I have realised from working at both the primary and high schools that there is not a chance in hell of me ever becoming a teacher. Fair enough the teaching level here in Africa is going to be a lot more hard work than in England, but still, fair play to all the teachers out there...you got it tough! I may have found my side job though...tutoring. One on one with a student is defiantly the way to go, no shouting, no writing on the board, no registration. EASY! By the end of this week I had taken the same two girls, tutoring maths everyday for the week. Not only could I see the improvement in their maths, I could see the improvement in their behaviour and the way they acted towards me. They were genuinely grateful for the help I had given them, and that made me feel rather spiffing. At the start of the week, neither Nambela or Ndema could do basic addition, and I'd like to think that now they can recite their timestables and get along well enough in class to understand things a lot better.
My primary school (ages 11-14) netball team are well on their way to becoming stars. They improved so much and I'm so proud of them all, I've got some fab photos of the team which I'll put up once I'm home.
Homework club was always my favourite part of the day...I was good friends with most of the older kids who mainly came to hang out with the volunteers. I was helping a girl Nikki with hers maths aswell and then she brought along her three younger sisters and I ended up staying much longer most days to talk to them all! They wrote me lovely letters when I left yesterday and it was very emotional! My rucksack is now suprisingly empty, I gave Nikki most of my clothes (the ones that were wearable!) as she was quite quiet compared to some of the other kids so I get the feeling she was never really noticed by the volunteers before. The same kids tend to be given stuff everytime a new volunteer arrives. The loud ones who get in your face and make you laugh. Nikki genuinely wanted to learn and that makes her 100% better and more special in my eyes.
Flying home this afternoon...getting picked up at 2.30 from town by Kevin who is taking me to the airport. Really sad to be leaving. Cape Town is most definatly one of the most beautiful and exciting places I have visited, and I can not wait to come back here in the future. Looking forward to getting home at the same time. Feels like I have been away forever...
Love you all
I've missed you
Katie
xxxxxxx
p.s. My rucksack is not that empty...I've just been shopping again...
xxxx
Saturday 5 September 2009
Wednesday 2 September 2009
Last post continued...
I thought Manchester was a pretty decent night out, but Cape Town ruled. I wasn't expecting nice bars and a proper scene, I think my vision of a massive room filled with black people having dance-offs may have been a bit too ambitious. Although I did have a dance off with a massive black guy! And won! and then got cheered by the majority of the room who had circled us to watch! and then got grabbed by a girl who then told me I was her new dance partner! Woopwoop I've cracked Cape Town. Shake it and you've made it.
Sunday was the day the African Trails truck arrived into Cape Town, so I was really excited to hopefully see everyone from tour again! I wandered up to the lodge where they were staying and luckily enough they had only just pulled in and were unpacking all their stuff! Was so great to see everyone...even if it was only very briefly for some. (I'm so sorry I didn't make it back to have drinks with everyone...I was called back to Hout Bay!)
Ended up going on the boat trip to Robben Island with the Canadians Kate and Seana, the Welshies Jenna and Taz the Kiwis Donald and Kathyrn and the token Brits Andrew and Ian. It was such a gorgeous day, blazing sun and not a cloud in the sky. The tour was really interesting, but a bit too "toury". It would have been nicer to be able to wander around the island and the prison a bit more freely. But I learnt a lot and glad I went, was so great to spend time with everyone else aswell.
Sunday night the Canadians and I went for dinner on the waterfront. A bit out of place in our scruffy clothes we didn't care as the food was gorgeous! Defo put on the pounds I lost on tour!
Back to work at the high school this week...good fun!
Looking forward to coming home...
Love you all miss you!
Katie
xxxxxxx
Sunday was the day the African Trails truck arrived into Cape Town, so I was really excited to hopefully see everyone from tour again! I wandered up to the lodge where they were staying and luckily enough they had only just pulled in and were unpacking all their stuff! Was so great to see everyone...even if it was only very briefly for some. (I'm so sorry I didn't make it back to have drinks with everyone...I was called back to Hout Bay!)
Ended up going on the boat trip to Robben Island with the Canadians Kate and Seana, the Welshies Jenna and Taz the Kiwis Donald and Kathyrn and the token Brits Andrew and Ian. It was such a gorgeous day, blazing sun and not a cloud in the sky. The tour was really interesting, but a bit too "toury". It would have been nicer to be able to wander around the island and the prison a bit more freely. But I learnt a lot and glad I went, was so great to spend time with everyone else aswell.
Sunday night the Canadians and I went for dinner on the waterfront. A bit out of place in our scruffy clothes we didn't care as the food was gorgeous! Defo put on the pounds I lost on tour!
Back to work at the high school this week...good fun!
Looking forward to coming home...
Love you all miss you!
Katie
xxxxxxx
Monday 31 August 2009
Raving and Robben Island
Not simultaneously...
Thursday night meal was a huge sucess with a gorgeous meal. Was sad to leave half the group on friday, it's been good to have a large group of us to help at the schools.
Friday day I moved up to the high school where my wonderful maths knowledge was put to the test :P My task for the next week (aswell as teaching netball after school and during p.e. lessons is to tutor the grade 9 kids who struggle the most with their maths. My first student, a 16year old called Nmbela showed me her book and she had just been learning about compound interest. easy peasy I thought. I asked her if she understood and she said no...i then discovered that not only did she not understand interest or anything else she had "learnt" that year, she could hardly recite her 2x table. For the lot of the kids in this school, the teachers don't care what the bad children can do, they only focus on the clever ones and this is already frustrating me no end. I am going to take the same children everyday for an hour each and hopefully start to hammer the basics through. By friday they'll all be reciting Pi into double figures...
Friday night and saturday night we spent in a hostel in Cape Town. Friday we completed centurian. 1 shot of cider every minute for 100 mintues. I have never been so sick in my entire life. Saturday we spent a very hungover day wandering around the waterfront and then preparing to go out into Cape Town in the evening.
To be continued....!!! (homework club is calling!)
Miss you all love you
Katie
xxxxxxx
Thursday night meal was a huge sucess with a gorgeous meal. Was sad to leave half the group on friday, it's been good to have a large group of us to help at the schools.
Friday day I moved up to the high school where my wonderful maths knowledge was put to the test :P My task for the next week (aswell as teaching netball after school and during p.e. lessons is to tutor the grade 9 kids who struggle the most with their maths. My first student, a 16year old called Nmbela showed me her book and she had just been learning about compound interest. easy peasy I thought. I asked her if she understood and she said no...i then discovered that not only did she not understand interest or anything else she had "learnt" that year, she could hardly recite her 2x table. For the lot of the kids in this school, the teachers don't care what the bad children can do, they only focus on the clever ones and this is already frustrating me no end. I am going to take the same children everyday for an hour each and hopefully start to hammer the basics through. By friday they'll all be reciting Pi into double figures...
Friday night and saturday night we spent in a hostel in Cape Town. Friday we completed centurian. 1 shot of cider every minute for 100 mintues. I have never been so sick in my entire life. Saturday we spent a very hungover day wandering around the waterfront and then preparing to go out into Cape Town in the evening.
To be continued....!!! (homework club is calling!)
Miss you all love you
Katie
xxxxxxx
Thursday 27 August 2009
Hout Bay Township.
For those sitting at home, it must be pretty hard to comprehend the state that some of these 14,000 (probably more) people live in. An area of probably less than a square mile in crappy steel roofed shacks that I wouldn't want my guinea pigs living in. The strange thing that I am still struggling to understand is why they don't want to leave. The majority of houses have televisions and stereos, so it isn't as if they have no money whatsoever. A girl Nikki, who I have been helping with her maths told me...It's because black people in the township do not know how to budget. White people save their money, so that's what I am going to do as well. It baffles me how a 12 year old can grasp this concept, yet not the adults who also live in the community.
Work at the primary school has been frustrating. Compared to the high school, the Orangjekloof primary is run pretty well, more than enough teachers and good teaching equipment. I have been helping in a grade 6 class, where my main task is to help the students who have difficulty in understanding English. Afrikaans and Kausa is also taught, and a lot of the children listen along in lessons and copying things off the board without a foggy what's actually being said.
After school I have taken it upon myself to coach the netball teams. A lot of the girls are so keen but their P.e. teacher recently left the school so they have no one to teach them. Mostly under 13, some are really good but just a bit rusty round the edges! Even after four days coaching them for an hour after school I can already see an improvement! We were supposed to have a match today but the organisation of teachers is pretty dyre so it didn't happen :(
After school is Kevin's main project. Homework Club. A community centre in the centre of the township is the base for children who want to learn more or practice after class. There are some who are really keen and beg for you to give them sums to do...it can get a bit tedious, but I'm bonding well with some of the kids. 15 year old Shazza is quite possibly the nicest politest 15 year old i've ever met! She has no self confidence at all though and thinks she's rubbish at everything. I've been helping her with her reading (Harry Potter!) and with her school assignments. She is particularly keen on history and loves telling me about Nelson Mandela and black freedom. In return I'm helping her with a project on Hitler!
Homework club starts in half an hour so I best be off! 6 of the 11 volunteers currently here are leaving tomorrow so we are going out for a meal to say bye! Italian I think...yummmm. Food has been a particular problem as my host mother is not the most generous of people. The rest of the family are wonderful though, two older sisters and a younger brother. Them and their father are hilarious but Gertrude has proven to be the topic of many arguments. I have had to buy my lunch most days which is quite frustrating as I have already paid for three meals a day...
Miss you all, love you
Home in a week!
xxxxxxx
Work at the primary school has been frustrating. Compared to the high school, the Orangjekloof primary is run pretty well, more than enough teachers and good teaching equipment. I have been helping in a grade 6 class, where my main task is to help the students who have difficulty in understanding English. Afrikaans and Kausa is also taught, and a lot of the children listen along in lessons and copying things off the board without a foggy what's actually being said.
After school I have taken it upon myself to coach the netball teams. A lot of the girls are so keen but their P.e. teacher recently left the school so they have no one to teach them. Mostly under 13, some are really good but just a bit rusty round the edges! Even after four days coaching them for an hour after school I can already see an improvement! We were supposed to have a match today but the organisation of teachers is pretty dyre so it didn't happen :(
After school is Kevin's main project. Homework Club. A community centre in the centre of the township is the base for children who want to learn more or practice after class. There are some who are really keen and beg for you to give them sums to do...it can get a bit tedious, but I'm bonding well with some of the kids. 15 year old Shazza is quite possibly the nicest politest 15 year old i've ever met! She has no self confidence at all though and thinks she's rubbish at everything. I've been helping her with her reading (Harry Potter!) and with her school assignments. She is particularly keen on history and loves telling me about Nelson Mandela and black freedom. In return I'm helping her with a project on Hitler!
Homework club starts in half an hour so I best be off! 6 of the 11 volunteers currently here are leaving tomorrow so we are going out for a meal to say bye! Italian I think...yummmm. Food has been a particular problem as my host mother is not the most generous of people. The rest of the family are wonderful though, two older sisters and a younger brother. Them and their father are hilarious but Gertrude has proven to be the topic of many arguments. I have had to buy my lunch most days which is quite frustrating as I have already paid for three meals a day...
Miss you all, love you
Home in a week!
xxxxxxx
Sunday 23 August 2009
V & A Waterfront and Simonstown...
Loving the internet here in Cape Town, its ridiculously fast!! Better than at home even.
Shopping was lovely yesterday =) Walked the 45 minute walk down to the waterfront from the house up in the hills of Cape town (the Gardens region). The Waterfront is just beautiful with the huge marina and docking yards. Old boats from around the world come here to be rejuventated and re-painted so the yard was full of old ships. The shopping centre is gorgeoussssssssss. Mainly designer branded shops but some individual ones too. Bought some jeans and a handbag...sorry Natwest :P Wandered around and took a gander inside the Nelson Mandela gateway, may take a trip to Robben Island next weekend. Very tired from all day shopping so walked home again, collapsed on the sofa and fell asleep! haha.
Today I couldn't really decide what to do, Kevin is due to pick me up at 5pm to take me to my family's house in Hout Bay. Thought I'd wander down to the train station in Cape Town with my Lonely Planet and decide from there. Simonstown was the next train so I hopped on. The 80 minute journey cost me 23 rand. That's about 1.80!! Simonstown is a lovely little seaside town on the east coast, where the water is a lot warmer from the Indian Ocean. The train although stopping at every station on the way making it very slow was lovely as it followed the coast for the majority of the way. Once in Simonstown I meandered around and then trekked the 30minute upward struggle to Boulders Beach, where a massive colony of African penguins reside. ahhhh they're so gorgeous! A lot smaller than I thought they would be! You can get really close to them as the boardwalks built purposefully allow you to see their nests. I got a gorgeous photo of a penguin watching its eggs! Running out of room on my memory card (mum sorry but I lost that memory card you gave me when I left! eee!) Going to try and get all photos burnt to disc...
Start at the school early tomorrow morning. Exciting!!
Love you all, miss youuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
Kates
xxxxxx
Shopping was lovely yesterday =) Walked the 45 minute walk down to the waterfront from the house up in the hills of Cape town (the Gardens region). The Waterfront is just beautiful with the huge marina and docking yards. Old boats from around the world come here to be rejuventated and re-painted so the yard was full of old ships. The shopping centre is gorgeoussssssssss. Mainly designer branded shops but some individual ones too. Bought some jeans and a handbag...sorry Natwest :P Wandered around and took a gander inside the Nelson Mandela gateway, may take a trip to Robben Island next weekend. Very tired from all day shopping so walked home again, collapsed on the sofa and fell asleep! haha.
Today I couldn't really decide what to do, Kevin is due to pick me up at 5pm to take me to my family's house in Hout Bay. Thought I'd wander down to the train station in Cape Town with my Lonely Planet and decide from there. Simonstown was the next train so I hopped on. The 80 minute journey cost me 23 rand. That's about 1.80!! Simonstown is a lovely little seaside town on the east coast, where the water is a lot warmer from the Indian Ocean. The train although stopping at every station on the way making it very slow was lovely as it followed the coast for the majority of the way. Once in Simonstown I meandered around and then trekked the 30minute upward struggle to Boulders Beach, where a massive colony of African penguins reside. ahhhh they're so gorgeous! A lot smaller than I thought they would be! You can get really close to them as the boardwalks built purposefully allow you to see their nests. I got a gorgeous photo of a penguin watching its eggs! Running out of room on my memory card (mum sorry but I lost that memory card you gave me when I left! eee!) Going to try and get all photos burnt to disc...
Start at the school early tomorrow morning. Exciting!!
Love you all, miss youuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
Kates
xxxxxx
Saturday 22 August 2009
On ma larry...
well not really...
So Fred's flew home on thursday (Oi mrs...have you got home okay?!!) and as she checked in I got picked up for my two week long project in Hout Bay, about 10/20km from the centre of Cape Town. The project itself is run by a couple Karen and Kevin. The latter of who i found out is originally from Countersthorpe, and went to school in Wigston! how freaky! For the last two nights and tongiht im staying in a house next door to Karen and Kevin with a couple of other volunteers who are actually in Cape Town projects. Sunday I move to Hout Bay to live with the other Hout Bay volunteers.
Kevin picked me up and another guy who flew in that morning. (Alex is about to start a postgrad at Manchester university in International Business...Again, HOW freaky?!!!) We drove around to the Bay and visited the township. Although the project is already doing the world of good, teaching in the two local schools, orgainsing a homework club afterschool and netball/soccer sessions, it does seem rather unorganised. Kevin is the sole taxi driver and runs around here there and everywhere picking people up. Everyone in the township knows him and for the day was with him he must have picked up over a hundred kids from everywhere and dropping them off somewhere else or giving them a bit of change to go to the shop. All the children dote on him. The township itself is not the nicest. Set on a hill underneath Table mountain I dread to think how many people live inside each of the tiny dirty metal sheets, all squished into the tinyest spaces. I spent the afternoon with some of the other volunteers who have already been here for a week or so teaching in the homework club and playing games in p.e. lessons. Hectic and rather stressful I was absolutly knackered when Kevin came to pick us up. (which is never ever going to be on time...!)
I now have a couple of days to chill and to do some more sightseeing before I start work properly on monday. Going out into Cape Town with the others tonight hopefully. But now...SHOPPING TIME!!
Miss you all, love you
Kates
xxxxx
P.S (whoever is my friend on facebook, loads of pics have been put up from the people on the tour who are already home! pretty funny! Mic, could you show mum...I know shes gagging to be nosey!! haha love you)
xxxxxxx
So Fred's flew home on thursday (Oi mrs...have you got home okay?!!) and as she checked in I got picked up for my two week long project in Hout Bay, about 10/20km from the centre of Cape Town. The project itself is run by a couple Karen and Kevin. The latter of who i found out is originally from Countersthorpe, and went to school in Wigston! how freaky! For the last two nights and tongiht im staying in a house next door to Karen and Kevin with a couple of other volunteers who are actually in Cape Town projects. Sunday I move to Hout Bay to live with the other Hout Bay volunteers.
Kevin picked me up and another guy who flew in that morning. (Alex is about to start a postgrad at Manchester university in International Business...Again, HOW freaky?!!!) We drove around to the Bay and visited the township. Although the project is already doing the world of good, teaching in the two local schools, orgainsing a homework club afterschool and netball/soccer sessions, it does seem rather unorganised. Kevin is the sole taxi driver and runs around here there and everywhere picking people up. Everyone in the township knows him and for the day was with him he must have picked up over a hundred kids from everywhere and dropping them off somewhere else or giving them a bit of change to go to the shop. All the children dote on him. The township itself is not the nicest. Set on a hill underneath Table mountain I dread to think how many people live inside each of the tiny dirty metal sheets, all squished into the tinyest spaces. I spent the afternoon with some of the other volunteers who have already been here for a week or so teaching in the homework club and playing games in p.e. lessons. Hectic and rather stressful I was absolutly knackered when Kevin came to pick us up. (which is never ever going to be on time...!)
I now have a couple of days to chill and to do some more sightseeing before I start work properly on monday. Going out into Cape Town with the others tonight hopefully. But now...SHOPPING TIME!!
Miss you all, love you
Kates
xxxxx
P.S (whoever is my friend on facebook, loads of pics have been put up from the people on the tour who are already home! pretty funny! Mic, could you show mum...I know shes gagging to be nosey!! haha love you)
xxxxxxx
Wednesday 19 August 2009
bye bye guysss
well i no i have only written like 2 blogs but they are by far the best...so im sure you will all miss my imput!
even though this trip has been the most amazing thing i am so excited to go home. i have missed oliver like nobodies business and i cannot wait to see everyone. i just got a wall post from kimaynes saying 2 days and i cant actually believe that it has come around this quickly. im so excitedddddddddd!!!!!! i guess ill see most people on sat so wooooooo!!
now for the mushy part, so sad to be leaving kate hope you have an amazing time doing this project thingy magigy! but i no it wont be as good without me...ha!!! these days in capetown have been some of the best and so glad we have done it together!! i love you long time!!!
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa see everyone sooon
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
even though this trip has been the most amazing thing i am so excited to go home. i have missed oliver like nobodies business and i cannot wait to see everyone. i just got a wall post from kimaynes saying 2 days and i cant actually believe that it has come around this quickly. im so excitedddddddddd!!!!!! i guess ill see most people on sat so wooooooo!!
now for the mushy part, so sad to be leaving kate hope you have an amazing time doing this project thingy magigy! but i no it wont be as good without me...ha!!! these days in capetown have been some of the best and so glad we have done it together!! i love you long time!!!
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa see everyone sooon
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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