Yebo
Trip Start
Feb 05, 2007
1
14
25
Trip End
Apr 28, 2007
Barberton,
South Africa
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
But I think I might have figured out how to get my pictures on this computer, in which case the title of this entry should be "I'm a genius". Let's see if it's true... Okay well there is a random sampling from the pictures I have been taking, and I hope it gives you a better idea of where I am and what I am doing.
Yebo, is a Setswatsi word meaning "yeah", or that would pry be the closest equivalent. People say it when they answer their phone as well as when they say yes.
A lot has happened and the clock is ticking on my Internet time so I think I am just going to throw out some random stories for now.
There is one other American girl living in the house, I guess for that reason we are always teamed up to make dinner. Last week I had the great idea to make burritos. It turned out we were the only two that even knew what a burrito was in our house, and not even the other Canadian knew what re-fried beans were. I know, I was as shocked as you are. So I found myself as an American trying to introduce Mexican food to a bunch of Europeans (and one Canadian) in South Africa. We made the torts from scratch which was pretty fun, and thankfully the other American girl knew what she was doing. There are refried beans at one local market in town, but we had to buy them ourselves because when we put refried beans on the shopping list they just bought us green beans.
"the location"
I was laughing listening to one of the English girls explain what a burrito was to one of the African guys that hangs out at the house. Who would have thought Mexican food has turned into something unique our continent? We are making them again tonight because they were such a hit last week.If we are taking over the world by exporting our culture I vote less Jerry Springer and more refried beans.
I have started to get the kids working on learning how to write their names and numbers. What an impossible task it feels to keep a five year-olds attention focused on a piece of paper for 30 seconds. I have learned a lot of things from coming out here and working with these children, one of them is that I don't want to have thirteen children all the same age... it is mayhem half the time. But the thing is even when i don't think what i am teaching is really getting trough progress is clearly made from week to week. That is one amazing thing about children, they learn so quickly and even though i hear much more Stewart's in a day they know more English words than i know Stewart's.
It is always entertaining going to the disabled center because i never know what is going to be happening. some days they are having a meeting, i don't know with who or what about, but i wait until they finish. other times there are public health workers showing up and doing check-ups with some of the people. One day they are moving in sewing machines and other days they are loading them on a truck to take them somewhere else. The faces in there change from day to day, i know all the regulars, and some people only come on certain days of the week. Most of the people were sewing today, and many of the men were missing, so I sat down and just worked on more counting with Bonginkosi.
This weekend will be my last one in Barberton since I am leaving on the 24th. I am going to a wedding party on Friday evening after work... I think I have worked it out and it turns out that Binki's great-uncle is getting married. On Saturday the church BBQ is happening and the baby shower. Both of those events have been canceled and re-scheduled no less than half a dozen times. I was getting phone calls at least once a day last week with the different dates... so currently I think that is what I am doing on Saturday, but who knows.
