Day Twenty - Twenty-Two

After many hours of frustrated phone calls, much aggravation, and worry, the pallet finally arrived at the Beretta School. We came from the backyard after playing baseball with the learners to find a truck pulling into the school grounds. Only several hours later, all of our 600 books were organized onto the shelves and we discovered that NOTHING was missing OR damaged. The television worked flawlessly, and even showed Toy Story to its first set of viewers, 6 young and eager learners. Rachel and I have devised a practical way to utilize the new library; "library period" will be scheduled into each grade's weekly classes so that each grade visits the library at least once a week. If learners earn a grade of higher than a B on three tests, they may visit the library on Fridays after school to watch one of the dozens of videos on the shelves. 

Yesterday, I met a boy named Miracle, the son of Moses, an administrator at the Beretta School. He spoke very well and I took the opportunity to record his voice for our documentary. It is still unclear whether Miracle's voice will be used, but we are doing everything we can to get the best out of this bright and promising boy. Last night, we headed over to Sherley-Anne Beretta's parents' home. They lived on a beautiful plot of land, and we toured it on a lovely evening walk. Yet, talking about the walk was perhaps more enjoyable than actually walking the distance.... so we enlisted a ride back to their home. And by ride, I mean almost-Disney World excitement while standing in a Landrover. They are such wonderful people. We thanked them profusely for all of their help with our endeavors and being the generous people that they are. 

We concluded our last full day in South Africa by visiting the famous Kruger National Park. Initially, we regretted visiting the park as we have become spoiled with Brenden and Sherri on private safari. However, after a short while, the wildlife emerged. We were lucky enough to see packs of zebra, a few ostrich, lions on the prowl, and several groups of baboons. Christian made a new plastic friend at the gift shop, named Gongo, the claw-like frog headed toy. Gongo has a penchant for sticking his nose into everything, including but not limited to shots of an elephant's behind, french fries, and our faces. 

Check the following post for our final thoughts.