The real deal

In addition to all the wild adventures (read: shark diving was the coolest thing I have ever done), a huge part of this study abroad program is service learning and school. My weekly schedule includes 2 classes on Monday and Wednesday: Gender and Development, and Theories of Social Transformation, and 2 classes on Fridays with the other students in my program: Leaders in Grassroots Education and Theology of Forgiveness. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I spend all day at my service site, The Saartjie Bartman Centre for Women and Children, which is a domestic violence shelter. (See website and history of Saartjie Bartman) Bridget, another Marquette student, is also assigned to the site with me. In the mornings, we usually work in the Creche, which is like a child development center, with children 1-6. None of the younger children speak English (most speak Xhosa, which means some have clicks in their name, which makes them particularly tricky to learn, and one speaks Afrikaans), and the older, school age children have a limited English vocabulary. We read stories (that no one can understand except for the pictures), do art projects and play and sing. I am working to help put some structure into their days including theme weeks. Tomorrow marks the beginning of ocean week! After lunch, we usually head to the office for our quick lunch break (I have to pack lunches nearly every day of the week. Luckily, peanut butter sandwiches haven't gotten too old yet) before spending time working on workshops. Bridget and I will be running 4 monthly workshops on diversity including religion and xenophobia, and art and expression workshops, details to be determined. We also sometimes attend other workshops, fold donated clothes or stock other donations, watch babies that are too young for the creche, conduct CV or computer skills lessons, and have office hours as after-school tutors. At the end of the day, we can return to the creche where some of the school aged children have joined us for end of day fun. By the time we leave, Bridget and I are usually tired, dirty and a little sticky. I am eager to learn more about the program and start working on all the things that I am passionate about or that need to be done.