Finally, some classes!

This week I actually attended every single one of my classes for the first time pretty much all semester. Classes went well this week and we picked up pretty much exactly where we had all left off a couple weeks back. The only bad thing is now we have about 9 weeks straight of classes with no break since spring break has been cancelled. Hopefully the same continues next week, although early signs say there may be some disruption. There have been letters and signs calling for another protest/strike to begin Monday morning. We shall see if there is still enough leadership (since most got suspended) to continue striking in the fashion they were. No problems have been resolved yet, so the likelihood is still there.

Besides classes this week, I didn't do too much. It was extremely hot all week with no rain whatsoever, making each day gruesome. Since my class is about a 20-25 minute walk from my dormm down a street in direct sunlight, I typically leave around 730 am and stay at campus area until 5 pm or so and walk back, essentially avoiding my dorms the whole day if I can to stay out of the sun. I read a really good book this week: A Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. The book is quite lengthy, but extremely well-written. It provides a great history of not only the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, but the general history of southern Africa throughout the 20th century. It surprised me of how good a writer he really was. The majority of it he wrote while in prison at Robben Island which provides an interesting perspective. Upon finishing that, I bought a new book: Dinner with Mugabe by Helen Holland (I believe?). So far it is pretty good, though not as good as Mandela's book, yet. It is quite itneresting to see the parallel lives Mandela and Mugabe, two "great" leaders of southern African nations, run and then also how much they diverge over time.

Not too much else has gone on this week. Hopefulyl next week is calm again and I can keep this routine I have developed going. But I wouldn't hold my breath for another uninterrupted week of classes.