Passion Takes Risk

October 30, 2010

Thursday after school I ran errands with my new South African Family :) We went and got groceries and to a craft/bead shop which was very nice. The grocery stores well and most larger shopping centers have workers who direct traffic, show where open parking spots are and help you back out, it is also similar to a security guard as they are supposed to watch your car for you, when you leave you pay them a small fee. The family I am staying with have had two cars stolen in the twelve years they have lived in PE.  Like most grocery stores in the US, someone packs your groceries for you, but you have to pay for plastic bags. I wonder if we will ever adopt that idea? So we bring the reusable bags to pack our groceries.  I helped pack the groceries but then was assisted by a worker who said if anything is packed wrong, blame it on the American! Haha I was just trying to help!

In South Africa, it is common to have maids in your home and I think at the home I am a guest in they come twice a week to clean, do laundry and other miscellaneous tasks.  They also have a gardener.  The family I am staying with is so generous in that they also send food home with their workers so they can feed their families as well as be paid.  It is so refreshing to know that I am fortunate to have met these people and be welcomed into their home. Could you imagine just taking some foreigner in and welcoming them to your home? I am so lucky (in so many aspects); otherwise I am not quite sure where I would be? Perhaps, on a plane ride home… Sometimes I think I have the strangest luck for some reason!

“Everything happens for a reason”

That quote is so common, so simple but I am pretty sure it was written for me. Every time something like this happens to me I often think of Mrs. Bassett and our strange luck of how I was placed in her room and became such great friends. I miss Cummings Elementary!

Sherryl, my host mom, (funny that my real mom’s name is Cheryl) cooked a wonderful dinner and we all sat together and ate.  We watched a little television and I showered and went to bed.  I sleep so comfortably here and it is very nice to wake up in the morning, enjoy a cup of coffee and head to school with Sherryl.  School is only 1 minute down the road! :)

Looking towards the street from my new home!

 The street their home is on

 Grade 1 Classroom

Friday at school the girls were excited for the weekend we were missing a few girls but the day went well.  I brought in my candy or ‘sweets’ for trick-or-treating and explained a little about Halloween. I showed them pictures of pumpkins Patrick and I carved together last year and explained that we still dress up for Halloween and go to parties. The girls all had a chance to share what they would want to be. It was so cute! We did a dot-to-dot pumpkin counting by 5’s and colored it orange. (Thank you for my membership at ABC Teach.com, GVSU!)  They then cut the pumpkins out and glued them to a larger piece of white paper where they drew what they said they wanted to dress up as.  It was so fun! Afterwards, they all got to choose a piece of candy or a sweet from me!

The picture I showed of Patrick and I last Halloween and our carved pumpkins :)

The girls working on their jack-o-lanterns!

After school I went home and dropped off my bag and Sherryl and her daughter aka my new lovely sister Melody and I went to a shopping center that had an event called Christmas in the Home, I think… It was like a parking garage converted into about 100 little shops full of homemade things.  Nice things.  I can best describe it as a flea market but not cheap or dirty.  They had anything there from fruit, cake, coffee, jewelry, clothing, art and so on.  I really liked a lot of the stuff but took business cards instead to purchase online if I really need to! I got some gifts for a friend  and Sherryl bought a nice painting.  It was a great experience. 

We got home and Sherryl prepared dinner to-go in a picnic basket.  She made burgers and we were heading over to a friend of theirs home who just had twins! They are just over a week old! Sherryl and her family are so generous and made a meal to share with them so they didn’t have to worry about dinner that night.  We sat and chatted there for a while and ate.  Afterwards, Sherryl and her husband, Dudley, drove me all around Port Elizabeth and I became more familiar with the area.  It was nice to see so much, and they have a great view of the city from the top of where their home sits.  I saw so much last night!

Today, I am going to hang out with Marvine we don’t have any set plans but just adventuring PE! She picked me at noon and we ventured to the local shopping centers as we looked for things to wear to Prize Giving this Wednesday.  Prize Giving is like an award ceremony for the school since we are coming to an end.  Logically, this is the end of the school year for SA.  The grade one students I have now will become grade two students in January. I have come at an awkward time as the end of the year is just around the corner.  Anyway, Marvine and I did not have any luck shopping, much with anything! I bought a pair of linen pants that a lot of people wear here and some leggings.  I also bought some full size shampoo and conditioner since I have been using just my little travel-sized.  The shops are nice and fair-priced.  A store called Woolworths, where  I bought my pants is like our Macy’s except it sells groceries as well! My goodness, Grandma Betty would love this store! Shopping with nice items from make-up, jewelry, home, and clothes AND groceries! Haha, it is quite nice! We walked many shops, found a lost boy and returned him to his father, saw a few students and ate pizza at a local restaurant called St. Elmos.  Americans beware, Crème Soda – A Product of Coca-Cola is not in fact what we think would be cream soda! It is in fact bright green and I cannot even describe the taste.  I can say that I probably will not be ordering it again.  Marvine is so nice to take me around PE I had such a wonderful time today with her!

"Creme" Soda

After that I got home and had a mini-Skype session with miss Amy Lynn and loved seeing her beautiful face! I am missing friends and their Halloween Parties but so happy to be a part of this family here. 

For dinner we all ate together and had chicken and veggies, it was delicious! Sherryl asked me about Thanksgiving and how we should cook for it! My mom would roll over laughing if she was here, me, cook Thanksgiving dinner? Oh dear… I have emailed my mom for recipes and I will celebrate Thanksgiving on Saturday the 27^th with my South African Family :)

I never showed you the way I plug my things in here either! haha 

I will keep you updated! Love you all and thanks for following!

Love,

Miss Godmar