Hoe gaan dit? Dit gaan goedmat my dankie! (How are you? I am fine, thank you - Afrikkan)
On Thursday, Anne and I went with my host sister, Xenthia and her boyfriend Kinton to Stones (night club). We were originally going to go to a jazz club, but by the time we were ready, the clubs were already full. So we went to Stones, which was a very interesting club. The music was mostly hip hop remixes. I felt like everyone there was on some sort of hallucenigenic drug, pretty trippy. It was a perfect club to people watch! I am telling you, there are some interesting people at night clubs here in South Africa! Xenthia is extremely nice and is very concerned if we were comfortable or not. Anne and I had a great time and got a chance to meet some of their friends (that were not on drugs, I swear) haha. But overall, quite an interesting experience.
Friday was the last day of school and we got out at 1:00. Teachers always stay an extra hour. Usually, school ends at 1:30 for my grade and Veronica and I are to stay until 3:00. After school, I went to Veronica's cross country meet at a nearby school. It was so fun! The kids were all learners from Eikendal and they were really excited to have me there. The ages ranged from 8-14. I took a bunch of pictures of them that I plan on sending them, which they are very excited about. It was interesting to see how many of the children ran BAREFOOT! There were about 6 different schools competeing and Eikendal raced very well. It was a beautiful day and I forgot to wear sunscreen. Let me tell you, the South African sun is muuuuuch different than in the states. I WAS FRIED! Now, I wear sunscreen like it's my job.
After the cross country meet, Veronica dropped me off where Anne is staying and Corvell picked us up to take us to the rugby game at Newlands!! We watched the Western Province (our team) play the Free State (another province team). We won! But the best part of the occasion was reuniting with my group. We call our group the SAC 17 (South Africa Crew, 17 girls). It was amazing how much we had missed each other! We couldn't stop talking to each other about our experiences :) After the game Corvell and Owen had a surprise for us. Owen, another big help with the trip planning, is on the Rugby Referees Association. So after the game, we went to the Referee Box in the stadium and met with some of the referees and got some free drinks! We got to talk to some serious rugby fans, which was hilarious. One man came up to my friend Jenn and I. He was completely drunk and was telling us about the US navy system. I couldn't tell you what he said really, I was too occupied wiping his spit off my face, YUCK! After the game, the A-Team (Corvell, Dayle (Corvell's son), and Jonny (Corvell's brother-in-law) drove us home).
On Saturday, Corvell picked us up from our host family household and we all rode to Rhoades Memorial to go hiking. We hiked uphill a mountain for about a half hour then entered the forest area where the hiking was pretty easy going. We got to see another side of the city, which was absolutely beautiful. Throughout the forest, we came across waterfalls, huge boulders that we were able to climb, and just pure beauty. It was so peaceful and it was so great to spend it with the girls. It was also so great to get in some physical activity, the hip hop abs that Veronica and I have been doing and the casual walking aren't enough for me! After the 4 hour hike, we all went to lunch and then went back to our host families.
Veronica's daughter planned a braai (barbeque) for Anne and I. We were dropped off there around 7:30 and got to meet some of Xenthia's and Kinton's friends. We had some beers and Xenthia made potato salad, a greek salad, and garlic bread. Kinton cooked fresh snoek for me (fish) and then they had some kind of meat. The food was absolutely lovely! It was also very nice that they did this for us!
Corvell picked me up from the braai around midnight and took me and a few other girls to a few bars in Cape Town. He just dropped us off and his son Dayle stayed with us the whole night and drove us home. We went to JoBurg, but as my friend and I were heading in, I ran into BRIAN BARTLE! He is from MSU and is studying abroad here as well! I met him through Cory Connolly, and we have been trying to meet up ever since I got here. He took us to the Dubliner which was right across the street. Piano bar, live band, and diversity filled the bar! It was such a fun night. I met a group from Kenya, which was really interesting getting to know them. Don't worry, I only had a few drinks, and I have been completely safe and SMART while I am at the bars. It was so much fun singing and dancing at the bar - and so crazy to run into a fellow MSUer in CAPE TOWN!!
On Sunday, Veronica invited her family over for a late lunh/dinner. We had potatoes, rice, steamed veggies and a pepper cream sauce, and a yummy pudding for desert. Her family was so welcoming and made me feel very comfortable. However, they spoke in Afrikaans half the time! They made fun of my accent and said that I ask a lot of questions when I speak. They asked a lot about America and were so interested. They really want to keep in touch with me and spend more time with me while I am here.
I have to get going now, I will update sometime this week some more. HOpe all is well! Love and miss you all!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Goeiedag!
(Good day!)
I have recently got a lesson from my 10 year old brother in Afrikaans. So I am trying really hard to use some of the language as much as I can!
Here are a few South African facts I have failed to tell you all
- There are 11 official languages
- Cape Town is in the western province in South Africa. There are nine provinces in South Africa (provinces are similar ideas to the 50 US states)
- 1 Rand is so far equivalent to 8 USD.
- They don't call it gas or fuel, it's petrol.
- When you flush the toilet, the water goes opposite than back home because of the different hemispheres.
- People drive in the ride side of the car, left side of the road.
Common lingo
babbeless = hungover
shame = I feel sorry for you or too bad (I have started to use shame on a daily basis)
takkis = tennis shoes
fetch = When will you like me to come fetch you?!
phone = Do you want me to phone you when I am ready?!
man = yeah, man! shame, man!
lekkar = wonderful, "that's great"
Robot = Traffic light
That's all I have for now, but these are typical ways of speech in Cape Town.
I have recently got a lesson from my 10 year old brother in Afrikaans. So I am trying really hard to use some of the language as much as I can!
Here are a few South African facts I have failed to tell you all
- There are 11 official languages
- Cape Town is in the western province in South Africa. There are nine provinces in South Africa (provinces are similar ideas to the 50 US states)
- 1 Rand is so far equivalent to 8 USD.
- They don't call it gas or fuel, it's petrol.
- When you flush the toilet, the water goes opposite than back home because of the different hemispheres.
- People drive in the ride side of the car, left side of the road.
Common lingo
babbeless = hungover
shame = I feel sorry for you or too bad (I have started to use shame on a daily basis)
takkis = tennis shoes
fetch = When will you like me to come fetch you?!
phone = Do you want me to phone you when I am ready?!
man = yeah, man! shame, man!
lekkar = wonderful, "that's great"
Robot = Traffic light
That's all I have for now, but these are typical ways of speech in Cape Town.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Host Family and Eikendal Primary School
Hello, Hello!
So I have realized that my last couple of blogs have been pretty emotional, but this experience in general has been an emotional one for me. After visiting the townships, we headed to one of the churches to finally meet our host families!! Corvell's sister, Ginny prepared finger foods so we could mingle around and talk with the host families.
My host family: My host mother is named Veronica and she has been teaching at the primary level for almost 25 years. She is a third grade teacher and is heavily involved with athletics as well. She has a 25 year old daughter named Xenthia and has adopeted her nephew Braedan, who is 9. Xenthia doesn't live at home, but with her boyfriend a few miles away. So far, everything has gone great. Veronica and Braedan have been wonderful to me the first couple of days. Braedan is a lot of fun, it has been great having a little brother. He loves asking me questions about America. ALl he knows about America is from the television, so he thinks I know all of the celebrities. Very cute. The first night he brought back play-do in my life. Together, for a couple of hours, we created a bunch of different things with play-do and just talked. Last night we played monopoly after he came home from karate. I have a small bedroom that has a lot of cabinets for storage. There is no shower in the house, just a bath. It has been hard adjusting to taking baths every night, but it's better than nothing.
Tuesday was the first day of school and I had no idea what to expect. Veronica introduced me to all of the staff and they have been so welcoming. Anne, who is another girl on the trip with me, is also placed at the school, so it is VERY nice to have a familiar face around. I am in a third grade classroom and there are about 40 children. Veronica has amazing classroom management. She is strict and hard on the kids, but she tells me that these kids are only going to respect you if your hard on them. The kids don't get much discipline or guidance at home, so she plays many different roles on a daily basis in the classroom. Everyday, she tells the kids how much she loves them and cares for them and how she wants them to focus on their school work, so that one day, they can go to a university. Many children don't make it too far in the school systems in South Africa, and Veronica tries so hard to keep these students together.
On Wednesday, a letter from the principal came to the classroom addressing the fact that the school fee's have not been paid. In all South African schools, parents must pay for their child's education. At Eikendal Primary, many parents choose not to pay the fees, which means that 3 teachers have already been laid off and the technology program can not be integrated. Additionally, the sports teams had to be cut. This is a big problem for Veronica because she is a coach for many of the teams. She is the teacher who is the most vocal during staff meetings and is very assertive in general. She has given up on fighting for the school teams, and has instead embarked on a new mission. She and another man have gotten together and are planning on producing a youth community program at the sports complex (there currently is not one). She is determined to make sure there are activities for these learners because if there isn't, they will fall into societal trends that usually brings them to drugs, alcohol, dropout, prostitution, you name it. I have been so inspired by Veronica and truly respect what she is doing. These are current issues, just to keep you updated.
Back to the third grade room, the kids are wonderful. They call me Teacher Meghan or m'am. They are so respectful, but very quiet. Most of the children speak 3 or 4 languages and haven't quite yet mastered English. They sing songs everyday as well as pray. It is interesting how much religion is integrated within the school day. Veronica doesn't teach religion, but focuses on the life skills one can learn from the bible. Pretty interesting.
On the first day they wanted to have question and answer time with me. They asked me questions on what it is like being an American, do I know MIchael Jackson, do I drive a car, Have I met Obama? etc. etc. Many of them kept telling me that one day they would like to go to America. It was very interesting, however, they are so excited to have me in their classroom. Every morning when I greet them, they come running towards me and give me hugs and have more questions for me. I have already learned a great deal from the kids, the teachers, and the family I live with.
Tonight Anne and I are going to a jazz club with our host families and tomorrow we meet up with our group! We can't wait to see everyone and see familiar faces. We are also going to a rugby game with the group, it shouls\d be great. Well I have to go, more to come
Love and miss you all!!!!!
So I have realized that my last couple of blogs have been pretty emotional, but this experience in general has been an emotional one for me. After visiting the townships, we headed to one of the churches to finally meet our host families!! Corvell's sister, Ginny prepared finger foods so we could mingle around and talk with the host families.
My host family: My host mother is named Veronica and she has been teaching at the primary level for almost 25 years. She is a third grade teacher and is heavily involved with athletics as well. She has a 25 year old daughter named Xenthia and has adopeted her nephew Braedan, who is 9. Xenthia doesn't live at home, but with her boyfriend a few miles away. So far, everything has gone great. Veronica and Braedan have been wonderful to me the first couple of days. Braedan is a lot of fun, it has been great having a little brother. He loves asking me questions about America. ALl he knows about America is from the television, so he thinks I know all of the celebrities. Very cute. The first night he brought back play-do in my life. Together, for a couple of hours, we created a bunch of different things with play-do and just talked. Last night we played monopoly after he came home from karate. I have a small bedroom that has a lot of cabinets for storage. There is no shower in the house, just a bath. It has been hard adjusting to taking baths every night, but it's better than nothing.
Tuesday was the first day of school and I had no idea what to expect. Veronica introduced me to all of the staff and they have been so welcoming. Anne, who is another girl on the trip with me, is also placed at the school, so it is VERY nice to have a familiar face around. I am in a third grade classroom and there are about 40 children. Veronica has amazing classroom management. She is strict and hard on the kids, but she tells me that these kids are only going to respect you if your hard on them. The kids don't get much discipline or guidance at home, so she plays many different roles on a daily basis in the classroom. Everyday, she tells the kids how much she loves them and cares for them and how she wants them to focus on their school work, so that one day, they can go to a university. Many children don't make it too far in the school systems in South Africa, and Veronica tries so hard to keep these students together.
On Wednesday, a letter from the principal came to the classroom addressing the fact that the school fee's have not been paid. In all South African schools, parents must pay for their child's education. At Eikendal Primary, many parents choose not to pay the fees, which means that 3 teachers have already been laid off and the technology program can not be integrated. Additionally, the sports teams had to be cut. This is a big problem for Veronica because she is a coach for many of the teams. She is the teacher who is the most vocal during staff meetings and is very assertive in general. She has given up on fighting for the school teams, and has instead embarked on a new mission. She and another man have gotten together and are planning on producing a youth community program at the sports complex (there currently is not one). She is determined to make sure there are activities for these learners because if there isn't, they will fall into societal trends that usually brings them to drugs, alcohol, dropout, prostitution, you name it. I have been so inspired by Veronica and truly respect what she is doing. These are current issues, just to keep you updated.
Back to the third grade room, the kids are wonderful. They call me Teacher Meghan or m'am. They are so respectful, but very quiet. Most of the children speak 3 or 4 languages and haven't quite yet mastered English. They sing songs everyday as well as pray. It is interesting how much religion is integrated within the school day. Veronica doesn't teach religion, but focuses on the life skills one can learn from the bible. Pretty interesting.
On the first day they wanted to have question and answer time with me. They asked me questions on what it is like being an American, do I know MIchael Jackson, do I drive a car, Have I met Obama? etc. etc. Many of them kept telling me that one day they would like to go to America. It was very interesting, however, they are so excited to have me in their classroom. Every morning when I greet them, they come running towards me and give me hugs and have more questions for me. I have already learned a great deal from the kids, the teachers, and the family I live with.
Tonight Anne and I are going to a jazz club with our host families and tomorrow we meet up with our group! We can't wait to see everyone and see familiar faces. We are also going to a rugby game with the group, it shouls\d be great. Well I have to go, more to come
Love and miss you all!!!!!
Langa Township
Today is our last day at Deo-Gratia. We first went over the logistics for the remaining weeks in South Africa while eating yet another breakfast made by Elise. It is going to be sad leaving all of the girls. We have already grown so close and have created lifelong friendships. The good thing is that we meet back with the group every weekend to do more traveling and spending time with each other. There will definitely be an equal balance of host family time and group time.
After leaving Deo-Gratia, we headed for Langa Township. Langa is a black township, one of the poorest townships in Cape Town. I had an uncomfortable feeling entering the township because we were going on a walking tour of the area, while the villagers were there. I just thought it was degrading for us Americans to enter their township and "feel sorry" for their way of life and sort of invading their township. However, we are actually helping their economy by taking the tour of the village. While walking throughout the township, it was like walking in a huge garbage can. Recycling would be considered a foreign term and there was trash everywhere. The people do not have access to electricity, simply because they have no money. Children were walking around barefoot and followed us around. They were the happiest children I have ever seen and it brought tears to my eyes knowing that they lived in such an impovershed area. I could not fathom growing up in an environment such as this and couldn't believe how people are actually allowed to live like this. We walked into a hostel where a bedroom the size of my own housed 3 families. We reached the preschool which was fenced in by barbed wire. When we got in there, the children sang and danced for us. We saw many children walk into the public library that was there, which was such a great feeling.
It won't do just to describe what I saw today. Being in the township helped me realize that although there is so much poverty, HIV/AIDs, and drug and alcohol problems, deep down, there is hope. There is hope that with all of the people visiting this township, they are inspired to help these communities. I have already talked with another girl in my group and discussed ideas of what we can do, how do we educate our students in America to learn about these townships and spread wealth throughout. I have been inspired to one day, after much training in the US, to teach about environmental safety and protection, sanitation, HIV/AIDs for these people. They are in dire need of help and they do not have the resources themselves to get out of this situation. If there is anyone who has any suggestions or would somehow want to help out with this situation. The more I can gather, the more we can do to help these people in need.
After leaving Deo-Gratia, we headed for Langa Township. Langa is a black township, one of the poorest townships in Cape Town. I had an uncomfortable feeling entering the township because we were going on a walking tour of the area, while the villagers were there. I just thought it was degrading for us Americans to enter their township and "feel sorry" for their way of life and sort of invading their township. However, we are actually helping their economy by taking the tour of the village. While walking throughout the township, it was like walking in a huge garbage can. Recycling would be considered a foreign term and there was trash everywhere. The people do not have access to electricity, simply because they have no money. Children were walking around barefoot and followed us around. They were the happiest children I have ever seen and it brought tears to my eyes knowing that they lived in such an impovershed area. I could not fathom growing up in an environment such as this and couldn't believe how people are actually allowed to live like this. We walked into a hostel where a bedroom the size of my own housed 3 families. We reached the preschool which was fenced in by barbed wire. When we got in there, the children sang and danced for us. We saw many children walk into the public library that was there, which was such a great feeling.
It won't do just to describe what I saw today. Being in the township helped me realize that although there is so much poverty, HIV/AIDs, and drug and alcohol problems, deep down, there is hope. There is hope that with all of the people visiting this township, they are inspired to help these communities. I have already talked with another girl in my group and discussed ideas of what we can do, how do we educate our students in America to learn about these townships and spread wealth throughout. I have been inspired to one day, after much training in the US, to teach about environmental safety and protection, sanitation, HIV/AIDs for these people. They are in dire need of help and they do not have the resources themselves to get out of this situation. If there is anyone who has any suggestions or would somehow want to help out with this situation. The more I can gather, the more we can do to help these people in need.
Hermanus Bay
Hello everyone! Because I haven't been able to get on the internet, my days are all of. This journal entry is from Saturday, July 18.
Today we got up around 7:30am to head to Hermanus Bay for the evening. The drive was extremely beautiful! We rode along the western coast, with the Atlantic on the left and the mountains on the right side. Hermanus Bay is a coastal town, more geared for adventerous explorers. We stayed at Hermanus Backpackers for a night, which is a hostel. The hostel was awesome! A bar, pool, outdoor grilly, hammocks and gardens, a very laid back, down to earth feel to it. After settling in, we headed to a flea market along the coast and got some pretty neat souveniers. While shopping, I heard some live music from a distance, and grabbed some girls to wonder over there. We watched a live African xylophone type band. Children were dancing and everyone was enjoying the music. It was absolutely refreshing. We all met up for dinner and then headed back to our hostel. The owners of the hostel were very cool, they opened the bar for us and a couple of us headed there. I met people from France, Australia, Canada, and people from other parts of South Africa. It was great listening to their stories and how they made it to Cape Town. We met a girl who happened to attend UofM. That was pretty cool! The music there was great, little bit of funk, reggae, and African music. Much dancing and socializing, It was one of the best nights I have had here in Cape Town :)
The next day, we finally got to sleep in! 8:40 is now sleeping in for me ;) We woke up and had some bread and jam and coffee. We then piled into the vans and headed for the southernmost tip of Africa. We had lunch at a lighthouse that overlooked the ocean. I ate fresh mushroom soup with a freshly made greek salad. It was delish!! After lunch, a couple of us walked from the lighthouse to the point. Our group met up with us as the southernmost point where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian ocean. It was peaceful sitting on the boulders on the Indian ocean soaking in the beautiful landscape.
Tonight was our last night together :( Tomorrow we meet our host family!!!
Today we got up around 7:30am to head to Hermanus Bay for the evening. The drive was extremely beautiful! We rode along the western coast, with the Atlantic on the left and the mountains on the right side. Hermanus Bay is a coastal town, more geared for adventerous explorers. We stayed at Hermanus Backpackers for a night, which is a hostel. The hostel was awesome! A bar, pool, outdoor grilly, hammocks and gardens, a very laid back, down to earth feel to it. After settling in, we headed to a flea market along the coast and got some pretty neat souveniers. While shopping, I heard some live music from a distance, and grabbed some girls to wonder over there. We watched a live African xylophone type band. Children were dancing and everyone was enjoying the music. It was absolutely refreshing. We all met up for dinner and then headed back to our hostel. The owners of the hostel were very cool, they opened the bar for us and a couple of us headed there. I met people from France, Australia, Canada, and people from other parts of South Africa. It was great listening to their stories and how they made it to Cape Town. We met a girl who happened to attend UofM. That was pretty cool! The music there was great, little bit of funk, reggae, and African music. Much dancing and socializing, It was one of the best nights I have had here in Cape Town :)
The next day, we finally got to sleep in! 8:40 is now sleeping in for me ;) We woke up and had some bread and jam and coffee. We then piled into the vans and headed for the southernmost tip of Africa. We had lunch at a lighthouse that overlooked the ocean. I ate fresh mushroom soup with a freshly made greek salad. It was delish!! After lunch, a couple of us walked from the lighthouse to the point. Our group met up with us as the southernmost point where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian ocean. It was peaceful sitting on the boulders on the Indian ocean soaking in the beautiful landscape.
Tonight was our last night together :( Tomorrow we meet our host family!!!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Table Mountain!
We woke up today and the sun was shining!!! The weather has been pretty dreary, raining almost everyday. I have to remind myself that it is winter here and rain is Africa's precipitation!
Today we drove to Table Mountain. It was a perfect day to be outside and enjoy the sights. The ride to Table Mountain was very beautiful, we saw a combination of the city, moutains, and the water. Table Mountain was filled with tourists and the line to the cable car was so long. The cable car was really awesome. On the car, we ride up to the top of the mountain in which we overlooked the entire city. It reminded me of when Maia and I hiked up Harder Kulm in Switzerland and saw the city. It was by far the most beautiful sight I had ever seen!!! ALl of us hiked around the top of the mountain, taking pictures along the way. We had the option of hiking down the hill or taking the cable car. I opted for the hike and it was probably the best decision. It was by far the most rewarding, meaningful and challeg\ngin experience. Many of the rocks were strapped together with barbed wire to prevent loose rocks from falling during an avalanche. The hike down was absolutely amazing! I mainly walked with my friend Betsy, which was great. She is a lovely girl with a big heart and we have a lot in common. We stopped many times to take pictures and soak up the amazing view. There were a few girls who had a hard time and some were trying to overcome their fear of hights. It was rewarding to see everyone complete the hike and it was awesome how suuportive we all are of each other. We are definitely one big team!
I wish I could write more, but again we are rushing to our next destination. I move in with my host family on Monday and start teaching Tuesday! I simply cannot wait. As much as I love Deo Gratia, the bed and breakfast, with all of the girls, I am ready for some down time and to meet my family and finally work with students.
I will update when I can. Hope all is well, I miss and love you all
Take care
Today we drove to Table Mountain. It was a perfect day to be outside and enjoy the sights. The ride to Table Mountain was very beautiful, we saw a combination of the city, moutains, and the water. Table Mountain was filled with tourists and the line to the cable car was so long. The cable car was really awesome. On the car, we ride up to the top of the mountain in which we overlooked the entire city. It reminded me of when Maia and I hiked up Harder Kulm in Switzerland and saw the city. It was by far the most beautiful sight I had ever seen!!! ALl of us hiked around the top of the mountain, taking pictures along the way. We had the option of hiking down the hill or taking the cable car. I opted for the hike and it was probably the best decision. It was by far the most rewarding, meaningful and challeg\ngin experience. Many of the rocks were strapped together with barbed wire to prevent loose rocks from falling during an avalanche. The hike down was absolutely amazing! I mainly walked with my friend Betsy, which was great. She is a lovely girl with a big heart and we have a lot in common. We stopped many times to take pictures and soak up the amazing view. There were a few girls who had a hard time and some were trying to overcome their fear of hights. It was rewarding to see everyone complete the hike and it was awesome how suuportive we all are of each other. We are definitely one big team!
I wish I could write more, but again we are rushing to our next destination. I move in with my host family on Monday and start teaching Tuesday! I simply cannot wait. As much as I love Deo Gratia, the bed and breakfast, with all of the girls, I am ready for some down time and to meet my family and finally work with students.
I will update when I can. Hope all is well, I miss and love you all
Take care
Education is Soul.
Greetings from Cape Town :)
I am sorry I haven't been able to update my blog as much as I wish. The days have been jam packed with seminars and events. This past week we have spent our days at the University of Cape Town, which stands between the mountains. A very old university, with vines covering the buildings, the campus is a beautiful place. On Monday, we gave our presentations to the Chancellor of Education regarding the current economic, social, and political issues currently hapepening in South Africa. My partner Jen and I were the first to present, so it was pretty intimidating. We focused our presentation on the current economic trends and how it is affecting the education system in the post-apartheid period. The presentation went better than I thought, although I was pretty nervous. After the presentations, the Chancellor, Dr. Crain Soudein, spoke to us about the current race relations in Cape Town. It was a very heated, uncomfortable discussion that resulted in me understanding the idea of not connecting specific races to specific cultures and the ways in which we can teach students to look past the stereotypes. Most importantly, as teachers, we must describe people on their individualiyu, not the color of their skin.
After the lecture, we had our first authentic South African meal that was served at Newfields Church, Corvell's church. His mother and sister prepared authentic dishes for us this past week and they have accomodated me being vegetarian. Some dishes that we have had this week consisted of breyani (rice, potatoes, lentil), variety of steamed vegetables, vegetarian stew with rice, squashes, salads, and I am running a blank. Overall, everything has been fresh, homemade, and delicious.
Tuesday was probably the most inspiring day of the trip. Dr. Jonathon Jansen came to speak with us. Before the trip we were to read the book, Knowledge in the Blood, which on a global scale, is being nominated for the number 1 education book. The seminar was extremely inspirational. I have never attended a lecture in which the speaker was full of energy. He is a true teacher. I felt very comfrotable and the environment was very supportive and welcoming. He was very interested in what we had to say and he made the book come alive and I felt that I truly understood the area of Pretoria, a white town in South Africa. He discussed how racism is still alive and present in Cape Town because the students are entering the real world and reality begins to sink in and no longer white Afrikaans have the power they once had. It was interesting because Jansen discussed how we should not blame these white children for their violence because they grew up in a sheltered world that told them that whites were a majority. Once they attend a university, reality sinks in and they feel as if they have been lied to all their lives.
Jansen also discussed the importance of viewing people as individuals and understand that many children are born into worlds that may shelter them or prevent them from interacting with different people. It is our job, as teachers, to open the eyes of these children and steer them away from stereotypes and encourage the students to think outside of the box. I felt very emotionally involved during Jansen's lecture. I found myself actively participating and answerting questions and expressing my point of view. I myself, found that I began to cope and understand the violent acts of current Afrikaans. They were sheltered their whole lives and I felt more empowered to help change their thoughts and assumptions about people of color.
I am sorry I haven't been able to update my blog as much as I wish. The days have been jam packed with seminars and events. This past week we have spent our days at the University of Cape Town, which stands between the mountains. A very old university, with vines covering the buildings, the campus is a beautiful place. On Monday, we gave our presentations to the Chancellor of Education regarding the current economic, social, and political issues currently hapepening in South Africa. My partner Jen and I were the first to present, so it was pretty intimidating. We focused our presentation on the current economic trends and how it is affecting the education system in the post-apartheid period. The presentation went better than I thought, although I was pretty nervous. After the presentations, the Chancellor, Dr. Crain Soudein, spoke to us about the current race relations in Cape Town. It was a very heated, uncomfortable discussion that resulted in me understanding the idea of not connecting specific races to specific cultures and the ways in which we can teach students to look past the stereotypes. Most importantly, as teachers, we must describe people on their individualiyu, not the color of their skin.
After the lecture, we had our first authentic South African meal that was served at Newfields Church, Corvell's church. His mother and sister prepared authentic dishes for us this past week and they have accomodated me being vegetarian. Some dishes that we have had this week consisted of breyani (rice, potatoes, lentil), variety of steamed vegetables, vegetarian stew with rice, squashes, salads, and I am running a blank. Overall, everything has been fresh, homemade, and delicious.
Tuesday was probably the most inspiring day of the trip. Dr. Jonathon Jansen came to speak with us. Before the trip we were to read the book, Knowledge in the Blood, which on a global scale, is being nominated for the number 1 education book. The seminar was extremely inspirational. I have never attended a lecture in which the speaker was full of energy. He is a true teacher. I felt very comfrotable and the environment was very supportive and welcoming. He was very interested in what we had to say and he made the book come alive and I felt that I truly understood the area of Pretoria, a white town in South Africa. He discussed how racism is still alive and present in Cape Town because the students are entering the real world and reality begins to sink in and no longer white Afrikaans have the power they once had. It was interesting because Jansen discussed how we should not blame these white children for their violence because they grew up in a sheltered world that told them that whites were a majority. Once they attend a university, reality sinks in and they feel as if they have been lied to all their lives.
Jansen also discussed the importance of viewing people as individuals and understand that many children are born into worlds that may shelter them or prevent them from interacting with different people. It is our job, as teachers, to open the eyes of these children and steer them away from stereotypes and encourage the students to think outside of the box. I felt very emotionally involved during Jansen's lecture. I found myself actively participating and answerting questions and expressing my point of view. I myself, found that I began to cope and understand the violent acts of current Afrikaans. They were sheltered their whole lives and I felt more empowered to help change their thoughts and assumptions about people of color.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Saturday July 11
Happy Birthday, Kristen!!!! Wish I could be there, I tried calling you, but no answer :(
Today everyone woke up with a lot of energy. One of the girls on the trip broke her foot a week before the trip and still decided to come. Catie has been such a trooper and we have all helped her getting around. So, today at breakfast, Catie came to the table veeeery happy. The doctors in the US wouldn't let her take vicadin over here, so she was in a great deal of pain the first couple of days. Corvell brought her to the hospital and was prescribed with South African vicadin :) So, Catie was a little loopy at breakfast today, pretty funny.
We started the day by traveling to Signal Hill, which overlooked all of Cape Town. I never knew how big this city truly was until I was on top overlooking. It reminds me a lot of California as well as somewhere in the Caribbean. BEAUTIFUL! It was a sunny morning and we were able to see mountains, the ocean, the city life as well as the country life. We took a bunch of pictures, which I can't post now because I am not on my computer. We were able to see the World Cup stadium, which is awesome! I really want to get tickets, I have a place to stay :) Who's with me??\
After Signal Hill, we drove around the peninsula and ended up at Hout Bay, which is a fishery town. Here is where we saw a completely different side of Cape Town. A much smaller, rural township with a lot of poverty. We were able to try Africa's fish n chips, though. The fish was caught behind the restaurant we ate at, so of course, I had to try it! Very good :)
We then drove to see the penguins! The weather turned to rain and it was pretty crummy. On the way there, it finally hit us that we were in South Africa. We stopped on the side of the road and saw baboons!!! Haha, we told Jonny and Dayle to pull over! To the left of us was an ostrich farm. The ostriches were very funny, but I don't think they liked me.
We finally got to the Penguin beach where we saw so many little penguins!!! We were in a very pretty area an the rain was started to calm down and the sun started to come out. There was a beautiful rainbow that appeared in the sky.
We finally made it back to the guest house, Deo Gratia, where Corvell scheduled a Braai (a South African style barbeque). Corvell had a bunch of his friends over that cooked all of the food for us. They even cooked me some vegetaria sausage, very good :) It was a great evening and his friends were wonderful. We all bough bottles of wine from the bar in the guest house and enjoyed spending time together.
When everyone left, all of the girls grabbed their wine and headed to the living room. The evening consisted of hot seat, would you rather, never have I ever, and many heart-to-hearts. It was great learning about everyone and we were all so interested in learning about each other. It was a great bonding time and I am so thankful to share this wonderful expreience with such wonderful people. We stayed up way too late, but it was totally worth it.
That's all for now, more to come. Today we are going wine tasting!!
Miss and love you all :)
Today everyone woke up with a lot of energy. One of the girls on the trip broke her foot a week before the trip and still decided to come. Catie has been such a trooper and we have all helped her getting around. So, today at breakfast, Catie came to the table veeeery happy. The doctors in the US wouldn't let her take vicadin over here, so she was in a great deal of pain the first couple of days. Corvell brought her to the hospital and was prescribed with South African vicadin :) So, Catie was a little loopy at breakfast today, pretty funny.
We started the day by traveling to Signal Hill, which overlooked all of Cape Town. I never knew how big this city truly was until I was on top overlooking. It reminds me a lot of California as well as somewhere in the Caribbean. BEAUTIFUL! It was a sunny morning and we were able to see mountains, the ocean, the city life as well as the country life. We took a bunch of pictures, which I can't post now because I am not on my computer. We were able to see the World Cup stadium, which is awesome! I really want to get tickets, I have a place to stay :) Who's with me??\
After Signal Hill, we drove around the peninsula and ended up at Hout Bay, which is a fishery town. Here is where we saw a completely different side of Cape Town. A much smaller, rural township with a lot of poverty. We were able to try Africa's fish n chips, though. The fish was caught behind the restaurant we ate at, so of course, I had to try it! Very good :)
We then drove to see the penguins! The weather turned to rain and it was pretty crummy. On the way there, it finally hit us that we were in South Africa. We stopped on the side of the road and saw baboons!!! Haha, we told Jonny and Dayle to pull over! To the left of us was an ostrich farm. The ostriches were very funny, but I don't think they liked me.
We finally got to the Penguin beach where we saw so many little penguins!!! We were in a very pretty area an the rain was started to calm down and the sun started to come out. There was a beautiful rainbow that appeared in the sky.
We finally made it back to the guest house, Deo Gratia, where Corvell scheduled a Braai (a South African style barbeque). Corvell had a bunch of his friends over that cooked all of the food for us. They even cooked me some vegetaria sausage, very good :) It was a great evening and his friends were wonderful. We all bough bottles of wine from the bar in the guest house and enjoyed spending time together.
When everyone left, all of the girls grabbed their wine and headed to the living room. The evening consisted of hot seat, would you rather, never have I ever, and many heart-to-hearts. It was great learning about everyone and we were all so interested in learning about each other. It was a great bonding time and I am so thankful to share this wonderful expreience with such wonderful people. We stayed up way too late, but it was totally worth it.
That's all for now, more to come. Today we are going wine tasting!!
Miss and love you all :)
Friday July 10
Today we woke up pretty early for breakfast. Corvell is trying to cram in a bunch of sightseeing and tours before we start classes at the University of Cape Town on Monday. We started the day by taking the ferry to Robbens Island, which is about a 15 minute ride from the Cape. Robbens Island is where Nelson Mandela and many other political figures were prisoned during the apartheid years. We were given a tour around the island and were able to see where Nelson Mandela's prison cell was as well as the garden he grew in one of the court yards, where he grew his own vegetables and hid his manuscripts. The tour guides are ex-prisoners, so it was very interesting to hear their experiences during their time on the island.
After the island, we went to the District 6 museum which is located in the city center. District 6 is an area with a great amount of history. Within this past century, many Africans were removed from this area that they called home to another part of the city. The district then became an all "white" district, in which laws were passed that no people of color could live or enter the district. What amazes me most is how recent these events in South Africa are. I was 10 years old during the removal process... Hard to believe.
When we left District 6, we headed to the Heart Transplant museum. This museum is located in a section of the hospital where the first successful heart transplant took place. We learned the history as well as the lives of the individuals who were involved with the transplant. It was kind of creepy and it was at the end of the day, so most of us were pretty tired! In the museum, there was wax figurines of all of the people involved and it looked so weird!!! We all tried very hard to be mature and handle ourselves during the tour, but we couldn't stop laughing. The tour guide was a bit strange and the whole situation was just hilarious. None of us wanted to be there!!
After the museum, it was time to eat! We went to the most American restaurant, haha. I ordered a vegetarian burger, which might have been the best I have ever had. There are no worries about the food here. I can't believe how people made it such a big deal. I was laughing with my friend Jen as we went to the salad bar and grabbed lettuce and unpeeled vegetables. I have been drinking the best tap water and we all have been pretty much disobeying all of the rules the travel clinic has told us. We are all alive and well, no one has gotten sick. Anyways, back to the dinner. I sat with a group of girls and one of our driver's Jonny. Jonny thought we were crazy as we were sipping South African beer and laughing about anything. When dinner was finished, we noticed Jonny talking to one of the waiters. As everyone started getting up from the tables, all of the waiters in the restaurant came over to our section singing happy birthday. Who are they singing happy birthday to???? Why, me of course! So, if you know me, then you know that I turned beat red, more red than a tomato. I started laughing, began to cry while everyone surrounded me with their cameras, laughs, and birthday singing. It was hilarious!!! So, now I am plotting an attack against Jonny. I am working on something right now with Corvell, and by the end of this trip, Jonny is getting his payback!!
Great first day!
After the island, we went to the District 6 museum which is located in the city center. District 6 is an area with a great amount of history. Within this past century, many Africans were removed from this area that they called home to another part of the city. The district then became an all "white" district, in which laws were passed that no people of color could live or enter the district. What amazes me most is how recent these events in South Africa are. I was 10 years old during the removal process... Hard to believe.
When we left District 6, we headed to the Heart Transplant museum. This museum is located in a section of the hospital where the first successful heart transplant took place. We learned the history as well as the lives of the individuals who were involved with the transplant. It was kind of creepy and it was at the end of the day, so most of us were pretty tired! In the museum, there was wax figurines of all of the people involved and it looked so weird!!! We all tried very hard to be mature and handle ourselves during the tour, but we couldn't stop laughing. The tour guide was a bit strange and the whole situation was just hilarious. None of us wanted to be there!!
After the museum, it was time to eat! We went to the most American restaurant, haha. I ordered a vegetarian burger, which might have been the best I have ever had. There are no worries about the food here. I can't believe how people made it such a big deal. I was laughing with my friend Jen as we went to the salad bar and grabbed lettuce and unpeeled vegetables. I have been drinking the best tap water and we all have been pretty much disobeying all of the rules the travel clinic has told us. We are all alive and well, no one has gotten sick. Anyways, back to the dinner. I sat with a group of girls and one of our driver's Jonny. Jonny thought we were crazy as we were sipping South African beer and laughing about anything. When dinner was finished, we noticed Jonny talking to one of the waiters. As everyone started getting up from the tables, all of the waiters in the restaurant came over to our section singing happy birthday. Who are they singing happy birthday to???? Why, me of course! So, if you know me, then you know that I turned beat red, more red than a tomato. I started laughing, began to cry while everyone surrounded me with their cameras, laughs, and birthday singing. It was hilarious!!! So, now I am plotting an attack against Jonny. I am working on something right now with Corvell, and by the end of this trip, Jonny is getting his payback!!
Great first day!
Finally on the Internet!!!
HELLO!!! We arrived safe in Cape Town on Thursday night at around 4:30. The flight was not as bad as I thought. I slept a lot, read, listened to music, and watched really corny movies. The stop in Dakar was not nearly as rough as I anticipated. People came on the plane to clean up and check out the carry on bags. I pretty much slept the whole time, no worries at all.
It was great to see Corvell, our leader of the trip who was born and raised in Cape Town and now works at MSU. We ride around in 2 vans and his son and brother-in-law drive us around wherever we go, so we are completely safe at all times. There are 17 girls on the trip and believe it or not, we are all getting along wonderfully! No cliques, talking behind each other's backs or any other typical female drama :) We are all pretty laid back and excited to share this experience together. Not only will this experience benefit my career as a teacher, it will enhance my social skills and my ability to meet new people as well as work with one another.
OK, so now for some stories!!! Our guest house is awesome. I feel so spoiled and we all have a hard time believing we are in Africa. I have three roommates who I have become pretty close with. We have a huge room (the biggest one in the house) that has a kitchen, dining room table, bath and shower and toilet. Our room is the hang out room :) We usually wake up at 7:30 am which is 1:30 am in Michigan and then have breakfast. Breakfast usually is bread, yogurt, cereal, fresh fruit, fresh squeezed orange juice and guava juice, and coffee.
On the first night we ate dinner at the mall and then went to bed because we were all pretty tired. The sun usually sets at around 6:30 so it gets dark pretty early here. The weather so far has been pretty much like Michigan. One minute it rains, the next it is windy, then the sun comes out. It is a cycle.
It feels so great to finally be here, I still can't believe I am here. We haven't been able to get the internet, so I am writing the next couple of blogs at an internet cafe. I am considering getting a phone here (it's pretty cheap) because I don't know how much internet use I will get and it will be nice to have when I am with my host family so I can keep in touch with my group during the week and make the occasional call home :)
It was great to see Corvell, our leader of the trip who was born and raised in Cape Town and now works at MSU. We ride around in 2 vans and his son and brother-in-law drive us around wherever we go, so we are completely safe at all times. There are 17 girls on the trip and believe it or not, we are all getting along wonderfully! No cliques, talking behind each other's backs or any other typical female drama :) We are all pretty laid back and excited to share this experience together. Not only will this experience benefit my career as a teacher, it will enhance my social skills and my ability to meet new people as well as work with one another.
OK, so now for some stories!!! Our guest house is awesome. I feel so spoiled and we all have a hard time believing we are in Africa. I have three roommates who I have become pretty close with. We have a huge room (the biggest one in the house) that has a kitchen, dining room table, bath and shower and toilet. Our room is the hang out room :) We usually wake up at 7:30 am which is 1:30 am in Michigan and then have breakfast. Breakfast usually is bread, yogurt, cereal, fresh fruit, fresh squeezed orange juice and guava juice, and coffee.
On the first night we ate dinner at the mall and then went to bed because we were all pretty tired. The sun usually sets at around 6:30 so it gets dark pretty early here. The weather so far has been pretty much like Michigan. One minute it rains, the next it is windy, then the sun comes out. It is a cycle.
It feels so great to finally be here, I still can't believe I am here. We haven't been able to get the internet, so I am writing the next couple of blogs at an internet cafe. I am considering getting a phone here (it's pretty cheap) because I don't know how much internet use I will get and it will be nice to have when I am with my host family so I can keep in touch with my group during the week and make the occasional call home :)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Welcome!
Hello all!
I have created this blog to keep everyone updated on my adventures in Cape Town, South Africa from July 8 - August 15. While in Cape Town, I will be learning about the education system as well as working in a school creating lesson plans and working with a teacher. I will eventually lead teach for 3 weeks! I will live with a host family for three weeks and will be able to travel the western coast of South Africa throughout the 5 weeks I am there. This is a Pre-Internship study abroad program through MSU and I will be traveling with other student teachers as well. I am very much looking forward to such a wonderful experience!!
I will try to update whenever I can when I am abroad. By having a blog, I will be able to upload pictures and share stories with all of you. Please check the blog out often so you can keep up with my travels!
I have created this blog to keep everyone updated on my adventures in Cape Town, South Africa from July 8 - August 15. While in Cape Town, I will be learning about the education system as well as working in a school creating lesson plans and working with a teacher. I will eventually lead teach for 3 weeks! I will live with a host family for three weeks and will be able to travel the western coast of South Africa throughout the 5 weeks I am there. This is a Pre-Internship study abroad program through MSU and I will be traveling with other student teachers as well. I am very much looking forward to such a wonderful experience!!
I will try to update whenever I can when I am abroad. By having a blog, I will be able to upload pictures and share stories with all of you. Please check the blog out often so you can keep up with my travels!
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