Back in Durban

Hello from Durban! We just returned from a long weekend in Hluhluwe Game Park (I was spelling it wrong before...whoops...). It was pretty fun! Just like camping. We stayed in these things called rondavels, which are cylinder shaped hut things with thick straw roofs. It took us about 4 hours to drive there on Friday. However, before going to the game park, we stopped at our first actual rural school.

I cannot believe how much of a contrast there was between this school and Westville Boys. Basically, this school had only 3 buildings with separate classrooms in each. They didn't have toilets, only pits for the students to use. They also didn't have any fields or anything for the students to do recreational activities. The most surprising thing is that this school was ranked in quintile 3. I'm not sure if I explained this before or not, but the quintiles basically determine how much funding the school recieves from the government. Quintile 5 is the least amount of funding, and usually the schools with the highest school fees. The principal at this rural school told us that the government had originally ranked them in quintile 2 and considered them a "no fees" school which means the students are able to go there for free. When it came time for the funds to come in, however, the government only gave the school the funding for the quintile 3 ranking. The principal said that they are able to go to the government and complain, but that really doesn't get them far. So basically, this school doesn't have the money to do anything...especially because they are not able to get any school fees. I cannot believe what the goverment can get away with here. The principal also told us that about 30% of the students that attend the school are mothers.

Anyway, after this short visit (we were not allowed to observe any classes because the students were preparing for exams), we headed for Hluhluwe. The first night that we were there, they set up a buffet for us with tons of food. I filled myself to the brim with desserts! The next day, we woke up very early to go on the game drives. The drive itself is 3 hours long and you're not guaranteed to see anything. Thankfully, we got to see some zebras and giraffes. There were also lots of deer type things, birds, and a few monkeys! The rest of the day was devoted to resting and reading (more resting than reading!). On Sunday, we woke up and started off for Durban again. During the trip, we stopped at the largest salt water estuary in South Africa. It wasn't toooo exciting, but I did get to see some hippos! They make the funniest sound ever...like a huge cow.

Not much has been happening since we have been back in Durban. Today is AIDS day so we had a lecture on HIV/AIDS which was really informative. I think one of the biggest problems here is that people are not getting tested. There is this stigma behind getting tested (which I think is probably the same everywhere...) so people are just going about their business without even knowing. This seriously scares the hell out of me for their sake. The spread is so fast and there are so many people that don't even know they have it.

To wrap this up, I am so glad that I am learning something new every day. I'm trying to talk to everyone as much as I can and learn as much as I can about this country. It is such a great experience, but I feel like I need to be helping more and there is so much more I could be doing. Perhaps I'll take up a collection when I get back to pay for a few kids' school fees. I don't know. Hopefully I'll be back online by tomorrow or Wednesday! Take care.