I apologize for not posting anything the night of our arrival, but as you can guess- it was a pretty hectic evening. This entire post is being re-typed from my laptop; I now have access to the internet on the computers in the rec room at the boarding house. I still typed up an entry last night because I felt like I had to do it while everything was fresh! My laptop will not connect with the network here, so unfortunately, I cannot post pictures at this time. The students are very helpful and there is a possibility that it could change in the next few days.Sunday, June 19, 10 PM S.A. (4 PM Ohio time)
28 hours later, I am sitting down to write the first blog entry. After the thunderstorms in Atlanta, we took off an hour and a half late. The plane ride was relatively uneventful (thank goodness) and most students only slept a good 2-3 hours. They kept themselves busy making friendship bracelets, reading, and eating all the junk food they stowed in their carry-ons. We all got to sit together in the same section, which was really nice.
The last two hours of the flight, there was so much anticipation. The students started to stir, look out the windows at the coastline (finally!), and they even cheered when we landed. Customs was unbelievably easy to get through. All of the workers were dressed in street clothes, but had credentials. This confused some of the students, "Wait- is that guy here to meet our group? He works here?!?" yet we all made it in one piece.
It was GREAT to see all the smiles, hugs, and waves as the students met their hosts. It's amazing what Facebook can do! Everyone was so excited to see one another that they quickly departed for dinner. We will all meet up at school again tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM (1:30 AM your time) to depart for our tour of Soweto.
Now, the boarding school is where Mr. Kline and I are staying these two weeks... let me correct that: Mr. Kline and I, 3 male teachers, and 30 boys between the ages of 13 and 17. Yikes. It is a nice place, like a college dormitory, but a little weird for me! There is a kitchen, laundry room, rec room, workout area and the boys room in 3s or 4s. The boys are all VERY polite and I hope that they get used to me around here after a few days- interactions have been awkward thus far. I am extremely thankful that the students have such wonderful homes to stay in with their friendly host families- the communities around here are GORGEOUS!
While it is not "freezing" here, the hosts were right about one thing- the buildings are not designed for the climate. It is very cold and there is this weird ceramic panel on my wall that is plugged in to keep me warm (plus 2 very heavy blankets). The teachers said it is worse during their "summer" because there is no ventilation. I see this as a lose-lose situation.
Other fun things to point out: YES, the water DOES go down the drain in the opposite direction! The students were so eager to find out that they rushed to the bathrooms at the Jo'burg airport. Also, like England, they drive on the opposite side of the road and the driver's side of the car is opposite of ours. Last thing I learned today- there is an intense rivalry between Pretoria and Johannesburg. Sports continue to fuel it, but it all started because Pretoria was mostly Afrikaners and Johannesburg was mostly people of English descent. We heard a lot of Afrikaans and English spoken this evening.
Cheers!
28 hours later, I am sitting down to write the first blog entry. After the thunderstorms in Atlanta, we took off an hour and a half late. The plane ride was relatively uneventful (thank goodness) and most students only slept a good 2-3 hours. They kept themselves busy making friendship bracelets, reading, and eating all the junk food they stowed in their carry-ons. We all got to sit together in the same section, which was really nice.
The last two hours of the flight, there was so much anticipation. The students started to stir, look out the windows at the coastline (finally!), and they even cheered when we landed. Customs was unbelievably easy to get through. All of the workers were dressed in street clothes, but had credentials. This confused some of the students, "Wait- is that guy here to meet our group? He works here?!?" yet we all made it in one piece.
It was GREAT to see all the smiles, hugs, and waves as the students met their hosts. It's amazing what Facebook can do! Everyone was so excited to see one another that they quickly departed for dinner. We will all meet up at school again tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM (1:30 AM your time) to depart for our tour of Soweto.
Now, the boarding school is where Mr. Kline and I are staying these two weeks... let me correct that: Mr. Kline and I, 3 male teachers, and 30 boys between the ages of 13 and 17. Yikes. It is a nice place, like a college dormitory, but a little weird for me! There is a kitchen, laundry room, rec room, workout area and the boys room in 3s or 4s. The boys are all VERY polite and I hope that they get used to me around here after a few days- interactions have been awkward thus far. I am extremely thankful that the students have such wonderful homes to stay in with their friendly host families- the communities around here are GORGEOUS!While it is not "freezing" here, the hosts were right about one thing- the buildings are not designed for the climate. It is very cold and there is this weird ceramic panel on my wall that is plugged in to keep me warm (plus 2 very heavy blankets). The teachers said it is worse during their "summer" because there is no ventilation. I see this as a lose-lose situation.
Other fun things to point out: YES, the water DOES go down the drain in the opposite direction! The students were so eager to find out that they rushed to the bathrooms at the Jo'burg airport. Also, like England, they drive on the opposite side of the road and the driver's side of the car is opposite of ours. Last thing I learned today- there is an intense rivalry between Pretoria and Johannesburg. Sports continue to fuel it, but it all started because Pretoria was mostly Afrikaners and Johannesburg was mostly people of English descent. We heard a lot of Afrikaans and English spoken this evening.
Cheers!
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