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.