My Work.

It feels like ages since I've posted anything and in my attempt to remember an interesting story of something, anything, that has happened to me recently I realised I have never posted about long week short week (LW/SW) work. LW/SW works like this: Long week you work Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Short week you work Wednesday and Thursday. This week is my long week. On weekdays, I get up at 5.30am and am at work for 6am. I wake up all my kids and get them into their school clothes. Some of them can do it all by themselves and others are so slow I do it for them (This doesn't encourage any good habits, but when you have 50 minutes to get 14 kids ready for school, you'll do anything). Once they're all dressed with their faces washed, teeth brushed and downstairs, they get their food. If the Tannie arrived at 6, then she makes their pap. If not, it's a stressful morning! Their morning pap is usually 2 weetbix with far too much sugar (in my opinion, but everything is sweetened here. Cultural differences.) and hot water and milk. Once they've eaten 2 children have to wash and dry dishes if it's their task before the school run begins. 14 kids go to 4/5 different schools. 2 girls have to walk to school but the rest go in a fleet of bussies all leaving at specific times. Most of my kids leave on the first bussie at 6.50. Then 2 leave at 7.30 and 4 go on two separate bussies that both leave at 7.40. Now all my kids are at school I go to the house with the really little'uns where Sarah and Kaori (my room-mate) work and we sit, the 3 of us, watching 3 of the little kids that are too young for nursery for 2/3 hours. This is about the most pointless time of my day but actually the most enjoyable.

When I go back to work at 2pm most of the kids are back from school so if they've finished eating, I try and do homework. The Tannie I work with can't read or write which usually isn't a problem but it makes homework in Afrikaans a little challenging for me! I have a dictionary which I take to work with me and now I've been doing it for 6 months I know the general set up of how it's written down which makes things much easier. A different South African volunteer comes every weekday except Friday to help the kids with their homework so it's not the end of the world if I can't help every kid. This Tannie lets the kids play outside from 3pm so I get to spend an hour sitting outside keeping a general eye on all the kids and playing with some little ones again before I get another break between 4 and 5 (outside time for all the kids). Once I come back, I shower them all and if they have school the next day, I make lunch boxes. Then I dish up their supper if the Tannie hasn't already and they eat. After supper they get to watch a movie before bed. Then they go upstairs and brush teeth and go to bed at 8pm. It's a long day! I finish work at 9pm, collapse into bed ready to wake up at 5.30am again! But on weekends I start at 7am...luxury!