Thursday, April 2, 2009

Open Air School

I went to the Open Air School near Durban Girls High School. It is a school for physically disabled students, and some mentally disabled students. Students from Girls High and Glenwood Boys High came had wheelchair and crutches races around the school. Non-disabled students were able to see how hard it is to do daily activities when you are physically impaired. The students had snacks to eat and then played basketball. Most of the students at the Open Air School do not live nearby, so they end up living together in a hostile. Some of them are able to go home for holidays, if their parents have enough money for them to take a taxi or bus home. The students enjoyed the interaction with the other kids since most of the time is spent with the same people at school and at ‘home.’ Recently, the bus system in Durban shut down so many of the students who attend the open air school were not able to find transport to school.

There are some albino students at the Open Air School because they often have vision problems (their eyes are almost white or red.) It is perceived in the black culture that it is worse to have a white child than to be infected with aids. Many albino children are often abandoned because of it.
Here are some Hot Cross Buns, a traditional thing to eat around Easter time. You can buy them at just about any grocery store and they taste pretty good. Don't mind the flies, they don't eat much.