Wow, it's November second already! Four months ago, we left our hometown. Three months ago, we arrived in Johannesburg. Two months ago, we started school, and we only have a month of school left. Time is going quickly as we settle in to our new home, and we are definitely settling in. My siblings are already starting to pick up a bit of the South African accent, Dad is fully into his new job, and our home is beginning to feel like home - mess and all. :)
While here, Mom has discovered the places to buy all of our grains and milk and organic vegetables, we've seen zebra, lion, rhinos, ostriches, and numerous other animals, and we've gotten used to the fact that they don't have just one type of wall outlet/electric plug, nor do they have two, they have three! Ok, maybe we haven't gotten used to that last one yet. Honestly, wouldn't it be easier if electrical plugs were standardized? We've learned that now now and just now both mean sometime in the next five hours...sometimes. And that sometimes those phrases mean 'we'll get back to you within the next five years'. If someone, a company person, says 'I'll check on that and get back to you', then you have to expect to be calling them back, not the other way around.
These different ways of life can often be challenging and frustrating, when we're used to something different in America, but they are still the ways of life here, and we, as the new foreigners, will have to get used to them. Our ways are changing; slowly, yes, but they are changing.
It's much hotter here in Africa (BIG surprise there), so, as I mentioned last Saturday, I had to pick up some summer clothes. Amongst those summer clothes, I picked up three skirts, and I am quickly becoming a skirt person. In America, I rarely wore skirts or flip flops (called slip slops here), but now I'm wearing both on a regular basis. Mom, too, is wearing skirts more often.
Starting Monday, all of us began music lessons. Teresa, Becca, Esther, and Ivan are all taking piano, Jonathon is learning guitar, and I (finally!!) am taking voice lessons. I'm extremely excited to be learning to sing better, as it is one of the things I throughly enjoy, and Jonathon is also excited to start guitar lessons; his response to Mom's announcement: YES!
One the school side, end of year exams begin soon for a few of us. Preparatory school exams begin next week (Esther, Becca, Jonathon and Teresa are all in prep school), and my exams start in two weeks. Thankfully, we aren't required to actually pass our exams in order to move on to the next grade, as the school recognizes that we weren't here to cover some of the material (i.e. Afrikaans, History), but we are all aiming to pass anyways. Passing grade here is 40% - a stark contrast to what we considered to be passing as home schoolers: 80%. Last Friday, a few of the ninth graders, including me, and a couple tenth graders were called to meet with Mr. D, the principal, during break. We weren't told why were were being summoned, so we were understandably a bit nervous, especially when we walked in and Mr. D. and the 11th grade leadership were staring at us and not smiling. However, it turned out that we had been called in to be commended for our respect towards our teachers and peers and for not being 'swayed by the world'; for staying true to ourselves and who God calls us to be.
At the moment, I am working on very fun and interesting project in art - alright, I admit, I consider nearly any art project to be 'fun' and 'interesting'. In Johannesburg, there is a tourist attraction known as the Cultural Arc. This is a walkable tour of South Africa's history, art, and culture, which many local artists have contributed to. It consists of museums, a ballet theater, and the Nelson Mandela bridge. For our art project, we were told to design our own piece to place in the Cultural Arc. My two partners, Jessica Pautz and Kimberley Topham, and are working on creating a set of stairs which represent South Africa as we know it. We are including the South African flag, words and visuals which describe South Africa, and a rainbow because South Africa is known as the Rainbow Nation. As soon as it's finished, I'll post a couple of pictures and a complete description of it.
While here, Mom has discovered the places to buy all of our grains and milk and organic vegetables, we've seen zebra, lion, rhinos, ostriches, and numerous other animals, and we've gotten used to the fact that they don't have just one type of wall outlet/electric plug, nor do they have two, they have three! Ok, maybe we haven't gotten used to that last one yet. Honestly, wouldn't it be easier if electrical plugs were standardized? We've learned that now now and just now both mean sometime in the next five hours...sometimes. And that sometimes those phrases mean 'we'll get back to you within the next five years'. If someone, a company person, says 'I'll check on that and get back to you', then you have to expect to be calling them back, not the other way around.
These different ways of life can often be challenging and frustrating, when we're used to something different in America, but they are still the ways of life here, and we, as the new foreigners, will have to get used to them. Our ways are changing; slowly, yes, but they are changing. It's much hotter here in Africa (BIG surprise there), so, as I mentioned last Saturday, I had to pick up some summer clothes. Amongst those summer clothes, I picked up three skirts, and I am quickly becoming a skirt person. In America, I rarely wore skirts or flip flops (called slip slops here), but now I'm wearing both on a regular basis. Mom, too, is wearing skirts more often.
Starting Monday, all of us began music lessons. Teresa, Becca, Esther, and Ivan are all taking piano, Jonathon is learning guitar, and I (finally!!) am taking voice lessons. I'm extremely excited to be learning to sing better, as it is one of the things I throughly enjoy, and Jonathon is also excited to start guitar lessons; his response to Mom's announcement: YES! One the school side, end of year exams begin soon for a few of us. Preparatory school exams begin next week (Esther, Becca, Jonathon and Teresa are all in prep school), and my exams start in two weeks. Thankfully, we aren't required to actually pass our exams in order to move on to the next grade, as the school recognizes that we weren't here to cover some of the material (i.e. Afrikaans, History), but we are all aiming to pass anyways. Passing grade here is 40% - a stark contrast to what we considered to be passing as home schoolers: 80%. Last Friday, a few of the ninth graders, including me, and a couple tenth graders were called to meet with Mr. D, the principal, during break. We weren't told why were were being summoned, so we were understandably a bit nervous, especially when we walked in and Mr. D. and the 11th grade leadership were staring at us and not smiling. However, it turned out that we had been called in to be commended for our respect towards our teachers and peers and for not being 'swayed by the world'; for staying true to ourselves and who God calls us to be.
At the moment, I am working on very fun and interesting project in art - alright, I admit, I consider nearly any art project to be 'fun' and 'interesting'. In Johannesburg, there is a tourist attraction known as the Cultural Arc. This is a walkable tour of South Africa's history, art, and culture, which many local artists have contributed to. It consists of museums, a ballet theater, and the Nelson Mandela bridge. For our art project, we were told to design our own piece to place in the Cultural Arc. My two partners, Jessica Pautz and Kimberley Topham, and are working on creating a set of stairs which represent South Africa as we know it. We are including the South African flag, words and visuals which describe South Africa, and a rainbow because South Africa is known as the Rainbow Nation. As soon as it's finished, I'll post a couple of pictures and a complete description of it. 
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