This past week was the last 5 day week at Kingswood and things just keep getting busier and busier!
Monday was a pretty typical day. We have been practicing our Christmas Carols at Morning Assembly (Mondays and Thursdays) to prepare for our Primary Carol Service on Tuesday evening. The students in the 3R class started painting their salt dough ornaments which are turning out lovely.
Tuesday we had chapel first thing in the morning and I had my second and last observation! I taught a lesson on Cubes. Word got around that I had experience doing face paint and back stage "giving them the look" to students, so April and I headed over to the Pre-Primary school to help the little ones get ready for their play. The pre-primary school is just like a pre-school, but also has Grade R (Kindergarten). After school we went to the LeBone Center and made Christmas decorations with the children to put up on the walls.
On Wednesday grades one through three went on a field trip to a local government (public) schools play which was Oliver with a Twist. The play was an hour and a half long and it was...interesting! Leah, April, and I went to dinner with Jen, who teaches grade five. Jen is the youngest teacher at Kingswood and we have all found her teaching style similar to teachers back in the States. She is great! I also got my first piece of mail, a Thanksgiving card from my family, which arrived at the perfect time. It was weird to see my South African address on the envelope!
Thursday was a beautiful day! There was not a cloud in the sky and the temperature probably reached 80 degrees. Grades 1-3 had their annual tennis tournament all morning so it was a great day to be outside. I was in charge of the grade two girls. I had to keep track of their points and figure out who played who.
Thursday night I got a chance to Skype with my whole family who was celebrating Thankgiving in St. Joseph. It was so nice to see them all! That was the first major holiday that I have not been with my family, thank God for Skype:)
Friday we had Market Day! I taught both of the grade classes a lesson on Thanksgiving. When I told them that it was tradition to watch the Detroit Lions play they asked me if they won. Of course I had no idea, but could have predicted that they had lost. When we looked it up, the game had only ended forty-eight minutes earlier! From 10-12 the students could walk around and buy things at Market Day. Students in grade five and six set up their little shops and sold everything from candy to clothes pin animals. I tried a popular sweet here called "caramel syringes," which is like caramel flavored pudding in a syringe!
They also have condensed milk flavored-which I did not try. I should mention that these are sanitary syringes specifically bought for this purpose!
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| The pillow fighting! |
After school on Friday we went to Kenton on Sea with Greg, one of the grade seven teachers. We spent a few hours at the beach and went to a local restaurant called Jeremiah's that looks out over the river/ocean. I tried a South African pizza that had avocado, bacon, and banana on it! On the way back I finally got a close look at some Zebras! Pronounced Z-eh-bra of course.
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| Zebras! Not a great picture due to the thunderstorm that rolled in |
On Saturday I celebrated Thanksgiving with the missionary family I met. I was expecting maybe a few people from our Bible study to be there and then April and me, but no- there were probably over thirty people there! I had turkey, green bean casserole, corn casserole, salad, rolls, stuffing, and for dessert I had a piece of peanut butter pie and strawberry- rhubarb pie. Not exactly the traditional Thanksgiving menu, but delicious!
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| A look at the table setting for our Thanksgiving-we got to eat outside! |
Saturday night I went to Miss Intermediate which was an event held at Kingswood for all of the girl boarders in the Junior School. The girls got dressed up and looked very 'smart' (a word used here to describe someone that looks cute/nice. To call someone smart to us would be 'clever' here) The Hall was decorated so nicely with a runway and everything. The girls had to strut down the runway and strike a pose and then answer a question. April and Leah were both guest judges all the way from the U.S.of A.:) They gave out awards for: best dress, best personality, princess one and two, and then Miss Intermediate. The event was put on by the stooges. Stooges are like resident assistants for all the boarding houses.
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| Foundation Hall set up for Miss Intermediate. The runway is on the left. |
Leah, April, and I headed to another Braai today. The family that had us over has a daughter in grade one, which April teaches in. Their house is beautiful, with a fantastic view of Grahamstown. At a Braai you do not get to the house and all the food is ready, you sit and talk for a few hours, have a glass of wine, then eventually get around to making the food. Now a real traditional Braai is cooked over a wood fire-not gas or charcoal! Meat is what the meal is centered around, like a barbeque. However, they don't just grill hamburgers and hotdogs, but a whole smorgasbord of meat including: pork, lamb, sausage, and chicken. I have become adventurous in trying new food. Today I ate some lamb, and tried mussels and oysters for the first time!
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| The Braai. They even have one inside for rainy days! South Africans do not mess around when it comes to a Braai! |
We got done with the Braai at around 5:30. As soon as I got home I got an SMS (what they call a text message) from Debbie wondering if I would like a lift to the advent carol service at the Methodist church downtown. Of course I could not miss out on Christmas carols! It was a huge Kingswood event. The Junior and Senior choirs both sang a variety of Christmas carols and the brass band and drum line also performed.
Weekly Outlook
Monday: Observing a township school, so excited about this:), shopping downtown one last time!
Tuesday: Last day at LeBone Center :(, Carol service, and dinner with my Bible study group
Wednesday: Leavers dinner (a traditional goodbye dinner for the seventh graders at the junior school) which I get to be knighted at!
Thursday: Last day at Kingswood (only a half day), some meetings, and a lunch at Headmaster Derek Braans house, Traditional good bye dinner with my Host Family
Friday: Take off for Cape Town at 7am!
Thank you for reading!
Cheers:)
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