Grahamstown

Location: Grahamstown, small town that boasts two things: Rhodes University and the National Arts Festival.

Weather: Rainy and Cold

Cost: R700, a.k.a really expensive

Experience: Priceless

Early Monday morning we piled into our vans at 6:00 a.m. and drove for 16 hours to a small town in the Eastern Cape called Grahamstown. We arrived at 10:00 p.m. and settled into our rooms (we stayed in single dorm rooms at Rhodes University). Our hall was an all mens hall, this was made obvious by the posters and stickers on our doors. Chantal's door had a poster that said absurd things like, "I heart beer, I heart parties, I heart sex, I heart everything." The best part of the dorm experience was that we had our own rooms, finally we had some independence! We also had heaters, hot showers, and flush toilets, what could beat that? Perhaps that we were in walking distance from bars, shows, concerts, plays, and shopping markets.

The first night we went to a bar/pub called Parrot and Rat, it was the 4th of July and we wanted to celebrate. Not to mention, Robbie and Jesse brought close to 20 fireworks with them for the night. As we walked into Parrot and Rat (which closely resembled a pub you would see in the movie Greenstreet Hooligans) we ran into another group of American students studying here in South Africa. We joined them at their table with our tower of beer and celebrated the fourth of July in the most American way we could, fireworks and beer. Some of the other students even had necklaces with American Flags on them. We went home at about 2:30 a.m. and got lost on the way back, but fortunately we found our way through Rhodes campus.

The next morning we woke up to rain. Obviously, being from San Diego, rain was somewhat a foreign concept and I failed to bring a raincoat with me -- but don't fear, I bought an emergency poncho and you best believe I got quite a bit of use out of it. We walked around the town trying to find The Cue, a newspaper that has the day's schedule of shows and locations, along with a few reviews. We decided we wanted to see 4 shows that day: Love Affair Dance, Convincing Carlos, Rose Red, and a concert called Late @ the Lounge: U-Turn and 5 Levels Up. Love Affair Dance was about African societies accepting those with disabilities, or rather different abilities. It was a passionate show of emotions, sadness mostly, but it was beautiful. There wasn't too much dancing, it mostly entailed talking and walking around every once in a while. The next show we saw was Convincing Carlos, it was a one man act about an author who wrote a book about a Bufana Bufana soccer fan convincing Carlos Parrera to come back and coach Bufana for the World Cup 2010. I was so impressed by the acting, he acted out every character and memorized an hour and 15 minutes of pure lines. Later we went to see Rose Red, which is one of my favorite shows we saw while there. It was pretty much Wicked for Snow White; the Queen's story of Snow White, why she banished Snow White to go away and how everyone perceived her as evil. It was musical theatre, also a one woman act, but she was fabulous at singing and acting and the script was hilarious. Later that night we went to a concert and saw a band from Cape Town. They performed two original songs and a few covers.

The next day we saw four shows and shopped at the craft market. From about 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. we shopped through the massive market, supporting local craftsmakers and South African companies. I bought a beautiful beaded elephant key holder and a moisturizing bar made out of Soy. At 2:00 we saw our first show called Staff Room. It was horrible. The review said it was about the South African education system, it turned out to be a story about a student sleeping with a teacher, getting pregnant, and committing suicide. Ok, so the plot isn't too bad, the acting on the other hand was, and did I mention that Celine Dion was playing in the background the entire time? Or that the lights were off for the first 10 minutes of the play on accident? Or that there were three side stories that weren't fully developed. Oh well, it was R30 (about $3.50). After that we went to see Beezlebub, on the schedule it said "physical theatre", I had no idea what that meant, but was intrigued. Beezlebub was also very good, funny but profound, and I now understand what physical theatre is...I think (I'll be asking my roommate who is a theatre major about that one). We got out of Beezlebub 5 minutes before the next show we wanted to see, so we ran to the next venue, arrived about 5 minutes late, but were allowed into the show anyways. This show was called Umhlanga (this is a ritual ceremony in Zulu culture, Westerners know it as the virginity test). The dance was filled with men and women in traditional garb singing and dancing traditional songs and acting out scenes of the marriage process and umhlanga in both isiZulu and English. The loud and bright songs and dancing kept us all intrigued and excited about the show. Afterwards we went to see Steel Drums and Bass. We learned about steel drums (did you know they originated in South Africa, not the Caribbean?) After the show the drummers let us play on their drums, and attempted (I could not make one beat) to make aesthetic noises.

The next day we woke up at 5:00 a.m. and drove back to Durban. I was so thrilled to be in Grahamstown and wish we had one more day there, but at the same time my bank account is glad I left. With one week left in South Africa I am faced with writing my final paper, which is really what I should be doing right now...

Next up is a free weekend in Durban, we have two birthdays tomorrow and we are planning on celebrating in Durbs, perhaps some clubbing and beach time. I'll definitely keep you posted!

aMacabeni, where the livin's easy

Sorry I've been so M.I.A. lately, I know I haven't posted in a long time, I don't even know where to begin.

I had my last week at Menzi two weeks ago and I miss those students so much. On our last day we performed in front of the whole campus. We sang We Are the World by Michael Jackson and danced to Beautiful People by Chris Brown and Sting Ray by Big Nuz (super popular song here, check it out on youtube!). We had some technical difficulties with the music, but the school cheered for us nonetheless.

After that we spent a weekend packing for aMacabeni, a rural village 100km outside of Durban on the coast. It is truly breathtakingly beautiful, the ocean to the East, green foliage painting the landscape and ripe sugar cane sweetening the air. My home stay family consisted of one Mama and two Sisis, all three were incredibly hospitable and made the best breakfast (most of the time -- one time Mama gave me cake and cookies for breakfast which wasn't too appeasing). The house was brand new, I shared a double bed with Taylor, and we shared the room with one of our sisis Thobile. We had a living room, complete with TV and radio, which were both on at all times, a kitchen, and two bedrooms. The bathroom was an outhouse about 100 meters from the house. Though we didn't have running water there was a water spicket in front of our neighbors yard which we could use.

Within walking distance was our camp we facilitated. It was a life skills camp with 40 of the towns best grade 8-10 learners. We challenged the learners to think about oppression; gender, sexuality, labels, discrimination, and other social justice issues. This worked fabulously for me because this year I participated in my school's Next Step Retreat and facilitated Challenge Day at my high school. I felt that I was prepared to deal with the topics of the camp. However, the learners second language was English, so the language barrier was sometimes difficult -- we had UKZN students with us who were fluent in both languages to help us facilitate and they were amazing at their jobs, we could't have done it without them -- and the learners often didn't want to speak. I found that the learners, and some of the UKZN students were so deeply embedded in the societal norms that the impact was much lower than I expected. The learners and students were discussing these topics for the first time, and it was exhausting on both ends.

Following the week at our homestay and camp we left for Hluluwe for a safari. We woke up at 5:00am and drove in an open truck on the freeway for 20 minutes, real cold, and went on a two hour safari. I saw a total of 4 animals, so it was a little of a bummer, but still a great experience. We then returned to Cato Manor with our first homestay families. I missed my family so much, it was great to come back to a familiar and comfortable place.

Tomorrow we leave for Grahamstown, where a National Arts Festival is being held. I'm so excited to see plays and concerts and to shop at the crafts market. However, Grahamstown is a 10 hour drive away and really cold. I bought mittens and a fleece sweater to hold me over when I get there. I hope its enough! I won't have internet again until the 11th, maybe a little earlier, but I can't wait to fill you in on my adventures in Grahamstown.

Until then, sala khale.

Blood Diamond

This weekend we hopped into our vans with our loyal drivers Kay (who has taken the headphones out, and is quite the clubber we discovered) and Langa. Two hours later we crossed a bridge into the Eastern Cape, pulled into a parking lot and started our "hike."

Our hike was guided by a very nice man, can't remember his name to be honest. We walked through a construction zone for about 10 minutes so we could really understand the beauty of nature (we joked about this quite a bit) and ended on a beautiful beach. We then spent about two hours on the beach, examining every little thing. I swear this tour guide wanted to talk to us about every stick, rock, and piece of sand on the beach -- I suppose it could be interesting for a few, but I opted to focus on something more important.

Imraan, the academic program advisor for our trip, and I talked in great detail about his educational and career background, what I inspire to do, and NGOs in South Africa. From this discussion we decided I should visit an NGO called Accord (accord.org.za check it out!) in the final week of my trip. They focus on conflict resolution internationally. In fact, I learned how vibrant the NGO culture is in South Africa and I'm beginning to realize I may want to work here in the future and gain NGO experience with Accord or with other organizations.

After leaving the beach we began the real hike, which lasted maybe 45 minutes, but had breathtaking views of hillsides where Blood Diamond was filmed. We completed our hike in a small village where we were picked up by our loyal drivers and taken to another village to eat lunch. Truthfully, my beans tasted like cigarettes and I opted to leave them untouched, but the rest of the meal was delicious. We then got back in the vans and headed to a sweet bed and breakfast place on the hillside overlooking the ocean and had showers. The showers may have been the best part of the weekend getaway. We were only at the bed and breakfast from dinner time until just after breakfast and within that time I showered twice -- glorious.

Now we are back in Durban and spending time with Menzi -- this is our last week with the secondary school.  We are preparing a performance for the entire school on Friday, which I am really excited about. I'll be taking a video and when I get quicker internet I'll try and upload it to the blog.

Menzi High School

Menzi Secondary School in the township Umlazi is where I spent my week and will spend the next week at. We entered the school and immediately noted the lack of resources and class space. Most students don't have books, or even a pencil and paper and the classrooms are filled with anywhere from 40 to 70 students.  Walking onto a campus like this I initially thought teaching the students would be difficult, I misjudged.

The students are so excited and welcoming to us. Every classroom we walked into students lined up to meet us, hug us, and perform for us. I have never seen so much talent in one classroom. The school is filled with dancers, singers, poets, and many more talented students. It seems that every student could stand up and sing to us, and not just sing, but belt; other students could stand up and simply dance, be it crumping or a more traditional Zulu dance. We were all so blown away by the talent.

We later got to meet a few students and are in the process of getting to know them as the practicum continues. The students told me how lucky they are to be going to Menzi, which has a 100% matric pass rate and boasts that 60% of their students go on to university. I have been observing Mrs. TJ's classes -- she teaches geography and life sciences (similar to biology) -- and have been intrigued by the lectures. The geography class focused on underdevelopment and the importance of education while the life sciences class focused on the importance of a healthy lifestyle and being nutritious. The classes were taught in an informal manner that seemed, to me at least, like a moral discussion to the students that they could apply to their everyday lives.

Next week I will be teaching a class on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and human rights. Words can't describe how ecstatic I am to teach the students something I am so passionate about and curious about. Especially since the Apartheid is still so prevalent, I am anxious to see the capacity level of the students in regards to human rights. Can't wait to keep you all posted on it!

Tomorrow we head to the South Coast (where Blood Diamond was shot) to go on a hike and go to the beach. I'll definitely fill you in.

Moving In

On Friday I moved into my home stay family, which will be our base for the next few weeks. I have a host mother, Dudu, a host father, Sipho, and a host sister, Nosipho. All have been very welcoming and accommodating. Dudu is a great cook, very sweet, and open; Nosipho is also very sweet and welcoming, she's been very helpful in guiding me through the house. I have my own room and a closet to put my clothes away in. Friday night I went to bed very early, I had to be awake at 8:00 am to meet up and go to the central market in Durban.

The central market in Durban is huge! There are ten different sections in the market, including crafts, food, medicine, textile, and several other sections. We took a tour through the market, stopping to give a brief history about each individual section. We learned that a portion of the market is going to be shut down and that the people are protesting the closing of one section. In another part, the meat market, we watched women with cow heads (skin, eyes, and all) hacking -- with an axe -- at the head to get the meat off the skull. Some of us, including myself, were brave enough to eat the cooked cow head meat. Historically, only men were allowed to eat the cow head meat because they represented the head of the family, but today with democracy all are welcome to try the meat. It was good meat, what you would find in a burger, but it had this sticky gooey glob on it that creeped me out a little.

On Sunday, I went to church with Grace's host mother and sister in downtown Durban. Little did we know we were going to be at church for six hours. We left the house at 9:00am and took a taxi bus to Durban, we got there at 9:45. When we arrived the English service was wrapping up, so we watched that. Then the isiZulu service began, and Grace and I were completely lost. Some women tried to help us find the correct sections in the Bible, but even the names were different in isiZulu so it was near impossible! We got back home around 3:00 where I watched the news (Aljazeerah has a channel and I was so happy to watch it), ate dinner, and went to bed at 8:30 pm.

This morning (Monday) I was picked up at 7:00am and driven to a township called Umlazi to visit Menzi high school where I will be teaching Geography for the next two weeks. We were so welcomed by the school and the principal. The principal told us the school has a 100% pass rate and around 60% of the students go on to university. We visited two classes, one was a 10th grade class who welcomed us through singing and dancing, the second was 11th grade (a little rowdier) who also welcomed us with singing, dancing, and slam poetry. I have never been so impressed by the amount of talent in one classroom, those students inspire me.

That's my news for my South African adventure thus far, I can't wait to fill you in on my first day of teaching!

I don't see nothin' wrong with a little bump and grind...

Remember Firken? Well we returned to Firken last night for some Karaoke and free shooters from 9-10. Kay, one of the drivers, warned us that Firken is really lame and that it would lower his social status to be seen at Firken. Nonetheless, we were dropped off and ready to sing some good American tunes (because we definitely wanted to portray a good American stereotype...eh). First thing we did? Ordered three "shark tanks" where the only description is, "are you Firken brave enough?" We decided yes.

Three shark tanks, some free shooters, and a few drinks later, we realized Firken is not known for their tasty beverages, or for their alcohol content. But what kind of Americans would we be if that slowed us down? We sang several songs, all the girls sang "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls, Becca sang "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", Jack sang "Ain't to Proud to Beg", and Stephen sang "Bump and Grind," which raised the bar at Firken. Stephen got the entire bar to sing along, and even attracted a friend to the stage, who slowly took the mike out of his hands and claimed, "we need to sing this again."

Shark Tank: R100 (100 Rand), taxi ride with Darrel, R155, night at Firken? Priceless.

Sawubona (hello in isiZulu)

I have arrived in South Africa (4 days ago)! Unfortunately, I had no access to internet, so I apologize -- as I know all of you were obsessively checking my blog to see if I updated it!

We flew into Johannesburg, or Joburg as the locals call it, and settled into a nice little bed and breakfast 30 minutes outside of the city. It was a cozy little place, with a few rooms -- four people to a room, and then the love shack. The love shack is outside of the bed and breakfast with red curtains and cheetah print bedspreads. I haven't even mentioned the best part yet, the love shack has a jacuzzi in it!  I was placed in the love shack with Grace and Lisa, and now I understand why it is called the love shack -- its so cold out there you absolutely have to all hop in the same bed to huddle for warmth. Needless to say, we felt no love from the love shack, but felt love from each other as we snuggled for heat!

When we woke up the next day we went to the Apartheid Museum and the Hector Pieterson Museum which discuss the historical context, political, and social culture of South Africa before, during, and after the Apartheid. The Hector Pieterson Museum focused more closely on the student protest movement and is located in Soweto (short for South Western Township) where Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela lived -- Nelson Mandela's house is now a museum and Desmond Tutu spends most of his time in Cape Town now. Exhausted, we went back to our backpack travelers lodge, Tre Fontane, ate dinner and went to bed fairly early.

The next morning we started our orientation by learning a little isiZulu (is it apparent from my title?) and going over "fear and expectations of the trip." After lunch we were dropped of at the Pavilion for shopping. The Pavilion is a massive shopping mall, I mean 5 story shopping mall. We were given three hours here, I bought an adapter for electricity (because the one I brought doesn't work, and in fact only one person brought an adapter that does work) and a Castle beer at Firken Brewing Co.

Today we traveled into Durban for the first time. We were given a map with a few check points and dropped off on one side of the city, picked up 4 hours later on the other side. It was good to get out of our travelers lodge and explore a little bit. It was really windy and rainy here today, and apparently it will be tomorrow as well -- but the forecast afterwards seems promising. We used the bus system: People Mover, to get around the city, it was 4 Rand (7 Rand is about $1). When we arrived at our final destination we ate at the Copper Chimney for some Indian food. Now we are sitting at the SIT office for the first time, able to use internet for the first time (no Facebook though, it apparently eats up too much internet?) and waiting to be toted off to dinner -- at an Indian restaurant, surprise!

So overall consensus of my first 4 days: colder than I expected, less active and productive than I hoped, but our schedule seems promising.

We have met the main people from my program at SIT here in Durbs (Durban for short -- another local term): Imraan, Shola, Langa, and Kay. Imraan is the academic program director of the trip, extremely knowledgeable and personable. I spent 8 hours with him in the drive from Joburg to Durbs with Lisa and Taylor and had many intellectually charged conversations. Shola is in charge of home stays and questions about the city and fun things to do, she seems very sweet and warm, but I haven't spoken to her a lot. Langa is our linguistics teacher -- only isiZulu, but still quite thrilling -- and is one of the drivers. Langa is lively and happy, very talkative and friendly to all of the students and filled with laughter. Kay is another driver who doesn't talk much. At this point in the trip Kay is known for wearing his headphones and playing music so loudly the back of the bus can hear him! Today Melissa practically yelled his name to no avail, as Drake and Akon were playing too loudly on his MP3 player.

Next up is moving into my home stay in Cato Manor, a township, on Friday and starting my practicuum! I will either be placed in a primary school or secondary school to teach and observe the classes, but I don't know which I will go to quite yet. Starting the upcoming Monday I will begin my two week practicuum, followed by a two hour lecture every day. After that we have a weekend excursion to the South Coast (fun fact: parts of Blood Diamond were filmed there) and then heading to a rural home stay (will explain that when I understand it more) and then to Grahamstown National Arts Festival! Apparently, the festival is huge and very popular, but also negative degrees in celsius...I'm not so good with below freezing.

Sala Kahle (goodbye in isiZulu)

Waka Waka

When I traveled to Tanzania last year Shakira's song Waka Waka was just about the only song you'd hear (with the exception of K'naan's Waving Flag of course). We soon learned that waka waka pretty much means, "do work," and that is what I just did...with my suitcase. With mostly tees and long dresses I'm ready to take on Africa once again, this time I don't think my skills in Kiswalhili will help me, but if it does: jambo South Africa, habari?

I leave at the crack of dawn (muy de la manana -- that one is Spanish if you didn't catch that) and embark on a 30 hour journey to Johannesburg. When we get in we are told we will have a lecture (bleh) and visit a few museums. Pretty unsure about my accommodations for the first week and a half, but hopefully I will have internet and can fill you in on my adventures in Johannesburg!
Asante for reading and kwaheri! (Shout out to my Tanzanian loves!)

The Premise

I asked myself why I would want a blog for my upcoming trip to South Africa. I thought it would be a good way to look back on the trip. I like to think that my memory is fantastic at recalling experiences, but as I look back on my past trips I only remember the big things. I want to remember it all this time, and beyond that, I want to be able to look back on my experience when I come back to the States.

So, here is the background info: My name is Jenny, I'm a Peace Studies major, Political Science major, and a Religious Studies minor -- so naturally, South Africa calls to me. I aspire to build schools in refugee and IDP camps, and hope that my experiences abroad will help shape the atmosphere I want to build within the classroom. This trip couldn't be more perfect for me. Six weeks in Durban, South Africa taking a class on Education and Social Change. Words can't describe my excitement and I'm thrilled to make new memories with new friends in a different country. Sounds life changing, right? That's why I'm doing it.

I invite you all to follow my story, I'm sure there will be much laughter, joy, and maybe a few tears, but in the end it will all be worth it. And that, is what it's all about. I have once again, been bitten by the travel bug, and this time it brings me to South Africa. Enjoy.