December Greetings

DECEMBER IN AFRICA

36 degrees Celsius (97 degrees Fahrenheit),

Braaing outside (aka a barbeque) on a Friday night,

And only three days until Christmas…

This is December in Africa!

On December 4^th, Grade R had their end of the term party. We made this a Christmas themed party since I won’t be able to see them on Christmas day.

The week before our party, we set up a Christmas tree. Yes, I actually went out into the bush and cut this baby down!

The following week, we made a different ornament each day to help decorate our little tree.

We also had a countdown on the chalkboard to help the students better understand “how soon” until our party!

On the day of the party, we sang Christmas carols, ate cookies & milk, sweets and chips, colored Christmas sheets and even had several different gifts to unwrap!

It was such an amazing experience to watch the excitement on my students faces. Most of them have never had a Christmas tree before let alone received gifts on Christmas morning. Africans see Christmas Day more as a time to gather with family and spend time in the kitchen making delicious foods.

On December 9^th, Hope Valley Farm School closed for the term. Of my nine students, two of my students will be moving to Grade 1. The other seven will be staying in Grade R for another year. This is a common thing. Some students can remain in Grade R for up to three years depending on how old they are when they begin.

Hope Valley Farm School also had registration on December 10^th for our 2016 school year. At registration, I had 13 new students sign up to start Grade R in January. This means that I will go from having nine students in my classroom to 20! Although I am very excited about this, I am also a bit nervous due to the language barrier.

We will open school again on January 18^th, 2016.

Since my class size will be doubling, I have been fortunate enough to move my classroom into a bigger space. I have already put in several hours working on and fixing up my new classroom. We are currently at a standstill as we are awaiting a new roof and floor for the building! I am hoping to begin the process of moving in on the 27^th of this month. Stay tuned for updates and pictures of the new classroom!

Since school has been closed, there hasn’t been much going on at the farm where I live. A few days after school closed, my reps picked me up at the farm and we left for a retreat by the Indian Ocean. The whole South African team gathered here and we enjoyed a week by the sea.

After our retreat, my reps returned me to Lily of The Valley Orphanage where I plan to stay for the Christmas holidays. I have been enjoying my time here very much so far. All of the children are so excited for Christmas morning. Below are some pictures of things going on around the village. 

We have begun to Christmas wrapping earlier this week and are still awaiting a few more orders to come in. Stay tuned for more pictures of Christmas morning and our Christmas Day activities! 

THE HORIZON

Next Friday (January 1st, 2016) I will be flying to Johannesburg, South Africa where I will meet my parents. We will then be spending the following two weeks together. 

As mentioned before, I will being teaching back at Hope Valley Farm School on Jauary 18th. This will almost put me at my half way point. My experience here in South Africa has been absolutely flying & I have been loving every second of it.

On February 28th, I will be running my first FULL marathon in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa..... PRAYING it wont be a hot day! 

I hope everyone has a blessed Christmas back home; I am missing you all! 

Peace and love to all ♡
Allison Shade 

"And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same thing."