South Africa!

Where do I even begin? The last few days have been a complete whirlwind. I have been in three different continents in two days, and have been to four different neighborhoods and one township in the past three. I'm finally over my jet-lag however, and have enjoyed the last two days in my classroom with my 3rd grade students and am absolutely in LOVE with my host family :) I can't wait until I can upload pictures onto my computer and post them here and one facebook. Right now, I am in an internet cafe downtown, and am just really hurrying because it obviously costs money.

Anyways, I started yesterday in my classroom, and I absolutely love it, which is nice because some of my peers are having a hard time. I was switched from a 7th grade classroom to a 3rd grade classroom at the last minute, so I had to adjust for that, but basically it is the best. The students are so curious about everything, and want to know all about America and my family. They ask silly questions like if I know Eminem and Michael Jackson, but then they turn right around and ask things about Obama and how I feel about American politics. For 3rd grade, I think that's really good!

In class, all of the students know and are fluent in 3 languages. Xosa, pronounced Coo-Saa, which is a mixture of a language with clicks. It is so different to hear, and they laugh whenever I try to say a word. They also speak Afrikaans, which is one of the native languages here, and English as well. They asked me how many languages I spoke, and I was so embarrassed to tell them I only speak English. I'm trying to make them understand that this is the norm, but they are still surprised by it. I got to read and teach today however, and that always makes up for my embarrassment.

I am journaling every night before I go to bed, trying not to forget anything. It's unfortunate that I can't update this more often, I am hoping this will change as I get more adjusted to everything and learn  how to use the internet in my host families house better.

If anyone reading has any questions or wants to send me a facebook message, please do! It helps me in knowing what exactly to write about, and I'm sure that everyone wants to know some similar things and maybe even has some interesting questions. I keep reminding myself of the reason I'm here; to become educated on different educational practices and to learn how different students are taught, so me being able to answer questions my friends and family have about a different culture is all apart of this experience for me :)

Ok, have to hop off now! Love you all, many blessings!

Jen