Well sadly, all good things have to come to an end. What an amazing experience I have had. The 9 schools that we visited were all very different, each with its own needs - I will never complain about a lack of resources again. The staff and children were all so welcoming and seemed to enjoy our visits. Hopefully, some of our S3 pupils will soon be writing to learners at Bergendal where I have tried to establish contacts. We took along a selection of gifts to each of the neediest schools. Items such as footballs, skipping ropes, books, pens and pencils which will hopefully be put to good use and we also gave each Head Teacher a small gift as a thank you. I hope that they will read the material that we left about our own schools with interest.
The many visits that we made were wonderful too. I think my favourites were the trip around the Cape Peninsula - so rich in wildlife and plants and such beautiful scenery. Standing at the Cape of Good Hope was quite an incredible feeling. Also, the trip up Table Mountain was very exciting.
Cape Town is as safe as any other city, as long as you take advice and stick to the tourist areas at night, or take a taxi. I was a little anxious about safety 
before I left, but did not ever feel threatened. The beauty of the area is outstanding and I do intend to go back as soon as possible.
If any teachers out there are thinking about applying to go on a study visit with LECT then apply as soon as possible. I was so delighted to be given this chance. Time now to blog-off!
Devil’s Peak
Well, we did it! The day dawned bright and sunny with no clouds in the sky. We were at the cableway very early but when we got to the top, it was amazing how many people had beaten us to it. Each cablecar holds up to 55 people and rotates as it climbs - quite a scary experience. The views from the top were absolutely tremendous. We walked around, hoping to see a dassie (looks a bit like a big guinea pig) but they were all hiding. We did see some black lizards and a sort of stripey mouse.
In the afternoon, we visited the winelands, doing a little tasting at 2 vineyards. 
We had a delicious lunch in Stellenbosch (a beautiful university town) at a place called Fishmoengers, and yes, we ate fish. A 2-course meal, fish for both courses, cost the equivalent of £7. We had found food in general to be incredibly cheap.
We were collected at 7.00 p.m. to begin the trek home.
What a day! The scenery was out of this world. Mountains, fertile land, beautiful houses - must I go on? We visited 2 schools that were miles from anywhere. 
One was in the middle of a wine estate where they had up to 60 pupils in a class - can you believe how that must be with few resources? This school had brilliant teachers and I have passed on S3s postcards to their English teacher. The children were all very hungry and, like other schools, were on a feeding programme. They were given jam ‘pieces’ for break.
The second school was 10 km along a dirt track and was so incredibly poor. The little 5 year olds were just gorgeous. All the children in the school danced and sang to us for at least 20 minutes so the video should make interesting watching.
We followed up with lunch at Groote Post Wine Estate - excellent food and wine. The plan was then to return to Cape Town and ‘do’ Table Mountain. That bad luck came to haunt us again however. For once, the mountain was free of cloud, but there was a technical fault with the cable car. When they had eventually fixed this, the wind was too strong. We hope, as a last gasp to go up tomorrow morning but if not, that’s it. Fingers crossed.
Very, very hot this morning. We went inland a little to visit 2 schools near to Paarl. The first was incredibly poor with the housing and surrounds unbelievable. The school itself 
was totally different though and we had a brilliant time. The kids sang a song for me which I have recorded. The next school looked to be a bit better off, but in fact they had very little money for resources. Lots of fantastic teachers but a rather jaded HT who was trying his hardest against the odds.
This afternoon was a terrible disappointment. We had hoped to go up Table Mountain but once again we were defeated by the weather - it’s raining would you believe - very warm rain. Instead I went on a bit of a shopping spree at a craft market and then a mall. It really is very safe to walk around in this area with security guards every 100 metres or so. Fingers crossed for better weather tomorrow.
Yet another very busy day today. We visited 2 primary schools in Langa Township. Both had little with regard to resources, though one had a computer suite. Classes are 
huge with 40+ ‘learners’ - even in the computing class. We had the opportunity to interact much more with the learners and it was wonderful to see their faces light up. Hopefully, I have some very good video shots of this. They even sang us a song and told us a joke.
Afterwards, we were taken on a tour of the Township. The housing varies considerably from shanty houses (or huts) to proper bungalow style accommodation. During the 
tour, we visited a medicine man (not sure if this was set up for us or not), helped some unemployed by buying gifts and were taken into a back-street shebeen to taste a sort of hooch (sorghum mill) - a tiny sip was all I could manage!
Next we went to District Six Museum where it shows the events at the time when blacks were forcibly moved out of their homes/area to make way for white housing.
Tonight we are going for a braai (barbecue) to the house of the ‘headmaster’ from the first school that we visited.
The first school today was in Rondebosch. Wonderful setting and a delightful school. I will have to get used to children saying, “Good day Maam”! Some very forward thinking by the HT, but a very priviledged school. Next was a school for 16 and over, specialising in Maths, Science and Tech. in Constantia. An ex prison building. All black pupils - very pressured environment - stars of the future. Nice present of an interesting CD for MGS maths dept.
In the afternoon we visited Robben Island. This was an extremely moving experience - and very hot! An ex prisoner was our guide and moved some to tears.
Today was the start of official business. We first visited education officials who run business for the eastern district of the Western Cape. We then visited a High School in the area. I was most impressed with the excellent manners and behaviour of the pupils and that some classes had 40 pupils. Funding is paid by parents and so this provides much of the motivation. Our group was introduced at a full school assembly which was slightly daunting.
Later we had intended going up Table Mountain, but unfortunately our visits ran very late and the weather had deteriorated - cloud on top. Instead we visited Kirstenbosch Gardens which were wonderfully peaceful. Some magnificent bird life as well as the plants. 
Blogs are rather rushed due to difficulty finding time and also obtaining internet access. Sorry about photos - some will follow a.s.a.p.
Today we had a wonderful trip around the Cape Peninsula. Lots of wildlife – baboons, 
lizards, ostrich, jackass penguins etc. In particular, the penguins were 
great to see. Very small compared to the other breeds of penguin. I managed to get very close to one particular one, I think he was quite suprised!
The Cape of Good Hope was amazing. I dipped my toes in both the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. We spent some time on an awesome beach with enormous breakers – really beautiful. Tonight I dined on Kudu which was very tasty. Others tried springbok.
Arrived rather tired yesterday. Managed to do a city tour in the afternoon. Beautiful views of V and A Waterfront. Will post later. Rest of the group are great - a good mix. More later.
Recent Comments