Day 4

Today was our first day working with the students of Roseact's Saturday school. It's a short, 5 minute walk from our hostel and we absolutely loved it. It was the first day wearing our blue GIEU shirts designed by our very own Margaret Hitch (snaps), a few of us are wearing the shirts in the picture below. Once there, we were broken into groups of 4 and divided among 3 classrooms. Some of us aided teachers with a room full of students and others led a small group of older students, getting more comfortable using various computer programs. Upon reflection we agreed that despite the different experiences we all had, today we felt that we really bonded with the students and couldn't wait to come back next Saturday. Some highlights include the kids teaching us more words in Zulu, seeing the kids' faces light up when they learned something new, and having time to play some group games with them at the end of the day.

After leaving Saturday school, we stopped at the hostel for a break before heading to a restaurant nearby: Spur's, which contained not only delicious American food but awesome milkshakes. We were looking for a place to watch a well talked about soccer match between two local teams but we ended up talking and joking through dinner and barely noticed the game on TV.

Day 2- Constitution Hill and Our First Visit to Alex!

This morning we awoke again to brilliant Johannesburg sunshine and the sound of birdcalls unheard in the northern hemisphere.  After another wonderful breakfast on the patio, we piled into a tour van and headed towards downtown Johannesburg.  Outside the windows, patches of yellowed grass paved the sides of the roads and city-goers passed by bundled in winter jackets.  It's still hard getting used to the idea that it's wintertime here, especially when the landscape is studded with flowering cacti and palm-like trees.

We were dropped off at Constitution Hill, a former prison complex on top of a hill in downtown Jo'burg that has now been converted into a museum/historical tour.  Our guide Amo led us through the exhibits, which detailed the history of the prison, and the conditions in which black and coloured prisoners had to survive within the prison walls.  The prison has had a dark past, and walking through the tour felt a bit like a tour of a concentration camp.  One memorable moment was seeing the graffiti on the backs of the doors of the isolation cells, where prisoners were exiled to as punishment for bad behavior. Another exhibit that we all found interesting was a room that detailed Ghandi's experience in South Africa.  It was in this country that the great peace-maker first created the idea of Satyagraha.
After the tour, we hit up Nando's, a South African fast food chain, for a lunch of spicy chicken and chips.

In the afternoon, we again all piled into a van and headed to Alex, the township in which we will primarily be working, for the first time. We were traveling through the township just as school was letting out, and the streets were flooded with packs of children, still wearing their school uniforms and strapped with backpacks.  Along the side of the road, many people had set up stands offering haircuts, car washes, and various food items.  The streets were alive with people and as far as we could see, houses and shacks piled up against one another.  The center for Child Headed Households was located just a bit outside of Alex, in a quiet area that looked out over the township.  We were given a quick tour of the house where some of the kids live, and then of the resource center across the street, which was painted with a brightly-colored mural and had a fairly sizable vegetable garden planted out back.  After a few moments of confusion, we were split up into two separate groups.  Some of us went to the children's house to work on desktop computers with older students, while others stayed at the resource center and worked on laptops with a group of children whose ages were more widely varied.  At the children's house, we went showed the students the basics of using Microsoft Word, Powerpoint and Paint.  At the resource center, we helped students with geometry homework, worked with kids on a game that aims to teach kids to type, and played a fun game outside in the sun.  After a few hours, it was time to head back.  Our visit was short, and a bit unorganized, but we felt that it gave us a good taste of what we might expect to be doing in the next few weeks.

As we drove back through Alex towards home, we were able to see down the hill from the streets and look out across Johannesburg.  With our iPhones and cameras snapping away, the sun began to set in the distance, and day two came to its end.

DAY 1

After a whirlwind of a flight, our first steps taken on South African soil were unseen.  Customs, luggage, and a pick up from the airport took a little while so we missed the sunshine.  After a surprisingly frigid night, we were finally able to look out the window to see the Johannesburg sun.  We hit the mall to grab some necessities.  I think we all expected to see a different demographic at the mall.  All we saw were Whites shopping and Blacks working.  We also noticed the work ethic among the employees which was quite admirable.  After a few meals, we realized we were not in the States anymore.  The food is good but there are many different seasonings and sauces used to prepare.  After our first full day, the group reflected.  We all talked about our first impressions of our living accommodations and decided that it would be more comforting if we slept four to a room instead of two.  More people to a room causes more heat to keep us warm!  As for the city itself, I think we are all getting a feel for it.  At times, you can look at your fellow student and catch them in a trance and they are probably envisioning the mark they want to leave on the beautiful, welcoming land.