2nd Week of Spring

We are having a great 2nd week of Spring!

As mentioned before, mornings begin with practicing ABCs, numbers, and months of the year. We are slowly expanding this practice to include letters, numbers, and months in Xhosa. This consistent routine has yielded gradual improvement among students, in addition to helping me learn Xhosa!

1-10 in Xhosa: ney, mbini, nathu, ne, ntlanu, ntandathu, sixhenxe, sibhozo, lithoba, lishumi.

For theme activities, we went outside and identified spring flowers. The ‘field trip’ did not take long, but we still saw plenty of plants and enjoyed stunning landscapes.

Students still enjoy getting their picture taken!

These pictures were taken just outside the school. As you can tell, we are on a beautiful mountainside.

After our hike, we went back inside and painted what we saw. Who doesn’t enjoy quality paint time?

During our recess time, I pick students up if they say ‘please’. Occasionally we try lifting multiple students at once :)

Strangely enough, my back was a little sore after that...

Recess is followed by music movements. This program includes songs like “Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes”, and the 'Frog' dance, pictured below.

For yesterday’s closing story time, the teacher asked me to read while she translate. We were uncertain which book to use, until students handed me Roald Dahl’s “The Enormous Crocodile”. It was a big hit; everyone seemed highly engaged.

Things are progressively getting more ‘settled’ for me as a missionary. The communication gap with the students is closing -yay for teachers helping with Xhosa!-, the monks treat me like I am a long-time friend, and I feel like part of the community. All in all, Life is good.

I wish to end with a quote about 9/11, written by fellow YASCer Nina Boe:
May we not dishonor the lives of those lost by letting our remembrances of their memories take on solely a nationalistic air, disgracing their deaths by using it to spur on hate of others of any kind - but may we mourn their lives the way we ought to mourn all those lives cut short too soon, with sadness, and determination to not let this happen again - to any people or any nation.

I know South Africa had no connections with 9/11, but I still found myself appreciating this quote thanks largely to my time in this country. The person you perceive as a ‘foreigner’ is still a brother/sister whom you share this planet with. It would do us all good to live in harmony. 

Thank you so much for following, and I wish you a blessed day.
In Christ,
-Cameron S