"White People Only"

I figure I'll start this post off giving you a view of how I start my day every morning! With this beautiful sunrise! Pro: its gorgeous. Con: it means I wake up before dawn every day.

So this week has just been more teaching, playing, and learning as always. Nothing too spectacular or adventuresome.  Instead of me telling you every detail about what I did this week, I think I'll have this blog be a series of short anecdotes, fun facts, and life lessons learned (not organized an any particular fashion) in the past week in Mtwalume!

the mirror in my room says "white people only." I'm not sure why its there,
bu it has inspired the title of this post!

• I have eaten more tomatoes in the past week than I have my entire life.
• I think I dislike red vegetables more than green ones.
• Things I didn't eat before going to South Africa: Vegetables in general, tomatoes, beets, meat from a bone, meat from unknown sources, 5 cups of tea a day, freshly killed cows, guavas, mangoes, avocados, 7 pieces of white bread in one day, 2 hot dogs with breakfast
• Things I have eaten on a regular basis in South Africa: (see above list)
• Some have been welcomed additions to my diet/lifestyle, others not so much. 
• Thus I have gained to eat the ability to palate a variety of foods.
• Flush toilets are a wonderful invention. I have never longed for a toilet more in my life.
• I have learned to fully embrace the concept of a pee bucket. The one here is very tall -- almost the perfect height for comfortable peeing!
• I have determined the perfect amount of tea and juice to consume in a day to only have to pee in the morning and at night (times when the pee bucket is put out in the back "bathing room.")
• My hair has gotten long. It sticks up in weird places in the morning.
• I have to cross a river while walking to school. Crossing involves hopping from one rock to another. After it rains there are even less options of ways to cross. I will be very surprised if i don't end up with wet feet by the end of my stay here.

view from part of my walk home!

• My walk is also mostly downhill on the way to school, making for a long, slightly miserable walk uphill on my way home. Mama walks very slowly and rests often, which is a good excuse for me!
•  Chickens are most likely to be the first to greet you when you go anywhere. 
• Dogs are usually not friendly. 
• I hear the word "shaya" meaning to hit, and the phrase "unamanga!"literally translated as "you have lies" about 20 times a day. (probably even more at school).
• I'm kind of getting sick of being told "I look like a china" although its usually followed by the statement "you're so beautiful!" so I guess I can take it. 
• Seeing pieces of weaves, chunks of hair, and cut off braids along the side of the street is a common occurrence.
•  Sunday is the most popular day to get drunk (thus, Mama typically doesn't like you to go for walks Sunday evenings). 
• There are two small children who have started waving to me and yelling "BYE!" on my way to and from school. Mama just laughs. 
• I got to go to the Ugu Municipality event where they donate new uniforms to needy children! It was nice to see all the kids get dressed up, although most of it was in Zulu, so I didn't understand much. 

lots of shoes at "dress a child"day

• Beer bottles are not to be recycled, they are to be broken by smashing them on the ground.
• Today my grade 6 students finally got up the courage to ask to touch my hair. 
• There is still 2 hours until the nightly soaps start and I'm not quite sure what to do with myself until then. I have already had my tea and that is way too long of a time period to do anything productive like write my ISP.
• Mama tries to hide carrots in my phutu and cucumbers in my bean curry. It doesnt work. I know they're there. 
• Last night mama bought the wrong spaghetti. It was whole wheat with extra fiber. Both her and the girls were really nervous about eating it. My advice was put lots of butter and salt! It worked!

My house!

View from my window. Hey cows! (there are a lot more too...)

and last, my favorite part of the week:

• I have bonded with my 5 year old sister, Nati! They call her Tutu (after Desmond), and she is the cutest little fireball ever. She has so much energy and is such a trouble maker, but she is adorable, so its ok. She is constantly talking (to herself or whoever will listen), and if she's not talking she is singing! Recently we have started singing "this is the way we brush our teeth" "the intsy wintsy spider" and "if you're happy if you know it" on a regular basis, chasing each other around the house, and tickling each other. She also really likes pulling on my leg and arm hair and then laughing her adorable but slightly evil laugh. She also likes tracing over the scar on my foot, which tickles a lot! 

Kids working in the garden at school!

Well, I think I'll leave it at that for now. I only have three days of my ISP left! Which is crazy to think about, and in less than a month I will be home in the US!