habitat. furious. anticipate. commotion. ruthless.

Salvazione Christian Primary School!

Brixton, Johannesburg

24 little faces smile up at me as Ali and I pull into the parking lot outside the school at 7.30am. It's time for their run around the block before hot chocolate and rusks and a day of intensive Maths and English followed by art and either soccer or a dance class.

It's only Wednesday and I've been grinning, laughing, squeezing cute people, facilitating, teaching and really feeling like a valuable member of society for all three days of this week.

I am playing headmistress of a winter school for the Grade 7 kids at Salvazione, teaching some English, lots of Maths and making sure that our cooks have lots of warm nourishing meals ready for our sweeties. They are a pleasure to teach: receptive, largely bright, obedient and really just get the job done.

My mum and her brilliant maths teacher friend, Viv Spooner planned this week with a view to trying to get these cute little people to be fast tracked through some of the Grade 7 work so that their transition to high school is easier and catch up some of the work that they haven't got to covering in the first half of the year.

Today in my English lesson we did impromptu speeches and then worked with the ridiculous words in the subject line. Such fun!

Being a teacher is definitely part of the life plan! I LOVE teaching and LOVE those kids. Seems I LOVE too much and that is in fact what is complicating my life!

Unemployment!

I am technically, officially and unashamedly unemployed!

I have been back in South Africa for just over a month. At least one week was spent seriously trying to sort out my silly ribs. One week in Cape Town. So, while it feels like I have been on this journey for a long time, it is merely the beginning.

While I have met some fascinating people, I am almost at my saturation point for "blind dates" in coffee shops and being on my absolute best performance just in case the person I meet might just consider employing me or have someone in mind who might want to.

There have been a couple of interesting points which have arisen from all these discussions.

Most people subconsciously think that they are doing the right thing! So, whether they have loved their careers or been bored to sobs, when they are asked for advice as which direction they think I should consider going in, they invariably tell me that I should consider working in the environment that they are.

To clarify: employees of a big corporate will tell you to go "the corporate route", entrepreneurs and small business employees will try to recruit you or suggest you consider "following your dream" and most people in the social sector suggest you "roll in the mud" before getting into a "comfortable management position"

All interesting points! BUT... where do I fit in in all of this?!

That my friends, is an answer I cannot yet tell you.

World Cup fever!

When I started this entry... a whole week ago... I was sitting at Cafe Neo - my favourite place just off the Sea Point Promenade in Cape Town.

I had a view of the sparkly sea (a luxury for the new Joburg resident!) and Green Point Park (Cape Town's official World Cup stadium) and the sound of vuvuzelas was ringing in my ears. Gotta love it!!

There is really nowhere else I would rather be right now and have never felt sooo proud to be a South African!! Still most cars driving by have South African flags flying and special covers over their side mirrors. Such gees :)

On the train on the way to the town!

The World Cup is really here!!

After watching the opening ceremony through some trees at the Waterfront where the whole place was PACKED OUT.

• Fan parks - full
• All restaurants with big screens - full
• Fans dressed to the 9s - 100% performance
• People sitting on roofs to see the screen - 6
• Great wigs - hundreds (me included as evidenced in the photos)
• Yellow - perfect coverage
• Bafana supporters - everywhere!
• VUVUZELAS!!! Whoop whoop!

Ali and I (team of note!) watched the opening match (Mexico v South Africa) in an icecream shop just down the road from Giovannis. Such fun and an excellent cross section of Cape Town. The sense of humour, screeming, shouting and tangible South African pride was nothing like I have ever experienced before and a moment I will never forget.

Then my official team mate and I galavanted around the streets, were photographed by randoms (not only Chinese!), danced and sung along with the Minstrels in their usual shiny multicoloured gear, chatted to lots of foreign soccer fans and admired the stadium which was amazingly lit up!

James (elder of two brothers) and Adrian (James's best friend and one of my favourite people in the world) joined us and we headed into the stadium to watch the France v Uruguay match. World class experience with the constant hum of vuvuzelas giving it that African feel. I even had a chance to take photos through the vuvuzela!

My brothers- Ali (left with vuvuzela lip!) and James

Vuvuzela photo... cool hey?!

Overall, that was seriously a day that I will NEVER forget. I am still beaming with pride (just in case you can't tell from the excessive use of exclamation marks and superlatives)

South Africa, lets show the world who we really are!