Practice tournament

Yesterday we hosted practice tournament for the 16 teams in our area. We had 8 teams show up which was pretty good considering how things have been going. Some of the teams are struggling to get practices in where more than one or two kids can attend. It is interesting that teams that are led by parents are moving along quite well but teams that are led by teachers are having trouble finding time. Teachers here are quite busy teaching school during the day and running after school activities in the afternoons (schools are out around 1:15PM). The teachers that are coaching FLL also coach cricket, chess, theatre, arts and cultures, etc plus have meetings with parents and all the other duties that go along with being teachers.

My team (the g33k$) provided mentoring during the day while I helped train volunteers for judging at the tournament we are hosting on Nov 20th. The program runs a bit differently here and since it is relatively new there is a lot for people (and me!) to learn. It was a great day for the kids and I am hopeful those attending recognized areas to work on for the next 3 weeks in preparation for their tournament. Perhaps the best part of the day was meeting parents of the kids we have been working with weekly. These parents are likely to become part of the core group that will continue to develop this program in future years. One dad is ready to take over a team and start practicing in his garage this week. Many parents commented on how great a program FLL is...how it gives their child a chance to think differently than they are used to in school. A judge commented how it allows kids opportunities to talk with adults and researchers about real world problems. She also felt that kids in South Africa are at a disadvantage compared to American kids as far as overall educational opportunities. She believes that kids here are not encouraged to think about their role in "real world" problems.

Our days will change starting this week as kids here are entering exams. Their school year ends soon (end of Nov) and they have finals every other day. On exam days they only attend school for their exam and the rest of the day is spent at home. On days without exams they don't attend school at all. So we will start going to town much earlier in the day to work with teams. Typically we have our school in the AM and go in for our service learning in the afternoons. Hope our kids all adjust well to this change as we have asked them to adjust to much already. Overall, though, for 6 kids and 2 moms to do what we are doing things are going GREAT!

Happy Halloween everyone. We might make caramel apples today, but otherwise Halloween is not celebrated here. We can't find a can of pumpkin puree as we wanted to make pumpkin bars.

Deb

g33k$

Annika and Hans's robotics team is studying the bionic eye for their research project this year. This afternoon our team will meet with an optometrist to discuss eye diseases and their idea for their innovative solution to some of the problems with the system.

We have 3 South Africans on the team which is fun in many ways. We plan to stay at Francois's house in town tonight. They have a pool in their back yard which will be very welcome in this heat. We will also order pizza for supper and practice a good part of the day tomorrow. His two brothers are also on robotics teams so they have a FLL table in their garage. Our tournament is in 4 weeks so there is much to do. It will be fun for the kids to "play" at a friends house.

Regular routine

We are into a regular routine with school, lego practice and volunteer work so there is not much new to report. The kids have been building a ladder with logs and rope to hang from a great climbing tree in the yard. They are also learning how to change the oil on our Toyota Regius van (the manual is in Japanese!). Zac had his first driving lesson on the dirt roads today and we all lived to talk about it. The schools were are working with are all progressing at different speeds. The kids continue to be fun to work with. Even more fun is for me to work with my kids and Michele's kids to teach them. This morning Michele, Sebo and I took a walk to the nearby village as the temps are getting pretty warm in the afternoons now (38 C so far this afternoon). The people who live there are all employed by the sawmill that operates 24/7 just up the hill from us. About 1500 people live there. A primary school and small store are there as well. We are hoping to go over to play soccer on their field in the next few days....as they have goal posts and grass! No nets, but we have not seen a single soccer net in South Africa yet.

I am planning to make an apple crisp while Hans is online for two classes this afternoon. We have Granny Smith apples here and one called Cripps. I bet the Honeycrisp are ripe in MN!

Deb

Schools

Two school visits...one with 1 teacher to 72 students (three students to one desk and one book) and the other in a school with no lights and no desks. The literacy rate in Mozambique is 38%. Kids are promoted to the next grade level whether than can read or not. It was stunning to see these schools.

Soccer with locals

This afternoon we showed up on a soccer field with a ball and kids came out of the woodwork! The kids look small but are not as young as you might think. Due to malnutrition their growth is stunted. They schooled our kids with their fancy footwork in the sand. Everyone had fun playing together and Annika's new ball got broken in well with the reddish African soil.

Mozambique

We are visiting Mark's brother and wife in Maputo. We've encountered a little trouble on some of the streets.

We enjoyed visiting a preschool literacy program and acting out a few stories for the kids. Then we "read" some stories with the kids - some of them counted in english with me so I felt encouraged that they understood what I was saying....a little girl plopped herself down on my lap and pointed to the pictures. I asked Mary Jo what the word for candy was as the girl kept pointing to the pieces of candy. When Mary Jo starting laughing, I was told the little girl was deaf. We all laughed since I was going on and on with this child.

Interesting that all the kids washed their hands before they took the books to read.

And we enjoyed a new fruit called masala from the street market. The lady that sold it to us (about 15 cents US) supports her family with 3 kids off the proceeds.

Kruger National Park trip 2

Mark's brother and wife (Todd and Mary Jo) came to the farm for a visit this weekend. We enjoyed a braai together and showed them the dam and waterfall where we like to hang out. Since Mark comes home in a week we wanted to get another trip into Kruger to see the Big 5. Michele and kids joined us and we had a great day. Waking at 4:30 AM to drive 90 minutes to potentially see lions, rhinos, giraffe, etc was no big deal. We were rewarded in a big way today. We saw rhinos in two different spots as well as 2 female lions by a watering hole. They were a mere 10 feet from our van, lounging and sleeping in the shade. We have some amazing photos to share! Also a group of 7 giraffe, hippos playing and wrestling in the water, elephants, monkeys, birds, crocodile, etc. It is an amazing place and I am sure Michele and I will go back often with the 6 kids.

Planning to go to Mozambique this week from Wed through Sunday. Please take care of Mark when he gets home next Monday the 11th. (His 50th b-day is Oct 16th). :)