The Real PE

It’s been two weeks and I’m loving PE more and more every day. Despite the fact that we’re cursed and glass windows and doors break at the snap of a finger, everything else is falling into place. The initial culture shock is finally subsiding and we are getting into the easy groove of beach living. Internet is up (although it is taking a big chunk out of my bank account) and living without air conditioning is not as bad as it sounds—life is good! (“It’s Lekker!”).

That brings me to our school, Sapphire Road Primary. It is located in a colored township (refers to those who have mixed heritage) about forty minutes away on the outskirts of town. When we first visited it was hard to control my emotions. I felt this emptiness in my stomach as we drove through the barbed wire fence to a dry, infertile and run-down schoolyard. Of course, I asked the obvious questions to myself, “How can these poor kids live like this?”. But no sooner than we stepped out of the van did my attitude change. The kids were so excited to see new faces and their joy was magnetic—all I could think about was how I would plan trips for the future. We were introduced to volunteers from the community, local moms and dads who donate their time and love developing a positive and safe environment for their youth; working in the garden, cleaning the grounds, assisting teachers…and all for the benefit of giving back to their community in hopes of giving their children a better life. On school grounds is a clinic run by members of the community where it seems the most effective remedy for a hurting child is a little bit of love. There is also an area of the school called Emmanuel House where students with HIV are provided care and a positive learning environment. And we think America has issues…

One of my favorite parts of the school is the volunteer-led food program. (duh) Each morning, women from the community arrive at the school early to prepare a warm lunch for the students—Kindergarten-7^th grade, four to five classes per grade and 30-40 kids per class—you do the math, because I really don’t feel like it right now. And in a township where this might be the only meal these students eat in a day, it is a true blessing to see such commitment to building up youth in a township that would be seen by most Americans as hopeless. This place is anything but. The school also has a few gardens, which obviously caught my attention right off the bat. Prime harvesting season has passed, and the soil is very poor, but with the help of the volunteers they plant what they can—they even created a make-shift hydroponic garden house—although it was blown down by the strong winds. I’m hoping to bring my green thumb to the school and get things going for a fall garden! The community has rallied together to make Sapphire “A True Gem” (Yep, I said it-and I meant it.)

 I am teaching in Ms. Joseph’s Grade 3 classroom of 37 rambunctious nine and ten year olds. She is a blast! Just the other morning I walked in and the kids were singing hymns. They proceeded to lead the rest of the class in traditional African dances and we ended with freestyle pop-hip-hop dance. For REAL. That’s how I got to start my morning. I have only taught for two days, but I’m already falling in love with the students. They start the morning with the Lord’s Prayer. All the students chime in together, “Good Morning, Teacher! Good Morning All!” Another Grade 3 teacer then says, “And what kind of vibes do we feel today?” In unison, the students did a right-to-left wave motion with their right hands and sing, “Good Vibes!!!” How cool is that. It’s really cool.

 Most of them are these little sponges just dying to soak up everything you have to say. One of my students (names are still a struggle—but I assure you after this week I will be on top of it) came from another township school where she only spoke one native language (again, I can’t remember the name of her language). After just four weeks at Sapphire, she is picking up on English and Afrikaans and absolutely amazes me with her talents. While her academic skills are obviously behind those of some other students, her ability to take control of a room is just fantastic—she led the students in a song and dance the other day and killed it! I can’t wait to see where she ends up at the end of this term.

Bradley, our advisor for the term, is a local Port-Elizabethan and I couldn’t ask for a more positive role model for this experience. He has HUGE ideas…and they all revolve around the community coming together to appreciate what they have, and to use positive and well thought out plans to help these communities succeed. Handouts? Hell no. Bradley is all about building up these townships through working with what they have. The first day, I wanted to give them supplies, give the class my rand—but Bradley has helped me see that is not what they need. They don’t need to be of the mindset that they are entitled to handouts. They are entitled to everything they can work for. In a town where unemployed people make more money begging for handouts than some working double-shifts for next to nothing, the last thing we need to do is lead them to believe handouts are a way to success.                  My favorite part about Bradley is his purpose. He says everyone needs a purpose, and his purpose is to serve. And boy does he do it—ever so humbly. I can only strive to be as selfless and confident as he is. We need to create smart business plans to give the communities what they need, not what they want. Money works for a time, but we need to develop plans, successful plans, to put this money into action where it is needed most. They want a police station? What good will that do if we don’t work on the infrastructure of the town surrounding that police station? Build up the community in a smart and concise manner and if this succeeds, the rest will follow. I don’t explain Bradley’s ideas as well as he does, but all I can say is it makes sense.

My goal is to plan a way to create a dining area for the students (they currently eat their community provided lunch in the open-air hall outside their classrooms). Nothing big, just some picnic tables and thoughtful planning—hopefully with the help of Bradley!. But I know as long as I keep my mind focused I will at least play a part in pushing the school in the right direction. Bradley brought up the spekboom (spelling?). It’s an indigenous bush/tree that is a favorite among the local elephants. It can even be grown by cutting off a branch from one plant and shoving it in the ground elsewhere. Now that is AWESOME. How much cooler does it get? Hopefully we will be able to plant some of these around the clinic so that the area is more aesthetically pleasing. And it’s bringing back indigenous plants to a nation that has been bombarded with alien plant life over the past two hundred years. I REALLY want to bring a bunch of art supplies to the school and have a class project where we paint the fences surrounding the clinic as well. Who doesn’t like painting? And who wouldn’t light up with a smile upon seeing the amazing artwork of beautiful children. My brain is churning with ideas. Three months doesn’t seem so long anymore…

Pictures and videos are coming! I have to go to a coffee shop for downloads because the internet is ultra-pricey down here. But if I can say one thing about this experience thus far, it is that I can already sense the affect it is having on my soul. Africa truly is the heart of humanity.