The Weather Is A-Changin'

Not an "earth-shaking" week at work; my students finished their student teaching on Wednesday and I had classes Thursday/Friday. It was nice to have students back on campus and get back to normal, except they only have one more week of classes before final assignments/examinations. I put together a slideshow for my class on Thursday about my experience teaching in Chicago - many of my students commented that they wanted to see my classroom, hear more about my experience, et cetera. I enjoyed reflecting while I made the presentation and sharing my experiences with my students.  Overall, I think they were shocked that there is poverty in America or that the poor educational landscape of Chicago/America is so profound. I wasn’t trying to be "Debbie Downer" but a lot of the students want to leave South Africa to teach in England or the US - my hope is that they stay and make an impact in South Africa where their help is needed (not that America/England don't need help - sorry, double negative).

Had a great time this weekend: On Saturday, I picked Rob and Ben up from the Gautrain (coming from Pretoria) in the morning and we headed to the "1st Annual Jozi Craft Beer Festival" with Ryan, Anna, and Micah (other Fulbrighters). It was a really "hip" event, with local breweries providing tasting, good food, and the weather was beautiful. We sat in the sun, talked, tasted beer, and enjoyed the atmosphere. In the afternoon, we headed to the Orlando Pirates Soccer Stadium in Soweto for the Nedbank Cup Final game between the Mamelodi Sundown and the SuperSport United. It was awesome to see the other Soweto Stadium (the other being the FNB/World Cup Stadium). I wasn't too terribly interested in either team, but it the game was a fun experience. Exhausted from the sun, the beer, and the soccer game, we had a low-key Chinese/Japanese dinner in Melville (my neighborhood).

On Sunday, Nick (Bloemfontein Fulbrighter) flew in from Europe, where he traveled with his girlfriend (originally from Chicago). Ben, Rob, and I waited for him to arrive at OR Tambo Airport ("Sawubona Nick" sign and all). While we were waiting, Neil Diamond's "Coming to America" was playing, which I thought was funny (and odd). After he arrived, Ben, Rob, Nick, and I grabbed lunch at a local mall before Ben and Rob took the train back to Pretoria. Nick and I went to Zoo Lake, a beautiful park. We talked for a few hours and soaked up the sun - I enjoyed catching up with him. He took the train to the airport on Monday morning to head back to Bloemfontein.

An exciting piece of news this week - John, one of my best friends, is visiting at the end of my scholarship in November (flying in from Sacramento - 9 time zones!). We're going to Cape Town for five days, spending some time in Johannesburg, then taking a eight day road trip to Swaziland, Mozambique, and Kruger National Park. It should be an incredible trip, a great experience to share together, and "last hurrah" before leaving. We both take off on the 29th of November, both arrive on the 30th of November to Detroit, and then both are in one of our other best friend, Vikrum's wedding on the 1st of December… will be a crazy few days (but exciting)! 

Jozi Craft Beer Fest

Orlando Stadium

Flyover at the game! 

Soweto

Scott Fry: Not South Africa's Most Wanted

This was the last week of "Teaching Experience" for my students and I continued to enjoy observing, coaching, and reflecting. Overall, I was really impressed by my students' innate teaching abilities - they had the confidence needed to stand in front of a classroom and were receptive to feedback. Upon reflecting about my own teaching practices, I have to credit Teach for America for preparing me for this scholarship and giving me a strong methodological and pedagogical foundation. At the time, I was frustrated/overwhelmed by the demands that Teach for America placed on its corps members, but it really has value, which I'm able to see now.

A new development this week: I received a notice from the company I bought my car from regarding a ticket I received on the 5th of February (the car was still in their name and yes, it is mid-May). Interestingly, the notice that the company received from Johannesburg Metropolitan Police was the second notice sent, which increased the original fine. This meant that the company should have received a notice about the ticket in March. In any event, I did some research on how to appeal the fine because: 1) I thought that this was a bit ridiculous - if I would've received the traffic violations when they occurred, I would've been aware of my wrongdoing (and not subsequently done the same thing four more times), 2) I can try to plead ignorant American/"poor" scholar, 3) They have no proof of delivery of the fines. I found, on the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) website, a statement that outlines how the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police are illegally issuing tickets. By law, they have to issue them by certified/registered mail, which they do not. It is just mind-boggling to me that a federal agency would say: "Do not pay the fines that you receive from a local authority." Can you imagine? (go ahead, try). With more conviction, I sent off my appeal.

Disclaimer from AARTO about Johannesburg Metropolitan Police

Disclaimer: I consider myself a good, safe driver. I received five tickets, three of which were from the same camera/policeman. Moreover, the five tickets occured in my first month of driving… I haven't had any since (in case anyone wanted to jump to conclusions).

On Saturday I went to Pretoria to visit Rob and Ben (Fulbrighters) for the night. It was really nice to spend time in Pretoria and get a "feel" for the city. I had been to Pretoria a couple times, but never really saw much of the city. Previously, I went to the Voortrekker Monument and the Union Building and then spent a few days in Pretoria at the beginning of my grant at an orientation (sitting inside a hotel "conferencing").

In any event, they live in Hatfield, which is a young, hip area near the University of Pretoria. We spent time in the afternoon at a local mall and then went downtown to walk around. Downtown Pretoria has a lot of architectural beauty and is much cleaner/calmer than downtown Johannesburg. For dinner, we went out for Indian (one of my favorites) before heading to Hatfield Square to grab some drinks. It was nice to get out of Johannesburg and check out Pretoria - it is always reenergizing, I feel (i.e. a change of scenery).

I'm looking forward to the upcoming week: the end of teaching experience and the Nedbank Cup Final (South African soccer league)/Johannesburg Craft Beer Festival on Saturday.

King Edward VII High School (Fun Fact: Golfer Gary Player's alma mater)

King Edward VII High School (what school doesn't have a garden and a coy pond?!)

King Edward VII High School  

King Edward VII High School (Harry Potter-esk)

St. Martin's School

Classroom at St. Martin's School

Task Academy

Teaching Experience

The first full week of teaching experience for my students was this past week; I spent the majority of my time observing, meeting with the student-teachers to reflect/give feedback, and on Thursday and Friday, I led teaching workshops for the first year students. The first year students take a course called Becoming a Teacher, in which they learn the basics of teaching methodology. As they are first year students, they only have to give one full lesson and they are supposed to spend the remainder of their time during teaching experience observing. In order to prepare them for their full lesson, they attended all-day workshops to help them plan, prepare, and practice. I lead workshops on lesson planning and all of my students presented (practiced) the "Introduction to New Material" section of the lesson on Friday, getting feedback both from me and from their classmates. I find activities that have real-life implications (i.e. these students were going to give the lesson the next week) to be much more meaningful. It was great to see the growth in my students, even after two days.

There was an incredible experience when I was observing one of my fourth year students - he was teaching a poem to grade nine, called My Name by Magoleng wa Selepe. The student teacher began by introducing himself and discussing his name, and not knowing the students' names, went around the room and renamed every learner (silly/ridiculous names). The learners thought it was a joke, but it set the mood for the poem that they were about to read:

My Name

Nomgqibelo Ncamisile Mnqhibisa

Look what they have done to my name,

the wonderful name of my great-great-grandmother

Nomgqibelo Ncamisile Mnqhibisa

The burly bureaucrat was surprised

What he heard was music to his ears

‘Wat is daai, se nou weer?’

‘I am from Chief Daluxo Velayigodle of Emalu Podweni

And my name is Nomgqibelo Ncamisile Mnqhibisa.’

Messiah, help me!

My name is simple

And yet so meaningful

But to this man it is trash.

He gives me a name

Convenient enough to answer his whim…

I end up being "Maria"

I…

Nomgqibelo Ncamisile Mnqhibisa

(*Under the Apartheid government, blacks were given "Anglo" or "Christian" names, rather than their traditional, tribal names. The tradition still continues, with many adopting "Anglo" names in addition to their given name*)

The lesson was powerful not only because of the poem, but the backdrop on which it was presented. The diverse classroom, the "new" South Africa, did not experienced the oppressive Apartheid regime. It was powerful to hear the learner's reactions and listen to the stories they shared about their parents/grand-parents' struggles.

This week I booked a trip to Victoria Falls the first (long) weekend in August with Ben and Rob (the Pretoria Fulbrighters). We will fly into and stay in Livingstone, Zambia and then also travel to the Zimbabwean side of the falls as well. It will be an incredible experience.

A relaxing weekend - spent time catching up on reading and working on a few projects. On Sunday afternoon, I went to Marlize's Sister's house (the same family that I went camping with a few weeks ago) for a Mother's Day lunch. It was great to see Marlize's side of the family and we had a wonderful time (ate traditional South African dishes - babotie, pumpkin tart, et cetera). 

Parade City

My birthday on Tuesday was/is conveniently a national holiday (Labor Day), which gave me time to unwind after the weekend camping and celebrate my quarter-century. I went out for drinks with the Johannesburg Fulbrighters in the afternoon and then went to Fourway's Monte Casino for dinner with Gerhard and family (Gerhard, Marlize, and girls saw The Phantom of the Opera being performed at the theatre in the casino). Monte Casino is a beautiful (huge) complex designed to look like an Italian village (Monte Cassino - get it?) - it includes a casino, hotel, theatre, and a "village" with restaurants and little shops. We went to a Brazilian/Mediterranean restaurant and had a wonderful meal, going for a mini-"passeggiata" (Italian evening stroll) afterward…It was a great birthday, not too overwhelming and spent with good friends/family.

My students started their teaching experience this week; I was/am assigned to four high schools around Johannesburg, where I'll go to conduct observations and reflect with the students (problem shoot, lesson plan, behavior management, et cetera). I visited the students at their schools on Thursday and Friday, impressed by the quality and beauty of the schools. Three of my schools are old British schools - with immaculate grounds, extravagant uniforms, and well-functioning faculty.  

The weekend was low-key, which I appreciated after a busy few weeks. On Sunday afternoon I went to a parade in Johannesburg … I'm still not too sure what it was for. Basically, the German Embassy sponsors the Goethe Institute (which encourages/sponsors German cultural exchange). The Johannesburg Goethe Institute has a space called the "Shoe Shop" which is a workplace for local artists. The premise, I think, is that walking has a large part of humans' lives and shapes who you are (I know, a bit "out there"). In any event, in order to celebrate the opening of the space they had a parade through the city and a braai (cookout) downtown. I went with Anna and Mariann (two Jo'berg Fulbrighters) - we (including a marching band) started at the "Shoe Shop" and walked through a lot of places that I feel nervous driving in. It was actually a lot of fun, dancing (as much as I can), and waving to onlookers. The 30 minute walk ended at a park in Hillbrow where a band and dancers performed and they had a cookout for all of the participants. Interestingly, we met the director for the movie I saw the Johannesburg Film Festival (State of Violence) and talked to him for a while; it was a unique crowd.

Birthday Dinner 

Getting ready to parade!

Goethe Institute - Creators of Shoe City

"Jo-hassle-burg"

The inner Boy Scout in me came out this week as I went camping in the Pilanesberg National Park with Gerhard, Marlize, the girls, and Marlize's sister's family. There were national holidays on Friday and Tuesday (coincidentally Monday was a quasi-holiday) making for a long, five-day weekend. I drove out to Gerhard's on Thursday night so that we could set out early on Friday morning for the Pilanesberg National Park, which is about two hours northwest of Johannesburg, in the Northwest Province. After we arrived on Friday morning, we set up our campsite: tents, tables, drying racks, cooking gear, et cetera (fortunately, each site had electricity, which made "roughing it" a little less rough). After Marlize's sister's family arrived and set up camp we went for a late afternoon drive through the park. Pilanesberg and the surrounding area is beautiful; the contrasting colors, the rolling hills and mountains, and the vegetation is breath-taking.

On Saturday, we took a long route through the park on our way to "Sun City." Sun City is a resort settled in the valley of the Pilanesberg Mountains. It is a "Las Vegas"-esk resort, created under Apartheid to cater to the gambling desires of South Africans. It was built in a non-white area, where gambling was legal (which is why it is so far from Johannesburg). The resort is massive, with casinos, a cinema, a water park, and a themed-five star hotel, "The Lost City." It was impressive to see the creativity involved in designing this "oasis" in the middle of the mountains. We spent the afternoon at the water park, soaking up the warm weather (a good 5-6 degrees Celsius warmer than Johannesburg). Gerhard, Marlize, and I explored "The Lost City" hiking through a trail with water falls, lakes, and vegetation that eventually lead to a massive hotel that looked as if it were in a jungle in Imperial India.

We were fortunate the first few trips into the park to see a lot of animals; so much so that seeing an elephant or a giraffe became less awe-inspiring (not that it wasn't special, but we were on a mission to find more rare animals, say lion or leopard). On Sunday morning, we set off to the park as it opened at 6:00am. As we trekked through the park, we came to a family of rhinoceros and watched them graze. It was incredible how tame they were and how close to the trail they were (unlike other "safaris" you couldn't make your own trail through the veld). After a few hours of watching a variety of animals, we went back to the campsite to make breakfast, and then went out again. We ran into a traffic jam, as a lone, male elephant was blocking the road. A tour bus, determined to give its riders the closest (and most dangerous/stupidest) view, decided to pass all of the stopped cars. Intimidated, the elephant charged the bus, stopping short of ramming it (there are stories of elephants turning over cars). It's sad that these companies have to go to such lengths to please clientele (i.e. see a lot of animals, since they pay so much). After our late-morning trek through the park, we went back to the camp and Gerhard and Steven (Gerhard's brother-in-law) made "potkie" (p-oy-kee) - a dutch oven layered stew that cooks over charcoal for many hours (and you don't stir it). We had a wonderful, hearty last meal together before leaving the next (Monday) morning.

Final Random Thoughts:

• Overall, we saw (in no particular order): elephant, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, warthog, jackal, kudu, springbok, baboon, and impala.
• Gerhard and Marlize really know how to camp, they were wonderful "hosts"… we had a wide variety of food/drink and they had some neat camping gear. I am looking forward to "Round Two" as we camp in the Kalahari in June.
• It was really nice to get out in nature and live more simply for a few days.
• MTN, a South African cellular company sponsored the weekend at Sun City (the South African Music Awards, were presented by MTN and took place at Sun City). One of the MTN DJs that was playing music at the water park kept referring to Johannesburg as "Jo-hassle-burg" - lame, but funny.

Packed and ready to go!

Campsite 

My tent! 

South Africa's raccoons - meerkats 

Entrance into the park

Hippo

Taking a break :)