Shabbat Shalom

My school, The Mitzvah School, is on the property of the Bet David Shul, and is heavily sponsored and supported by this local community. Each year, the ladies at the Shul (known as The Sisterhood), host a Friday night Shabbat Dinner for the pupils of my school (remember we get new students every year, so it is always a new experience for each bunch). For the first time (this is my 5th year there!) we as a family joined them. Mom (aka Mrs. Elferink, the fierce Science teacher who takes crap from no-one!) and Dad also came along.We started with a brief description of the history of Shabbat and did some of the traditions associated with it (I was just waiting for them to launch into 'May the Lord protect and defend you.... from Fiddler on the Roof fame, but no such luck!). We then enjoyed a lovely 3 course meal. The highlight was the kitka bread on our table which gets torn by hand and shared around. Megs and Al loved that, and even now, if we see Kitka bread at the shops, we just have to buy it as a treat!

After dinner, we hurried to the Shul (has to start before Sunset) where we joined in the service. It was sort of Anglican in nature where the rabbi speaks/sings and the congregation speaks/sings in reply. It was also in a combination of English & Hebrew. The most unique thing was trying to keep track of where we were in the book, as it went from back to front!

It lasted an hour or so, and while it wasn't the most fun for Megs and Ali, they were both really well behaved and enjoyed the whole experience very much.

Mitzvah Prize Giving

Yet another Mitzvah event has been a highlight of my year, and a restorer of my faith in this crazy country of ours!!

Yesterday was our prize giving. And let me assure you, it was a prize giving like you've never seen before! The afternoon started with a series of songs, dances, poems and speeches done by the pupils. Then we had a speaker, a woman my age, who was one of the first students to go through the Mitzvah School. She spoke so well, and directly to the students - how she knows about their lives in Alex, she had the same up bringing and hardships, and yet, here she is, so successful, due to a combination of hard work, and SA being the land of opportunity! She said very firmly, that poverty is no longer an excuse to not do well in life!

Then all the prizes were handed out. It is always agony for me to decide on who should get a prize (other than the top student, that's easy!), and I always feel like I've let someone down by not choosing them. Anyway, the maths prizes were not the highlight of the afternoon (I know you can't believe it, but it's true!!). Rather, one of our boys who is a Geography boff has been given a scholarship to study town planning, with his tuition in first year paid for, as well as tuition and work experience for his second year. This boy's mother was so over-whelmed that once the bursary was awarded she went up to the stage, and weeping, threw her arms around the man who awarded the bursary. Well, there was hardly a dry eye in the house!

The school was also so lucky to have been given four bursaries from Boston College (3 x R10 000 and 1 x R15 000!) which were awarded to some top achievers. Boston is fantastic as it offers heaps of short courses which, if not these pupil's final destination, is an incredible start to their lives! Lastly, our dux scholar was awarded a full bursary from a company called ZenProp, which covers tuition, books and a living allowance for 3 years for the course of her choice!! Itumeleng, who received the prize, is such a hard worker and has been so determined this whole year, that I really hope that she manages University. She has all the right ingredients!

What an inspiring and quite overwhelming afternoon! Once again, I wish more of you out there could experience this slice of South Africa which fills my heart with JOY and HOPE!!

Mitzvah Matric Dance

Carl and I attended the Matric Dance for the school at which I teach, The Mitzvah School, on Saturday night. For those of you who don't know, it is a school for underprivileged students (sorry, lenners), from Alexandra Township, started up, and mainly sponsored by the Jewish Community (hence the name, Mitzvah, which actually means 'good deed'). This Matric Dance is a highlight of their year, and even the poorest students manage to find the money to come along. The school has a cupboard groaning with donated evening dresses, suits, shoes and bags, so the pupils can get a stunning outfit for free, and return it once the dance is over. All the pupils transform from Cinderella's and Frogs into handsome Princesses and Princes! Honestly, the transformation is remarkable (esp since half of them wear wigs or have their hair braided for the night and it is so difficult to recognise them!!).
The amazing thing about the dance, and which is why I am bothering to write about it on my blog, is the wonderful attitude of the students. When I had my school matric dance, the teachers were to be greeted, and then avoided at all costs! These kids are quite the opposite. I don't think I've ever smiled for so many photos with my pupils (I mean, with the MATHS teacher, who would ever have thought??), and even on the dance floor, the kids just accepted, and included these weird, poorly co-ordinated white teachers of theirs with such warmth and enthusiasm!
I know everyone is prone to gloom and doom about SA, and to be sure, there is plenty to be gloomy about, but these kids raise my hopes for the future of this country! If only everyone could be exposed to this positive side of SA!