Another week gone and I'm really starting to feel like I belong here. Even saw our queen! (Would insert a picture but Ariella is using my camera at her grade six trip this week... For now it will have to suffice that there was this huge poster of some random football player with queen Beatrix's head photoshopped onto it.)
Shabbos this week was kind of special. On a Friday night it's usually only the guys who go to Shul (the synagogue) but this week we all went (including a friend of Doron from school – which is a separate story). There was a wonderful service with a lot of singing (they even did the world cup song – Hebrew prayer set to the melody that is) and after that there was a street meal. It's a meal after a service, and we always have one on Saturdays (which is amazing – there's so much food, anything and everything from fried fish, sweet and sour vegetables to the best cakes and soft drinks. Everything cold – because you can't prepare food on Shabbos – but wonderful nonetheless. This Friday though, as I said, we had it in the street, for everyone. The theme was 'Single Malt & Salmon' – Whiskey for the adults and salmon for everyone. Drinks and popcorn and chips for the kids. Lovely experience.
Doron had a friend sleep over, as I said, a boy from his school. This was a rather strange experience, because he's one of the boys I teach. A blend of two worlds; teacher-Cha and at-home-Cha. I felt like a teacher all the time, even when the guy kept me awake by complaining about Doron's hamster and nagging us about the mattrass – one was too soft and the other too hard. To be honest, I'm glad he went home at ten in the morning! What a night.
Today we're having guests over to watch rugby and play 'the Buzz game' (for playstation). I also started to learn Hebrew. Learning to read Hebrew is fun but it also makes me feel like a four or five year old all over again. Stumbling over – to my untrained eye – way too similar letters and taking ages to sound out a word is actually very exciting! Reading the first short sentences I actually understand is even better. And yes, I'll watch that this doesn't interfere with my progress in English. I just need to have my own little project while I'm here, too.
More special events are coming up over the next few weeks, Ariella's Bat Mitzvah function, Tali's battie, a wedding and I'm sure many more. Oh, and I managed to get myself invited to the movies with some girls (and maybe guys?) my age. I'm already a bit nervous about that, but I'm sure it'll be a good experience.
Until the next update!
Random things:
Vase -> /va:s/ not /veis/ (insert pro phonetics stuff I can't do on this computer)
Joshua: (talking about a map) Why did Hashem (G-d) make the countries so small but the inside so big? (Why are the countries so small but when you're IN them so big?) :D
maandag 30 augustus 2010
donderdag 19 augustus 2010
August 18 work-related
This week I worked at Japari school on Monday and Wednesday.
Monday wasn't very busy, miss Bozzoli only had 3 lessons (English – covering direct and indirect speech with the grade sevens). After those lessons (I just observed) I did some photo copying and typed up some answer sheets for the excercises.
Wednesday was more exciting, we had the year sevens and sixes again. For the (in)direct speech assignments I helped out by checking the learners' work when they finished four sentences. I explained a few things here and there and helped them along. The next lessons was even better; miss Bozzoli needed to make some photocopies so I was to get the year sixes to come in, sit down and colour a bit in their social sciences workbooks. They didn't feel like colouring, at all. So I decided to allow them to ask me some questions – I'm the interesting foreigner here, after all. We chatted a bit about what's different about the Netherlands compared to South Africa, and when one learner asked me whether Holland was a rich country I had my link to our topic -> sustainable development. So I went on to ask them 'What did you talk about last lesson?' and 'Can anyone tell me what sustainable development means?'. After a few more questions miss Bozzoli returned. She liked the discussion that was happening so she let me go on for about another 15 minutes, in which the learners asked questions about how the Netherlands work, how we came to be a rich country etc. We even talked about global warming and the fact that part of the country is below sea level. :) It was a fun lesson and I actually got to do some teaching, so that was exciting.
It's interesting to see that it truly is so much easier to teach here than it is at home. The teachers here are complaining there's not enough respect.... But compared to teaching a random group in the Netherlands? Japari is a remedial school (primary, I should say that, I suppose. But the grade six and sevens are 12~14 years old so that's the same as the first few years in secondary school at home.) but the learners are so well behaved and respectful compared to what I've seen of the learners at home, so far! It really makes me doubt teaching in the Netherlands. To pass my TP and get my degree? Sure, but I don't think I'll actually want to get a job there!
This is the last week of term 3, we'll have two weeks off now and after that we'll start term 4. I'll be helping out/teaching at Japari for the whole term. (They already asked me to take over some lessons – if I feel comfortable doing so – when a teacher is absent. I'm convinced I'll be able to do that, when I get to know the school and the learners a bit more. Their lessons are 30 minutes each and the groups are small. But being remedial, there are a few learners with impaired hearing, autism and AD(H)D. Still – they're much easier to work with than your average group back home.
As for the next two weeks, we might go camping at Shiba mountain (sp?). I'm working on a website for my uncle's company, too.
This Monday evening I went to a shiur together with my aunt – it's sort of like a bible study/talk but in a Jewish setting. This one was about marriage and why people don't believe in getting married anymore. It was quite interesting, and the rabbi who gave the talk has a wonderful sense of humor. Next week we'll probably go again; no matter what it is, I just need to get out of the house a few times a week (other than working) because my life is rather boring otherwise. I'm mostly around older (30+) adults and children, so I don't have much of a social life (yet).
Note to self: About time to make a voice recording, need to keep track of how (if at all) my accent is changing.
Until the next update!
Monday wasn't very busy, miss Bozzoli only had 3 lessons (English – covering direct and indirect speech with the grade sevens). After those lessons (I just observed) I did some photo copying and typed up some answer sheets for the excercises.
Wednesday was more exciting, we had the year sevens and sixes again. For the (in)direct speech assignments I helped out by checking the learners' work when they finished four sentences. I explained a few things here and there and helped them along. The next lessons was even better; miss Bozzoli needed to make some photocopies so I was to get the year sixes to come in, sit down and colour a bit in their social sciences workbooks. They didn't feel like colouring, at all. So I decided to allow them to ask me some questions – I'm the interesting foreigner here, after all. We chatted a bit about what's different about the Netherlands compared to South Africa, and when one learner asked me whether Holland was a rich country I had my link to our topic -> sustainable development. So I went on to ask them 'What did you talk about last lesson?' and 'Can anyone tell me what sustainable development means?'. After a few more questions miss Bozzoli returned. She liked the discussion that was happening so she let me go on for about another 15 minutes, in which the learners asked questions about how the Netherlands work, how we came to be a rich country etc. We even talked about global warming and the fact that part of the country is below sea level. :) It was a fun lesson and I actually got to do some teaching, so that was exciting.
It's interesting to see that it truly is so much easier to teach here than it is at home. The teachers here are complaining there's not enough respect.... But compared to teaching a random group in the Netherlands? Japari is a remedial school (primary, I should say that, I suppose. But the grade six and sevens are 12~14 years old so that's the same as the first few years in secondary school at home.) but the learners are so well behaved and respectful compared to what I've seen of the learners at home, so far! It really makes me doubt teaching in the Netherlands. To pass my TP and get my degree? Sure, but I don't think I'll actually want to get a job there!
This is the last week of term 3, we'll have two weeks off now and after that we'll start term 4. I'll be helping out/teaching at Japari for the whole term. (They already asked me to take over some lessons – if I feel comfortable doing so – when a teacher is absent. I'm convinced I'll be able to do that, when I get to know the school and the learners a bit more. Their lessons are 30 minutes each and the groups are small. But being remedial, there are a few learners with impaired hearing, autism and AD(H)D. Still – they're much easier to work with than your average group back home.
As for the next two weeks, we might go camping at Shiba mountain (sp?). I'm working on a website for my uncle's company, too.
This Monday evening I went to a shiur together with my aunt – it's sort of like a bible study/talk but in a Jewish setting. This one was about marriage and why people don't believe in getting married anymore. It was quite interesting, and the rabbi who gave the talk has a wonderful sense of humor. Next week we'll probably go again; no matter what it is, I just need to get out of the house a few times a week (other than working) because my life is rather boring otherwise. I'm mostly around older (30+) adults and children, so I don't have much of a social life (yet).
Note to self: About time to make a voice recording, need to keep track of how (if at all) my accent is changing.
Until the next update!
donderdag 12 augustus 2010
August 2 2010
My second full day in Johannesburg, South Africa. The internet is not working on my laptop at the moment, so I'm writing this offline for the time being.
My flight was alright, I love flying but I hate the change of air pressure. A funny thing was when we were getting ready to land... I was waiting for the altitude metre to hit '0', and I was worried the plane wasn't flying fast enough. Then we landed, at 1600-something metres. I felt very, very Dutch at that moment – of course Jozi is up just a bit higher than our own below-sea-level country!
So far I've taken a walk in the Johannesburg Botanical gardens and went to a birthday party for two of my cousin's cousins (twins). It's funny how many people are surprised I speak English at all, but I did have some good experiences already. A friend of my cousin (about 14 years old) asked me where my accent was from (probably thinking "Well it's not South African, or American or..." he just wasn't sure.) but overall it's easy enough to understand the South Africans.
Some things that are different: Traffic lights are called 'robots' here (which sounds incredibly silly to my ears.) and they pronounce 'years' kind of funny (more like yurs/yus).
This morning I went to Yeshiva college with my cousin, unfortunately the headmaster wasn't in so we couldn't ask about being a teaching assistant there, but we'll go back and try again tomorrow. It's a wonderful school – not too big, very nice. It's Jewish, but that only adds to the atmosphere – it's so different from what I'm used to so I'm sure it'll be a wonderful experience.
===========
We tried again the next day, and he told us to try at the high school part of the school. There the people were quite rude to us, we phoned them and they told us "No we don't have the resources" and they hung up on us! Luckily Japari (Doron's school) was much nicer and I'll be working there on Mondays and Wednesdays!
============
Words:
Robot -> Traffic light
Milie -> corn (Mielie pap)
Bami/Ba(r?)ti -> Bar mitzvah/bat mitzvah
Howzit -> Hey there/how is it?
My flight was alright, I love flying but I hate the change of air pressure. A funny thing was when we were getting ready to land... I was waiting for the altitude metre to hit '0', and I was worried the plane wasn't flying fast enough. Then we landed, at 1600-something metres. I felt very, very Dutch at that moment – of course Jozi is up just a bit higher than our own below-sea-level country!
So far I've taken a walk in the Johannesburg Botanical gardens and went to a birthday party for two of my cousin's cousins (twins). It's funny how many people are surprised I speak English at all, but I did have some good experiences already. A friend of my cousin (about 14 years old) asked me where my accent was from (probably thinking "Well it's not South African, or American or..." he just wasn't sure.) but overall it's easy enough to understand the South Africans.
Some things that are different: Traffic lights are called 'robots' here (which sounds incredibly silly to my ears.) and they pronounce 'years' kind of funny (more like yurs/yus).
This morning I went to Yeshiva college with my cousin, unfortunately the headmaster wasn't in so we couldn't ask about being a teaching assistant there, but we'll go back and try again tomorrow. It's a wonderful school – not too big, very nice. It's Jewish, but that only adds to the atmosphere – it's so different from what I'm used to so I'm sure it'll be a wonderful experience.
===========
We tried again the next day, and he told us to try at the high school part of the school. There the people were quite rude to us, we phoned them and they told us "No we don't have the resources" and they hung up on us! Luckily Japari (Doron's school) was much nicer and I'll be working there on Mondays and Wednesdays!
============
Words:
Robot -> Traffic light
Milie -> corn (Mielie pap)
Bami/Ba(r?)ti -> Bar mitzvah/bat mitzvah
Howzit -> Hey there/how is it?
Class of the 80s.
(And a reflection on the coffee drinking habits of South Africa.)
On Sunday the 8th of August I went to the Barnyard Theatre (Fourways) to see 'The Class of the 80s'. Not exactly a musical, not exactly a concert, it was a fun show with 80s music. The Barnyard is not just venue – it's a concept. (According to my uncle.) You take your own food – it's like an indoor picnic with live music. The show didn't have much of a story, which was a bit of a disappointment to me. I didn't know most of the songs so it was a bit boring at times, but the singers/dancers were great. Oh and I had some real coffee, too! At 'home' I only get instant coffee – the coffee situation in South Africa is similar to that in the UK. Most people prefer tea or cold drinks, and if they have coffee it's the instant stuff. Dutch coffee-drinkers are spoiled! The coffee was a very nice bonus.
Tomorrow is Women's day – a public holiday here in South Africa.
woensdag 28 juli 2010
Book list and reading
I just finished reading 'Rebecca' by Daphne du Maurier. I liked it better than either Sense and Sensibility or Wuthering Heights - so that's good news! In case anyone (read: My SLBer) is interested, my book list of everything I've read in 2010 is located over here.
I usually write a short review (sometimes long, sometimes just a few sentences) about any books I finish, and I figured I might post those here, too.
Rebecca
So, yes ... Rebecca. This novel was recommended to me by a few people over at a forum for a certain fantasy series. I made a topic about exploring other (sub-)genres and several members said they liked 'Rebecca', so I decided to give it a try.
One of the first things that I noticed was that du Maurier tends to overuse the word 'rhododendron'. (It's one of my favourite words, I mean... just look at it, it's almost perfect. Aesthetically pleasing and it sounds good, too. Overexposure can make you immune to the loveliness of some things, so this is definitely not a good thing.) I really liked the imaginary she uses throughout the book. The writing style is not as dry as some other classics tend to be, and after a few chapters it was quite a relaxing read.
One of my favourite quotes:
Happiness is not a possession to be prized, it is a quality of thought, a state of mind.
Favell must be my favourite character. He's annoying and rather strange, the way he's obsessed with Rebecca (I suppose every character was just that, obsessed - in their own way.). It all makes him a rather interesting character, although not very likeable. Beatrice was also a good character.
I gave 'Rebecca' 3 out of 5 stars on Shelfari, but in reality it deserves at least 3 1/2. It's not really 'my genre' so that's why I didn't rate it higher than that... But on a second read-through I might enjoy it even more. Maybe in a few years...
I usually write a short review (sometimes long, sometimes just a few sentences) about any books I finish, and I figured I might post those here, too.
Rebecca
So, yes ... Rebecca. This novel was recommended to me by a few people over at a forum for a certain fantasy series. I made a topic about exploring other (sub-)genres and several members said they liked 'Rebecca', so I decided to give it a try.
One of the first things that I noticed was that du Maurier tends to overuse the word 'rhododendron'. (It's one of my favourite words, I mean... just look at it, it's almost perfect. Aesthetically pleasing and it sounds good, too. Overexposure can make you immune to the loveliness of some things, so this is definitely not a good thing.) I really liked the imaginary she uses throughout the book. The writing style is not as dry as some other classics tend to be, and after a few chapters it was quite a relaxing read.
One of my favourite quotes:
Happiness is not a possession to be prized, it is a quality of thought, a state of mind.
Favell must be my favourite character. He's annoying and rather strange, the way he's obsessed with Rebecca (I suppose every character was just that, obsessed - in their own way.). It all makes him a rather interesting character, although not very likeable. Beatrice was also a good character.
I gave 'Rebecca' 3 out of 5 stars on Shelfari, but in reality it deserves at least 3 1/2. It's not really 'my genre' so that's why I didn't rate it higher than that... But on a second read-through I might enjoy it even more. Maybe in a few years...
vrijdag 16 juli 2010
Welcome ☆
This might just be the first post of many. In this blog I will try to create a collection of posts describing my experiences in Johannesburg, South Africa. I'm hoping to add pictures and short videos to my written entries to make it a bit more interesting for my readers. As this is my 'official' blog - first and foremost written to keep my teachers happy and classmates informed of my adventures (as well as accounting for how this escapade can be useful useful in more mundane ways (such as language development and exploring a whole new accent and culture)) - it might not always be as interesting to the casual reader. (And you might see some of these posts cross-posted to my livejournal, too.)
I'm sure this blog will be like my overall experience in South Africa. Both extremely engaging at times, as well as incredibly boring at other times. To anyone interested or courageous enough to attempt to follow my journey these coming months... Good luck. I'm convinced we'll need it.
The facts:
~*~Flying~*~ to a place far away from this tiny country: July 31.
-.-Going back home-.-: December 13.
☆★Where to?★☆: Highlands North, Johannesburg, South Africa.
○~To do what exactly?~○: Helping out at a local primary school, volunteering at a library (to earn myself some free reading, obviously.) and helping my cousins out with their homework. Possibly tutoring college students, too.
※Fun facts※: My family is Jewish, so part of my social life will happen at the local synagogue - hopefully a good way to get to know some people. I'll be postcrossing from South Africa - it's a much rarer country to receive cards from than the Netherlands, so I might make some people happy with some South African postcards. I'll try to join a local writers' group/reading group.
I'm sure this blog will be like my overall experience in South Africa. Both extremely engaging at times, as well as incredibly boring at other times. To anyone interested or courageous enough to attempt to follow my journey these coming months... Good luck. I'm convinced we'll need it.
The facts:
~*~Flying~*~ to a place far away from this tiny country: July 31.
-.-Going back home-.-: December 13.
☆★Where to?★☆: Highlands North, Johannesburg, South Africa.
○~To do what exactly?~○: Helping out at a local primary school, volunteering at a library (to earn myself some free reading, obviously.) and helping my cousins out with their homework. Possibly tutoring college students, too.
※Fun facts※: My family is Jewish, so part of my social life will happen at the local synagogue - hopefully a good way to get to know some people. I'll be postcrossing from South Africa - it's a much rarer country to receive cards from than the Netherlands, so I might make some people happy with some South African postcards. I'll try to join a local writers' group/reading group.
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