1st Week of Classes

Moloweni (Hello all in Xhosa),

I am here to update you on the last couple of days, but before I do that must mention the events from last weekend. Last weekend we went off to Worcester (a little over an hour away from Cape Town) for team building exercises and workshops. While we were there we did ropes courses and had talks about our service sights. It was an extremely nice set-up and the food was great. The first night we were there we had a braii (BBQ), roasted marshmallows, and played games like charades. That night was when we found out the worst part about Worcester. That was the cold. It got extremely cold at night and in the morning, because Worcester is further inland. However, the weather improved as the day went on. The next day we talked about our service projects and where we did the ropes course. The view from on the ropes course was beautiful. The last day we climbed the rock wall and had our final discussions about our service sites. So the trip was an overall success.

We have had our first week of classes this week. I am really enjoying my Xhosa class we are practicing quite a bit even in our off time. Our clicks and pronunciations are still off, but we are getting there. Our social research methods class seems interesting or as interesting as it can be. Our professor appears to be very knowledgeable and she is extremely nice.

I also met with the Equal Education and Young in Prison service sites. After talking with both groups I think I will be working at the Equal Education doing some form of policy work. It may seem boring but I think this is the best way to make a difference with my set of skills. So I probably will be starting on Monday.

Today I do not have anything scheduled, but tomorrow I have a lecture on Understanding Cape Town. This is a series of lectures about the history and culture of Cape Town. That is then followed by an excursion to the Slave Lodge and Castle.

Well thats it. Nothing too exciting at the moment.

Hamba kakuhle.

-Pat