Well I have one really good excuse for having not given a good update on life over here… and it is sadly that the computer I have been using has also kicked it. I have built up quite the comprehensive list of electronics that have either been lost, stolen, or broken in my time here: my Macbook laptop (broken power button), camera (only half-working), internet phone (stolen), IPOD (likely stolen in my first month in SA), cheap phone (broken), USB stick modem (currently being repaired, but useless without my comp), external hard drive (broken) and a borrowed laptop (broken). Yesterday my stove/oven also broke. It is not a stretch to say that I just may have some sort of curse that zaps everything I touch. Another PCV has graciously lent me a cell phone that gets online, so at least I can now send and receive emails (though don’t expect me to write long responses… my thumbs are not that strong yet!)

Life without all this has actually not been so bad. The second the laptop I have been borrowing broke, I figured I was just not meant to have a laptop for the rest of my service. And I’m really fine with this, although I had built up a pretty good collection of movies and shows on my hard drive. Looks like I’ll just have to wait until I come home to catch up on the Office! I did have to buy a little cd player/radio, as I was not quite sure what to do with myself without at least a little bit of background music in the evenings. So for the last month I have been reading books, hanging with the host family, and playing with kids like it’s my job! All awesome things. On that note, anyone who has a desire to send a package with a couple burned CDs and a good book… this will be entirely welcomed from my end :)

School has been going well and there is not too much to report on that front. My reading classes were a bit chaotic the first few weeks, but now that the students have a better understanding of what we are doing, our awesome rewards system for writing book summaries, and how to properly treat a book, they are running much more smoothly. It also took the first month or so to establish myself as an actual TEACHER to the kids, since the month and a half I was here last year I wasn’t really teaching. The 4th graders had a hard time adjusting to the fact that me coming into the class does NOT mean they can just run around and scream for an hour, but they are coming along nicely… on the discipline front, at least. Thankfully teaching has been very rewarding this year, and I have loved getting to know all my new students!! Other than that I have been busy doing some computer lessons with our secretary and teachers, helping plan and deliver lessons in various other classes, and working on getting more books donated to the school. Last month we were busy with the S.A. national exams in math and literacy, which we gave to Grades 2-6. These were pretty much a disaster, as the majority of every class failed every subject (that is, scoring a Level 1 out of 7). This is not surprising, as the curriculum here is quite lofty and kids here have about 0 test-taking skills. I really don’t believe that these grades reflect the learners’ competencies in each subject, but rather due to the fact that their reading comprehension is really poor and they do not have enough experience in taking standardized tests.

In a couple of weeks I get to go on an epic vacation! My friend Tyler is coming to visit, and so far our agenda will be as follows: Longtom marathon, hike Sani Pass in Lesotho and end at the highest pub in Africa for some well-deserved beers, travel down the Garden Route to Cape Town (one of the stops includes the HIGHEST commercial bungee jump in the world… ah!!!), and 5 or so days in Cape Town… which will be my first time going there so I plan to hit the major stops including a visit to Robben Island, looking for penguins, checking out a vineyard and drinking delicious wine, and everything else CT has to offer. From there we are heading back to my village to give him a taste of what I’ve REALLY been doing in S.A. Can’t wait!!!

Also, Happy 50th Anniversary to Peace Corps!!! 2011 marks 50 years since JFK and Sargent Shriver (RIP) created the organization. Before we head out to Longtom, the Peace Corps and Department of Education is throwing us a 50th anniversary party in Kuruman, where each PCV will come with their principals and host family. Should be a grand ‘ole time. Oh, and happy birthday to me since I turned 24 last month!!! I feel old….