Last week I finally had my first soccer practice! 28 girls showed up, and they are all very eager to play. There is a tournament March 20 that I am hoping we will be able to participate in. Transportation to and from is the only hindrance, as the school has no bus system and there are no cars in Hanover big enough to transport all of the girls. I am trying to get a 14 passenger van, but that would mean that all of the girls would not be able to go to the tournament. The tournament is sponsored and put on by Grassroots Soccer, which is an organization that educates kids on HIV and AIDS prevention through soccer. Because HIV is a huge problem in Hanover, I think this would be a great opportunity to teach the girls using a common interest.

I have been teaching for 4 weeks now, and I think the kids comprehend what I am teaching for the most part. In order to pass their matric exams (the exams the seniors take at the end of the year), they have to have a 30%. Last year at Phakamisani, 21 students took the matric exams, and no one passed. The things that I am teaching the current seniors is 35% of the total curriculum for the year, so if they retain all that I have taught them they will all pass, even if they do not learn anything the rest of the year. If the students do not pass their matric exams, they can not attend college or get jobs. It is vital for these students to pass the exams in order to be able to support their families.

I have my first soccer game today. It has been raining for the past 5 days(in Africa!), so I wasn't able to have another practice since the first practice. The game is a "friendly match" so it doesn't have very much weight if we lose or win. I am going to have the girls wear the uniforms I brought, so that is exciting!

Because of the rain, many of the students didn't come to school because they did not want to walk in the rain. I continued my lessons with the students that were present, but the absent students are expecting me to go back and reteach the topics we covered to those who were absent. So I am in a bind: if I go back and reteach the students next week, I lose the week I have planned for review before the term test. But if I move on and continue with the lesson plan, the kids will have a gap in their learning. Which do you think I should do?