Under African Skies

A New Endeavor

2008-05-26T21:56:00.002+02:00

Hello, friends!

If you are interested in checking up on the next phase of my life, you can find me at http://lisainphoenix.blogspot.com. Thanks for your love and friendship in this endeavor. See you in Phoenix.

Stranded

2007-12-22T06:04:00.000+02:00

Ihave made it home for Christmas! I'm enjoying a little time in Birmingham before returning to Murfreesboro for the holiday season. I have to admit that I've been remiss in keeping up the blog. Sorry about that! I am planning to have a little more time on my hands, though, and I will work on doing some processing both on my own and through this blog.

Many of you are not aware that I spent some time before I left South Africa in Cape Town visiting friends of mine who are living there. I was really excited to get a chance to see the Mother City again, as it was one of my favorite places to visit in South Africa, and I had only one goal for the week--to see the city from the top of Table Mountain. For those of you who are not South Africa officionados by now (I can't imagine, but I'll indulge you nonetheless), Table Mountain is iconic in South Africa. EVERYONE knows what it is, where it is, and what it looks like. If you go to Cape Town, it is imperative that you travel up the mountain to see the vista that awaits. This is why it seemed criminal to me that I had visited Cape Town thrice and never seen the city from the mountain. Just so that you can get an idea of the role of the mountain in the life of Capetonians, here's a picture:

As you can tell, anywhere you are in the city, you can see the mountain. So, obviously, I had to go up the mountain. I told my friend Elliot that I wanted to go, no matter what else we did in the week, and he agreed, but suggested that we not take the cableway since it's expensive and he had done it multiple times during the year. So we decided to make the climb up the mountain. We would then look around the top, take the necessary tourist photos, and then ascend via the cableway. Our friend Emily would pick us up at the bottom and ferry us back to the flat in order to get ready for a night at the theater.

We knew it would take us 3-4 hours to reach the summit, and so we started off, snacks and Energade (think Gatorade) in hand...backpack. We had brought jackets with us because the guidebooks all warn about the possible winds on the top of the mountain. We began hiking around 1pm, and it was a beautiful day. Probably 80 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny. Perfect for hiking. So we set off up Skeleton Gorge, which is a relatively strenuous climb, but nothing too dangerous. It is really a lovely ascent and we were enjoying it to the full.

As we reached the first plateau, it began to get cloudy. Now, I was none too pleased about this development, but we kept on the sunny side (if you will) and suggested that it would likely blow over when we reached the top, allowing us to have a wonderful view, but not get too hot while reaching the top. Since there was no longer tree cover, we were happy to have a few clouds.

The clouds didn't clear, though. In fact, as we hiked across the top of the mountain, it got cloudier, and windier, and foggier, and colder. Scroll back up to that picture for a moment. Do you see how long the flat part of the mountain is? We started somewhere on the right...and hiked all the way to the left. In the fog, not sure of how far we still had to go. About an hour was the answer. All the time, the weather is getting worse and worse. At some point on that trek, Elliot says, "I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but I doubt that they're running the cable car. It's getting way too windy." I chose to ignore that one, as my thighs were asking me not to climb down the mountain as well.

At this point, I began to be really grateful for the mittens sitting in my pocket. Like a good mom, my mother always made me keep mittens in my pocket--and I still do! Never so grateful in my life. As we continued walking, Elliot was cold, but I was freezing. So, I was really, really happy when we reached the paved area, and I knew that we were near the cableway station. As we neared the "inhabited" area, we realized that it was not inhabited at all. In fact, it was a ghost town. Complete with wispy clouds swirling about your head. The restrooms were locked, the restaurant deserted and the cableway station completely empty.

Plan B: Call Elliot's friend who knows the mountain well and inquire as to what is the best choice for our descent--on foot. He suggested that we hike down the front of the mountain. Thepath began at the same point as did the path we walked in on, so we should be able to find it easily. It should be stated at this point that it is so windy by now that my body is moving without my volition and that is NOT fun for me. And I am still freezing. And so is Elliot at this point, so I know it's genuinely cold. We return to where we walked in...and we can only see about nine feet in front of us...and we can't find the trail...the one we JUST walked in on. In order to keep from walking off of a precipice, we turn around and head back to the cableway station. At the station, I had observed a pay phone with the number for mountain rescue, and we decide that we are now at the point that mountain rescue is a necessary addition to our adventure.

So while I use the restroom (the natural one--remember that the actual restroom is locked, so imagine how cold I am at this moment), Elliot calls mountain rescue. The conversation goes something like this:

"Hello. My name is Elliot. I hiked up Table Mountain earlier today, back when it was a nice day. Now we're at the top of the mountain and it's not so nice and the cable car isn't running, so we need some advice on what to do."

"Are you lost?"

"No, I know exactly where I am--I'm at the payphone at the cableway station at the top of the mountain, but I need to know what to do now."

"Table Mountain....Cape Town! Please hold."

So while I'm huddled nearby shivering uncontrollably, Elliot is on hold listening to a recording in all 11 of the national languages playing on a loop. Eventually, another guy gets on the line, asks for our cell phone numbers, asks our ages, how we came up the mountain, and what supplies we have with us, then tells us that he will call us back with a plan. Meanwhile, we find an alcove in the building where we can huddle together and keep a little more warm. Keep in mind, we are in shorts, windbreakers, and I have mittens. Otherwise, we're pretty exposed, and by now I would guess that it's around 40 degrees Fahrenheit on the top of the mountain. We agree that if the phone hasn't rung in 10 minutes, we'll call back. After nine minutes, my phone rings.

"Hello."

"Hi, I am calling back because I hear you're stuck on the top of the mountain."

"Yes sir," I respond, puzzled at how campy and chatty this guy is.

"Ok, I need you to take down some numbers. Do you have a pen and paper?"

"Um, NO."

"Ok, well, you need to remember these numbers."

"No problem. Elliot, take down these numbers on your phone." Elliot attempts to take down the numbers, but is unable to move his frozen fingers fast enough to unlock his phone. He's useless, so I ask the guy what the numbers are for. Turns out they're for the code to the men's toilet. So, I walk there (slowly due to the gale force winds) and put the code into the lock and open the door. A rush of warm air overcomes us. Now the man is giving me a code to the cupboard in the room. I open the closet and there are blankets, a kettle, and supplies to make coffee! Score! I tell him thank you and he says:

"Ok, the first cablecar will be down in the morning, and we'll see you then."

"Are you kidding?!"

"Nope. Can I get your names?"

At this point, the phone cuts out. Elliot and I laugh and begin to prepare for a night in the mens toilet. Supplies: eight blankets, four small and four large, plenty of coffee, two bags of almonds, four Energades, and one bag of dried mangoes. We are now regretting the choice to leave Newsweek in the car. Activities: 20 questions, which I actually hate due to long car rides with my family in which my six-year-old brother would insist on playing unlimited questions. Seriously. Apparently, I'm also not that good at choosing 20 questions, nor guessing. Whatever. Discussing our theses. Planning our lives for the next year. Freezing.

Remember how I said it was warm earlier? Apparently that was just because we were so cold. Those of you who know me well, also know that I am extremely cold natured. So being that cold is BAD in my book. The only time that I'm warm the entire night is when Elliot is sleeping with his head on my feet. That's also almost the only time that I can sleep. We don't sleep much. I think that goes without saying. An important detail in the coldness factor is that Elliot is convinced that at some point during the night it will clear and we will be able to go outside and see the sunset, the stars, or the sunrise as the only people on Table Mountain. I am not so hopeful. But because of his hopes, Elliot is led to open the door, letting in a rush of cold air, every hour on the hour. This is closely followed by his quick retreat back to the "comforts" of the mens toilet and the bubbling of the kettle to make more warm drinks. He's a silly kid.

We do finally get a little sleep from 5-7am. When we awaken at 7, Elliot emerges from the restroom to see if he can get cell phone reception and to check out the cableway station. Sure enough, the top of the mountain is still abandoned. Elliot does get reception, though, and calls back the mountain rescue guy. He cheerfully responds and Elliot asks if he should be concerned that the first cablecar is posted to leave at 7am and it is now 7:30 and still deserted. Mountain rescue guy promises to call back momentarily with an answer to that query.

He calls back directly to inform Elliot that there is good news and bad news. The bad news is that the cablecar isn't running because the wind is still too high. The good news is that they think they can run it for a rescue mission! He instructs us to remain in the restroom and someone will be up to get us shortly. We procede to have a breakfast of almonds and mango slices and not twenty minutes later, we hear a lovely sound: a knock on the door of the toilet! Our saviors, two mountain rescue guys in the flesh, are here to ferry us down the mountain to warmth! And so while they regale us with stories of daring, dashing mountain rescues, I strain to see the view, and Elliot calls Emily to request a pick-up, we descend on the cableway, free of charge!

When we finally reach the ground, it is as if our experience on the top of the mountain was a dream. It is a warm, sunny day in Cape Town. Emily later tells us that it has been the entire time we were on the mountain, though it was quite windy during the night. And once we returned to the flat, had showers, and a bit of a nap, it began to seem more and more like a dream. Thank goodness!

Total time spent in the men's toilet on the top of Table Mountain: 14 hours.

Winding Down

2007-11-24T15:39:00.000+02:00

Well, I suppose many of you know that my academic career in South Africa has come to a close. I have finished my final project, handed it in, defended it, and now I'm done! I will leave my res on Wednesday (they kick you out here immediately when exams end) and move in for a while with Lynne and Peter. I'm trying to wrap up the final things I need to accomplish in Jo'burg and then I'll head out on the 3rd for a trip to Cape Town. You should see me back home around the 12th of December!

So, I'm debating what to write to you about right now. I'm going to try to write something once per day until I leave for Cape Town so that I can process what I'm feeling and you can know some of what's going on with me. In the meantime, here are some pictures which I have been remiss in posting until now.

Can't wait to see you all in person!

From my weekend getaway with Lynne, Peter and Tamlynn at Lynne and Peter's and then on a lunch cruis on the Vaal River:

A real Southern breakfast! They loved the grits and hash browns!

The turkey at Stonehaven on Vaal that we considered stealing for our Thanksgiving meal

A friend of his, for my mom

Lunch on the boatThe Vaal River and the South African flag

Long Time Gone

2007-11-06T22:36:00.000+02:00

The Dixie Chicks song doesn't really do justice to the content of this post, but I like it and I have been gone a long time, let's be honest.

So, I thought I'd catch you up a little. First, I will do a post about my recent trip to Lesotho because I know that's what you're all interested in. Later this week, I'll do a good catch-up blog so that we can be up to date. Quickly, though, let me fill you in on the relevant details: I have finished all of my academic responsibilities, so I am officially FINISHED! So, I will be updating this a few extra times in the next few weeks and then taking a bit of a holiday before coming home...

Now, LESOTHO!

My friend Ursula and I decided to spend a weekend with some friends who live in the Kingdom of Lesotho in order to see the country a bit. Lesotho is about a 4 hour drive from Jo'burg through the Free State province and it is beautiful! Sadly, Ursula and I saw very little of the beauty on the way down because of the incessant rain. Nonetheless, we made it and then proceeded to stay up half of the night with Jeff and Anu. Jeff and Anu are pediatricians at the Baylor School of Medicine Pediatric AIDS Unit in Maseru, the country's capital. Yes, that's Baylor Med from Texas. The unit provides pediatricians for the country of 2.3 million. Without the Baylor docs, there is only 1 pediatrician in the entire country. As a country with an extremely high HIV/AIDS prevalence, this is extremely concerning!

In case you're wondering which country is Lesotho, it's the one that's the little land-locked hole in the eastern side of South Africa. Yes, it's a kingdom, but it has a Constitution and Parliament. Regardless, the king is beloved, King Moshoeshoe II (pronounced mo-shway-shway). People in Lesotho speak SeSotho (remember, I studied SeSotho for a few months) and are called Basotho. They are known in SA by the blankets which they wear around their shoulders in the winter. We saw a few while we were there. Here's a picture, if you're interested. Funny story about how these blankets became popular: Apparently, one of the members of the British royal family was visiting Basotholand (the name of Lesotho before it became an independent country) and brought a blanket for King Moshoeshoe I. King Moshoeshoe I loved the blanket and wore it around his shoulders like a cape. Since then, everyone has worn the blankets in this fashion. This goes to show you the devotion to the king--and keep in mind that the reign of King Moshoeshoe I wasn't that long ago. We're only on King Moshoeshoe II now. Of course, all I could think of was that the British royal family sent A BLANKET to the KING of Basotholand--how arrogant!

Ok, next story. In addition to the blankets, the Basotho are famous for their Basotho hats. Not surprisingly, this fashion statement was the result of a king, as well. One of the older kings was being pursued by a rival tribe and took cover under a mountain that looked like a pointy hat (think of the traditional chinese hats for rice harvesters). In order to commemorate his escape, the Basotho began to wear these hats--click to see a picture of the mountain. Now click to see a picture of the hat. Funny, right?! The hat is even central on the nation's flag and car licence plates!

Maseru was a very interesting place to visit. It's really not a remarkable city in much of any way except its unremarkableness. The doctors drive across the border to Ladybrand, SA, in order to go out at all except for one good club in Maseru. And by go out, I mean eat out or see a movie. We're talking little here, folks. I was struck by the poverty all around. It's different than here in South Africa. People aren't so much living in huts. They're typically living in round mud houses with thatched roofs (the Afrikans word which has become the common name for these dwellings is rondavel). Instead, there was just a feeling of poverty that loomed large over the city. Regardless of the day or time when we were driving around, we saw hundreds of working-aged people walking around the streets. As in South Africa, joblessness is a huge problem. To me, there was a very hopeless feeling about Maseru. A palpable hopelessness that I don't feel as often now in Johannesburg. One I can't really explain. It reminded me a good deal of my time spent in Walker, KY.

Anyway, what you really want to know about, as Allison will remind me, is what I did in Lesotho. Sooo, here goes. We did a lot of hiking in Lesotho. Everywhere in Lesotho is considered walkable land--you can hike anywhere you please. So, we took advantage and found some interesting areas and decided to explore. We were quite fortunate and found a 15-year-old BaSotho boy who showed us around his little village and the mountain nearby, taught us the word for dassie in SeSotho (pila) and showed the ruins of an old house which he used to play in. We really enjoyed it. The mountains in that area are marbled red, pink, orange, and white and have little vegetation. It's actually quite beautiful.

The next day, we set off to an area in the mountains called Oxbow. Oxbow is about 2 hours drive from Maseru up roads which rival those of Walker, KY! It is quite mountainous, and quite beautiful. We really didn't hike much on that day, but here is what we saw:

So, that's Lesotho. I promise to have some more updates soon. Hope you enjoyed this one!

Go Bokke!

2007-10-20T10:33:00.001+02:00

For any one of you who has ever told your mother or spouse or sister that nagging does not work, here is proof that it does. The nagger in this case will remain nameless--we'll just say that she's perfected the art over the last 23 1/2 years. And I can hear her voice in my mind now, so I'll get on with it, as she'd surely be telling me to do. (Anyone who hadn't caught on before will realise that sarcasm goes a long way in my family.)

So what have I been up to in the last almost three weeks since I last posted, you ask? Nothing exciting. I have written three papers, done two interviews, made six lesson plans, and studied non-stop. Right now, I'm working on my thesis--rough draft due Monday. I have 26 of 30 pages, but some serious editing and reworking to do. C'est la vie. I'm sure merely the mention of a thesis bores you, but for those of you who are not yet asleep, the title is "Human Rights Education in Post-Apartheid South Africa: History, Ideology, and Applicability within the United States of America." If you're interested, you may read it, though I may need an American version in order for you to understand all of the apartheid references.

But the really important part of this post comes now: the South Africa Springboks are competing in the Rugby World Cup finals tonight against England! The whole country has been abuzz with patriotism and excitement. Yesterday and today (and hopefully tomorrow, as well) everyone in the country has been asked to wear green, and I would venture to guess that nearly 1/3 of the country actually did wear green yesterday! I wore a new green shirt and giant green hoop earrings to school yesterday (lots of complements from the eighth graders) but was outdone by the other teachers wearing entirely green outfits! Rugby is a serious venture here. I even saw someone on the way to work yesterday with a stuffed springbok (of the formerly live variety) mounted on the grill of their car! Now, that might be going to far, but I'll refrain from judgment for now.

Now, I'm not much for rugby. I often feel as if I might see someone actually die on the field! But it has been absolutely amazing to see the country come together in this way. South Africa is definitely a country divided: along racial lines, along class lines, along crime, etc., etc., etc. But this weekend everyone seems to be cheering for one thing. Even Madiba (Nelson, that is) has sent a good-luck message to the team. Everyone is so proud of the Boks (in Afrikaans, Bokke), and--the newspaper guys even had special "Go Bokke, Go Bokke!" shirts in which to sell their papers today (papers which have the title in green and gold with a springbok leaping through!). So, if you're in the mood at 2:30 Central time, put on a green shirt, find ESPN, and watch the rugby! If you're really dedicated, you could find a recording of Shosholoza, the team's themesong, online. Shosholoza, meaning "the spirit of working together" has become South Africa's clarion call in recent years. Think of me, in a sports bar with all of very intoxicated South Africa having a great time and not writing a thesis for a little while, and throw up a prayer that we might pull it off!

Go Bokke!

Tradition!

2007-09-27T10:42:00.000+02:00

As I was working in my room this gloomy Wednesday morning trying to keep my mind off the rain outside (though we need it, I never welcome cold rain), I was listening to my iTunes. "Tradition" From Fiddler on the Roof came on, and I noticed a verse to which I had never really paid attention before. The lyrics say, "Here in Anatevka, you might say that all of us are like a fiddler on the roof, trying to scratch out a simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn't easy. You may ask, 'why do we stay up there if it's so dangerous?' We stay because Anatevka is our home. And how do we keep our balance? That, I can tell you in one word: tradition!"

How true that is of South Africa. If I haven't portrayed it accurately in my former blog posts, let me be blunt about the history and current affairs in SA: this country has been in the spasms of death and rebirth, almost simultaneously. After fifty years of harsh, state-mandated oppression, the nation finally emerged from this sad state of affairs in 1994 with the first fully democratic election in which Nelson Mandela was elected the President of the Republic of South Africa.

The storyline in Fiddler on the Roof is very similar. The little town of Anatevka is within the Russian empire during the 1910s and is being beseiged by the rule of the Czar. (Sideline--my favorite line in the entire play is the line where the rabbi is asked if there is a special blessing for the Czar. He responds, "May God bless and keep the Czar--far away from us!") The small Jewish community is fighting the rapid urbanisation and modernisation of the area and trying to keep their way of life as intact as is possible. As a result, as Tevyeh suggests within the opening tune, traditions gain importance within the society, often paramount to all reason, as the show goes on to examine.

Back to South Africa. This country has emerged from a period in which traditions were considered acceptable only if they were of "European" or Afrikaans background, and generally Christian within that framework. More traditional African traditions were considered to be heathen or superstitious. Now that all citizens of South Africa are free to practice their traditions as they like, the various cultural and religous groupings within South Africa are quick to flaunt the value of their traditions.

The sudden ability to practice tradition without repercussion has led to many freedoms within South Africa, but I would also posit that it has led to a trend which anthropologists call "retraditionalisation." Put simply, many South Africans have been forced into a "European" way of life for so long that they are now reaching back to their "roots" in order to regain their own identity. The Xhosa student travels to the Eastern Cape province every December in order to engage in the initiation rituals for young men in the family. The Indian man looks for another Indian within his same cultural group in order to be married. The Zulu man released from prison slaughters a cow in order to appease the ancestors. These practices are generally beautiful celebrations of community within individual cultural groups. They do, however, provide many difficulties within the "New South Africa."

Within South Africa today, most people live in plaster houses much like you'd find in California or New Mexico. They're exactly what you'd expect someone in the US to live in. There are huge cities full of a variety of people. It isn't unusual that within your office, you might have a Tswana, a Zulu, an Afrikaaner, an Indian, and an English person all working together. So, as in any society, complications arise when dealing with issues that are traditionally dictated by culture. For example, a Xhosa woman and a Sotho man who work together decide to marry. Will this be okay with families? Is each person somehow less Xhosa or Sotho by not abiding by tradition? Right now in South Africa, the most common answer is yes.

I don't believe that this is because South African families are somehow less accepting or enlightened than families anywhere else in the world. I think that it is due to a need for identity within South Africans. Because identity was, for so long, taken away and dictated anew, South Africans are now in a phase of asserting their identities, which are drawn from their cultural backgrounds. Often, deviation from these traditions is seen as a blow to the individual culture and to the identity of the cultural group. This mirrors Tevyeh's comments at the end of "Tradition"--"Without our tradition, our lives would be as shaky as a fiddler on the roof!"

One can assume simply because Fiddler on the Roof was written thirty years before the South African situation came to be the way it is today that this condition is a human condition and not unique to South Africa; however, I believe that it has special repercussions for South Africa. It seems that few realise that this same kind of search for identity and tradition led to one of the most difficult regimes in the history of South Africa, Afrikaner nationalism. And so, we are again where we started, historically and culturally speaking. As a result of Afrikaner nationalism, apartheid was begun by the South African government. Now, with a renewed search for identity, I am afraid that South Africa may face many of its old trials anew. Without an honest acknowledgement of the similarities of the situation, I fear that history may repeat itself.

Proudly South African

2007-09-22T20:03:00.000+02:00

One of the major marketing campaigns in South Africa is the "Proudly South African" campaign. Like any newly democratic country (only a democracy since 1994), SA is in the process of major nationbuilding efforts. My toothpaste is stamped as "Proudly South African" as is my bank, etc., etc. So, in honour of this movement, I would like to share a few things which I feel are "Proudly South African" in my mind.

Boys ages 5 and up playing soccer barefoot
Pausing after each half to dance to the music on the radio (this is the grown boys, as well)
Replying "sharp" or "sharp, sharp" (pronounced shop) after almost every conversation
"YO, Yo, yo..." in response to anything surprising or concerning. For example, "And then he hit the car." "YO, Yo, yo..."
Having someone assume, due to the way you look, that you not only are "one of the gang," but can speak their language fluently (there are 11 national languages in SA)
Including emigration in family member losses
When asked where you're going on holiday, replying that you're going to "Africa"
A different sensational headline posted every 10 meters (that's 30 feet)
Calling a buddy "bru"
Referring to "sport," "the rugby," or "the cricket." I suppose it's a bit like saying "The WalMart" or adding an S to Kroger
Not being able to sing at least 1/4 of the SA National Anthem
Land Rovers and VW Golfs
Minibus taxis
Wearing sweaters until it's 30 degrees C (about 85 F)
Answering the phone "Yebo" and hanging up by saying "Cheers, hey"
Virgin anything--Richard Branson owns this place!
Saying "sorry" instead of "oops"
Referring to your teacher as "Miss" or "Ma'am" with no surname attached. That one gets me--because my teachers all yell "Miss!" in classic Mr. Cotter style
Going to the "cinema"
Driving down the "motorway"
Durbs, CT, Jozi, PE, Alex, Bloem used as code for Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Alexandria, and Bloemfontein
KFC a.k.a. Kentucky
Dancing and singing for every occasion
A Toast to South Africa at every Rotary function
Braaing boerwors rolls at every opportunity
Colourful clothing and headwear
Kwaito
Referring to oneself as "European" after never having actually lived in Europe and distinguishing others as "African" after having lived in Africa one's whole life
Lekker=cool
11 official ways to say "God Bless South Africa" included in the Constitution

Hope you've enjoyed!

du Printemps

2007-09-02T21:24:00.000+02:00

Of Spring! In Jo'burg! For me!

I love the Spring, and I'm glad to share that Saturday was Spring Day in SA (much like our May Day). So, I have spent time this weekend reveling in the warm temperatures and the excitement of Spring. The campus where I take courses is covered in blooms, so here is your share! Enjoy!

Ok, sadly that's all for now. I have lots of pictures, but my computer is fighting with me. We'll try again...

August 25

2007-08-25T12:05:00.000+02:00

Today is one of those days for my family that often gets a little ignored. You see, August 25 is often move-in day at either MTSU or BSC or is a big football game, etc., etc. So, August 25 often passes by without much fanfare.

And yet, August 25 is a very important day in our family--Daddy's birthday! So here are just a few words to celebrate my dad.

I often tease my dad for many reasons (all of them justified, of course): wearing tube socks, preferring Indiana Jones-style hats, reading Adler while listening to Brahms while watching a football game. The list could go on, but I'll stop it there. But the one thing I don't say often enough is how much I respect my dad. He has more integrity than most any person I know. He is often faced with difficult decisions at work and seems to always make the right choice which will bring the most dignity to the situation. He has an incredible way of being both respectful and stern in order to ensure that the matter is dealt with in the most appropriate way.

I have learned a lot from my dad. He coached my softball teams and sat in every choir performance and bad high school theater production (though he did create an alliance with his friend Tom and make fun of people in the audience to get through it, but I digress). He always tried to be there for me, which was no small feat while running a small city at the university.

He has endeavored to teach us to respect each other. I often tease about the psychological warfare that goes on in our house--I would much rather be spanked (which I never was) than reprimanded for being disrespectful (which I often was). But I was always treated like an adult.

I will always treasure Saturday mornings with doughnut runs, cutting down real Christmas trees, and going to student affairs parties with college students who treated me like their little sister and my dad like their dad.

All this to say, Happy Birthday, Daddy! I hope it's a good one, even if you are moving boxes at BSC all day!

Love you! (Though not too much to put up this picture...I think it reinforces the thing I said earlier about integrity.)

SA Snippets

2007-08-21T12:45:00.000+02:00

perThis post is just an amalgamation of thoughts I've been having for a while now, things you might or might not want to know, tidbits of cultural knowledge which I've picked up over the past 7 months (can you believe it?! 7 months!).

1. It is getting warm here. This is good, because I have been entirely unsure of how to dress during the winter. We typically have what you might call "Indian summer," except that it occurs all in one day. A normal day goes something like this: wake up--it's FREEZING. Usually somewhere around 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Walk/drive to work in the cold. Still freezing. All morning, it's as cold as ice in my classroom which is made of concrete. Lunchtime--warming up. Generally around 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Walk home--HOT. Now, it's not really hot--only about 72--but it feels hot because I had to walk to work in such cold that I am layered up to my eyeballs. Shed layers and go to class. Still quite warm. 4pm--in class. All of a sudden it's FREEZING again, and I have shed layers and left some of them behind in expectation that I won't need them again. Oops! By 5pm, it's back under 50 degress Fahrenheit. I don't know how people cope.

2. Schools in South Africa. Schooling in South Africa, and often across Southern Africa, is very different than schooling in the U.S. First of all, everyone pays for schooling, whether in a public (government) or private school. The idea behind this is that if everyone pays something, then everyone will be more invested in the education of their children. It is still a debate as to whether or not this is actually the case. In addition, everyone wears a uniform. In fact, I've never heard of a school here that wears civies (non-uniform). I actually really like this idea. At my school, McAuley House, we have students who are from vastly differing economic backgrounds; however, I have no idea which students fall into which category. Students often are tagged by teachers due to their socio-economic status, so requiring learners to wear uniforms reduces some of those tensions. I certainly can't speak for the inter-student tensions, but I imagine it reduces those, as well. In addition to uniforms and school fees, a major difference is the power differential between teacher and student. Let me give you an example: when someone walks into my classsroom, the entire room stands and says, "Good Morning, Mrs. So and So." Teachers seem to have a much more formal relationship with their students. This is likely due to the colonial-style schooling of the past from which we still have a few throw-backs, such as the prefect system. Very interesting.

3. At the moment, we're having a bit of a meltdown in the Ministry of Health. On August 8 (consequently the day before National Womens Day--a public holiday in SA), President Thabo Mbeki fired Deputy Health Minister Nozizwe Madlala Routledge on charges of making an unauthorised trip to an AIDS conference in Spain. Madlala Routledge contends she had verbal approval which is typically given far before written approval which usually arrives after the fact. Anyway, the whole thing reeks of set-up.

Backstory: Health Minister Manto Shabalala Msimang has repeatedly denied an AIDS crisis in SA, even though over 1 in 4 people have either HIV or AIDS. Many of you may remember that she went on public news two years ago saying that HIV does lead to AIDS. In addition, she made the claim that proper nutrition can be more beneficial to the fight against HIV/AIDS than anti retroviral treatments (ARVs). Of course, the health profession has been up in arms against Shabalala Msimang for years now, claiming that she has single-handedly spread HIV/AIDS by promulgating false information. Unfortunately, President Mbeki and Health Minister Shabalala Msimang go way back into the apartheid era when they were in the same group of exiled students sent to the UK for education. So, every time Shabalala Msimang has said something daft, Mbeki has defended her.

Continue story: So, Deputy Health Minister Madlala Routledge suggests that she has been set up and punished for speaking out against the AIDS epidemic and not "towing the company line" which is that there is not a problem. The public seems to agree. Now, there is public outcry for the removal of the Health Minister. The Democratic Alliance (the main opposition party within SA) has found records that Shabalala Msimang stole a watch and other medical items from patients while working in a hospital in Botswana during her periods of exile. In addition, the Sunday Times has purported that her recent medical records (after her much-publicised liver transplant) show evidence of an alcohol problem. They also seem to suggest that President Mbeki might have illegally arranged for Shabalala Msimang to "jump the queue" in getting a liver. So, it seems that we have a crisis on our hands. A very interesting, shady crisis.

And you thought US politicians were the only crazies out there! For some fun editorial cartoons on the subject, you can visit the following link which will take you to my favorite cartoon. Others are on the same site.

Wishing you all a good laugh!

This African Life

2007-08-19T10:16:00.000+02:00

I've been doing a pretty sufficient job of telling you about my travel life over the last few months. I haven't, however, been keeping you posted on the day-to-day interests of my life. Now that I have far less travel going on, I think I'll be able to keep you posted a little easier.

One of the big parts of my life which you may or may not be aware of is my involvement in re-chartering the Rotaract Club of Johannesburg. Rotaract is the 18-30-year-olds version of Rotary. It is a service club which is made up of students and young professionals and there are all kinds of things which we can do. There are Rotaract Clubs in most major cities. If you're interested, check out www.rotaract.org. You can also check out our Rotaract website at www.rotaract9300.org.za (our district's website) or http://rotaract.johannesburg.googlepages.com. We're not listed on the district website yet, but we will be.

Anyway, we've been re-chartering this club which was once thriving and now defunct. As in most major cities, the populus of Johannesburg has moved to the suburbs (can anyone in Birmingham say "over the mountain"?), leaving the city center to languish. Nonetheless, like many U.S. cities, Birmingham included, there has been a renaissance in the city center, and many groups are making a concerted effort to move back. This is true for both our Rotaract club and our sponsoring Rotary club, the Rotary Club of Johannesburg (consequently both the first Rotary and Rotaract Club on the continent). We are attempting to get involved in the inner city and help with the rebirth which is already occurring.

One of the projects which our Rotaract Club has adopted is NOAH, or Nurturing Orphans of AIDS for Humanity. Desiree, the president of our club and another Ambassadorial Scholar, works as a research assistant at NOAH and has put us in contact with some exciting service opportunities. One of these opportunities, I shared with my mother and sister when they visited from the States. We saw the Kliptown NOAH Ark, where 50-75 AIDS orphans and vulnerable children (children whose parents may not have died but who are still affected by the disease) are given daycare. We delivered some jerseys (sweaters) knitted by the ladies of a local old folks home (nursing home--don't you love the SA use of non-PC terms?!) to the Ark, which the Ark managers loved. There are hundreds of these Arks throughout South Africa, and they are caring for the over 20 million AIDS orphans in Africa.

Yesterday, our club ventured out to the Daveyton NOAH's Ark, which is between Jo'burg and Pretoria (in BFE, in other words). It was well worth the trek! We brought six laptops and six desktop computers from our members and the NOAH offices and set up basic computer skills for the Ark workers. Each Ark is equipped with a computer, but most of the Ark managers are residents of the community where the Ark is located. These places are mostly townships where having a computer would be unheard of. Most of the people whom we worked with had never touched a computer before. Those who had knew only the basics. We talked about the different parts of a computer--the mouse, the desktop, the start button, and I made ridiculous analogies like "the start button is like that big file drawer in your desk that holds everything" or "the hourglass is your mother telling you she hasn't had her morning cup of coffee so you're not yet allowed to talk to her."

By the end of the day, everyone knew how to turn the computer on and off, how to use a mouse, how to open Microsoft Word, and how to make letters capitalised without using the CAPS LOCK key. Some even learned how to draw a table. It was incredibly humbling to see someone whose mouse finger was shaking from nerves transformed into an avid computer enthusiast by the end of the day. I heard countless exclaimations of "OH!" and "Wow." By the end of the day, we had made new friends and were being asked when we would next return. We all decided that we could make this a monthly event.

You see, without computer literacy, it is impossible for someone to get a job which isn't as a labourer. If you can't type, you can't be a lawyer, a secretary, or an accountant. You can't get any of the jobs which most Americans take for granted. You certainly can't get these jobs when you can't even turn on the computer. I have sat many times waiting for a computer in the lab only to watch someone take 10 minutes to type a two-sentence email. Computers are a huge benefit to the lives of those on the African continent, but they are not yet readily available, affordable, or accessible. Just something to think about as you, no doubt, spend all day today online.

I am so excited to be involved in a group which really cares and which really attempts to make a difference in the lives of others (as well as of ourselves!). A good day in Jo'burg, for sure.

Kruger, round 2

2007-08-14T21:00:00.000+02:00

After leaving Maputo, we drove for about an hour to the border of Mozambique and South Africa. When we got to said border crossing, you would have thought that we had reached the promised land from the line we encountered. After a line of an hour and a half, we drove over to the SA border patrol which we slipped through within 15 minutes. Don't ever let me say that SA is inefficient ever again!! EVER!!

We then drove for hours until we reached Kruger National Park, my promised land for real. I won't bore you with more Kruger wildlife trekking stories, but suffice to say that we saw lots of birds, no big cats, tons of elephants (literally), and a black-backed jackal which is a new find for me (pictures of all will be posted when my computer loves me again). Also, we slept in a rondavel (one of the round African mud huts you see in the movies) and made a braai which we then danced around singing "Rehab" to the bemusement of our neighbor children. We met our new friends Tilda the male elephant, Long John, and several others, and Niv almost froze to death on our morning drive. We really did have a great time. Like I say, Kruger is a magical place.

We all returned to Jo'burg tired but still friends (pretty good for such close quarters for so long!). Then the Cape Town gang left the following morning and I got back to research (aka my life).

So now I'm here, enjoying a new semester and a new routine. School is well, classes are interesting, and I'm not totally stressed or lost yet. More to come on that shortly! My love to you all!

Maputo, the beginning of Under African Skies

2007-08-04T18:33:00.000+02:00

Sorry this has taken so long to post--I've had a long week with classes beginning again, but I'm back and not too stressed! My literature review was looked over by my professor who called it "fantastic." That really was fantastic considering that he doesn't use superlatives--ever.

On to recount some travel journeys for you.

After our time in St. Lucia was over, we got on the road to Maputo. You can't travel straight through SA to Mozambique because the roads are simply not good enough. Most are gravel and a 4X4 is advisable. So, we decided to go through Swaziland. We didn't realize at the time that Swaziland, directly translated, means "land of the ubiquitous speedbump." After hitting them all, we ended up on a national highway which, it turns out, is unpaved. After an hour and a half on an unpaved road in the middle of Swaziland where we rode through a riverbed populated by a herd of cows and not seeing people for almost the entire drive (are you beginning to feel the desperation here??), we found our way back onto a paved road and to the border. The exciting part about being in Swaziland was another stamp on the passport, and a visit to my first monarchy!

In this picture, you can see the dirt road, and you can barely make out the river and herd of cattle...

The border crossing into Mozambique wasn't too bad. We think we might've gotten taken for a ride a bit with the car entrance fee, but we're naive Americans, so what could we do?? After about 20 minutes, we were into Mozambique and on our way to Maputo.

Now, I don't know how many of you know this about me, but last year I spent a month in Mozambique, a little less than a week of which was spent in Maputo. I love Mozambique. My entire trip to SA has hinged on excitement about going to Mozambique again to visit. And while I didn't get to visit the orphanage in Cambine or the guest house in Chicuque, I did get to hang out in Maputo and visit with a dear friend, but I'm getting ahead of myself. As we drove into Maputo, we circled a roundabout, and suddenly I knew where I was...Avenida 24 de Julho, the main drag in Maputo. I actually knew my way around! And not long after that, we drove past the Methodist Guest House where I stayed last year. Of course, every emotion you can imagine passed through my body. I really wished that my companions from last year were there with me to experience the joy at returning to Maputo. Maputo marks the beginning of my true love for the continent of Africa, so this visit was incredibly important to me.

My traveling companions on this journey were a little taken aback, however. You see, we live in South Africa, better known as the United States of South Africa. We have most luxuries, cities are at least relatively clean, etc. Maputo is a bustling city full of vegetables, shoes, and tires being sold on the street, garbage everywhere (the typical method of disposing of trash is throwing it out of wherever you are), and people galore. Also, the driving is horrendous. I was exceedingly glad that Niv was in the driver's seat and I was not. We finally found Avenida Patrice Lumumba (100 points for the person who can identify this African liberation leader), and after circling the block a few times, we found the Base Backpackers, a meager, but very quaint backpackers with a great view of Maputo Bay. We disembarked to find my friend Kristian at the backpackers waiting for us.

Maputo Bay

After checking in, we all piled back into the car and drove to my all-time favorite seafood place in the world (and I can say that), Costa du Sol. Costa du Sol sits on the Indian Ocean, and the seafood only hits the pan in between the ocean and your plate. It's wonderful. Also, if you've ever heard of Mozambican prawns, you've only had them done right in Mozambique. Each prawn is literally the size of your hand! I was in paradise, once again. And, once again, I was missing Mama Bette, Maravilla, Naftal, Telmo, and my BSC traveling companions. But Kristian and I reminisced and were quite content.

The next morning, Niv, Emily A, Alli, and Emily K departed for Tofo. Kristian and I bid them farewell and set out on our own adventures in Maputo. Maputo is very different than South Africa in that the crime rate is quite low. So, we felt very comfortable walking most anywhere. Our goal was the art museum, but we wandered a good deal before getting there, making our way toward the central market, having a great language exchange with my broken Portuguese and a non-English-speaking woman at a beautiful shop, buying some fabrics, etc. We finally made it to the art museum and had a great time analyzing the art. Most Mozambican art, we have found, carries the themes of scarcity of resources, overcrowding, and revolt. It was quite interesting. Most of these works of art were pre-civil war (which lasted 20 years), while the post-civil war artworks often had themes of reconciliation, uncertainty, and still crowding. It was a beautiful morning.

Statue of Samora Machel, a Mozambican liberation leader.

This tree starts out as one kind of tree, a vine grows on it, and eventually the vines reach the ground and take root. Then the tree gets enveloped by the new vine plant and eventually a new tree has grown!

The next day, we struck out for the Saturday craft market, where we found some gems. I bought a nativity scene set in a baobab tree, Kristian bought a more conventional nativity scene, and also a procession of refugees carrying their belongings on their heads (she has been working with the refugee department of lawyers for human rights) from a man who is apparently relatively famous for his work. I also bought a journal covered in capalana cloth and two long, thin batik cloths. Kristian made it away with a piece of driftwood carved to look like an elephant after some very shrewd bargaining on her part.

Kristian reading on the deck of the backpackers

For lunch, we headed to the park nearby and ate at a local restaurant. Of course, the menu was entirely in Portuguese, so we had to be clever in our ordering. I ordered chorico (known to you as chorizo) sausage, but Kristian ordered "moelas estufadas." I wasn't sure what that was, but she insisted on ordering it. Turns out, moelas estufadas are chicken giblets. Nice. After our lunch, we watched a few tennis matches at a local tennis club.

That evening, we went to another art gallery to see some more contemporary art. I had been waiting for a year and a half now to see the Mozambican conflict art which is made of old automatic machine gun parts. I really enjoyed it. I think my favorite was the one called "Libertas" which was a bird with tail made of springs. Beautiful. After eating some dinner at a very elaborate Thai restaurant (with incredible prawns, pictured below!) and seeing a show at the art gallery, we met up with our old friend Naftal.

Naftal is the director of Volunteers in Mission for the United Methodist Church in Mozambique, and he coordinated both Kristian's and my visit to Mozambique from Birmingham-Southern. When Naftal pulled up to pick us up, he got out of the car, gave us both hugs, and said, "Lisa, is it really you?" I was so thrilled to get to see an old friend. We went back to the backpackers and had tea and a good chat. Naftal will soon be moving to Zimbabwe to begin courses at African University in Mutare. For those of you who are aware of the situation in Zimbabwe right now, you will understand that he is a bit nervous. But he is going with his wife and two children, and I am sure that they will be just fine.

We also discussed all of our friends from our visit and Naftal gave us updates on each one. Mama Bette is still well, as is Maravilla. Telmo is still driving for the UMC, but hasn't improved much on his English. The orphanage in Cambine has moved into its new compound and is doing well, and the next day Naftal was sending a medical group to the hospital in Chicuque. CMC is not yet finished with construction, but will be within the year. We were so glad to hear of the progress being made and to get to have some time with a dear friend.

Me, Naftal, and Kristian (Kristian and I look pretty good for no shower all weekend--our hot water was broken!)

We didn't realize that the excitement for the evening wasn't over. Apparently there was a French hotel nearby, and being Bastille Day, they shot off fireworks! That was pretty nice since my 4th of July was quite devoid of such things.

The next morning, Kristian and I walked to the local Anglican church to see what it was like. They had an English service, and we were intrigued. The service itself was pretty typical of an African Anglican church in my experience. What was really special about it, though, was the invitation we received after church. A family with four girls (and probably 14 other children who were related or friends) invited us to lunch at their home in Matola, a suburb of Maputo. Kristian and I gladly obliged and were treated to the most wonderful home-cooked lunch with a loving family who enjoyed our stories about the US and from whom we were given stories about Mozambique and Tanzania. It was really a treat.

We returned home in the early evening and met up with the other weary travelers who had just returned after a long journey from Tofo. We ate dinner at the Indian restaurant across the street and turned in early for a departure to Kruger in the morning.

I awoke early on the next morning and drove Kristian to the bus station to catch her bus back to Pretoria. As I was returning to the backpackers, I had a strange occurence--a chicken crossed the road in front of me! Imagine that you're driving in the capitol city of your state or province and a CHICKEN walks in front of your car as if it was no big thing. Crazy!

I recovered from the shock, bought the group some breakfast, and we departed for Kruger. More on that later.

Views of Maputo. Now imagine the chicken!

Love to you all!

St. Lucia

2007-07-25T20:54:00.000+02:00

As we drove into St. Lucia, all we could see around us were trees. It was actually relatively odd, because we didn't feel like we were at the beach at all. In retrospect, this is because 5 ecosystems meet in St. Lucia--and one is the mangrove. Skye and Johnny, you'll remember my fascination with these from environmental science. Anyway, this was the forest part.

We drove into the small town (which resembles most small beach towns in lower AL) and checked into our backpackers only to have the owner say, "don't unpack yet, we're going to watch the sun set and have a drink." He only had to tell us once. On the way to see the sunset, we also saw vervet monkeys playing in the streets of St. Lucia. What a lovely place. We walked down to the Protea Hotel which has a deck overlooking the estuary and watched one of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen in a while. Come to think of it, I haven't watched enough sunsets lately. We met some new friends, including Wolfgang, resident beach bum and weed enthusiast who proceeded to smash people from TN. When informed that there was a Tennesseean present, he said, "well, at least you're not from AL!" Double whammy, my friend. We did meet some other generally pleasant folks, as well, including Bree, a teacher from Australia who joined us on our night safari.

While cooking a lovely dinner of chicken spiced with the spices Niv bought at the Victoria Street Market, the owner of the backpackers burst in and said, "if you want to see a hippo, there's one across the street!" And sure enough, there was. Just grazing along. What a lovely place.

We embarked on our night drive at 8 and stayed out until 11 searching for animals, which we found...buffalo, hippo, and even this chameleon that our driver spotted while driving 50 kph in the dark! Good eyes!

The next morning, the girls and I loaded up for a kayaking trip on the estuary. Our guide was a former poacher who had decided to begin working for the tourism industry because it makes more money. I was glad to hear that. His major interest is birds, so we were fast friends! Now, I should remind you that the estuary isn't just your typical body of water. This is a croc- and hippo-infested body of water--two of the most dangerous animals in Africa. YES! Hardcore..it's how I roll. Sure enough, we found a large pod of hippo in the middle of the channel just sunning themselves. Of course, we kept a good distance from them for safety. You may have laughed when I said that hippos are very dangerous. In fact, they cause the most animal-related deaths in Africa every year due to their extremely territorial nature. Since those hippos were a bit in the way, and we weren't going to ask them to move, we turned around to search out some crocodiles. On the way we saw two beautiful fish eagles, which look much like bald eagles, but are bigger.

We finally found a crocodile on the bank of an island in the estuary. It was probably 6 feet long and clearly not hungry since two huge herons (one a Goliath heron--one of my faves) were hanging out there with him. We decided to go a little farther in search of another croc when the fun really began. We did, in fact find a croc--a big'un. And just as we rounded the corner, we hear Emily K say, "Um, I think we're sinking." In fact, they were! She and her rowing partner, not the brightest crayon in the pack were just rowing along when Emily noticed that they were getting further and further behind and rowing was becoming more and more difficult. When she turned around to ask her partner about it, she realized he was sitting IN the water. So our guide had to pull their kayak onto the island not 30 feet from the croc and proceed to empty the water. Luckily, we all remained unscathed. Lesson learned: kayak on cold days when crocs aren't very movement-oriented due to cold-bloodedness.

We returned to Niv in the backpackers to lay out for a while. Here are some pictures with our canine friend who decided to come with.

We then went on a walk to get a better view of the estuary. We also found this tree with odd green growths. No, they don't seem to be fruits. Any botanists amongst us?

We also found these wonderful signs which pretty much sum up St. Lucia. What a lovely place!

Next, we went for a walk along the beach which turned out to be a Broadway sing-along. That's what you get for taking me and Niv on vacation. Turns out we know all, and I mean ALL, of Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, Evita, Les Mis, and several others.

Dinner was at a local restaurant which served pizza with bacon, banana, and pineapple. Niv and I couldn't resist. Turns out, as bad as it sounds, it tastes pretty good.

We finished the night with a power outage and a Zulu singing group which was wonderful. We sat and chatted with some friendly, witty Brits, and then headed to bed to prepare for the long journey in the morning through Swaziland to Mozambique.

A hard life, but someone's gotta do it...

2007-07-21T14:08:00.000+02:00

Before I describe to you my glorious, fabulous holiday, I just have to give a little public thank-you to my wonderful aunt, uncle and cousin who sent me a sun-care package in the mail this week! I am now the proud owner of Clinique lip/eye SPF 30 sunblock, Super City Block SPF 40 for my face, and UV-Response Body Cream SPF 50! THANK YOU! It is always needed here in Africa where I apply sunscreen daily! It was such a treat...and, you know that my mother is heaving another sigh of relief by being able to check off one potential threat on her list. Skin cancer, take that! Now, we face the crocodiles. More on that to come...

On July 7, I left for Durban and was picked up at the airport by my friend Kate Meyerowitz who is an outgoing Ambassadorial Scholar from South Africa, headed to San Diego in less than a month. She and her family have a cottage in the Drakensberg Mountains which they were visiting for the weekend and they kindly allowed me to join them. So, we drove up on the evening of the 7th and spent the entire day Sunday there and part of the day on Monday. Here are some pictures of the hike I took up the mountain with Kate's parents. The stream at the top is so clean that you're officially allowed to drink from it!

The picture of the aloe is, of course, for Carl.

On Monday, Kate and I went to see a birds of prey show on the mountain. Very cool. My favorites were the Long-Crested Eagle and the Cape Vulture pictured below (isn't the picture of the Cape Vulture awesome?!).

After returning from the Drakensberg on Monday, we retired to Kate's house to shower up and do some laundry. Kate's brother Andrew and I even got to watch the Braves take on San Diego (to whom they almost lost in the bottom of the ninth!). We then went out to dinner to meet up with my fellow travelers, Cape Town Ambassadorial Scholars Emily Avera and Emily Kenney, Emily K's sister Alli, and my friend Niv. We had dinner at the Harbour and heard the band Love Joint (I think that's correct) which is a relatively big-time South African band. We then retired to our backpackers.

The next morning we awoke early in order to get some breakfast and head to the Victoria Street Market. We bought some spices, etc., but I must show some Jo'burg pride and say that our Oriental Market is far superior, regardless of the vast Indian population in Durban. We then retrieved our rental car and began our journey to St. Lucia. Of course, we made sure we had a music selection first, knowing that we would not have radio for much of the journey. This meant that we bought a few community CDS: A #1s compilation from the 1980s to today, Amy Winehaus, Bob Marley, the new Maroon 5 album, and Cape Town Jazz. We figured that gave us enough that we probably wouldn't be so sick of them by the end of the journey. The drive to St. Lucia is through rolling hills of sugar cane plantations which makes for incredibly beautiful scenery. We passed through small villages, etc., and in a little over 3 hours made it to St. Lucia.

And that is where I'll leave you for now, friends. More to come soon, I promise! Love and miss you all!

Don't feel like dancin'...

2007-07-19T10:31:00.000+02:00

We're home! I made it back to Jo'burg from holiday, which was lovely. Really, really lovely. We saw hippos, crocodiles, and vervet monkeys in the wild at St. Lucia, ate street-vended pineapples and cashews in Maputo, talked with Naftal, scouted zebra and elephant at Kruger, and returned home in one piece.

Now, I have to get back to work, and in a serious way. I have to go to school tomorrow and give my kids their mostly abysmal grades. Luckily, it seems they did equally poorly in all of their classes, so they may not be too shocked. I still won't like it, though. Then I have a literature review due on Monday--aaah! Classes begin Tuesday, and then life starts up again in full swing. So, the song which we played over and over on our roadtrip rings in my head--Scissor Sisters' "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'." But I will soon enough.

Promise pictures soon--I just wanted to let you know that I was safe and sound in Jo'burg.

2007-07-07T08:50:00.000+02:00

This is the last post before I leave, this time I promise, but I had a few minutes and knew you'd appreciate a post. I happened to realize that I didn't give you a detailed breakdown of where I'm going on my vacation! So, here you are:

Today: I leave at 3 for Durban. My friend Kate is picking me up at the airport and we're driving to the Drakensberg Mountains to her family's cottage there. Here's a picture of the Drakensbert Mountains:

As Natalie says, "geez, Lis, it's a tough life." It is tough, but someone has to volunteer for it.

After two days in the mountains, I will join my friends Emily A., Emily K., Alli, and Niv in Durban where we will stay overnight. If you're interested in seeing more about Durban, follow this tourism link.

The next morning, we're leaving Durban for St. Lucia, South Africa. St. Lucia is in the middle of a huge nationally-protected estuary. It's basically a small beach town with lots of crocodiles and hippos and birds. I should be in paradise! I am going to see if I can't convince the group to go on a whale-watching expedition. It's whale migration season in this part of the world and I've never seen a whale, so I think that should be on my list of to dos. Here's a link about St. Lucia.
In St. Lucia, we're staying at BiB's Backpackers, which looks pretty cool. Check it out. My favorite part are all of the "freebie" activities.

From St. Lucia, we'll drive on to Maputo, Mozambique. Yes, I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I've already talked to Naftal on the phone and I'm just counting the days. Here's a link to info on Maputo. While in Maputo, the group will go on to Tofo, and I will stay in Maputo with my friend Kristian. Then the group will return after a couple of nights in Tofo and we'll all head to the Kruger National Park. You don't need a link to that--just go back a couple of days in my posts and see pictures. Ok, just kidding, I found information on the birds you can find at the camp where we're staying, and even if Laurie Glenn is the only person to ever look at that, I'm satisfied. I've been wanting to see a broad-billed roller. And just so that my nerdiness is complete, I went out and bought the cutest tiny little binoculars yesterday. They were only R160 and they can fit in your pocket (with some difficulty--womens pants are not made to carry things right now). I'm super excited about using them. I may drive the rest of the crew crazy with my birdiness, but I'm okay with that. They already love me unconditionally, so I think we're fine.

So, I'm pretty excited. We're going on another great adventure with great friends--what could be better?? Ok, yes, if Orlando Bloom volunteered to come with, but I don't see that as much of a possibility, so I'm looking at the bright side of things. Plus, my accompanying friends are much cuter than I--there'd be no guarantee that Orlando would be all mine. So, no, this is the best possible vacation! See you in 11 days!

Strike update

2007-07-06T14:16:00.001+02:00

Well, we're finally done with our public workers strike--7.5% is the final offer. Sounds pretty good, except that government got 50%. At least we can all get back to work now.

On the other hand, ESCOM, one of our power companies, has officially gone on strike. When will it all end?!

DMV on crack

2007-07-05T19:36:00.000+02:00

For all of you pampered Americans who think a visit to the DMV is possibly worse than going to the dentist and whine about it for a week preceeding and following your five-yearly visit to renew your license, let me introduce you to DMV on crack.

First, I should preceed all of this merry-making with the fact that Desiree and I bought a car. It's a 1995 Nissan Maxima (yes, that's almost exactly my first car), maroon with black interior. It's an automatic in a sea of manual transmissions, we got it for a good deal, and we're excited about being independent. Well, at least codependent but not on Rotarians. Anyway, back to my rant.

So, when you buy a used car in SA, you have to have it re-registered with the Vehicle Registration Centre. This happens to be downtown where 20,000 other people are getting their licenses issued and renewed, and any number of other oddities are occuring. So, you arrive, bright-eyed and busy-tailed at 9:30 figuring you'll be out in two hours. Five hours later, you've eaten your cheese pita and drunk your sparkling Ceres grape juice and done all of the lesson planning you care to do. You have watched every white person who comes in yell at a receptionist and seen every form and been hit on several times. You wait, and wait, and wait. Only to have your name called at the end of the five hours, and to be handed two sheets of paper. TWO. And they are NOT embossed with gold. I could've done better on my laptop.

And, for those of you who think that you have a problem with the receptionists not speaking Spanish, try 11 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES. That's right. DMV on crack.

Crazy Week

2007-07-05T08:04:00.000+02:00

Since I've been updating you on my trip with my family (which ended almost a month ago, can you believe it??), I haven't been updating you on what I've been doing. Don't worry, this won't take long.

1. "Marking" papers. That is the word used for grading here. I graded 127 exams and 127 projects and about 40 homework papers. My highest class average was a 64, which isn't off track at my school, so I felt secure but not satisfied with my teaching efforts. My next task is to plan for the next term.

2. Researching. My literature review is due on July 23, but since I'm leaving Saturday for Durban (more on that in a moment), I've been studying non-stop to get as much done before-hand as possible. I don't think I've told you my research topic, but I'm sure you could've guessed it: Human Rights Education in the South African School Curriculum. If you're interested, I can post some good articles on the subject. I'm certainly reading plenty.

3. Weekends--I've spent several weekends with my friend Kristian who is working in Pretoria for the summer and our mutual friend Katy Ginanni. We have visited some great restaurants, the Rosebank African Craft Market, Museum Africa and the Market Theater. Katy and I spent a weekend at the Pilanesberg Game Reserve (not Kruger, but a closer option. It'll do.) and did a lot of birdwatching. Call me a nerd, but in Africa my favorite hobby is bird watching! Last weekend was a Rotary weekend with the District Governor induction Saturday night and our club president's induction on Sunday afternoon. AND, our very own mom Lynne Ward was given a Paul Harris Fellow Award for her outstanding service to Rotary! For you non-Rotarians, that's a heck of a big deal!

4. Trip planning. On Saturday, I leave for Durban to meet up with an Ambassadorial Scholar friend in Durban and to go to the Drakensberg Mountains (again--wooohooo!) with Kate's family to their cottage. Then on Monday, I'll meet back up with Cape Town friends Niv, Emily, Emily, and Alli and we'll head to St. Lucia which is a little town in the middle of a National Park on the coast between Durban and Maputo. Did I just say Maputo? Yes. If you know me well enough, you know that no trip that close to Maputo would see me not driving to the city to see my friends! On our family trip to Kruger, it was all I could do to stay in SA! So we'll spend two days in St. Lucia and then head to Maputo where Kristian will meet us. The group will go on to Tofo and then I'll stay with Kristian in Maputo and visit with Naftal, Telmo, and other friends. On the 16th, we'll then head to Kruger for a couple of days and then back to Jo'burg. The major benefit about this trip (other than it being breathtakingly beautiful and exotic and full of great friends, blah, blah, blah) is that it will be WARM. Forget warm, it'll be HOT! I heard that in Maputo tomorrow it's supposed to be 80 degrees F!!! I can't wait. My swimsuit is ready and so am I! Bring on the sun.

So, I won't be posting for a while unless I just have some good time with the internet at some point during my trip. Hope you all have a great two weeks!

Kruger--final installment!

2007-07-02T22:24:00.000+02:00

A final post on the Glenn women trip! And you thought it would never come...

We rose early on the morning of the 6th to head to Kruger National Park, about a five hour drive from Jo'burg. About five minutes after entering the park gate, we were greeted by about ten giraffe grazing on bushes right beside the road. Kruger, like many SA game reserves, doesn't require that you be in a game-viewing vehicle to be in the park. You can hang out with lions, etc. within the comforts of your own vehicle!! This is truly the life. After having our moments with the giraffe, we continued on, only to find a huge white rhino a few km up the road. Wow. What a good start to the day. We got out of our car at the camp lodge and saw three vervet monkeys climbing on the telephone wires. We were in the right place, for sure.

We then headed to our cabin. The "bungalows" at Kruger are quite nice with several beds in a common area, a kitchen area, and a bathroom. They even had soap with the SA National Parks logo, a male kudu, with which Mommy was thoroughly impressed! We settled in for the night and began to watch Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil...and then we paused it to make sure that noise was really what we thought it was...yep! A lion roaring in the distance! Definitely in the right place. We went to bed at a whopping 9pm in order to be up in the morning for our morning walk.

The morning began at 5:15 for a walk at 5:45. We greeted our two ranger friends, Surprise and Lourens, for a walk through the bush. Katie was a bit concerned about the rifles the two men had, though to be honest, I think we were all glad they had them! We were the only three on the hike, so we got lots of personal attention. This is good since we're an inquisitive bunch. We learned about every kind of dung you can imagine (for a good story, ask Katie about white rhino dung), dung beetles, elephant tracks, and flowers. We were in nature nerd paradise. We only saw a few impala, but we learned how to know when predators were around from Grey Lourie calls and how to locate honey from the Honeyguide's song. We then returned to our bungalow to shower and get in the car for a bit of a drive on our own.

After the drive, we had lunch/dinner, and had our evening game drive. Sadly, it was a bit cold and rainy for that one, but we still saw some great sights. In addition, we had a sunrise drive in the morning where we saw some more game before departing. Here are some pictures of our time at Kruger:

Do you see this lion? I was really five feet from him. We got that close, the driver stops the OPEN AIR VEHICLE in which I am in the front and LOWEST seat, and stops the engine. I didn't like it one bit. And then I accidently took this picture with a FLASH! I thought I was a goner, for sure.

Vervet monkeys outside our bungalow!
Pictured above is a scrub hare--an African bunny!

Cute baboon family to the left, hey? See the baby on the mom's lap?

These elephants crossing the road nearly trampled a car! It was fabulous!

On the night we returned from Kruger, we had a delightful dinner with my friend Katy Ginanni who took us to a wonderful Thai restaurant near her house. Katie Glenn found out that evening that she really enjoys duck!

The next day, we headed to McAuley House School to see the primaries do their assembly and to show the fam where I work. We then went out to lunch with Lynne and Peter. Here's a nice photo of almost my entire family!

And so, the Glenn women returned to Murfreesboro (minus Lisa, of course) with only a partially hair-raising experience in NYC with US customs. All in all, a trip well-spent! Anyone else want to come visit now??

Cape Town and beyond--Installment 3

2007-06-29T16:28:00.000+02:00

Just because I knew you'd want to see the less than 1/4 inch accumulation of snow in Jo'burg:

Wednesday was the first time that many of my friends had ever seen snow--and boy, were they cold! It hadn't snowed in Jo'burg since 1982, apparently! No, I wasn't born then. Yes, it seems like yesterday, even so. You old people are too predictable.

Now, to continue on with the holiday update!

After the market, we got into our cute little rental car and headed for the Cape of Good Hope by way of Boulders Beach. You may remember that the last time I went to Cape Town I went to these places. The drive to the Cape takes a little over an hour, so it's nice to break it up by getting out to see the penguins at Boulders Beach. Not that we would have missed that, of course. Unfortunately, it was a little cold and it's breeding season, so most of the penguins were in their little burrows. But it was really cute to see them there! Who knew penguins burrowed?! Anyway, here are some pictures:

I PROMISE I told her it was cold first. She just never believes a word I say. It's not my fault this time.

Penguin eggs!

Then it was off to the Cape of Good Hope. As we drove in, we saw some beautiful landscape:

And we saw where the wildfire that I saw last time I was there had destroyed a good portion of the park. Sad.

Looks like a moonscape, hey? Once we arrived at Cape Point, we went to lunch at the Two Oceans restaurant at the Cape of Good Hope (where the two oceans meet). We met these pesky little birds who wanted to steal Katie's food: They're pretty, all the same. Red-winged Starlings for those of you who care. After defending her food, Katie decided she wanted to fit in--look! A monkey!I should know better by now than to think that she won't take my dares. And then we began our ascent.

This plaque points to all the nearest cities. I like this place--the nearest cities are nowhere to be found!

Katie, just four words...I told you so. After we enjoyed Cape Point to its full extent, we traveled back down the mountain to the actual Cape of Good Hope.

Yes, the BSC shirts were on purpose. I wasn't an admissions personnel for nothing...The protea, SA's national flower.

This is a great picture of the fynbos plants, a type of plant which grows only in SA. On our way back, we took the famous Chapman's Peak Drive which is much like California Highway 1, along the water. It was sunset as we drove, and oh, what a view!Pictures at Chapman's Peak:

Apparently they allow spear fishing. It seemed odd that the fish would be smiling about this...A good day had by all.

The next morning, we headed to the Cape Town Aquarium which is quite impressive. It only rained that one day--and we were inside! What luck. We then flew back to Jo'burg to leave for Kruger National Park in the morning.

Ok, folks, this has taken me almost an hour to complete due to all of the pictures. So, you'll get the Kruger update later. Hope you're well! I'm spending my weekend doing research and going to Rotary functions...story of my life! I did happen to check my mail today and I had four notes in my old mailbox--one from Grandmommy, one from Natalie, one from Carrie, and an extra special wedding invitation from Farley and Owen. Thanks to all of you for the thoughts! I love you all.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

2007-06-27T00:00:00.000+02:00

I knew you people would never believe me without a picture.

A post for my nerdy friends

2007-06-26T08:04:00.000+02:00

Dear friends,

My sister often tells me that I'm a loser. I would be concerned about this, except that it usually involves my love of National Public Radio. I have no problem with this, really. She can make fun all she wants, but NPR makes my life. So it would be no surprise to you that living outside the US has been difficult for my morning commute, my early Saturday morning, and my Sunday morning/afternoon. And it has been! My internet connection is simply not fast enough to sustain streaming WBHM, and that's a challenge for sure.

But no more darkness, friends. I have come upon a beautiful addition to my life. NPR Podcasts. They're free! They're wonderful! They're easy to upload to your iPod! I'm currently listening to Peter Segel on my favorite show Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me! the NPR quizshow. I think next I'll turn to Car Talk and then to Fresh Air. I haven't found Tales from Lake Woebegone, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time. My life is now complete.

I must, however, thank the lovely people at Acura and Grey Goose Vodka for sponsoring such a wonderful service to humankind! I can take care of supporting Grey Goose on my own with some friends, but I'm going to need your help in supporting Acura. Your options are these: 1. buy an Acura, 2. Buy ME an Acura.

Love,
Your nerdy friend Lisa

Strike update

2007-06-25T21:43:00.000+02:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/africa/6238370.stm

A little strike update from BBC.

Installment number 2

2007-06-24T21:17:00.000+02:00

After our time in Storms River, we drove to Plettenberg Bay to a park called Monkeyland. Now, generally we're not a shameless tourist attraction sort of family, but I figured this might be the best way to see monkeys, so I went for it. And what a good decision! We were guided around a 12 hectare park with many varieties of monkey, all of whom had been taken from captivity somewhere else and released into this quasi-wild experience. I say quasi-wild because food is set out every day and the monkeys are kept within a fence. They are, however, not dealt with otherwise for the most part. We saw monkeys from all over the world (as usual, the lemurs were my favorite), and enjoyed our extremely knowledgeable guide. We even made friends with a couple from Mossel Bay who insisted that if we were in the neighborhood, we come by to use their washing machine and have a meal! How kind. Sadly, we were not going to be in the neighborhood.

We had lunch that day in Knysna at a beautiful oysterhouse on the bay. It was really lovely, though a little chilly. We then drove on to George to spend the night. Dida asked who drove--and yes, the answer is yours truly. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that I was the only one confident/crazy enough to brave driving on the other side of the road as well as the kombi system! We made it, and that's all that counts.

The next day was a trip up to Oudtshoorn, an ostrich-farming community, to visit the Cango Caves. We opted out on the ostrich farm because by the time we got to the caves, we had seen so many ostriches, we felt like we knew them intimately! The caves were interesting, though our guide was a bit dorky. If you're in the Murfreesboro area, ask Katie to give her impression. All the same, it was a lot of fun. We then drove through the Klein Karoo (Afrikaans for small desert) to Swellendam. On our way, we happened to stop in for directions at the Blue Cow, a local milk supplier and cafe at one of the tiny towns on our way. The lady just happened to be good friends with the owner of a restaurant in Swellendam, to which she directed us with firm instructions that her friend Herrrrrman must give us the downlow on life in Swellendam. What luck! It was a delicious dinner, and Herrrrrman had a lot to share! We then retired to a cute little backpackers for an overnight.

The next morning, we drove on to Cape Town. After some serious traffic, we picked up my friend (and fellow Rotary Scholar) Elliot and went to lunch at the Waterfront. We then embarked on a trip to Kirstenbosch Gardens. Yes, Mommy, it really is that big. She was incredulous at a garden which is the entire side of a mountain. It just seems to go on forever. Next, we drove up to Signal Hill to see all of Cape Town and our first good glimpses of the Atlantic Ocean. Mommy and Katie retired early and I went to a birthday party for another Rotary Scholar's birthday--Laser Tag! Happy 25, Emily!! You'll all be so proud to know that I won, hands down! Furthermore, if you know Jon David, you'll be glad to know that I totally kicked his butt!

The next day was our time at the market. While we were a bit overwhelmed at first, Katie quickly learned how to bargain and got herself some really good deals. The only point she had to get over was that if someone asks you where you're from, you DO NOT say "the US" unless you really want a mark-up on your price! Mommy took a little more training, but she didn't do so badly, either.

After our purchases were finished, we set out for the Cape of Good Hope and Boulders Beach. I'll save those for the next post. Katie, do you have pictures of any of these events? I don't.

I'm off to do some paper marking and research. Sala hantle!

Holiday--Celebrate!

2007-06-22T12:30:00.000+02:00

(You're supposed to sing the title to the tune of the 80s song of the same name...)

I promised an account of the Glenn women trip, and here it is. Better late than never, right??

So, the Glenn women got to Jo'burg on May 25 and came to dinner with myself and my friend Ursula. Katie had a rough trip and when she got off of the plane was about the same colour as her green track suit. After some prawn and chorizo risotto, she perked up just enough to go to bed. The next morning, we headed over to Lynne and Peter's house to join in a bit of a Rotary party at Heia Safari Ranch which is a show area just outside Jo'burg which does a traditional South African meal (pap and wors), has game wandering through the park, and then presents dances from groups around SA. We were so pleased to join with Lynne, Peter, Mike, Alice, Dinty, Tamlynn, Charles, and his daughter and her friend. We had a great meal and then commenced to the dances. We were sure at this point that it was best Carl had stayed home, because all of the female dancers were largely topless other than a fringe worn just above the breasts. We listened to Charles and the girls laugh about the script of the show and make comments in Sotho and Zulu which was amazing to Katie and Mommy. Charles only speaks a paltry 7 languages! It was quite a treat, followed by dinner with Lynne and Peter.

The next morning, we headed out to Soweto with my friend Desiree. Our Rotaract Club has developed a relationship with a daycare facility for AIDS orphans/vulnerable children in the Kliptown area of Soweto, a very poor area. We drove out to Kliptown to deliver some knit sweaters and blankets which had been donated by Rotary clubs. When we arrived, we were met by Themba, one of the organizers of the daycare, who offered to walk around the area with us. We walked between houses made of aluminum sheets and car parts separated by razor wire in many cases and stepped over sewage in the street. Themba described the renewal efforts, HIV/AIDS issues, drug and sex abuse, and his hopes for the area. We were so grateful to him for his insight and time and for the opportunity for Katie and Mommy to see this aspect of South Africa instead of just hearing about it. We then went to the famous tourist trap in Soweto, Wandie's Restaurant and had another traditional South African meal (more pap, more wors, samp and beans).

I don't have pictures of those two days...Katie has some. I'll see what I can do.

The next day, we flew to Port Elizabeth which is on the Southern Coast of SA, almost directly south of Jo'burg. We then picked up our rental car and began the great adventure down the N2, the famed Garden Route. We drove to Storms River and checked in at the Tube 'N' Axe Backpackers, a cute little bungalow in the middle of an indigenous forest. The next morning, we traveled to Tsitsikamma National Park to have a look around. I can't really describe everything, but here are some pictures to do the job:

The ocean and rocks; A baboon print in the sand.

Aloe is one of the most beautiful things about South Africa, I think, and they're everywhere in Tsitsikamma. Not much is better than aloe next to ocean and rocks (ocean and rocks being one of those strange things I love).

While at TNP, we walked to their suspension bridge, which was the longest 1km I've ever walked. I think they lied, plus they added about 3 (read 47,000) stairs along the way. Katie didn't think that my 3 euphemism was funny. But it was a beautiful view once we got there:

The little guy in the above left picture is a dassie (if you can see him--he's in the middle--looks like a groundhog). You prounounce dassie DUH-see for whatever reason. My special sister decided that you call the dassies (who don't make noise, mind you), by yelling kee-kee. She and Ellen Degeneres are equally crazy.

The afternoon of this day was taken up with a "Canopy Tour" which is code for HUGE, GINORMOUS zipline. It had come highly recommended to me by my friends from Cape Town, so I thought we'd try it out. It was a huge hit with all of us. The zipline is situated amidst the indigenous yellowwood forest and is constructed by tension so that there is not a single nail in a tree! Our guides were very knowledgeable and fun, and we really enjoyed the day.

That's all the time I have for today, folks! More after I return from the Pilanesberg Game Park with Katy on Sunday!

Special notes for today: Happy birthday to Carrie and Happy Father's Day to Daddy! You both deserve a better congrats than that, but you will get it when I return. Love to you all!

Forced Sympathy Strike

2007-06-13T09:39:00.000+02:00

Hello, friends. I am writing you at around 9:40 a.m. on a day that I should be at work. I am not, however, at work. Many of you may be unaware of the current political situation in South Africa, so I figured I'd update you a bit. We're currently experiencing a public service workers strike and it is HUGE. Like most strikes, this one is to lobby the government for a wage increase, which COSATU (the Congress of South African Trade Unions which comprises most unions in the country) suggests should be at least 10% but preferably 12%. If you're interested in getting the professional run-down, here's the BBC article for you. Now this might seem huge to those of you in the States because a 12% wage hike for most US citizens would be quite the deal; however, there has been much inflation and few standard of living raises for most public workers, so the raise really is necessary. The problem is, when public workers include teachers, doctors, police officers, nurses, etc., etc., there is just no way to come up with that many 12%s! Especially after government officials gave themselves a 50% pay raise last year. This leads many South Africans to believe that the government is not playing fair. Seems to me, they're probably right. Today, in addition to the public workers strike, there is a sympathy strike of all COSATU trade union members. COSATU estimates that approximately 2 million people (out of SA's approx. 40 mil.) will not go to work today, bringing the country to a standstill.

The most frustrating part of it all is that many essential services workers are striking. Technically, doctors, nurses, and ambulance drivers are not allowed to strike. On monday, hundreds of dismissal letters were sent out by the public minister, but to no avail. In schools, it is exam time, meaning that students will have to re-take exams during their winter break. It is all very strange to me since these are professionals who are not allowed to strike in the States. I can certainly understand that they need raises, and moreso that they deserve them. I cannot, however, understand that it fits in the Hippocratic Oath to remove yourself from public duty for an extended period of time, leaving the country's sick to get sicker. Also, as an educator, I cannot understand how teachers will leave students without an education in the name of money. It is all a very thin tightrope to walk. My human rights professor was really excited that I am here to see all of this. He says that even when it's getting a little out of hand, at least South Africans will stand up for their rights and the rights of others, which is much more than Americans typically do. Often times, he's correct.

But why, do you ask, am I not at work? I work at a private school, so few of our teachers if any are unionised, and I am certainly not. It is an unfortunate part of South African civil disobedience, however, to use intimidation tactics with those who continue to work. Again, this should not affect non-union members, and it generally doesn't; however, it does affect school children still going to school. Apparently, it is perceived that the families of children who go to school during the strike are somehow collaborators with the government. So, children are often targeted as objects of this intimidation. We've had reports of people throwing things at student kombis (bus taxis which bring our students to school), searches of student belongings while on the kombi, children having nasty things said to them on the way to school, etc. We had already asked that students not wear their uniforms, identifying them as children on their way to school, but this has just been too much. So, with fear of possible difficulty today, we called off school.

Be thinking of us today while you're going to work. COSATU will likely not get their 10%, but after more than 2 weeks of striking, it doesn't look like they're giving up any time soon.

In other news, I will post pictures as soon as I can. Unfortunately, my laptop is very old and is trying to convince me that it has no memory space left (I know this not to be true, but it's a tricky and tired old laptop). So, I have a friend coming to look at it and once it's fixed or I buy more memory, I will get back to you, promise!

My love to you all. A belated Happy Birthday to my dear friend Skye. I shouldn't go out of the country on someone's birthday, but if I'm going to, I should really be near a computer, don't you think? Shame on me. I love you and hope it was just as wonderful as you deserve. To the rest of you, I would always love to hear from you. Let me know how your summer is and I'll let you know how my winter is!

I'm back...

2007-06-09T14:22:00.001+02:00

Just a quick note to let you know that the Glenn women had a great trip and I am now back in the swing of things in Jo'burg. Katie sent me a text message just now to say that they're safely in NYC en route to Nashville, so all is well. I will update you on the trip soon!

In the meantime, I am soooo busy! In the next week, I have two exams (both 50% of my final grade), five Rotary events, and I have to proctor 4 exams at school and grade all 127 exams and projects. So, I'm busy and will respond to your emails and posts soon, I promise.

Love to you all!

Baby, it's Cold Outside

2007-05-23T13:18:00.000+02:00

This post is for the Didas and Lauras of the world who check the blog daily, only to find out that I have been a slacker and haven't yet posted. So, here you are! Today's topic: if hell froze over, it would feel like Jo'burg in the winter!

That's right ladies and gentlemen, it's COLD here!!! If you didn't think it was supposed to ever get cold here, you are not very good with your knowledge of South African climates! We are at the same lattitude here in Jo'burg as those of you right above the Tropic of Cancer (so Florida way). So, we have some seriously cold weather for a couple of months. Yesterday, our high was 9 degrees Celsius. For those of you like me who haven't quite figured out the metric system, that's about 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, I know what you're thinking (especially the folks up north)--big deal. But you see, my friends, you have central heating. The only heaters we have are the kind preceeded by the word "space." Now you can imagine how this works. But just in case you're not getting the idea, let me review my yesterday for you:

1. Get out of bed--I'm cold even with the space heater burning all night long.
2. Get up and put on long underwear. Now I'm beginning to feel warmer.
3. Walk outside to run errands--now I'm freezing. The wind is blowing sharply and my little Marmot jacket and grey scarf are doing me no favors, though I'm glad I have them.
4. Go back inside. I'm getting warm now. The heater in my room isn't half bad as long as it goes all the time.
5. Trek to class. On the bus, I get so hot because I have on two pairs of pants, three shirts, a jacket, a scarf, and mittens. Then I get off and suddenly I'm freezing again!
6. Get to class, and it's freezing. I can't decide whether it's better to have cold hands and discernable handwriting or sacrifice my academics for warm hands with mittens. Decisions, decisions.
7. Return home in the dark. If I wasn't cold before, I really am now!
8. Go to choir practice and rehearse in full Arctic attire
9. Return home and try to fall asleep while keeping my toes warm.

So, folks, I do feel your pain with the winter. You thought I had missed it and gone to a land of eternal summer, but you were very wrong. So the next time someone tells you "that'll happen when hell freezes over," remember that that wouldn't be such a good situation, either!

Postscript: My mom and sister arrive in 3 days!

New home!

2007-05-22T13:10:00.000+02:00

Hello, everyone! I just wanted to write you a quick note to let you know that I have a new home! I am now living in International House, which has 24/7 internet access. So, I will be setting up my Skype, hopefully tomorrow, and you will be wanting to call me all the time--I know you will! The important thing here is this:

I HAVE A NEW ADDRESS!

I want to hear from you, but if you send it to West Campus Village, I will not. So, if you have sent me something and are concerned that I haven't gotten it yet, let me know. Otherwise, send your new letters, packages, and Demos chicken and rice soup recipes to:

Lisa Glenn
GA6 International House
University of the Witwatersrand
South Africa 2050

On a serious note, I'm using postcards to show my students the sights of the US, so please send me a postcard from wherever you go this summer! Thanks!

Happy Graduation Day!

2007-05-19T13:19:00.000+02:00

That's right, Happy Graduation to my little sister, Katie, who is just far too old right now. I'm freaking out a little. She is walking across the stage today, and I am very proud. I am missing the entire family in M'boro for the ceremony, but I'm certainly there in spirit. So, you know the drill--family celebrations mean blog celebrations! Post your congrats to Katie!

Here are a few pictures and updates from the past few weeks:

On the weekend of the 6th, I went to the races with Bronwyn because she won two free tickets to the big race! Here we are in our hats, and also a few shots of the racetrack:

A close-up of my hat. Very Jackie O.

The next weekend, Tamlynn and I headed off to join Lynne, Peter, Desiree, and Keegan at Rotary District Conference at the Champagne Sports Resort in the Drakensberg Mountains. If you've ever wanted to get away, this is the place to do it! Here are a few pictures:

These are some pictures of our drive. It just struck me that we could have been anywhere in the US farmland taking these pictures!

This made me think of Granddaddy. It really wasn't a hut, but it did have a thatched roof!

The view out of the back door of our room...

Hiking near the Drakensberg Sun Resort. The Kingdom of Lesotho is just over those mountains.

Our helicopter ride over the mountains. That's Lynne getting blown away and Peter thanking the pilot.

And finally, on Wednesday night, I managed to take a flying leap down a flight of terra cotta stairs. Here are the results: no broken bones, no smashed head, no splintered laptops, but legs a little worse for wear. Don't worry, I was on my way to a Rotary presentation, and still managed to give it, after being checked out by all of the Rotary Anns and a nurse. If you're squeamish, don't check this out:

Yum, Betadine!

In other news, thanks to Skye for my package and Kristian for the bracelet. See Katie and Mommy in a week--exactly!!!

Update

2007-05-09T20:37:00.000+02:00

Hello, all!

I thought I'd give you a quick update on what is going on in my life.

1. I started teaching last Friday and it was really, really good! My girls are between the ages of 13 and 16 and are working very hard to adjust to a new teacher. So far, so good. I have pictures and will post them soon.

2. I am working on my research proposal (theoretical framework of human rights curriculum in South Africa and its applicability to the US school system), and am STRESSED OUT because I also have two papers to write!

3. My mom and sister arrive in 17 days!!! I have made all of our bookings...now the waiting begins. I'm looking forward to a load of Bic mechanical pencils and funfetti cupcake mix. You never know what you'll miss!

4. I will be in the Drakensberg Mountains for the next five days for our Rotary District Conference. As a result, I will get no emails starting Thursday and ending Monday. I still love you, even if I don't respond to you--promise!

Ok, good enough for now. Second cultural amalgamation post after the conference.

Cultural amalgamation issues again...part 1

2007-05-01T21:11:00.000+02:00

I promised to report on what my class decided on the basis of cultural amalgamation, so here we are. Just to remind you, I’m taking a course called Human Rights and Schooling Issues, which is where most of these questions arise. I am also in a course called Theory, Research, and Evaluation in Education in which lots of cultural questions also come up. One might think that such a course doesn’t lend itself in syllabus to these topics, and one would be right in thinking this way; however, in the “New South Africa,” these issues confront teachers on a daily basis in the form of many different students suddenly occupying the same classroom, new “multicultural” curriculum, and changing teaching staffs. So, I am constantly surrounded by this type of cultural discussion. One might think that would give me some clarity, and in this case one would be very, very wrong! I will, however, share with you my thoughts and the thoughts of my classmates on these issues.

1. When in a multicultural society, who should assimilate?
I think that most would agree that, throughout history, the colonised cultural group has been the group expected to assimilate. This made sense in a feuding, clannish society, wherein the conquered were conquered as a people, a culture, and a land, but really makes very little sense in terms of today’s conceptions of human rights. I haven’t done this yet, but it has enveloped my life over the last three months, so I will now quote the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. You didn’t know this was inevitable, but it was all along!

“Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world, Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the commonpeople…all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”

This is the Declaration which both the South African and United States governments agreed to in 1948 and which continues to guide all member states of the United Nations. According to this Declaration, we are to understand that all people are born in a state of equality and dignity. Thus, expecting someone else to assimilate to one’s own culture simply because her group was captured by another is absurd sinine and indefensible.

And still, we are stuck in a society which represents many cultural groupings and beliefs, “races,” religions, and genders. How do we then reconcile these differences and live together peaceably without expecting total assimilation? Apartheid represented a period in South Africa’s history where the ruling government chose to separate these groups so as to avoid conflict, a tactic which had major flaws. People are not content to live separate but equal lives and rebel against this approach. So, we must begin by agreeing to live in the same neighbourhoods, attend the same schools, and work in the same offices. Once we make this very risky move, we will resign ourselves to the fact that we will face disagreements and misunderstandings. The example that I gave in the former post was a job interviewee who felt it respectful to sit on the floor. These issues will come up, and we must be prepared for them without knowing exactly what they will be.

Before I discuss this issue, let me choose another course for the moment. Identity is something which we all hold very dear. When someone accuses you of being someone whom you do not believe you are, there is quite the crisis, is there not? I recoil when someone calls me a Southern Belle—those who know me well know exactly why, too! I was not nor did I want to be a debutante, I am a good cook but that is not my only talent, and I haven’t for one day in my life attended a cotillion course. And yet, I do identify with this moniker. I am from the South, I like to entertain and “take care” of others, and I love sweet tea. So, I have a crisis—I am neither Southern Belle nor not Southern Belle. How is this? Because we all claim a series of identities which may even conflict with each other. A great example is the ________ song which starts out “I’m a bitch, I’m a mother, I’m a child, I’m a lover, I’m a sinner, I’m a saint.” All of these identities are true of this individual at some point, and yet none sums her up. The same is true of “race” and of “culture.”

Let me give you an example of how “race” and “culture” don’t sum up a person—and I hope that Jenna will forgive me for this—using myself and my friend Jenna. Jenna and I are often mistaken for sisters, in our sorority we were “twins,” and people will sometimes accidentally call out the other’s name when trying to get the attention of one of us walking on campus. And yet Jenna and I are very different. How is this? We were both raised in the South, we were both raised Methodist, and we are both white. Presumably, we would be almost the same person, with the same family traditions, and many of the same likes and dislikes. To some degree this is true, or we would not be best of friends, but there are ways in which this is very untrue. For example, Jenna has chosen a very different expression of her Christianity than I choose. Jenna loves “new music” and is a composer. Though a singer, I hate theory, and I have to listen very hard to find enjoyment in new music. Jenna can wear clothes that don’t match and look good—I can’t. So, though we have almost the exact same background, we are not the same. We have different identities. The same is true of any racial or cultural group—even the most similar of individuals are dissimilar in many ways.

So, the first lesson becomes that we can make no fundamental assumptions about an individual due to his or her “race,” the cultural group with which he or she identifies, or his or her religion. These things are all much more multi-faceted than we have heretofore recognized. The first step to living together peaceably must be some appreciation that we have formerly “misrecognized” each other, a term which I am stealing from C. Taylor. Misrecognition is what happens when someone assumes that since I am from the South, I must be a Southern Belle. We must steer clear of this kind of understanding of each other. Because each person chooses an identity for himself, we must acknowledge that simply because someone is an Afrikaner, this does not mean that he is a racist. Just because someone is Zulu does not mean that she will speak Zulu, or even like to speak Zulu. We must concede that there will be individual differences.

By straying from an understanding of the individual as a representative part of the whole as we may understand it (i.e. a SeSotho being the same as all BaSotho), we can stray from making value judgments about the entire group. We can no longer say that all “Africans” are one way, all “English” another, all “Indians” another, and all “Afrikaners” yet another. This is simply not an accurate recognition of the people within these groups. This “authentic recognition” (again, Taylor’s words) will allow us to be more prepared for the chosen behaviours of the individual. These behaviours can no longer be seen as the representative behaviours of the entire “race” or “culture,” but must instead be taken from the individual as genuine or ingenuine, based on that individual alone.

In the case of the interviewee who sits on the floor during an interview, it now becomes the responsibility of the interviewee and the interviewer to discuss whether or not this practice should continue. If the interviewer is uncomfortable with this behaviour, she should express that discomfort to the interviewee. If the interviewee feels that this practice is necessary and dictated by his chosen cultural practices, then he should express this feeling. In this case, no one is automatically expected to assimilate. Instead, a dialogue is developed where a monologue had formerly existed. The colonised had a view of who the coloniser was and vice versa, but these views were created without truly consulting the “other” about his or her identity. Once these misrecognitions can be put aside, we can acknowledge the possibility that each person is equally endowed with reason and dignity but expresses those endowments in different ways. The “African” is not incapable of working with the white in a “Western” organization like a bank, but neither should she be expected to work there. We should allow for the continued choice of identities.

Wow! That was a long explanation, don’t you think? All of your questions not still answered? I know what you mean completely! Since it was so long, I’ll give you a few days to think before posting the next portion of the rationale. If you have any questions, please post them, and hopefully I’ll answer them in the next section (where I’ll tackle question number 2).

Special Day!

2007-04-24T08:51:00.000+02:00

This post should serve as a notice that today, April 24, is a very important day in the life of all of you! Why, you ask? Because today, not so many years ago, Laurie Glenn was born! That’s right, today is my wonderful mother’s birthday! Many of you know that my mother is my best friend and probably my favorite person in the whole world. You also know that I’m not sucking up when I say that! My mother is an incredible person, and today is a day that I wish I could be at home to give her a hug and tell her myself. Luckily for the 21st century girl, I can almost do that in the form of a blog post! You’d like to join me, you say? Okay! Just post a little comment here to my mom telling her happy birthday. It doesn’t matter if you know her or not, it’s just exciting that she’ll get little notes from around the world. Thanks for indulging me. And now, for a blast from Lisa’s past:

That pretty much sums up all of my childhood. Thanks, Mommy. By the way, nice haircut! Funny story: one day my mom came home from getting her hair permed and asked me what I thought. I told her she looked like Gene Shalit, my favorite Today Show movie commentator. Not a complement? Of course it was! It meant that her hair was REALLY curly! I never did have a lot of tact...

While we’re on familial notes, you should know that my dad, the bigshot met with the Governor of Tennessee recently, blah, blah, blah, my sister, the bigshot, has finished her prom preparations (collective sigh of relief), blah, blah, blah, but the big news lies with Carl. Carl, the total bigshot, played percussion for SHERYL CROW last week! Ok, it was tambourine, but he was still onstage with Sheryl Crow! He's taken to calling himself "Carl the Percussionist," as Sheryl called him. So, a family of bigshots. What can I say? We raise them right.

My love to all four of you today! Go out and enjoy the birthday celebration. Mwah!

Cape Town--Part 3

2007-04-18T20:06:00.000+02:00

As you read this, I want you to imagine me with umbrella and galoshes because that’s exactly what I look like today! It has been COLD and rainy. Yuck. I have never been so thankful for galoshes in my entire life! But I digress…

The rest of my time in Cape Town was spent mainly visiting with friends—not nearly as much tourism. Wednesday, Niv and I went to see The Syrian Bride at The Labia Theater (pronunciation is KEY on that one!) which shows foreign films. It was a great film which I would highly recommend! After this, Niv, Jon David, and I went to dinner and (of course) got into the Israel discussion (Niv used to work for APAC, a pro-Israel lobby) and then (of course) onto the religion discussion. I think that one thing that many of us could say after this week is that we’re painfully unaware of others’ religion, but also not nearly educated enough about our own. After talking until almost 3 a.m. we decided to give up the ghost until another day.

On Friday we had planned to go to Robben Island with a friend of Jon David’s who was a prisoner there. Unfortunately, the wind was terrible and ferries didn’t run. I’m hoping to make it to Robben Island when Mommy and Katie come, but at this rate, it’s not a very good bet. Instead, Niv, Elliot, Jon David, Ted, and I trekked to Kirstenbosch Gardens, as Niv had not yet seen the gardens. I know that I have described them before, but I must say again that it’s like the Birmingham Botanical Gardens on speed. Absolutely incredible! We ate lunch at the café there and Niv and I shared a pot of tea, tea sandwiches, biscuits, and chocolate cake. It was really lovely. The rest of the day was spent helping Elliot and Niv prepare for seder and then visiting Wasabi, a sushi restaurant in Cape Town.

To retire the story at this point would be remiss, however, because after our dinner at Wasabi, we were in for quite a South African experience. If you’ve ever wondered if security features on cars which are supposed to keep thieves from stealing your car actually keep YOU from stealing your car, the answer is YES! JD has what is called an immobilizer, where the engine will not start with just the key, but also requires a signal from a little clicker. When this clicker doesn’t function correctly, let’s just say you get another 4 hours of quality time with your closest friends! The five of us waiting for hours suddenly turned into camp with games of Miss Mary Mack, slapjack, and Black Magic. So, crisis averted and a good time had by all—except Jon David, of course, who was a little concerned about the car.

The next morning, we found that JD could transfer a battery into the clicker, and all was well. I then went to help Elliot and Niv with seder preparations. It was Elliot’s first time to host a seder, and I think we can all agree that it went very well. For those of you who have never attended a seder, it is a Jewish meal designed to celebrate the Passover story. There are symbolic foods, prayers, and acts which are intended to educate those present about Passover and the Jewish faith. Of course, you can’t have any normal seder with Elliot and Niv, and it was really more like Jewish Whose Line Is It Anyway, with skits and reading parts, etc. We all learned a lot, which was good since only one of the 14 guests were Jewish! Though this story is a part of my own faith tradition (and even a popular Vacation Bible School story), I must say that I had never paid nearly this much attention to its content, so I was glad to have a chance to learn a little more about the story.

Sunday was Easter and Jon David (who is Presbyterian by way of the Charismatic church) was gracious and allowed me to choose the church service. Missing Highlands and the Rutter Requiem, I chose St. George’s Cathedral, the Anglican Cathedral which is the seat of the Anglican Diocese in South Africa and former home to Archbishop Desmond Tutu. I got to hear the Mozart Missa Brevis, so I was relatively satiated. By this time, our friend Ben had arrived from Grahamstown, and was with us for church, as was Niv (his first Christian service!). It was different than all of us were used to, but a beautiful service all the same.

Jon David, Ben, and I chose to share a little of our culture with our friends in Cape Town, and invited friends over for Southern Sunday dinner in honor of Easter and of South African Family Day (the next day). We spent the day making macaroni and cheese, banana bread, peach cobbler, green beans, corn, and brought in some KFC! You know you had KFC on Easter in the park, don’t lie. And, to top it all off, we made some super-sweet sweet tea! It was really a lot of fun. To top the evening off (after another long religious discussion—we’re good at these), we watched Big Fish.

Monday was just a wrap-up day. I had brunch with Elliot and then went to the internet café while JD slept and studied (he had quite the presentation later in the week). The treat of that night was going to Africa Café with Katy and her friend Jeff who were in town on holiday! Africa Café serves a little of all kinds of African cuisine and includes singing and dancing! It was great to eat with friends! JD and Jeff even got to reminisce about Alabama (while Katy and I gagged).

I left on Tuesday with rain overhead and returned to a busy, sunny Jo’burg, and there I’ve remained! Hope you’ve enjoyed my adventures! Extra notes for today include that I have the best friends in the world: a postcard from Lenor in DC, a postcard from Allison in Las Vegas, and pictures of daffodils from Natalie--you all know me and love me so well! Also, my brother got to play tambourine with Sheryl Crow last night. He's a big deal. Now, as Daddy always tells me, “get back to work!”

Cape Town, Part II

2007-04-14T16:47:00.000+02:00

On Monday morning, we were scheduled to go to Robben Island for a tour. Elliot and Niv had planned to meet us, but weren’t assured of getting tickets, as you have to book WAAAY in advance in order to be sure of getting tickets. As things went, the guys couldn’t get tickets, so JD and I decided to renig on ours in order to spend the day with our friends. We wandered around the Waterfront and showed Niv the sights since he hadn’t even been in town a week—not that he really needed our help, it was just more fun that way. We browsed the CD store considered to have the best selection of African music around (I bought Norah Jones, Oliver Mtikudzi, and Amandla!, a compilation of music of the apartheid struggle) and then headed to a long lunch and discussion. As always happens, JD and I were called upon to be the voice of the South—too bad we don’t form much of a unified voice, as I consider myself mostly a Democrat, and he mostly a Republican! Regardless, it’s always nice to hear what is thought in another part of the U.S. since we don’t get much differentiation of thought in the South sometimes.

After lunch, we wandered over to the aquarium which, while it doesn’t even begin to rival Chattanooga, was really nice. There was a huge shark tank (I thought about you, Katie) with manta rays and sea turtles (and you, Mommy), as well. If you’ve never taken a five-year-old to the aquarium, a good substitute would be taking Elliot, who was fascinated by all of the nerd wisdom supplied by myself and Niv. I have a feeling that Niv and I spent similar childhoods reading ridiculous books and going on field trips with our parents…anyway, it was great! We saw Flotsam- and Jetsam-style eels, huge crabs, tiny seahorses, and even got to touch sea anenomes! We had a great time, even though we had to cover it all in an hour—quite a push for us!

Tuesday was definitely my favorite day, by far. We set out at 9 a.m. for Boulder’s Beach and the Cape of Good Hope. Those of you who have been cheating on facebook have already seen pictures of this, but it’s worth another look. The drive to Boulder’s Beach took us about 45 minutes, and we spent it playing ridiculous music (think Toto’s Africa, etc.) and singing.

We were fortunate when we arrived to meet a parking attendant who directed us away from the main penguin colony to an area of beach where you could actually get really close to the penguins. It’s situated under a few houses (oh, to have an ocean and penguin view!) and was relatively deserted. This was great for me! Those of you

who know me well can imagine me traipsing through the knee-deep water taking pictures of sea life, penguins, and the ocean. Niv, JD, and I took a quick trip to childhood, singing “It’s a Jolly Holiday with Mary” and dancing like penguins. I even got some great penguin waddling footage which I will post if I can ever convince the powers that be at Wits that video isn’t sooo bad for taking up bandwidth.

After probably an hour or more of hanging out with the penguins, the guys suggested that we go (I was still in the water at this point) in order to get to Cape Point for lunch. I relented, but really could have stayed in that spot for another two hours or so.

Thus, we began the drive to Cape Point, another 30 minute drive or so. This drive follows the coastline where with a little fog, we saw some of the most amazing views yet—keyword yet. JD had suggested that we eat at the restaurant at Cape Point, which was definitely a good choice. It looks out over the bay from about halfway up the mountain and served some wonderful cuisine including ostrich fillet and biltong salad (biltong is a specifically South African delicacy. It’s basically jerky of many different types). We then set out on the trek up the mountain to the lighthouse at Cape Point. It only took about 30 minutes and was a beautiful hike (though it’s paved, it’s incredibly steep). I stopped at every lizard that I saw (which was a bunch) and made the guys stop while I took pictures of aloe for Carl. No, Carl’s not really interested in aloe, but after doing a long research project on it, I felt like he deserved to see that it really does exist in Africa. The view from the lighthouse was beautiful, regardless of the fog all around. In fact, I think the fog added to the mystique a bit.

The most important part of the day, however, was seeing the Cape of Good Hope which technically lies below Cape Point at the water’s edge. This was important mostly because Daniel taunted me with pictures of BSC students at the Cape for my entire last year at BSC. I insisted that we go and I get my picture taken with that sign! On our way to the waterfront, we saw a huge backup of cars and began to get really excited. In this area, the only thing that a backup of cars can mean is baboons! And we were lucky—we saw about five baboons sitting within feet of the road. That made JD a little nervous with all of our windows down, considering that baboons are the African equivalent of wild dogs. As we continued on our drive downhill, we found ostrich—about five of them—and a few by the water. I think the picture of an ostrich grazing by the ocean is just ridiculous, you know? I mean, how Alice in Wonderland can my life get?! We also saw eland, but they were so far away that we never would have gotten pictures.

The Cape of Good Hope is situated under a large cliff where the water crashes against the rocks and creates a magnificent spray. Someone (I think Niv) noted that the boulders and rocks all around looked like rainbow sherbet with their striped color variations. We all sat on one of the large boulders and took in the scenery. We realized while sitting that we were on top of a large colony of some kind of insect closely resembling a roach. Instead of being repulsed, we were of course fascinated and began to taunt them by waving our feet nearby at which point the bugs would scatter and fall like a waterfall all over the rocks. I don’t have any pictures but Niv does, so maybe eventually you’ll get to see. I’m talking millions of bugs, here!

After taking a picture with the sign (I wore my BSC shirt just for this occasion), we retreated to the car to begin heading back to the Mother City. As we were leaving the park, we saw a wildfire and water bombs being dropped by helicopters. It was really pretty cool. We continued toward town by way of the Atlantic seaboard and saw some of the MOST beautiful vistas of the entire day, the best of which was the Chapman’s Peak Drive.

We stopped in at Hout Bay to see what all the fuss was about with this area and to get a little snack of fish and chips. We couldn’t see much since there was such a thick fog by this time of day, but we were still quite entertained. We happened to run into these two girls:

The Doublemint Twins, you ask? I would agree. They were raising money for a local hospital by presenting their very own variety show and selling small grandma-esque trinkets to passersby. Their entire schtick was in unison—the entire thing! They offered to sing in Afrikaans, English, French, Spanish, Xhosa, Hebrew, etc., etc. Being our feisty selves, we decided on Xhosa (the African language with the most click sounds) and Hebrew (Niv and Elliot are Jewish and speak good Hebrew…ok, that’s an assumption on my part, but suffice to say that they would know good versus bad Hebrew). The girls were really pretty terrible on both accounts, but considering their efforts and the fact that it was entirely in unison, we were really pretty impressed and donated what change we had. It really was very funny.

Obviously, Tuesday was a really fun day—the highlight of the trip for me—and so I think I’ll leave you with that for a while. The rest of the week includes less dramatic interpretation, but was still enjoyable, and I think I can finish it in just one more post, we’ll see. In other news, I am taking the job at McAuley House School, so as Katie says, welcome back to 1956! Actually, it’s not that antiquated, but there will be sewing and cooking. I have also managed to get another 2 80s on papers, so I’m feeling good about my academic standing and my ability to take on another responsibility and still do well. We have new ducklings (I think for Easter), and though it’s getting colder, it’s still quite nice. Think September weather. I have had irises for the entire time I’ve been here, so I’m pretty happy about that, though I’ve seen not a single daffodil. I do love daffodils. All is well here. Love you all so.

Cape Town Fall Break, Part I

2007-04-12T21:17:00.000+02:00

Table Mountain from the airplane

A vacation in Cape Town was a very good thing for me. I haven’t felt truly relaxed and as if nothing matters to be finished in quite some time. So, this trip was a very good idea. Jon David was extremely gracious, even going so far as to let me sleep in the bed and he on the air mattress in the living room; in other words, I was definitely pampered. Not to mention that his apartment has a view of the ocean right out the front door and Table Mountain out the back windows! I am pretty jealous. It’s probably a good thing that I don’t live there, considering that I might never get any work done.

Once I got in on Wednesday, JD had a class, so I walked around UCT on my own. Here are some pictures of this beautiful campus:

You walk to class this way every day if you go to UCT! That is Table Mountain hidden by all of those clouds.

Playing fields with Cape Town in the background

Next, we went to walk around the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront a bit. Jon David says it's his favorite place in the city, which is nice since it's within 10 minutes walk of his flat! There is a mall, many shops, and usually street entertainment there. Here are a few pics:

JD and I at the distance sign at the V&A Waterfront. That says San Francisco 16,690km!

Who knew Rotary put up this sign?!

The sea lion that tried to eat JD and me!

On Thursday, we headed to Camps Bay for a little time on the beach. Camps Bay is situated under Table Mountain just through the pass between Lion’s Head and Table Mountain. The beach itself is sandy, but the sand is very coarse, as it has been created by years of weathering of the huge boulders strewn about the shores of the ocean, many of which remain there still. The water is cold or, more accurately, frigid. A trip into the water as far as one’s knees makes one’s legs seem to disappear under her. Most of our time at the beach was spent lying out and watching the group of hundreds of adolescents push each other into the water.

Thursday was completed by going to the beginning of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival (the free part) in Green Market Square with Jennifer and Elliot, two of the Cape Town Rotary Scholars and Elliot’s roommate Niv. It wasn’t the best jazz we’ve ever heard but it was a wonderful atmosphere.

Friday was mostly consumed by Jon David’s classes, but we did get a chance to meet some of his friends. One such friend spent a few years at Robben Island and now works there as a tour guide. We also ran into several of the Cape Town Rotary Scholars. It was a very collegiate day, finished by watching The Motorcycle Diaries, one of Jon David’s favorites.

On Saturday we headed to a meeting for Rotary Youth Leadership Association in Tyger Valley and from there drove to Stellenbosch in the Cape wine region. Stellenbosch is beautiful and very quaint, set neatly within the mountains. There are small antique shops and book stores which we browsed for a good amount of time. We found the second oldest church in the country there, a Dutch Reformed Church (of course), and walked around its grounds and cemetery. It had beautiful white spires and stained glass windows and a beautiful view of the mountains. That evening, we met up with Emily A. and Emily K. (two more CT Rotary Scholars) to eat dinner and watch Wit, Jon David’s favorite movie. It is quite good—the story of a professor who studies the Holy Sonnets of John Donne and contracts stage four ovarian cancer. I liked it, much to JD’s surprise.

Sunday we visited the Sea Point Methodist Church—which could be dead within two years if things continue the way they are now. It was a nice service, though, even with a choir of six people who were not getting anywhere except to a joyful noise. We ate lunch with Jon David’s friend Madalitso, a Malawian who now lives in Mozambique (Maputo, no less! Needless to say, we were fast friends) and is studying politics at UCT, and his friend Nema, a Tanzanian also studying politics. I really enjoyed Nema—she is quite the feminist, progressive thinker. We talked politics and religion for about three hours—what a treat! We then went to pick up “the girls” (Jennifer and the Emilies) and headed to Kirstenbosch for the last concert of the summer. Turns out that the band was pretty terrible, so we wandered around Kirstenbosch for a while. After we finished at Kirstenbosch, we headed to the mall to watch a movie. We considered Babel and Volver, but opted for the much more intelligent chick flick Because I Said So, with Mandy Moore and Diane Keaton. I should know better than this—I HATE Mandy Moore. She’s simply a poor actress, and she always insists on singing in every movie. If you want to be a singer, be a singer, not an actress. Anyway, it was, as expected, less than inspired, but a good laugh and a good time had by all.

So that completes most of the first week—I’ll include the second week later. And yes, Elliot, I do plan to finish the “cultural amalgamation” post. Hold your horses. Other big news around here includes Lisa getting a 100% on her first big human rights paper and the possibility of a job at McAuley House School teaching technology (our tech and home ec. equivalent). So, things are getting back to normal in Jo’burg. On a personal note, thanks Mere for the postcard from Santiago!

I'm back!

2007-04-10T21:09:00.000+02:00

Well, friends, I have returned to Jozi and am now getting back into the swing of classes. I just wanted to post a brief update to let you know that I am back and checking emails, so I'd love to get some and that I will post pictures SOON! In fact, I tried to do some tonight, and for whatever reason the CD didn't burn correctly. Go figure. So it will be at least Thurs. before it gets done, but it will get done, promise.

Cape Town was wonderful--I will post a real update on that soon, no worries!

My love to you all! Happy Easter! For you HUMC people, know that I was well taken care of for Easter at St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town. Though Desmond was not there, it was still beautiful with the Mozart Missa Brevis and good friends. Emmy sent me pictures of your wonderful service, including Ms. Penny's Easter bonnet, so I was well filled in. Easter far away was just as loving as one at home, though I missed you all dearly. Let me know how your Easter was!

On a more personal note...

2007-03-26T20:15:00.000+02:00

I have been instructed to post something more personal this time, and so I’ll comply since I’m about to be out of pocket for a while. The last few weeks have been consumed with meetings, lectures, and preparing midterm essays, so there really isn’t a lot that’s too interesting to tell. I have figured out my classes and arranged an independent study in lieu of next semester’s cancelled course. I haven’t gotten more interested in my two compulsory courses. I have, however, made a few side trips that I thought you might find a little more scintillating than the details of my lectures.

1. The Apartheid Museum. This museum is a remembrance of all the factors which combined to create apartheid: pass laws, white fear, the works of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, the Soweto Student Uprising, etc. If you aren’t so good on your South African history, here is a link to the Wikipedia site on apartheid. It would really help you in understanding what I’m doing this year. Anyway, I’ve been to the Apartheid Museum twice now, both times for two hours, and am still only about 2/3 of the way through the museum. I like to read everything—you know me. Here are some pictures of the museum.

The pillars of post-apartheid South Africa. Not pictured are several others including reconciliation and truth.

Admission to the museum--you enter through the "white" and "non-white" entrances

An example of a South African identity card. Note that the woman pictured isn't just black, she's identified as Swazi as well. This is because blacks couldn't even all live together--they were forced into "homelands" of like tribes.

The definition of apartheid--"the system of segregation or descrimination on grounds of race inforced in South Africa 1948-1991."

2. The Hector Pietersen Memorial. Hector Pieterson was the first student killed in the Soweto Student Uprising (click for link) of 1976, which marks the beginning of black resistance to apartheid as well as state violence in dealing with black resistance. The memorial is dedicated to the student uprising and discusses the resistance of blacks to the state mandate of education for all students in Afrikaans, the language of the oppressor. It was really, really interesting for an educator.

Picture of Hector Pieterson being carried by another student and followed by his sister, Antoinette Sithole.

Marker placed by Nelson Mandela

View of Soweto from the Memorial

3. This weekend, I visited Calvary Methodist in Midrand to participate in the Manna and Mercy course offered by the pastor, Alan Storey. The course serves as a brief introduction to the Bible and provides a framework for understanding and interpreting scripture: that God desires a giving and forgiving people. Anyway, we discussed a lot about the context of scripture—things that the peoples who developed the scriptures would have understood just by being in their context. For example, the number 40 was not understood as a number, but the symbol for “a lot.” So, 40 years in the wilderness meant a lot of years, not necessarily 40 exactly. Also, the “rod” was a pointer by the rabbi used to help the congregation follow the scriptures. So, “spare the rod, spoil the child.” As a result of failing to seek out context, we fail to understand scriptures correctly. Very interesting!

4. For worship Sunday I attended Calvary for the early service. Calvary is a multi-race, multi-class church in Midrand, the halfway point between Jo’burg and Pretoria. The church has lots of ministries for the disadvantaged in the Midrand community and works toward active understanding of social justice issues within its own congregation. It reminds me of my own Highlands UMC in Birmingham. After attending the early service at Calvary, Alan took me to Ebony Park Methodist where he was preaching for their service. EPM is a more traditional African church with a service entirely in Zulu and members dressed in traditional Methodist attire (black suit with white shirt and red vest for men and red top with white collar, black skirt, shoes, and hoes for women). They danced and sang with vigor and welcomed me to their congregation by asking me to pray for them. It was lovely.

Finally, some views of Jo'burg from my various side trips. Hope you enjoy!

I love this sign! It's for Cell C and it's HUGE!

I live near the white tower, which is on the Wits campus.

They have great sunsets here--which leads to the question whether or not I am shaving years off my life breathing in all this smog!

So, I’ve had a good few weeks, despite papers on epistemic paternalism and the frameworks of human rights in light of shifting conceptions of human identity. On Wednesday I leave for Cape Town to visit Jon David, a friend from Birmingham who is also on a Rotary at University of Cape Town. We plan to live it up for a couple of weeks, so I won’t promise a blog post during that time. But I promise to include installment two of “cultural amalgamation issues” upon my return, so keep those thinking caps on. I will also promise pictures.

I love and miss all of you, have no doubt. I covet your emails and pictures and facebook messages. Thanks for all of your support. On a personal note: a belated Happy Birthday to my Uncle Denny! Congrats to Rebecca and Charles on their marriage! Congrats to Ben Marsh on becoming a Fulbright Scholar! I joy in your celebrations, even when I’m not around to hug you in person.

Public Holiday!

2007-03-21T16:23:00.000+02:00

Hello, friends! Today is a public holiday in South Africa, and a great one, at that. Today is Human Rights Day, intended to commemorate the apartheid struggle and to bring light to every day issues of human rights. In honor of this important day, I wanted to share with you the first two verses of a favorite hymn of mine and my family’s. Hope you enjoy it!

This is My Song
Words: Lloyd Stone, 1943
Music: Jean Sibelius, 1899
Copied from The United Methodist Hymnal

This is my song, O God of all the nations,
A song of peace for lands afar and mine.
This is my home, the country where my heart is,
Here are my hopes, my dreams, my holy shrine
But other hearts in other lands are beating
With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,
And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine;
But other lands have sunlight too, and clover,
And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.
O hear my song, thou God of all the nations,
A song of peace for their land and for mine.

Human Rights Day is a really important day in South Africa which is used as further catharsis in the painful journey through and out of apartheid. Too bad the US doesn't have a similar day, don't you think? On this Human Rights Day, remember not only the importance of respecting the human rights of those in other lands but also the every day acts that honor or besmirch human rights in your own life.

Cultural Amalgamation Issues

2007-03-14T19:13:00.000+02:00

I realize that there are some of you who read this with your children, and for those of you I’d like to suggest that you screen this before reading it together—the rating for this post is mature audiences only. I promise to post pictures soon for the Brents and Kyles of my readership!

The issue of multiculturalism comes up a lot in South Africa, as I’m sure you can imagine. At Wits alone, we have Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Christians, Atheists, Blacks, Whites, Indians, Coloureds (a term meaning mixed-racial and also representing a distinct cultural group in the Eastern Cape), Zulus, Sothos, Xhosas, Afrikaaners, British, etc., etc. There is no way to go out your door and know who you will see that day in most instances. We are constantly confronted here with the issues that face a multicultural society. As a result, there is a lot of debate about how society as a whole should handle these differing influences. A friend in one of my classes rightly called these quandaries “cultural amalgamation issues.” I wanted to present to you what we’ve been talking about in Human Rights class as a set of questions first and then in a second installment, I’ll discuss what we have concluded in class. (I know, I know, I’m being a teacher again. It’s in my blood, what can I say?)

1. When in a multicultural society, who should assimilate?

To elaborate on this, let me give a few examples. I think I’ve made some of the cultural influences of South Africa clear, but a quick and dirty explanation would be that South Africa was originally populated by many cultural groups, most of them what is considered black and was colonized by two main cultural groups, both of which were what is considered white. So, there was a blending of a traditionally “African” worldview (this is a VERY broad generalization) and a traditionally “European” worldview (again, broad). These two distinct worldviews come into conflict in many ways due to misunderstandings of each other’s beliefs, customs, and behaviors. One example is this: until recently (and still sometimes) when a person from a particular black culture would come to be interviewed for a job, he or she would insist on sitting on the floor as a sign of respect. Who in this case should assimilate to the other’s practice? Should anyone? An assumption inherent in colonialism was that the colonialised culture should assimilate.

2. Who decides which practices are right and which are wrong?

In several African cultures, there is an embracing of what many Westerners would consider to be misogynistic views. It is customary for the wife to bow to the husband as he is served, to have no right as to when conjugal acts occur, to prepare the affairs of the house (including all of the children), and not to be educated. Please note here that I am not suggesting that in one cultural group all of these events occur, simply that they are common throughout African cultural groups. Even in relatively “metropolitan” households, a son is still named “The one we have waited for has arrived,” even though there are already multiple daughters in the family. Most Westerners would consider these practices to be clearly degrading to women. How do we determine whether or not a cultural practice should be contested? Which values should be used—those of the culture or those of the “rest of the world”? Since these examples are “affairs of the home” and “more difficult to determine on a group basis” (we’ll flesh that out later), let me diverge to an example which you may find to be less in the grey area.

There are several African cultures which practice the ritual of “Female Circumcision,” also called “Female Genital Mutilation” in some groups (not within the cultural group performing the circumcisions). This practice involves the excision of the clitoris and sometimes portions of the labia minora and labia majora, rendering the female unable to experience sexual stimulation. It is understood that this ritual originally occurred to guarantee the virginity of a woman at her marriage as well as to discourage female promiscuity. Regardless the reason, it is considered a rite of passage and is staunchly defended on cultural grounds by men and women in the cultural groups who perform the ceremony. Is this practice categorically wrong? What if the woman chooses to be circumcised? Whose values do we use to judge? On what basis do we condemn? Health? Mysogyny?

As you can see, there are many slippery slopes when it comes to the successful mixing of cultures, and decisions made must be made rationally and soberly. I’d love your thoughts on this topic, whether by email or comment. If you want to email but don’t mind me posting part of your response anonymously, let me know. Since part of my job here is to educate, I think I ought to use this forum to do so.

Africa time

2007-03-07T09:48:00.000+02:00

I have thought about posting several times this week but haven't done it because I feel as if I don’t have anything to talk about. It’s the first time that I’ve begun to feel not only settled, but even a little bored! But more than that, I’ve been frustrated. Then I realized that the whole reason I have a blog is to let you know what’s going on with me, and why not do that even when what’s going on with me is neither entertaining nor extremely upbeat? So, here goes.

As you know, I do not have internet in my room. Living in West Campus Village is lovely except for that. I have to go to the lab in order to get internet, and then it’s excruciatingly slow. For those of you who are interested, that’s because there’s a huge bandwidth monopoly here. The university ends up paying out the nose for internet and as a result makes it generally not fun for us to use. This would be fine if all I had to do was respond to you wonderful peoples’ emails. Unfortunately, I have to do some research at some point—shocking? So downloading pdf files or anything else becomes near to impossible. Thus, I have decided that it would be best to move to International House. Unfortunately, IH has few openings and the people in charge tend to “lose” your application (does this sound familiar—are you having flashbacks yet? I am). As a result, I have spent the last two weeks talking to 10 different housing directors and basically running in circles to no avail. I do, however, have one housing director (sadly the one for IH) who asks me for presents a lot. Gross.

In addition to this, I have been having trouble with my course set-up. As I’ve told you, I am not in the master’s program, which is where I should have been placed. Instead, I’m taking courses at the Honors level. This is not terrible except that two of the courses are entirely remedial for me. We’re talking about quantitative research—seriously? I’ve done this since Psych 101. So, I get bored. In the Hons. Program you take two mandatory courses and then get to choose two electives. I love the first elective, which is Human Rights—I’ve told you about how wonderful it is. The second course was supposed to be Democracy in Education, but it has been cancelled! This basically means that I’m wasting my time right now because if I can’t take that second course, then there’s no reason for me to complete the Hons. Degree which will be useless to me in the States. This all adds up to a lot of frustration. But I’m going through the “proper channels” and trying to arrange an independent study. I’ll keep you updated on that.

This may not seem to you to be a lot of frustration, and that’s probably because when you have a problem, you go to the source and you fix it. To help you understand my situation, let me give you a few examples of my interactions here:

Going to the bank to pay for my language course:

Lisa: Hi, I need to link my account for a transfer on the ATM.
Lady at desk: Well, we can’t do the transfer, but you can do it on the ATM.
Lisa: Right, good.
Lady: May I have your passport and debit card?
Lisa: I don’t carry my passport with me, but I have my ID card and my debit card and I can tell you my debit card number (thinking all the while that a North American passport could go for about R20.000 on the black market).
Lady: No, I need your passport.
Lisa: Well, I can give you my ID card and tell you my passport number.
Lady: No, I need your passport. I can’t do it without your passport number.
Lisa: Well, I can tell you that, I just don’t have the passport here.
Lady: Then we can’t complete the transfer.
Lisa: You absolutely have to have the passport?
Lady: Yes.
Lisa: Ok, well (really reluctantly) thank you.
Lady: Pleasure!

No. Not a pleasure. In fact, that’s the definition of NOT a pleasure.

Going to check on my course registration

Lisa: Hi, my second semester option didn’t show up on my registration and I was just wondering if this was a problem.
English faculty attendant: Umm…I don’t know…No, I’m sure it’s not a problem.
(TWO DAYS LATER)
Lisa: Nazir, I was just wondering…I already checked with the faculty office, but my Democracy course didn’t show up on my registration. Is this a problem?
Nazir: Oh, yes, definitely. In fact, I think they’ve cancelled that course. They didn’t let you know?

No, they didn’t.

So, you’re beginning to get an idea of what I’m dealing with. No one knows the answer, but they’ll gladly make things more difficult for you. Or, they’ll send you to someone else who doesn’t know and who doesn’t even have any idea what your situation is. It gets old.

This is not all to complain, it’s just to share with you some frustrations. I went to a very small college for undergrad, and frankly it was very student-centered. I worked in housing. I would rather DIE than work for housing here. I can’t even imagine! All I have to say is that between my dad, Dana Bekurs, Deb Sells, and Kathy Kano, we’d have this place ship-shape if I were in charge! Well, ok. If Daddy were in charge. As you can tell, this just isn’t what I’m used to, and it does get frustrating. I keep remembering Stewart and Terry reminding us of "Africa time" last year. I've found that for me, Africa time is not frustrating when you're in the country. But when you're in the city and still have to get things done, it's a killer. It’s the little stressors that get you, you know?!

Sorry that this week’s update isn’t more upbeat, but I knew that you’d be just as glad to share in my trials as in my exultations. I do have some exultations, though. Katy, some of Katy's English friends, and I went to a restaurant that serves all kinds of game meat on Sunday and it was a treat. Tomorrow I'm going out with some new friends (Americans, but with the goal to meet other people). This weekend should be a fun one spent with Lynne and Peter, so that should help a lot. All in all, life is still very good, just a little unnerving sometimes. Hope you are all having stress-free weeks. Love to you all.

Sala hantle (stay well).

Special everydays

2007-03-03T11:22:00.000+02:00

So this week obviously hasn't been as exciting as last week (who can top Cape Town, the African look-alike of my favorite city, San Francisco?!), but it has been nice all the same. I have had some special everydays, by which I mean that nothing incredible happened, but it was still special. I think that any good week should be filled with special everydays. So, let me fill you in on three:

1. On Tuesday I began my SeSotho class. To answer the obvious question, yes, Sotho is an ethnic group in South Africa. So, why SeSotho, you ask? Well, the Se before Sotho denotes language. Zulu and Xhosa (said with an initial click that I can totally say) also do this, adding Isi- to the rest of the word. So, I have begun SeSotho. I can now greet you, tell you my name, where I live, my age, my cell number, my birthday, and that I'm not married (some of you are very relieved by this, I know). Anyway, I have to study a lot because the sentence structure, etc. is very different than English. So the first special everyday came on Wednesday when I greeted my Lesotho friend Isaac in SeSotho and he then made me do it for Eunice and Dumisani who both maintain that I speak exceptionally well for a white person from the States. Obviously, it made my day! I am now doubly excited about studying SeSotho and am determined to be the best Southern-American-accented SeSotho speaker around.

2. On Thursday, I got back from SeSotho and was tired, but still had to eat dinner. I walked over to see Pascalia and she immediately insisted that I come in, as she and Janet were braaing meat and watching a South African soap. Not only did she feed me some wonderful braai, but she also made the traditional African dish, pap! Pap is much like grits, but without any of the fancy schmancy things we might add to it like salt or butter or cheese. It's also much smoother than grits. You eat entirely with your hands (they say it doesn't taste as good with a fork), and you roll the pap into little balls. Any of you who ever ate sack lunches at elementary school would be good at that--think bread balls. So, we sat and watched this soap about a woman who is a South African doctor whose mother is possessed and she has to decide between Western medicine and African beliefs, and ate our dinners. It was a very special everyday.

3. Last night, Katy, Ursula and I went to see the Drakensberg Boys Choir in their farewell concert before they leave for the States for the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) convention in Miami. I know that some of you may be going to ACDA, and if so, be sure you don't miss this opportunity. These boys are incredible! They did a version of Bohemian Rhapsody, some Ravel, two new pieces by a South African composer named Martin Watt, some traditional African music and dancing, and a great version of the Star-Spangled Banner. They were really, really wonderful. Want to see them? Well, you're in luck because they're touring the country. You Birmingham folks don't have a show, but there is one in ATL and one in Nashville! Here is the website: http://www.dbchoir.info/. I'm telling you, you won't be disappointed! That special everyday made me excited about all the special everydays to come here. There's always something new and exciting to do!

Love to you all! Hope birthdays were happy this week. Oh, and props to Lenor for the Pictures of Alabama postcard (dude, that thing had a green light on Vulcan--how old is it?!), and Carrie and Donnovin for the pictures over email! I love hearing from you!

Cape Town!

2007-02-27T12:15:00.000+02:00

On Friday I flew to Cape Town with three of the other Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars from Jo’burg for an orientation conference. The conference included all of the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars in southern Africa as well as a few African outbound scholars. I had been really excited about this opportunity both because I was really excited about getting to visit Cape Town and the chance to meet all of the other scholars. It turns out that this year’s South African scholars are mostly Americans with a few other nationalities here and there, including German and Swiss. We gathered at the Mountain Manor Backpackers Lodge at the base of Table Mountain and began the day with a light lunch. Lunch was a treat because it was brought by the Cape Town scholars of which my friend Jon David is one, and it was great to see him after a few weeks—we both had lots of stories to tell about getting settled in. Before we got started, some of us did some exploring and found this wonderful mural:

After lunch and socializing we went to the Cape Regional Chamber of Commerce for a talk about the South African economy. Here are some highlights: 70% of Africa’s electricity is produced in South Africa; Gauteng Province (where Jo’burg is located) makes up 34% of SA’s GDP; Cape Town gets 1.6 mil visitors/year; SA has a 25% unemployment rate; Namibia is 85% dependent on the SA economy; SAPP, the South African Paper and Pulp company, supplies much of the US’s paper supply.

The day culminated with a walk up Lion’s Head, which is across from Table Mountain. To get you oriented, here are a few pictures.

Table Mountain--see, it looks like a table!

Cape Town from the base of Lion's Head

Table Mountain from Lion's Head

The bay and more of CT from Lion's Head

Me and Jon David climbing Lion's Head. Who took this picture and didn't tell us that Jon David's eyes were closed?! Shame.

A parasailing trip we saw as we hiked up Lion's Head. Jon David and I put that on "the list" for when I come to visit. Katie and Mommy, should we put that on your list?

The entire group in the cave at the top, drinking champagne. Thanks, Trevor!

We climbed up the peak and had champagne and snacks in a cave near the top. We then began our descent to the surprise drum circle Trevor Wilkins (the illustrious coordinator of the weekend) had planned for us. We played drums and generally had a good time while the sun set in front of us over the Atlantic Ocean (yes, I thought about you all so far away!)

Drumming with our drum master--getting "crazy like him"

The entire group drumming with Table Mountain in the background

Next was dinner at Trevor and Liz’s, which was lovingly prepared by Liz. It was wonderful, and a great chance for us to chat with some new friends. Ben (Ole Miss) and I spent our evening describing to Aadila (South African outbound to San Diego) the Southern fascination with football. We decided that she probably just needs to marry a “footballer.” She was excited to hear about the customs and wants to come see it in person when we return to the states. I don’t think I’ll take her to a BSC game…but maybe Ben or Jon David can take her to Ole Miss or UA.

The following day was a long day of meetings about Rotary. We learned a lot about the programs with which we can be involved, what our finances will be, what Rotary’s expectations of scholars are, etc. It was a generally informative and very interesting day. I thought you might like to know a little about the SA legal system (which is only 12 years old), so here are some interesting points: there is a Constitution much like ours, a Constitutional Court, and a house of Parliament; abortion, gay marriage, and felon suffrage are legal while corporal punishment and capital punishment are not; and only 2% of prisoners in SA are women! During dinner on this day, we had yet another chance to explain the South to our friend Bianca who will travel from Namibia to Houston for her Rotary year. She was so confused about the white clothing rule. Anyone know a good reason for that other than “just because”?

Ilya, Elliot, Lisa, Ursula, Ashley, Charlotte, and Priya enjoying "sundowners" at the Royal Cape Yacht Club

Our final day in Cape Town began with a dragon boat race—this is exactly what it sounds like—along the Victoria and Alfred (V&A) Waterfront. We even saw seals!! You can imagine where my focus was…Here are some pictures of that event.

I'm in the purple shirt. If you look carefully you can see the dragon painted on the side of the boat.

Here's a better view!

Aren't I cute? And doesn't Ilya look scary?!

We're saying "winners," but that was a total lie. Sorry, Christopher.

Next we drove out to Stellenbosch to the Rustenberg Wine Estate whose dairy herd is attended to by Trevor’s son-in-law. The estate had a beautiful English garden of which I promise to post pictures once I receive them. We drank wine and had a braai (South African barbecue) and generally enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Check it out.

Aadilah (Durban), Lisa, and Amy (Houston, TX) at the Wine Estate. You can't see the dead cow in the background, which is good, but I still felt I needed to tell you about it.

The entire scholars group

Next we traveled out to Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden for a concert on the green. Kirstenbosch is located at the foot of Table Mountain. Pictures of that to come. Afterward, the group was hungry and we headed out to Primi for a pizza dinner. Elliot (CT scholar) and I shared the Austin Powers pizza (yeah, baby) and discussed our plans for the year. Primi serves long island iced teas in teapots—what a great idea! I always think I should go into the restaurant business…This was a great way to wrap up the weekend and talk with all of our new-found friends. We now all have somewhere to stay no matter what city we visit, and people to take care of who will be going to San Diego and Houston! It was a great, celebratory event and wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of Liz and Trevor Wilkins and several other key Rotarians. We were so blessed!

Today I return to the real world of school and work. Maybe by tomorrow I’ll have caught up on my sleep from the weekend and can begin to get some good work done (my dad’s email signature rings in my head—“now get back to work!”).

Love to you all and to your families and friends. Know that I miss you and love you. Would love to see some pictures of all of you—even if they’re boring! Oh, and happy belated birthday to Stephanie and early birthday to Peter Ward and Lynn Miles! Lynn, make Gail take you out somewhere fun.

My Traitor's Heart

2007-02-20T09:15:00.000+02:00

I just finished reading an extremely honest book that I'd like to recommend to all of you looking for a good read and thinking, "there must be some way for me to catch up with my South African history and knowledge." It's called My Traitor's Heart, and it is written by Rian Malan, descendant of former Prime Minister D.F. Malan.

The Malan family are Afrikaners, and so Rian's understanding of South Africa is filtered through an inevitably supremacist ideology. D.F. Malan was the first Nationalist Prime Minister, a member of the entirely-Afrikaner party. He was one of the first and "best" architects of apartheid, a strong believer in socialist and Calvinist world order--in his own view. Says D.F. Malan of the then-future of South Africa and apartheid, "Socialism has done an invaluable service to humanity, and not the least to Christianity itself, by turning its searchlights on the evils of the existing system. We hope and pray that Christianity and socialism may be so guided in their future development that the deep yearning, the widespread movements, and even the passions and the violence of the age may prove to be but the birthpangs of a better social world." Wow. A better social world through the oppression of the masses. In great honesty, many white South Africans will tell you that while the world might not have been better under apartheid, it was much certainly easier. Everyone was given a place in society and there existed an easily-defined code of conduct for every individual based on his or her race.

Rian Malan discusses his evolution as a liberal Afrikaaner who did not believe in the apartheid system and eventually moved to the States in order to avoid being drafted into an army with whose motives he didn't agree. After his return to South Africa, he was forced to face his paradox--the idea that he "loved" blacks, but could never truly "trust" blacks, due to his upbringing. He discusses this as the ideological problem central to most whites in South Africa--a want to love and an disability, though maybe not an inability, to trust. He grew up in scary times--the 1970s and 1980s when apartheid was at its worst and most violent. Here is a quote from one of my favorite parts of the book:

"In 1510, Portuguese Viscount D'Almeida came in peace, but the sight of his white skin and strange vessel struck terror in the hearts of Hottentots on the shores of Table Bay, so they killed him, and we've been slaughtering one another in fear ever since. Dawid Malan and the Xhosa slaughtered one another along the Great Fish River for sixty years, and then the Boers trekked into the interior, where they ran into the mighty Zulus. The Voortrekker leader Piet Retief approached the Zulu king Dingaan under a white flag, but Dingaan feared him, and murdered him and all his party. The Afrikaners never forgot Dingaan's treachery. After that, we always shot before we saw the whites of black eyes, and then, in 1948, we invented apartheid, to keep blacks so far away that we couldn't see them at all.
"At one point in the fifties, Nelson Mandela's ANC was willing to settle for sixty seats in the white Parliament. The Afrikaners feared black domination, though, and thought they could keep blacks down forever, so they spurned Mandela's humble demands and tried to crush his movement. Three decades later, Botha had second thoughts, and extended a tentative hand of friendship across the racial divide. By then, blacks were also contaminated by fear and hatred, so they struck his hand away, and we spiraled on down toward mutual annihilation. We always seemed to miss each other in the murk of our mutually baffling cultures and our mutually blinding fears."

Being from the Southern U.S., I understand this paradox. I can feel it in most of the interactions I have with people of other races. I hate the paradox, and yet can't always let it go, no matter how hard I try. Likewise, I know many who see the paradox from the other side around. We all have been brought up in such a way that we now have a want to love and a disability to trust. I am thankful to have found a book that put my difficulty into words in such an eloquent way.

This is a great and compelling read--you should easily find it on Amazon, if you're interested.

2007-02-19T12:08:00.000+02:00

I promised pictures of my apartment, and here they are. Imagine that you're walking in the door, and I'm giving you the tour.

My kitchenette, on the left of the entrance.

Bathroom on the right. Don't you like my shower curtain and orange bath mat? And me in the mirror...

Pantry on the right after the bathroom.

Kitchen table and bulletin board next to the kitchenette.

I figured you'd wonder what was on my kitchen table. It's a Kenyan kikoy used as a tablecloth and a Madagascan placemat on top of that, both from Lynne and Peter. Here's a closer view.

And here is a really close view of the stitching. All of the stitching is done by hand--we have art like this in South Africa--and it depicts rural life in Africa. In this image you can see a woman carrying a baby and a basket and a man sitting on a rock.

My bed, to the right after the bathroom. Isn't the comforter that Lynne and I picked out beautiful? And I found pillows to match! Of course, the Africa map is there to stay--as usual! It is quickly acquiring new Xs. Sadly, Paris is the only European city I've visited which isn't included on this map. Otherwise, my entire travel experiences could be seen by the Xs on this map.

There is also a desk in this room, but suffice to say that I was too embarrassed to show it in its current state.

This weekend was a lot of fun, but mostly running around. Ursula and I went to Rosebank Mall on Saturday to pick up a few essentials and get our hair cut. I don't have a picture, but it's just shorter. It always looks essentially the same, anyway. Rosebank is large with around 100+ shops and is much like the Summit meets the Galleria with outside and inside shop entrances. While we were there we found this lovely street performer who painted himself pink and then would dance for a few rand. Ursula gave him a few and is obviously impressed.

Here he is dancing:

After Rosebank, we went out to Melville with Tamlynn, a Rotarian in my host club who is 23, as well. She's a lot of fun. Melville is essentially the 5 Points of Johannesburg--lots of bars and trendy restaurants. Some of the restaurants voted best in Jozi are in Melville, and it happens to be only a 5 minute car ride away from campus. So, we went to a bar called Cool Runnings which has quite the Rasta feel (obviously). We hung out and talked and had a generally good time.

Sunday I went to the Catholic church on campus with my Zimbabwean friends Janet and Pascalia. The service was very traditionally Catholic, but with the African tradition of processing to the front to give your offering. I love it! Janet and Pascalia are sweet and live on either side of my hall. They said that at home, their service would have included lots more singing, some dancing, and a lot of drumming. I was sort-of disappointed because there was no choir--sad. I'm going to have to look harder for a church with a choir. As my mother rightly pointed out, I haven't been not in a choir since I was 7!

After church, we hung out with Keegan, an old Ambassadorial Scholar for a while. Then, sadly, I had to study a little. It was brightened, though, by company of my friend Elizabeth who is from Botswana. Elizabeth lives at Wits full-time to get her diploma, but has taught in Botswana for years and leaves behind a 14, 10, and 4 year old. She misses them a lot. We decided to walk down the street to get some airtime for her phone and ended up walking past a man begging for change in the road. He looked terribly physically disabled and had great difficulty walking. As we walked back past, however, we saw him standing erect and walking normally out of the view of the oncoming cars. I was so disappointed by this! There are lots of people in Joburg who beg, and most of them because they are truly destitute. I was so disappointed that this person would be willing not only to exploit being destitute, but also to exploit those who really are disabled and do need help. Elizabeth said it best--"what a moron." How sad.

I got to experience an interesting phenomenon from a distance. We had a soccer match on campus between the Wits Clever Boys and the Kaiser Chiefs. Apparently there had been some violence the last time the Chiefs played, so they didn't sell many tickets, so we missed out on that. Regardless, it was quite an extravaganza from what we could see walking by. Everyone dresses in team colors and brings or buys at the game a large trumpet-esque instrument called a Vuvuzela. You can hear vuvuzelas from miles around!! (Side-note, our campus newspaper is called the Vuvuzela, as well. Almost like calling it the Bugle, I think.) There were women with braiis (barbecues) all around selling chicken and cold drinks to the revelers. I think there were around 5,000 people at the game, and there would have been more except that tickets were limited. Anyway, next time we will have to attend a soccer match. Sadly, the Chiefs won. Then again, when you have violent fans, you want their team to win, huh?

Today's class is Human Rights (wooo!!). Then tonight I think I'll open my cheap bottles of South African wine. Do I mean cheap wine, you ask? No, but SA wine is much cheaper than at home, and usually much better. What a deal.

A day in the life

2007-02-16T11:44:00.000+02:00

If you haven't yet seen pictures, I posted them yesterday, so start from the bottom and then return to this post.

I realized that I haven't filled you in on a lot of the basics with my life here. So, here we go:

In the mornings I awaken at around 6:30 or 7 to the sound of the Hadada Ibis:

Ursula says they look like they're from Alice in Wonderland, and they do. I'm sorry there's not a point of reference for its size, but it's usually about 1 1/2 feet tall when standing. The feathers have a sheen to them that is really pretty. Unfortunately, they also call REALLY loudly "haaaa haaa haaaaa" very early in the morning and very late at night. This makes sleeping in difficult.

So, I awaken around 6:30 and realize that I am sweating a little. We don't have A/C (air con, as they call it here), so some mornings are better than others. I then shower and read for a while. Right now I'm working on My Traitor's Heart by Rian Malan. More on that when I finish it later this weekend! I then eat my breakfast of cereal (granola called Muesli with grains, almonds, and cashews), milk, and a banana. We finish the morning with a cup of Five Roses tea with sugar and milk. I'm becoming very British, yes?

After my breakfast ritual, I go down to the computer lab to update you and respond to your emails. I am really enjoying the freedom to do that! I then waste away the rest of the morning reading or playing guitar and then fix myself some lunch. The rest of the day is usually filled with errands. For example, the queue to buy notebooks is more than 15 people long every time I pass the bookstore. You can imagine that nothing gets done very quickly.

Class begins each day at 3:30 and lasts until 5:30. On Tues. and Thurs., I also have Sotho (say sootoo) class from 6-8. I will begin that course Tues. Sotho is the second most spoken language in South Africa and the official language of the Kingdom of Lesotho, one of two countries enveloped by South Africa. My friend Isaac who is from Lesotho is really excited about me learning to speak Sotho. No, there are no clicks in Sotho, but I'm sure I'll pick up some Zulu while I'm here, so don't worry.

After class, I'm totally exhausted, so I return to my room and make dinner. After dinner, a cup of tea is again required, this time as a stimulant to keep me up to a decent hour. I know it sounds lame, but you have to imagine that I spend most of my day walking outside in 30+ degree Centigrade weather in a city that has the same altitude as Denver. My lungs aren't quite adjusted yet.

Evenings are filled with reading and guitar and now scrapbooking, as my stuff from Turkey/Greece/Rome arrived in the mail yesterday. I now just have to figure out how to get pictures printed in South Africa...hmm... I have also been getting to know my Zimbabwean neighbors who like to sit and talk and have tea and ask me what's weird to me about Africa.

So that's my average day. Pretty boring, but I like it.

As for Rotary stuff, I haven't really started yet, but I need to get on it. There are five Rotary scholars here: Priya from California, Pierre-David from Canada, Desiree from New Mexico (I think), and Ursula who doesn't know where she's from (her folks live in DC, but she grew up in Cairo and Latin America...she went to Wellesley so usually we just say she's from Wellesley). I haven't met anyone but Ursula yet, but we're planning to get together soon. If we don't sometime this week, we'll all meet in Friday on our expedition to the Rotary conference in Cape Town! Our requirements are to make 10-15 Rotary presentations and to do some sort of service project. To learn about last year's project click on the Rotary Aids Walk link in the sidebar.

And now for some housekeeping. If you have a question you want me to respond to, put it in comments or email me. If you put it in comments, I'll answer it in comments because, as my teachers have always told me, if you're asking, probably someone else would like to know, too. If you ask in email, I'll answer in email. That's enough of that.

This weekend holds a trip on the Wits bus to the Rosebank Mall (a huge mall with two "movie houses") for shopping (mostly food) and wasting time. Sunday I am attending the campus Catholic church with my Zimbabwean friends. They were so shocked that there was no drumming at this Catholic church, on which they opined, "You hardly feel Catholic if there's no drumming!" Hmm...for all my Catholic friends, what do you think?

Keep well.

If a picture's worth a thousand words...

2007-02-15T08:08:00.000+02:00

I promised pictures, and here they are. Now I'll get busy taking some more.

Present from Lynne and Peter on my bed when I arrived--bath gel, etc., the book Rabble Rouser for Peace about my buddy Desmond, a beautiful card, and towels

The lake outside my "res"

My "res," West Campus Village and fountain in the lake

Me--see! I really live here!

The Senate House/Great Hall building featured in all of the Wits information

Me and Nelson doing the Madiba Shuffle. Can't figure out why it won't turn...

At Moyo for my birthday

Face painting from Moyo

A cricket Katy and I found outside Colleen's house. That's a 6" pen next to it for perspective. They call them Johannesburg Lobsters

Big 5 sand sculpture at the Durban beach

Ok, I even flipped this one in the viewer and it still won't work. You get the idea, though.

Beach with beach-goers at Durban. The surf was INCREDIBLY rough, but there were still lots of swimmers

Downtown Durban

I can verifiably say that I have NEVER had an award-winning cappucino at the Piggly Wiggly! Katy and I found this sign on the way to the Midmar Mile

Swimmers at the Midmar Mile. One of those little yellow caps is Katy. If you look all the way across the lake (Dam), you can see just how far they swam (a mile, duh).

So, I hope that you enjoyed the picture updates! I miss and love you all.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2007-02-14T14:01:00.001+02:00

My Valentine's Day present was an internet password! So, you can really expect pictures soon. I'm serious!

I was thinking this morning that you might be interested in knowing about the food I'm eating. Sorry to disappoint, but it's not that much different. The main thing is, it's healthier! The second difference is that it's a lot cheaper. This morning I went to the store and bought chicken, juice, bananas, onions, potatoes, spinach, zucchini (marrows), green beans, cheese, and a grocery bag for a little over $20 (R 155)! What a great deal! So, I'm eating very well and hopefully all that weight I lost in the spring will be doubled back--woohoo! I feel much healthier than I have in a while.

The only good food story I have for the time being is mince and toast. Apparently, ground beef is called mince here. Not only that, but if you stew it like chili, then you can serve it on toast for breakfast. Not quite sure about that, but it tastes pretty good, so no complaints, I suppose. I just have to get used to chili for breakfast!

Another interesting cultural difference (that I'm NOT too fond of) is the displays of public affection (PDA) found EVERYWHERE on this campus. I mean, I know that it's Valentine's Day, but making out in front of the entire student body is really not necessary. If I date while I'm here, I'll definitely have to set some ground rules on that one.

Love you all!

Massive update

2007-02-13T11:42:00.000+02:00

Ursula and I have a friend who let us use her password for internet so that we could update you! Tell Melody thanks. Anyway, here is an update from the past week and under this post is one that I wrote in Paris and hadn't been able to post until now.

I am told that my internet will be working “hopefully sometime next week.” Faculty says it’s Oracle (the new system)’s fault, Oracle says it’s the faculty’s fault. I say I really don’t care as long as it gets fixed. SOON! Regardless, I plugged my laptop up in my room, charged it, and wrote this in Word to transfer it to the internet and avoid paying another R30 for internet time. So, since we’ve lost a lot of time, let me do one marathon update and then we’ll consider ourselves caught up.

MY BIRTHDAY: On last Monday (more than a week ago now—I’m really old), my friend Katy who works for EBSCO in their SA office here in Jo’burg picked me up for dinner and took me to a restaurant called Moyo in the Zoo Lake area. Those of you who are really quick have realized that this restaurant is likely by the Zoo and the lake. Moyo serves traditional African cuisine and includes African entertainment such as dancing, singing, and face-painting in the tradition of some African tribes. The restaurant itself is really cool with lots of African sculptures and carvings. As you walk in, there are what appear to be unlit large Christmas lights hanging in arches, but as you approach further, you realize are rocks. Very cool. I had a chicken tagine (a West African dish), a glass of African wine, and we shared the African cheese platter. It was a lovely birthday and I felt well-loved.

Also on my birthday, we picked up Ursula, one of the other Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars studying here at Wits. She is a really fun girl who attended Wellesley and has spent the past year in Jordan. We’re enjoying getting to know each other and figuring out this crazy campus.

THE ENSUING WEEK: Since I had already jumped through all of the Wits hurdles, I helped Ursula to find her way around registration, etc. On Wednesday, we realized that if she was going to stay in res any longer, we would both need to go shopping, so we called up a Rotarian friend of mine named Pat. Pat is a wonderful lady who works for the Democratic Alliance (look this up on Wikipedia if you’re not up on your South African politics) and often has odd hours. Luckily, she had almost the entire day free, so we shopped for about 5 hours! What fun.

By Thursday, I hadn’t checked my email in five days due to this crazy email situation. When I finally broke down and went to check it, I found that I had 147 new messages! Lesson learned: check your email on your birthday!! Luckily, I skimmed through the mail and found a message from Jon David titled HUGE FAVOR. I wondered what huge favor I could possibly do for someone who was now in Cape Town, and then was informed that he had not yet made it to Cape Town, but instead had spent an extra night in Addis Ababa, courtesy of Ethiopian Airlines and now had to switch airlines in Jo’burg, most likely resulting in huge baggage charges. He wanted to know if I could come to the airport and pick up a bag—he would arrive around 1pm. This was fine, I thought. I’d arrange it. I looked at my watch, and it was 12:20! So, I called Katy and she graciously offered to drive me to the airport. What luck! We arrived just as Jon David was exiting customs and then stood in the airport for yet another several hours while EA decided whether or not they really had booked him another flight to Cape Town. A few hours and several hundred dollars later, he was on his way and I on mine with baggage in hand which I’ll deliver next weekend when I go to the conference in Cape Town. It was not only a comedy of errors and quite enjoyable for that reason, but it was good to see a friend from home!

The real highlight of Thursday, though, was getting to talk with my mom for the first time in two weeks. You have to understand that though I NEVER live at home anymore, I do talk with my mom A LOT. So, this was a real treat.

On Friday, Katy and I loaded into the car for a trip to Pietermaritzburg/Durban for she and a friend to swim the Midmar Mile, a swim race across the Midmar Dam (lake—they don’t realize here that a dam is made of concrete, not water). We followed Colleen and her family through the Free State (grassland/farmland traditionally inhabited by the Afrikaaners) and then KwaZulu Natal (more mountainous and inhabited by the Zulus and Afrikaaners) provinces. The drive is absolutely beautiful and I couldn’t possibly have been happier to ride along. The views were astonishing with the Drakensburg mountains in the far background and huge valleys in the foreground. Pietermaritzburg is the home of Alan Paton, so if you’ve ever read Cry, the Beloved Country, this is the area he describes. If you haven’t read that book, then consider it Lisa-required reading.

We stayed between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, and on Saturday, Katy drove with me into Durban to show me the sights. We walked by the old town hall (which is beautiful and reminiscent of most of the European domed buildings I saw in Italy and France with ornate carvings and copper cupolas), walked through the downtown market, and walked out on the pier over the Indian Ocean. It was a nice adventure.

Sunday was the day of the race, so we rose early to drive to the Midmar Dam. We arrived just in time, Katy and Colleen swam, and then we departed. They both did pretty well considering the water was so choppy, it was as if they had been swimming in the ocean.

THINGS I LEARNED FROM THE MIDMAR EXCURSION:

KwaZulu Natal is lovingly called KZN (read KzedN)
Lakes are dams and so are dams. This gets confusing, in my opinion.
When you set the table, you always include a knife, whether you think it is necessary or not because people here eat with knives.
Little boys who say “can’t” in the traditional English way are very cute
A lightning storm in KZN can be really terrific, but also rough on the power supply
You wear a costume, not a swimsuit (this is disappointing if you should actually expect to see costumes in the American sense of the word)
Zebra can be seen on the way down (even if they are likely on a farm)
Ostrich biltong (jerky) is actually pretty good
I was incredibly close to Lesotho. The next time I make that drive, maybe I’ll go. (I mean, I now have two friends from Lesotho, and I am about to begin taking Sotho lessons.)
The old/new/traditional name for Durban is eThekwini. Look that up on Wikipedia!

CLASSES: Lecture started yesterday, and I am definitely going to like this course of study! Did you know that rape only became an official war crime according to the UN in 2004? Neither did I, but soon I will be able to tell you all about human rights, human rights education, and human rights in education. Today, my ed. Theory course begins, and I am also really excited about that. My Lesotho friend Isaac is in all of my classes, and though I am by far the youngest so far, I still feel very much at home.

So, all is well in South Africa. I will post pictures as soon as I can use the internet without paying for it—otherwise, you’ll all have to take up a collection. I have also moved the address to the sidebar soon so that you can always get to it. I also have a South African cell phone, so if you want to call, get an international calling card, and then it is cheap for you and free for me. I promise to get Skype up and running soon, but now is just not yet the time. If you do call, which I would love, remember that I am 8 hours ahead of you. So, your 8pm would NOT be the time to call.

Go well.

Update from Paris--Jan. 26-27 (before Jo'burg)

2007-02-13T11:41:00.000+02:00

**Written in Charles de Gaulle airport

I should start out from the very beginning, which is this: I spent the entire morning feeling sick and very nervous. We arrived at the Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta an hour behind schedule because there was some massive traffic back-up right before our exit. We kept seeing signs that said “Construction, X number of miles.” Never did we see construction. Regardless, we arrived with plenty of time since my mother and I are relatively OCD about that kind of thing. After all, we had left the house around 5am for me to make a 12:30pm flight needing only 3½ hours of travel time. Check-in went easily with a very kind man who joked about my travel agent needing to update their systems (I hadn’t the slightest idea why). My mom dropped me at the security checkpoint where we both said our teary goodbyes. Then I cried all the way through the checkpoint like a crazy. No one seemed to noticed—they were all talking on cell phones. Once I boarded the plane, however, my spirits were lifted, and the flight to D.C. was short and enjoyable.

In D.C., I met up with Jon David, a friend and fellow Rotary scholar, while he was on his way to Israel with his friend Ava. Just in case you thought me odd for going through Paris to get to Johannesburg, Jon David went through Israel to get to Cape Town. I feel vindicated, thank you. We just happened to be going through Dulles at the same time, and so we had some dinner, shared pictures, and then said goodbye until we meet up for the Rotary Conference in Cape Town at the end of February.

I had been hoping and praying for some lovely seatmates, and I found 3! A lady about my mother’s age from Virginia Beach sat down on my right along with her 17-year-old daughter. They were traveling to Paris to vacation with her son who lives in London, and to celebrate his birthday. What a deal! They had been to Paris twice before, and the girl kept practicing her French with the flight attendants (true to form, stewardesses found it much more endearing than stewards). On my other side was Sarah, a woman who was American by birth, but had lived in France since she was young. She was extremely helpful to me, with many answers to my many questions. We discussed her transition to French schooling, her family in the States, and my experience as a Southerner. After watching the movie The Queen, we discussed the kindness in casting a Prince Charles “look-alike,” as well as our impressions of the movie and the royals. When I inquired as to the process of catching a taxi when I spoke little French, she offered to walk out with me and arrange it for me! What luck! She made it much easier, and I was so very thankful for the help. So, after dreading a 7 hour flight, it went by easily, and my commute to the hotel was easy.

I arrived at the hotel around 9:30 and checked into my room about 10:15, only to unpack a tad and then collapse on the bed. Every channel in France was covering the funeral of Abbe Pierre, a French monk much like Mother Theresa. Unfortunately, I couldn’t understand a bit, and so after trying to keep up for a while, I switched to BBC World which had an interview of Gene Wilder (given name Jerome Silverman—who knew?!). I promptly fell asleep and then roused at 12:30 to have lunch with Farley! What a treat. After lunch, I showered and collapsed again until Farley’s return from class. We then embarked on our marathon night: Notre Dame, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower on foot.

Our first stop was Notre Dame during Friday evening mass. We heard the choir sing and the organ play, talked about how much we wished we were in that choir, and toured the cathedral. It was beautiful. If I can get Google video to work, I’ll post the video I took. We then walked around the corner down the bank of the Seine, and to the Louvre. The Louvre is free for students under 26 on Friday nights, so we could feel not so bad about rushing through the museum to hit the highlights. We saw the Mona Lisa (La Jaconde), the Winged Victory of Samothrace, Venus de Milo, and the crown jewels of Josephine. Farley was excited to happen upon the Raft of the Medusa and a bust of Delacroix, both of which she had studied in her language school this week. All of that within an absolutely beautiful palace—what more could you ask for? We felt very nerdy and had a wonderful time explaining art trivia to each other (glad I took that trip to Europe last week!).

Next item was to walk down the Champs d’Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. This was probably a little ambitious, as the Champs d’Elysses is REALLY long. Longer than it appears on the map. But it was beautiful, and we had a good time doing it. Sadly, that meant that we were a little to tired once we got there to suspend eating for any longer, so we only rode by the Eiffel Tower. This was just fine with me—you know how I like my food. One note about the Eiffel Tower, though: at the top of the hour every hour it sparkles! So neat. Anyway, after the Arc de Triomphe, we stopped at rue de Passy for a little dinner. We had a wonderful French meal, complete with French wine and crème brûlée. Tres magnifique! By 11:30pm, we had watched two babies and a small child enter the restaurant to begin their dinner with their families. My mother would never have allowed it!

The next morning, we slept in for a bit, ate breakfast at the hotel, and departed for Montmartre. In just a few hours we saw the Moulin Rouge, visited Catedral du Sacre Coeur, and ate lunch at a small Brasserie, my first experience with Parisian crêpes and a real chocolate truffle! After a marathon metro ride back to the hotel, we caught a taxi to the airport.

The real story of the day begins at Charles de Gaulle airport. After standing in line forever to all check into the same flight, I headed to the first security checkpoint only to have the man say, “And what is this?” pointing to my small(er) red bag. (Umm…a small red bag…?) He then brusquely informed me that I would have to return to the counter to get a carry-on baggage tag for my rolling baggage. Oh, well when you say it that way! So, I did that and returned to board the “tube,” (if you’ve been to de Gaulle, then you’re familiar with the crazy escalator ramp tubes) and bid Farley au revoir after a wonderful day and a half in Paris. After getting to my gate, I had to pass the final security checkpoint. As I walked through the line, the security man looked at me crossly and said “Is this your bag? Do you have scissors?” For those who have not traveled lately, let me inform you that 4” or less scissors are allowed, and I am a knitter. So, I lok at him quizzically and say, “Um, oui.” The checker man then shuffles through my little(r) red bag and pulls out my scissors only to measure them. Seriously, they’re 3”, which you can tell from looking at them.

I finally arrive at my gate and sit down to see a WiFi sign across from me. Yes! I think. Oh, no, to easy. You have to enroll, I decipher, or buy a card at the terminal. Oh, good, I think, I’m at the terminal—how fortunate. No, in fact, you have to walk all the way back to the main terminal, which is about ¼ mile, no kidding. Not worth it, I think. So, I get a drink at sit down. They do have Leapster units and other games on the wall for children, which I like. If I were 5, I could have a ball. And if I weren’t bitter about the internet. Now I ready myself for a 12 hour flight to Jo’burg. Let the adventures continue.

Sorry!

2007-02-12T14:10:00.000+02:00

Just a quick note to say that when they tell you you'll have consistent internet access soon, apparently that means in around 3 weeks. Whatever. So I haven't posted for a while due to this incredible lack of resources on my part! I should have it worked out this week. I had no idea how much information I had stored on the internet that I would need. In the US, you just assume it will always be there. Word to the wise: it won't.

Anyway, though much has happened in the last week, I'll update later when I actually have time to sit and think and be interesting. Thank you for all of the lovely birthday comments, cards, and emails! You made my birthday in SA wonderful--even if I couldn't get to email until Thursday. I am so fortunate to have so many people who care about me and support me, even tens of thousands of miles away. If I don't respond to you immediately, please know that I will, it just may take me a little time.

Love to you all.

The Madiba Shuffle

2007-02-04T20:14:00.000+02:00

Hello again from the Rainbow Country! Still no pictures to let you know about the rainbow, though. Tomorrow I move into residence, so that should be it. Promise (I hope)!

Just a few notes for you about South Africa/politics/history, etc. As many of you know, I have a minor obsession with/slight crush on both former President Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Seriously, they're both pretty wonderful, and so living in South Africa can only help this out. I am currently reading Desmond Tutu's book, No Future Without Forgiveness, a chronicle of the apartheid state in South Africa and his leadership in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, begun to air the atrocities committed during apartheid. If you ever need a really good read, that would definitely be it! His understanding of Christian forgiveness and the political need for reconciliation are incredible and humbling. If you've ever struggled with forgiveness (and who hasn't?!), it's very much worth the read. Oh, and by the way, I went to a church today that Desmond has walked in. Does it make me a stalker that this is exciting? I dont' think so, either.

As for my buddy Nelson, I got to meet a several stories high version of Madiba today in Nelson Mandela Square at the Sandton Tower. In this depiction, Nelson is doing the "Madiba Shuffle," the common name for the little shuffly dance he does so often (I'm sure you've seen it). Madiba is Nelson's given name--Nelson is a Christian/English name given to him when he was in school. So, the first picture you should be able to see I think will be this one. It's of me and Nelson shuffling together, though he's a little large to notice that I'm around. Of course, when we meet in person, that will not be the case. ;)

Tomorrow will be my 23rd birthday. My friend from the states, Katy G., is taking me to dinner after I go to the airport to fetch one of the other Rotary scholars from the states. Should be a lovely day.

Finally, you ought to know that it's hot. REALLY hot. 30+ degrees. Now for all of you Fahrenheit fans, that's about 85-90. No, no "air-con" here, just the good ole open windows. I never knew that I would need one of those little DisneyWorld-type personal fans! Shame.

Miss you all, but having a great time. As they say in South Africa, "Go well."

Under African Skies--for real this time!

2007-02-02T21:42:00.000+02:00

I know, I know, I promised to post earlier and I didn't. But excuuuse me, I have been a little busy! I mean, seriously people!

I arrived last Sunday at around 7:30, but by the time I got out of customs and baggage claim and baggage check, it was more like 9. At the airport to greet me were my sponsors Pres. of Rotary Blackheath Lynne and Past President Peter, past Rotary scholar Kelly, new Rotarian Tamlynn, and Past President Pat. So, I had quite the reception. We loaded my huge bags into Peter's Land Rover, and off we went. Of course, only after watching a lorrie (medium sized cargo truck--think Ryder or UHaul) unable to get out and someone literally ripping a sign out of the concrete to allow it passage. This is Africa, they said.

Lynne and Peter have a wonderful home and have been incredibly welcoming to me, even with their kitchen under complete renovation, poor things! Needless to say, I've seen lots of Jo'burg restaurants. Lynne is the current pres. of Rotary Blackheath and she works as bursar (accountant/treasurer) at McCauley Catholic School. Peter is a past pres. and now works on events for Blackheath and is an entomologist. Don't get any warm fuzzy ideas here, kids, he kills bugs. All of you who like to smoke or enjoy unspoiled artwork or live in non-infested houses can thank Peter, as much of his work is done in the States. They have 6 dogs and many dog show awards. 3 are bearded Colleys, 2 are Pulis (the rastafarian dogs), and 1 is a sheep dog of which I can't remember the name right now. Sad. She's really beautiful though, as they all are.

This week has been a lot of adjustment for me. Never again in my life do I want to hear someone from BSC tell me how difficult registration is! Imagine with me for a minute if you had to do that for 4 DAYS!!! I have queued (stood in line) for hours, and ridden the bus back and forth and back and forth from campus to campus, only to find that the last office told me the wrong place to go. I have changed degrees, changed housing, and changed direction! But all is well, and we are ready for classes to start, which they will do on Sat. 10 Feb. with orientation for the BEd. Honours in Human Rights and Democracy students with an orientation. I will then have class daily from 3:30 t0 5:30.

My housing is settled, and I have an address to report, finally! It is:

Lisa Glenn
E22 West Campus Village
University of the Witswatersrand
Johannesburg, South Africa
2050

You may begin sending packages, as my birthday is Monday (that's right, Feb. 5)! 23 feels really old and not that exciting, but spending it in Africa makes it all the better. When you send your package/card/postcard/money/attractive male companions, imagine them arriving in an apartment-type building with outside entrances overlooking a large lake with a fountain. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, I can have tea at the lake every morning. It's glorious.

I imagine that now you're thinking that you could picture it a lot better if I had actually attached pictures. I realize this, and I am working on it. Blogger is slow even without being in Africa, so you can imagine what I'm dealing with now. So, I'm looking into something like snapfish. Suggestions?

Because this is already really long, I'll just give you a few South African English lessons to end:

boot=trunk
bakkie (if you've already read this, it was a misprint the first time**)=pickup truck
lorrie=UHaul sized truck
truck=very large truck
robot=traffic light (I think this is my favorite)
color=colour
inquiry=enquiry (I'm seeing lots of spelling errors in upcoming essays!)
residence=housing/dormitory
pleasure=you're welcome.

Miss you all and wish every one of you were here! Thank you for the emails and comments (do post your name if you make a comment, otherwise you really do look like a stalker...)! I will be better at writing back, I promise, once I get into a routine. Right now, things are just fast and furious. Love to you all.

The day you knew would arrive is here--you'll survive.

2007-01-24T16:52:00.000+02:00

Again, points for anyone who can identify the origin of the post title. Of course, then you'll know that choice is a little inappropriate, though you might be able to argue that I was "obviously going through some adolescent phase." (Hint: one of Lisa's favorite musicals)

So, today is my last full day in the states. No, this doesn't make the Boro seem better, but it does make me excited/nostalgic about many things. So, I've decided to publish a few of my thoughts over the past few weeks. Hopefully, this will be updated during the plane rides tomorrow, so be sure to check back if you're a blog-checker.

1. Gmail looks funny in Turkish.
2. I really didn't trust the driving skills US taxi drivers--who knew you could actually get in a wreck in a taxi--in Rome!
3. Traveling makes you tired. This would have been a good thought a few months ago when I signed up for my fifth interim.
4. Interim trips are fun, no matter how old you are.
5. I don't know how to say 1:30pm in South Africa. Is it 13:30?
6. I had forgotten that the proper South African response to "thank you" is "pleasure."
7. I'm not worried about not knowing where I will live. Should I be worried about this?
8. Packing never gets done in the amount of time you plan. Probably because you're updating your blog, dummy.
9. A 12 hour flight is long, even when your best friends are along for the ride. No, this doesn't mean you should flip out since you now have a 12 hour flight by yourself.
10. EVERYONE knows someone in South Africa. Seriously. Test this theory. I think there are only 2 degrees of separation for most people.
11. Rotarians are incredibly kind people.
12. My birthday is in the second week I'm in Jo'burg. And I thought the first day of classes at home was bad. At least it's not the superbowl this year.
13. People in Johannesburg won't watch the superbowl!
14. People in Johannesburg won't watch the Oscars. :(
15. I love care packages (you knew that was coming).
16. My guitar will soon look as if it's been everywhere from its new collection of stickers. Hopefully, it will have actually been most of those places.
17. Turkish food tastes a lot like African food, believe it or not.
18. Turkey looks a lot like California.
19. I will probably really miss driving.
20. Wherever you are on Feb. 23, I've got you beat--the Royal Yacht Club in Cape Town
21. Nelson Mandela WILL be my best friend, even if Abbott's good vibes alone get me there.
22. I love visitors! A trip to Jo'burg costs anywhere from $1400-2000 and then lodging is free! I'm serious about that. Check Delta and South African Air
23. I will miss sushi.
24. I'm going to be a master-knitter! I have a new book and all kinds of time. Same goes for the guitar.
25. I'm going to miss you! Email, Skype, or write soon!

I'll get into Jo'burg on Sunday morning and I'll update you then. Until then, Happy Trails!

Ode to a Greecian...urn? Maybe not.

2007-01-11T17:07:00.000+02:00

So today we're here in Crete. We have visited Istanbul, Izmir, Kusadasai, Bergama; ancient Ephesus, Colossae, Laodicea, Pergamom, and Hierapolis in Turkey. Turkey is in Asia, which I didn't actually realize since part is in Europe, so I have now seen 4 continents...only 3 to go (if I really want to include Antarctica). In Greece, we have seen Kavalla, Veria, and Thessaloniki; and ancient Beroea, Philipi, and Thessaloniki in Greece proper.

Crete consists of staying Heraklion and making a couple of day trips, today to the Palace Knossos, the St. Titus basilica and the St. Catherine's basilica.

Loving every minute of it!! I'll update when I can. Love to you all from far across the seas.

The sojourn begins

2007-01-03T01:33:00.000+02:00

We will dispense with the song lyric post titles (because it's getting old and because--believe it or not--I don't know that many) as we begin the new year and the new journey. I hope that holidays were lovely for all of you, as they were for me, and that the new year has been a good one in its first two days.

Tomorrow, I will leave the 'Boro for Birmingham. I have several get-togethers with folks that I haven't yet said goodbye to, and then I will head to Ashley's house for the night before leaving at 4:40 the next morning. We will get to the airport around 5:15, and then the sojourn begins--this time to Turkey, Greece, and Italy, in the footprints of Paul. We will go everywhere that St. Paul goes on his sojourn in the book of Acts, including ancient Ephesus, Smyrna, Laodicea, Corinth, Athens, and Rome. I will return to the States on Feb. 17. The picture below is not our exact route (I stole it from a bike trip map), but it is a pretty good replica. If you really want to know the exact locations, go get out your handy dandy Bible.

Once I return, I have only a week before I leave for Johannesburg. I have received my visa (thank goodness! and with little time to spare) and have only to wait on my plane reservations now. I should have an overnight in Paris to see Farley, and then arrive in Jo'burg on the morning of Jan. 28. Lynne and Peter, my Rotary sponsors, will be at the airport to meet me. They are delightful people, and I'm sure that they will take good care of me, so no worries! I am excited to meet them and to begin my time in Africa--FINALLY!!

So, as you go about the first week of the new year, my travels have begun--what a great way to start the year! I hope that yours is as exciting as mine is shaping up to be! Pax!

Hallelujah Chorus

2006-12-13T22:59:00.000+02:00

Well, as is tradition in my family, I've been listening to A LOT of classical Christmas music, while listening to my brother and sister whine in the background. My favorite is, of course, Handel's Messiah. But yesterday, we got to add something to the chorus of rejoicing--I sent off my visa form! That's right, all is turned in, and we are only awaiting the return of my passport! Just thought a quick update was in order. Merry Christmas and all that!

Who Says You Can't Go Home?

2006-12-05T21:49:00.000+02:00

Well, apparently you can go home, and I have done just that. I rolled into the Boro yesterday around 4 and have been going, going, going since. My mother and I went to book group and discussed Life of Pi, which is a great story that I highly recommend and we ate vegetable soup and banana pudding. This morning I have cleaned while my sweet mother has a migraine, and then I went to the dentist--no cavities, aren't you proud?!

Now to answer all of your questions:

1. Have you heard from Wits? Do you really want to know the answer to that question?! No, not yet, but I should get a letter sometime this week and then we'll do the visa.

2. What are you doing now that you're home? Um, have you ever been to Murfreesboro? Oh, well then I understand why you might think there's something to do. Actually, I'm going to photo-document the city, including the geographical center of TN, and the courthouse. The world's largest cedar bucket burned down, so I will have an extra 5 minutes on my hands for something...Otherwise, I'll be studying for the GRE and moving my room.

3. Moving your room? Yes, sadly, I am finally losing my room. Carl will get my room with adjoining bath, and I will get the new guest bedroom, which I get to help decorate, so I'm happy. Change is good.

4. Anything else? Well, a wedding and church service in Birmingham, a trip to see Skye and antique/junk shop, Christmas with the family, Christmas music with the episcopal church, the GRE, and then a trip to Europe. No biggie. All in a day's work (or a month in this case).

5. When are you actually leaving? We're shooting for Jan. 25. Cross your fingers, say an ave, do a visa dance, whatever floats your boat. Once the visa is done, plane tickets will be ordered, and all will be well.

Be well, and I'll update you on any excitement on the scholarship front. If you're in Birmingham, know that I miss you already. If you're elsewhere, know that I already missed you. Be in touch!

Disclaimer for this post: I don't actually dislike Murfreesboro, I'm just not a native, so its charm is more grunge to me, but it's an ok place. Just don't tell my parents I said that. We're still milking the "you made me move after my freshman year and I'm permanently scarred" situation.

La Vie Boheme

2006-11-17T23:39:00.000+02:00

Well, as in any bohemian life, traveling hither and yon, there are bound to be ups and downs, and now it's time for the ups! I have been ok'd by Wits on a provisional status which will allow for me to apply through SAQA and then my degree status will be determined by the school. I don't care about the degree, I just want to go. So, things are well! Now I just have to get written confirmation of that, and we'll be set to get visa, etc. Whew!

I visited my sponsoring Rotary club today, and they were absolutely delightful! We heard from the #2 Secret Service agent assigned to LBJ during the JFK assassination--definitely interesting! Mr. Nash, my sponsor here, was sweet, and I gave out business cards and had a good time. They're such a delightful group of folks. If you ever get asked to join the Birmingham-East Rotary, do so!

Finally, I wanted to publicly support a really good cause that the United Methodist Church and several other organizations have entered into. It's called the Nothing but Nets Campaign and I will add it to my list of favorite sites. The organization raises money to buy mosquito nets for families in Africa. In case you were unaware, malaria, NOT AIDS, is the number 1 killer in most of Africa (someone dies every 30 seconds) and it is TOTALLY PREVENTABLE and TOTALLY TREATABLE. That's right, if you or I caught malaria, we would be sick with flu-like symptoms, but in the end, we would be just fine. Amazing. So, please do check out the site. A donation of $10 will provide a net for 4 people. And you say there's nothing you can do...

So, if you call me in the next few days, expect excited Lisa! Seriously, I'm totally keyed-up. Finally!

"Slow down, you're moving too fast..."

2006-11-16T05:03:00.000+02:00

I knew there would be foibles in the process, but I certainly never expected that the next one would come within 12 hours of my last post. I received an email from Wits asking if I had applied through the South African Qualifications Authority, a group which evaluates transcripts to determine whether or not an applicant is suitable for a certain program. From what I gather, this is much like our "Highly Qualified" status. Anyway, the process takes around 6 months. 6 MONTHS???!!!???!!!

Ok, I'm not freaking out. I called my Rotary coordinator and he is taking care of it, we hope. Anyway, I think lost might have been better than might not happen. So say a little prayer for me and for the folks processing my application. Send positive thoughts. Meditate day and night. Whatever works for you--I could use it.

On the other hand, my friend Jon David got his acceptance, so I know I'll have a friend in Cape Town. We talked about travel plans and going to Mozambique, and I think we're both sufficiently excited...much fun lies ahead!

Thank Goodness!

2006-11-14T01:31:00.000+02:00

Whew! We had a close call. On last Tues., Nov. 8, I called the Wits education department to check in on my application. Since housing applications are due Nov. 30 and cannot be processed until school acceptance is made, I thought I'd give it a little extra check-up, just in case. Glad I did! Turns out, my application had been misplaced! You can imagine my reaction. I immediately contacted my Rotary sponsors, who took care of everything. I had an email in my inbox this morning telling me that my application had been located and that I should hear something from Wits by Thursday. Thank goodness! I know that this is just one of many foibles that will likely occur on the route to getting this all set up, but I'm surely glad that this first one is over.

Things here are well. This weekend, Katie, my mother, and our friend from church came to visit BSC. Katie and Mommy stayed for the weekend, and we did some visiting with various and sundry friends. I am working on my last three weeks at BSC, trying to get everything put together as far as recruited students goes. Tonight is my last night of work at the BR (which isn't saying much since I can't remember the last time I was there). As for scholarship news, I have gotten my Rotary business cards, which are really neat. I think they did a great job. I'm working on my final doctor visits, international drivers license, TB test, etc. Plenty to do, and as always not much time in which to do it. I officially leave Birmingham Dec. 4 (which is only a month from when I leave for Turkey, Greece, and Rome!). More fun times ahead.

Photographs and Memories

2006-11-05T01:26:00.000+02:00

My mother might be the only person who catches that song reference, so a cookie for you if you get it before she does.

Just thought you might like to see some pictures of my last trip!

The Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, where I spent an hour waiting for an appointment and had a lovely talk with a bicycle officer.

The Mississippi River in New Orleans.

Abbott and me a little blurry at Cafe du Monde.

Me getting my fortune read--bones, cards, and palm!

Traveling Through

2006-10-28T23:02:00.000+02:00

I know that this post has been a long time coming. I have finished the Southeast Tour, and I have to say that the last two weekends were blockbusters. Two weekends ago, I traveled with my mother and brother to Florence, AL, where we lived until I was eight. We watched the University of North Alabama homecoming parade (complete with new lions Leo III and Una) with friends from long ago and then headed to an Italian restaurant for a 7-year catch-up. It was wonderful to see such good friends again and to get to hang out with my family. After lunch, we toured campus with its new fountains and lion enclosure, drove past our old school, church, and home, and finished off the day with Rainbow Sherbet at Trowbriges. What a deal! Carl was very patient, listening to all of our reminiscing and only reminding us a few times that he was only one year old when we left, so no, he didn't remember that, and no, he didn't really care. We had a lovely time.

Last week was Fall Break at BSC, and I decided to make a work trip into a fun trip and visit Natalie in Jackson and Abbott in New Orleans. The drive was broken up by church visits along the way to prosthelytize for BSC and long phone conversations with my mother and Carrie. Natalie has a cute little apartment that she has obviously worked very hard to decorate. As she says "apparently, I have a very defined style." I also got to see some college friends of my parents with their now-almost-college-aged daughters. We hung out with her friend Joan on Wednesday night and then I got on the road again to NOLA.

I found NOLA after a 3-4 hour drive in the driving rain. To give you some idea of how hard it was raining, I drove about 60 the entire way, and I don't drive 60 (sorry, Mommy). Abbott lives on St. Charles Ave. in the middle of Uptown, and she took me to a cute little French bistro down the street. We then spent the rest of the afternoon catching up and watching Grey's. Jocelyn, her 2nd grade sister, had sent Flat Stanley to live with Abbott for a while as a school project, so we showed Flat Stanley the city--French Quarter, the levee, the zoo, and Tulane Law School, complete with beignets at Cafe du Monde. It was a delightful touristy day. That evening, we put Flat Stanley to bed early and then headed to the "Barrister's Ball," commonly known as the Law School Prom. It was held at the New Orleans Aquarium and was absolutely a blast. I got to meet Abbott's law school friends and we played until the morning.

When we finally awoke the next morning, I traveled back to Jackson, just in time for some QT with Natalie and then a little blues and BBQ at Natalie's favorite Blues cafe. It was a blast, and we met some very colorful characters. Let's just say that if you ever find a book titled Mississippi Queen written by one Ironing Board Sam, you ought to buy it--it will be a great read! Sam did eventually leave us and his autobiography so that we could hear a wonderful blues band. The next morning I went to church with Natalie and Joan, we took naps, and then I headed back home with a stop in Tuscaloosa at the Maharaja of India with Skye, who regaled me with stories of Michigan.

So, the Southeast Tour is complete with only a few small side-trips left to make. I have only a month left at my BSC job, and then I'll be heading to Murfreesboro for a while. So, if you're in Birmingham, be sure to catch me now. Still no news on the application, though I've made progress in getting my pre-departure information ready. Kelly is checking on everything again this week, and I am emailing and calling as much as possible. I'm almost ready!

Fill it Up Again

2006-10-10T01:58:00.000+02:00

And now it's time for me to gush about the Indigo Girls! This week's installment of the Southeast Tour included a trip to Atlanta to see Emily and Amy at the Tabernacle. The venue is beautiful! It is an old church/opera house with stained glass windows, two balconies, and huge organ pipes behind the stage. The opener was Roman Candle, which was just okay, in my opinion; however, the Girls certainly made up for that!!

First, we were really, really close. Probably only 5 rows of standing people from the front. When they sang "Get Out the Map," Skye and I screamed at "Joni left for South Africa," and they looked at us! Yes, I'm a little starstruck, but it was really a wonderful concert. Highlights included "Shame on You," "Fly Away," "Fill it Up Again," and "Gallileo." We met up with the others afterward for coffee, and it was a generally fun trip.

Another highlight of this weekend was the birth of my first college friend's baby!! It's hard to imagine that someone with whom I've had sleepovers in the past two years is now married with a baby. It's also hard to imagine that I will always be an adult to that child. But she is beautiful, and we are all very thankful.

On the scholarship front, we are still waiting for an acceptance letter...I am working on finding things to give away to Rotarians, so if you have any ideas, let me know. I am thinking of calling the Birmingham Chamber, Vulcan, and Sloss. Maybe I'll have some "Moons over Homewood" to share with Johannesburg!

Freedom Train

2006-10-06T01:22:00.000+02:00

I officially finished Long Walk to Freedom yesterday, and I am not quite sure what to do with myself now, frankly. A book that takes you more than two months to read sort of gets under your skin. While I attempt to find another book to fill the void (Top picks right now include Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott, Things Fall Apart by Achebe, and Searching for God Knows What by Donald Miller. Feel free to give suggestions.), please enjoy these last few pearls of wisdom from Nelson.

Speaking of the celebration after his inauguration:

The day was symbolized for me by the playing of our two national anthems,and
the vision of whites singing "Nkosi Sikelel iAfrica" and blacks singing "Die Stem," the old anthem of the republic. Although that day neither group knew the lyrics of the anthem they once despised, they would soon know the words by heart.

Speaking of the struggle:

The policy of apartheid created a deep and lasting wound in my country and my people. All of us will spend many years, if not generations, recovering from that profound hurt. But the decades of oppression and brutality had another, unintended, effect, and that was that it produced the Oliver Tambos, the Walter Sisulus, the Chief Luthulis, the Yusuf Dadoos, the Bram Fischers, the Robert Sobukwes of our time--men of such extraofdinary courage, wisdom and generosity that their like may never again be known again. Perhaps it requires such great depths of oppression to create such heights of character.

And some random quotable quotes:

"People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite."

"Freedom is indivisible; the chains on any one of my people were the chains on all of them, the chains on all of my people were the chains on me."

"To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."

Oh, and the best find of the week: Nelson is a Methodist. I think I'll just visit every church in the city, and surely I'll find him somewhere...

On the Road Again

2006-10-04T04:49:00.000+02:00

The second weekend of the Southeast Tour was a certain success. It began with a visit from Skye and a delightful tea party with the gang (we still need a good name) and ended with a trip to Bonifay to see Uncle Maston and Aunt Eula Lee.

Uncle Maston and Aunt Eula Lee have just finished an addition to their new house, which belonged to their friends the Evanses. This only makes sense because at 90, that's just what you do. You renovate. Of course. I think the funniest comment of the weekend was "It sure was good we sold that other house, financially. Our retirement ran out seven years ago--who thought we'd be around this long?!" Uncle Maston still looks great and Aunt Eula Lee is doing pretty well herself. For 90, they're both considerably spry. We all enjoyed the visit, minus the Tivoli Inn stay (there are only 2 other choices, and frankly they're not choices).

Pictures will soon come.

Next week's update: This Friday's jaunt to Atlanta for the Indigo Girls concert!!

Tallahassee Lassie

2006-09-26T04:28:00.000+02:00

Emmy will definitely be a little sick to her stomach when she reads the post title, but it's the best I could come up with. There aren't many songs with "Tallahassee" as the subject. Oh, well. If you have a better suggestion (and I'm sure they abound), make a comment.

First, for the Africa update. I am going tomorrow for my pre-departure physical and to talk with my doctor about shots, etc. It looks like I only need Hep A and B boosters, an MMR booster, and possibly a Rabies shot. I will also have to figure out what malaria medication to take. Oh, Malarone, how I have missed you for 8 months! Still no word on the application, but we're keeping tabs. I'll let you know when I know something.

Second, just a note about the last post. I promise I won't post my politics very often, but I was really gripped by that story. Those of you who know me well are thinking, "we'll hear the politics bit again," and you're probably right, but I'll try to keep it to a minimum.

Now for the important stuff--pictures from this weekend!!

I went to visit Emmy in Tallahassee, which was a great kick-off to my Southeast Tour pre-departure visits. I plan to see as many people as possible while I can. We went to Wakulla Springs, which is the beginning of the Wakulla River and a relative freshwater swamp. We saw Sewannee cooters (this picture), American Anhingas (next picture) and many other water birds, and even a few alligators. It really was a blast. That and a trip to the Melting Pot made the visit quite the treat! I even got some quality bed buddy time with Emmy's new pooch, Buddy. He's quite the charmer, though he did have an unfortunate run-in with some smelly something while I was there. We still love him, though.

On the way home, I stopped at the Peanut Hut to buy some boiled peanuts. I called Granddaddy just to let him know, and we both laughed about "Gandaddy, I wike peanuts." I listened to a book on CD (Sons of Fortune, which I highly recommend), and generally enjoyed the ride. I hope that all of my Southeast Tour goes as well. Indigo Girls, you're next, then on to Flo-town.

The job is still going exceedingly well, and I'm enjoying feeling as if I'm in the professional world for a little while. That should be all I need, too. Just a little while.

Robben Island and Guantanamo Bay

2006-09-15T15:59:00.000+02:00

I will suspend the cheesy song post titles for a day to let you in on a little of my morning's moral crisis.

Last night in Long Walk to Freedom (what else?), Nelson and his fellow prisoners were transferred to Robben Island, South Africa's Guantanamo-esque prison. Robben Island, at that time, was the prison where one was sent if the government wanted you far away from civilization (and the hopes of being remembered by one's fellow fighters at home). When Mandela was transferred to RobbenIsland, he had a 5-year sentence. Anyone remember how long he spent at Robben Island? Maybe you should re-read the title of his book if you're thinking it was 5 years. 28 years. The government had enacted legislation which allowed for extension of a prisoner's term without levying an additional charge against the prisoner (sound familiar?). In the portion of the book which I am now reading, I was horrified to read that Mandela and his fellow prisoners were put in a cell with no light or other ornamentation and only a porthole from which to receive light and air. This porthole also served the purpose of allowing the guards to urinate on the prisoners. I was disgusted and saddened at this (and other) brutal treatment of another human being.

So thankful was I that I live in a place where things like this do not occur. Unfortunately, this morning on my drive to work, I was listening to NPR, as I always do, and heard a story called "Guantanamo Through a Prisoner's Eyes." It was narrated by Moazzam Begg, a former detainee at Guantanamo and several other U.S. detention centers, who was never formally charged with a crime, but still imprisoned and tortured for almost two years. Please read the article here. You can also read an exerpt of his book about the ordeal on the same page. It tells of the physical and psychological torture used against him by U.S. forces. I won't tell you the results so that you will actually read the article, but let me just say that it strikes me as sickeningly reminiscent of Mandela's situation.

Now, for a moment to clarify. I am not entirely against the war on terror. I have some serious problems with the way it is handled, but I do realize that there is a very real threat that must be dealt with in some way. I just keep being reminded of my mother telling me that the thing that distinguishes the U.S. from other countries is the way we treat people. What makes us above the terrorists is that we don't stoop to the same kind of torture and mistreatment of our fellow human beings, even if they are terrorists. I think that we, like the apartheid regime in South Africa, have lost sight of the fact that though our enemies are our enemies, and though we may find ther views and actions incredibly distasteful, they are also our brothers and sisters. To believe that they are worth nothing is to believe that we ourselves are worth nothing.

I pray that we might all, myself included, be able to find this kind of an understanding--that human life is sacred, no matter whose life.

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

2006-09-09T17:32:00.000+02:00

I received a message from Katy in Jo'burg that she had submitted my application on Thursday. Now the waiting really begins...as if I haven't done enough of that already. It's as if everyone I see at BSC or BR or anywhere else says "I thought you were off to Africa already." So did I.

I also found that I will have to put down an $800 "repatriation deposit" for my visa. Good lord. The words of my dad keep ringing in my ears: "This scholarship is going to cost me an arm and a leg." I hope not. So far, the running total is a car, a repatriation deposit, doctors' appointments, and travel money. This should all be under $5000, but that's still a good deal. You can only live once, though. Might as well do it right.

That's all for an update. Hope you are all doing well and enjoying your new (for many of you post-collegiate) lives, as I am mine. I find that I am so fortunate to have wonderful friends who love and support me and an incredible family that loves me. Which reminds me, I ought to give a public thanks to my sister for dealing with me during a recent meltdown. I realized that I did not have enough of my medicine to make it through the week, which would cause me to be sick at some point. So, I called home and let them know that I needed the RX filled and sent to me through the mail. At this point, I began to think, "If I can't even take care of myself in Birmingham, how can I expect to take care of myself in AFRICA?!" My kind, sweet sister responds, "You know, Lisa, some days you leave your umbrella in your car and it's raining, you leave your homework in your locker, and you forget your kneepads." Sage. I am beginning to consider the possibility that she was right and that maybe I will make it. Maybe.

Anticipation

2006-09-03T02:45:00.000+02:00

I liked this picture of all of us after Chris' concert. It was really great to see him after a while as well as to watch him onstage doing what he loves. It's always nice to see your friends and their passions, though it is strange to ask for a signed headshot of a friend...If I figure out how to post a video, I'll post some from the concert. Pictured here are (left-right): my sister's best friend, Chris, me, Carl, Katie. Aren't we cute? And isn't my sister a babe? Sick. When did that happen?!

This week was much easier than last as far as work is concerned. I enjoyed the first week of class at BSC, and though it was odd not to be starting class, too, it was strangely comforting to be in my office.

Ashley has informed me that she sent my application Friday via EBSCO's DHL service. So, now all we do is wait. I am certainly nervous about it, thus the title of this post. See, though I have the money for the scholarship, there is no requirement that the school accept me. It would be strange for them not to, granted, but still, it makes me nervous. So I wait. Call and distract me, would you? It will likely be a month or so until I find anything out. Don't worry, I'll let you know.

The highlight of my week was, undoubtedly, lunch on Friday with my mentor who has just recovered from ovarian cancer. Terry was bubbly and healthy-looking, and just a delight. We talked school and Africa and politics and boys and everything. It was so nice to see her after more than 6 months and not being sure whether or not I would see her again. While graduation and all its festivities were certainly not the same without her, getting to have lunch with a totally healthy and happy Terry was a much greater gift.

So I promised Nelson wisdom, and here it is. I'm almost to the first set of pictures in the book! Yay! I have a serious personal rule prohibiting me from viewing the pictures until I read that far in the book. Anyway, here goes. I particularly appreciated these quotes...

Once I had passed Humansdorp, the forests became denser and for the first time in my life I saw wild elephants and baboons. A large baboon crossed the road in front of me and I stopped the car. He stood and stared at me as intently as if he were a Special Branch detective. It was ironic that I, an African, was seeing the Africa of storybooks and legend for the first time. Such a beautiful land, I thought, and all of it out of reach, owned by whites and untouchable for a black man. I could no more choose to live in such beauty than run for Parliament.

This one is especially moving when read in close succession with the next...

While I was walking in the city one day, I noticed a white woman in the gutter gnawing on some fish bones.[...]I knew of course that there were poor whites, whites who were every bit as poor as Africans, but one rarely saw them. I was used to seeing black beggars on the street, and it startled me to see a white one. While I normally did not give to African beggars, I felt the urge to give this woman money. In that moment I realized the tricks that apartheid plays on one, for the everyday travails that afflict Africans are accepted as a matter of course, while my heart immediately went out to this bedraggled woman. In South Africa, to be poor and black was normal, to be poor and white was a tragedy.

The similarity of these passages and my own experience in Birmingham is almost uncomfortable to me. To drive past a black man walking down 8th Ave. N. while on my way to the college is absolutely normal. While I might lock my doors, I would otherwise have no reaction. To see a white man walking down the road would be almost unheard of. In the South, to be poor and black is entirely natural. And while this is not state-mandated status, it certainly plays tricks on the mind, exactly as Mandela describes.

Thanks for reading this novel. More Mandela to follow.

The storm is passing over

2006-08-26T01:05:00.000+02:00

Well, I hope that if you talked to me sometime this week you did it today. If not, I apologize, because I was probably frazzled and uptight and generally not fun. This week has been a 60 hour work week, which I will not do again for a long time. On the upside, I have started my new, full-time job at BSC, and I love it. I am working in Church Relations doing recruitment (basically an admissions counselor for Methodist students) and enjoying being back on campus, though the faculty/staff sticker on my car stresses me out even more than the alumni sticker, if you can imagine that. If you are around campus, come by and see me! I love to have visitors, and my office is adorable, if I do say so myself. Of course, there are Africa remembrances all over it. Also, if you're a Chi Omega, there are a few owls living there now that are looking for a new home...

So, to add stress to my week, I worked on finishing my application, which I have now done, minus the R300 money order, which will come in on Monday. I was not aware that you couldn't get an international money order from just any bank, but to avoid that problem yourself, go to your own bank. Unfortunately for me, that means a trip to TN...fortunately for me, I was going home anyway. More about that later. So, I have sent the paperwork to Ryan through his aunt, and the actual application will go to Katy on Thursday. Who knew that EBSCO interdepartmental mail could be so helpful?! Then, Katy will take it to Wits, and it will all be done from this end...then the waiting begins.

Now that my week from hell is almost over, I am looking forward to going home to see a friend of mine in concert. My friend Chris Young, from Governor's School in 11th grade, just won the Nashville Star competition, which is basically American Idol gone country. He is playing a show at MTSU, and since I have an in there, I am going with my whole family. We're all really proud of Chris. He is a really good guy and has so much talent. If you are interested in seeing more about him, please visit his website, www.chrisyoungcountry.com. His newest release, "Drinking Me Lonely," is about the most beautiful thing I have heard in a long time, and he wrote it himself. They grow up so fast!

I should take this moment to saying thanks to my friends for helping me to get through this stressful bit of time. Whether calling to check on me or sending a special blue jar opener, I really appreciate it. You can have no idea how much I needed a pick-me-up. Thanks! Now that I have more time, look for Nelson wisdom soon to come. Oh, and the auction will be in November, so start saving your money for Lisa's tea with Nelson!

When words don't suffice.

2006-08-13T06:17:00.000+02:00

I was thinking about my journey a little more today and thought that I'd post some of my favorite pictures from my January trip to Africa (Mozambique, Botswana, and Zimbabwe). Enjoy!

This picture is of myself with (from left) Maia, Anina, and Samuel watching the boys in our group and older orphans playing basketball in the yard. Our group worked at the Cambine Methodist Church-sponsored orphanage in Cambine, Mozambique doing laundry, helping with the children, and mostly playing.

The Application Process

2006-08-12T18:01:00.000+02:00

Since the wireless is finally up and running in my apartment, I can now update you on what has been going on with my Rotary planning, though there is not a lot to tell. I have received an application to the Postgraduate School of Humanities in which I intend to pursue a Master's in Education, Democratic Citizenship, and Human Rights. This program will deal with racial inclusion in the classroom as well as socializing children in a democratic society using the classroom. In other words, as my friend Kate says, my name is "in the fine print of that degree." It's actually exactly what I would have planned for myself had I just been taking random courses at Wits. You can check out more information on the degree itself at this address http://www.wits.ac.za/education/medcourses.html (click on the Education, Democratic Citizenship, and Human Rights link). Now, I just have to apply and be accepted to the program.

Many of you have asked what this degree would present me with professionally. Almost any degree that I would receive at Wits in my field (education policy) would be invalid in the United States; however, it will be of great use to me to have taken courses at Wits when applying for graduate school in policy. While I will leave Wits with a Masters, it is the experience and not the degree that will be of use to me in the long run.

So, the last week has been filled with stressing about how to get the application, how many copies I should send through unreliable international mail, and when it should be sent. That is, until Ryan told me that his aunt was coming to visit at the end of August and would be willing to hand-deliver my application to Ryan who would then hand-deliver it to the Faculty of Humanities. This kid is a godsend. Thank goodness for good Rotary contacts! This development has left me with a much lower degree of stress while I'm preparing the application.

Now, I am beginning to find gifts from Birmingham to give at Rotary speeches as well as flags from the Birmingham East Rotary Club. The countdown is still about 6 months, but I am more and more excited as the days wear on. I am both excited and terrified, emotions which prove to be a great combination, actually.

For some interesting current information on South African study-abroad, please visit my friend Johnny's blog, which describes his current studies in Cape Town. Johnny is also a Birmingham-Southern student, though he has not yet graduated, and his recent pictures show Robben Island (where Mandela was imprisoned), the Cape of Good Hope, and Cape Town itself. It's a great site, and I have added it to links on the right side of this page.

More updates to come and Nelson's wisdom to impart (once I get some more reading done!). Peace to you all!

New place

2006-08-04T17:33:00.001+02:00

Well, many of you have asked about my new digs, so here is the scoop. I have just moved into a basement apartment in a friend's parents' house, and it is absolutely wonderful. I have begun to cook for myself--which is pretty fun--but the highlight of it all has been going grocery shopping. The Publix down the street is just so nice, and everyone who works there speaks to you, even if just in passing. And to top it all off, I know people who shop at my grocery store! For a girl who is longing for a sense of community in a new place, this was a great treat. And today I even bought some hydroponic lettuce. Too much fun!

I am not making a terrible amount of progress on Rotary stuff, so next week that begins in full swing. Carl has been here visiting this week, and we have had a blast. It's always good to have a little brother around.

I promise to impart some more of Nelson's wisdom soon. In the meantime, call me and come by to see the new place!

A little apartheid education for all of you...

2006-07-26T23:43:00.000+02:00

Well, after a wonderful long weekend in the 'Boro where I got to see my family, I am back in town to do some work and hang out with lots of friends. Funny story, Murfreesboro was actually voted one of the top 100 places to live in the US...funny because I never felt that way about it. I might even list it as bottom 100...

Anyway, I thought that I'd use this site to do a little educating for those of you who are always asking me questions about apartheid and South Africa. You know I'm always an educator at heart. As my dad says, "use it or lose it at your own discretion." All of this information is from Nelson's biography A Long Walk to Freedom, so if you have questions, maybe I could answer them after I finish reading it (currently on page 140 of 751).

Apartheid Landmarks

1946 marks the Ghandian Indian protests which would inspire the ANC and Nelson Mandela

Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act(1949) makes marriage between white and non-white illegal.

Immorality Act (1949) makes sexual relations between white and non-white illegal (one like this recently on the books in Alabama, folks)

Population and Registration Act (1949) labels South Africans by race (Whites, Indians, Coloureds, Blacks)

Group Areas Act (1949), considered the hallmark of apartheid, requires separate urban areas for each racial group, allowing whites to legally usurp land from blacks.

Finally, I'll leave you with possibly my favorite quote on leadership ever. "A leader is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go on ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along they are being directed from behind."--Nelson Mandela's surrogate father, the regent of Thembuland

More soon...

Ethiopia has enough to worry about...

2006-07-20T22:44:00.000+02:00

...and certainly doesn't need this. Check out this link to hear about how Ethiopia has a huge rift (literally) developing in its countryside and may eventually become an ocean. Okay, it's in a few million years, but that's serious, people!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5191384.stm
Will post soon with recent developments in planning, but right now I am working on packing up my apartment at BSC for my move to Homewood.

Tea with Nelson

2006-07-17T05:48:00.000+02:00

STOP THE PRESSES!! BBC Africa has posted an article detailing the opportunity to have TEA with NELSON MANDELA. The event will be auctioned off on eBay to benefit a Johannesburg hospital. If anyone loves me, they will most definitely fork up some serious dough for me to have tea with Nelson. Have I mentioned that he's one of my top 10 heroes? Ok, just checking. I thought that I had. And, of course, I'm all for aiding hospitals. So, if you have a ridiculous wad of cash sitting around, please know that I have the perfect place for it to go.

In other news, Ryan McDonnell, one of the students currently studying at Wits, sent a package to me by way of his parents including the graduate studies catalog as well as information on Wits in general. It has been extremely helpful. I'll post a link to his blog sometime tomorrow. I am currently deciding whether to go through the department of education or history to obtain my admittance to Wits, and I will spend most of tomorrow researching programs, downloading Skype, and looking for a microphone for my computer. I'm getting really excited about all of the prospects, though I'm also getting relatively overwhelmed...imagine that. It looks as if I'll be in Africa from mid-January to more like November now, so I'm having to readjust to that idea. I like it pretty well, though. Again, I'll just return for a year and then go to grad school. Not bad.

I haven't heard back from the embassy about a visa, but I'll try again tomorrow. That's all the news for now.

Star sighting

2006-07-11T04:30:00.000+02:00

Tonight was an exciting night at the Banana Republic. I was waiting on a customer and his friend, when I realized that the friend was...Michael Buble!! He's in town for a sold-out concert at the BJCC, and they had come in to buy his bass player a new jacket. Crazy.

We chatted for a while about how long it had taken for him to become famous in the US and how no one recognizes him. Needless to say, he was really excited that I did recognize him. And though he cursed probably 5 times in the 5 minutes that we talked, he was incredibly nice and called me sweetheart as he left. My sister's boyfriend and my aunt were foaming at the mouth with jealousy!!

No other news here. I have emailed the South African embassy about a student visa, but no reply. I will begin my research tomorrow! In somewhat related news, I did buy a guitar and will begin lessons soon. It's a 1980s model used Blueridge, which is quite a nice guitar. I can't wait to be in South Africa playing my guitar and talking to people with beautiful accents...

Happy Independence Day

2006-07-08T06:03:00.000+02:00

Walt Whitman
I Hear America Singing

I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear;
Those of mechanics--each one singing his, as it should be, blithe and strong;
The carpenter singing his, as he measures his plank or beam,
The mason singing his, as he makes ready for work, or leaves off work;
The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat--the deckhand singing on the steamboat deck;
The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench--the hatter singing as he stands;
The wood-cutter's song--the ploughboy's, on his way in the morning,
or at the noon intermission, or at sundown;
The delicious singing of the mother--or of the young wife at work--or of the girl sewing or washing--Each singing what belongs to her, and to none else;
The day what belongs to the day--At night, the party of young fellows, robust, friendly,
Singing, with open mouths, their strong melodious songs.

That poem, along with several American-composed musical selections which I very much enjoyed and have listed at the bottom of this post, was part of the WBHM (Birmingham NPR station) July 4th celebration. I got the chance to listen to it as I drove to Tupelo to visit a friend there. I was greeted by her wonderful family and was treated to a family-style 4th, complete with fireworks and wine. What a treat!! I can't remember another more wonderful 4th. Every year, though I am cynical and jaded, I find that I am in awe of the courage and vision of the founding of our country. I am thankful to live in a place where I can disagree with my president while still enjoying the freedoms that I hold dear. So, we even joked a little about said president on the 4th. ;) All this lively 4th spirit ended quickly today, however, when I was forced to listent to a terrible patriotic/religious choir presentation right outside the doors of Banana Republic. Some people never learn.

Yesterday, I journeyed to Six Flags to complete the "Retro Tour," riding every coaster there from most recently built to least recently built. In hindsight, we suggest the "Heritage Tour" which would require riding each coaster in the opposite order. The thing is, when you ride from youngest to oldest, your sense of security diminishes along with the safety features of senior coasters. Regardless, a good time was had by all. Every now and then it's just nice to be a kid.

I am quickly tiring of living out of my car and in a suitcase, and will be glad to be back in one place on Sunday. Whew. Work still suffices to hold my interest and grant a paycheck, and odd jobs seem to come out of the woodwork. And, I even managed to email the South African embassy about a student visa. All in all, a crazy week well spent.

Music from WBHM's 4th celebration:
Gershwin's I Got Rhythm listen
Moross' Symphony No. 1 listen
Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man listen
MacDowell's Woodland Sketches listen

Too Much Time on my Hands

2006-07-03T01:03:00.000+02:00

So, I've been planning for a while now to begin a blog for my trip to Africa, and I decided to do it a little early. No, I am not leaving early, I am just beginning to post. I have lots of time this summer to just hang out and be me, so one thing I decided to do is to give some insight into my life...in case anyone actually wants some...But I will also be updating about the status of my trip and any plans that I am making. Goal for this week: after going to Tupelo and Atlanta, actually get some work done and apply for a South African student visa.

Right now, I'm house-sitting and working. I got a new job at Banana Republic (yes, I do get a great discount, no, you can't have one unless it's friends and family month). I have also been doing some research for a friend of Dr. Davis who is running an AL house campaign, which has been interesting. Basically, I look up PAC to PAC transfers and determine whether anything shady is going on. Guess what...it is. I know you're shocked.

My mom came to visit this weekend, which was wonderful. She wanted to see the garden at the house I'm staying in as well as to see me (secondary), so we hung out and went out to eat and did the Mommy-Lisa thing, which is always great. In case you aren't aware, my mother is my hero and best friend, so the long and short of it is that it was a great weekend.

Ok, enough of my relatively boring, though incredibly restful and enjoyable life. Let me know what you think of the new blog and drop me a line every now and then...there's always an extra bed should you come for a visit!