Jumping Jack Flash

Today I taught the kids jumping jacks. Like I'm all fitness-y. They loved it and even told the teacher afterward that they really like me. Probably because I act a fool and don't give a second thought. We also practiced balancing on one leg. And laughing at the kids who fell. Because they laughed too. It's not far to fall when you're that little.

We did If You're Happy And You Know It Again, and Hey Diddle Diddle too. The teachers keep wanting me to write down the words, so (at the suggestion of another volunteer) I've decided to essentially make them a book of everything I'm doing. That way they can keep doing it once I'm gone.

I wish I could teach them how to read, write their names, and recognize numbers out of order (they can count to 20) but I dream too big.

Today I counted a total of 74 kids. I've decided a better estimate of the room size is 24x13...again just a slightly more educated guess...I'll have pictures to show of how small it is...when they're all laying on the floor like sardines for naptime. Even the teachers.

I forgot to mention about how they hardly drink anything at school. I'm there for 4 hours (8a-12n) and two meals and they don't have anything to drink. One day this week when we had played outside for a large chunk of the day, they brought a bowl of water out with like 3 cups and gave everybody a little drink, but that's all I've seen in the way of beverages...

Like I've said, for the most part I work with the 4 and 5 year olds. I'm getting better at learning the names, but here is what I'm working with:

Liyema
Yomelela
Songezo (he's one of the ones that always comes up to me)
Hlumelo (x2) (HL combos involve a special mouth sound, but not a click)
Agcobile
Ndinga
Likho
Linamandla
Siphosethu
Zukhanne
Anda (very smart)
Anelisa (super cute)
Phumelele (I heart him and how fun his name is to say)
Iva (my little old man boy)
Ntando (another easy to remember)
Lerato
Hope (I knew his name first!)

(Side note I don't just like the kids whose names I know)

Today the teacher told me Anda, Anelisa and Iva are not a sibling set after all. Anda and Anelisa are related somehow but Iva is probably just their neighbor or something. There's also a little boy named Andile who isn't in our class but is always the first one to wrap himself around my legs when I get there in the morning. He's a little trouble maker tho. And kind of a crybaby. But cute. There's also a baby who likes me to hold her but I haven't picked up her name yet. She's tiny...probably less than a year...and already has a weave. I mean, it looks cute, but still...

The kids love the color red and whenever I give them their food they beg/fight for red bowls and or red spoons. Today Andile was standing on his chair to get at the tray (I carry 6-8 bowls on a tray as if I were a waitress) and ended up falling and putting his hand into the porridge of the kid next to him. He then wiped his hand on that kid's jacket, as well as the head and sweater of a little boy seated behind them. Then he just started flinging it everywhere. Granted it was hot, but still.

I remembered all the teachers' names but one today which was exciting:

Nombongo (quick with the stick)
Khutala (the one I work with most often, she teaches the 4-5 year olds but is in "training" on Thursdays)
Nontle (the one I forgot this morning)
Tozama (she's always with the younger kids)
Nontembeko
Qeks (this is the one who works in the kitchen who I call Eunice because her name requires a click. our driver (Wonga) is hell bent on getting me to say it right and apparently hates that she lets me call her Eunice.)

Excited to spend my first weekend here. We're going to a restaurant tonight called Mama Africa. The veteran volunteers have suggested a taster platter of things including crocodile, ostrich, some other weird things...despite my pescatarianism, I'll be sampling as I may never eat these things again...or might find a new favorite.

Tomorrow is finally winery day. I'm so super excited!!!