7/7/2015 - Bulembu Day 2

We managed to get to the classroom by 8ish and found the principal/science teacher was not there, but the students were waiting.  He was busy elsewhere and had left the classroom to us, though there was no projector, so some teacher passing by helped us with that.  Erik and Nelia started us off with basic thermo and we  were able to get through all the energy topics but not special relativity since we were 20 minutes late.  I gave all the form 5s a small NASA sticker and a bookmark with various NASA missions on them, though (there were only 9 of them and 6 form 4s) and John came back near the end of the class.  

  

We took a break and got some donuts at the Bulembu bakery, then checked on some science questions we were sure we might get and checked our email at the office (the internet was incredibly slow). The next class, the form 4s, met at noon until 1:20 pm.  We were able to do all the lessons for them, and I was able to get at least three problems done with the class.  Both classes participated a lot more today.  After each class, the head prefect or head boy/girl in each class said a few words of thanks to us for coming and teaching them.  Maria also broke off while some of us were teaching and showed the fuel cell car to another class (form 5s since we didn't have time to show them that earlier). 

  

Some of the students were wondering about how electricity conducts from metals after Maria's fuel cell car, and she told them about the galvanic cell made with a lemon, and they were not sure.  So she and Miles got some lemons and met with them after school to make lemon batteries with some nails.  The rest of us headed to the history museum, which told us about the history of Swaziland and of Bulembu as an asbestos mine town.  It had many very old pieces of electrical and medical equipment and the cable cars were still there, just stopped, as if temporarily, with a lot of dust.   We bought some gifts from the store where the ladies were making stuffed colorful animals with hearts on their butts, and Christmas ornaments, jewelry, etc.  We walked back up the hill to the lodge to relax before dinner. 

There was a fire outside with many lounge seats for us to enjoy it while we waited for the special braai dinner happening at 7.  It was incredibly delicious, with chicken, pork, sausage, pap, and a tomato gravy, plus salad with a delicious creamy cheese.