Final Days in South Africa

During my final days in South Africa, I had very little time to blog; thus, I am going to attempt to summarize the last few days now (even though I am back in the states) and offer some final thoughts.

Sunday - I forgot to mention in my last post that before our trip to Robben Island, my mom and I visited Green Point Market. I love bargaining! Americans should do more of it. I have learned a few tricks over the years (e.g., don't get too attached to the item, bring a calculator to do the currency exchange quickly and accurately, and walk away if they won't give you the price you want!), and it was fun to watch my mom get the hang of it. We both managed to get a few gifts for people and a few things for myself.

Monday was another touristy day. I took the cable car up to the summit of Table Mountain and did some hiking. It was nice to get some fresh air and enjoy the spring weather. Afterward, we visited Bo Kaap (a Muslim neighborhood) and the Castle of Good Hope (the oldest building in South Africa) before we were given some free time. I visited the Old Slave Lodge, the South African Museum, and the Company's Garden. I tried to visit the District Six Museum and the National Gallery, but they were both closed. I was most grateful for the opportunity to wander around the city on my own, and I quickly discovered that Cape Town is quite small! It didn't take me long to walk from one end to the other. In the late afternoon, I visited a jeweler with a few other women on my trip where I treated myself to a lovely pendant necklace made of Tanzanite (a rare gem found only in Tanzania - the mines will be depleted in less than 15 years, so I figured I had to buy something before they ran out!) ;-) Dinner was at Marimba - a restaurant/jazz club owned by a friend of a friend. My mom and I had eaten there a few days earlier, but this time we brought four people along with us. The first night we ate there, there was a jazz group playing. The marimba player was from South Africa and the bass player and piano player were from Congo and are living in South Africa as refugees. Jazz in South Africa seemed different from American jazz - more of an international flavor I suppose. I was disappointed to find out that the band didn't have a CD because I loved them.

Tuesday - We woke up to torrential rain and cold temperatures. Yuck, yuck, yuck. I boarded the bus for our trip to the wine lands. The countryside was absolutely gorgeous - even in the rain - and they make some delicious wine. My favorite part of the day, however, was talking to our bus driver and tour guide. We talked about the World Cup, the possibility of bringing students to South Africa, volunteer opportunities, politics, reactions to Oprah's school (mostly positive), and the tourist industry. After our day in the country, we returned to the city for a final banquet. We exchanged email addresses and shared our plans for how we plan to use our experiences at work. It was a bittersweet meal. Many people were staying for another 3 days to visit Kruger National Park, but I knew I was headed back to the states (after a 20-hour plane ride of course).

Wednesday was National Heritage Day, and our last day in South Africa. We spent the morning walking around Cape Town and doing a little shopping in Greenmarket Square. In the Company's Garden someone spray painted the statues of Cecil Rhodes and Jan Smuts with the phrase "Reject this heritage." Definitely a sign that racial tension is there - despite reconciliation efforts - and a sign of South Africa's troubled past and uncertain future.

In the afternoon it was off to the airport -- Cape Town to Jo'burg; Jo'burg to Dakar; Dakar to New York. Ugh!

*Photos: Cecil Rhodes in the Company's Garden; a Muslim resident of Bo Kaap; dinner at Marimba (yum!)

Cape Town!

*Photos (in order): guinea fowl; an African penguin; me dipping my feet in the ocean; the view from our hotel; baboons enjoying the view at Cape Point; me at the Cape of Good Hope

We have been in Cape Town almost three days, and I have yet to share my thoughts. We have seen a lot since our arrival - the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, the Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point in the Table Mt. National Park, African penguins at Bolder Beach, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, a sunset from the top of Table Mountain, the Green Point market, and Robben Island. Phew! It goes without saying that this city is stunning. The people and the politics are fascinating - especially since Mbkei stepped down two days ago.

A few highlights:

Our two tour guides on Robben Island were amazing. Youssaf Mohammed,who gave our bus tour, worked with Robert Sobukwe and the PAC, and the gentleman who gave our tour of the prison served a 10-year sentence at Robben Island for violating the Terrorism Act (he left the country and was trained in urban guerrilla warfare and then snuck back into South Africa to fight apartheid). Their stories were shocking and powerful, and it was an honor to meet both of them.

Last night we had dinner at the home of a local family that lives in a predominantly Coloured neighborhood. We discussed everything from politics to education to commuting to issues of race in both of our countries. This is the sort of experience that I really value - getting off the tourist bus and chatting with people about their lives. Only then do you really connect with a country; moreover, those are the moments that confirm the fact that we are all humans with the same concerns and desires.

To be continued...

Rewind to Jo'burg...

My mom hijacked my laptop for several hours, so I don't have much time to update before we head out to the a local flea market and then Robben Island...



A quick rewind -- On our last day in Jo'burg we visited Mdelwa-hlongwane Primary School in and Orlando Children's Home (both in Soweto). Those two stops were probably the most powerful experiences of the trip thus far. The teachers at the school were incredibly passionate about their role in securing democracy in South Africa and preparing their students - most of whom walk from areas in Soweto with no running water or electricity - for whatever profession they wish to pursue. After touring the school and visiting a few classrooms, we met with the principal and several teachers for almost 2 hours to discuss multicultural education.

A few observations/reactions:

*The computer lab has ancient machines, and the learners (I love that term!) have tech class once a week. Only 12 of the machines worked on the day of our visit.

*The school has 640 students in grades K-7 and the entire teaching staff is 16, including the principal, who also teaches.

*While the school is in a middle class section of Soweto, most of the children are from a section where the families live in shacks. It is an enormous distance away and the children walk to school every day.

After lunch in the Mapyono Mall in Soweto, we visited Orlando Children's Home which is the home of over 60 children ranging from newborn to a 21-year old, and most of the children are victims of HIV/AIDS in some capacity (either orphaned by parents who died or abandoned because they themselves were infected). It is the oldest orphanage in Soweto, founded by missionaries. When the government threatened to shut it down, the community saved it and it is now funded by private donations and tuition from its day care center. We visited during nap time, but one little guy was awake (see photo above), and I may have to pull an Angelie Jolie/Brad Pitt move and adopt him. ;-) There is still a stigma attached to HIV/AIDS, but both the school and the orphanage posted "blood policies" and had signs urging people to love and care for the infected. It was a small but encouraging sign.

In the afternoon we visited Mathew Goniwe School of Leadership and Governance. This institution was started by the Gauteng Province to help with professional development for teachers and educators who wish to become leaders and administrators.

The day closed with dinner at a restaurant in downtown Johanesberg--Gramadoelas Restaurant. We had a delicious meal of local cuisine and wine, and Paul Houston and I bonded over our love of the Daily Show.

Our last day in Jo'burg was spent packing and visiting the Rosebank African Craft Market, i.e. a major tourist trap. My mom and I wandered around the market for awhile before heading into the mall and off to the airport for our flight to Cape Town.

I will save my thoughts on Cape Town for a new post...the flea market and Robben Island are calling. All I will say now is that this city is remarkably different from Jo'burg, and it might be the most beautiful city I have ever seen.

Random Thoughts, Part One

“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” - Miriam Beard

I fear this blog is becoming more of an itinerary and less a reflection on what I have seen, heard, and experienced over the past few days. Thus, I will post my itinerary under a separate section and take a moment to reflect and share a few random thoughts/stories...

As we passed over the Nelson Mandela bridge this afternoon, I was reminded of the story Kenny told us about the day Mandela was released. As he unfolded his story, he talked about his parents and other adults hiding pictures and printed material about Mandela. The apartheid government - who maintained strict control over the press, media, and political organizations - tried to erase Mandela from the collective memory. In essence, they tried to persuade people that Mandela was gone and intimated that he did not exist. When the news broke that he was going to be released, no one believed it. Then, on February 11, 1990, his release was broadcast. Kenny said, "In South Africa, we celebrate with singing and dancing. I expected a roar of it across the land, but that didn't happen. I was in a room with 8 other men watching the television. I looked up and there were tears in their eyes. The singing and dancing happened later."

The United States and South Africa share many common experiences when it comes to race, and many people - myself included - have always looked to education as a means of easing racial tension, preventing discrimination, and eradicating stereotypes. Thus, I was intrigued when Kenny proposed a different avenue. He proposed instituting a draft for all South African teenagers; that way, he argued, all South Africans, regardless of race, language, or socioeconomic status, would work side-by-side toward a common goal. It's something to consider (especially when you start thinking about the role the armed services played in our own racial history).

I am worried that my previous post made it sound like everything has improved in townships like Soweto. That is not the case. What we saw yesterday and today was tremendous progress, but there is still abject poverty. People still live in squatter camps with no electricity or running water, and there is still a very high rate of unemployment. And of course all of this is located 10 miles outside of a "first world" city. What I was trying to get across (and I am not sure I did a great job) was the stark contrast between Soweto and Jo'burg not only in terms of economic wealth, but in terms of spiritual wealth. It can be summed up by the philosophy of Ubuntu - or the philosophy "I am because we are." Or as Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, "A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed." This humanist philosophy is alive and well in Soweto - despite the poverty - and I think that is what stood out to me. That vibe, that spirit, that humanist philosophy, that Ubuntu, was so obviously lacking in the suburbs of Jo'burg; moreover, it is missing entirely throughout much of the United States, and I wish it wasn't. (Come to think of it, it's almost like Obama is running on the platform of Ubuntu. Hmmm.)

Pretoria and Jo'burg and Soweto, oh my!

"A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.” -Moslih Eddin Saadi

After a very restless night and very little sleep, we got up at 6 am to begin our first full day in South Africa. Our choices for breakfast consisted of food that you would find at any typical American breakfast (e.g., scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal, etc.), and I was surprisingly hungry even though I felt like they fed us every 3 hours on the plane the day before.

After breakfast, we met in the hotel conference room with the other two People to People groups (Juvenile & Family Justice and Rheumatology) for an orientation session. The presentation largely consisted of a cliff notes version of South African history, but the most interesting portion of the presentation was when the presenter (a white man from Cape Town) got to the apartheid and post-apartheid eras. For instance, he explained the "acceptable labels" for people of each race. While it is acceptable to use the term "Coloured", it is highly offensive to use the term "Native". You could feel the tension in the room because these terms clearly carry different connotations and weight in the U.S. It was also interesting to hear him express a South African version of what some might call "liberal white guilt" in the U.S. He admitted that whites knew of the atrocities and inadequacies of apartheid - even though many would claim they didn't - and he also showed a good deal of remorse for not doing more to protest apartheid. It was an interesting moment that served to remind all of us that the post-apartheid era is only 14 years old.

After our orientation session, we headed to Pretoria to meet with representatives from the Department of Education. The topics of conversation ranged from higher education to teacher training to technology. The U.S. and South Africa certainly face some similar challenges, particularly when it comes to the achievement gap and the digital divide, and I am not sure either country has the perfect solution.

Following this meeting, we went to lunch at a local restaurant down the street from the American Embassy and in the same neighborhood as Nelson Mandela's home. The most striking feature of Johannesburg's suburbs are the large mansions that look more like prisons than homes. We didn't see any residents - only security guards, landscapers, and construction workers. Every home is surrounded by a large wall, many with barbed wire on top, security gates, home security systems, signs warning of vicious dogs, lasers, and security cameras. And yet over the walls you can see lavish gardens, swimming pools, and tennis courts; it was a remarkable site.

In stark contrast to our drive through the 'burbs of Jo'burg was our trip to Soweto. I have studied the 1976 student uprisings in Soweto from a number of perspectives - historical, educational, and political - but I have a whole new perspective after spending the afternoon there. We visited the Hector Pieterson Memorial Museum; however, my favorite part of the day was exploring Soweto itself. Our local tour guide, Kenny, grew up in Soweto and explained that many members of Jo'burg's emerging black middle class live in Soweto. Tin shacks and concrete hostels are being replaced by multi-storied homes, and unlike in the U.S., people who grew up in the townships and went on to get higher education return to the townships. Two of Soweto's most famous residents include Winnie Mandela and Desmond Tutu. The vibe in Soweto was relaxed. Children were playing in the streets, neighbors were hanging out, and the people seemed happy. It was the polar opposite of the suburbs in every sense, and I loved it.

I have yet to feel like I am in Africa. Our hotel could be in any American suburb/city, everyone speaks English, and everything feels very Western (with the exception of Soweto). We were on our own for dinner, so our tour guide pointed us in the direction of Nelson Mandela Square. It turns out that Mandela Square is a mall - not a square, and the restaurant he recommended reminded me of a Ruby Tuesday or Applebee's. I am hopeful that our visit to two schools tomorrow will feel a little more African and a little less European!

Welcome to Jo'burg!

"There are only two emotions in a plane: boredom and fear." -Orson Welles

We left JFK on Monday around 5 pm and landed in Jo'burg on Tuesday around 5 pm. Altogether, the flight was about 17 hours. The flight itself wasn’t too horrible - no major delays or turbulence. I didn’t get much sleep during the first leg to Dakar thanks to a very loud couple from Utah sitting behind me. They kept sitting and standing, adjusting their luggage in the overhead bins, knocking the back of my seat; in other words, they did not do much to negate the stereotype of American tourists. Thankfully, they must have taken some sleeping pills during the second leg because they were passed out – and by the transitive property, so was I.

In between my naps and the in-flight movies, I managed to get a little reading done – including an interesting article in The New Yorker about Machiavelli whose work we discussed in class right before my departure (See? History IS relevant! ;-) ). I also had a nice chat with some of the people in our group, including our leader Dr. Paul Houston, who is the former head of the American Association of School Administrators. It's an interesting mix of people, and I am definitely the youngest one by a good 20 or 30 years.

After our arrival, our activities included exchanging money and getting dinner at the hotel. The Euro continues to put the U.S. Dollar to shame ($1 = 8 Rand; 1 Euro = 14 Rand), and the British pound is even stronger (1 pound = 18 Rand). Tomorrow promises to be a little more exciting with a trip to Pretoria to visit the Dept. of Education and a tour of Soweto.

*The photo is our hotel pool. Not too shabby.

The Big Day!

"When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money." -Susan Heller

My bags are packed, the airport shuttle is arriving soon, and I am (almost) mentally prepared for the 22-hour flight. The biggest challenge has been packing - it's sunny and in the 80s in Jo'burg but rainy and in the 50s in Cape Town. My strategy is layers. Let's hope that works! 

We should have internet access at our hotels, so I will be updating my blog as often as possible. In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed for a smooth flight with no delays!