44 STANLEY STREET

Soaking up the Autumn sun and cool vibes @ 44 Stanley Street. 

Could spent ALL day here enjoying the atmosphere, music, food, wine and people!

FORDSBURG

We visited Fordsburg in downtown Johannesburg one early Saturday afternoon. It is home to the Middle Eastern and Indian culture. The colours of the Muslim clothing were either bright or black with glitz. There were so many designs to choose from. Even for the men, there were some very stylish, full length garments. They were selling clothing, shoes, toys, handbags, dvds, cds, phones, and FOOD! The smells of the curries and spices just wafted through the air, grabbed you by the nose and lead you to a place of eating! We found the "Dosa Inn" where we shared delicious mutton dosa, chicken curry and dahl. Mmmm! We enjoyed it all. Finished and heading home at 6pm. It is not wise to be out on your own after dark in unknown territory. We were more than happy with our exploration. A few good movies and some pappadams in hand to have at home!

 

MEET VONGAI

This is Vongai. She is in Grade 2. Last week, I told the story of "The Three Little Pigs" with the help
of the children as the characters. After I had left, she wrote the story all by herself. When she showed it to me the following week, I was elated! Vongai is a bright young girl. She is a very keen learner who always wants to do her best! Enjoy reading her retell below.

THIS IS ERIKA

This is Erika. She comes to my apartment once a week for two hours.
She vacuums, mops, dusts and cleans the bathrooms.
She earns 300 Rand for her work, which is about $30.
She is a very lovely lady with five children and one granddaughter.
She has to help support all of her family.

VOLUNTEERING @ ICOT

What is ICOT?  It stands for INNOVATIVE CLASSROOMS OF TOMORROW. 

From their website… With small class sizes, ICOT is committed to delivering high quality education where all students are valued and respected. Having small class sizes guarantees a high level of teacher-pupil interaction. ICOT follows a mainstream curriculum. However we cater for students with remedial and individual interventions.

ICOT

I am volunteering there once a week on Fridays to do craft and cooking with the boys. There are eight young boys aged 10-15 who find learning in mainstream schools very challenging. This private school based in a modified house caters for young people with learning disabilities and autism. They are a lively bunch of polite boys. They call me "Ma'am".  Last week, we made playdough. Through this one activity alone, the boys used their…

·      Reading skills - deciphering a procedure

·    Maths skills - calculating and increasing the measurements of the ingredients

·    Social skills - engaging in conversations and manners

·    Fine motor skills - developing dexterity, finger muscles and control

·    Creativity - making their own sculptures from playdough

·     And they had FUN!

SANTANA

We had another "pinch me moment" here in Johannesburg! We went to "The Calabash" stadium to watch SANTANA play! We experienced our first taste of authentic South African music with JOHNNY CLEGG playing and dancing. A great night, but my husband remains a Bruce Springsteen fan through and  through!