Week One (I need more creative titles)

Hey all –

I’m proud to say, I’ve completed one week of real school. Hooray!

Since classes were fairly easy (since it’s the beginning and all), I spent most of my time this week experimenting with my CAS activities. As part of my International Baccalaureate degree, I have to do fifty hours of creative work, fifty hours of action/sports, and about one hundred and fifty hours of community service (commserve). So I spent this week checking out all the available CAS activities offered by teachers and students. Here’s a taste of what I did this week:

Yoga, gym, kayaking lessons, volleyball, climbing, ballroom dancing, Argentinean tango, fitness swimming, samba, and an audition.

(This list seemed longer in my head?)

While I’m not sure if I’m going to stick with everything, I think it was valuable to dip my feet into the water to determine what I like and what I don’t. I was also trying to branch out a little and try new things. Even if it meant I was the only guy at Samba.

Another big week for climbing – On Wednesday I led my first route. For those who don’t know, it means that I was setting the rope for the climb. As opposed to the traditional “top rope” type of climbing, where you are suspended from a rope hanging from the top of the route, a lead climb entails hooking in at various intervals. It’s not as dangerous as free climbing (experience tells me that not much is more dangerous than free climbing), but if you fall there’s potential to drop about five or ten feet… one to three meters.

But in any case, it was very… exhilarating.

I went to an audition this week as well, for a piece of physical theatre. It’s not a scripted piece; rather, the production is going to be a product of the creativity of the cast. The theme of the show is “lies”, so we have to create our own physical pieces to represent lies. The director is determined to have the show be very physical; in fact, when I first asked her about it, she asked me, “Have you heard of STOMP?” So I’m anticipating a lot of body rhythm and physically strenuous activities. I’m really stoked and think it’s going to be an awesome, creative production.

We put in our commserve requests this week – an important time for me, since I was so incredibly intrigued about the community service at Waterford when I first learned about it, and since commserve was a big motivational factor in my decision to attend. My first request was for a place called “Ward 8”, a hospital in Mbabane for abandoned children. Waterford students go to Ward 8 and take the kids (many disfigured or disabled) out for fin activities, like picnics or swimming. I love working with kids and it seems like my type of commserve; however, there are only four spots open, so I’m not sure if I’ll get it.

I put as a second choice AIDS education at primary schools in Mbabane. It’s incredible how influential AIDS education can be in preventing the spread of the disease; in fact, in some African nations (Botswana… I think), the educational programs by the government have been as effective as a vaccine. Crazy amazing. I put many other commserve requests in  - SOS Children’s Village (teaching English and Maths to kids), Amnesty International (writing letters advocating for diplomacy in turbulent nations), Outdoor Pursuits (similar to Ward 8 – taking children out for activities such as climbing and kayaking), and Young Heroes (fundraising to send children to school and conduct repairs at local schools). Hopefully I can participate in two, or even three, of these. Fingers crossed.

What else? As part of my SiSwati class, I’ve been going to town and trying to speak as much SiSwati with the locals as possible. Usually it’s just simple stuff – “Hello” (Sawubona), “How are you?” (Unjani), but on occasion I get the chance to do a fun one, like “Ngiphuma eMelika” (I am from America) or even "kubhukusha” (to swim). My Siswati class is moving redonkulously fast, but I feel like I’m (kind of) picking up on it.

Final note – For Valentine’s Day, the Student Representative Council (SRC) is doing an auction of boys, very similar to the one’s we did at CDO. The highest bidder on a boy is that boy’s date for the Valentines social in a few weeks. I got picked to be an auction item, which means that tomorrow people will (hopefully) start bidding on my bod. Ya dig?

If it’s not apparent from errthang above, I’m having a great time. Along with the activities and school, the mere mixing of people with various cultures is so interesting and exciting. I’ve been acquiring music, sharing cinema (folks did not particularly enjoy Hot Fuzz, whaaa?), and having great discussions.

I’m buying postcards next time I’m in town, which will likely exhaust my bank account. Which means I need addresses! FB message me or comment on the blog and I’ll try to get one to you :)

Missing you all, as usual. Every time I log on to Facebook my heart breaks a little. I hear it was super cold in Tucson? Bummed I missed it. It cool, though, that I can keep up somewhat from across this ocean (although I don’t really know who’s dating who anymore).

Sending all my love

Sala kahle (stay well)

Eli