Emafini Primary is nestled in the township of Kwadwesi, Port Elizabeth. The school is part of the community but most of the students do not come from the area around the school. It was apparent the diverse culture of this community as I traveled down the streets of houses in a taxi and saw people going about their daily lives. Once at the school the cultural diversity continued in the classrooms. All of the students' "mother tongue" is Xhosa, however, the degree of knowledge of their language is diverse, as well as their exposure to the English language. This language barrier was by far my biggest challenge to reach the students I'm teaching. As I interacted with students alongside my Emafini classroom teacher, the barriers seemed to soften a bit and melt away as I read to students, helped them understand their vowel sounds, and the usage of pronouns, and reviewed simple math concepts. My language classes at NMMU have been helpful when communicating with students.
Throughout the days at Emafini, their diverse culture has been revealed in several ways. One is in their school lunch made with all fresh vegetables and 'mealie', which is government provided and free to all students, although, some bring lunch from home; their clothing, a uniform, which is the same for all students, but some have holes in their sleeves or their pants, and routines, music and dance are threads that are woven intricately throughout their school day to teach life skills or concepts; prayer to start and end their day and at lunch; as well as students' independence, monitoring themselves throughout the day without teacher supervision and cleaning the classroom. It is a rich and vast culture that intertwines food, music, dance, religion, and tradition.
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