Becoming Miss Nandi

Last year I decided to embark on a new leg of my life journey when I applied to study towards being a qualified teacher. One of my adopted baby sisters and my youngest cousin have both always called me "Miss Nandi" and so I guess, they called it years before the thought even came to my mind! As I pen this, it has been a month since I began with my week-long observation as a local high school in East London and it has been about two weeks of PGCE classes at UCT. The week I spent observing seasoned teachers as a student teacher was the first time I was in a classroom since matriculating in the year 2000. It was amusing to see the dynamics between students and teachers as a third-party. That week had me reminiscing about my own high-school days. I read Economics and Finance as my undergraduate degree at UCT exactly 20 years ago. It has really been lovely being back on campus two decades later. There have been a lot of changes coupled with a lot of reminiscing and going down memory lane. Add the "new normal" of online learning due to the Corona Virus pandemic, it has really been challenging and eye-opening in so many ways. I think that when I decided to pursue this qualification, I walked into in naively and already in the first two weeks I have been challenged to think about teaching, schooling, curriculum in a deeper - almost philosophical way. I have always looked at older ladies who are fearless when it comes to adapting to change in their lives and it's wo funny to hear people in my life (especially younger women friends) use the words "brave" and "courageous" when describing me. I really hadn't thought of myself in that manner but, I welcome having my life encourage someone to take risks, embrace change and thrive during difficult circumstances. I look forward to the many ways that being a full time student will positively affect my life. One thing is certain, I know that I will be a better person at the end of this year because of the teachers I'm sitting under.

Drama at the airport... Waving 2019 goodbye, waiting for 2020 in anticipation

Yesterday day I was scheduled to fly home for Christmas but there was such drama that I was inspired to post about the whole thing.

I got to the airport a bit early coz knew I needed to wrap my bag. The police created a bit of a delay driving in so I was early but not as early as planned. While I was I was waiting for my bag to be wrapped, the machine broke down and I had to move to another one. (I didn't want to chance not wrapping my bag after I had my perfume and jewellery stolen out of my bag in August). While waiting for the bag to be wrapped, I checked in online with only two minutes before the online check-in was closed.

After my bag was wrapped I then ran to the check-in counter to leave my luggage only to be told that check-in was closed so I couldn't leave my bag. Apparently, my only option was to buy another ticket. I quickly checked and the next available ticket was today afternoon for R2599 and I knew then I had to think fast and make another plan.

At this point, it's 10 minutes before the boarding gate closes. I go to a kiosk with a gentle brother (a Rastafarian fellow with kind eyes) and ask to leave my bag with him. He obliged, for a "small fee" of R250. I remembered that a friend had said she'd be driving down to East London on Sunday so I was hoping that she could take the bag with her. She could only come through today to fetch my bag from whoever I'd leave it with so I quickly called one of my mothers (an older lady I met and became friends with about 10 years ago) to organise for my bag to be picked up coz the guy I left it with would knock off at 19h00.

All of this I'm doing while trying to get to my boarding gate. Oh, did I mention that the ladies at the gates went through my luggage coz my perfume bottle had a cap "that looked like a weapon"?! LOL At this point I'm thinking, "Lady, you can have the bottle cap but I'm not losing another perfume to airport staff!" Fortunately, she realised that it wasn't a weapon and I now had to sprint to the boarding gate.

I get to the boarding gate, C12, only to be redirected to E7 (downstairs from where I was). I was told I had 5 minutes to board! By the time I actually boarded I'm sweating like a maniac but grateful to have made it!

What a way to start my holiday! I'm so grateful for God's grace, quick-thinking and for the people he put along my way who were willing to help.

Now that I'm home safe, my luggage is secured all is well, I am smiling at how God just wanted to show me his grace in an exciting way that left me even more excited about 2020! A new season of grace is surely coming.