Just after I posted my last update, I realized that I pretty much only talked about all the negative things about South Africa. There were plenty of amazing things about my time there too.
Even though we had a class of 50, Chris and I made a lot of progress with them. Every morning, they write in their diaries about what they did the day before or that very morning. In the beginning, they didn't write very much and they often used the wrong verb tenses, but by the time we left, most of them were writing at least a page a day with correct grammar!
I could even see a change in the kids in the homework club. Especially with a boy named Shawn, who knew the alaphabet, but didn't know the sounds the letters made. Two of the other volunteers worked with him everyday, and he now understands the letters and their sounds.
Outside of volunteering, I had plenty of fun. On one of the rainy days, our project coordinator took us through Wynberg (literally translates to wine mountain), for a few wine tastings. It turns out I'm quite a fan of the Sauvingon Blanc variety. We had a tasting contest where the team that correctly guessed the different flavors in the wine (ie. peppery, melon, nutty, etc.), got to sit in the front of the truck, rather than the oh-so-uncomfortable back. My team won, but I still ended up in the boot.
All in all, South Africa was an incredible four weeks, and I really miss all the other volunteers and my host family!
Also, sorry that I haven't been updating much. I've been quite busy, but I really will try to post more often!
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