March 21, 2012

The third set of library books has arrived!! Now all three of my schools will have a student library…and what a library this one will be! Yea for Lepholisa. Kathy Parker, the woman who organized this A.L.P. (African Library Project) donation, had somehow gotten in touch with Scholastic Books, and they’ve donated the most incredible sets for our learners. I have not finished cataloging them all…there are sixteen cartons…but, so far I’ve seen at least ten sets of twenty books on various subjects. This is enough for a class of forty to use easily.
I should be finished cataloguing by tomorrow, as I have only three cartons left to open. Once all the books have been recorded, I shall meet with the teachers to help them set up a system for knowing reading levels, subjects, etc. I’ll also help them set up classroom lending rules, since this is the school where the books will have to be kept in individual classrooms.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Kathy.
At Mopeli, I am told that the bulbs have been placed in some of the classrooms. I haven’t been there this week because of Lepholisa’s library, but I can’t wait to see what the rooms look like with light bulbs in the ceilings!!!
It’s starting to show signs of Maria (winter) here in Tabola. The mornings are crisp and clear and the evenings are downright cold! The days are still quite pleasant. My walks to and from Lepholisa are very special. I’ve learned to cut across fields and meadows to shorten the trip and make it more interesting! I’m becoming quite familiar with the animals and pre-school children along the way…they’re always outside! Most of the dogs don’t bother to bark at me anymore. I am sure they’re thinking, “Oh that’s just the nkhono singing her way to school!”
This has actually been a good week for the arrival of the new library. Last week was hectic with all the sports competitions, but this is now testing week for the first quarter of school. Most of the classrooms are quiet with students busy writing exams.
Oh, I almost forgot…I managed to give out ten application forms for Peace Corps scholarships to high school. I hope that all ten of my candidates win scholarships because they’re all from families with little means; many of them are orphans or double orphans. The applications have to be completed and handed in by April 20th. The candidates have to be in the top one third of their class; they also have to write two essays: Why I Want to Go to School and What I’d Like to do When Finished With School. Last year I handed in six applications and five of them received scholarships. Unfortunately, the limit is 10 per volunteer.
A fellow teacher, ‘M’e Marethabile, has given me some wonderful peaches and apples from her garden! This weekend I shall teach her how to make peach and apple pies…she’s never seen or eaten pie before!
Okay, it’s definitely time to get under that nice warm comforter! ‘night, Rusty