The post you all have been waiting for

The view of the Land of 1000 Hills from our house

Akhona, aka Shrek Baby, hanging out with the older kids

Lindo yelling at Akhona for almost knocking over his tower

The two shyest boys in the class

Akhona playing on the swing

Toddler 2 room at 1000 Hills Community Helpers

Lindo the little ham of the group

Twins Anele and Kwanele

Okuhle on the tire screen

Kids eating breakfast, it was cold that day so they left their jackets on

Akhona aka Shrek Baby climbing 

Anele on the slide

More pictures to come :)

Janine as a Teacher

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Matt and I travel to a part of the Valley called Molweni, a rural township, to a Zulu school called St. Leo Primary School.  The school has about 800 learners (South African word for students) from grade R to grade 7 who speak Zulu as their native language.  We are teaching oral English to grades 3 to 7 and I personally teach grade 6 on Mondays, grade 4 on Wednesdays, and the lovely grade 7 on Fridays.  Kevin and Matt teach grade 5 on Tuesdays and the adorable grade 3 on Thursdays, which includes quite the stories when they come home.  The school itself is separated into 5-6 different buildings that each house two or three classrooms, a small library where we teach, and an administrative building where the principal and assistant principal have a small office.  
Every morning there is an assembly where all the learners line up in rows according to grade and gender in front of one of the buildings.  The assistant principal, Themba, or one of the other teachers leads the group in some songs and morning prayer followed by announcements.  Matt and I always try to get there in time to see this assembly because it is a great way to start our day of teaching and be present for the learners to show that we care and are committed.  After the assembly, we fight through the sea of students to get to the library/our classroom.  The library building is shared between our classroom and two grade R classrooms, one on either side.  The class that we share a door with has a really good teacher and the learners are always well behaved and doing something with the teacher, Thule.  The other grade R teacher on the other side is very lazy, extremely obese, and doesn't do anything with her students.  Those learners are always screaming, running around the classroom, and not doing any work.  Most of the time the teacher doesn't even show up to school/leaves early.  There have been multiple times that either Matt or I have had to go yell at the learners for being too loud when we are trying to teach our class.  There is a teachers union at St. Leo that causes teachers like this lazy grade R one to still be able to stay at the school and get paid because no one wants to rat her out for doing such a poor job.  Its quite the messed up system that neither Matt or I understand but someday we might have to say something if the ridiculousness continues.  Unfortunately, this is not the only crazy thing about St. Leo.  Have you ever wondered why things are the way they are? Well at St. Leo's there is no logical answer for anything.  Last week one of the grade 2 teachers, who we never met, passed away from cancer which is very sad but the whole school was messed up because of it.  Each day the kids have a 30 minute break from 10-1030am and last Monday the teachers had a meeting during that time to plan the memorial for the teacher but instead of it taking 30 minutes, it took 2 hours and all the kids were running around the school grounds with no supervision.  Of course we didn't know what was going on until we tried to round up our next class and couldn't find any teachers let alone the learners we needed.  Needless to say, the rest of the week was a disaster with the three hour long memorial service during the school hours on Wednesday and just random "early releases" for the other days.  Since the teachers have an union, they are allowed to do what they want but last week they closed school early way too many days when they could of had the services or meetings after school hours so the kids could actually learn that day.  Sad thing is on a normal week, the learners run wild for a good portion of the day or if they are in their classrooms, who knows  what they are actually doing/if they are learning anything.  The school has no set schedule/times and the days that each grade has our English class, the rest of the day is considered to be a "free" day for the learners and students.  Now I will say there are some good teachers in the school that try and teach the kids and are dedicated but most use our English days as a time for the kids to run around.  For example, on Wednesdays when we have grade 4, there are two different classes (4M and 4F) that are split into 4 classes each.  So we usually have 4M group A, B, C, D and then 4F group A, B, C, D which works out well for us because its orgranized but when we have 4M group A, the rest of the kids are running around/maybe in their classrooms just talking and not doing any work.  It is very hard to find the kids for the next class/have them come in at the right time but Matt and I are going to try to give each teacher a schedule of names and times we want the learners to come to English class which hopefully will work.  

Ok enough with the complaining. Each grade has some kids that are great and sort of at the level they need to be at but most of them are way below.  I always have to remind myself that English is their second language and remember how hard it was for me to learn French when I was in junior high.  Another thing about the school that is frustrating is that the school doesn't start teaching both oral and written English until grade 3.  So the grade 4 we have on Wednesday have only had one year of English before they came to us.  Luckily the kids that are more "advanced" most likely have a parent or relative that speaks English at home which has helped them excel.  The other kids who don't have someone like that are starting from scratch.  For grade 4 we have taught/reviewed the alphabet, colors, food, shapes, and basic pictures.  We have used the An African ABC book multiple times and tried to get them to pronounce the words correctly like A is for ant, A is for apple, B is for banana, C is for cat, etc.  Most of the book is useful but some words are ridiculous like V is veranda and Q is for queue which I barely know what it is, how the heck are they supposed to know?? 

Grade 6 on Mondays is much better but we tried to give them a test this week and last week which all but about 20 bombed completely.  This was partially our fault because we threw together a test that had contradicting directions that were confusing.  In the first part they were supposed to underline the noun, circle the verb, and put a star over the adjective but then the next section they had to circle the adjectives that described the underlined noun.  It was very confusing for most of the kids and we realized this within the first two classes but it was the only test we had so we tried to help them as much as we could.  There are about 18 learners who got an "A" on the test which made us very happy/proud that we taught something well.  We are going to make them the advanced group and teach them separately which will hopefully prepare them for grade 7 and eventually high school.

Friday we teach grade 7 who are going to high school next year and need a lot more preparation then we thought.  There is a group of about 10 learners that are advanced but most of them are below average.  One of the unique things we will be doing with this group is talking to the advanced/maybe "B" students about going to high school next year and making sure they fill out the appropriate paperwork.  There are three different high schools in the area that these kids will go to: Hillcrest High School, Wybank High School, and "the blue school" which is the local township high school near St. Leo that wears blue uniforms.  Each year, two grade 7 learners are given full scholarships to go to Hillcrest High School which is primarily white and very competitive.  There are 3-4 learners that Matt and I think could go to Hillcrest and maybe 10 that could go to Wybank.  Brother Craig who lives next to us helps out with the grade 7 advanced kids and helped with the scholarship process last year and will help this year as well.  He has shadowed our grade 7 classes a couple times and has given us some helpful tips for ways to set up the classroom and teach different levels.  Obviously Matt and I have been drawn to the advanced kids and there is one in particular that is easily the smartest learner in the school.  His name is Ntuthuko and is actually the grandson of the Gogo (grandmother) we take Zulu lessons from on Fridays.  His vocabulary, writing, and speaking are incrediable and he is always excited to participate and curious about learning.  One Friday after class he stayed after and looked at a book about mummies and started asking Matt questions about the book that no other classmate would even comprehend let alone ask about in English.  We would love for him to go to Hillcrest on one of the scholarships but unfortunately he has some behavioral issues because he got kicked out of a previous school.  Even though we don't know many details, his aunt Themba (also the assistant principle) has talked to us about his bad behavior and definitely doesn't want to give the scholarship to him.  Matt and I completely disagree and are going to try and fight for him but unfortunately the cultural and family issues might stop him from being able to get the scholarship and go to a great high school.  I will keep you all posted more about him and all my other adventures teaching English!


South African Fact: People like to walk along the highway and cross traffic on the high way at any time of day. This is obviously very dangerous and extremely stupid but they still do it.

Boys will be boys

Every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday from 3:30-5pm the four of us drive 20 minutes on the highway to St. Theresa's Home for Boys.  There are about 75 boys living there in 8 different cottages.  I think the younger kids have more boys in each cottage but the ones we work have between 6 and 10.  Each of us is helping with a different cottage.  I have cottage 3 which consists of eight boys that are 5th and 6th graders.  Each of my boys have very different personalities but all of them are very vocal.  Their names are Sihle, Seluleko (we call him Spider), Minenhle (we call him Chakie), Phlani, Llwellyn, Lyle, and Thobani.  Sihle always has homework and on Thursday, I helped him with his spelling words which were pretty hard.  He got most of them and the test was Friday so I’ll find out tomorrow how he did.  Sihle came to St. Theresa’s in 2009 when his mom died (not HIV/AIDs) but was at St. Thomas Home before he came to St. Theresa’s.  Spider is quite the character and calls me Auntie all the time.  He always likes to talk and never has any homework because he goes to a different school than the other boys; although one day he did have to write “I will not be late to class” 200 times!! Thank God I never had to do that! Spider has a 20 year old sister who lives near Durban and came to visit the other weekend.  He also told me he has a 25 year old brother and goes to his Grannie’s house for holiday (Christmas).  Chakie always has homework/class work he didn’t finish so I often help him if he needs it but most of the time I’m trying to get him to pay attention and focus on his work instead of talking to everyone else. He came to St. Theresa’s in 2004 and was raised by his auntie and dad before he came to the home.  I think he said his mom died as well but I didn’t ask how.  Phlani is the “cool” one who is always drawing instead of homework or when he’s done.  He’s definitely the comedian of the group. One time he asked me “YUU” and I responded with because God made me this way which was the right answer but he kept asking it to me to confuse/annoy me.  He thought it was the funniest thing ever and even did it to my roommates later that day.  Llewellyn is a tiny Indian boy with a strong accent that is really hard to understand.  His older brother Keegan is in Kevin’s cottage and speaks more clearly.  He is also very loud.  Lyle is rarely sitting down and doing homework but I did talk to him on Thursday and found out that his birthday is April 10^th so I told him I would bring in some cupcakes or cookies so we can celebrate our birthdays together.  Thobani just came to St. Theresa’s so I don’t know him too well yet but he is fitting in well. 

We are mostly there for homework help but sometimes the boys don't have any homework so we just talk with them and watch them play soccer if we go down to the field.  Some of the homework we have no clue about like naming the 9 provinces of South Africa and their capitals but Kellie and I have kids in the same grade so we are constantly going over to each other’s cottages to get the answers for the other boys.  All of the boys speak very good English which is a nice break from all the Zulu we hear at our other jobs.  There is an "Auntie" or "Uncle" for all the cottages that work 7 days a week and sleep in the cottages during their shifts so very similar to residential programs in the States.  None of my boys can spell the Uncle's name for my cottage which makes me think he's somewhat new.  Auntie Sithembile is the other one for Cottage 3 and she gave me a really cool bracelet made out of safety pins, beads, and hair ties that she made. It is too tight for my wrist so I can’t wear it but hopefully I can find some other creative way to use it. 

It’s sad that these boys are here but I think about the residential programs in the U.S. and it doesn’t seem as bad.  All of the boys are great to talk to and interact with and they’re all phenomenal at soccer! They are always “training” when they’re done with their homework and I think they are having a tournament against other boys’ homes in the area soon so hopefully we can go watch that on a Saturday.  It's always hard to have the energy/motivation to go to this work site after working all day somewhere else but once I am there, I love it.

South African Fact: Some of the kids at 1000 Hills have strings/rope around their waists.  Julie explained to me that they are a Zulu tradition that "keeps away evil spirits."  There is a whole ceremony that goes into it which is very expensive so not ever kid has one.  You have to slaughter a goat, sheep, or cow and feed 100s of people as part of the ceremony.  Zulu adults wear something on their left wrist that is the same concept.  The head teacher in my room, Fikile, has them.

The reason why I want to adopt an African child

For starters, I apologize for not posting an entry sooner but the internet at our house has been out for a week due to a storm we had last Tuesday.  We knew this was going to happen coming into it but we never realized it was going to happen this quickly.  So with that being said, sorry about not responding to emails/updating this until now. 

Living in Kwazula-Natal has been amazing so far and I have been learning a lot.  Driving was difficult at first but has gotten much better.  My job placements are terrific and I am enjoying everything South Africa has to offer.  We went to the beach in Durban last Saturday and already had a braai (BBQ) with some of our friends from the Kloof church we attend on Sunday nights.  We’re all happy that our social calendar is picking up and we hope to go camping sometime this month with our friends from Kloof. 

Now onto the actual blog.  Every Tuesday and Thursday, I drive about 15-20 minutes on a very windy road into the Valley in a car with no AC or radio (living simply right there) to a place called 1000 Hills Community Center.  I’m still trying to get my sense of direction to find out where it is in relation to our house/view but I believe it is behind a mountain that we can’t see around/over from our house.  The same Valley we see outside our house is the same Valley I work in but just a little further away (I think its Northwest but you know me and directions!).  The Valley of 1000 Hills is the whole area we are in and around.  The houses all differ in size, shape, and structure with some being huts or shacks, and others being nicer homes that are bigger and higher up in the Valley.  From what I understand, the lower you go in the Valley/further down, the “poorer” the houses and families are.  I put “poorer” in quotes because I have been told that some of the families in the Valley do have money and/or working parents/relatives.  The nicer houses sit further up the mountains and hills such as our house and property that is on top of Botha’s Hill and looks down into part of the Valley. (This whole concept of “looking down” at the people of the Valley has been discussed in our community already and will surely be discussed more in the future.  Hence that will be another blog topic.) 

As I pull onto the street where 1000 Hills Community Center is and then down the driveway, I am welcomed by people of all ages walking towards the Center.  There are kids who will attend the school, adults who will be going to the clinic and others who are there for a meal or just to be there.  The center itself does a lot of different things from a baby clinic on Tuesdays, an open clinic on Thursdays, a daycare/preschool, some basic trade classes, and a food parcel that includes a meal each day as well as giving out packets of food each day to families in need.  It is a pretty amazing place that was all started by a woman named Dawn who is known as “a mother to strangers” and the real founder of the center.  Dawn can be pretty overwhelmed at times which has caused for some butting-of-heads with past volunteers.  The first day Pat, the director, took us all there to see the site, things were kind of hectic and the person who I was supposed to talk to about working in the classrooms wasn’t there so we had to go back the next day.  Eventually we got it a tour of the classrooms and I was able to talk to Julie who oversees all the classes for the children.  I’m pretty sure there are over 1,000 kids in the school part of the community center which is fitting for the name!  There are six different class sizes based on age: 3 months to 1 year old, 1 to 1 ½ year olds, 1 ½ to 2 year olds, 3 year olds, 4 year olds, 5 year olds, and Grade R which is our kindergarten.  Each class is in a different room/building on the property.  When Julie first took us around to the classes and explained how they were set up, she mentioned that the toddler room (1 ½ to 2) needed some help which of course I was jumped right into with a big smile.  The first day we came to the site with Pat we drove up to a bunch of little kids playing outside with soccer balls in the driveway which we all thought were the most adorable kids we have ever seen and of course those are the same kids I’m working with! J  Julie explained to me that the head teacher, Fikile, came directly from a sugar cane field and had no experience teaching.  She also said that the other co-teachers (there are four others, plus me) didn’t know how to interact with the kids enough.  They thought that you didn’t need to interact with them until they were in Grade R which I found baffling but I just nodded my head and tried not to react.  Luckily Julie didn’t agree with this statement and wants me to help the teachers interact with the kids more by taking out puzzles and things that will keep the kids attentive but maybe also learn some basic shapes, colors, and manners.  This seems like a simple task but it’s very difficult when you a) don’t know the language and b) there are 46 (!) kids in the class.  All of the kids speak Zulu and so do the teachers.  The teachers know very little and broken English which is very hard to communicate with them but I have figured out simple phrases and motions/movements to interact with everyone.  Luckily, we are starting Zulu lessons soon so hopefully that will help me learn some basic words and commands. 

The amount of kids in the class is unbelievable but always makes for an entertaining day.  A typical day usually starts around 7:30am when I get there but some of the kids are already there.  Kids can come anytime between then and 8-8:30am.  For the past few days we have been changing everyone into their “uniforms” which are little while 1000 Hills tshirts and blue of pink shorts based on gender.  It helps to know who is a boy and who is girl so I can start trying to learn names (and how to pronounce them) but the process of changing every kid at the beginning of the day and then again when they go home is a little ridiculous.  Around 8:30-9 depending on the day we sit the kids down for breakfast which is like a porridge/cereal and a piece of peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Some can feed themselves while others can’t.  Most get it all over the place/themselves which is always funny but typical toddler behavior.  After breakfast, the teachers clean up, wipe down the tables and chairs and stack them in the corner of the room, and sweep the floor.  Next is usually play time which can consist of outside play or inside play with the puzzles.  The first day I tried to take a couple kids a time to a table and have them do the puzzle which worked well for a while but there were too many kids and it was taking too long.  The other day we put them on the floor which was even more of a disaster because each teacher can’t be with one puzzle and a small group of kids.  I’m hoping to find a better system but feel uncomfortable stepping over any of the teachers.  Lunch is the same process as breakfast but with curry and beans or fish and rice.  This is even more messy and quite the process.  Sometimes a couple of the kids will fall asleep during lunch or after they eat lunch but before their pudding which is pretty funny because they fall asleep in their chairs or with their head on the table.  After lunch we do the whole clean up process again and then its time for nap time.  Fikile lays down blankets and mats on the floor throughout the room and puts each child on their stomach in rows so they can sleep.  The kids usually sleep from 12:30-1:45pm depending on if they already feel asleep during the morning or if they just don’t want to sleep.  Then we help the kids change back into their clothes and I leave by 2pmish to get back to my house so I can go to St. Theresa’s the boys home with my roommates.  It doesn’t seem like we do a lot/it’s a long day but with 46 kids in the class, everything is a process!  It’s not hard work to interact with the kids because they are so adorable but I hope I will be able to help some of them interact more and learn more throughout the year.  The site is great so far and if you saw these kids you would no doubt fall instantly in love with them.  I know I sure did!  


Feel free to check out the 1000 Hills website: www.1000hch.co.za 

South african fact: The traffic laws aren't really traffic laws here.  This morning I was driving Kellie to work and an 18 wheeler pulled a U turn across four lanes of traffic on a busy street.  Quite entertaining that people let it happen!