Okay in an attempt to feel less guilty for blogging my evening away, I'm going to use this time to catch up on all the 'good todays' I've missed. Massive block of text under the jump. Here we go.
Friday August 8th: UMBC was pretty cool and breakfast was really good.
Saturday: So much shopping. Finally found the AP magazine after looking for a week. Also got Auntie Anne's
Sunday: Got an Oreo Vanilla Bean thingy thing from Dunkin' on the way to pick up last minute stuff. Also got 2 pretzels last minute for dinner at the airport.
Monday: Arrived in and left England, watched an episode of Suits
Tuesday: Arrived in SA, nice dinner and post dinner shenanigans (that was the night at backpackers with '3 beers each' from Mr T and the guy outside the gate and the electrical fence Sid encountered. Also the only accommodation we had for the whole trip with wifi. Watched an episode of Suits with Alysha instead of being social (which set a precedent for the rest of the trip). We also went to a bunch of the places I saw on the Year 10 trip like the Hector Pieterson museum (outside) and the Apartheid museum and Soweto generally.
Wednesday: Rooms in Igloo were nicer than in backpackers, but we didn't have internet and Mrs B was in the room with us which was pretty awkward. Watched the first episode of the 100 courtesy of Alysha. Also saw the Limpopo legislature.
Thursday: Breakfast at Mugg and Bean which was soo soo good and there was internet in Mugg and Bean as well. Got to the village. Separate rooms! (I ended up with Alysha in the alley room instead of in the house because Mrs B just 'KNEW' that we wanted to be together and separate from everyone else which annoyed me because it meant I spent a full week separated from all the people i didn't already know which was why they later ALL went to the guys' house without us and only realised we hadn't come to lunch after they had eaten smh). Anyway, that day was nice and warm.
Friday: Okay so we walked around with the cows for like 2 hours and everyone (except Alysha and I) ''got involved'' really early in the day which was pretty funny. Boikie was forever telling us to slow down while we walked the cows. He then took us to play pool in the tavern which had a fully functioning CD jukebox which was pretty cool. That was also the day we started painting the creche.
Saturday: Party day. Lateish breakfast and then we went to finish painting the creche and hung around at the project. There was loads of face painting. We had lunch in hiding from everyone else at the event and then Tasha had to give a speech and she was pretty involved so that was something else. After the thing ended we ended up in a weird dance party sort of thing with the local kids and we just danced around for like an hour. That was the first night I did dishes but I was with like Loris and Brando and they were so efficient and we finished really quickly. It was also Loti's birthday and we had cake after dinner.
Sunday: LAZY day. Teachers went to church and we went to a supermarket so I finally got credit and food. Tupac was weird. Everyone got like ridiculously involved.
Monday: We taught at Chanyela and I was with Alysha. We did Math with Grade 4 and English with Grade 6. People dug trenches at the site and I helped cut the things they're using as curtains.
Tuesday: More teaching (at Robert's school though). We went to Malamulele and got food and ice cream and wandered a bit and picked up I juice and then waited on Tivani while she got her hair washed. We also picked up paint (sunset!!) and rollers from a hardware store and they were really cheap.
Wednesday: Last day in the village. Did some last minute painting. I'm pretty sure that was the day I spent loads of time trying to occupy Loti and Frank with Alysha and let them use my phone/camera to take pictures and then there was definitely some musical chairs and duck duck goose with the kids who were supposed to be in the creche. Loads of weird goodbyes.
Thursday: (not that this was good, just a thing I remembered) I started crying on the bus listening to the jasey Rae cover. Got to Kruger (the whole time we were there we saw all the big 5 except lions and rhino and we saw zebras and sooooo many impala (and a kangaroo rat I think)). We had different roommate arrangements and I think that's when I was with Alysha and the Issy's. That was probably the night of the awful milkshakes and playing Telephone at dinner with the teachers.
Friday: More Kruger. Loads of regular driving and a game drive. Probably some playing of Mafia in there as well. This is when I roomed with Tasha and Amanda.
Saturday: Slept in rather than going on the early morning game drive and it was so worth it. Drove to Blyde River Canyon. (The place we stayed at had the worst instant coffee oh my goodness. That was the day of the amazing pancakes. Roomed with Amanda and Issy B and Margaux were in the other room. Amanda was a wreck (there was some chundering) (again, not good, just a thing I remember) and Seva just appeared out of a closet like 10 minutes after I had come into the room. This was the day we watched the bling ring and then came out of the room and the baguette broke four glasses in one swoop of the arm. Amazing. Good dinner.
Sunday: Last day. Buffet breakfast and dinner, barbecue for lunch. Also had ice cream after dinner (it was white chocolate and almond and it was amazing). Dinner was a slight mess because of the guys who came late). There was no post-dinner partying really because of the whole dinner issue, and then Mr T's speech at the end of the night was a little awkward for everyone.
Monday: Airport drive was endless. Stopped for a coffee/snack break and there was this amazing coffee and then the biggest slice of carrot cake I've had in my life. Lunch at either steers or spur, can't remember, and we played mafia at lunch and on the bus. Said goodbye to Mr T at the airport, got on the flight back to school.
Tuesday: Back to school. Met some new lower sixth, saw Dan and Tyler's videos together. A couple of friends came back so first round of hugs came in.
Wednesday: More friends came back, more rounds of hugs.
Thursday: School started but it was only two periods and I had no VSU so it was perfect. Finished work up, made sure my EE had been sent off.
Friday: Went to the gym during my free last, which felt really good. Apart from a slightly stressful morning, it was a pretty chill day.
Saturday: Had my first TOK class with my new teacher which was interesting. Another pretty chill day of classes. Climbing was fun. JOSIE MADE CREPES AND THEY WERE SO GOOD and I ended up gisting with the Lower Sixth (especially the Nigerians) for ages and then we (Upper Sixth) had dinner at the Mexican place and it was really nice to go out with like half the usual group and have it just be because we wanted to go out together and not because it was a birthday dinner. And THEN we dropped in very briefly at IC to drop off one of our Lower Sixth
Sunday: Thorpe Park (which might have been better if I had been with people who actually like big rides but it was fine, I had a good time anyway).
Monday: I had two insanely productive frees and I went to the gym after school and I had a meeting with Mr Hall about recommendations and it was just a really good day overall.
Tuesday: Went out/got dragged out for coffee with Josie after sport (I managed to do the Lead climb diagonally up the wall all the way to the top which I was crazy proud of even though my arms really hurt now). Then we watched the simpsons and futurama for a bit. Went to boarders' concert which was great. Johnny did Stay With Me which was AMAZING and our Lower Sixth did a crazy good job for our house (and EJ performed both times and was on point for both). Immanuel did a pretty cool song too.
