Africa - Week 3

The time seems to be flying by!! I can’t believe how fast the weeks have been going!! This week has been amazing; again! So many things happened this week that I could go on forever!! I am working at Capricorn Primary School teaching Art to Grades R through 5. In the states it would be Kindergarten to 5th grade. I see four to five classes three days a week. Each class has about 32 students and depending on the age we spend 30 minutes or one hour with each class. When I was preparing for my trip I purchased quite a few materials for the class as they have little to no budget for projects. I have learned how to make use of EVERYTHING!! I was thinking of projects to do with the kids and came up with animal masks to make from paper plates. The head teacher liked the idea so I did it!! It was so fun!! The kids loved the project!! Not all of them made animals, but they were very creative. It was so great to see the smiles on their faces when we were finished. I’m not much for having attention from a large crowd, but it was so cute because at the end of each class the head teacher would have all the children look at “teacher Erica” and say thank you to me for making this project possible for them. I felt embarrassed at first, but then I was so happy to be able to put a smile of the children’s faces if even for only a small period of time. Here are some photos from the project:

I also had the opportunity to meet a family in the township I am working in and see the living conditions inside their “shack”. I met an elderly lady named Rosy. People in the township call her “Aunty” Rosy. I was able to make dinner for her one night and went into the township and give it to her. She had told some of the nearby children and they had come over to have some food. I was later than they had expected, but once I arrived they all came over to try some “American Style Food”. I made a casserole of chicken, cheese, and broccoli!!! It tasted just like home and made me a little homesick I must admit. The living conditions are quite meager in the township and have really given me and opportunity to reflect on all of things I have in everyday life that are often taken for granted. Here is was a typical shack may look like. It is probably in total close to the size of one small bedroom in an average single story house in the states:

I have also had the opportunity to attend the church of my faith in Cape Town and have met an amazing family!! They are the Hawthorne’s; Tony, Michelle, and daughter Thalia. They have been so generous and kind to me in the short time I have gotten to know them. I am so grateful for them and I hope to remain in contact with them for a very long time. I actually spent the weekend with them and flew to Johannesburg to go the temple for my church in Africa!! This was one of the most exciting things I have done on my trip overall. My religion is one of the most important things to me and very close to my heart. I am so blessed to have been able to experience the things I have and to see the temple. For members of my faith Temples are very sacred and we try to attend them as often as we can to perform sacred ordinances. Back in the states I live a mere 8 miles from a temple and I can attend it at least one time every month, if not more. In Africa it is a very different circumstance. The country is close to being considered third world so majority of the residents here live in very humbling circumstances. There is also only two temple for the entire continent of Africa; one being in Johannesburg, South Africa. Many of the members of my faith do not have the resources to fly here or drive as often as I am afforded in the states. I met a man at church services one Sunday and he exclaimed to me how fortunate I was to live so close to a temple. I had asked him when the last time it was that he was able to attend the temple and he told me it was nearly 5 years ago. I was really humbled by this man. I indeed am blessed to live with the freedoms that I have in the United States and I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to go to the temple in Africa. Here are a few photos of the temple:

This has really been one of the best weeks~es