Why Deny the Obvious Child?

When I left my familiar South Carolina ground and stepped onto my flight headed to Cape Town last summer, I had many ideas of what this Ambassadorial scholarship year would mean to me, what I would learn, and what I would take away from this truly once in a lifetime experience. I can say that this past year far exceeded any and every expectation. I arrived in Cape Town, South Africa on July 21, 2010 with much anticipation and excitement after having received the Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship. I knew this would allow me the chance to do something completely different and challenging, and I arrived eager to use the next year as an opportunity to grow in knowledge and in my world experiences.

The Rotary scholarship allowed me to choose where I would study and engage in humanitarian work. Having recently graduated from the College of Charleston with a Master’s degree in Elementary Education (May 2010), with a plan of pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership, I decided to use this year to work in a developing nation. I chose to study at the University of Cape Town because I saw their course offerings as a complement to my existing education, and despite the mass poverty and lack of educational underpinnings for so many of the citizens, the University is ranked by QS World University Rankings 2010 in the top 200 universities in the world. Working and studying in a developing nation where so many South Africans face educational and political issues on a large scale gave me a broader perspective of life challenges that would not have been financially possible without the scholarship.

The Ambassadorial Scholarship is Rotary International’s best known program worldwide. Its goal is to develop leaders who can address the humanitarian needs of the global community and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace by increasing awareness of and respect for cultural differences. The scholarship funds students to study abroad and promotes international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries and geographical areas. During the scholarship period, I gave presentations to Rotary clubs, civic organizations, schools, and other forums about my experiences and volunteer work in South Africa. And now that I am back in the United States, I will also give presentations about my experiences that will lead to a greater understanding of South Africa.

After arriving in South Africa, I became involved in humanitarian efforts through a number of organizations. I volunteered with SHAWCO, a campus-based student organization, whereby I worked in a local township as an art teacher for 3rd – 5th graders a few days a week. That experience was both challenging and rewarding. It allowed me to see a different side to the daily life and struggles of children who are severely impoverished. It was through this volunteer experience that I first witnessed the struggles that most public schools in South Africa face-- low literacy rates among the children, few resources, and little community support. Being a passionate educator, I decided to do something in order to help —to build a school/ community library in this township and leverage support for its sustainability through existing organizations in South Africa. I entitled this endeavor “Project Imagine” because so many children imagine themselves as something great, but do not have the resources to achieve their dreams. To me, these children are the “obvious” children… thus the title of my blog comes full circle. As Paul Simon writes, “Why deny the obvious child?”

I first approached the Western Cape Education Foundation with the concept of building a library for a community of people in an impoverished area, and was thrilled to have received their endorsement of the concept. I developed a strategic plan (including a feasibility study, business plan and fund-raising strategy) for an E-Learning Resource Center at Hoofweg Primary School. This Center will provide access to educational opportunities to a wider community, bringing children and parents closer together. Research shows school programs that emphasize family and communities are linked to positive learner outcomes. By developing a prototype for Hoofweg, E-Learning Resource Centers in other impoverished areas in the Western Cape may be established.

The South African Literacy Problem Defined:
Official surveys reveal that South Africa’s learner outcomes rank poorly on the international stage, not only compared with learners from developed countries, but even among those from less-developed parts of sub-Saharan Africa. At the root of this problem lies the issue of illiteracy. Ensuring that every public ordinary school has a stocked library serviced by a qualified full-time librarian will go a long way in combating this issue by providing access to resources otherwise unavailable to impoverished citizens. Major international studies show that, all other things being equal, the provision of a functional school library adds between 10% and 25% educational achievement to average learner outcomes. Local research illustrates a strong correlation and causal relationship between the presence of a staffed library and higher academic performance. Libraries have also been found to be a cost-effective method of improving outcomes.

Only 7.23% of public ordinary schools in South Africa have functional libraries. These are almost entirely situated in former higher socio-economic schools which are able to stock and staff these facilities through their own resources. A history of inequality, rooted in apartheid and Bantu education, underlies these unacceptable conditions largely inherited by the current government.

Empirical studies have shown South African learners lag far behind their peers in other countries. According to the PIRLS 2006 report which tested primary school learners’ reading skills in 40 nations, South Africa’s learners achieved the lowest scores. In comparison to the South Africans, 7.23% of whom attended schools with functional libraries, 89% of learners in the other 39 countries attended schools with functional libraries; half of the children were taking library books home on a daily basis and half made use of a central school library at least once a week. In the SACMEQ II study involving 14 sub-Saharan African countries, 49.9% of South African grade 6 learners could not understand the meaning of basic written information. Overall, South Africa ranks ninth in school learners’ reading skills behind countries including Mozambique, Tanzania, and Swaziland.

This poor national performance obscures an equally serious problem: the huge gap in literacy between the advantaged and disadvantaged sectors of South African society. In 2005, 42.1% of grade 6 learners in the Western Cape could read and write at the appropriate level. However, in schools previously classified as “white”, 86.9% met the standard in comparison to just 4.7% in formerly “black” schools. These challenges of illiteracy and inequality lie at the heart of the educational crisis in South Africa. Much research in developed and developing countries has focused on the factors which, when employed effectively, can improve the outcomes of learners. Many of these investigations have pointed to the positive causal relationship between the performance of learners and the provision of school libraries. In a major international study, for instance, researchers concluded that, all other things being equal, student performance increases by between 10% and 25% when a stocked, staffed and fully-funded library is in operation within a school.

Today, it is common knowledge that libraries are an integral part of the education process. They work hand-in-hand with the school curriculum especially in grades where the use of written resources is expected; they provide a quiet, safe, well-lit spaces where learners can study and expand their knowledge; they act as vital reference points for young people in need of guidance, whether it be in relation to their personal interests, careers, or even their mental and physical health; they significantly improve the outcomes of teachers and learners alike; and, perhaps most importantly, they promote information literacy, a hunger for knowledge and a love of reading. In South Africa’s Library and Information Services (LIS) Transformation Charter, it is stated that:
As institutions of reading, libraries contribute significantly to a culture of reading with an emphasis also on writing and learning. Although reading occurs both inside and outside of libraries, they play the leading role in building a nation of life-long readers. In addition to their educational and cultural roles, libraries contribute to economic development by improving productivity through a reading and functionally literate workforce.

Expected Outcome of Project Imagine:

Literacy remains a challenge in disadvantaged communities. The focus of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) for the period 2010-2019 is to improve the reading, writing and calculating abilities of learners. The E-Learning Resource Centre will assist the WCED in achieving its objectives through this replicable model for elementary schools.

Project Imagine is designed to provide enhanced digital and print media-based learning for the pupils and teachers at the host school, the network of surrounding schools and the wider community. The facility will support the education challenges of many disadvantaged schools regarding library and ICT resources and infrastructure.

The Center will be the mainstream teaching resource for grade 4-7 learners with the school equipping their existing media center room for foundation phase learners. The Center will be fully integrated into the host school’s program in the mornings and open for afternoon use to surrounding schools and the community. Oversight of the facility is the responsibility of the host school with support from a facility management team including WCED and donor representation.

Conclusion:
Looking back on my year as Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar I feel incredibly thankful and honored to have had so many diverse experiences and met so many inspiring people during my time in South Africa. I am now entering my doctorate program for Educational Leadership at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. I truly believe my experiences as a scholar are what helped me to gain admission into a top notch school and program.

This scholarship period has given me an immense appreciation for Rotary and their many efforts to make this world a better place. This past year was truly life-changing for me. The places I've seen, the relationships I've built, the lessons I've learned are all cherished pieces of me that I will never forget.

Why deny the obvious child?

Saying Goodbye... for now

First of all, I think it’s only appropriate to acknowledge that it has been a long time since my last blog entry. For the past few months my life has been filled with making the most of my time left here in South Africa—mostly spending it with the wonderful friends that I have made here in the past year. I never could have dreamed that this past year would be so amazing and now I find myself trying to bring it to a close. I must admit that I did entertain the thought of staying here. I’ve had several job offers and the University of Cape Town made it known that they would like for me to stay on as well, but at the end of day I found myself looking back at my life plan—something I wrote out years ago. On that life plan was a clear indicator of what my next step should be—to obtain my doctorate degree. So beginning in August I will start a new program entitled Educational Leadership at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. It will take me a few years to complete, but by the end of the program I will be licensed in school administration and as a superintendent, but even better, this degree will enable me to pursue my passion for writing school legislation and making changes in the education system. Although I am really excited to start this new chapter of my life, I can’t help but think about all of the wonderful things I will miss here in Cape Town:

1. Friends: I have the most wonderful friends here in Cape Town. I could never have asked for better… truly.
2. Sharks: I never knew my passion for sharks before coming to South Africa, but so far I’ve been diving with them 3 times and I’m proud to say that I lived through each time :).
3. Minibuses: The public transportation system here has been surprising and entertaining to say the least. These buses are typically 14 passenger vans that drive through the city, honking and yelling for passengers as they make their route to and fro. I’ve met weird, strange, odd, and extraordinary people through this highly unregulated system.. and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
4. Summer: Summer in Cape Town is from December to February. It’s hot. It was one of my most favorite times because I had 3 months to enjoy the sun and travel.
5. Wineries: South Africa has the most beautiful wine estates and best wine. I think my reason for loving it is self explanatory.
6. Rotary: Rotary is after all the reason I’m here. The Rotarians here are extremely hospitable and I will miss the meetings—especially those that last 3 hours and serve unlimited quantities of wine. They do amazing work and serve many deserving people through their humanitarian efforts.
7. Virgin Active: My gym—complete with sauna and steam room. Need I say more?
8. Languages: South Africa has 11 official languages. Mostly in the Western Cape I hear Afrikaans, English, and Xhosa. Many times people will speak to me in Afrikaans, but needless to say I just meet their questions and comments with a blank expression. Nonetheless, hearing so many different languages is enjoyable and makes me realize that the US needs to change the philosophy in education that language is not a focus—every child should learn a second language starting in elementary school.
9. Churches: I’ve attended several different churches here in Cape Town, mostly Methodist and Anglican. Every church is different in their service and customs. I find it surprising that congregations are fully integrated between white, black, colored (a South African term), and Indian given the fact that Apartheid just ended 17 years ago. It makes me rethink of where we are in the States in terms of race relations—our churches tend to be very segregated, but I’m not sure why that’s the case… tradition? Comfort level? Efforts made by the church? I’m still not sure about this one.
10. The Old Biscuit Mill: This is a place in Cape Town that is only open on Saturdays. It’s a market of sorts where people sell food: cheeses, bread, waffles, bagels, coffee, paella, falafels, etc. It’s amazing!
11. Schools: I’ve had the great fortune to work with the Western Cape Department of Education Foundation and go into several of the area’s schools. Generally the schools that I have visited have been poorer, low income schools. Many of the classrooms don’t have the necessary supplies and basic things to operate—desks, chairs, chalk, books, etc. The teachers are underpaid and many have lost their passion for teaching. Consequently the students don’t perform at level. But even though there are these hardships, the students are resilient. They appreciate everything from volunteers and people that take a real interest in them. I feel like I’ve been able to make a huge difference in their lives (more about this to come in my next blog). I will truly miss them…
12. Grocery Shopping at Pick N Pay: There is a grocery store that is a 4 minute walk from my house, Pick N Pay. The store itself is always crowded and they don’t always have the same things day to day. But the reason this made my list is because there is a woman who works inside whose job is to weigh the fruit for pricing (this is done away from the checkout counter). She is a little different, but she always asks how I’m doing. I guess over the months she has come to think of us as close enough to share blonde jokes. Those of you who know me know that I don’t find these funny. Not at all. But it always strikes me as odd that she thinks I will one day find them funny… I think she will wait for quite a while. But still it’s nice to have someone try so hard to make me laugh.
13. Braai: This is the South African term for barbeque. In a way it reminds me of potluck because people bring their own meat to grill and usually something else to share. It’s always nice to be able to get together around food J.
14. Animals: I’ve never seen so many of the animals that I have this past year; only read about them or have seen pictures. These include guinea fowl, leopards, hyena, hippo, giraffes, and zebra. The safari that Mom and I took in January was beyond amazing—best trip I’ve ever had. I can’t even begin to describe how much I loved going on game drives and hearing Mom scream whenever she saw an animal.
15. Coca-cola man: There is a structure built out of coca-cola crates at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront that resembles a man cheering (I’m sure it was constructed for the World Cup). I can’t explain my love for it other than every time I see it or think about it, it reminds me of my good friend Gabi and our first day out in the city together.
16. Scenery: Table Mountain, Lions Head, and the 12 Apostles Mountains in Cape Town are the most amazing sites I’ve ever seen… plus they’ve served as good landmarks for me as I learned the city.
17. South African words: braai, now now, just now, backie, sundowners, geyser, shame, make a plan.
18. Tea time: I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I don’t really miss Starbucks coffee. I’ve traded my coffee addiction for tea (with milk). We’ll see if this carries over to when I’m back in the US… somehow I doubt it.
19. Food: Butternut squash, feta cheese on everything, avocados galore, appletisers, rusks, litchi fruit, granadilla yogurt, guava juice, and the weirdest chip combinations I’ve ever seen.
20. Absence of television from my life: I don’t watch TV except for CNN when I’m at the gym. It’s amazing how much time Americans spend watching television and how much more balanced your life can become without it.
21. Africa map: Before I came to South Africa I probably could have named 10 countries and their location. I’m now very knowledgeable in all 54 countries and their locations which can be largely attributed to the map of Africa that hangs in my room. My former housemate Gabi and I would stare at it daily and plan all of the places we would like to go—Zanzibar and other parts of Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi, Botswana, Namibia, etc. One day I will go, but until then I will continue to stare at my map.
22. 25 Falmouth Road Memories: I’ve had some of the greatest moments in the house where I live and made a lot of memories here. As Henrik puts it, when I leave this place and do one day return for a visit my heart will break to think that we don’t live here anymore. I know our memories will last, but it’s hard to believe how quickly the time went.
23. Driving: After living here for nearly a year, it will be a little strange to get back to driving on the right side of the road. Take this as a warning… I start driving on the road back home on June 13th.
24. My spiritual healing sessions: I have an incredible friend who is able to help me think differently and has taught me so much about bringing balance to my life. As I am with all of my friends I’ve met here, I am such a better person for having met him. I only wish everyone to have someone so special as he is to me in their lives.
25. Garden Route: This was one of my favorite things I did during my year here. The Rotarians that hosted me were incredible, the scenery was spectacular, and the adventures were amazing.

One day I will return to Cape Town—actually I’m hoping to every other year. It has been a remarkable year and I will always consider it home. South Africa is a place that will always be in my heart.

Ray’s Rotary Reunion in Cape Town

The current president of Rotary International is Ray Klinginsmith, an alumnus of The Rotary Foundation’s Ambassadorial Scholarship program, which took him to South Africa in 1961 where he studied at the University of Cape Town (just like me :)). Mr. Klinginsmith is a retired attorney, former professor of business administration, and past dean of administration for Truman State University. After meeting Ray and learning about all of his many accomplishments, I realized that I have some big shoes to fill.

This past week I had the great fortune to attend Ray’s Rotary Reunion here in Cape Town. Rotary has a new focus “Reach Out To Africa” (ROTA) and given Ray’s history with Cape Town, the Reunion of past and present scholars, Group Study Exchange team members, and African Rotarians met for four days to talk about successes, projects, and ways to improve Rotary in Africa. During those four days I was able to meet and talk at length with Mr. Klinginsmith (pictured) and his team at Rotary International. I told them about my projects that I’m involved in here in Cape Town, namely the library project, and about my future plans in the US. They seemed incredibly supportive of my efforts here in Cape Town as well as my future intentions to run for Congress. I honestly felt like I walked away from the conference with wonderful, new friends.

During the four day conference, I was privileged to meet FW de Klerk (former President of South Africa), Trevor Manuel (former Minister of Finance), Peter Kyle (consultant for World Bank and former head of the Legal Division), Francis Moloi (South African Diplomat and Alumnus of the Ambassadorial program), and Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar ( past RI President). After listening to these influential leaders of their communities, I felt completely inspired by Rotary’s efforts in the African continent. One of the most amazing accomplishments by Rotary is the effort to eradicate Polio. To learn more about it, please visit: http://www.rotary.org/en/ServiceAndFellowship/Polio/Pages/ridefault.aspx?housead

Thanks again to Rotary for such an amazing opportunity!

African Queen Living the Dream

I’ve had a lot of “firsts” since I arrived in South Africa— paying for electricity in a grocery store, going through an airport and not removing my shoes, encountering people who can speak at least 7 different languages, and registering for classes via the “go to the professor and beg your way into the class” method. But these past 2 weeks in particular have been filled with many more firsts that have both delighted and surprised me.

Mom’s flight arrived late on Friday, January 7th into the Cape Town International airport. I greeted her there upon which she began to cry… thankfully it was out of happiness and not the fact that I was going to be the one to drive her on the “wrong” side of the road to my apartment (pictured). After our joyous reunion, we loaded her heavy, heavy suitcases (heavy because she brought me goodies from home :)) into my rental car and made our way to my flat in Sea Point.


We spent the next few days sightseeing (and a little sleeping and recovering for Mom) in Cape Town. I took her to Boulders Beach where we watched the penguins (pictured) swim in the ocean and play in the sand. I also took her to the University of Cape Town so she could see where I spend all of my time and to my university house where I’ll be living next semester. I gave her just a brief introduction to Cape Town before our big trip was to begin that Monday.

Vic Falls

Our first flight left from Cape Town early Monday morning, January 10th. I had explained to my mother that flying in South Africa is much different that the US, but I don’t think she understood that until she saw that it only took us 1 minute to get from the check-in counter to our gate. Once we were settled at our gate we began to notice that none of the flights were called to board via an intercom system. Instead, people just got up at the scheduled boarding time and stood at the gate. In other words, there isn’t a nagging flight attendant calling people by rows and telling passengers they must wait their turn.

Once in the air, Mom was able to see that South Africans also take their in-flight food and drink seriously. The flight attendants are quick to serve a drink cart, beverage cart, and a meal cart (all of this for just a two hour flight!). Everything is included in the price of a ticket—gin, wine, coke, food. As Mom put it, flying in South Africa is the way that the US used to do it.

We changed planes in Johannesburg and boarded our flight to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. We experienced the same service as we did on the pervious flight and were happy when we arrived 2 hours later at the Vic Falls airport. Upon arrival we had to pay for a visitor’s visa ($30 USD). We stood in line for at least 45 minutes, so to pass the time we took pictures of the Rotary sign (pictured) that was hanging in the lobby… Rotary really is everywhere. After receiving our permit to enter the country, we were greeted by a staff member of the Thompsons Tour Group who took us to our hotel.

As we drove along the roads of Zimbabwe to our hotel, our guide answered our many questions about the country… why they use the US dollar as their currency, what kinds of animals live close by to the Falls, what the current political climate is like, and how Zimbabweans feel about Americans. As he happily answered all of our questions, we passed many baboons and warthogs (pictured) alongside the road.

Mom and I stayed at the Vic Falls Hotel (pictured) on the Zimbabwean side of the Falls. The hotel itself was massive and still kept in its original colonial style. The staff there were very friendly and helped us to our room. We spent the rest of that day relaxing with high tea in the courtyard and walking around the grounds. Later that night we spied monkeys and baboons sneaking into the hotel… I guess they were looking for food.

After a good night’s sleep, Mom and I were delighted to have a private tour of the Victoria Falls with our guide. He showed us many things such as the “Strangle Tree” (pictured), a tree that literally strangles another tree and takes it over and kills it, monkeys, and of course the spectacular Falls. Victoria Falls (pictured) are the largest falls in the world and are considered by some to be among the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. David Livingstone, the Scottish missionary and explorer, is believed to have been the first European recorded to view the Victoria Falls. Livingstone gave the falls the name 'Victoria Falls' in honor of his Queen, but the indigenous name of 'Mosi-oa-Tunya' which literally means the 'Smoke that Thunders' is also used. I personally like Mosi-oa-Tunya because it adequately describes the extreme mist and the noise of the Falls. Thankfully, our guide had raincoats ready for us to use as we walked around! The view was stunning, but towards the end of the tour our guide tried to convince us both to go bungee jumping. Mom cleverly replied, “After you” to our guide :). In the words of Barney Fife, that “nipped it in the bud”.

After taking our second shower at the Falls, Mom and I went and took a two hour river boat cruise down the Zambezi River (pictured). We were treated like queens as we drifted down the river; served tea, coffee, wine, and goodies while on board. We spotted two crocodiles, numerous birds, and many hippos (pictured) all while learning about the river. I don’t know why, but my mother kept calling the hippos “buffalos”. When we went back to the hotel the reception desk staff asked us if we saw anything and my mom replied, “Oh yes! We saw many water buffalo!” To that the staff said, “Really?!?” Embarrassed and confused, I replied, “No. That’s not true. They were hippo.” This pattern of behavior continued throughout the whole trip with my mother… malaria medication to blame??

During our down time in Vic Falls, Mom and I went “bargain shopping” at some of the local markets. The crafts were beautifully handmade and always came with “the best price”. Many of the store keepers tried to haggle with us, but these two smart American women didn’t play into that game J. We even had one guy approach us wanting to sell us Zimbabwean currency (a 3 trillion dollar note) which luckily we both knew hasn’t been in circulation in several years. All in all, it was fun to see the locals in action.

After visiting the beautiful Victoria Falls, we flew back to Joburg and spent the night at the D’Oreale Grande Hotel and Casino (pictured). This hotel was absolutely beautiful and reminded me of something you would find in Las Vegas. Unfortunately we didn’t have much time in Joburg since we had a morning flight to Hoedspruit to catch.

Timbavati- King’s Camp

Have you ever received your luggage after a flight via tractor? Well, I have. Flying into the Hoedspruit airport was very interesting. First of all, as we landed on the runway I noticed a plane to our right hand side had literally fallen and crashed off the runway. Luckily, no one was hurt in that accident. Secondly, we arrived and were directed to go stand outside to await our luggage. Mom and I laughed when we saw the tractor pull up with everyone’s bags in tow. After pulling our bags off of the tractor (pictured), we were on our way to Kings Camp. As we were driving down a dirt road our guide was kind enough to stop the car so we could have a good look at the giraffes (pictured) that were alongside the road. Mom screamed (literally) with delight and our driver laughed. He said, “I wonder if you’ll be screaming like that at the end of your trip when you’ve seen so many animals?”

We arrived at Kings Camp and were greeted with warm smiles and cocktails (best kind of greeting there is!). The manager Tristan checked us in and showed us around the camp. Along the way he explained some of the rules: (1) No walking alone at night for security reasons (snakes, monkeys, etc), (2) Drinks and snacks are always free and available—so drink up and indulge, and (3) no exercising while you’re on vacation. Mom and I could handle those kinds of rules :). Our daily schedule was as such:

5:30am Wake up call
5:45am Tea/ coffee and muffins served
6:00am Game drive
8:00am Stop in the middle of nowhere for tea/ coffee and goodies
9:30am Breakfast
10:30am Nap time
2:00pm Lunch
3:00pm Showers
4:00pm Game Drive
6:00pm Stop in the middle of nowhere to have a sundowner*
7:45pm Drinks and Dinner
10:00pm Sleep

*Sundowners are cocktails served while watching the sun go down

As you can tell by our “busy” schedule, every day we went on 2 game drives with our guides Sam and Colbert (pictured). These two men were very knowledgeable and were able to tell us anything we wanted to know about the area and the animals. Colbert’s favorite phrase was that he was “going to make a plan” to make sure we saw all of the Big 5 and more. Colbert didn’t disappoint us in the least…we saw many, many impalas and elephants (pictured). We also saw leopards, lions, hippo (which my mom still called water buffalo), rhino, buffalo, birds, hyenas, mongoose, kudu, tortoises, zebras, hares, giraffes, a spitting cobra and a black mamba. My favorite animals were the leopards (pictured) and giraffes because they both have such wonderful fur patterns and I’ve never seen either one of them before.

Our cabin (pictured) was fabulous (I don’t even think I should call it a cabin because it was so amazing, but for lack of better words I will). There were two beds complete with mosquito nets, two benches, a wardrobe, a full length mirror, a tea and coffee service set, a lounge area, fully stocked bar, patio area with chairs and hammock, shower, tub, and so much more. Every evening when we were on game drive, someone would come into the room and light candles and draw a nice, warm bubble bath. While we were enjoying the most wonderful food I’ve ever had at supper, they would come back and fix our mosquito netting and leave a chocolate on our pillow. I never been so spoiled and I did not want to leave… but unfortunately all good things must come to an end. I begged the staff to let me stay, but Mom forced me into the car to leave for the airport.

We arrived at the Hoedspruit airport and found out that our plane (coming from Joburg) was delayed. I took this as a sign that we should return to Kings Camp, but once again my mother rained on my parade and said “no”. So we waited in the airport and were served free snacks and drinks since there was a delay. After an hour and a half of waiting for our plane, the staff of South African Airways issued an apology note. I can’t even imagine any of this happening in the US… if your plane is delayed in the US you’re lucky to get an intercom announcement telling you so.

The airlineboarded us quickly and we landed safely in Johannesburg where we were greeted by a guy named Klaus. Klaus then led us to a van with a driver named December who was to take us to Pretoria. Along the way December (one of the most colorful characters I’ve ever met) educated us about the city and about himself. He played a guessing game with us to see if we could guess what his native tongue was. It turns out that it was Xhosa (the click language) and he spoke some to us. Mom fell in love with it and everywhere we went after that she wanted to hear someone speak as she said “Coo-sah”.

We stayed at the Castello Di Monte hotel (pictured) in Pretoria, another fabulous pick by the travel agent. But again unfortunately we didn’t have much time in Pretoria and weren’t able to properly see the city. The hotel itself though was very beautiful and so we spent some time walking around the property before we headed off to the train station.
Blue Train

The next morning we woke up early to catch the luxurious Blue Train (pictured) from the Pretoria station. Once again, we were greeted with warm smiles from the staff. As we checked in, the staff asked my mother where she was from to which my mother looked at me with absolute confusion. I replied to the woman, “She’s from the USA.” I’m so glad I was there to translate for my mom!

The train was indeed luxurious—we had our own butler, sleeping and sitting area, and bathroom. We enjoyed the 26 hours from Pretoria to Cape Town by dining on wonderful food, sitting by the window drinking tea, and taking a tour of a diamond mine in Kimberly at a stop over.

Cape Town

We arrived back in Cape Town on January 18th, 8 days after first departing. I was sad that our wonderful, stress free journey was over—now it was back to me driving on the “wrong” side of the road and playing tour director for Mom. We visited several shopping malls and areas in Cape Town (no surprise to anyone who knows either one of us), went on a champagne sunset harbor cruise, rode the cable car up Table Mountain (pictured) and enjoyed sunset, and visited Cape Agulhas (the southernmost tip of Africa).

Many times during our trip my mother commented that “others just don’t know what they’re missing”. How true it is! We had the most wonderful trip I’ve ever had and if I had the chance I would do it all over again. Best vacation ever! I really felt like an African Queen!

I Ordered “Adventure” for Christmas

This Christmas was unlike any other for many reasons: (1) its hot; (2) I have seen 0 real Christmas trees, 1 fake Chrismon tree, and 3 fake Christmas trees; (3) I’m not with my family for the holidays; and (4) there’s no such thing as eggnog in South Africa. So instead of rushing around trying to buy presents and sitting in traffic on I-26 heading West this holiday season, I decided to have an adventurous Christmas—one that I would never forget.

Determined not to return to the States until my year in Cape Town was over (June 2011), I asked one of my friends who currently lives in South Korea to come over for the holidays. Reid had a few days of vacation to take, a pocket full of money, and a desire to be adventurous with me, so he flew over on Christmas Eve. I had decided not to tell him exactly what our adventures were until he was safely in South Africa because I think he would’ve “missed” his flight had he known. Jetlagged and semi-conscious, Reid arrived and we decided the best thing to do was recover with a drink at the beach (pictured). We spent several hours lying on the gorgeous beaches of Cape Town where I first spotted Santa (pictured). The waters of Cape Town are a frigid 14 degrees Celsius (about 58 Fahrenheit), so there was no swimming, but there was plenty of resting.

After Reid was rested, I took him to Lion’s Head (pictured) where we hiked to the top (in 90 degree weather) and looked out on the city and beaches of Cape Town. Drenched with sweat, I explained to him that we were going to cool down by running off a cliff while trusting in complete strangers, the paragliding instructors, to land us safely on the ground. Like a deer caught in headlights, Reid just looked at me and nodded. The instructors’ specific directions were, “Whatever you do, just run. Don’t jump. Don’t sit. Don’t decide at the last second you don’t want to run because if that happens, we both will plummet to our death. And that just doesn’t look good for the company.” Wanting to please my instructor, I did as he said—I ran off the cliff into the sky and trusted in the glider and wind. It was an amazing experience to see Cape Town from so high up. We flew in the air for approximately 25 minutes while my instructor took pictures of us flying (pictured). While he was filming and taking shots he made comments such as, “This is my first time doing this” (not true of course), “Do you know how to fly this thing?”, and my favorite “I hope the wind doesn’t just all of a sudden stop”. As we landed, he decided to swing us back and forth a few times just to make sure that I got my money’s worth. Once safely on the ground, we watched Reid’s rough landing which resulted in a cloud of dust and dirt. Note to self—don’t stick your feet straight out when landing.

After paragliding, we went to view penguins at Boulders Beach (30 minutes outside of Cape Town). The “Jackass” penguins (named for the sound they make) are located in a protected area. No one is allowed to touch or be near them (pictured). So viewing from a boardwalk, we took some pictures and then headed onto our next activity—harbor cruise at sunset. The harbor cruise aboard Sea Princess was absolutely stunning. We boarded the boat from the Waterfront area at 7pm. The cruise served us free champagne and gave us plenty of opportunities to take pictures of the harbor, mountains, and scenery of Cape Town. The sun set at 8pm (pictured) and then we headed back to the dock. What a day!

At exactly 3:30am the following morning we woke up to start our next adventure—shark diving! I had wanted to go great white shark diving for a long time and now the time had come. Droopy-eyed and tired, we got into the rental car and drove to Kleinbaai (just over 2 hours outside of Cape Town). We arrived at 6:30am and received our instructions for the dive with a group of 40 other people. The boat that we took into the bay (pictured) had a cage attached to the side—perfect for checking out the sharks—and trailed fish oils to attract the animals. On board everyone put on their wetsuits, booties, masks, and weight belts. Then seven people at a time got their chance to view the sharks up close. To do this, one entered the cage, scooted down to the end of the cage and waited until the “shark spotters” (pictured) yelled to get down, “shark in front” or “shark on the right/left”. Between shark sightings, you could bob your head at the surface and breathe. Then during the sighting, you would hold your breath, and lower yourself in the cage to get a good view. Several times, the sharks came right up to the cage and bit it. There were at least 4 different sharks and the viewing was spectacular (pictured). The sharks were big, but not scary. I felt completely safe and protected the entire time. I highly recommend this experience to everyone!

After enjoying such a thrilling experience, we drove to Cape Agulhas which is the southernmost tip of Africa. On our way to the Cape, we passed Mount Pleasant (which of course reminded us both of Mt. Pleasant, SC) and many other cute towns. Cape Agulhas is a rocky point where the Indian and the Atlantic Oceans meet (pictured). We stayed there for about ½ an hour, contemplated the meaning of life, and then made the 3 hour journey back to Cape Town.

My adventurous Christmas ends there, but hopefully there will be another in the future waiting!

To view more pictures, please facebook me at: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=720378814

Church in Cape Town

Churches in Cape Town are unlike any I’ve ever attended in the US. While I’ve been here in Cape Town I have visited two Anglican churches, one downtown and one in Sea Point. This morning I went to St. James Anglican Church in Sea Point. The service this morning went a little something like this:

10:45- I arrived at the church for the 11am service
10:46- I noticed I was the only one there
10:48- Some other visitors from the UK came into church
10:50- All of us wondered where the bulletins were… we were told that they don’t print any. The church uses a big screen that pops down during the service.
10:55- I was welcomed by a man in the church who asked me to write down my name because he wanted to properly introduce me during the service.
11:03- Other people arrived for church (African Time is a reality... nothing starts "on time")
11:05- That same man who wanted my name walked up to the front, fiddled with a microphone, and asked who was leading church today. The preacher, who was sitting with the congregation in the pews, told him that he thought he (meaning the man with the microphone) was going to lead. 11:10- The man with the mic said, “Sure, I’d be happy to do it. Who’s going to read today?” A woman in the first pew said she would.
11:12- That man with the mic introduced me and told everyone I was from the States... they all clapped.
11:15- The man with the mic asked for testimonies… Several people stood up, took the mic and spoke about a recent event in their lives that made them grateful, happy, etc. Some spoke in English, some in Afrikaans.
11:30- Testimonies ceased and the piano player began playing church music. Someone controlled the screen so we could all see the words.
11:40- A woman felt moved and wanted to tell us all about her recent encounter with a rude waiter at a restaurant in Cape Town. During her meal there with her bible study group, this waiter was apparently rude and obnoxious. The woman felt as though she needed to talk with him and tell him that the Lord loved him… end of story was the man became incredibly nice.
11:45- The preacher got up from the 3rd pew in the congregation and preached.
11:53- People that needed to be prayed for went up front while the preacher prayed for them.
11:55- Peace time. Everyone got out of their pew, walked in the aisle of the church and held hands. Then people proceeded to hug and kiss everyone saying “Peace Be with You”. I met everyone.
12:05- Communion (pretty standard)
12:13- Prayers were said—The Lord’s Prayer and some other general prayers
12:15- We sang the last hymn Joy to the World (because someone requested it right then)

As you can probably tell, this service was unstructured and probably violated a few codes of the Anglican Church; however, I have to say that I never felt more welcomed by a group of people whom I had never met. I find it fascinating and refreshing that the churches here are mixed race… black, white, colored… everyone. No one worries about the color skin when you’re under God’s roof… just like it should be. Church here is an experience that you must have here in Cape Town!

Spoiled on the Garden Route

This past week has been absolutely amazing. Thanks to my Host counselor Henry at Claremont Rotary Club and Howard, member of the Mossel Bay Rotary Club, I was able to travel along the southern coast (heading east) to visit various Rotary clubs along the “Garden Route” in South Africa (pictured-- also, notice the name of the town in the upper righthand corner of "Sutherland" :)). After taking such an incredible journey, I can now assuredly say that I have fallen in love with South Africa. If it weren’t for family and obligations back home, I would seriously consider moving to South Africa. The people I met were the most hospitable people I’ve ever encountered-- which is hard to beat coming from Charleston, SC (aka #1 friendliest city in America).

When I was presented with this opportunity to travel along the Garden Route I immediately thought, “Oh no… I can’t drive on the left hand side of the road.” But I was determined to not let that stop me. After all, I’ve made it this far, so why not? So I rented a car for the week and set out on my journey. Surprisingly enough, driving on the left side of the road wasn’t that difficult. What was difficult for me was remembering which side of the steering wheel holds the mechanism to signal a change of lane and which side contains the knob for wiping my windshield clean. Needless to say, I think I drove with my windshield wipers on quite a lot and signaled very little.

Monday
After renting the car, I set out to visit the Rotary Club of Mossel Bay. The drive to Mossel Bay took me about 4 ½ hours, but the time passed quickly as I spent most of it staring at the beautiful scenery around me. On the way, I saw many cow, sheep, horse, goat, and ostrich (pictured).

I arrived in Mossel bay at 4:30pm and met Howard, a “swallow” from the UK (swallow is the term given to a person who spends half of their time elsewhere and then the other half in SA). Howard is a member of the Mossel Bay Rotary Club and was the organizer of my trip. He took me to meet my first hosts, the Marais family. The Marais family consists of Dr. Eugene Marais (Rotarian) and his wife Oma B, their daughter Genee (also a Rotarian), and her son Indy. Dr. and Mrs. Marais live next door to Genee and her son on the golf estate in Mossel Bay. They take turns cooking supper every night and have a wonderful relationship with one another. Upon arrival at the Marais home, I was greeted with such warmth from their family. I had my first home cooked meal and was given my own room and bathroom, complete with a view of the ocean (pictured).

After dinner, I went and spoke to the Rotary Club of Mossel Bay. I gave my presentation which lasted about 30 minutes and then listened to a second speaker. The second speaker was interesting in the fact that he wants Rotary to get involved in his project idea- Preserve Planet Earth. In short, he proposed that Rotary needs to control population growth in the same manner that they have almost completely eradicated Polio—i.e. sterilizing women (especially in impoverished areas). I won’t exactly comment and give my personal views on this subject, but I will say that I have never been so shocked at a Rotary meeting before. Needless to say, I don’t think his idea will come to fruition any time soon. In any case, the meeting was entertaining to say the least.

Tuesday
I traveled to Knysna in the morning to meet with the Rotary Club of Knysna for their lunchtime meeting. Arriving in Knysna is quite interesting because there is a long bridge you cross over a lagoon in order to reach the town. The drive was again spectacular because the scenery was unlike anywhere else I’ve ever been. I met with a real estate agent and Rotarian, Peter, who took me to the meeting at the Sailing Club. The venue was situated right on the water, in fact I felt the wind against the building as I gave my talk. I gave my presentation to a room full of Rotarians and then toured the city with the President, Franc. He took me around the city and up the mountain to the “Heads of Knysna”. I had a wonderful view (as you can see from the pictures). I really do believe that I could live in Knysna—everyone was so friendly, the city was charming, and the nature was incredible (pictured).

After the tour, I said goodbye to Franc and headed out to George. That night I arrived and spoke to the Rotary Club of George and toured one of their projects—an assisted living facility. I usually get questions at the end of my presentations, but I have to say that the members from George really were very curious about a number of issues such as: the death penalty in America, successful fundraising strategies, and politics. The “questions” part of my presentation is always my favorite part because it forces me to think on my feet—gives me good practice for being a politician;).

That night and the following two nights I was hosted by Ian (Rotarian) and his lovely wife Ferdi. Again, they were incredibly welcoming and made me feel right at home.

Wednesday
I went to Oudtshoorn, just north of George. The drive was incredible and also adventurous. I actually had to stop in the middle of the road for baboons crossing (pictured). Baboons have a mind of their own and are quite vicious at times. They’ve been known to scratch and bite people, so needless to say, I stayed in my car.

I eventually made my way up to Cango Wildlife Park. There I was able to see flamingos, crocodiles, lemurs, lions, tigers, white tigers, bats, fish, and cheetahs. The park was amazing and I actually got to go in the large cage with the cheetah cubs (about 9 weeks old) and play with them (pictured). I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to top that experience!

From the Wildlife Park, I went to Cango Caves (pictured). The Caves were astonishing—millions of years old. I took a tour that lasted about an hour and we traveled about 2km throughout the caves. I did the standard tour because I was running short on time, but apparently there is an adventure tour where you have to crawl and slide through rocks—not for the Closter phobic. Our guide told us that recently a rather large woman went on that tour and got stuck. The group then had to wait 10 hours to be rescued!

That night I went back to my hosts in George and ate another wonderful meal with the wives of the George Rotarians. Ferdi was an amazing cook and I felt so spoiled by her.

Thursday
Ian and I left in the mid morning and drove to the Knysna Elephant Park. We’re both big fans of animals and so we decided this would be fun to do together. We arrived at the Park and took a tour through the Elephant Reserve. All of the elephants here are “orphans”. Some had their parents killed by hunters and others had been rejected by their mother. The Elephant Park was opened in 1994 and has been very successful ever since. Ian and I were able to feed and play with the elephants (pictured). Again, this experience was incredible!

From the Knysna Elephant Park Ian took me to Plettenberg Bay for lunch. The hotel we went to was situated on an absolutely perfect spot, right on the bay (pictured). If and when I go back to Plettenberg Bay, I will most definitely stay at the Beacon Hotel. They have everything from scuba diving to volleyball to good food and relaxation there.

Friday
I was absolutely spoiled by an invitation to go for a private plane trip on Friday (pictured). Phillip, president of the George Rotary Club, owns three planes (and many other big kid toys). He took me around the area where I got the best view of George, Knysna, Mossel Bay, and everything in between. Flying in a small plane was actually a lot of fun—it was like being in a porche in the sky. Someday I think it would be really nice to learn to fly… completely relaxing.

After my flight, I drove back to Mossel Bay. My hosts took me around the town and to a cave where I saw dassies (pictured). I never knew that this animal existed! It looks like a big, smelly hamster. Apparently the smell comes from the fact that they pee on themselves so their feet are sticky which in turn helps them to climb rocks. Yeah… not all animals are cute and cuddly.

Saturday
I drove with Howard and Genee to a Rotary Conference in Swellendam (two hours back in the direction of Cape Town). There I was able to meet many Rotarians and exchange contact information. I now have many more presentations lined up for the coming months. The conference focused on building a better and boulder community and touched on areas like membership and branding. After the conference I said goodbye to Genee and Howard (who felt like family to me at this point) and headed back to Cape Town.

I arrived in Cape Town at 5pm, but my mind stayed in the Garden Route. I honestly can say that was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken. I was so spoiled by everyone… no wonder I would like to move there!