You need to be secure

Today, after working at Tlamelo, we went to a football (soccer) game in Old Naledi. Some of the boys in my class, Standard 5, were on the team - it is a school team - so we went to watch our students play. Since several of us had students playing in the game we all went. They were all excited to have us there - their teachers! However, Jayne and I had to go and buy train tickets so we could not stay long. When we got up to leave the students were still warming up for the game and some of them stopped us. They told us that it is not safe for us to walk alone to the combi in Old Naledi. They said that there are thieves. "You need to be secure" is what they kept telling us. We tried to tell them that we would be okay and that we didn't have anything valuable on us - they checked our bags. Two of my students, Kagiso (ka-he-so: meaning peace) and Thapelo were very much against us walking alone. So the boys said we needed someone to walk with us and they got some of their friends to walk us to the combi station. One of them was Tebogo - another student in Standard 5. He took his job very seriously and held our hands the whole way to the combi and then helped us get on the combi and told them to take us to the combi station. He was not going to leave us there without putting us on that combi. He is only 12 and so sweet.

Pictures:

In the front right is Mosimagape or MooSix for short and in the back middle is Thapelo. They are both in my Standard 5 class and Thapelo is the one that always says that he is sad when I am not there - what a jokester.

Kagiso is on the right here; he is also in the Standard 5 class. He is the goalie for the team and tomorrow is his birthday - he will be 18. I wish he were smiling - he has a great smile.

The team photo. It was like school / sport picture day for them, they kept asking for their picture to be taken. None of us were able to stay the entire game, and last we heard they were loosing by 1. Although they play pretty well considering they don't even have a coach. I guess Jack got asked to be the referee 2 times today and the coach 3 times. We keep telling him he should take that on!
This is just one of many experiences that make me fall more in love with it here. It just warms the heart a little - and makes me smile. It seems like we keep having amazing experiences here - especially with people. Even today at the grocery store the man who stood in line next to us was incredibly nice.

The past week has been good as well. We have just gone to Tlamelo during the day, and I helped in Standard 5 on Monday and Wednesday. I have really enjoyed being in the classroom. I have come to realize that the teacher in Standard 5 is big on rewards and punishments. On Wednesday the students took an agriculture test and after I graded them the teacher gave the students who had the best scores a little piece of cake. And Thapelo - who is so sweet - gave a little piece of his cake to everyone in the class. Thapelo always tells me that it is a sad day when I am not in class. The teacher is also big on punishments because on Thursday - yesterday - the students had a religion test and they told me they all got hit (with the stick?). When I asked why they said that they all copied on the test! I told them that they shouldn't cheat. I don't like that they get hit, but I don't feel it is my place to say anything - different culture. At least she is big on rewards as well.

This week we also booked a lot of our travel plans! This coming Wednesday, the 25th, we will board an overnight sleeper train to Francistown and then a bus to Maun. In Maun we are going to see the Okavango Delta and we are staying at Audi Camp. While there we are going to go on a Mokoro day trip - which is a traditional dugout canoe through the delta. We are also going to go on a horse back ride around the delta and have a picnic!

In about 3 weeks, around July 11th, we are going to Victoria Falls. Again we will leave on Wednesday night and arrive on Thursday in Livingstone, Zambia. Only 3 of us are going on this trip, Jayne, me and Marinda, because the other half is going to see the Falls from the Zimbabwe side. While at Victoria Falls we are going to stay at Jolly Boys. We are going to check out the falls, I want to go bungi jumping!!! and we are going to do a day trip into the Chobe Game Reserve. There we will go on an open safari in the morning and then finish with a sunset / picnic boat ride on the water!

Our last week in Africa - before we fly home - we are going to Cape Town, South Africa. We have figured out where we are staying and many of the activities but nothing is booked yet. But it looks like it will be tons of fun! Some of the activities are climbing Table Mountain, the Cape Point tour and the all day wine tour! More information to come!