An Attempt at a Concise Update

When we last spoke of living arrangements, I was living with Gogo,
Rorisang, and Maschaba in Makapanstad, North West, South Africa. Since
then, I have moved to my permanent location with a new family. Here is
the lineup:

Father - Vho Marevhula
Mother - Vho Valencia
Youngest Son - Fhedzani
Daughter - Nywasedza

There are two older brothers also. The oldest, Muketwha, lives just
down the path with his wife and daughter. The middle son, Mbidzo, is
studying electrical engineering in Johannesburg.

Since my arrival, I have been in observational phase (will talk more
about in a future post) at two schools. The one school is right at the
bottom of the hill and is a 4 classroom school with 75 learners grades
R-7. This means there are two grades for each classroom and one
teacher. Can we say ability grouping?  The other school is a 4 km
walk. This school has 250 learners grades R-7. My week is split
between the two with Wednesday being the rotating day.

A normal day starts at 5am. If I don't have to wash clothes, iron, or
walk to my further school,  I will spend the first hour reading. From
6-7 is bucket bath, shave, and Jungle Oats. I get to school around
7:15.  I greet all the teachers and cooking ladies that are present,
many are late due to transport.  My tasks have varied at the school
and will be talked about in more detail as mentioned above. At ten,
the school breaks and all students are fed.  This is usually some form
of maize served with beans or vegetables. No worries, pictures will be
posted soon. School then runs from 10:30 to 1:30. There is an hour
built in for afterschool activities.

Around 2:30, I head back home, bathe again, and take a 20 minute
siesta. I usually work for about two hours on plans then play soccer
from 4:30 to sundown with the local boys. At sundown, I return home to
eat dinner with the family. After dinner, I go outside to read. Nine
o'clock is Muvhango on TV. 9:30 is bedtime.

Some weekends, I go to Thohoyandou for groceries and catching up with
other volunteers. On Sundays, I go to a local school for Gunda Church
of Christ service.

Concise enough?  Keep smiling my friends.