I would like to take a survey:
How many people have prayed for the opportunity to do math?
Yeah, that's what I thought, no one. I'm pretty sure no one ever prays for more math. But, that's exactly what I did Monday night.
The students who did not pass their math exams in December have the opportunity to retake the exams this week so they can officially graduate. Since procrastination is the name of the game here they are all panicking. Several girls have come to me for help. The problem is that the only time they could come were the afternoons when I am crazy busy with my other classes. They had come to me knowing I would help them but it turned out I couldn't. I was too busy and this upset me. The States is the place to be too busy, not here in Africa.
So, Monday night I prayed that there would be an opportunity to tutor these students. Yes, an opportunity to do geometry, algebra and trig!
There is construction happening at Kuyasa which is causing some additional chaos. It got to a point today that we could not hold our first session of classes. I wasn't going to have anything to do when a girl walked into the Learning Center wondering if I had time today to help her. And I did! When I was done helping her another girl walked in needing some help and wondering if I had time. And I did! Her work schedule was rearranged this week and she has tomorrow morning free so we're going to do 3-4 hard core hours of studying in the morning, also.
My busy schedule melted away when I needed it to.
It was a plain, simple and obvious answer to prayer. I serve a very cool God!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Contrast
black vs. white
poor vs. rich
soccer vs. rugby
bare feet vs. designer sandals
shack vs. house
pap vs. steak
majority vs. minority
Xhosa vs. Afrikaans
I spend my weeks with one of South Africa's poorest communities. I take kids and students into my arms who are abused, raped, orphaned, abandoned, hungry, sick and tired. They are my loves. They get me out of bed in the morning. I run around for hours a day doing life with my African family. I am exhausted and dependent on morning coffee but would have it no other way. That is Xhosa life.
This weekend I fully experienced the Afrikaans life. A friend from Pneumatix won a contest for a free "Girl's Night Out" in Cape Town on Friday night. I had to go out and get something to wear and we had a night on the town. There was a fashion show, popular South African bands, a live DJ and dinner. They wined-and-dined us until we were content.
These two worlds contrast each other in every single aspect. I have yet to figure out how to blend them together. I'm not even sure if these two can be blended. The entire time I was in Cape Town I was uncomfortable. I wanted to pull my hair back into a pony-tail. I wanted to take off my heels and run around bare foot. I wanted to trade in my dress for jeans and a t-shirt. I wanted to trade lifting my fork full of classy cuisine for lifting a child. I was also distracted with concern for my kids. Here I am having a high class evening when I know some of my kids in Kayamandi didn't eat after school and others are being abused by their fathers.
Then I was forced to think: Am I here to "experience South Africa" or am I here to love, nurture, teach and encourage? The latter is what I chose. It is nice to have a weekend to get-away, to refresh after adjusting to a completely different world the past 6 weeks, but I did not come here as an American tourist on a feel-good holiday. I willingly left the comforts of a land of wealth to get dirty, to laugh, to cry and to live the Xhosa life. This might be a case of "you can take the girl out of Kayamandi but you can't take the Kayamandi out of the girl." I have committed to the world in Kayamandi and it has become a part of me.
We are told to follow Jesus' example. My summary of the example He left is this:
My God left the splendor and glory of Heaven. He left the community with His Father to lower himself to a mere human. He could have lived in a Roman palace and become king over everything but He chose to live with the poor and needy. He sacrificed absolutely everything for me.
That is what I am created to follow. It may seem that this lifestyle contrasts with everything in the Western culture. But all it says is to take the mindset of a humble, obedient servant. I firmly believe not every person is to go to Africa or a developing country. God did not put that desire or call on very many people. I'm also not saying that the Western world is bad by any means. In fact, I think it is very good most of the time. But there are definitely 2 contrasting worlds available; the one of contentment and apathy or the one of acknowledgment and action. These two exist in every world. I suppose these are the thoughts I will carry with me if I ever go back for a night out in Cape Town.
peace.
poor vs. rich
soccer vs. rugby
bare feet vs. designer sandals
shack vs. house
pap vs. steak
majority vs. minority
Xhosa vs. Afrikaans
I spend my weeks with one of South Africa's poorest communities. I take kids and students into my arms who are abused, raped, orphaned, abandoned, hungry, sick and tired. They are my loves. They get me out of bed in the morning. I run around for hours a day doing life with my African family. I am exhausted and dependent on morning coffee but would have it no other way. That is Xhosa life.
This weekend I fully experienced the Afrikaans life. A friend from Pneumatix won a contest for a free "Girl's Night Out" in Cape Town on Friday night. I had to go out and get something to wear and we had a night on the town. There was a fashion show, popular South African bands, a live DJ and dinner. They wined-and-dined us until we were content.
These two worlds contrast each other in every single aspect. I have yet to figure out how to blend them together. I'm not even sure if these two can be blended. The entire time I was in Cape Town I was uncomfortable. I wanted to pull my hair back into a pony-tail. I wanted to take off my heels and run around bare foot. I wanted to trade in my dress for jeans and a t-shirt. I wanted to trade lifting my fork full of classy cuisine for lifting a child. I was also distracted with concern for my kids. Here I am having a high class evening when I know some of my kids in Kayamandi didn't eat after school and others are being abused by their fathers.
Then I was forced to think: Am I here to "experience South Africa" or am I here to love, nurture, teach and encourage? The latter is what I chose. It is nice to have a weekend to get-away, to refresh after adjusting to a completely different world the past 6 weeks, but I did not come here as an American tourist on a feel-good holiday. I willingly left the comforts of a land of wealth to get dirty, to laugh, to cry and to live the Xhosa life. This might be a case of "you can take the girl out of Kayamandi but you can't take the Kayamandi out of the girl." I have committed to the world in Kayamandi and it has become a part of me.
We are told to follow Jesus' example. My summary of the example He left is this:
My God left the splendor and glory of Heaven. He left the community with His Father to lower himself to a mere human. He could have lived in a Roman palace and become king over everything but He chose to live with the poor and needy. He sacrificed absolutely everything for me.
That is what I am created to follow. It may seem that this lifestyle contrasts with everything in the Western culture. But all it says is to take the mindset of a humble, obedient servant. I firmly believe not every person is to go to Africa or a developing country. God did not put that desire or call on very many people. I'm also not saying that the Western world is bad by any means. In fact, I think it is very good most of the time. But there are definitely 2 contrasting worlds available; the one of contentment and apathy or the one of acknowledgment and action. These two exist in every world. I suppose these are the thoughts I will carry with me if I ever go back for a night out in Cape Town.
peace.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Sigh
Deep breath.
A sigh is usually the result of exhaustion, stress or being overwhelmed...all very adult emotions. A deep sigh along with a meditation of "in with the good, out with the bad" and some coffee can keep a busy adult going for a long time. Yesterday I was absolutely exhausted. I packed the past couple days full with teaching, tutoring, leading, loving, encouraging, running, coloring and dancing. I caught myself sighing frequently; probably because I was so tired I forgot to breathe :) The point I want to make is sighing is something "grown-ups" do.
After my preschool class I was watching the kids play. I felt little hands grab my pants and a head against my knees. Although it wasn't with the usual defensive tackle force the kids muster up when running at me, I nonetheless expected to look down at a beautiful face shining back at me with a smile. But, instead, I looked down to find a little guy no more than 2 1/2 years old, not coming up much past my knees with his head hung low in a position of defeat. He was gripping onto my jeans with a sense of desperation. I grabbed his hands to encourage him to look up at me. His demeanor did not change. His arms were held up in my hands but his head still hung low. I knelt down to his level hoping he would now smile at me but his head still hung low. Finally, after a few encouraging words, he looked up at me and sighed a deep sigh. His eyes looked as tired and worn-out as I imagined mine to look. The only difference is that my little man is 2 years old. This absolutely broke my heart. Tears started forming in my eyes as I pulled him into my arms. What does my man go through every day to make him come to a point where he looks more like an adult and sighs as if his life is wearing him down? So, I held him in my arms as he gripped my shirt and buried his face in my neck.
I am disappointed this is all I can do for my little guy. I can hold him, rock him and speak words of encouragement, love and promise but I can not make his life easier. I can not make sure he gets 3 square meals a day. I can not make sure he is in a warm and comfortable bed by 7:30. I can not make sure his nose is wiped and his hands are clean. I can not remove his burden. I can not.
Luckily it doesn't end with me
Come to me all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
A sigh is usually the result of exhaustion, stress or being overwhelmed...all very adult emotions. A deep sigh along with a meditation of "in with the good, out with the bad" and some coffee can keep a busy adult going for a long time. Yesterday I was absolutely exhausted. I packed the past couple days full with teaching, tutoring, leading, loving, encouraging, running, coloring and dancing. I caught myself sighing frequently; probably because I was so tired I forgot to breathe :) The point I want to make is sighing is something "grown-ups" do.
After my preschool class I was watching the kids play. I felt little hands grab my pants and a head against my knees. Although it wasn't with the usual defensive tackle force the kids muster up when running at me, I nonetheless expected to look down at a beautiful face shining back at me with a smile. But, instead, I looked down to find a little guy no more than 2 1/2 years old, not coming up much past my knees with his head hung low in a position of defeat. He was gripping onto my jeans with a sense of desperation. I grabbed his hands to encourage him to look up at me. His demeanor did not change. His arms were held up in my hands but his head still hung low. I knelt down to his level hoping he would now smile at me but his head still hung low. Finally, after a few encouraging words, he looked up at me and sighed a deep sigh. His eyes looked as tired and worn-out as I imagined mine to look. The only difference is that my little man is 2 years old. This absolutely broke my heart. Tears started forming in my eyes as I pulled him into my arms. What does my man go through every day to make him come to a point where he looks more like an adult and sighs as if his life is wearing him down? So, I held him in my arms as he gripped my shirt and buried his face in my neck.
I am disappointed this is all I can do for my little guy. I can hold him, rock him and speak words of encouragement, love and promise but I can not make his life easier. I can not make sure he gets 3 square meals a day. I can not make sure he is in a warm and comfortable bed by 7:30. I can not make sure his nose is wiped and his hands are clean. I can not remove his burden. I can not.
Luckily it doesn't end with me
Come to me all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Feet
When I was little, I knew it was a quality day when I would have to go into the bathroom, sit on the edge of the bath tub and wash my feet before doing anything else. Somewhere in the growing up process we decide it is better to wear shoes and avoid the dirt. Well, I've returned to the joys of childhood! I have to wash my feet every night before going to bed...it's a great feeling! One of the great things about this place is that you aren't looked at funny or asked to leave if you don't have shoes on. And, since I've never really liked wearing shoes that much, I take advantage of the no shoe acceptance. If I must put on some sort of foot wear I pick flip-flops, which don't really keep the dirt away any better then bare feet. Running in the sand court, walking around Kuyasa or going for walks at Pneumatix make my feet look well used. And if we aren't going to let our feet take us on adventures or build relationships, then what a waste of perfectly good space! Free feet just makes life more enjoyable...there's a sense of enjoyment and care-free actions when my feet can breathe.
I read The Foot Book with my preschoolers today, complete with actions and dancing. Bet you never thought about the dances that can go along with Dr. Seuss' masterpiece! But the dances are there and can keep a 4 year old's attention for about 5 minutes. Those 5 minutes are about 4 1/2 minutes longer then the normal attention span, so I count it as a victory!
It wasn't until tonight that Dr. Seuss' profound words in The Foot Book made me think:
"Oh how many, many feet you meet!"
You might not think of these words as profound, but they really are. Many feet have crossed my path and my feet have crossed many paths in the last several weeks. What a great privilege! These feet have taken me up mountains, up stairs to a Learning Center filled with eager (and rambunctious) children and youth, through doors to a kitchen full of food for 200 hungry kids, along the ocean and into the lives of countless people; many of them with feet that can tell stories of hardship, pain, hope, joy and love. The places and people my feet have taken me will forever change my life. They have led me on treks discovering my passions and gifts, evaluating my worldview's relevance in a new context and making me aware of what and who I truly love. Who knew feet could do so much?!
As I'm falling into my routine at Kuyasa I want to challenge myself to recognize the moments that my feet bring a new friend into my life, give me an opportunity to love a child, bless me with a soccer game or take me to a quiet and restful place.
Oh how many, many feet you meet!
I'm going to go wash my feet now and go to bed!
love.
On a completely different note:
I wanted to inform you of a support option in addition to my last post. An account has been set up for me at my church. For a tax deduction, a check can be made out to Haven Church. It can still be mailed to my parents
Scott & Ann Kuiper
5863 Chandra
Kalamazoo, MI 49004
100% of the funding will still go to me but this offers you an option for a tax deduction that is not available if you make a check out to me.
I read The Foot Book with my preschoolers today, complete with actions and dancing. Bet you never thought about the dances that can go along with Dr. Seuss' masterpiece! But the dances are there and can keep a 4 year old's attention for about 5 minutes. Those 5 minutes are about 4 1/2 minutes longer then the normal attention span, so I count it as a victory!
It wasn't until tonight that Dr. Seuss' profound words in The Foot Book made me think:
"Oh how many, many feet you meet!"
You might not think of these words as profound, but they really are. Many feet have crossed my path and my feet have crossed many paths in the last several weeks. What a great privilege! These feet have taken me up mountains, up stairs to a Learning Center filled with eager (and rambunctious) children and youth, through doors to a kitchen full of food for 200 hungry kids, along the ocean and into the lives of countless people; many of them with feet that can tell stories of hardship, pain, hope, joy and love. The places and people my feet have taken me will forever change my life. They have led me on treks discovering my passions and gifts, evaluating my worldview's relevance in a new context and making me aware of what and who I truly love. Who knew feet could do so much?!
As I'm falling into my routine at Kuyasa I want to challenge myself to recognize the moments that my feet bring a new friend into my life, give me an opportunity to love a child, bless me with a soccer game or take me to a quiet and restful place.
Oh how many, many feet you meet!
I'm going to go wash my feet now and go to bed!
love.
On a completely different note:
I wanted to inform you of a support option in addition to my last post. An account has been set up for me at my church. For a tax deduction, a check can be made out to Haven Church. It can still be mailed to my parents
Scott & Ann Kuiper
5863 Chandra
Kalamazoo, MI 49004
100% of the funding will still go to me but this offers you an option for a tax deduction that is not available if you make a check out to me.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Partnership
Hello once again!
This isn't how I would prefer to have this conversation but I have found myself with a problem. All of my financing was in progress before I left. It was not completely finalized but I was reassured that it would be. However, some problems arose and I no longer have any funding. I am continuing on with my ministries, trusting that my God will come through and I firmly believe I am supposed to be here. As you can tell from my other posts, I have fallen in love with the beauty of God's creation I am so fortunate to be in the middle of and have formed some really great relationships with kids and students. I ask that you prayerfully consider partnering with me by supporting me financially so I can keep my 5 month commitment in Cape Town.
There are several stories in my other postings but here are two other experiences that have touched me so far...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have always felt God's presence when out in His creation. The intricacies and unbelievable details and care He fashioned into this world are breath-taking. Cape Town is one of, if not the most, beautiful places on earth where God's handiwork is on display. The wonderfully blue sea is surrounded by exquisite landscapes of mountains with vineyards rolling through the valleys. I can not fully express the phenomenon I get to look at everyday! The first week I was here I went up to Gordon's Bay Dam with some Pneumatix staff. It is up in the mountains overlooking the sea and all of Cape Town. The storm was rolling in over the mountains and it was a privilege to witness!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As part of Kuyasa's Learning Center ministry, school supplies are passed out so the kids who normally won't have supplies have something to take to school. One girl who came was obviously from a struggling home. Her clothes were too small and she was very skinny. She later told us she lives with her sister and her parents are not around. Kayamandi is a poor place to begin with and her situation is made worse with an unstable home life. After the mass of kids getting school supplies left, we asked her to stay for a few minutes. I went to retrieve some bags of clothes and we were able to find several outfits for this student and she was so excited about it! Later, another staff member told us this student had come running down to her to show off her new wardrobe with exclamations of joy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is a deep ache in my heart for these kids. They get me out of bed in the morning with excitement to face the world. The blessings in my life are overflowing! It is much more that I deserve but I promise you I will do my best to glorify God while I am here.
So, please consider supporting my ministry. I will need aboiut $15,000 to cover my flights, room, food, transport and personal supplies for the 5 months. It's more than supporting my basic needs. It's allowing me to use my God given gifts to, hopefully, impact a couple kids' lives and change my life forever.
Please make checks payable to me and mail them to my parents' house:
Ann & Scott Kuiper
5863 Chandra
Kalamazoo, MI 49004
They will deposit everything directly into my account.
Please feel free to email (nora.kuiper@gmail.com) or facebook me with any questions. Or just to say hi :)
I want to reassure you I am having a great time despite this issue. I also sent out an email with this information and my parents are sending it through the mail. Please do not feel like you are being bombarded because that is not my intention. I am purely trying to reach as many people as possible.
Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement! It means a lot to me!
Have a great weekend!
This isn't how I would prefer to have this conversation but I have found myself with a problem. All of my financing was in progress before I left. It was not completely finalized but I was reassured that it would be. However, some problems arose and I no longer have any funding. I am continuing on with my ministries, trusting that my God will come through and I firmly believe I am supposed to be here. As you can tell from my other posts, I have fallen in love with the beauty of God's creation I am so fortunate to be in the middle of and have formed some really great relationships with kids and students. I ask that you prayerfully consider partnering with me by supporting me financially so I can keep my 5 month commitment in Cape Town.
There are several stories in my other postings but here are two other experiences that have touched me so far...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have always felt God's presence when out in His creation. The intricacies and unbelievable details and care He fashioned into this world are breath-taking. Cape Town is one of, if not the most, beautiful places on earth where God's handiwork is on display. The wonderfully blue sea is surrounded by exquisite landscapes of mountains with vineyards rolling through the valleys. I can not fully express the phenomenon I get to look at everyday! The first week I was here I went up to Gordon's Bay Dam with some Pneumatix staff. It is up in the mountains overlooking the sea and all of Cape Town. The storm was rolling in over the mountains and it was a privilege to witness!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As part of Kuyasa's Learning Center ministry, school supplies are passed out so the kids who normally won't have supplies have something to take to school. One girl who came was obviously from a struggling home. Her clothes were too small and she was very skinny. She later told us she lives with her sister and her parents are not around. Kayamandi is a poor place to begin with and her situation is made worse with an unstable home life. After the mass of kids getting school supplies left, we asked her to stay for a few minutes. I went to retrieve some bags of clothes and we were able to find several outfits for this student and she was so excited about it! Later, another staff member told us this student had come running down to her to show off her new wardrobe with exclamations of joy!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is a deep ache in my heart for these kids. They get me out of bed in the morning with excitement to face the world. The blessings in my life are overflowing! It is much more that I deserve but I promise you I will do my best to glorify God while I am here.
So, please consider supporting my ministry. I will need aboiut $15,000 to cover my flights, room, food, transport and personal supplies for the 5 months. It's more than supporting my basic needs. It's allowing me to use my God given gifts to, hopefully, impact a couple kids' lives and change my life forever.
Please make checks payable to me and mail them to my parents' house:
Ann & Scott Kuiper
5863 Chandra
Kalamazoo, MI 49004
They will deposit everything directly into my account.
Please feel free to email (nora.kuiper@gmail.com) or facebook me with any questions. Or just to say hi :)
I want to reassure you I am having a great time despite this issue. I also sent out an email with this information and my parents are sending it through the mail. Please do not feel like you are being bombarded because that is not my intention. I am purely trying to reach as many people as possible.
Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement! It means a lot to me!
Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The Children Are Coming! The Children Are Coming!
Hello from Cape Town!
Sorry I haven't updated this in awhile. There's been internet issues...This Is Africa!
First, and most importantly, Happy Belated Groundhog Day!
A lot has happened since my last post. I've decided to focus my time on Kuyasa. I will be spending Monday-Thursday at Kuyasa and Friday at Pneumatix. The programs began this week and it has been great! Kuyasa touches 300+ kids a day and it absolutely comes alive with them. In the mornings I've continued to tutor a couple guys who didn't pass their Grade 12 maths and physics/chemistry exams in December. Their exams are quite difficult and remind me a lot of an AP exam. It's been interesting to begin to understand the education system here. To go on to the next grade a student must pass exams at the end of the year. They don't call it "taking an exam" but "writing a paper." I initially thought they actually had to write a math paper or something like that and I couldn't figure out what they wrote about! For every subject there are 2 separate exams with each taking 3 hours to complete. "Pass" usually means above a 40%. I know these guys are smart. It is immediately obvious when you have a conversation with them. The problem is they aren't taught to problem solve or think independently. So, when they have to do that on an exam, the success rate isn't so good. For example, of the 85 Grade 11 students at Kuyamandi High School, 15 advanced onto Grade 12. There was the same passing rate at the other high school in Kayamandi. However, 100% of the students who attended Kuyasa advanced to the next year.
After I tutor I help prepare for the preschool-Grade 3 students to come. Before they attend class, there is a feeding scheme. Imagine, 250+ kids who just got out of school, are hungry, and are waiting for their only hot meal of the day! There's definitely a sense of organized chaos. Once the kids are done eating they come to the Learning Center and are split up into their classes. I am teaching the preschoolers...no easy task! Xhosa kids are first taught English beginning in Grade 1 so my kids, obviously, don't speak English and my Xhosa is horrible. I usually have a translator to help but yesterday my translator disappeared after 30 minutes of my 1.5 hour class! Now I had 25 crazy 3-5 year olds and they can't understand a word I'm trying to say. The pandemonium certainly motivated me to learn some more Xhosa! I really have no idea how to control that many crazy kids but I'm sure the Xhosa won't hurt.
After the preschool-Grade 3 classes, the Grade 4-7 and Grade 8-10 students come. I've been teaching the Grade 7 students. They are so much fun!!! We've been able to play some games and have competitions to get everyone involved and, theoretically, make math & science less horrible for them. I think it might be working...yesterday, after class, 6 kids stayed around to do more math with me!
In addition to all of this, on Monday nights I'm going to be a small group leader for a group called Women of Wisdom (WOW). The goal of WOW is to create strong female leaders in the community through the teenage girls. We're going to go through a study of Job which will, hopefully, allow the girls to be vulnerable and honest about their life experiences and build them up into strong and courageous members of the community.
At the end of the day I am exhausted but with every day I am falling more and more in love with these kids. There is something about a little guy running up to jump on you and give you a hug or a student saying "thank you Sis Nora, I understand it now" that makes the chaos and exhaustion so incredibly worth it! I was also fortunate enough today to walk around Kayamandi for a couple hours and really understand the situations and conditions my kids are living in. 20,000 people in tin houses, communal bath rooms and sewage running down the road makes me astonished my kids even have enough energy and stamina to go to school and get excited about everyday. But they do! Everyday they have a smile on their face that shines so incredibly bright!
It's been a fabulous week and I am so excited to go back tomorrow and do it all over again!
Shout Out Section
I thought I'd wrap up my red head theme...
Hi John!!! I was talking about Athletics with a couple kids and they were quite impressed I know someone who could jump over 2m. You're a legend!
Sorry I haven't updated this in awhile. There's been internet issues...This Is Africa!
First, and most importantly, Happy Belated Groundhog Day!
A lot has happened since my last post. I've decided to focus my time on Kuyasa. I will be spending Monday-Thursday at Kuyasa and Friday at Pneumatix. The programs began this week and it has been great! Kuyasa touches 300+ kids a day and it absolutely comes alive with them. In the mornings I've continued to tutor a couple guys who didn't pass their Grade 12 maths and physics/chemistry exams in December. Their exams are quite difficult and remind me a lot of an AP exam. It's been interesting to begin to understand the education system here. To go on to the next grade a student must pass exams at the end of the year. They don't call it "taking an exam" but "writing a paper." I initially thought they actually had to write a math paper or something like that and I couldn't figure out what they wrote about! For every subject there are 2 separate exams with each taking 3 hours to complete. "Pass" usually means above a 40%. I know these guys are smart. It is immediately obvious when you have a conversation with them. The problem is they aren't taught to problem solve or think independently. So, when they have to do that on an exam, the success rate isn't so good. For example, of the 85 Grade 11 students at Kuyamandi High School, 15 advanced onto Grade 12. There was the same passing rate at the other high school in Kayamandi. However, 100% of the students who attended Kuyasa advanced to the next year.
After I tutor I help prepare for the preschool-Grade 3 students to come. Before they attend class, there is a feeding scheme. Imagine, 250+ kids who just got out of school, are hungry, and are waiting for their only hot meal of the day! There's definitely a sense of organized chaos. Once the kids are done eating they come to the Learning Center and are split up into their classes. I am teaching the preschoolers...no easy task! Xhosa kids are first taught English beginning in Grade 1 so my kids, obviously, don't speak English and my Xhosa is horrible. I usually have a translator to help but yesterday my translator disappeared after 30 minutes of my 1.5 hour class! Now I had 25 crazy 3-5 year olds and they can't understand a word I'm trying to say. The pandemonium certainly motivated me to learn some more Xhosa! I really have no idea how to control that many crazy kids but I'm sure the Xhosa won't hurt.
After the preschool-Grade 3 classes, the Grade 4-7 and Grade 8-10 students come. I've been teaching the Grade 7 students. They are so much fun!!! We've been able to play some games and have competitions to get everyone involved and, theoretically, make math & science less horrible for them. I think it might be working...yesterday, after class, 6 kids stayed around to do more math with me!
In addition to all of this, on Monday nights I'm going to be a small group leader for a group called Women of Wisdom (WOW). The goal of WOW is to create strong female leaders in the community through the teenage girls. We're going to go through a study of Job which will, hopefully, allow the girls to be vulnerable and honest about their life experiences and build them up into strong and courageous members of the community.
At the end of the day I am exhausted but with every day I am falling more and more in love with these kids. There is something about a little guy running up to jump on you and give you a hug or a student saying "thank you Sis Nora, I understand it now" that makes the chaos and exhaustion so incredibly worth it! I was also fortunate enough today to walk around Kayamandi for a couple hours and really understand the situations and conditions my kids are living in. 20,000 people in tin houses, communal bath rooms and sewage running down the road makes me astonished my kids even have enough energy and stamina to go to school and get excited about everyday. But they do! Everyday they have a smile on their face that shines so incredibly bright!
It's been a fabulous week and I am so excited to go back tomorrow and do it all over again!
Shout Out Section
I thought I'd wrap up my red head theme...
Hi John!!! I was talking about Athletics with a couple kids and they were quite impressed I know someone who could jump over 2m. You're a legend!
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