Nearly A Month In

Cape Town is still going really well! I have almost been here a month now and I cannot believe how quickly that has gone by!

Life at the school has been fantastic! The children are filled with more energy than any other group of children I have ever met. When they eat, clean, sing, and play they are always loud and laughing. And although we do not speak each other’s language, they still invite me to sit in a circle with them and play. Doing activities with them has given me insight into their culture, which I never realized would happen. During free indoor play, the girls normally wrap dolls around their backs (the women here carry their babies on their backs and I still have not figured out how the babies stay there!) and cloth around their hair. One or two girls sit in the middle and take classroom toys and create instruments as the others stand in a circle around them. Then the girls all start to sing and dance around the circle. While the girls are singing, a group of boys cooks up “food” in the kitchen area and serves it to me and other classmates. Sometimes some children will play taxi and “take us” to other places around Cape Town. I really love being around them! They continue to surprise me every day, which is the great thing about children. They truly deserve more credit than they are given.

One of my new favorite spots is a dog park that is just up the street from my house. It is a beautiful open field next to a llama farm and horse pastures.  The best part about the park is that right in the middle are two swings, one wooden and one tire, hanging from a gigantic tree—I bet you can guess my new favorite reading spot, huh? Seriously, who doesn’t love swinging?!  Within one minute of swinging I busted into a fit of giggles as my swing twisted and I spun around getting dizzier by the second…which never stops being funny apparently. Here I was, by myself, in a giant field, laughing and kicking my feet…playing. I quickly reverted back to the mind of a child, spinning until I got dizzy and seeing from which spot I could kick the furthest, because it was innate. Every time I go to the park I see other adults, some with children and some without, doing the exact same thing. Clearly the people who designed this swinging station knew what they were doing!

Over the weekend I went to the open house of a Waldorf school in the area. The school is beautiful! It is on a farm and the school grounds are centered around this giant play yard. In between the classrooms, which are recycled from truck backs, there are smaller playgrounds and gardens. I got to learn more about Waldorf education there, including how it applies to older students. The part that I found the most interesting is their time for crafts. The students get over an hour each day for crafts, which vary between sewing, painting, wood working, metal working, basket weaving, or working on a project. Sounds pretty fantastic, ya? Well, in addition to being fantastic, it also strengthens the student and teaches them about patience, determination, staying with something, goals, and it empowers them because in the end, they hold something in their hands that they did themselves. As someone who sews, I couldn’t agree with that feeling more. It is great being able to hold up a skirt, knowing that it was only a piece of flat fabric before. With the younger students, the part that I found most interesting was the storytelling part of the curriculum. Every year has a different them through which their stories and lessons surround. Each theme focuses in on emotions that those children feel at that age and the events that they might experience in their lives. Through stories, both historical and non-fiction, they can relate and learn to overcome challenges that they might be facing. And if you are thinking that you are too old for stories, let me tell you one. Last week the other volunteers and I, who range from 18-22, sat down on the floor while our house mother read us a story. We closed our eyes and listened to her speak in dynamic levels, as if she was talking to younger children. And not one, single one of us thought it was silly.

It’s starting to warm up a bit here. I am now used to the strange August winter weather but I keep wanting to wear my chacos and shorts. The wild flowers are starting to come out and the area is absolutely stunning! There are wild lilies all around my house and the trees are starting to get leaves. I am so happy that I get to witness two springs this year! J

First Couple of Days Here

Well, after a looong journey (2 long flights and a 10 hour layover) I have reached Cape Town!! Hurray!

When I first got here I stayed with the woman who runs the non-profit, Work for Love, that oversees the school that I will be working at. She picked me up from the airport and said that since we were running late (my flight got in an hour late) that we would have to go straight to “the sharing.”  The sharing is when Waldorf teachers from different schools gather together so that they can swap ideas and share what is going on in their school so far. I was super stoked to jump right into my project and pushed aside any remnants of jetlag that I had.

When we got to the school I was stunned. The small campus was intimate because everything was set up with natural surroundings in mind. There was a small school but there were also classroom pod type things—almost like cabins. They all surrounded a lovely playground which was composed of natural elements and recycled materials. When I walked into the classroom I was ready to drink the Waldorf Kool-Aid.  I immediately saw two women knitting, one woman dressing a doll with a knitted outfit, natural materials all over the classroom, and simple play materials. What I have learned about Waldorf classrooms is that they are not loud. Now I am not saying loud in the sense of noise, that is not the case, my classroom today was very, very loud. I mean loud in that the colors are soft, there are no learning posters on the walls, and the elements that the children play with are not plastic toys, but rather blocks, dolls, clothes, kitchen ware, and natural elements. The women sat in a circle made up of children sized chairs. In the middle of the circle was a log with a candle on top and beside the log was a small vase containing a flower. Needless to say I felt like I was in the right place.

The meeting was fantastic! It was so great to be among teachers who are so passionate about teaching children, swapping methods, and play. We even got to play during the meeting, which was great! I learned three games to play with the children. And the best part, the children learn different things through each one. One game worked on verbal communication, another practiced memory and recognition. The amazing part was that as we were playing, the teachers kept saying things that the children could do differently in the game to strengthen another skill. The icing on the cake was eating homemade bread that the children made IN THE SCHOOL’S OWN BREAD OVENS! Yes, bread ovens plural, they have two. It was fantastic and delicious!

That night I went with the family to a barn dance as a fundraiser for Work for Love. I was not sure what I was getting into going to a barn dance. In the states I would consider myself an active contra dancer so I was intrigued about what the South African adaptation would be. I walked into a room of people wearing cowboy hats and boots, which I honestly didn’t think were even produced outside the U.S., and county music blasting through the speakers. Since I have never been a big fan of country music, despite being raised in the South, I found it pretty funny that it followed me to my first night half way around the world. I took it as a good omen. The caller called us to the floor and I jumped in, excited for the dance. Quickly, my enthusiasm turned to giggles and hilarity. The man said, “Alright, now you take three steps right, now three left, now back…” I bet you know where this is going. Are you having flashbacks of middle school dances? You are correct; the caller was teaching us the great Western line dance called the “Electric Slide.” Well, in South Africa the Electric Slide is a line dance and done to “Achy, Breaky Heart.”  The rest of the night went the same way and I couldn’t help but feel at home. I was relieved and blessed that something that could have been so difficult (being away from home in a new place) was comforting. J

Today, I went to the school for the first time. The school is in a township where about 40,000 people live. The school is small, with about 24 students, but grand in spirit. The school is so great and lovely. It has two classrooms and a shared play yard. What I love most about the school is that over half of the children’s day is dedicated to play! How awesome is that?! In between every activity or meal we played! I am so excited about spending time at the school!!

After the school day I came back to move into my new home. I moved into an old farm house, and I mean farm house. It is the oldest home in the area and has a gorgeous thatched roof and garden. I am living here with two students who work at another Waldorf school AND the woman who owns the house is a Waldorf teacher trainer, hurray!

Cape Town is beautiful and I have been so blessed to have already met such wonderful people! I am so excited to be here!!