Andale was in E. Lansing this summer for an Athletes in Action program and he listed off all the athletes and coaches he met. I just couldn't believe that I would run into someone in S.A. that knew who Tom Izzo and Mark Dantonio are! One of the souvenirs I bought is a piece of artwork of the township that was done for the World Cup. While at this little vendor/kiosk the artist had asked us if we had been to the township in P.E. yet and after telling him no, Andale offered to give us a tour of it because that is where he is from (and it is much safer to go with someone who is from there). It is hard for me to put into words my experience of viewing the township in P.E.. It is humongous first of all, thousands of people live in these tiny train car like houses, trash is built up on the side of the road, people walking around all over the place...it is very surreal. Townships are a result of the apartheid and it is not looked at as sad or depressing, it is just normal. The whole concept of townships is very hard for me to wrap my head around, I just have so many questions about them!
On our way home we stopped at a Farm Stall which is similar to a country store back home. I got some grapefruit marmalade and some real pineapple juice, the pineapple is delicious here! We had a huge family dinner for Misty who leaves Monday. It was a lovely Family Sunday Dinner:)
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| Port Elizabeth on a Cold, Windy, Rainy Day... try to picture it as Hot, Humid, and Sunny. |
Tomorrow is my first day of school and I cannot wait to see what a private school in South Africa is like!
Cheers!
Friday, October 22, 2010
First 24 Hours in Grahamstown...and Loving it!
When I went to bed last night, I was afraid that I would not be able to fall asleep in a new place and a new country, but boy was I wrong. I zonked out. I slept from 1 am to around 7 am that was when Leah (another COST student) was getting ready for school. I did not wake up again until 10 when I woke up at the same time as April and we had breakfast with "Grandma" who is Professor Baxen's mother who is also at the house. Grandma gave us a tour of the house and the cottage (an adjoining aparment that Leah and I will be staying in) and gave us a tour of the amazing garden in the backyard. The garden is just beautiful. It's green and then bursts of color all over the place. They have a lemon and peach tree, carrots, beans, a pumpkin, butternut squash, and mint (Mom you would just love it). After that April and I spent some time resting and then Misty (a COST student that is leaving on Monday) got home from her last day of school and we met her and talked with her for awhile. This afternoon everyone was home that I will be living with for the next two weeks until things change a little bit: April, Me, Professor Baxen, Professor Baxens' son Agean, Grandma, Misty, Lauren (she is leaving in 2 weeks) and then Leah. So we definitely have a house full, but the house is very accomadating for so many people!
This afternoon, April, Misty, Leah and I walked into Grahamstown to get groceries and other necessities. The city is really pretty, even on a cloudy day. We walked past Kingswood College and I got so excited to start student teaching on Monday. The grocery store that we went into was called Checkers and is similar to a Kroger or Family Fare back home. Shopping was a little difficult because everything is obviously in Rand and looks so much different. I was trying to pick out some orange juice and the first one I picked up had skim milk in it-so that was a little different:) Tonight we went out to dinner at a place called The Yellow House with everyone besides Grandma. It was nice to sit down and visit with so many people! I got a pizza along with everyone else.
Tomorrow we are planning on renting a car and traveling to Addo Elephant Park which is close to Grahamstown so that Lauren can get used to driving on the opposite side of the road, on the opposite side of the car so that when we travel to Port Elizabeth on Sunday we'll be all set!
Have a great night, I'm off to bed:)
Pictures will come soon!
This afternoon, April, Misty, Leah and I walked into Grahamstown to get groceries and other necessities. The city is really pretty, even on a cloudy day. We walked past Kingswood College and I got so excited to start student teaching on Monday. The grocery store that we went into was called Checkers and is similar to a Kroger or Family Fare back home. Shopping was a little difficult because everything is obviously in Rand and looks so much different. I was trying to pick out some orange juice and the first one I picked up had skim milk in it-so that was a little different:) Tonight we went out to dinner at a place called The Yellow House with everyone besides Grandma. It was nice to sit down and visit with so many people! I got a pizza along with everyone else.
Tomorrow we are planning on renting a car and traveling to Addo Elephant Park which is close to Grahamstown so that Lauren can get used to driving on the opposite side of the road, on the opposite side of the car so that when we travel to Port Elizabeth on Sunday we'll be all set!
Have a great night, I'm off to bed:)
Pictures will come soon!
Car Ride to Detroit, Flight to Atlanta, LONG Flight to Johannesburg, Flight to Port Elizabeth, "Cab" ride to Grahamstown, FINALLY HERE!
I am finally here! What a long day and a half it has been! The flights went very smoothly. The long trip from Atlanta to Johannesburg, South Africa was 14 hours and 45 minutes, I only got up once the whole flight (mainly due to having a window seat and two men sleeping next to me). The time went by prety quickly due to great movies avaliable right on the screen in front of me, The Back Up Plan, Valentine's Day, Invictus, Leap Year, etc.. When we (April, Kelly, and me) got to Johannesburg we were very much ready for our journey to be over, especially because we were in South Africa but stuck in an airport with out very many windows!
When we got to Port Elizabeth our cab driver had a sign that said April/Nicole, so that was nice to not have to look for a shuttle or our own cab. He took our bags for us and we hesitantly followed him, looking at all the vans and cars lined up with commerical names on the sides wondering which one he would lead us to. Well it was just a regular car, some sort of trusty Mercedes. Turns out the mans wife came along for the ride as well. This guy (he said his name so fast I can't remember it) was hilarious, yet frustrating. You couldn't ask him a question with out a humorous answer. "How many people live in Grahamstown," he replied with "Four" referring to the four of us in the car. I was somewhat surprised when the wife turned on the radio and it was "Eenie Meenie" or whatever that one song is called. It was followed by "Like a Prayer" by Madonna, and something by Michael Jackson. It was great, we all sang along like the Partridge Family..until April fell fast asleep and it was just me and this husband and wife singing away. I happened to ask them if transportation from the airport was both of their jobs and the husband said "No, me and my wife actually write children's books too!" I quickly got the 411 on the book and asked them where I could get a copy..you know thinking like a teacher. Well he just jumped right on it and said "We'll just stop by our house (in Grahamstown) and pick you up a copy!" April looked at me like 'oh great Nichole, way to add another jaunt to the journey' This book is about a brave little donkey, it's in black and white so children can color it, and it is in both English and Afrikaans. I haven't read it yet.
It is 12:52 am here and I need to get some sleep. The Professor we are staying with is wonderful. So welcoming and friendly all ready!
When we got to Port Elizabeth our cab driver had a sign that said April/Nicole, so that was nice to not have to look for a shuttle or our own cab. He took our bags for us and we hesitantly followed him, looking at all the vans and cars lined up with commerical names on the sides wondering which one he would lead us to. Well it was just a regular car, some sort of trusty Mercedes. Turns out the mans wife came along for the ride as well. This guy (he said his name so fast I can't remember it) was hilarious, yet frustrating. You couldn't ask him a question with out a humorous answer. "How many people live in Grahamstown," he replied with "Four" referring to the four of us in the car. I was somewhat surprised when the wife turned on the radio and it was "Eenie Meenie" or whatever that one song is called. It was followed by "Like a Prayer" by Madonna, and something by Michael Jackson. It was great, we all sang along like the Partridge Family..until April fell fast asleep and it was just me and this husband and wife singing away. I happened to ask them if transportation from the airport was both of their jobs and the husband said "No, me and my wife actually write children's books too!" I quickly got the 411 on the book and asked them where I could get a copy..you know thinking like a teacher. Well he just jumped right on it and said "We'll just stop by our house (in Grahamstown) and pick you up a copy!" April looked at me like 'oh great Nichole, way to add another jaunt to the journey' This book is about a brave little donkey, it's in black and white so children can color it, and it is in both English and Afrikaans. I haven't read it yet.
It is 12:52 am here and I need to get some sleep. The Professor we are staying with is wonderful. So welcoming and friendly all ready!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
It's Time to Check-In
After a long day of Professional Development in Grand Rapids, I received an e-mail from Delta Airlines saying that it was "time to check-in" for my flight! I looked at it in disbelief. The long awaited trip is finally here. Even better, when my dad got home from work he created a handy currency converter for me! It has all started feeling very real today, though I don't think I will believe it completely until I am sitting on the plane!
I finally finished packing my bags, thanks to some friends advice and firm directions:), now I am just hoping that I can get some sleep. A lot of people have been asking me if I'm scared or nervous. Well yes I am definitely a little aprehensive about going on this trip-after all I am going to Africa! There are a lot of unknowns such as what grade I'll be student teaching in, how the whole living situation will pan out, etc. I am not freaking out though by any means, even my mom says, its not like I'm going to the moon, and two months will go by very quickly.
Thanks to everyone who gave me a call today/wrote me on facebook wishing me safe travels!
The next time you hear from me, I'll be either in an airport or in SOUTH AFRICA!
I finally finished packing my bags, thanks to some friends advice and firm directions:), now I am just hoping that I can get some sleep. A lot of people have been asking me if I'm scared or nervous. Well yes I am definitely a little aprehensive about going on this trip-after all I am going to Africa! There are a lot of unknowns such as what grade I'll be student teaching in, how the whole living situation will pan out, etc. I am not freaking out though by any means, even my mom says, its not like I'm going to the moon, and two months will go by very quickly.
Thanks to everyone who gave me a call today/wrote me on facebook wishing me safe travels!
The next time you hear from me, I'll be either in an airport or in SOUTH AFRICA!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Last Weekend at Home
On my way to school Friday I kept telling myself that I was not going to get emotional about leaving because I would see all my students in January when I came back. But when I went back to the the room after "returning another teachers water bottle" and all the lights were turned off and then hearing 25 little voices yell "Surprise" after I turned the lights on- the tears would simply not stop welling up in my eyes. My class threw me a surprise party, balloons, a cake, Hawaiian punch and all! I was legitimately surprised and very grateful for such a wonderful, amazing group of students and an amazing mentor teacher for my placement in the states!
This weekend was beautiful weather wise, and a great time with family and friends. On Saturday I was reunited with three of my close friends from high school (it had probably been a year since we had all been together) and headed for East Lansing to tailgate for the MSU Homecoming football game. I also met up with my family who was having their own tailgate with friends from the Grand Rapids area. I spent all Saturday night working hard on my History Unit and other assignments for class so that I could leave the country worry free! On Sunday I finally started packing some things and have realized that this is going to take some major decision making and convincing from my mom that I do not need that pair of shoes, or that dress-which will be very difficult.
This weekend was beautiful weather wise, and a great time with family and friends. On Saturday I was reunited with three of my close friends from high school (it had probably been a year since we had all been together) and headed for East Lansing to tailgate for the MSU Homecoming football game. I also met up with my family who was having their own tailgate with friends from the Grand Rapids area. I spent all Saturday night working hard on my History Unit and other assignments for class so that I could leave the country worry free! On Sunday I finally started packing some things and have realized that this is going to take some major decision making and convincing from my mom that I do not need that pair of shoes, or that dress-which will be very difficult.
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| The whole family! All of us decked out in our Spartan gear, except the Wolverine of course:) |
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Last day of Student Teaching in DeWitt, Michigan!
Most Fridays I look forward to the weekend and cannot believe that another week has gone by. This Friday is a little different. The class that I am currently student teaching in has been at Woldumar Nature Center all week as part of a Big Nature Lesson. We have done a ton of great hands on learning while on our field trip. The students have learned all about plants, birds, the water-cycle, making observations, and much more. For the most part the weather has been great, and watching these children spend 90% of their day outside has been rewarding as well as entertaining. Tomorrow is our last day on our field trip and it is also my last day student teaching at Schavey Road Elementary School in DeWitt, Michigan. These past six weeks have been a blur with observations, preparing my unit, creating my folio, and school events -but they have been amazing and so much fun! I wish I could spend another six weeks there, however I know that I have another adventure to look forward to.
Next Wednesday I will be driving to the Detroit Airport, flying to Atlanta, Georgia, and then to Johannesburg, South Africa, then to Port Elizabeth, South Africa, AND THEN taking a shuttle to Grahamstown, South Africa where I will be completing the rest of my student teaching at Kingswood College! I am very fortunate to be traveling with two other future teachers, which will make the trip "fly" by:)
Next Wednesday I will be driving to the Detroit Airport, flying to Atlanta, Georgia, and then to Johannesburg, South Africa, then to Port Elizabeth, South Africa, AND THEN taking a shuttle to Grahamstown, South Africa where I will be completing the rest of my student teaching at Kingswood College! I am very fortunate to be traveling with two other future teachers, which will make the trip "fly" by:)
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