It is beginning to get harder and harder to write this blog. I actually have a ton that I want to say as I learn more and more about the culture and life in South Africa but the deeper I go the more difficult it is to say the things I want. It also may be better for me to not say some of the things I want to until I am out of the country (especially about the South African government).

So what has been going on in my life the past month. Well a lot of work. It is definitely a good thing that I enjoy my work because I do a lot of it. The after-school resource has really picked up as the year has come along so I now have regular attenders and all sorts of projects to deal with. Remember this job was previously handled by three teachers but now it is just me. I have even been spending all of my past Saturdays doing different things with the kids.

Bongasani is a 17 year old that has been working as an intern at the morning school this semester. We have been working on a developmental psychology course in the afternoons just before the after-school kids arrive. He is interested in becoming a teacher so the monks are trying to help him out in any way we can to get him into school. Now I am not ‘qualified’ to teach psychology but I do have my college text book and tend to focus more on the biology aspects. More than anything it helps him get used to working in class setting for example learning how to take notes from a lecture.

One event that was a little more unusual was that someone attempted to break into our school this week. We arrived in the morning to find one of the windows had been smashed and they had tried to pull the hinges off with a hooked wire. Luckily they were unsuccessful in getting in because of the security bars. When we first called to police to report the incident we got no answer which is typical. Eventually we were able to get someone out here and maybe they will figure out who did it but I am not going to hold my breathe.

Another bit of sad news is that I will no longer have a car to get from the monastery to town. Br. Roger will be taking it back to Johannesburg so it will be back to using taxi’s and hitching rides in order to get to Grahamstown.

But! I also have a bunch of trips planned around the country over the next month including a visit from some of my best friends from Texas so I definitely have a lot to look forward to.