Short Leave of Absence

I wanted to post to let you know of a brief hiatus from the blog - I'm heading to Durban, Warner Beach, and Lesotho next week for the fall break. Check back after next week for a new blog post about the trip!

A few things I've shared with my students and think you might get a "kick" out of:

"If the Child is Safe" by Marian Wright Edelman

We pray for children

            who sneak popsicles before supper,

            who erase holes in math workbooks,

            who can never find their shoes.

And we pray for those

            who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,

            who can't bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers,

            who never "counted potatoes,"

            who are born in places we wouldn't be caught dead,

            who never go to the circus,

            who live in an X-rated world.

We pray for children

            who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,

            who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money.

And we pray for those

            who never get dessert,

            who have no safe blanket to drag behind them,

            who watch their parents watch them die,

            who can't find any bread to steal,

            who don't have any rooms to clean up,

            whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser,

            whose monsters are real.

We pray for children

            who spend all their allowance before Tuesday,

            who throw tantrums in the grocery store and pick at their food,

            who like ghost stories,

            who shove dirty clothes under the bead, and never rinse out the tub,

            who get visits from the tooth fairy,

            who don't like to be kissed in front of the carpool,

            who squirm in church or temple and scream in the phone,

            whose tears we sometimes laugh at and whose smiles can make us cry.

And we pray for those

            whose nightmares come in the daytime,

            who will eat anything,

            who have never seen a dentist,

            who aren't spoiled by anybody,

            who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,

            who live and move, but have no being,

We pray for children who want to be carried

            and for those who must,

            for those we never give up on and for those

            who don’t get a second chance.

For those we smother…and for those who will grab

            the hand of anybody kind enough to offer it.

Please offer your hands to them so that no child is left behind because we do not act. 

*Given to me the last day of Teach for America training, powerful!

Scott Fry: South Africa's Most Wanted

It's been an eventful few days.

Licensing Department Strikes Again: On Thursday afternoon I received an email from the company that I bought my car from. They told me that they received a speeding ticket from 14 February (yes, they just received it), at 6:20am, as I traveled to the licensing department for the last time to get my car registered in my name (7). Due to a high collision-rate in South Africa, the government is cracking down on speeding, assuming that if you go 5 or 10 kph over the legal limit, that you are more likely to cause a crash. Failing to acknowledge the large number of 1) un-roadworthy cars, 2) rampant running of red lights, 3) total disregard for any motor law (except speeding, of course), the government decided to set up manned speeding cameras. Gerhard informed me that they used to have automatic cameras, that were set up temporarily and the police officers would retrieve them at the end of the day…but many times the camera's "walked away." In any event, I had to pay for my speeding ticket, the only problem being that the ticket was issued to the prior owner mere hour(s) before the car was officially in my name. This meant that I could not personally pay for the ticket in the post office or online. I trekked across the city on Friday and paid the company, so that they in turn, could pay for the fine.

The criminal caught in the act!

I came home after running some errands (no, no speeding!) on Friday to a piece of mail… another ticket (5km over - $20). The same police officer caught me two days after issuing the first ticket (mid-February). I take full responsibility for breaking the law, however, I would have appreciated knowing when I committed the infraction, not finding out about it six weeks later (particularly when I got tickets two days apart from one another). Bottom Line: Two days in Johannesburg = more tickets than I received in eight years of driving in the US!

Weekend: I was really looking forward to this weekend and it did not disappoint! Two of the ETAs from Bloemfontein (Nick and Andrew) came in for the weekend, arriving Saturday morning. I picked them up downtown (they took a bus from Bloem), picked up Rob (Pretoria ETA) from a different train station, and picked up Mariann (Jozi). We went on a tour of Soweto in the morning, which was fascinating. Soweto is a former black township, with over two million inhabitants. It was settled at the turn of the century near Johannesburg for cheap labor (its about 20km south of the city). It is home to many of the anti-Apartheid resistance movements and notable residents, Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu (the two Nobel Peace Prize winners lived on the same street!). Interestingly, after the end of Apartheid many families stayed in the community, so there are really nice homes (even up to $500,000), as well as state-built homes, and even squatter settlements. Our tour guide, who lives in Soweto, took us to the different neighborhoods, he explained the history, we walked through a squatter settlement and then went to the Hector Pieterson museum (he was a student killed during the protest against the teaching of Afrikaans in schools).

In the afternoon, we went to the Melville Koppies Park and Johannesburg Botanical Gardens. It was nice to "decompress" after an eventful morning… it also gave us a chance to all catch up (the last time we were all together was at the orientation in Pretoria). After a nice stroll through the park we went downtown to the SAB Miller brewery for a tour and then at dinner at the brewery. Its an atypical brewery tour, focusing more on the history of beer in Africa/South Africa, and then the growth of the company (rather than just showing you the vats and the production lines). Fascinating! After the tour/dinner, we went to Ellis Park to see the Golden Lions Rugby team play the Cape Town Stormers. It was exciting to go to a professional game and soak up the atmosphere - the Lions (notoriously bad) unfortunately lost!

On Sunday morning, Nick, Andrew, and I went to the Regina Mundi Catholic Church, in Soweto for a service. It is the largest Catholic Church in South Africa, but more importantly, it was the cover for many anti-Apartheid movement meetings (read: Regina Mundi). The service was in Zulu and English and was very different than any other Catholic Mass I've been too - much more contemporary (and much longer >2.5 hours). The singing was beautiful, however, and it was a powerful experience. After the service, we went downtown to Market on Main, which is a Sunday art and food market. It is in an old warehouse, in an industrial part of town, but is very eclectic. The food was wonderful - they had Indian, Chinese, Mexican (!), Ethiopian, French, et cetera that you could choose from, each stall set up by local chefs. They opened the art galleries to the public, had a courtyard for lounging, and it was a "cool" place to hang out. Sunday night, I made tuna pasta, with zucchini, a nice salad, a fruit salad for the three of us (and my roommates). Fun weekend! It was great to catch up with the other Fulbright ETAs and I was able to experience new things in Jozi. : )

Fun Fact for the Post: There is no isiZulu word for "late"

Soweto Tour (looking out over a neighborhood)

Squatter community

Former power plant turned into bungie jumping station! 

Hector Pieterson protest poster

"Quarter" - a traditional South African food. A quarter of a loaf of bread, hollowed out and stuffed with fries, egg, achaar (mango salsa), cheese, and tomato. Looks terrible, is terrible for you ... had to try it though!

Chatting at the Melville Koppies 

Melville Koppies

SAB Miller Brewery

Dinner at the brewery 

Ellis Park

Nick "follows the pride" (i.e. the Golden Lions) 

Regina Mundi Catholic Church 

Arts on Main (entrance) 

My Indian lunch!

Ethiopian coffee (like espresso, but more bitter and woody-like taste) 

Nick and Andrew at Arts on Main

Dinner!

Doin' Swell

First week of being an "uncle" - I already feel the weight of the responsibility on my shoulders. Moreover, it's been decided that I would be the eccentric/weird, yet boring uncle, while Jeff (Andy's brother) would take over the responsibilities of the "cool" uncle. Whew! I didn't think I could manage being the cool uncle (first I have to be "cool")!  Jokes aside, the exciting news of last week is still hitting me.

Nice weekend! After a few days of "Johannesburg rain" or so it is called by my roommates (intermittent rain and fog), it finally cleared and was a beautiful weekend (March 17-18). I learned my lesson, unwisely putting my laundry out to dry before the rain… they're extra rinsed! I spent Saturday morning at Wits attending a research conference, where PhD candidates were presenting their research. It was nice, and fortunately it wasn't all of Saturday. After the conference I ran to the park near my house, laid out and just soaked up the sun. The weather is changing and is beautiful. The past few days have been cool in the mornings/evenings, 75-80 degrees during the day, low humidity (not that Johannesburg has a lot), and sunny. In the late afternoon I went to Gerhard and Marlize's for Marlize's birthday dinner. It's always nice to go out to Benoni (their suburb), to catch up, and spend some "family time." There were about fourteen of us in total and we had a wonderful dinner. I spent the night, had breakfast with them, and then went grocery shopping before returning back home. It was my turn for my roommates and my weekly Sunday lunches. The past week I've searched all over Johannesburg for two items: dried porcini mushrooms and prosciutto. For some reason, two popular food items in Italy aren't prevalent in South Africa (insert: irony). In any event, I made prosciutto and porcini pasta (with olive oil, garlic, and peperoncino), broccoli (with olive oil, garlic, and peperoncino), cantaloupe, and root beer floats. I definitely think that the peperoncino taste was something new to my roommates - a very unique spice to Italy. After lunch I headed to Wits (for internet) and Skyped with Hope Lutheran in Toledo - my parents/grandparents church and the church that I grew up with/in. I talked to both the adult bible student and the high school youth group about my experiences in Johannesburg, challenges, observations, my family connection, and my faith. I appreciated the opportunity to reflect myself and hopefully I shed some (good) insight!

On Monday night I went with my roommates to the University of Johannesburg versus Stellenbosch University rugby match, played in the UJ stadium near my house. It was a great experience, because so many aspects of it were familiar, yet many were uniquely South African. The game had the typical fanfare of an American football game whether high school or college, with fireworks to welcome to team on the field, chants by the fans, and of course, over-the-top fans. Moreover, they crowned a UJ "queen" at halftime! Unlike American football, it seemed like people were there more for the experience than the game itself. I know, I know, broad statement. However, the speed and play of rugby is much different than American football, so it's similar to a soccer match in a sense. Apart from the game, it was more relaxed and a "party" atmosphere with grills permanently set up in the stadium for grilling, alcohol was widely served, and people even brought their hookahs (water pipes for flavored tobacco). Also, I learned that UJ has a pretty good team, with Wits being in the lower division.

Wednesday was "Human Rights Day," a national holiday, which was very timely. I appreciated the chance to have a low-key day before a busy weekend and a busy next week. This weekend, two of the Fulbright ETAs from Bloemfontein are coming in and we have a lot planned. On Saturday, we're going to go on a tour of Soweto (one of the most popular former townships), the Apartheid Museum, and possibly a Golden Lions Rugby game. Sunday, we're going to a church in Soweto for service in the morning and will spend the afternoon at a couple of markets. Next week is the last week before the fall break - which is filled with a lot of grading, meetings, and teaching. I am very much looking forward to the break; I'm going to Durban and Lesotho with a couple of the ETAs (from PE, Pretoria, and Johannesburg). Hopefully we'll be able to soak up the last bit of warm weather for the season! :( 

Roommate lunch (with Justin, a roommate last year)

UJ Rugby Stadium 

Players getting ready to go on the field

Alumni Section!

Addition to the Family!

First of all, congratulations to my dear sister (Erica) and her husband (Andy) on the birth of their daughter yesterday (15 March) - Cadence Elisabeth Kimble. Although great distance separates us, I'm with them both in spirit!

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On Tuesday, I came into work to discover that there was no electricity on campus. I didn’t realize how reliant I am (we are) on electricity - I couldn't make copies, send emails, prepare lessons (online), and felt genuinely stranded. I sat in the staff lounge reading and was surprised at how many people came in looking for coffee … another casualty of the lack of electricity. Overall, things that I took for granted in the US/Europe are becoming more apparent. Internet, for example, is very fickle and slow. To make matters worse, most companies in SA charge you per megabit, rather than having "uncapped internet." I find that my cell phone randomly goes from no service, to no data but phone service, to full 3G speeds. Wild!

The Battle for Johannesburg: I watched an interesting documentary this week, called The Battle for Johannesburg. It chronicled the effort to start an urban renewal in downtown Johannesburg, using the World Cup as a catalyst for change. Unfortunately, the city has failed to provide proper housing for low-income citizens; because of this many squat in buildings and pay illegal landlords for "protection." I found it fascinating because the director interviewed both the illegal residents and the rightful owner of the building (who wanted to start renovating). Before the World Cup, the city had a plan to move the poor from the city and make it a pristine business-hub that people largely commute to (or live in upscale, urban apartments - basically, just get rid of the poor). Overall, it’s a complex situation, as builders/investors do not want to revitalize old buildings, when they are next to decrepit buildings, with illegal residents. The documentary gave me greater insight into the city and the many issues that it is facing. Watch the trailer: The Battle for Johannesburg

On Thursday I went to the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra, which was conveniently playing on campus. They played Dvorak Water Goblin, op.107, (Vodnik), Pokofiev 

Piano Concerto No.3, op.26, C major, 

Berlioiz Symphony Fantastique, op.14, and had a guest pianist, 

Pallavi Mahindhara. 

I enjoy classical music - it's something that I've gradually started to listen to more and more, particularly when reading or writing. The concert was really great, the philharmonic first played Dvorak Water Goblin, op.107, (Vodnik), then most of the brass section left, leaving the strings and the pianist, who played the other pieces!

Before I could go to the symphony, I had to use an online system similar to Ticketmaster to get my ticket. The exception being that I couldn't print out my ticket, I had to go a grocery store and pick it up. I had some time in between meetings, so I went to pick up the ticket. I googled the nearest participating grocery store (Checkers) and found a few locations within 3 kilometers away. No problem! I set off, not realizing that I was heading downtown, more specifically, Hillbrow. Hillbrow is a very run down, dangerous area that was highlighted in The Battle for Johannesburg (Hillbrow) In fact, most of the documentary took place in Hillbrow. Not where I wanted to be. After navigating my way though Hillbrow, I arrived closer to city centre (I'm so British). I parked, paid the parking monitor, and set off to pick up my ticket. Walking up to the counter, I told the associate why I was there (to pick up my ticket) and I produced my receipt, which brought blank stares. Another associate walked up and told me that this was not a participating grocery store, it was "UCheckers" not "Checkers" (or something of the like). A knock off grocery store?

 A few tidbits from this week:

• Zulu is going really well; I'm enjoying the way that we are learning the language, more auditory and applicable than my past language classes. We talked about numbers this week, which my professor is not stressing. Here's why: In order to say the number 39 in Zulu, you would say, "amanshumi amathethu nesiyakalolunye" … "amanshumi" is tens, "amathatu" is three (tens), "nesiyakalolunye" is "leave behind one from ten". Imagine just counting one to ten!
• The course I'm teaching is fascinating, particularly because of the diversity in the class. I had the students identify their "home language" (mother tongue) - my students speak: English, Xhosa, isiZulu, Sesotho, Tsonga, Siswati, Setswana, Sapedi. We did an exercise where students wrote down the languages that they know and want to learn - it filled up the chalk board (with languages they know)! 

One of my favorite quotes (I put it up in my classroom) - basically, if your going to be somewhere, be there in mind, not just in body. Often in meetings or during conversations I get distracted or think about what I need to be working on. This is something that I've been personally trying to improve.

Linder Auditorium (at Wits) 

Guest Pianist, Playing with the Philharmonic

No Khonondakakhulu (complaints)!

I feel as if I am growing and learning everyday, not only professionally, but also personally as well. My interactions with my colleagues, students, and roommates give me greater insight on life in South Africa (and in general). I enjoy being abroad and "out of my comfort zone" in a sense, because I feel like I'm able to reflect personally and reflect on society at large. Speaking of which:

Homelessness: An observation about the individuals who are "down and out" in Johannesburg - I understand that this is a broad statement, but in my experience with the numerous homeless people at traffic lights ("robots"), I find that they are overall much more receptive and appreciative when you acknowledge them. Let me clarify. In the 'States most people do everything they can to avoid the homeless. There really is not a report between those "with means" and those without. Moreover, people lambast them for their lack of motivation and/or "choice" to beg rather than work. Driving through the city with my window down or cracked, I've come into a lot of contact with the homeless. I always greet them, typically in Zulu...I find that they are peaceful and warm, always eager to converse (even if I don't give them loose change). It is interesting, upon reflecting, because typically in the US "we" (myself included) have a "knee-jerk" reaction and automatically put up a wall to the homeless. In South Africa, I find that the homeless just want to be acknowledged as people, rather than ignored or treated as lepers. Understandably, many are addicted, dangerous… and all of the rest. At the same time, however, I could say the same about the population with material means.

Interesting Story I: I had another run in with the South African public system - this time at the post office. I went to the post office on Wednesday to send a few cards and to pay for my speeding ticket (they don't accept personal check, just money order). For some reason my ticket didn't show up in their online system, must likely because it was a different province, so I had to get a postal money order. The employee told me that I couldn't get a postal money order without proof of address or my passport. Understandable (relatively). I went back to the post office on Friday, with a piece of mail, my lease (just in case), and my passport. The first employee I talked to said that I had to bring a proof of address from a bank or a more official piece of mail (I brought my The Economist). She recommended that I could go in person to the Licensing Department in Randburg, my arch-nemesis. I politely told her that was not an option. Making a larger scene, she called over her manager. I had to explain this situation to him and plead ignorance. After 30 minutes of paperwork (no over exaggeration), I finally had my postal money order filled out and mailed. Whew. I learned that the hassle of paying for the ticket was almost as bad as the price of the ticket. Lesson learned!

Interesting Story II: The outdoor faucet at my house, which is hooked up to the main line, broke late last week. Gerhard came over on Friday afternoon and we tried fixing the faucet (the rubber wore out on the inside). In order to work on the faucet, we had to turn the water off. The water switch-off is in a box in the ground in front of the house. Unfortunately, because so many people "screw around" with the tap, the municipality makes it very hard to manually turn off the water, needing special tools. So, Gerhard and I were trying to work on a solution to fix the faucet without being able to turn the water off. Bottom line: we took the faucet off and the water sprayed everywhere, drenching us both. We were able to put the faucet (broken) back on and use zip ties to slow the water.  On Saturday morning, Johannesburg Water came to the house. I asked them to turn the water off, I would run to the hardware store for a new faucet, then they would turn the water back on after I put the new faucet on. Slight problem - Johannesburg Water couldn't turn our water off. After two trips to the hardware store to get the right piece, one of the workers put the faucet on without turning the water off (he got drenched). I tried to be hospitable, offering a drink and a towel to the worker. They refused and on the way out a worker who hadn't been doing any of the work (not even the drenched one!) asked for money, saying, "We helped you out, now we need to be helped out." He went on to say that they needed lunch. Not accustom to expecting to tip a city worker, particularly when taxes pay for the service, I tried playing off the confused-American. "I don't understand?" … Eventually, one of my roommates, Nelli, came up and took care of the situation. We all (roommates) had a good laugh about it - they commented that seeing a white foreigner, the city workers probably assumed that they could get money from me. Another lesson learned!

Just as an aside: I reflect often on my experiences with Teach for America in Chicago. Something that TFA warned us (corps members) was that we should be cautious about the "picture we paint" of our situation to our friends and family. At times I felt like I vented to them (obviously) and I may have overplayed some situations, not looking at the whole picture of my experience in Chicago. With that being said, I want to paint a clear picture of my experience here. "Complaining" about the licensing department, the post office, or anything else is meant as a reflection of my specific experience, not a holistic view of South Africa. In fact, I find these difficulties kind of funny and funny-frustrating, which is why I share.

Windshield: Fixed! When I bought the car there was a small crack, that was localized and not an issue. Gerhard and I got an estimate for replacement, thinking that my car might not pass the roadworthy test with a crack. Eager to resolve the gigantic crack due to last weekend's trip to Gaborone, I called around to get estimates. After receiving a few estimates (with a range of $100 to $800!), I pulled an "HB" or a "Beth Fry" and worked on getting the best deal possible. I found a company that drives to your house/office and replaces the windshield onsite. Unfortunately, they were not the cheapest company. I forwarded them the lowest estimate ($100) and they matched it, problem solved! I know, I know. "Really, Scott? This is one of the most interesting stories that you want to put on your blog?" Yes, really :)

Braai: On Saturday, my roommates and I threw a "braai" ("cookout") for our friends. We went grocery shopping and cleaned up the house on Saturday before people started arriving around 4pm. We had a nice spread of meats: chicken, sausage, and steak, as well as nice sides and drinks. Although it had been a beautiful day, a storm came out of nowhere and inhibited on the cooking of the meat (difficult to cook over charcoal with rain). We had to instead cook a lot of the meat in the oven, with some dedicated grillers standing outside with umbrellas trying to get the fire going. All in all, it was a great braai and fun to meet a lot of different people.

I went to Gerhard and Marlize's for a dip in the pool and dinner on Sunday night, a perfect way to end the weekend. I always enjoy spending time with them and I hadn't seen them in a few weeks because of my travels. As I've said time and time again, I don't know what I would do without them. I thoroughly enjoyed the home-cooked meal and catching up!

Leo! (It's an inside joke) - Bottom line: Best Actor

Saw this on another ETAs blog and thought it was powerful