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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)!
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| 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. |
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| Linder Auditorium (at Wits) |
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| Guest Pianist, Playing with the Philharmonic |
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