Joburg...cont'd....and ended...

I have always found it strange to talk about the weather...like there's nothing more to talk about than that which is right in front of your eyes. However, I must say that the weather has continued to be absolutely lovely (and don't worry...I have much more to say!). I have yet to see a cloud, which has been quite a bit of a change from Ohio. I'm thankful for the warm weather thus far, as I'm dreading the significantly colder weather I'll be facing for the next 2 weeks in Lesotho.

My time in Johannesburg has almost run out. I will be heading out shortly to enjoy some nightlife tonight before leaving for Lesotho bright and early tomorrow (Friday) morning. Although I'm enjoying my time immensely, I'm ready to leave Joburg and experience more of what I consider to be "traditional" Africa. I know that traditional is not a popular word, as traditions are constantly evolving and changing, but for lack of a better description, traditional Africa is what I came to see. I'm ready to be immersed in the culture of those who have resisted globalization and Westernization, those who still live off the land and those who bask in the natural beauty of their earth. I'm ready to be away from skyscrapers, malls and everything else that I can see in any U.S. city. I'm ready for Lesotho.







Most of what we've been doing in Joburg has been very touristy. Tourism is not the purpose of the trip, however we have been given these opportunities in Joburg for 2 reasons. First, it's important for us to experience the best and worst parts of South Africa in order for us to fully understand the vast gaps that continue to plague the country. Joburg certainly falls under the category of best and I'll soon be visiting the worst. Second, this area is a good place to adjust to Africa. It's very similar to any major city, but you can still "see Africa" in certain parts of the city. It's been a good transition point and has prevented us from suffering from any major culture shock.

So....on to what I've been doing. We've been VERY busy with an extremely packed schedule. My legs are very sore from all the walking, but it's free and easy exercise so I'm trying not to complain too much ;). Tuesday was a museum day. We went to The Museum of Africa, which can be described by the name itself. I saw a wonderful exhibit on political cartoons (which I will definitely use in my classroom) as well as great exhibits on the geography and geology of Africa, the use of child labor, the gay and lesbian community in South Africa and workers rights. We also visited a place called The Bus Factory, which was actually more of an art factory. It was full of art studios, art classes and even children's art workshops. It was a beautiful place full of beautiful contemporary African creations. Afterwards, we visited the Voortrekker Monument, which is the monument commemorating the arrival of the white Europeans (or, in my opinion, commemorating the domination of an entire race and culture). Because of my feelings toward the idea behind the memorial, I walked through it quickly then gathered a couple of adventurous fellow travelers and went on a little safari. We hiked through the woods and found what we were looking for....animals! Although I was bummed about not finding a zebra, I was excited to find my first wild, African animals. We found both kudu and springbok, as well as meerkats and crazy birds. That was the highlight of my day!

The Museum of Africa












The Bus Factory












The Voortrekker Monument






Kudu






Springbok






My view on the adventure






Wednesday was an emotional day. We started the day at the Apartheid Museum. For those of you who don't know what Apartheid was, let's just say it was South Africa's version of segregation and the civil rights movement on steroids. It has even been compared to the Holocaust. It was very violent, very deadly and very, very sad. The Apartheid Museum detailed Apartheid from start to finish and was very difficult to process both emotionally and mentally. The museum ended with an exhibit on Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president who ended Apartheid, so at least it ended on a positive note.

























After the Apartheid Museum, we headed to Soweto, which is the world's largest slum. During Apartheid, all black and colored Africans were sent to Soweto (or one of the neighboring districts) in order to keep them out of the white areas. Soweto is known as the most deadly district during Apartheid, as well as the home of Nelson Mandela. Although Apartheid is over, and has been for 20 years, Soweto continues to be the place that the poorest South Africans call home. There are about 4 million people living in Soweto, which has an area of only 157 km, which comes out to about 25,000 people per km. Most Sowetans are living off of the money they make selling crafts at the market, selling drugs, committing crimes or begging white tourists for a few Rand (the South African dollar). While there are some houses in the area, most people live in shacks made of whatever scraps found, including car parts, trash bags, scrap metal and wood, etc. The ground was covered in trash, human waste and live electrical wires. Yet, nearly every person I saw had a smile on their face and opened their hearts to us white, American tourists. Words can't express the emotions I felt as the tears fell down my face while walking down the street or looking out of the bus window. So instead of trying to describe those feelings, I hope you can get a sense of my feelings through my photos.





























































Very, VERY difficult to process.....

Thursday, our final full day in Joburg, was an art day. We went to the Joburg Art Gallery (which is actually the city art museum) as well as a few small art galleries in the Art Main District. There was an optional discussion with an art gallery curator that I decided not to attend, and instead finished this blog and my packing. Tonight some of us are planning to check out some of Joburg's bars and nightclubs for the first, and obviously last time.

As I said, Joburg has been great, but I'm ready to move on. We have an 8 hour bus ride to Morija, Lesotho tomorrow where we will be for the next 2 weeks. We will most likely not have Internet access there, so don't expect any more blog posts for awhile, but DO expect a very large one in a few weeks :)

Peace and love from Africa.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Johannesburg, South Africa

Johannesburg....A Beacon of Light

The weather here is surprisingly nice, contrary to what we were told to expect. It is so beautiful during the day, with cloudless blue skies, a bright, warm sun and temperatures in the mid-60s. Even nighttime isn't too cold...with layers and a scarf, it's perfectly comfortable. This won't be the case in a few days, however, as Lesotho is at a much higher elevation and is much, much colder. No need to worry about that at the moment, though....

Today we visited the Constitutional Court and Old Fort Prison in Johannesburg. The Constitutional Court isn't really comparable to a court in the U.S., but the best way to describe it is that it's a federal court that deals with issues of social and human rights only. For example, some of the cases they cover deal with discrimination, freedom of the press and racial issues. The Court was created in the late 1990s at the end of the Apartheid era and embodies all of the things Nelson Mandela envisioned for the future. Everything from the architecture to the decor to the art exhibit has deep meaning and is representative of South Africa in some way. We were given a tour of this majestic building by 3 young interns and it was probably the best tour I've ever been on. They were so detailed not only in their descriptions of the operations of the Court and the building itself, but also in their discussions of the symbolism behind everything we saw and the representation of hope for post-Apartheid South Africa. It was a truly incredible and emotional experience and I even shed my first tear of the trip.

After the tour of the court, we had lunch at a little outdoor cafe on the grounds. We sat outside and enjoyed the warmth of the sun along with our food and Cokes. Later in the day, we found out that the exact place where we were sitting during lunch used to be home to the "Lashing Area" when the prison was operational. In other words, we were sitting where they used to lash prisoners for misbehavior or interrogation purposes. Many even died under the lashes, right where our feet we resting. I'm glad we found that out AFTER eating...

We finished up there with a short tour of part of the Old Fort Prison, which surrounds the Constitutional Court and acts as a reminder of everything South Africa never wants to experience again. We unfortunately didn't get to see Nelson Mandela's cell because they were closing, but we did get to see bunkers, food areas, bath areas and other small places that were used for torture and abuse. More emotions were stirred and tears were shed. The abuse and humiliation suffered by non-whites during Apartheid was so cruel and unforgivable, and to think that this was occurring less than 20 years ago is sickening. From what I can tell so far, South Africa has come a long way in the post-Apartheid era, however there is still much work to be done to combat racial inequality and the economic disparities between whites and non-whites. Expect to hear much more about this throughout my trip, as this will be a large part of my research and writing.

Here are just a few of the photos I took today. Some will help you better understand why I experienced so many emotions today. Others will just make you jealous ;-) Enjoy!

Beautiful beaded South African flag created by Zulu tribal women and donated to the Constitutional Court.



Our first meal as a group...even though there were only half of us present at the time because the rest had yet to make it to South Africa.



Followed by a discovery of what that area used to be.



A wooden sculpture in the Constitutional art exhibit that depicts an occurrence of torture during apartheid.



Images of the Old Fort Prison and Building Number 4. This prison was designed to hold 975 people. It actually held nearly 3,000, most of whom were subject to torture and inhumane treatment.











These 2 structures are 2 of the original staircases in the prison. When Mandela named this area as the home of the new Constitutional Court at the end of Apartheid, architects decided to maintain these staircases in the center of the square and add towers of glass-encased lights that can be seen from all of Johannesburg. This is what is now seen as Mandela's beacon of light, which represents hope for a new South Africa.



Drinking our first South African beer. This was immediately followed by our first South African burger. Those who say S. African beef is the best are SO right.



My first snack stash....sweet, salty and alcoholic :)

Location:Johannesburg, South Africa

The Journey Begins

For now, this will be a brief post, as I'm limited to Internet time at the moment. I'm currently sitting at a little cafe in the Johannesburg airport waiting on a few other people to arrive. Things are a little hectic, as about half of our group, including the 2 guides/professors will not be here until tomorrow afternoon due to a flight cancelation. So, for now, there are 3 of us waiting on 2 more to arrive, then we will figure out as a group what to do from here. We're an intelligent group....we'll figure it out.

My flights were simple, uneventful and long. I departed Dayton at 4:00 pm Saturday the 25th. I had the joy of spending my last few hours in America with Rob, Mom, Greg, Autumn and Kenners. It's amazing how much I love those people. Anyway, I had a quick layover in Atlanta, allowing me only enough time to find my gate, get my passport verified and buy a bag of pretzels and a bottle of tea.

The flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg was 16 hours....not quite as long as I expected, but still long. I enjoyed a complimentary glass of wine, a few decent meals, a couple episodes of Glee and a surprisingly large amount of sleep. By the end, my hips and knees were in a lot of pain and my ankles and feet were swollen, but my excitement was growing and all was right with the world.

I didn't have a window seat, but I was fortunate to catch a glimpse of the South African landscape during the descent. It was beautiful....flat until the very last stretch of sight where I could see mountains jutting into the clouds. Clusters of red, brown and black earth with splatters of green trees and blue waters. Brightly colored houses and buildings created an almost surreal image as bright greens, blues, yellows and reds were scattered throughout like a paint covered palette. After making my our way through customs (which was impossibly easy) we were greeted with a majestic sunset. I was unable to capture these images with Badu (my camera), but the mental image will be enough for now.

More details will come soon, as I'm running out of time here at the cafe. More to come later...

For Curious Minds: Africa Bound

So, in precisely 9 days, I will be setting off to the continent of elephants, giraffes and big cats. The continent of struggle, war, poverty, hunger and disease. The continent that I have spent my life learning, loving and dreaming about. AFRICA.

In January, I mindlessly applied for a world renowned Fulbright-Hays scholarship focused on education in South Africa and Lesotho. Mindlessly is the wrong word, as the application process was quite demanding, however I applied with little faith in the possibility of actually being accepted. After nearly six weeks of waiting (not so) patiently, I finally received an invitation to participate in the program. Obviously, my response was a big, fat YES!

Many of you may not know what a Fulbright scholarship is. Let me explain. The Fulbright program was created in 1946 by U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright. The purpose of the program was/is to encourage understanding of the world through the creation of international relationships between teachers, artists, scientists and scholars of the U.S. and other countries. Since its creation, only 300,000 people worldwide have been awarded a Fulbright award, many of whom have gone on to receive Nobel and Pulitzer awards. Being a Fulbright scholar is a great honor, and yeah, I'll say it, I'm damn proud of it.

I've been asked many questions about the trip, the program, etc. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions, and the answers to those questions...

Where will you be going? I'll be spending the majority of my time in South Africa and Lesotho, with a visit to the African Free State as well.

When and for how long? I leave June 25th and will be back August 1, so five and a half weeks.

Who was chosen and how was it decided? There were 12 U.S. teachers chosen....6 social studies teachers and 6 art teachers. We were chosen based on our applications, essays and potential to implement an African Studies course or unit at our schools.

What exactly will you be doing? The purpose of the trip is to create a curriculum that includes lessons, units and articles for publication on teaching African history and art here in the U.S. Therefore, much of our time will be spent researching, writing and creating this project for the U.S. Department of Education. We will also teach in 2 different schools, spend time in AIDS orphanages, visit museums and embassies, attend lectures and do all of the fun stuff like go on a safari, climb a mountain, visit Robben Island, go whale watching, etc.

How is it funded? Representatives of the University of Toledo (the sponsoring university) have spent the last two years writing grants for the funding of this particular program. The representatives were awarded $150,000 ($80,000 from the U.S. Department of Ed and $70,000 from the University itself), which was enough to cover the cost of the entire trip for 14 people (12 teachers, 2 professors/leaders). We had to put a small deposit down when we accepted the invitation, but other than that, the only money I need is personal spending money.

What have you been doing to prepare for your trip? My life has changed significantly since the day I accepted the invitation to participate.. My main focus for the past 4 months has been Africa. I have spent countless hours reading, writing and discussing articles and books. I have studied everything from the history to the politics to the art to the language of South Africa and Lesotho. I have spent countless more hours shopping for necessities for the trip. I always surprise people when I say this, but it will be winter in Africa while I'm there (the whole southern hemisphere thing throws people off). While it doesn't get quite as cold as it does here, you must remember that I will be in the southernmost part of Africa, furthest from the equator and at a very high elevation. Also, electricity will be scarce in some areas, leaving us with little heat and ability to dry our clothes after washing them. So, shopping for warm clothes that dry quickly has been a challenge, and has taken up quite a bit of my extra time (and extra money). I also have spent time making a list of and shopping for the "little things" I'll need on the trip....you know, Pepto, Motrin, sunscreen, things to clean my hair and body without taking a shower, etc. Fortunately, I have not had to get any shots (I hate needles!), because the region where I'll be is not a malarial area.

What will happen after the trip? My work with the program will continue after the trip is over. We will work on the project individually and virtually as a group until October, when we will submit the final curriculum to the U.S. Department of Education. I also plan to continue this work in my own classroom (assuming I get a job) and further it even more by presenting at various educational conferences. Who knows, this may turn into something I will continue for the rest of my life. I can easily see myself becoming very involved in the area, the schools and the materials and letting these things guide my future experiences.

I've been fortunate to have experienced as much of the world as I have, but this truly is an experience of a lifetime. I hope you will follow me on my journey, as I plan to post frequently (as much as possible with limited Internet access, anyway). If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I hope you all have a wonderful summer and I'll be thinking of you from the other side of the world.

Peace, love and Africa ;-)