Leaving and Last Minute Trips and Events

Soweto Cultural Park
View from Center of Soweto
Sterkfontein caves where oldest fossil of early man was found
Memorial Site for Student Uprising of 1976 in Soweto
Ndebele Wedding Cooking



Bye to Fulbrighters
Just a few words about my Fellow Fulbrighters – I really don’t know if I could have made it so well throughout the year without all of them – they were awesome!! Michelle was in Sterkspruit, a very rural village, her home was two rooms (you had to go outside to go from one room to the other, and she had to bring in water and heat it for her bath each day) and her learners were 70+ to a room. Language was a big challenge for her, yet she seemed very successful with her learners. Dan was in Parys, he lived in a small, cute town and worked in the township next to the town; he faced challenges with admin support and firm and consistent discipline at his school. Aminah was in New Castle, at a school with a large Indian population and an majority Indian staff; she faced many challenges with admin and learners and issues of respect. Sharyn and her family were in Cape Town. Sharyn’s school was fairly white with some diversity and her school was very high functioning ( a former model C school, it was like a very nice private school—with Smartboards, computers, a pool, etc.). However, living in Cape Town posed a few challenges , dealing with high crime rates, and a different kind of SA experience. And of course, I was spoiled rotten in KwaMhlanga. Living in a very nice township close to Pretoria and so many wonderful places to tour and visit. My challenges were learner apathy and language. Without my Fulbright 5 to talk to about issues and exams, life would have been frustrating indeed. So THANKS!!
I will miss them all.

Sterfontein Caves and Soweto
All year I have been meaning to go to the Sterkfontein Caves and Soweto. Finally, with a week or so to go, I got my act together and visited. The Sterkfontein Caves are where they found “Mrs Ples” (really thought to be male now, “Mr Ples”) which is the oldest recorded human skull ancestor. Many skeletal parts of early humans have been found (and continue to be uncovered) at this renowned archeological site. Quite interesting to see and learn about, especially after my Earthwatch dig in Spain last year.

Then, onto Joburg. I stayed a night in Melville; a pretty cool spot on the outskirts of Joburg CBD. Great restaurants and cafes and bars all along one main street. The next morning, I went on a tour of Soweto. I took a small tour, led by people living in Soweto (versus the large tour bus thing). Soweto is huge; a collection of about 21 townships. From central Soweto, we climbed the tower, and as far as you can see in every direction is Soweto – incredible. Presently, Soweto ranges from very poor townships (tin shacks) to government homes (cement brick houses), to larger private built homes. We toured the usual spots – seeing where the Freedom charter was signed, visiting a cultural village and park, Mandela’s former home site (new under construction to become a museum) and Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s home, and the area where the 1976 student uprising took place and the memorial for it. We also visited a local sculptor, a local community center in Kliptown (a very poor section of Soweto), and saw everything from fancy new shopping malls to many vacant apts (because no one can afford the rents). A very interesting day. Though I have lived and worked in townships, they can vary greatly; a fact confirmed by my visit around Soweto qnd traveling through SA.


Durban and Sodwana Bay--Soaking up the Sun
After returning from Soweto and spending a day packing, I was ready for my holiday beach vacation. I hopped in my car, and many hours later I arrived in Durban, KZN. The next day I headed to uShaka Marine World where I toured a very nice aquarium (5th largest in world), saw a dolphin show, splashed down water slides, and had a nice day at the beach. The water is the Indian Ocean and it is SO WARM!! A great day at the beach was followed by some Christmas shopping at Gateway (one of the largest malls in SA) and a trip to the movies to see Madagascar 2 (which I have wanted to see since my June Madagascar trip). After a great night’s rest at a backpackers, I headed to the beach for a quick swim, picked up my fellow Fulbrighter, Sharyn, from the airport, and we headed to Sodwana Bay (a few hours north of Durban). We stopped on the way at a craft market and bought some Zulu masks and drove onto the Bay. We stayed at Coral Divers (a 5 star PADI diving place). I have my open water scuba cert, but have never dived since my test check-out dives, so I had a very early (6 am) morning “refresher” dive course in the training pool, a quick breakfast, then it was off to the beach for my first dive. I have to say I was nervous, but the refresher course made me feel ready to get in the water and try. The dive was great; we saw so many beautiful fish and the coral reef is amazing. Over the next couple of days, Sharyn and I did 3 more dives, each one better and better. [Water temp was 26, visibility was 25 meters, and max depth only 15 m, perfect for me], We saw schools and schools of fish (I love how they can be so still and also move in sync so well, like one organism). We saw a giant sea turtle (sadly we were ascending at the time), a paper fish (rare sighting), honeycomb moray eels (not so scary as I would have thought, more fascinating), and manta rays (amazing to see them seemingly come out of nowhere in the sand and sail/fly along the bottom). At first, I thought “this diving fine, but snorkeling is easier and just as great”, but by the end of the week I definitely liked diving a lot, and I hope to go again (warm water only please). It really was like living in Finding Nemo for a few hours, but better! And I did see Nemo, actually a few clown fish , and there they were swimming in anemones just like in the movie – in fact, I believe I saw many, many fish from the movie (I plan on trying to look them up before I start to forget them all). And last, but not least, …drum roll please,…….. I swam with a whale shark!!! (the only shark I really wanted to see, and I did , up close, probably 2 to 3 meters away from me. ) It moves so slowly and it is pretty big , at least from my point of view – I was very PSYCHED!! DIVING is AWESOME.

Weddings
I ended my stay with a couple of weddings. I went to a traditional Ndebele ritual where the bride is dressed and pinned from shoulder to ankle in an Ndebele blanket (traditionally women married to Ndebele men will where a blanket around their shoulders year-round for their entire married lives). Sbongile, the bride, was in her room for the day, and we visited for a while (I had met her a children’s birthday party a few weeks earlier, the philosophy is definitely the more the merrier here). Afterwards, I met up with Lally(a teacher at my school and a good friend), she was part of the wedding party and had been at the house for a couple of days with the other women, they had been very busy cleaning and cooking. They cooked huge pots of food of open fires, and everything was delicious – oxtail, woors (sausage), pap, rice, morogo (spinach salad), butternut squash, custard, trifle and more.
While the cooking continued, I went to sit with the other women and watched some traditional dancing. Afterwards the presentation of gifts from the bride to the groom’s family began. This took a couple of hours. A handmade woven mat was placed in the center of the circle of women and each woman of the groom’s family came to sit and was presented with many gifts, each gift one at a time. Gifts included traditional rainbow blankets, traditional beads and rings, housedresses, tea sets, umbrellas (immediately opened and used to shade the women), comforters, handmade brooms, and so much more – very thoughtfully, it all came in a storage box or piece of luggage with wheels to take home. By the end of the presentation of gifts, the entire yard was filled with women and piles of gifts surrounding them.
Oh, while this is going on, the men, for the most part, are sitting separately and singing and dancing and drinking. One of the drinks was a traditional sorghum beer (quite sour to my taste, honestly I didn’t like it, it is nothing like the lager or ale I am used to). Throughout the day, the men stayed pretty separate from the women.
After the presentation of gifts, everyone just ate and chatted. Throughout the afternoon members of the groom’s family visited the bride’s room to give gifts of money. At the end of the day, young women (those who had already gone through initiation) dressed in traditional clothes danced for the families, and then the bride and some of her family were loaded into several combis/ taxis for the trip to the groom’s family home where she will stay. A few of the bride’s family traditionally travels with her to make sure she is properly welcomed at her new home.
All in all a nice day.
Lastly, the day before I flew home, I attended the Western wedding of GS, a teacher and friend from King Makhosonke (you may remember her, she was promoted to another school to be HOD, and I took over her classes). Her wedding was beautiful -- quite a large wedding party and lots of dancing. The wedding party dances in sync to leave the home and go to the church and later dances into the reception -- it was quite a sight. Congratulations GS and July, now, Mr and Mrs Mahlangu!

LEAVING SA
Leaving SA was difficult. On one hand, I wanted to be home for the holidays and see my family, but leaving my new family and friends and new life was not easy. Not to mention leaving sunny days, for NYC's cold, gray, and slushy weather. Also, I will miss my Fulbrighter friends too. But the day had come, I packed my overstuffed bags into a taxi that I hired to take me and my friends to the airport. On the way, we stopped at Kollanade Mall (the mall I went to a lot for internet service when I first got to SA), my friends bought me two really nice and cute outfits to take home and show off my new SA style, we got to hear the Soweto String Quartet play (they sounded great and lifted everyone's spirits), and with a last yummy frozen yogurt in hand -- we headed to the airport. I will miss everyone, but especially my housemate Poughie ( watching Generations together, her teaching me language, an my cooking lessons, and oh, so much more), her son Karabo (yes, I will miss him, even though teens can be a worry to live with at times), and most especially, my two best friends Lally and Sma -- we were the "power of 3" and had so many laughs together - we talked about everything and always made each other smile - such good times. I know we will stay good friends and plan to sms (text message) using our cells, to keep in touch. Goodbye for a little while South Africa...

My Farewell and King Makhosonke’s Closing Party

Last week schools here in South Africa officially closed, and while I am happy to be done with lessons and marking for a few weeks, I am also really sad to not see everyone each day, learners and staff.
However, the last days were memorable. With my heading back to the US, they gave me a farewell party – complete with a few speeches, gifts, a braii, and some jiving.
Way back in January when Abram, my principal, introduced me to the staff, he asked them to make me feel at home, and now, I am at home here. I have two homes and families now; I know I am very lucky!
At my closing party, one of the teachers (who I didn’t think liked me very much in the beginning, but now we are nice friends) said that they didn’t see the color of my skin, they just saw a beautiful African woman (they are so nice!!), and it is true – in the beginning, being the only white person for miles and miles, I really felt like I stood out. A few weeks ago, I went out shopping with my teacher friends here and we split up, I asked them where to meet, and they said they would find me – and I replied, but how? (ok, to clarify, I have not become the dumb blonde here, it is just that I totally forget I look different because I have been made to feel so at home here.)
My farewell party was so much fun, and the gifts from the staff were BEAUTIFUL!! An Ndebele beaded necklace, belt, bracelet, ear rings, sandals, keychain, and traditional doll. They were very, very generous, and I have to say I looked great! The party continued with everyone having a photo with me, then my fav foods woors and pap with tomato-onion gravy, and then some jiving.
Though my farewell party was done, the school year was not yet complete. Report cards still had to be written and mounds of paperwork to be completed. In addition, I decided to take on a couple of thank-you and I-will-be-back projects. The librarian and I tackled the scary bookroom; imagine thousands (literally) of books lining the shelves and them covering the floor in heaps at least two feet deep – books everywhere with no rhyme or reason – this was the scary bookroom. It took us two complete workdays to get most of it cleaned up and somewhat organized (hundreds of books had to be trashed because of mold too). This led to my next project – a school library.. The library building was constructed by the Dept of Ed several years ago, but it was never put to use as such and became a storage area for broken desks, pipes, doors, and all other things broken. Over the years, the building itself became somewhat a mess and in need of many repairs. So I used some funds and worked with the School Governing Board (Go Sis Rose and Maja!!) to hire contractors. (I have to say I have heard many stories-- all right, nightmares-- about contractors, but it really wasn’t too bad.) After a week, the library walls were patched and painted, the ceilings was repaired, and a new door and burglars were put into place. [next step, the SGB and school needs to remove the broken storage stuff and have shelves made – then the king Makhosonke Library will be ready. --- just a note to all of you: 1)Moloto (the area where the school is located) is a very economically depressed area and this library would be the first in the Moloto region 2) the library only has about 100 non-textbook books; basically, two sets of old encyclopedias and random books donated by a few organizations – the school has over 1000 learners and the Moloto region thousands of young people – this brings me to a note that I hope and plan to have book drives in the spring when I return to the states to help fill the shelves of King Makhosonke’s new library.
Last, the end had come – the final day of school was Tuesday, December 9th. Lots of last minute paperwork, handing out report cards to my advisory (40 learners), closing the lab for the last time, one last look at the library and newly painted 8 and 9th grade classrooms (another mini-project with some learners doing the painting – go Aubrey and friends!), and quite a few tears on my part. About noon, we knocked off and about 15 staff (myself included) hired a transport and headed to Hartesbeesport Dam for a closing party. One thing about trips here – the journey is half the fun - lots of music and laughter and some dancing along the way. We took quite a roundabout route, but the park was lovely with the Dam, waterfall, and river flowing by us. They sang and taught me a South African song (which I will try to remember); the song is a bit naughty, basically saying , “Hey, its just the two of us here (meaning no other spouses around), so turn out the lights.” Between singing, dancing, chatting, and eating, everyone had a great time – we didn’t get home till 11pm (which to NYC people may sound early, but let me tell ya, 8pm is considered “late” where I live here). Bye to everyone at KMSS – but I will be back to visit, I promise!

Mini- trip to Swaziland

Last week (the weekend before school officially closed), I decided to get away from the painting, dusty/moldy books, and paperwork and just relax, swim, and shop. Swaziland is not so far away , and I wanted to see another country while I was here, so I hopped in my car and seven, not so short, hours later I was there. OK, why seven hours? Well, driving to the border of Swazi, easy, waiting in lines to cross border, less easy, being re-routed from main national highway through Mbabane city central on a Friday evening, not easy at all! Lots of slow moving traffic, and I was not exactly sure if I was still following the detour correctly; did I mention it was stormy and I was driving in a downpour?
However, it was all worth it. I went to Mlilwane Nature Sanctury; a quiet, peaceful place which was just what I was looking for. Even though I was two hours late, they kindly had a key and showed me to my beehive – yes, beehive. Well, it is a traditional hut structure that looks like a beehive. Very cool. (This has been a fun year housing-wise– rondavels, a treehouse, camping in rainforests of Madagascar, my home in the township,etc.)
The next morning, I went for a quick bike ride and walk around (my bike ride would have been longer , but a male wildebeest seemed unhappy with my choice of trail, so I turned down a short path). The place was all shades of green and clouds and mist hung over the mountains and hills. Next, stop shopping!
I went to the famous Swazi Candle shop (which is actually one of a cluster of craft workshops all selling hand-made goods, and the best part (for me) was watching the crafts people at work.
I spent way too much time at the candle shop, but there are SO MANY candles and each one is a little different. Also, one of the craftswomen gave me some paraffin, so I could try my own hand at candle-making. After ten minutes of work, I declared my candle to be the ugliest candle I ever saw. The craftswoman kindly took pity and said that I was clearly making a cheetah head candle, and then she proceeded to shape my mess into just that, and I still have it as souvenir. After my candle shopping, I spent some more time watching them shape elephant, hippo, and many other shaped candles by hand (they are very fast) and adding eyes and a wick; next, the outside layer of multi-colored and patterned wax is added to the shape. I have to say I was pretty fascinated by it all.
After my candle watching phase, I went onto the hand-dyed and hand-woven fabrics workshop. Far more complicated, I was happy just to watch. After looking at quite a few really pretty pieces, I chose two scarves made from bamboo and banana peel fibers that had been hand-dyed and woven together. I think the two different materials and textures made the scarves more interesting and the colors/patterns (so many to chose from) were wonderful. Hungry from a tough day of shopping, I headed to the café where I had the best soup I have had in southern Africa , and maybe the best chicken soup ever (EXCEPT my Mom’s chicken corn soup!) . The chicken soup was made with coconut milk, cilantro, a little fresh ginger, chicken, and sweet potatoes and other fresh herbs and spices , and it was absolutely delicious.
After checking out a couple more craft stores on my way back to camp, I arrived to find that I had guests waiting outside my beehive. A group of five impalas were lazily grazing around the campsite. I hung out with them a little while and headed for a swim with a breeze in the air and views of green hills all around. My last day, I went with a guide and another campground guest on a longer mountain bike ride around the nature sanctuary seeing gnus (wildebeest), zebras, impala, blesbok (a new kind of deer I hadn’t seen), cute and ugly at the same time baby wart hogs and their moma (my fav in the park) and many, many birds. As drove through the park heading for my SA home, I stopped by the hippo water hole and saw a couple of hippos spraying water and playing around as a crocodile (flat dog) swam by. I think I was expecting some sort of scene from Fantasia or a Mutual of Omaha’s Wildlife special, but no, the croc swam quietly on by, seemingly ignored by and in turn ignoring the hippos at play.
After a much shorter trip (no rain and no detour), I was home sweet home again.

Rubber Fetish ?

My favorite sign in SA.

I found a whole turkey! Thanksgiving in SA

Thanksgiving in SA in not a new concept, while it is not a national holiday, people do have “thanksgivings”. A thanksgiving party is a party to celebrate someone overcoming great tribulations in their life. People bring gifts, and there is lots of food and music, of course. Since this past week was American thanksgiving time, I decided to share my version of Thanksgiving. At work, I let everyone know that Thanksgiving is a time Americans set aside to spend with family and friends to give thanks and count their blessings (ok, I kind of skipped the whole Pilgrim part). Also, I brought in pumpkin and apple pies to share with everyone. The pies were a hit. Everyone wanted the recipes, especially the pumpkin pie recipe which no one had ever had before. (Pumpkin is very common here, but not in pie form.)
In addition, I had a couple of my close friends from work over for Thanksgiving dinner. Poughie (my housemate), her sister Choco, Sma (best friend from work), Lally (also best friend from work) and Lally’s children KB(5 yrs) and Kat (17 yrs) all came to the feast. We had traditional turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce (a very bad version I tried to make from dried cranberries), corn on the cob, morogo (see Sma’s recipe below!), and fresh veggies and dip. With some sparkling apple juice and pumpkin pie and ice cream for dessert, we were set. Poughie said grace, and we all went around the table sharing what we were thankful for (many thanks to God, and for each other, and an amazing year with the USA/SA exchange!). Near the end of dinner, I called my Mom and sister, Beth, in the USA and had a nice chat; I also passed the phone around so everyone could talk to my mom and share Thanksgiving wishes. It was really fun; now,they will each have a voice to go with the face for all the stories I have shared.
Now, THANK YOU to everyone at home for writing emails and sharing news all year – it was great being here, but made so much easier by still feeling so connected to my American home as well. So, thanks so much!
Sma’s Morogo recipe
(You have to try this, it was my favorite dish. Seriously yummy!)
2 bunches of spinach, cleaned well, and chopped
2 small potatoes (or 1 large of course)
1 onion
1 yellow and 1 red pepper
¼ to ½ cup peanut butter (I prefer no sugar added, all natural kind, but you choose)
salt and pepper
Peel and chop potatoes and onion. Boil and mash (do not add milk or water)
Cook spinach and chopped red and yellow pepper.
Add peanut butter, amount is up to your taste buds. Stir in onion/potato mash mixture. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Hint: go easy on salt)
Enjoy!

Pics of The Berg

Tiger Fall Royal Natal Park



This is me at Giants Castle Park. Midlands Berg
View of the Cascades and Royal Natal Park. Northern Berg

Giant’s Castle and a Treehouse

This past weekend, it felt like I traveled into a storybook from my childhood. I visited the Drakensberg Mountain region in the KZN province. First stop was Royal Natal park with views of the Amphitheater, a 5 km cliff in the shape of an amphitheater. Hiking past and through waterfalls, The Cascades, Tiger Falls, walking through the forest hearing the strange birds and frogs, climbing the green hills dotted with wildflowers, and walking down the path past red and white sugarbush protea. In one walk, it was like I had been through three different ecosystems, each unique and beautiful in its own way. To end a perfect day, my fellow Fulbrighter and I headed to Sycamore Treehouses. The treehouse was so cool; I have wanted to stay in a treehouse since seeing a sign for one way back in March, so this was my chance. All made of wood (unusual in SA, the land of concrete homes), near a meadow of horses and deer, with views of the Berg mountains in the distance; the treehouse even had a jacuzzi – a great way to relax after a morning of hiking and an afternoon of driving.
The next day was a trip to Giant’s Castle, another national park. Just as the name implies, imagine green rolling hills and a cliff that from a distance looks just like a Giant’s Castle. Magical. The hike led us to the main caves to take a tour of the San Art painted in the caves over 100-300 years ago by the San people. Pictures of eland were plenty, since this special deer-like animal was of special importance and represented a special spirit and strength. One of my favorite parts of the paintings was the San painting of an elephant that was drawn very small, because the San only ever saw ellies from a distance, so they looked small to them. The rest of the day was hiking through tall grasses with the sounds of the river nearby. Back at the treehouse place, we were challenged to a game of pool. Now. I have watched people playing pool, mostly when I was little, but I never really played. Well, in the beginning I was pretty bad, but then with some help, I got three in a row. I was totally psyched. Ok, we still lost, but it was really close. Dinner was a feast of my South African favs: pap, woors, curry, semp and butter beans, and malva pudding for dessert. The drive the next day through the Golden Gate Park was gorgeous; big bright blue skies with clouds that seemed surreal. A quick stop in Clarens for a nice lunch with the best cherry milkshake ever (it is cherry season and fresh cherries, jams etc were everywhere), and then I headed back home. Another lovely weekend.

What is “Sex”? and other thoughts

Fulbright 5, me and the other US teachers at our last hurrah , and Chris (in back) the new cultural attache here in the embassy (Lucy , our amazing guide to SA, is taking the pic)

It has been a while since my last blog. Term four has been busy, frustrating, and at times, great.

Term four has been busy with exams, proctoring, marking, study sessions, and trying to travel, see, and do as much with my time that is left here as possible. This term has been frustrating because my learners have had no classes since October, and just sit for exams. However, there is no studying going on at home; many do not have an adult living in their home because their parents or guardians work and live in the city and may only come home once a week or even once a month. The frustration stems from such very low marks; like 005 out of 150. While I do believe they learned more than this, their final marks will not reflect their progress, but only this last low exam mark. Motivation to do well on exams seems very low too.

Term four has also been great at times too. My trip to Durban and Valley of 1000 Hills with Fellow Fulbrighter and traveling buddy, Aminah. Despite the rainy weather that weekend, I put my feet in the ocean and to my surprise, it was SO WARM! I can’t wait to go back for a real day at the beach. And the Valley of 1000 Hills was beautiful, green hills and valleys and an amazing view of the sun setting over a gorge. Also, I have been swimming to my fav spot, WarmBaths, many a time. I am afraid the indoor YMCA pool in NYC just can’t compare.

Also, a few weeks ago was my friend Lally’s birthday, so Sma and I “kidnapped" her, picked up her son and took them out to dinner in town (there is only a kfc where we live). Lally, Sma and I have become such good friends, Sma said we are the “charmed ones”;“the power of 3” is our little joke. It was such a nice time; it is sad to think I won’t be able to see them everyday, but we will figure a way to sms(text) internationally.

Last week, my fellow Fulbrighters and I met up with our amazing support people from the embassy in Pretoria for a last hurrah lunch. The day before the lunch the Fulbrighter Sharyn from Cape Town came to visit my school. Everyone welcomed her warmly, and she chatted away with my colleagues. (did I ever mention the volume of teacher’s voices in the staff room; it is quite something to hear. A mix of Sepedi, English, isiNdebele, and at times Zulu, at max volume) After work, we went home where my friend and co-worker, Lally helped us prepare a braii of woors and pap with tomato/veggie gravy. Really yummy! The next day was our group lunch where Aminah, Dan, Michelle, Sharyn and I shared and talked about our year and experiences. It was so cool how everyone’s year was unique and different. Of course, I think mine was the best (I am sure my fellow Fulbrighters feel the same about their year too!). That evening, the fulbrighter five went to SA Alumni Marina and her husband’s home, yet again (they were so generous, opening up their home to us all year!!) ; this time, we threw a braii for them in thanks. As we sat around talking and laughing about our experiences; I found myself … Well, have you ever said something , and as soon as you said it , realized what you said was not exactly what you meant? Yup, that was me. For the braii, one of the fulbrighters, Dan, went to his local butcher for meats. We had chicken sosaties, steaks (I think), and he also bought “sex” (OK I know I am spelling it totally wrong, but that’s how it is said, or at least how it sounds.) So at the dinner table, I found myself saying “What is “sex”? It was a very good laugh for everyone let me tell you. [by the way, I found out later it is pork, and it is delicious]

Sleeping in the "sardine" section of the black prison cell, meant sleeping head to toe, toe to head.

Constitution Court building, picture above,is made from bricks from the old prison building.

Constitutional court pic above. Also that weekend Aminah and I finally got to visit Constitution Hill where Mandela (for a time),Gandhi, and other political prisoners that opposed apartheid were jailed, as well as murderers, robbers, etc. I learned a lot about the history; there is something about feeling the history of a place that is so different from reading about it. Now, Constitution Hill is home to the constitutional court of South Africa. Justice literally built on injustice.

The weekend ended with a trip to the Dome Festival in Parys in the Free State province of SA. We took a tour of Dan’s local school (see pic of me and many children) and we walked around the cute town of Parys. At the Dome fest, besides having a camel ride, my favorite part of the festival was the Dragon Boat Race. Very cool to watch twenty people rowing in sync to the beat of a drum, then grabbing a flag at the end to win. I love being by the water, so spending the day watching boat races, seeing kayakers sliding down a ramp (like a skateboarding ramp) into the river and doing tricks, chatting about everything, and more food of course. Michelle and I cheered, as we watched Dan and his team row to victory. A nice ending to a very nice weekend.

In the news, the election of course! How exciting; I woke up the next morning here (late that night there) to see the results and hear a little of Obama’s speech. At work, it was cool and strange as everyone congratulated me (on behalf of the USA) for the election results. There was definite excitement in the air, and I bought a little cake to share and celebrate.

However, this past week brought sad news, Miriam Makeba, Mama Africa died. I had just heard of her music and gotten a few of her songs; if you haven’t heard her music, download some, it is amazing SA jazz. She has a great voice and a great past of standing against apartheid.

Well, I know I am leaving so much out. It is impossible to write about my experience here because it really is the everyday little things that add up. Waking up at 5 am most mornings, 6 am on weekends. Drinking the best juices ever, fresh mango, guava, and strawberry. My drive to work with the views of the veld and wide open spaces, different from any I have seen anywhere else; views which always clear my head and fill my soul somehow. Greeting my learners, “Sani bonani,” “Yebo”, “Ngani?,” “Ngkona” (again my spelling is probably terrible, apologies) You have to hear it to really get it. Seventy voices together greeting you back and starting the class off each day.; I will miss it (maybe I will teach my NYC kids). Lunch in the staff room – too funny, good jokes and lots of laughter. Learning how to cook pap and woors and recently greens called morojo (spelling?) with Poughie, Watching Generations, the best soapie in SA and anywhere else too. [still can’t believe Grace and Ajax broke up and she moved to Canada] The amazing sunsets over the highveld. Basking in the sun and watching a kidd goat run past back and forth crying for its mom. So many things…more next time, till my next blog.. enjoy the holiday season. This coming week, I am going to try to find a turkey, a whole turkey, in SA – wish me luck!

SciEnza Pics

Sci Enza , Unniversity of Pretoria science center
grade 10 field trip

Thunderstorms and Scorpions and Bats

When I was little, I used to be so scared of storms; to ease my fears, I was told that thunder was just God bowling in heaven. As I grew older, I came to love thunderstorms; I can sit by the window watching for hours. After four months, with literally less than 10 cumulative minutes of rain in all that time, this weekend brought the first spring thunderstorms of the season in KwaMhlanga. I didn’t realize how much I had missed them; I opened the window and happily enjoyed the smell of the rain in the air, the feel of the wind on my face, the show of lightening in the air (better than fireworks), and the roll of thunder. An hour later, I poured myself a glass of pinotage and continued sitting contentedly listening to the sound of rain hit the earth and the leaves rustling in the trees. Go Spring.
Another memory this week, I awoke and went to run a bath, when I noticed something in the tub…a spider, no, a scorpion! Ok, it was just a little thing (maybe 3 cm long) and I easily squashed it with my shoe, but I really don’t remember anyone mentioning scorpions. At work, I asked about this and was told yes, there are scorpions in SA. They asked the color, I replied brown, and was told this was good, the black ones are the ones to watch out for. Good to know. (But really, seriously, I don’t remember being told about scorpions…)
Also this week, I took my grade 10s to SciEnza, a science center at the University of Pretoria. It was a beautiful day outside, not too hot, and clear blue skies. They had a great time on the way to town, the taxi buses were literally bouncing with learners jiving with the music. Once we arrived, we sat down for a science lecture with demonstrations. The lecture of the day was about sound waves. Very interesting. Did you know the sound of flat-lining at the hospital and the emergency testing sound is exactly 1000 Hz? Our ears are most sensitive to this particular frequency. Also, I learned that bats (besides “hearing” very well) eat over 1000 insects an hour! In South Africa, it is actually against the law to kill bats because they help keep the mosquito and moth populations under control. After the lecture, learners were able to play around with all sorts of science equipment and puzzles. They had so much fun and were genuinely interested in everything; I really had to work at getting them back to the buses a few hours later, they wanted to stay longer.
One of my favorite parts of the trip was seeing the camera obscura. I am a movie buff, love movies, and I remember seeing a movie called Addicted to Love (Meg Ryan, Matthew Broderick), ok maybe not the best movie ever, but I remember being intrigued by the camera obscura (in the movie they it to spy on their exes). A camera obscura is a series of lenses that produces an accurate, real time image. It was used long ago for spying on enemy forces. Well, I finally was able to see one and it was pretty cool; I have to say, science rocks.

All things in Moderation…

Matric dance pics. Everyone looked amazing!!

Well, term 4 has started, the beginning of the end so to speak, and I generally can’t think about leaving without feeling unspeakably sad, I will miss so many people and things here. Having said that, there is one thing I will NOT miss at all… “moderation”. Moderation is a lot of paperwork that did not enhance my teaching, has not improved my learners’ achievement/marks, and has caused some frustration to me. Basically, a teacher takes his/her portfolio and several learners’ portfolios to a meeting with other local teachers in their specific subject or field; the teachers meet and assess one another’s work, etc. In theory, this is an amazing idea; in theory, I would love moderation. However, the reality is that teachers spend a lot of time and effort making their portfolio exactly like everyone else’s in the region. Even my slight variations caused a few wrinkles in a few foreheads at my last moderation (yeah!) today. The moderation becomes more about having a certain table of contents or following a prescribed format. I would love moderation if educator’s were sharing ideas (what worked, what didn’t) and looking at student work. (At this point, MVA teachers are rolling their eyes—sorry, you are probably very tired of looking at student work, again –however, believe it or not, I actually miss it a little. And Lagares, I really miss the end of the year teacher portfolio meetings; I would like to try something like that at King Makhosonke , but I will wait and see what comes next here.) Now, after having whined and complained about moderation, I will say there is a positive side; moderation does bring educators together from different schools, and my cluster of teachers was pretty great and really nice about hosting me and answering my zillion questions throughout the year. They were very patient with all of my paperwork blunders, and rather calmly, they would reiterate the format of assessment required. Moderation was also a great place to vent my frustrations (and hear their frustrations) about learner achievement. So “shout out” to KwaMhlanga South West Physical Sciences Cluster!
Also, Term 4 has brought about the Matric Dance; sort of South Africa’s version of Prom and Awards and Graduation, rolled into one. Grade 12 learners and educators, get dressed up, hair done, and travel to a nice hall in a hotel. The evening begins with dinner and speeches by educators, top learners, and a guest speaker. This is followed by awards, and then finally the party and dancing begins and lasts until dawn.
You may ask, “When is graduation?”… uh, never. Learners write their final exams in November (75% of their year grade is the final exam), and these exams are marked externally, so learners receive their marks after school lets out, during summer holiday here (December). Basically, they find out if they graduated after school is out, so no graduation ceremony at the secondary level. Bummer.

Sun City, Pretoria, and De Wildt Cheetah Research Center

Aminah and I at Cheetah Reserve , then Freedom Park and the Wall of Remembrance, next skyline of Pretoria and the Union Building.

After Vic Falls, we headed back to SA and Sun City for swimming and relaxation. Think strawberry daiquiris served poolside, palm trees, and catching some rays. Also, Sun City has Valley of the Waves, with a wave pool and water slides which was fun for an afternoon. Very Disney meets Vegas.
After relaxing for a couple days, we headed back to Pretoria and explored my backyard, so to speak. We took a tour of Freedom Park, a park and memorial set aside for all South Africans of all cultures to honor their heroes. Freedom Park is not yet complete, but serene and beautiful. Set on a hill top, across from the Voortrekker monument, Freedom Park has a memorial building and Walls of Remembrance with names of fallen heroes and room for future leaders and heroes. The trees, water fountains and waterfalls, stones, and environment all lead to a feeling of well being and peace (it may seem corny, but true). The tour led us to a sacred circle, we took off our shoes and entered the place. Around the circle are 11 large stones, one from the international community, one from the SA community at large, and one from each of SAs 9 provinces. In the middle of the circle, steam and mist rises to symbolize cleansing and remembrance. Many of those in the tour sprinkled snuff onto the circle in traditional remembrance of their ancestors, then we held hands had a moment of silence. As we left, we washed our hands another tradition after departing a sacred space. I would love to come back when the park is complete. They plan to have audio and video of those who contributed to the struggle for freedom, as well as a museum and a lake.
After this it was off to Pretoria’s Union Building with beautiful grounds and gardens and people selling bead necklaces, wood work, and more. We ended the day with a meal at a restaurant (in a mall, very typical here) which was quite good and overlooked the city’s twinkling lights.
The last morning, we were off to De Wildt Cheetah Reserve. Cheetahs as well as other animals are bred and studied here. During the 3 hour tour there was a lot to learn – cheetahs are not nocturnal like leopards, they have round pupils (a tell-tale sign of diurnal creatures), have very thin skulls, use their tales for balance and turning ability, and scavenge as well as hunt. Wild dogs are also being bred and studied; they are very keen to let people know that wild dogs are not the “bad guys” they may be portrayed as in movies. Both animals are very necessary to cull out the old and sick prey. The day ended with petting an ambassador cheetah while it purred – very cool.

Can't believe it is back to school - term 4, am I ready?

Wonder of the World

Term 3 …check, done. Just a plane ride later, and I arrive in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The tour guide that met us said that Zimbabwe loosely translates to “houses of stone”. As we (I traveled with fellow Fulbrighter, Aminah) drove to the lodge, the scenery was much like SA; it is dry season here too, and despite dusty, dry soil, there are flourishes of green scattered about to remind you it is spring. A short while later I am swimming in a beautiful pool, surrounded by orange and turquioise butterflies and amazing birds of all colors with a view of a watering hole where I will see a herd of water buffalo coming in for an evening “happy hour”, antelope wander back-and-forth, and wart hogs play. That evening we went on a Sunset Cruise down the Zambezi, and with while sipping wine and chatting, we lazily cruised down the river viewing elephants and hippos. A great first day.
The next morning, I woke up early for a tour of Victoria Falls, “the smoke that thunders.” As we walked to the falls at first I was not impressed, then as we kept walking and rounded the corner, the full view of the Falls comes into view. It is breath-taking. The mist rising from below and the intensity of the water and“thunder” is great – (after the rainy season, in April and May, the falls are really a full wall of water, but the mist is so much that you literally are unable to see the falls, you can only hear them, so I was glad to visit this time of year.) At a main point in the falls, we watched (incredulous) as a tour group was led out onto the edge of the falls where they could plunge into a pool formed by rocks; however, this ‘Devil’s Pool” is quite close to the very edge of the falls, you jump wrong, and you will only do it once. Definitely, NOT for me.
As we toured the park, our guide showed us the Mopani tree with its butterfly-shaped leaves. Mopani worms (regarded as a delicacy by some) eat the leaves of this tree. At dinner one night, we had the option to try one, but I chickened out, maybe another time (oh, and they do look like exactly what they are, fat worms). After touring the Falls and learning some about Livingston (as in “Dr. Livingston, I presume.”), we headed to a representational cultural village to learn about Tsonga, Ndebele, and other groups. It was not exciting, but sort of interesting since many of my learners in Moloto are Ndebele, though some at my school seem to separate ZA Ndebele people and Zim Ndebele people, as being different cultural groups that share some traditions and history. Speaking of culture, I am afraid my language skills are still as poor as ever, the only phrase I picked up in Zim was “Ta Tenda” (thank you). As the tour ended, we did a little browsing at crafts, but the craftspeople selling their wares can be quite aggressive, so I bought a talking stick I liked and had read about at the museum, but that was all. My talking stick reminded me of the funery art I had seen in Madagascar a while ago. The symbols represent important parts of your life, like fish for prosperity (a main food source for people living along the river), spirals (representing the waves of the river which provides life), etc After the tour, it was off to the lodge and the pool for a relaxing evening and tequila sunrises as the sun went down.
The next day, I was ready for some excitement. I went white-water rafting down the mighty Zambezi. This was no sunset cruise, but a series of rapids, then calm waters. Twenty rapids in all, with five of them being class V (really exciting) rapids. It began with quite the hike down into the gorge and a few quick paddling lessons from our guide nick-named Colgate (I forget why). At the first of the class V rapids, which had a 10 ft drop, I was SO nervous (did I mention I had only went rafting once before during a drought!). You paddle, paddle, paddle, then Colgate shouted, “Get Down”. I got down in the raft and held onto the rope and paddle with both hands, as the boat dropped and the waves crashed over us, and it was really fun. After that (the biggest drop of the day), I was far less nervous and had a blast. Originally I had only signed up for a half-day, but ended up staying and doing all of the rapids. As we went down the river, we even saw a couple of crocodiles basking along the river on the rocks, and the views as we paddled down the river canyon were larger than life.(think Lord of the Rings movies)
Also, I am happy to say Colgate was the best guide, while the other boats flipped over or had “long swimmers”, our boat hit the waves just right and had great rides. I loved everything about the rafting, (except for the long walk back up the gorge at the end, but even then cold beer and drinks awaited us at the top—great incentive after a long day on the Zambezi.)
Our last night, we ate at a “traditional restaurant”, the Boma, with foods like wart-hog (tasted yummy, a cross between pork tenderloin and chicken breast, oddly enough) and less traditional foods like crepes suzette. Traditional dances were performed and traditional drumming too. Each person was given a drum too and everyone had a drumming lesson and a great time. Bye Vic Falls – truly a wonderful time.

Mama Tara and Term 3

This week Term 3 is ending, and boy has it been “interesting.”
As you know, I live with Poughie, another local teacher, and up until this term her 15 year old son has been away at boarding school. However, this term he stayed with us and commuted. Thus, throughout term 3, I have heard the daily call of “Mama Tara…” As in “Mama Tara, can I have 50 rand ($7) for a field trip tomorrow?” (Yes, if you rake the leaves in the yard, sweep and polish the stoop, and wash my car.) “Mama Tara, can I borrow your car?” (You are 15, have NO license and NO insurance, so uh… NO!!) Having had a few pseudo-parenting experiences, I salute those of you who have raised teenagers or are going to (good luck)!
Term 3 brought on new teaching challenges too. I took on the grade 12s which has been quite difficult. They are suffering from major senioritis and yet have to take matric exams. The trial exams were pretty dismal; I only hope they will attend classes in October before the November final exams begin. (I have been told that seeing them in October is unlikely though. So not only are they not attending class, they spend their time forgetting anything they did learn, with the conclusion being failing (not progressing) marks. I have to be hopeful though.) On the flip side, my grade 10s and 11s are showing nice improvement. Over 80% of students are passing my class, most with a 40 or above (my goal for the term), and a few above 70 (yeah!). I did have a setback with the grade 11 research papers (essentially most of the papers were entirely “quotes”!), but I really think they have little to no practice in writing research papers or formal essays, especially in English and about Science. If only I had more time with them…
If only… If only has been a bit of a theme this term. If only the school had a couple of laptops, if only we had a library (or even access to one), if only class wasn’t cancelled AGAIN for a meeting, if only the washing machine would not flood the house, if only it wasn’t so windy and dusty, if only my apartment building in NYC wasn’t sold, if only…
Despite the ups and downs, term 3 had some great moments… handing back passing exams to grade 10s and 11s and watching them share their marks smiling proudly, going to Kruger Park (finally!), getting beautiful Zulu beads in KZN, Women’s Day ride and friendship, Sports Day braii and jiving, dressing in school uniform for fund raiser, swimming at Bela Bela, tasting new wines (Roodeberg vineyard is new fav), learning a little Sepedi from my learners and co-workers [who are very appreciative and supportive even with my mistakes, like when I called to the principal in Sepedi, “Good morning , chicken of the school” (chicken and head sound very similar, oops)], SMSing (texting) my fellow Fulbrighters (who have certainly heard a lot from me this term, talk about squeaky wheel – thanks all!), really using the lab equipment to make lessons, learning and teaching more fun for all, and even going to or driving my car to all but 1 province (Northern Province, you are last on my list, but I will get there), and so much more …
With the end of term 3 (I am over halfway done my marking), I will be off with fellow Fulbrighter, Aminah, to Victoria Falls for a nice break and some R&R. More later all…

De Beers

Cullinan Diamond Mine, home of the world's largest diamond. A couple of weeks ago, I took my grade 11 learners to the mine for a trip (mining is part of the physical science curriculum). It was a really nice day and it was pretty interesting to see a working mine (though we couldn't go down in the mine, bummer). My learners asked great questions and the guides said they were the best school group that they had had in ages. (my learners rock!) We saw the whole process and learned about kimberlite, a soft type of rock where diamonds are found (named after the town in SA, Kimberly). We learned that the Cullinan Diamond (the largest) had been used as a paperweight for a while in the office, until someone realized that even though is was unusually big, it could be a diamond. This was back in the early 1900s. A great day.

Death cases

Most of my blogs have been upbeat... ok , alarmingly positive. And mostly my experience has been amazing. However, life comes with ups and downs. Last week, two different teachers here each lost their brother, and there was also another teacher who had an unveiling of a tombstone for one of her family members as well. A few of us spent several hours travelling to the family homes and visiting with the teachers for a while. Funerals are such a regular occurance here, some people I know have a funeral to go to almost every weekend. Many of you may be thinking of HIV/AIDS, but I honestly do not know -- people here rarely mention (at least to me) if someone has died of AIDS, though sometimes they will hold up 3 fingers, and this signifies that the person died of AIDS.

Spring Day!

(left pic, zulu beads I bought in KZN, middle pic spring day attire, right pic sports day, we won!)

Winter is finally over. The wind storms here are really stirring up the dust though. I travelled to KZN (Kwa Zulu Natal) to visit another US Fulbrighter's school in New Castle. The appearance of the school is much nicer than my school, yet the same problems are apparent. Learners bunking or dodging classes -- such a problem, especially now that we are in third term (they are tired of school) and now that Spring is in the air. While in KZN, I went to a small, local Nature Reserve where I saw Oribi (deer/antelope family, I assumed) roaming and running through the fields. It was so cool to see the group leaping through the air as they travelled through the savannah (plains?, field?, not sure which is more correct). Also, I bought some beautiful Zulu beads for me and my friends in Mpumalanga.
Yesterday was September 1st, Labor Day for you all, but Spring Day here. The staff and learners were dressed in bright colors (despite the cold snap in the morning) and after school as I drove home learners were "showering" each other with buckets of water and having a great time ushering in the spring season. Happy Spring Everyone!

School spirit!

(Left Mathepelo, one of my very own grade 10 learners won the Miss King Makhosonke contest)

The last few weeks have been filled with school spirit, as learners are in the middle of term three and face upcoming weeks filled with tests and national exams. The first big event was Sports Day. It was a lovely spring Saturday, as my friend Sma and I (we were the catering committee) arrived at school bright and early to chop and cook the biggest salads and pot of pap I have ever seen. Then by noon, the sporting events began: soccer, volleyball, netball, and debate (still not sure how that got added in). My personal favorite was netball which is kind of like basketball without the dribbling. In between matches, a few teachers and learners tried to teach me; let’s just say I will not be on the Olympic netball team anytime soon (I made one basket out of about 50 tries!) When the events were over the teachers from our school and the competing school had a braii (barbecue) with wine, beer, music and jiving. A really good time. I have a new favorite SA singer, Ringo and the song “All the Way from Soweto” was my favorite song of the day.
The following week, as a fundraiser for the 12th grade matric dance (prom), teachers, clerks, and cleaning staff, wore the school uniform for the day. It was so funny seeing everyone dressed like the kids; lots of pics were taken by kids and staff alike. The learners said we all looked so good, that we should wear the uniform everyday. Uh…no thanks. Lots of laughs though.

The week ended with a Women’s Day trip to Johannesburg. The combi we rented for the day was the best part, we sang and even danced a little to Ringo and Avatar DVD concert and chatted and laughed the whole ride, as we received SMS (text messages on our phones) from colleagues and friends sending empowering messages or thoughtful quotes about Women’s Day. Women’s Day is a national holiday, founded on the part women played in fighting apartheid. On this day in 1956 some 20,000 women marched to the Union [government] Buildings in Pretoria to protest against a law requiring black women to carry passes. This day is celebrated as a reminder of the contribution made by women to society, the achievements that have been made for women's rights, and to acknowledge the difficulties and prejudices many women still face. The women I work with want to plan another women only trip, next time a retreat weekend.
Lastly, the school had another fundraiser/motivational event – Mr and Miss King Makhosonke Contest; basically, a beauty pageant. To keep the audience interested between events, other students performed: poetry (I was on the poetry committee), traditional dance, free-style rap, drama, gospel choir, cultural spear group, and more. Now, for a few laughs at the expense of teenagers everywhere… the question and answer portion of the beauty contest brought out the nerves in a couple of unfortunate learners… The question was "What is a major cause of pollution?” After several minutes of asking for the question to be repeated and stalling, she went to the microphone and replied, “A major cause of pollution is sexual harassment.” Poor thing, and in front of all her friends. One of the young men did not fare that well either. One of his questions was, “What is your favorite dish?” He stepped up and said, “Tupperware.” You gotta love kids! (Hope to have pics of me and staff in school uniforms soon!)

At Last… Kruger!

Most of you know I love Nature and animals, so when I found out I was going to SA, my first thought was yea! Kruger. Kruger National Park is one of the largest game parks in SA and probably the most popular. Why the big wait? Well, winter is drier, less hot, and far less mosquitoes and malaria risk, and less vegetation, so you may spot the animals better. Did it live up to the hype? Yep! I plan on going again too. Basically, the parks here are self-drive, though I did go on a sunset game drive which was cool (leopard, giraffe, white rhino, and water buffalo) though after the sun went down, not much was spotted, no eye-shine, bummer. The rest of the weekend was driving around and waiting to see something amazing, like so many weird and wonderful birds that I went and bought a book to identify them all, a lion taking a break, elephants, many deer like creatures (impala, kudu, and a so cute, springklip) a couple of lion cubs napping alone (mom and dad nowhere to be found, I think all the humans in their cars were the babysitters), zebras which were mesmerizing to look at when they faced you head on (one was pregnant), hippos cooling off in the waters (they are HUGE, much bigger than I would have guessed), and 100 or so monkeys climbing down from a tree and crossing the road. What was strange and wild, was that I would have never guessed anything was in that tree; it was like watching those clowns come out of the clown car at the circus. A great time! I even got in a swim to cool off during the hot part of the day, ate at a restaurant set up like train station, complete with an old steam train inside, and stayed in a rondavel which I loved. Think a rondavel in NYC would work? ... maybe not, but I wish.