Crazy Week

Since I've been updating you on my trip with my family (which ended almost a month ago, can you believe it??), I haven't been updating you on what I've been doing. Don't worry, this won't take long.

1. "Marking" papers. That is the word used for grading here. I graded 127 exams and 127 projects and about 40 homework papers. My highest class average was a 64, which isn't off track at my school, so I felt secure but not satisfied with my teaching efforts. My next task is to plan for the next term.

2. Researching. My literature review is due on July 23, but since I'm leaving Saturday for Durban (more on that in a moment), I've been studying non-stop to get as much done before-hand as possible. I don't think I've told you my research topic, but I'm sure you could've guessed it: Human Rights Education in the South African School Curriculum. If you're interested, I can post some good articles on the subject. I'm certainly reading plenty.

3. Weekends--I've spent several weekends with my friend Kristian who is working in Pretoria for the summer and our mutual friend Katy Ginanni. We have visited some great restaurants, the Rosebank African Craft Market, Museum Africa and the Market Theater. Katy and I spent a weekend at the Pilanesberg Game Reserve (not Kruger, but a closer option. It'll do.) and did a lot of birdwatching. Call me a nerd, but in Africa my favorite hobby is bird watching! Last weekend was a Rotary weekend with the District Governor induction Saturday night and our club president's induction on Sunday afternoon. AND, our very own mom Lynne Ward was given a Paul Harris Fellow Award for her outstanding service to Rotary! For you non-Rotarians, that's a heck of a big deal!

4. Trip planning. On Saturday, I leave for Durban to meet up with an Ambassadorial Scholar friend in Durban and to go to the Drakensberg Mountains (again--wooohooo!) with Kate's family to their cottage. Then on Monday, I'll meet back up with Cape Town friends Niv, Emily, Emily, and Alli and we'll head to St. Lucia which is a little town in the middle of a National Park on the coast between Durban and Maputo. Did I just say Maputo? Yes. If you know me well enough, you know that no trip that close to Maputo would see me not driving to the city to see my friends! On our family trip to Kruger, it was all I could do to stay in SA! So we'll spend two days in St. Lucia and then head to Maputo where Kristian will meet us. The group will go on to Tofo and then I'll stay with Kristian in Maputo and visit with Naftal, Telmo, and other friends. On the 16th, we'll then head to Kruger for a couple of days and then back to Jo'burg. The major benefit about this trip (other than it being breathtakingly beautiful and exotic and full of great friends, blah, blah, blah) is that it will be WARM. Forget warm, it'll be HOT! I heard that in Maputo tomorrow it's supposed to be 80 degrees F!!! I can't wait. My swimsuit is ready and so am I! Bring on the sun.

So, I won't be posting for a while unless I just have some good time with the internet at some point during my trip. Hope you all have a great two weeks!