Map Project 1 month of work later...

A lot of Peace Corps Volunteers paint maps where they are to teach the kids and people around them about geography/world around them. Before I went to the US for my brother's wedding I started mine. It was a long process. We don't have electricity yet at the new center so all the drawing had to be done by hand. I started by drawing a grid on which to draw the map. Then I went home. When I got back to SA I started drawing the countries based off of a grid the Peace Corps puts out so that you can draw the country proportionally in case you don't have a projector. After what seemed like a million years I finished the countries and then I outlined them in permanent marker.

finished drawing the map

outlined in permanent marker

starting to paint in the countries

South America is almost done...

Africa and Europe are on their way...

me painting in the countries

this is after another PCV and I painted in most of the ocean. if she hadn't come and helped me I may have gone crazy...

here I am with the almost-finished project

ta-da! here it is with the countries labeled.

me with Africa. you can see where I labeled my site Bhekuzulu! right by Lesotho.

kids who wandered in to check out the finished map. they had been keeping track of my progress and loved that I labeled my house (after many of them asked me where I lived) and are getting it now how far I actually am from home.

Londiwe wanted to take my picture with the completed product

This project took forever, however it seems to be worth it, as the kids come in everyday and read over the countries and recite them out loud. Also, they look for nations that have good soccer teams that they know. This map should be great for the World Cup!