First few days of school....

So first of all, it's July 6th and it should be hot out....it's flippin' freezing here!

Yesterday was the first day of school. I was so excited to meet everyone, namely the kids but was really nervous at the same time. Not because I was meeting new people, but I am really struggling with the names. Many of the names are traditional Zulu or Isotho names that I am struggling to pronounce.

Some of the consonant sounds that are said here are not in the USA so my tongue and mouth are not trained to make the sounds. I feel like an ass when I keep asking kids to repeat their names…slower….again….slower….let me mispronounce it now….again….slower. You get the point.

Example 1: The “x” sound is like calling a horse (back of the tongue, click like thing.) One of my students is named Xioxay….I am still struggling with this one. I can say it in my head but that’s about it.

Example 2: The "ng" sound is like popping the back of your tongue to the back of your throat...nearly impossible for me to do....but I am getting it. I already have a student training me in Zulu and I am, teaching her Hebrew...because it's really popular down here (sarcasm is hard to type.) I have a student named Ngaga Nyangnga. It's not as easy as you thing (I'm guessing you are trying it out right now aren't you?

Nevertheless, the kids are very patient with us and the pronunciations and I really appreciate that…there are also some students with simple names like Maurice, Teddy, Partson and Valentine.

Although the names part is intimidating, kids are kids and one thing I am good at is making connections with kids and showing them my love and compassion for who they are and a pure and honest way. I was able to introduce myself with humility and vulnerability and I wanted to make sure that they knew I was there to learn from them as much as they are going to learn from me. I don’t want come off as I am here to “fix you.” Which is the case for the Dutch and the Brits, they came and imposed new ways of life on them. Imperialism…the ideas and history of Apartheid are still here. It’s amazing to see how South African Blacks are ready to move forward, while many whites are not. Sometimes when I think too much, I end up feeling bad because I am white, and am standing in front of a group of 150 black kids telling them what to do…am I just another white guy subject them to do things they don’t want to? It never ends up being the case. I already have kids giving me hugs after 2 days at work. I love my job!

This weekend I am giving my small point and shoot digital camera to a student to take to Alexendra (his home) for the weekend. He told me he'd take some pictures off the real Alex for me and would explaining the life and hardships of all the people there. Imagine houses made of walls of corrugated metal and no insulation other than some carpeting on the walls, no infrastructure to pick up garbage, minimal electricity (the TV and kettle cannot be on at the same time), and a lot of crime. This is where ALL of our students come from.

Today John and I started building the garden and vermiculturing bins with our kids. It's a big job that is underway. We started this morning with minimal direction, but organically developed by the students with what they thought the best garden for the school to be. These kids were so hard working and never complained once. I jokingly told one 11th grade boy that his pick axing skills were very good. His response, "I dig graves for extra money and I use this tool and a spade all the time." Who felt like an ass? I did. I am learning fast that the kids are really hard workers and are minimal complainers...at least to our faces. It seems that there is a level of respect tat have for teachers that US students do not have. I still am faced with getting over the, "How are they feeling being told what to do by a white guy?"....syndrome. I think through the mutual love that will grow between me and the students, that feeling will go away.

Finally, one group is focusing on cooking foods from other cultures. Today was Mediterranean day...yup...my people recognized!