Crowd at Rotary International Day at the UN where I made a presentation about the South Africa project on Saturday November 5.

I have found a new favorite site...Pinterest. See some of my boards at http://pinterest.com/laurienoe/children-s-book-characters/

Here are some images from the last 3 weeks.

Obakeng reading to children in Setswana and Maria translating.
Here, Bertha and Elaine speak with children at the Housatonic Community College Laboratory School about a book they presented in Setswana.
The first order of business was for the South African Vocational Training Team to be greeted at the Rotary Luncheon the day after their arrival in the States.

The last 2 weeks began with a very positive visit of accreditation reviewers to the HCC ECE program. It will take months to know for sure but we are very hopeful we will get full accreditation.

Then it was time to join in the work and play of the South African team. They had several observations in early childhood classrooms throughout Bridgeport, they attended the UN's International Teacher Day, they visited public schools, children's museums, parent programs, early childhood resource centers, and pizza parlors. The attended workshops on culture, classroom environments, preschool assessments, and literacy. They presented with the Bridgeport team at a public symposium, and have been filmed by TV crews, and (tomorrow) will be interviewed by a radio host. And this is just the first two weeks.

In their final week in this country the South African team will visit more schools, talk to more people, gather more materials, learn how to access the online classes they will be taking at HCC, and begin to reflect on their experiences.

We all are looking forward to a long relationship that will benefit the children and families in both communities.

The South African team shows up on Saturday. We can't wait. All kinds of activities have been planned from children's theater to preschool observations to a tour of the Park City and a weekend that will include a visit to the Amistad. Their three-week stay will allow them to attend some workshops and discuss early childhood practice; compare some American pizza styles; experience life in a New England family; see the Big Apple; and consider the similarities and differences in early care and education in Bridgeport and in The Royal Bafokeng Nation. I can only hope that we are affording them the richness of experience that they provided for us.

Made rusks....did not turn out at all. Made melktert...I think I have a winner. Tonight we open the Roodeberg and maybe the Amarula too. Need to find mint liqueur to make springboks.

We are home. It's winter...serious winter. Snow today (5-8 inches) and ice tomorrow (.25-1 inch). But everything about our 3-week South African summer lingers. Biltong made it through customs (we are such scofflaws). Shot glasses adorned with images of the big 5 are awaiting the perfect Amarulla moment. My shopping list contains the ingredients for milk tart and rusks. And I am reworking the hundreds of pictures to make meaningful (yet brief) presentations for a variety of interested groups. Once we catch our breaths, the next step is to plan for the 3-week visit of the South African team (our newest friends) who will be here in March.