20 of my friends can help build a school!!!

The school that I am working at in South Africa had a bit of a problem about a month ago. The building owner decided not to renew their lease. This meant that the children would be out of a school. However, within a month’s time, the school was able to get some land and a builder told them they could have two round houses built by December. This however, would cost the school.
It is going to cost the school a total R30,000. They are also in need of desk which is a total of R6,000. The school has since raised a total of R27,000. Which they are short R9,000 which is about $1,900.00 US dollars. My way to help fundraise is to find at least 20 of my friends and family to donate at least $15 to the project. All you have to do is click here or on the link to the right and pay via credit /debit card or pay pal. That is all you have to do.
Now the school is to be finished by December, so it is important that if you do decide to help that you get your donations to the school. Like I said all you have to do is click here
If you can’t help out, please pass the word on to your friends.
Let’s help out this lovely school,
With my up most sincerity, thank you,
Domina

Durban- Local food: Bunny Chow

For most travelers, we always set out to find that one food where we can't get anywhere else. That dish that we can take pictures of and blog about and feel like we have been cultured somehow. Well my friends, I have just done that. On my way to Durban, we stopped at a gas station where there were many things to eat, KFC, pizza, shawarmas and burgers. I noticed, as I was walking back to the bus with my spicy hot wings from KFC,a sign that said, "BUNNY CHOW" and thought "man, I should have tried the rabbit stew". When I got to Durban, my host brought me to a dinner party where I met up with some couchsurfing host. They asked me if I tried "bunny chow" before. I told them my bus stop story which amused them.
Twelve hours later I was in the home a lovely Indian family and there I was eating bunny chow.

Bunny chow is a hollowed out quarter loaf of bread filled with a curry. You can have lamb, chicken or vegetarian curry. There are toppings as well. Carrot shavings with a chile and onion type of salsa.
No rabbit was harmed in the making of a bunny chow.
There were many stories as to where the bunny chow came from. But here is the jist.
Back in the apartheid, a legal racial segregation which ended in 1994, blacks could not be served in Indian or white restaurants. So a restaurant here in Durban, came up with the idea to have their food to go, or what they call "take-a-ways", for the blacks. It is eaten with your fingers and not with a fork.

It is traditionally a cheep way to eat, about R15 which is just over a $1.00, but can range in price to about R40.
My opinion of the bunny chow? I loved it. I did eat it with a fork and I could not finish it because it was so filling. Some of you may call me out on the fact that I hate wet bread (it makes me gag), I still enjoyed it and recommend that you get one if you ever visit Durban.

Transportation in Johannesburg

If you like a challenge, hit Johannesburg, South Africa. Public transportation is really hard to come by and is said to be not the safest.There are private taxis of which i did not use, they are very expensive and I am told that its better to be with a crowd than to be alone. There are the mini taxi buses with I found to be quite cheep and very easy to pick up once I asked around.
There is an etiquette to the mini taxi bus. You can stand just about anywhere and point your finger in the direction you are going and if there is room, they will stop. Once you get in the mini bus, depending on where you sit would depend on how you pay. There are four rows in the mini bus. You pass your money to the front and you say what row you are in. If you sit next to the driver, you get the privilege to collect the money and pass out change. The cost is usually about R9, which is about $1.25.
Also, if you sit near a door, you are the one that needs to get out and let people on or off.
Traveling long distance with a bus company is comfortable and a great way to see South Africa.
There are several companies which include Greyhound and Intercape. I used Intercape to get from Jo'burg to Durban. My couch surfing host actually arranged for the bus to stop just outside of Durban so I can attend a couch surfer dinner so I could meet some locals.
It was a 6 hour bus ride and was very pleasant. They stop at truck stops so you can get food and stretch your legs. The cost was R210 and both lines offer a student discount ( i always bring my student id, even if I am not enrolled), so it cost me R199 which is about $20.
The highlight of my bus trip,I got to sit up with the drive for a bit :)

I leave in less than 2 weeks...

Okay so, I bought my ticket today.
This trip has a much different tone attached than my trip to Peru.
The South American trip was more a "I gotta get out of her feeling". I felt like I was searching for something. Some clue that would guide me to where needed to be. I felt like I needed to flee this city and all that was growing and smothering around me. I needed purpose.
That is not where I am right now. I feel mighty secure with my heart and mind, and it scares me to walk away from that.
I spent the summer with my children. We pretty much just hung out and did little things here and I there, but I got so much more out this past summer than I did when I went to South America, and I am scared to leave again. I love my children and the relationship that we have. Its so much warmer than any other feeling I have ever had with anybody and I love every second of it.
So, why leave? Well, I have always wanted to feed the world with the beauty that I know and have always had a thirst for knowledge. This is who I am and always will be...But aside from that, I also feel that when we gain knew strength, we should always test it. We should always be aware that the knowledge and truth we have worked so hard to seek, is strong and we should have faith that when we make sacrifices, it will stick or grow.
I like that this is hard for me to leave, because I feel free of myself, and I am not running from anything. I am doing this for its stated purpose, go out and teach children and open the eyes of my own!

Going South Again!

Okay, so here I go again!
When I came back from my 2 month trip in South America, I deiced that I would put traveling on hold. I decided to join an online community called couch surfing.com to keep my travel bug satisfied. In the midst of housing travelers from all over the world, I came across a local (meaning U.S.) surfer, Stefanie. She was my longest surfer, 30 days, but also, my favorite. She had just recently been to South Africa helping her friend start a school. Being as though I was going into teaching, I was very interested.
I expressed to Stefanie a few months ago that I was interested, at one point, going to S.A. and helping out. This is something I was planning on doing a few years after I started teaching.
Well, as fate may have it, Stefanie's friend who started the school, had some exciting news and needed to leave the school behind for a few months. Stefanie suggested that I help hold down the fort and teach!
Well, I am sure that by reading this you will guess that I am off to do just that!
I will be in Port Saint Johns in a village there teaching, most likely 1st grade! I will be there for 3 months and this blog will keep my family and friends and pretty much anyone who is interested up to speed!
I plan to update photos, express ALL my feelings and hope to shed a little light on education cross culturally.
I hope you enjoy!