2 Days with Miss Shannon

After 4.5 weeks in America, 3.5 days in Istanbul, 7 days in the Karoo at the family farm, and my first week back at school for 3rd Term, I have many a posting to go so I will start with the most recent and will work backwards from there! Just beware that I may post-date my blogs so they appear in the order in which they actually happened on the right hand tool bar.

First let me start by saying that I had the most incredible time with my mother while she visited her enormous South African family. One very special time we shared was when she came to visit me at St. Paul's. She witnessed a day's worth of classes and another day sorting out the library. Mom received the royal treatment from the teachers and staff at the school, including cups of hot tea on cold days, fresh, hot koe sisters - a Cape Malay specialty, lots of jokes in in Afrikaans, and finally, a real dose of thank yous for her letting me be at St. Paul's. The students were impressed to realize in physicality through my "mommy" that I am half South African, half American! Since the students call me Miss Shannon they called my mom Mrs. Shannon - very sweet.

Even though I'm still new to the school, it was nice to have another pair of eyes take in the spectacle of St. Paul's and convert that experience through a camera lens. I want to share with you the photographs that Mom took, detailing all the tiny moments of the day, from going to get my classes, walking to the library, witnessing the assemblies & class lines, prepping for the day and more. This might give you viewers a better window into my world as well:

Top to Bottom, Left to Right:
A green Cape Town in the rainy season, taken from the top of the school; Grade R-4 sitting and moving about during the weekly school Assembly; same; St. Paul's Entrance; Kindergarden or "Grade R" classes lining up in the morning; Grade 1 classes walking down the passage; me, prepping my class lists for the 2nd day of the school term; walking to the mobile units on the hill above the school to retrieve my first class of the day; walking down to the main building where I teach my classes; group from 5th grade; another group from 5th grade; the new, proud 6th grade students I'm training to run the library as Student Librarians.