Strike Day 2

Okay so first day of class…

Music class was great. Our professor, Lesty Hughes, is a very energetic person! She was so cool and I think I’ll actually enjoy the class very much. She will be teaching us about the Xhosa tribe’s music. So far I think we’ve learned a lot .We even got to do some round singing and rhythm clapping! Lucky for me I was next to a choir singer and was able to copy her the entire time! Class seems just about the same at home I think. Maybe the classes here are more lecture based. Or maybe it’s just because I take education classes that I’m not use to the lecture format. I’m taking the class for only two credits because I already have all my arts credits from the elementary education program at home.

Last night my roommate Emma and I organized a cribbage tournament for all the CSB/SJU students. We had 26 people playing in my apartment. My team got to playoffs, but we didn’t win. But people were pretty impressed with my skills so I told them I got taught by my grandparent’s love for the game!

This morning we woke up to the soft hum of cars driving by. The yelling and honking (or hooting) wasn’t there so I immediately knew that the Combies were still on strike. So we woke up, picked up our laundry (which was folded and neatly wrapped in plastic to be brought home) and went to the beach. It was a great day for the beach and I had a little sand fight with some of the boys. And now Mac, I think I can say I did have a pound of sand in my bathing suit! Or costume as the South Africans say.

Since the professor for today’s class is our director who lives in Langerry Flats with us, we had class a little closer to home. This way, the professors didn’t have to shuttle all 30 of us to campus. We had class in the meeting hall at the Catholic Church two blocks away. It worked out perfectly. It was Senior Seminar, which is a part of the Liberal Arts curriculum at CSB/SJU. The class is supposed to be focused on ethics, so our class topic is South African Politics. This class was very interesting. We discussed the Nelson Mandela book and learned a little more about South African history. After class we just had an all group meeting to discuss upcoming trips and such. Our director also informed us that anyone not taking 16 credits needs to sign up for another class as it is a requirement of the program. That shot my 12 credit, ideal schedule out the window!! I tried to convince him to let me in the marine biology class because it seemed so interesting to me. But the biology prerequisite is pretty important and my professor hinted that it would probably be too hard for me without any background. So the last choice I had was to take South African Contemporary Politics. And I’m so sorry Cassie and all others who enjoy politics, but I really thought that one politics class in my lifetime would be more than enough. But I have no other choice than to sign up for the additional class so that I can stay in South Africa. I am also disappointed because now I have class on Thursday afternoon!!! I know, it’s not fair! Well it kind of isn’t fair because not one credit here will count for anything in my graduation because the education major is so strict that we have to take specialized classes to fill every requirement.

The combies are probably going to be on strike for one more day; so tomorrow we are being shuttled to class by our professors again. Tomorrow I have the service learning course in the morning and literature in the afternoon. I still have some reading to get done for the literature class.

Not much else is going on here. Me and some friends are busy trying to get some weekend plans set up for the rest of the semester. So far, this weekend we are going to Jeffrey’s Bay, home of South Africa’s best surfing beach.

Kay, glad you’re finally here with us! Now we just need some good old Clark comments, so work on that.

Charlotte, I heard about your rain…but at least you don’t have the blizzard like in ND. Or maybe your roads are just as bad because of the ice?

Anna, congrats on getting into Johns Hopkins! That is so awesome! I hope a lot of us will get the opportunity to visit you while you’re way out east! Gosh everyone in our family is so spread out now!

And I also wanted to say congratulations to Rory’s step-sister, Geralyn, who just had her first baby, Owen Richard born on February 7th. Owen is completely healthy and Rory’s excited to have another nephew!

Umm not sure what else from over here. I just hope everything’s going great at home!!