The Month of March

My Team for Sports Day

So much has happened! Sorry it has been so long since I last posted anything! I had started writing a blog almost a month ago and then my computer died so I lost it.  Then I started writing this one about 2 weeks ago but have not had internet since I started writing this so here it is (and then I will add about some stuff that has happened more recently):

It feels like it has been awhile since I posted anything.  There have been a few things that have happened in the last month.  Few things being that my computer died on me a few weekends ago; we had Sports Day at school; I went with a few teachers to observe a school in Durban; I have been a little sick with a cold, but that’s nothing new!
With my computer dying I was a pretty stressed.   I still do not understand what happened.  I was just listening to music and then the dreaded rainbow wheel started spinning.  Thinking I would just wait it out, but thirty minutes passed and there was still no movement other than the screen going black.  So I shut it down and it just started to get worse.  Because no one at the farm would have access to internet to check what was going on!  So I Whatsapped (an app where I can text my family and friends in Canada for really, really cheap!)  Tyla and asked her to google what might be happening and what to do!  I also messaged my mom and dad who called my sister who called someone who works for Apple, to see if they knew what to do.  But all we could figure out was that my hard drive or the cable to the hard drive had gone.

Birthday Party with the teachers :) We also celebrated
Jonas and Petunia's birthdays from January because
no one was here during that time.

So with the help of many others, I was able to take it in to an Apple store in Durban and get it looked at. I found out it was still under warranty so I left it there to get fixed!  Hopefully I will have it back within a week or so. If not I am sure I will survive a bit longer without it.  A big part of me is hoping it was just the cable that went because then there is the possibility that I will still have all my documents, pictures, videos etc. but if not that’s okay because I am just happy to have my computer back.  And with my pictures I have put many on facebook and also have not deleted them off the SD card yet!
Through this situation God has shown me that if I don’t put effort in to my relationship with him or the people he surrounds me with he can easily take away what it is that is distracting me from doing that.
(I have since got my computer back! It was my hard drive that crashed, so I have been trying my best to be okay with things being gone. And for the most part I am okay with it. I had be ‘ready’ to accept the fact it could be all gone. But it has still been hard to swallow the fact that I no longer have any pictures left from my years at Bethany.)

My plate of ribs! 1kg for 6 dollars
(or about there)

The Sports Day two weeks ago had been in preparation since the first week of school.  The whole school was split into 4 groups, the lions, springboks, leopards and the zebras.  Everyone had at least one student from each grade and 2 or 3 teachers.  I was in charge of the zebras (or what we actually called the tigers because the zebras was too weak of an animal) along with Mr. Mbyiwa and Mr. Makanda.  For weeks during our sports times on Thursdays we would all get into our groups and train.  Running longer distances, short distances and relays.  It was all fun and games leading up to the actual day.  One week when it was too hot to go running we even stayed inside and practiced chants to scare off the other teams.  We also got to choose what colours we were going to wear.
The actual day was fun and lots of competition.  I was put at the judges table along with other teachers from each team. And this was fun but it was also very stressful as my co-teacher for my group was difficult to work with.  He was constantly being disruptive and what I would have considered rude, but it could have just been all fun for him.

Nikki and I before we left to go zip lining!

The school we went to in Durban was an ACE school. ACE is the curriculum we use with the primary students. It was a good experience to see how other schools work but it is hard to apply exactly what they do in their school first because Hope Valley is a very low in-come school and our resources are very low and also because my students don't speak English like these kids do.  But it gave me a better idea of what I should be aiming for.

(Now here is my more 'up-to-date' part of the blog)

Getting my computer back was really great but I want to make sure that I am still intentional about spending time with the teachers.  I have been really enjoying that time in the evenings with them.  I often will watch a few soapies or what we would call soaps  with them in the evenings. And I have new been getting used to them and now can follow most of the stories. Ha! But spending this time with the teachers has been really enjoyable!

I have also gone running with them as well which has made me feel really good.  Its about an hour long run that we have been doing.  I will tell you the distance once I know! 

Birthday celebrations with MCC!

There was also a group from Canada here the past week helping in the class rooms.  It was really nice to have some fellow Canadians around! Though it also made it fairly hard too. I missed home quite a bit and it was difficult in the evening to be by myself.
I was able to celebrate my birthday with some of the teachers before I headed to PMB and that was so much fun! I really enjoy their company!

This weekend I am in PMB with the other SALTers for our second spiritual retreat.  Which has been good. Not just to see Lydia and Nikki. But also in have access to internet on my birthday! I was able to talk with my mom at 6:30 am and then the rest of the day was spend with Jim Johnson, Nikki and Lydia for our spiritual retreat. We then headed to a restaurant called Oscar's for supper where we had 1kg of ribs! :) After supper we came back to the prison and watch Sherlock Holmes #2.  There was also a birthday the day before for Atang, who was an IVEPer last year and who is now working in the MCC office here, so we celebrated both birthdays.

One of the lines we were about to go on!

So because we were stuck inside all day for our spiritual retreat on my birthday Nikki and I planned to go zip lining on Saturday to celebrate! This was a first time going and it was so much fun! We went to Karkloof Canopy Tour outside of PMB, it's the longest zip line in South Africa! I would defiantly suggest if you are in the area to go! :)


Until next time have a fantastic Easter with who ever you get to celebrate it with!