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!