Hello! Hi LuAnn from Lyndsay!

It’s been an amazing week. I think I’ll start with describing a typical day and some of the activities we have planned. And of course, tell you all about the wonderful children I’m working with.

So there are two homebases here right now since there are SO many volunteers at this time. My homebase has 16 girls living in it and the other has about 21 (with a few boys). We get picked up at 745 to go to our placements. I am placed at Blossom Street Primary School with Lyndsay, Glenna, and a volunteer who was already here named Ran. I work in a 3rd grade classroom with about thirty students. The school is very well organized and structured and functions much like our schools at home. The students are different though, because they are so well-behaved and polite. Students here are very respectful of adults (and hey, I guess I’m considered an adult lol).

Everyday when I come in, I hear all of them say “ good morning teacher sarah” and when I leave they say “ good afternoon teacher sarah”. It’s adorable. I get to read them stories everyday at story time and I take small reading groups and work with them. I was pretty much free to do what I wanted with the reading groups so I’ve started doing reader’s theater. They LOVE it. We first start with comprehension, then we talk about actors and what it means to read with enthusiasm and animation. So then, they get their parts and read it as if they were acting. Then I let them stand up and create movements to do with the words. It’s great. They are really doing well with it and enjoying it quite a bit. Next week, I guess they are sending me to another teacher because they really want me in that classroom too lol. It’s sad because I’m getting to know these students, but I’ll get to meet new ones.


I get picked up from placement at 12:30 and then we have lunch at 1. Food has been very good. Lots of veggies and salad. We are definitely eating very healthy here! Then after lunch, we either have a free afternoon or some kind of cultural activity. Today we have an HIV/AIDS workshop, the other day we went on a township tour, and a city tour, and tonight we have a South African Movie. We also have language lessons on Tuesdays. I am learning a little bit of Afrikaans.Dinner is at 6pm and usually after there isn’t much to do. We all kind of just hang out and relax, or plan for the next days lessons. At that point, I am dead tired.

Images of the townships:


Children Playing in Langa
One room in the houses where 40 people would live. A family of ten lives in this room.
The shower.



I’ve already learned sooo much and I know that this is such a meaningful experience for me. We of course, also have our touristy activities as well. Friday we are visiting Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned), Saturday I am going CAGE DIVING WITH SHARKS! I know, totally out of character for me, right? I’m terrified…but it’s a once in a lifetime experience. Great Whites are only found in Cape Town and Australia so like, where else am I going to do this? Maybe it’ll make me braver…haha. Anyway, I’ll definitely let you all know how that goes. I’m sure my anxiety level will be quite high. Sunday we are driving down to the Cape of Good Hope and on the way we stop at Boulders Beach to see penguins (like, not in a zoo..just in their natural habitat). I have lots of photos but it uses too many of my bites to upload them.

It’s very intense. I feel like I’m on a rollercoaster! It’s emotional and just really unique. I’m so happy to be here but I know that I’ll be happy to be home when I do come back. Love you all. Leave comments, and send me emails!