+076.jpg)
On Signal Hill, Town in the background
Hair Dying experience. Figure 1- FEAR (after it has already been put in.) Figure 2- No noticable change whatsoever.+069.jpg)
Dinner in the GAP wing... an awful picture of everyone except Sonia.+067.jpg)
Arcade Games at Grand West- This was a favourite.+061.jpg)
Skating at Grand West+053.jpg)
Camp's Bay side
The only picture I have of me in my surgery mask- the one of me in scrubs is on my phone and i can't figure out how to download it.Hello Everyone,
Back again for one of my last blog posts I think… hard to believe it is only 21 days till Mum and Dad get here and only 23 days of work left! I will probably write once more before the end of term and also put up pictures when I get home of the family travels.
Things have been crazy busy here since I last wrote- now that we are getting down to the wire we manage to keep everyday full of stuff and there really isn’t much down time for things like blog writing or university applications. The peace march we attended the night I wrote on the blog last was pretty amazing. It was in front of city hall here in Cape Town and it ended up that all the streets had to be closed down since so many people were there. It was nice because it really was a peace march and luckily didn’t become violent. Lots of singing and dancing and holding hands and posters. I took some pictures with my phone which I am trying to download- but some of my favourite signs were: “Hey my homeboy Zumer, (SA president) Why aren’t you home?” (He has fled the country since the attacks) and “Zenophobia- a little more ZEN a little less PHOBIA”. All the St Cyps girls were there holding up there signs and dancing- and as teachers we were all able to join in with them. Since then the protest the attacks have spread further into CT- some of the boarders have been threatened at the local mall and all of our security guards have pretty much lost everything. Luckily the school community has been amazing- many of the girls’ families have refugees living with them, loads of things are donated every day and the library is full of bags of stuff for the guards. I think pretty much everyone has been to volunteer at some of the refugee camps- delivering stuff, serving food or playing with the children. The bishops boys have been spending time at refugee camps making resumes for the people there to help them find work. It is unbelievably sad to see a country that has already been so traumatized stoop again to violence and racism but it is also incredibly hopeful since so many people are coming together and standing against it. It is truly a once in a lifetime experience for us to be here at this time and being able to do our bit to stop it.
The rest of the weekend was much less sobering and so much fun. Friday we went out with some friends for drinks at one of their apartments and then out to Claremont for “tie night” (wear a tie and you get in free!). Saturday we rolled out of bed bright and early and decided to do our epic day of walking from school to Camps Bay (about 1 ½ hours) then from Camp’s to Waterfront (2 ½ hours) and then Waterfront to school (1 ½ hours)- the things we will do to save on cab fare. Luckily we made a nice day of it by stopping for lunch at Camp’s bay and of course ice cream and then stopping at waterfront for a relaxing read and a drink at this new Starbucks-ish coffee shop we have discovered. Also marina and I have taken to reading books aloud to each other so we sat on the pier and read the riveting novel- The domestic goddess. The whole expedition took us from 10am- 5:45pm but it was a beautiful day and allowed for much chat and beautiful scenery. There are not many opportunities in my lifetime where I can stroll along the ocean for the day. Sunday we went to the Casino with two teachers from school. It is pretty much the coolest place I have ever seen, complete with casino, skating rink, arcade games, a million restaurants and a bowling alley. We skated for a couple hours (the first time I haven’t worn hockey skates since about the age of 5) which was excellent fun, especially when the “disco” started. Also marina and I made up some really cool moves, if not a little dangerous. Afterwards we played some arcade games and grabbed something to eat at the South African famous “Wimpie’s” (weird name for a burger place I think!) Luckily we didn’t get too involved with the casino part although those slot machines looked very tempting and I have actually become quite good at poker during my time here so I think I could have made some decent money.
This past week at school I have been teaching in the grade 4 classes instead of doing admin work in the prep school. It has been loads of fun- I especially enjoy taking math and English lessons although I don’t know if I would actually consider taking up teaching as a profession. One of my favourite parts (this sounds quite power trip-ish) is at the end of the lesson when they have to curtsey to the teacher they say “Good morning and Thank you Miss Heather” haha gives me a kick each time. I also take great pleasure in marking since the teachers believe the girls are too “sensitive” to get Xs but I always forget so they love getting their work back from me with giant Xs all over the pages instead of the customary dots. Also we have two more netball/hockey tours coming up so the Sports department has been rushing around trying to get that organized. Too add to everything the senior school is now in exams so Marina and I have been helping the Matrics study at night plus it was parents teacher interviews for the prep school so we have also been doing a lot of after school prep duties which are the most exhausting things ever.
Last week we also hosted a dinner party in the GAP wing for a bunch of the sports department/ science teachers. (No boys of course!) It was great fun trying to improve the GAP wing enough for company although it is official that one couch MUST have been put into the room before it was built because it is literally impossible to move out (either that or extremely logical and we were just incapable of figuring it out.) We made delicious pasta and teachers brought dessert and wine and garlic bread. It is good fun to all get together- especially to hear everything from the inside sources! This week we are going to Sarie’s house for thai green curry- yum!
This past weekend was quite hectic- Friday we went to Bishops and we all played a giant game of pig out which is hilarious. Also Marina and I attempted to highlight our hair which we decided was like Russian roulette. Funny enough both of us seemed to have blanks since there is no apparent difference. Saturday we walked up to signal hill- another slightly cross-country experience, but the view from the top is amazing. Then we went out for lunch at this popular vegetarian restaurant where I discovered rice wraps! Next we made the mistake of going to a market where we fell in love with everything and managed to buy quite a few scarves/ items of clothing/ ki kois- a trip to the ATM was involved.
That night we were working at Jenn’s bother’s benefit dinner (to raise money for a sugery he needs since he has Parkinson’s disease.) it was hosted by dish- an absolutely amazing catering company and the theme was black and white with a touch of madness which was good fun. We had a fantastic time, the food was amazing, the wait staff was very cute and I think it can be considered a good bonding experience with the St Cyps staff.
Sunday we walked down to another market at waterfront which is giant and only open on Sundays. We also managed to do some damage there but luckily it was for other people instead of ourselves. Then we wandered over to waterfront so see the new sex and the city movie- awesome costumes but weak story line. That night George took us all out to this fancy bar in the Mount Nelson Hotel (where Paris Hilton stayed in CT) that his cousin designed. It was hilarious to get all dressed up and go to this super pretentious bar with the wealthiest tourists in South Africa but there was a huge group of us so it ended up being really fun. Also a new girlfriend was introduced to the group so the rest of us were able to make things funny and awkward.
This is the week for birthdays- Feroza on Thursday, Sarie on Friday and Tam on Saturday. Tonight we are meeting up with the bishops crew in town, tomorrow we are going out for a big thai dinner with everyone to celebrate Sarie’s BIG birthday and Saturday we are heading to Tam’s for a night of wine and cranium! We are also hiking Lion’s head with everyone one day and seeing the movie Prince Caspian at some point (we just watched Narnia last night and are eager to see the next one!) Next week we have tons of big stuff happening including COUNTING CROWS CONCERT with a huge gang of people and our friend Matt’s 21st birthday which will be taking us to Stellenbosch again.
Unfortunately I have been quite ill lately and not too sure why. After needing to call the boarding matron at 4 in the morning we nearly went to the hospital because of an appendicitis scare but I am feeling slightly better and just ate some soup so hopefully it will be uphill from here. Luckily I have lots of mums here that take care of me including visits from Jenn, all the boarding matrons, Trilby and of course Marina. I don’t have any spare time to feel sick so hopefully it passes quickly!
Tons of exciting things coming up- including Mum and Dad’s visit- I mapped it out last night and we are going to be quite busy. Wine tour has been booked, Game Park is all organized and many activities lined up.
Love to all,
Heather
Back again for one of my last blog posts I think… hard to believe it is only 21 days till Mum and Dad get here and only 23 days of work left! I will probably write once more before the end of term and also put up pictures when I get home of the family travels.
Things have been crazy busy here since I last wrote- now that we are getting down to the wire we manage to keep everyday full of stuff and there really isn’t much down time for things like blog writing or university applications. The peace march we attended the night I wrote on the blog last was pretty amazing. It was in front of city hall here in Cape Town and it ended up that all the streets had to be closed down since so many people were there. It was nice because it really was a peace march and luckily didn’t become violent. Lots of singing and dancing and holding hands and posters. I took some pictures with my phone which I am trying to download- but some of my favourite signs were: “Hey my homeboy Zumer, (SA president) Why aren’t you home?” (He has fled the country since the attacks) and “Zenophobia- a little more ZEN a little less PHOBIA”. All the St Cyps girls were there holding up there signs and dancing- and as teachers we were all able to join in with them. Since then the protest the attacks have spread further into CT- some of the boarders have been threatened at the local mall and all of our security guards have pretty much lost everything. Luckily the school community has been amazing- many of the girls’ families have refugees living with them, loads of things are donated every day and the library is full of bags of stuff for the guards. I think pretty much everyone has been to volunteer at some of the refugee camps- delivering stuff, serving food or playing with the children. The bishops boys have been spending time at refugee camps making resumes for the people there to help them find work. It is unbelievably sad to see a country that has already been so traumatized stoop again to violence and racism but it is also incredibly hopeful since so many people are coming together and standing against it. It is truly a once in a lifetime experience for us to be here at this time and being able to do our bit to stop it.
The rest of the weekend was much less sobering and so much fun. Friday we went out with some friends for drinks at one of their apartments and then out to Claremont for “tie night” (wear a tie and you get in free!). Saturday we rolled out of bed bright and early and decided to do our epic day of walking from school to Camps Bay (about 1 ½ hours) then from Camp’s to Waterfront (2 ½ hours) and then Waterfront to school (1 ½ hours)- the things we will do to save on cab fare. Luckily we made a nice day of it by stopping for lunch at Camp’s bay and of course ice cream and then stopping at waterfront for a relaxing read and a drink at this new Starbucks-ish coffee shop we have discovered. Also marina and I have taken to reading books aloud to each other so we sat on the pier and read the riveting novel- The domestic goddess. The whole expedition took us from 10am- 5:45pm but it was a beautiful day and allowed for much chat and beautiful scenery. There are not many opportunities in my lifetime where I can stroll along the ocean for the day. Sunday we went to the Casino with two teachers from school. It is pretty much the coolest place I have ever seen, complete with casino, skating rink, arcade games, a million restaurants and a bowling alley. We skated for a couple hours (the first time I haven’t worn hockey skates since about the age of 5) which was excellent fun, especially when the “disco” started. Also marina and I made up some really cool moves, if not a little dangerous. Afterwards we played some arcade games and grabbed something to eat at the South African famous “Wimpie’s” (weird name for a burger place I think!) Luckily we didn’t get too involved with the casino part although those slot machines looked very tempting and I have actually become quite good at poker during my time here so I think I could have made some decent money.
This past week at school I have been teaching in the grade 4 classes instead of doing admin work in the prep school. It has been loads of fun- I especially enjoy taking math and English lessons although I don’t know if I would actually consider taking up teaching as a profession. One of my favourite parts (this sounds quite power trip-ish) is at the end of the lesson when they have to curtsey to the teacher they say “Good morning and Thank you Miss Heather” haha gives me a kick each time. I also take great pleasure in marking since the teachers believe the girls are too “sensitive” to get Xs but I always forget so they love getting their work back from me with giant Xs all over the pages instead of the customary dots. Also we have two more netball/hockey tours coming up so the Sports department has been rushing around trying to get that organized. Too add to everything the senior school is now in exams so Marina and I have been helping the Matrics study at night plus it was parents teacher interviews for the prep school so we have also been doing a lot of after school prep duties which are the most exhausting things ever.
Last week we also hosted a dinner party in the GAP wing for a bunch of the sports department/ science teachers. (No boys of course!) It was great fun trying to improve the GAP wing enough for company although it is official that one couch MUST have been put into the room before it was built because it is literally impossible to move out (either that or extremely logical and we were just incapable of figuring it out.) We made delicious pasta and teachers brought dessert and wine and garlic bread. It is good fun to all get together- especially to hear everything from the inside sources! This week we are going to Sarie’s house for thai green curry- yum!
This past weekend was quite hectic- Friday we went to Bishops and we all played a giant game of pig out which is hilarious. Also Marina and I attempted to highlight our hair which we decided was like Russian roulette. Funny enough both of us seemed to have blanks since there is no apparent difference. Saturday we walked up to signal hill- another slightly cross-country experience, but the view from the top is amazing. Then we went out for lunch at this popular vegetarian restaurant where I discovered rice wraps! Next we made the mistake of going to a market where we fell in love with everything and managed to buy quite a few scarves/ items of clothing/ ki kois- a trip to the ATM was involved.
That night we were working at Jenn’s bother’s benefit dinner (to raise money for a sugery he needs since he has Parkinson’s disease.) it was hosted by dish- an absolutely amazing catering company and the theme was black and white with a touch of madness which was good fun. We had a fantastic time, the food was amazing, the wait staff was very cute and I think it can be considered a good bonding experience with the St Cyps staff.
Sunday we walked down to another market at waterfront which is giant and only open on Sundays. We also managed to do some damage there but luckily it was for other people instead of ourselves. Then we wandered over to waterfront so see the new sex and the city movie- awesome costumes but weak story line. That night George took us all out to this fancy bar in the Mount Nelson Hotel (where Paris Hilton stayed in CT) that his cousin designed. It was hilarious to get all dressed up and go to this super pretentious bar with the wealthiest tourists in South Africa but there was a huge group of us so it ended up being really fun. Also a new girlfriend was introduced to the group so the rest of us were able to make things funny and awkward.
This is the week for birthdays- Feroza on Thursday, Sarie on Friday and Tam on Saturday. Tonight we are meeting up with the bishops crew in town, tomorrow we are going out for a big thai dinner with everyone to celebrate Sarie’s BIG birthday and Saturday we are heading to Tam’s for a night of wine and cranium! We are also hiking Lion’s head with everyone one day and seeing the movie Prince Caspian at some point (we just watched Narnia last night and are eager to see the next one!) Next week we have tons of big stuff happening including COUNTING CROWS CONCERT with a huge gang of people and our friend Matt’s 21st birthday which will be taking us to Stellenbosch again.
Unfortunately I have been quite ill lately and not too sure why. After needing to call the boarding matron at 4 in the morning we nearly went to the hospital because of an appendicitis scare but I am feeling slightly better and just ate some soup so hopefully it will be uphill from here. Luckily I have lots of mums here that take care of me including visits from Jenn, all the boarding matrons, Trilby and of course Marina. I don’t have any spare time to feel sick so hopefully it passes quickly!
Tons of exciting things coming up- including Mum and Dad’s visit- I mapped it out last night and we are going to be quite busy. Wine tour has been booked, Game Park is all organized and many activities lined up.
Love to all,
Heather
3 comments:
what a great blog! sounds like tons of good food that i am missing out on... the rice wrap place sounds really good!! hope you are feeling tons better by the time you get this... happy planning and dreaming for the next part of your adventure.
xxoxo
a cathy
I can't believe it's the last month already! And how much teaching you're getting...haha are you sure you don't want to switch to my program ;)
xoxoxo
While you lament the fanal month, we all look forward to seeing you back in Ottawa. Very much enjoying South Africa, through you eyes.
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