Constitutional Court

This court is certainly a source of pride for the citizens of Johannesburg. Without even asking, we were booked to visit Constitutional Court before we even arrived here at St. John's. Anna and I were lucky enough to get an art and architecture tour of the building - who knew there could be so much symbolism behind the vast styles of furniture! To me, the most striking thing about the Court was how open it was to the public. Stacy, our amazing tour guide, told us about the location of the Court. It is basically a "passing zone," so people travel throughout the Courthouse grounds on a daily basis - and this is exactly what was planned. My favorite design of the building was part of the actual courtroom. A slim and oblong window that rests close to the ground is the only way to look outside. Through this window, due to it's low laying position, you can only see legs of the people walking by the court. This was created as so to play off of the idea that gender, race, and other physical features are irrelevant to judging a person. It goes to show that, while in the court, a person will never be judged unfairly due to their race, religion, or gender.

The Flare of Democracy, outside of the Court

Chapel and Religion at St. John's

I've been meaning to write about chapel for quite some time now. Religion is a huge part of the school life here - you simply can't avoid it. Boys in "the college" have chapel every day except for Thursdays, and the girls in 6th Form have chapel three times a week. Any sort of required religious gathering at St. George's usually referred to with a sigh or a groan. Here at St. John's, on the other hand, students (or "learners") are all so excited to participate. Every single person sings along with the songs and responds aloud when appropriate. In addition, students regularly volunteer to read aloud during the one and a half hour long services, and Communion is given at nearly every single chapel service. It's so different to see everyone really getting into the church services!

This is the picture of the beautiful Main Chapel!

TLC Orphanage

THIS is the day I had been waiting for since I touched down in Johannesburg nearly 2 weeks ago. Anna and I were privileged enough to visit the TLC Orphanage just outside of the city area. What a pleasure! These kids ranged from 2 weeks to 4 years old, and were absolutely wonderful. The moment I stepped onto the premises I was sent straight to work. Some of my jobs included: folding laundry, doing dishes, changing diapers, feeding, and holding the little rascals that refused to sleep during nap-time. The day was full of smiles and headaches, but it did not take long for the sadness to set in once I finally left the orphanage. These poor kids, some unable to be cared for by their family members and some found at the doorstep of the orphanage, were helpless with their destinies. We luckily got to sit down with the owner of the orphanage during lunch to hear a little more about the process. Most, if not all, of the kids that get adopted from the agency are adopted when they are just babies. The group of older kids, all up to about 4 years old, usually have stuck around for so long because they are diagnosed with HIV and are unwanted by prospective adopting families. This day has really opened my eyes to a whole new part of the world... I don't think there is an orphanage within hundreds of miles from where I live. What precious children.

Traditional African Dance

So, on our way out of the grocery market to stock up on some granadillas, Anna and I came across a showing of African traditional dance on the sidewalk. It was amazing to watch and the singing and clapping throughout the crowd was certainly something to experience. Check out their traditional dress, too!

The African Flea Market

Today Anna and I had the privilege of visiting the African flea market. It was such a great experience! There were the most beautiful handcrafted trinkets and paintings of Africa on canvas. I bought items here that I could simply not buy at any other place in the world! It was so nice to truly get a taste of what South Africa is like beyond the walls of the boarding school.

The most interesting part about the crafts at the market is actually HOW they are made. The picture below is of colorful baskets being sold at one of the tables in the market. And guess what... they're made of telephone wire! It was also not unusual to see items made from soda cans and everyday plastics. So cool!

Tea, Tea, and... More Tea!

The tea intake going on over here on this side of the world has to be documented as absolutely staggeringly astronomical. Here's a look at the schedule:

- Tea for breakfast
- "Morning tea" break time
- Tea at lunch
- "Afternoon tea"
- Tea at dinner
- Tea before bed

The tea offered here by the school is certainly nothing to rave over, so how on earth can everyone be so obsessed with it around here?!

Well, when Alejandra's family hosted Anna and I for the weekend, I finally got to taste the better end of this tea phenomenon. Just in a small café there are hundreds of different teas to try. I have to say... I fell in love! Next on my checklist is to buy some delicious teas to bring back to the US with me. This way I can enjoy my tea like they do over here in South Africa... 6 times a day!

delicious!

The Nightlife

It's incredible to see the difference between the "nightlife" here in South Africa in comparison to that at home. The term "going out," on the weekend seemed to me to be innocent enough. But when a girl named Maips asked me at lunch if I had "gone out" yet, Anna and I naturally answered her question with something along the lines of,

"Yes, we went grocery shopping at one of your shopping malls and bought a pair of gloves, too!"

Laughter erupted for nearly 10 minutes straight before Anna and I finally got an explanation. Apparently "going out" is classified solely as going "clubbing" or "partying." We responded with a timid "oh," and looked down at our plates. It was quiet for a moment before the table began to ask questions again.

"Wait... so you guys in America don't go clubbing or drinking?"

It took the next unfortunate ten minutes to explain that yes, Americans go clubbing and drinking, but no, Anna and I do not. They couldn't believe that people our age in America actually obeyed the drinking laws (granted there are some people that do not). Apparently in South Africa, where the drinking age is already as low as 18 years, businesses do not even ask for identification when purchasing alcohol! Thank goodness Anna and I will be staying over a host family's house over the remaining weekends... no stress in having to dodge these situations!