Then we went to the Apartheid museum which was amazing finding out more about what had happened in the history of Soweto. In the museum there were different exhibitions including videos that were filmed during the actual apartheid. The videos shocked me, and they made me realise how bad the situation really was, and how people got seriously injured and even worse, killed. I found it very upsetting seeing the footage of the bonus marchers and riots, because there was dead black people lying in the road covered in blood.
After school we took some photos near soccer city and Booysie told us a bit about the history of it, which was interesting.
Then we went to the Apartheid museum which was amazing finding out more about what had happened in the history of Soweto. In the museum there were different exhibitions including videos that were filmed during the actual apartheid. The videos shocked me, and they made me realise how bad the situation really was, and how people got seriously injured and even worse, killed. I found it very upsetting seeing the footage of the bonus marchers and riots, because there was dead black people lying in the road covered in blood.
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After we had lead our two lessons today we went outside to interact with the students in the courtyard. We played a variety of playground games with different things such as hula hoops, tennis balls, netballs and skipping ropes. This was really different for us because we never do this at school however everyone seemed to be really enjoying it. We also played a lot of traditional South African singing games which was very educational for us because they were explaining where the games came from in their cultures, and what they meant. Kirsty During one of the CHS lead lessons today on British values today one particular MHS student captured our attention. Constance was particularly intrigued with our culture and values. When comparing our education system to theirs she was astounded that students pass from reception year all the way through to year 11 based on age, whereas in South Africa they must pass each year or they are held back. At this point Constance stood up in front of her class and our students and gave a fantastic speech. She explained that she had been held back a year due to narrow underperformance in her tests. She explained that the teachers took into account her medical needs and made an exception in this case and were prepared to allow her to pass into 'grade 11'. Constance, however, announced to the class that she did not take this opportunity as she would prefer to earn her way into the next year on merit. She signed off with...
"I chose to resit grade 10 and I fully intend to pass with flying colours. The I am going on to succeed at grade 11, then grade 12 then I am to conquer the world!" The class erupted! Today we delivered our lessons to the South African students during the first two lessons of the day. We talked to them about life as a teenager in the UK and the differences between Matseliso High School and Culcheth High School. A few things that I was truly humbled about when delivering my lesson was how courteous and interested all the students were about them. We talked about our political parties and different religions and traditional foods we generally eat in the UK. Furthermore, Myself and James created presentation slides and quiz’s about life differences between ourselves. We then individually went around to the students and asked them things we wanted to know about their lives and south Africa in general, also they were extremely keen on taking many photos with us to remember our visits. Moreover, the teachers we worked with were helpful in controlling the class if it became to noisy and had a lot of questions of their own to ask us. Lastly, I found the experience truly helpful and was taken aback at the amount of support and generosity they all showed to us. Dan Hunter After school we had a tour around Constitutional Hill. We learned about the South African constitution that ensures equality and dignity for all. We toured the old prison block and then the high court. Today was the first official day of going into the lessons at matseliso high school . I had no expectations of what it was going to be like , so i was completely clueless about what to expect and what was going to happen. I’ll never forget about it and hopefully this project will encourage us to never forget what've learnt and experienced. At first we get split into the groups by the school leaders , they are kind , bubbly and are always happy to help you with anything.The first lesson we went into everybody cheered , whistled and shouted for us and they seemed very enthusiastic about us being with them . The classes is different to ours because of two reasons . One being that their lessons are not at a fixed time , they can range from half an hour to a full hour . The next one being that they're not as strict as our school , they can disrupt the class and wont be shouted at . Then later after that lesson we went into multiple other lessons which were all very similar in timings and in how they were taught. During these lessons that we where in they all commented on our ages saying and thinking that we looked between 16 and 21 years old where in reality we are only 14 and 15. We discussed how different our lifestyles are and how they affect us physically . Many of the students were shocked to know our real ages and were surprised at how old we all look. There lunch time is also known as social time , we went into the staffroom at lunch and we were offered a range of sandwiches and scones . After that everybody moved to the outside social area where most of the boys went to play football and the rest of us either sunbathed or socialised within the school . The students were shocked that we were sitting in the heat and sunbathing saying that it wasn't normal to do for them. But eventually we had to leave and say our goodbyes for the day , it was really upsetting . Izzy , Gabby , Charlotte , Daniel and Jim At lunch we managed to get permission off the head teacher to take Cush’s football at lunch and have a game. We played at the back of the courtyard with our friends from last year in England and some friends we made that day. We started off with a cheeky game of heads and volleys. Then we quickly organised some teams and got going. The game was a close encounter with a 4-3 to our team. I also managed to get a goal. And by the end of the game we must have had 2/3 of the school watching our game- about 500 students! With people on every platform looking over and people surrounding the pitch. I was impressed at how good some of the South Africans were. A lot of them were very quick and had very good foot work and a quality game of footy. Ben Today was most probably the best day i will have in South Africa. I don't think anyone understands how fortunate i feel right now,the fact that in are eyes they have nothing but they feel like they have everything.To see how happy 3 year olds were in that sort of environment is absolutely amazing to watch. I have never felt the way i did today,ever! When i get home i now know everything will be different and how i act will change drastically. The connection between us and the young children was mesmerising. Three year olds don’t understand anything but we do and what we see is completely different to how they feel.For so little they have they make up for it with so happy they act! Today was an unforgettable experience,which i loved. Libby Bowers Day 2 - Kliptown (in general) Our morning in Kliptown was a truly inspiring experience. On the bus journey towards the community nearly everybody was silent and the whole scenario was a total culture shock. Although we’d all been warned that the settlement was ‘Comic Relief’ style poor, we were totally unprepared for the for the surrounding area to be similar. For the mile around there’s man-made shelters and people scavenging for metal to sell through piles of rubbish. Once we arrived, it was time for a tour, in which I definitely got choked up at the state in which these people were living and at some points it was quite distressing to witness. However, I was overwhelmed at the absolute positivity and the community, especially at the Soweto Kliptown Youth (SKY) charity. The people work with young people and try to educate and entertain them, at the hope of giving them a better life in the future. They performed for us and we even got the privilege to see the little ones in the nursery, which was just beautiful. Overall, Kliptown was an unbelievably humbling experience and one I’ll never forget. Ellie Vallance After a long day, 2 planes and a stop over in Dubai, we finally arrived here in South Africa. If I'm honest it is not at all what I expected; I am impressed with what I have seen! When we arrived at the gates to Matseliso Secondary School, I felt apprehensive and nervous, this was something so new and different but we walked in full of excitement and anticipation, after all, this is what we've come for! The welcoming ceremony was spectacular. Watching the school choir perform was amazing; the talent that those students have is amazing, and the poetry was so powerful. To hear students sing and talk about their own culture so positively is just striking and truly breathtaking! I was so overwhelmed by the welcomes we got from all the other students in the school, the cheers we got as a group for just being there were sensational and blew us all away!!! Each student is so positive and happy about their school and working environment, it shows a complete contrast to the society I know, each student is equal in their own respect, I seen no obvious signs of hatred, or even bullying and each person, whether student of staff had a smile on their face! I can't wait to return and to get to know more people! It was so nice to rekindle the friendships I made last year, when the Soweto students came to the UK and to meet some new friends too!!!
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October 2019
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