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.