Emails from Abroad
Sharni Bellato - September 2010 - Manguzi, South Africa
We finally arrived in Manguzi - our home for the next 6 months. It is quite a happening little town; the main street is similar to the size of Lennox's main street. Minus the street lights, footpaths, white people and add ladies selling stuff from little huts, goats, chickens, music as loud as a night club and CHAOS. They have just built a KFC which is the locals favourite.
Our street is a sandy trail that goes for ages. We live in a little white house smack bang in the middle of the Methodist church mission. It's not a luxury apartment but it is just perfect, the only thing we struggle with is the bathroom, it looks a lot like a concrete public facility. We have done our bit to give it a make over, but that would require a lot of tiles...It is funny that I have come accustomed to chickens in our kitchen, goats in the front yard, and cows roaming around town not to mention the kids everywhere!
We met our house mates which are a few teachers from the school and were then encouraged to go to church. It was such a great experience, a lot like Sister Act... Singing and praising out loud it was incredible, so so moving. Although we didn’t understand one word they were saying there was so much power in that room that it didn’t matter. Grace and I were welcomed up the front to introduce ourselves and on the way out I got "hello Miss Kangaroo," the token Aussie already...
School - We started the day after we arrived in Manguzi which was a shock to us both and this was just the start of being thrown in the deep end. We jumped on the bakkie, an open top ute with wooden benches around the edges (which have now actually got some padding), with several of the kids from the school and 3 teachers. After the awkwardness of the first ride we arrived at John Wesley Kosi Bay Private School and don't jump to conclusions, it is not what you imagine for a private school. It hardly ever has running water, and yes that means the toilets don’t flush and on top of that, add the unhygienic mind of a 4 year old. ehh.
The school has a Crèche, Grade R (Pre Grade 1) then Grades 1 to 10. We were introduced to most of the teachers, given our timetables and waded off to Friday's whole school assembly (literally wading as the entire school is covered in sand, deep sand not hard sand, the worst kind of sand.) They then say good morning educators with a slight bend at the knees...we are educators, how sweet. We were introduced as Miss Sharni and Miss Grace.
We were given a tour of the school; the classrooms are of an ok size but then packed with 60 kids, 60 desks and separated with sheets of tin..soundproof? not at all. I take Grade 5, 6,7,8,9 and 10 Computers, Grade 4 Technology, Grade 5, 6 Sport and Tutor 7 Grade 3 kids 2 times a week each. Tutoring is precious; we basically help them with literacy and numeracy. The kids are younger and with the one on one time you can really see their progress. It's such a good feeling when they look at the letters and just say 'country' in there soft little voices.
I have come to realise that the English language is so confusing. Many words that sound the same but have different meanings, spelt the same but have different meaning. At times the kids just can't get their head around that. Computers can be a bit of a challenge, we are in a room the size of my bedroom with 11 sometimes 12 working computers all of different year models. All with 2, sometimes 3 kids crowded around them. These kids get to use the computer for half an hour each week so every time it’s the same story; they have no idea.
Grade 4 technology is when I’m up at the blackboard attempting to teach, at the moment about Growing Plants. YAY. It’s surprising how much I am treated like a teacher, as soon as I walk in the room they all stand up and greet me and do not sit back down until they are given permission. Teaching Technology is hard, it’s boring, it is difficult to keep 42 kids interested in 'the life cycle of a seed'. It is really just a matter of trial and error, there is no syllabus to follow so we plan the classes, some go terribly others not so bad. It’s really hard to get them to be quiet and listen especially as Grace and I don’t believe in corporal punishment and even when they are quiet there is a constant murmur in the background from next door.
I have adopted one of Miss Winkler’s techniques of clapping and they do it back at you. It works well until a few kids decide to join in with my part or do hip thrusts to the tune. The kids can be so naughty, so cute and so funny all at the same time. There are plenty of crack up moments when I just face the other way, hiding the fact that I am absolutely losing it. I seem to use 'if you do that one more time there will be consequences' line a little too often, they will work me out soon enough. The thing is, no one lesson is the same. You can come out of a lesson feeling confident and like you have their control but the next it will be chaos. If the kids aren't on top of the desks, under the desks, running around the classroom, singing, sweeping the floor or thrusting at something....you are doing well.
So in a month I have learnt precisely 13 Zulu words. It's definitely not a language that you can just pick up. Sounds that they make would be referred to as a lisp by ourselves and not to mention the clicks! I tutor a few kids with the names mnqobi, okuhlenkonkoe and sukhulilie. I have only just mastered them, 3 is better than none right. The culture is so different, much more communal. Like I was saying it’s not unusual for someone to knock on your bedroom door and want a conversation or to be walking down a trail and someone to yell out from miles away "HELLO, HOW ARE YOU" in Zulu. Which I find really nice everyone has time for each other. TIME...African time hah there is never a hassle, you could never be late everything is just cruisy simple and at times reeeally slow. It's hard to explain but there is just a vibe here, I don’t know if it’s the constant beat of music or just the positive personalities around you. It really is incredible...
So you have probably gathered that it has been a little tough, adjusting to this lifestyle but everyday I fall more and more in love with this country, its people, the culture and the simplicity of life here. I’m sure I am learning more than what the kids are ever going to learn from me.