Dishpan hands -- Lawrencia School, Day One

Well, we had an early wake up call (really, at this point, anything before 9 is early!) and all of the students and teachers and those crazy parents were on the bus by 7:30. The problem is that some of the adults, and I will not mention their names because I just learned that this blog is linked to the school Web site and I do not want to cause undue embarrassment, cannot really start the day until they've had their Diet Cokes. Lourence, our busdriver (but he is soooo much more than a busdriver!), who is THE MAN, said, "Not a worry. I know a place." He drove toward the Lawrencia School and at some point we found ourselves in a somewhat residential community with a gas station and convenience store. He stopped the bus, the adults jumped off, Lynne jumped off, too, to make sure we got across the road okay because in South Africa, people drive on the left, and this is not London which has those arrows that say everything but "Hey, idiot tourist! Look this way or you will die!"Purchases were made, Diet Cokes were consumed, and all was well. We arrived at the school about 15 minutes later than we had anticipated, but we just chalk that up to the all the rush hour traffice. Except the rush hour traffic was going the other way.

Upon our arrival at the school, we were met by a phalanx of students who lined the walk and sang their school song as we passed through. Soon, all of the students lined up and serenaded us with the South African national anthem. After an awkward silence which had us whispering, "Are we supposed to sing now? What shall we sing?" the music teacher got everyone singing "He's Got the Whole World in his Hands." We all left that gathering to meet with the teachers and then head off to our areas. The teachers' lounge was festively decorated with photos of Chatham Hall SA 1-3, signs expressing the students' joy at having us as visitors, and pictures of VA so we would not be homesick. (Sorry, VA, there has been very little, "Oh, if only I were in Virginia right now, I'd...")

CH students and teachers dispersed to the Library, Computer Room, and various classrooms. There was a certain degree of structure, but many teachers were just happy to have English speakers in the classrooms. Several of us went to the cafeteria to help make breakfast (two seatings ) for the 290 or so students at the school. Breakfast was to be Weet-Bix with hot milk and a package of cookies (the gentleman who owns a catering business and who had very nicely cone all the shopping and meal planning for us wanted to have a few things that he knew the kids would rarely have access to). We set up for the first 130 students (first through third graders), and then those who had been working in the kitchen went to visit a first grade class.



First grade classes are, of course, defined by the word "cute." The teacher, who had actually previously worked at the Levana School (Day 2 of Soil for Life, rain, building our own compost piles). She was clearly a dedicated teacher, loved her students, and had developed quite a rapport with them. They counted in Afrikaans and English for us, then we taught them the Alphabet Song. We sang "Old MacDonald," they sang the Afrikaans version, and then the teacher put on some music and the kids danced. Boy, can they dance! I was pulled up front by a boy who felt the same way that I do about the letter "j." It's a letter that must be said frequently and loudly. If you know me, you know that dancing is not one of my favorite things, but when a 6-year old grabs you and wants to dance, there is nothing to do but dance. Taylor and Catherine made a very good attempt at teaching the students the Electric Slide. It was a little tough with a small space and lots of kids, but the kids clearly appreciated the effort.


Pretty soon, it was time for the first breakfast seating at 10:00. Any sense of complacency was wiped out when we realized that we'd have to wash most of the bowls that the first seating used, as well as the spoons (first seating -- 130 kids) and get the second seating's food on the table with a very short turn around time. Cheryl and I washed and washed and washed using scalding water and our hands (no soap). The porridge did rinse out pretty easily, but it still took a while. While we were doing that, students and other teachers were putting the clean dishes out, putting more cereal, milk, and sugar in them and getting them on the table so they could add the milk. Meanwhile, the older kids (grades 4-9) were lining up and were hungry. To say that we were sweating (well, the scalding water did not help), is a mild understatement. The intensity of the meal prep almost had us looking back fondly on "Wet, green."


As soon as we'd cleaned the dishes from the second breakfast seating, we had to gear it up for lunch: polony, (Yeah, okay, if you don't know what this is by now, you have not been reading carefully enough), hot dog, cucumber, tomato, beans, catsup, bread, and a special snack upon departure. Bread had to be buttered (I could not tell you how many loaves of bread we used, but they kept coming). Ron and the caterer opened can after can of beans. Amy and Mary Kathryn sliced cukes and tomatoes, and I am going to miss some names here because some of us were rushing to peel 130 hard boiled eggs before the first lunch seating and were not entirely at one with time and space. One hundred and thirty hard boiled eggs do not just peel themselves. One of the women who usually helped prepare lunch and who was with us, said, under her breath to Lynne, "Lynne, next year, no eggs." I concur! Unless they are scrambled.

We had barely got the food on the table for the first lunch seating when the second seating began to line up. Back it was to washing the dishes and getting them back out on the table in order to put the food out for the older kids. It was hectic and intense and extremely mentally fatiguing. And we persevered with humor and the desire to not look like the 28+ adults could not put together a lunch.





At left, Cricket, Catherine, Jiachen, Kathleen, a Lawrencia staff member, and Lourence prepare the second seating. Please note students lined up outside back door. Please note how we are not even ready.







After lunch, and clean up, we again went to the different areas, but then found out that school actually ended at 2:00. While we had thought we would be at the school until about 4:00, the work in the kitchen had tired everyone out so much that we were happy to board the bus at about 2:30. Several people fell asleep. Back at the hotel, some napped, some showered, and some went for gelato. (It was cold and it was tasty. And it's right near the hotel.)





Cheryl and I took a very fast walk (in the sense that we were moving quickly) along the water to go to the Waterfront for dinner and shopping. It took us about 45 minutes, and, due to our speed and the very warm air, we were overcome by that phenomenon where you don't sweat until you stop your activity and then it just pours off of you. The very kind young woman at the Robben Island Museum Shop grinned appropriately and was probably just as happy when we bought our stuff and got out of the store. At left is just another small purchase I made on the Waterfront at Exotic Imports.


Great dinner by the water followed by gelato (Hey! It's small amounts!) We are now back at the hotel getting ready to go to bed to make sure that we're back at Lawrencia by 8:00 a.m. in order to get that breakfast going.

A bit about the Lawrentia kids. As we left, many of them came up and hugged us. As they brought their plates up after eating, they thanked us for the food. After we ate our meals (not the same food the students were eating, we put our garbage (some of which was uneaten food -- I, for example, did not eat my potato salad) on a box. As school was ending, a woman who helped us with lunch put that box out so the young students could pick through what we had not eaten and some of which we had eaten a part of (unfinished chicken legs, for example). A sad sight, but I am glad they got the extra food. (Dramatic pause...)


Okay, I'll add the photos and get this posted! More tomorrow!