Greetings all...

Sorry for the delay in my blogging. We have had a busy couple of days. On Saturday our group went on a day long wine tasting tour. We visited two different wineries which was actually really interesting. I can't wait to show you all of my skills! It was an interesting experience to be a tourist again after our week in Gugulethu. I was a lot more conscious of skin color when I was on the wine tasting tours. I actually found it more comfortable to be around a crowd of mixed races or even predominantly black groups than I found it to be surrounded by white people. I have never really felt that before. I have also never really been that aware of skin color as much as I was on Saturday. It is kind of an uncomfortable feeling.

On Sunday part of our group went shark diving (no I didn't go), while the other part went back to Sunday church services as JL Zwane. It felt like coming home again. We walked into the church, and we were greeted by the standard curious looks. In South Africa, you don't enter a room without greeting everyone there with a handshake or a hug. You also don't leave without saying good-bye to everyone either. So we walked into the eating room where most of the people were gathered. Rev Spiwo was talking to the people in the room, and Edwin came up to talk to all of us. When Rev Spiwo finished talking we were engulfed in people wishing to give us hugs and tell us how much they missed us. Our homestay families were there and insisted that we sit with them during the service. I was STILL meeting new people who wanted to hear all about my week in Gugulethu last week. I got to see Mama Thoko, a teacher from the Thembelathu school, a couple of our speakers, and our entire Gugulethu family. It was amazing. It honestly did feel like coming home again.

So I have been thinking a lot about the institutions that are in place in South Africa- particularly the education system. I think in the U.S. education is almost a right- quality education not necessarily as easy to come by- but for the most part, everyone has access to at least public schooling of some kind. In South Africa it is a much different story. While most of the people here go to school until grade 12, their schools face a lot of different issues. Teenage pregnancy is a HUGE problem because, as I said before, sex is the recreational activity of the poor. Also, after a talk with my host sister I found out that they don't have any sort of HIV/AIDS education in her school! In South Africa, HIV/AIDS is considered an epidemic because it affects something like over 30% of the population, and they don't even have two hours to talk about it in school? I was amazed at this. My host sister did say that they have a lot of posters up, and that it was almost annoying how "in your face" people were about it at times.

I was thinking about this as I was reading over my notes from all of the speakers that we had last week. Each one of them said that they key to helping the AIDS issue in South Africa is education. Education doesn't necessarily have to be in schools either. Our speakers also suggested different types of educational programs for different groups of people.

During our week in Gugulethu we had the opportunity to work with an after school program that took place at the community center. I think that it's safe to say that we were ALL really excited for that. So we are getting briefed on the different age groups and what they are working on before we enter the classroom, and the after school program coordinator made a comment about how her job is really hard because the teachers don't teach the students. They just give them homework and send them on their way. I was very intrigued by this comment. If the teachers aren't teaching anything in schools, they what are they doing all day? I went into the after school programs and it was very evident that they students had NO idea how to do their homework. I was teaching fourth grade math and they were learning about rounding numbers to the nearest 10. I literally made a number line for each of the students to learn how to round. So the students didn't know how to round and their addition and subtraction was a little off as well, but the root of the problem is that no one is teaching them anything. A little girl in the program got angry at TJ and I because we wouldn't give her the answers to her math problems. Her comment to us was that her teachers do it all of the time. Now, I'm not saying that this is true because kids will say anything to get what they want, but there is an issue at the heart of that statement. I simply told her that I would not give her the answers because that's not how the world works. If I don't teach her how to do it, what's going to happen when I'm not there to give her the answer?

This story has stuck in my head, and until now I couldn't figure out quite why. In a way we are all searching for the easy answer. As I sit here with some of my classmates trying to do our reading assignment for class tomorrow, we are all complaining about it because we just want Aaron to tell us instead of make us find the answers ourselves. Should I really be upset with that girl who just wanted the answers because that is what she has seen in the people before her? Am I really so much more enlightened than her? In some respect it is two different situations. I know how to do a simple math equation, so does that mean that I have paid my dues and should get the easy answers? What happens when there is no one there anymore to give me the answers? Is the ultimate education learning to teach oneself?

We also worked at Thembalethu School which means "our hope." It is a school for children with physical disabilities. It is actually the only school in the entire Western Cape that is for black children with disabilities. I was absolutely astonished by that fact. The school serves 180 students who wouldn't even go to school otherwise. We were all greeted by an all-school assembly when we entered. The choir sang for us, and then we were divided into different rooms/projects to help out. I was fortunate enough to get to go into the Speech room. It was really interesting to see speech pathology at work from a cultural point of view. There were 4 students in the room for the two hours that I was there. The students did not have the ability to talk so they were being taught how to use alternative forms of communication. It was a pretty funny moment as I'm trying to speak in the limited Xhosa that I know to children who can't really respond back. Regardless, it was a great experience that I am truly greatful for.

Those were the educational highlights of my trip to Gugulethu. I know that I didn't give you all a minute-by-minute account of my time in the township like some of the other students. You can read their blogs for that. I really am still processing it all. I want to keep somethings just for me and other things I just can't accurately describe.

We only have a few days left here in Cape Town. I tried to extend my stay a couple of days, but things didn't work out with the airlines. So I will be back in the states before you know it! I'm really excited to see you all, but I'm nervous at the same time. I have had an experience that has truly changed me, and it will probably continue to change me, and I am afraid that I can't go back to what I was. On the other hand, I don't want to go back to what I was either. You'll probably be getting an entire blog entry on my anxiety by tomorrow. For tonight, I am just going to enjoy myself. I am going to a karaoke bar...get excited!!!

Ciao for now :)