Working the african way
These couple of days have been pretty eventful.
I am feeling more and more at home even though it is still a bit lonely in my house. But this week end the other volunteers have arrived and are still arriving today so it’s getting a bit busier over here. The volunteers are still staying at Buccaneers, the backpackers across the lagoon, so it’s always very empty and quiet when i come home. But Nomakweze, the housekeeper moved in today and she went shopping as well…so it’s getting better and better!
Work is starting to pick up as well. Today I visited 3 of the 4 schools i will be working with and I got to talk to the teachers. They are all very happy to be part of the project.
The project itself is kind of chaotic yet and I see a lot of responsability on my shoulders once it actually kicks off. It’s just that everything is kind of slow and unplanned- truly the african way. I like it but it’s pretty inefficant…Don’t even bother to be on time for a meeting…half an hour late is very common. I would love to be working on the preperation of the teaching materials, but it depends on so many other people i can’t get hold of…So I just sit here and update my blog :). That’s how one works here.
Yesterday I had a huge surprise when suddently Kuno stood in front of me…Kuno is a Zimbabwean guy i had met when Isa and me first arrived in Durban in Fevruary. We ended up traveling with him and Franziska (@franziska: merci für dini nachricht, het mi u gfreut! würklech e cooli überraschig! schad, dass du nid o drby bisch gsi und vor allem hätt i gern no chly mit em Kuno gredt…isch viel ds churz gsi!) for 4 days and had a great time…And now we meet again, so cool!
I met 2 lovely American girls as well, i hung out with them the whole weekend and it’s been really nice. Only sad they left again.
but there are loads of nice people around working at Buccs and volunteering with me so it’s cool.
Tomorrow we will go on a trip on the wild coast and I get to go too…for free, hehe…the others are paying….nice one!
Wednesday i will finally get some flatmates. Right now there are germans, dutch, canadians and australians on the programme and 6 more people arrived today…looks like a nice international bunch.
i think of you people a lot. Thank you for all the nice, encouraging and interesting comments! keep ’em coming!
Tags: Travel
sonjahofstetter
Danke für die “Extra-Erwähnig” :-)), i wird es denn au no am Kuno zeige. Wär au gern debi gsi, aber ebe, me chan nöd alles ha!
A dere Stell au ganz en herliche Gruess a d Isa!
Machs guet und witerhin vil Geduld für de afrikanische Arbetsstil (hihi, dä erlebi jo au grad echli mit)
Franziska
Hallo Sonjan
Cool vo Dir chönne z’läse und z’ghöre! Hesch no meh Föteli? De chame s’ech dä Ort no besser vorstelle. Mir skype de gli wider, gäll?Liebi Grüess us Bärn wo’s no immer uwarm isch!
Pa
dear sonja…..nrnrwhen i read ur report of ur latest experiences it feels like they would be mine…one has to get used to the african way of working isnt it? sometimes it was really encouraging cause the improvment went so slowley….but in the end of the day i still felt useful….cause sometimes it was more important to love and hug the children than teaching them math or so….or how do u feel about this?im sure the children in ur school love u and they re enjoing it to work with u…nri m really sorry that i waited so long to answer ur email….i was so grateful when i got ur email and i actually really wanted to meet u again before u left for s.a. but i just couldnt make it…but hopefully we can meet up next time when u r in switzerland…and by the way i found a room, its quite big and in the middle of the town…freistrasse….i hope u r doing well and i ll hear from u soon….please write me if u prefer emails or if i write in here…..love angela