The biggest challenge
of the week was trying to weave my way through the variety of opportunities
presented to me (and other Fulbright ETA). We were introduced to the entire
division, explaining our background, and our purpose at Wits. Understandably,
many professors from different departments reached out or were introduced to
us. Although we are teaching a course, working in the writing center, and
taking isiZulu courses, we still want to have a larger impact on campus (both
for Fulbright's sake and for our personal/professional growth). So I enjoyed every opportunity to meet
with professors, hear about the opportunities in their office, and talk to them
about their research. As the first week of school unfolds, I think the
additional projects that I will be working on will become clear.
Overall,
I've felt very welcome at the University of the Witswaterand and I look forward
to this academic year. The faculty/staff have been helpful and have gone out of
their way to make sure that we (Mariann and myself) feel welcome. They also got
us involved right away, in many facets of university life.
Unsuccessful.
On Thursday, I tried to get my car registration taken care of as well as get a
South African bank account. The former should be easy enough, just take my
"Vehicle Registration and Licensing" form to the licensing
department, right? I made sure to get the office early (it opened at 7:30am) so
that I would have enough time to get to campus before a 9:00am meeting. I
trekked through the city and had difficulty finding the office. On their
website and ten or so subsequent websites, they only listed cross-streets, not
a physical address. This made it much more difficult to locate with my GPS, not
to mention that the building wasn't at the cross street. I drove around the area,
stopping in a petrol station and a library to ask for directions. I finally
found the building tucked away, but unmarked. As one of the first in line, I
entered the desk, took out my forms and asked for a new car registration. The
teller nicely told me that I didn't have the necessary papers. When you
sell/buy a car, both the buyer and the seller have to turn forms into the South
African DMV. The seller already did that, last week, which officially meant
that the car is mine. He replied that I needed the old (the seller's)
registration. Defeated, I drove to campus and knew that this battle would have
to wait for another day.
My second
attempt of the day was opening a South African bank account. Marlize (who works
at ABSA - a popular South African Bank - part of Barclay's Group) put me in
touch with one of her colleagues, who in turn, called the local branch to let
them know I was coming in (and to help me with this issue: temporary,
non-resident, wanting a bank account!).
I wanted to open up an account after being killed by Bank of America's
international fees. To make a long rant short, Bank of America has partner
banks in other countries that Bank of America customers can use with no
additional fees (except for the foreign exchange conversion). Unfortunately,
Bank of America does not have any partner banks in South Africa. So, I get
charged a fee each time I draw money from an ATM and then a percentage of the
amount. So, to avoid fees, which over a year, really add up, I wanted to open
an account. I marched into the ABSA, met with the customer service
representative that was notified of my coming, and gave her my paperwork
(passport, university ID, and lease). Apologetically, she informed me that ABSA
has a specific form that the landlord has to fill out to confirm residency (a
government regulation). With another defeat under my belt, I knew that this
too, would have to wait for another day. Understandably, this is/was
frustrating, but it's not a "South African" or an "African"
thing - it just goes to show me that the DMV and banks are both not high on the
"likeable" list internationally too!
Over the
weekend, two of the ETAs from Pretoria came down and we met to go to the
"1st Annual Johannesburg Film Festival," a three-day festival with a
multitude of films. There were two
locations, one downtown, and the other in Kensington (a suburb close to
Johannesburg), at the "Kensington Bowl and Tennis Club". Two films
particularly struck me, The State of
Violence and The Battle for Joburg.
We attended the former, a feature film about a fictitious South African
politician from Alex (a township). Although he was successful (and wealthy),
moving out of the township, he had a scarred past. He murdered a man in the
township during the freedom of political parties in the early 1990s. Seeking
revenge, the murdered man's son murdered his wife. I know, I know, gruesome.
The movie was about the man seeking redemption and realizing the revenge can
destroy you (It was not as violent as I made it out to be).
After the film,
we were getting ready to leave, watching the members lawn bowl and two members
of the club asked us if we wanted to try. Eagerly we agreed and she took us to
the field, explained the rules, the technique, and let us try playing a game.
It was a lot of fun! It's like "Bocce Ball" - but on a golf course
green and about forty yards in length. We played for about an hour and a half,
rapidly getting better and better. I was blown away by their hospitality and
welcoming; another member stayed with us for our match, giving us tips and
strategies, because the game is also very mental. In any event, it was a great
cultural experience and we are welcome to come back any time!
On Sunday, I
went out for a birthday lunch with Gerhard and family. Tasmin's (their youngest)
birthday was on Wednesday (same as my dear Sister!) and they celebrated it over
the weekend. Marlize's sister's family and her parents also came; we had a
wonderful lunch at a local Mediterranean grille. It was really nice to be
included in the celebration and I always enjoy spending time with them.
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| Bedroom - looking out into living room |
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| Hallway to bathroom kitchen (2 bedrooms on left, one on right) |
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| Backyard |
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| Wits |
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