Friday, November 20, 2009
Back at Home
After 2 days of traveling, I made it back home safely. Thanks for your prayers. I'm looking forward to sharing more about my trip with friends and family.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Last Full Day
Happy Birthday to my wonderful friend Kim!! I hope you have a wonderful day and I thank you for being a blessing in my life!
Today was my last full day in South Africa. Our day began with a visit to the school of education at Stellenbausch University. The faculty there were gracious hosts, and we had an opportunity to hear about their research in education. All of our university visits have been good starting points for future collaborations. I feel as though I have so much to learn from the scholars I have met.
Tomorrow we have to fly from Cape Town to Johannesburg and then to DC. So, I will be on an airplane for the next 2 days. I will post some reflections about the trip over the weekend as I rest and recuperate.
Farewell Mother Africa. I will return~
Today was my last full day in South Africa. Our day began with a visit to the school of education at Stellenbausch University. The faculty there were gracious hosts, and we had an opportunity to hear about their research in education. All of our university visits have been good starting points for future collaborations. I feel as though I have so much to learn from the scholars I have met.
Tomorrow we have to fly from Cape Town to Johannesburg and then to DC. So, I will be on an airplane for the next 2 days. I will post some reflections about the trip over the weekend as I rest and recuperate.
Farewell Mother Africa. I will return~
Monday, November 16, 2009
More Questions Than Answers
Today we went to the University of Cape Town to learn more about the work that the PRAESA organization is conducting. This group works to promote multilingualism and raise the status of African languages. Even though the population of South Africa is 80% Black, there is a shortage of African children's books published in African languages. Hence, African stories become neglected in school. This group has begun publishing stories representing African cultures in their languages. In the Western Cape, English, Afrikaans and Xhosa are the main languages spoken.
As you have read thus far, I've been reflecting about the similarities between the experiences of Black Africans and Blacks in the US. In America, the major publishing houses don't want to publish stories about and with Black characters because they think that we don't read. However, in the US we're only 12% of the population. It is unbelievable that Black South Africans are experiencing the same issue and they are 80% of the population! It's amazing how groups who have oppressed others don't want them to know anything about themselves. Oh wait... that might be too liberating for them and then they might actually challenge their oppressors.
After the trip to the University of Cape Town, I went to Robben Island. I'm still processing the experience.
As you have read thus far, I've been reflecting about the similarities between the experiences of Black Africans and Blacks in the US. In America, the major publishing houses don't want to publish stories about and with Black characters because they think that we don't read. However, in the US we're only 12% of the population. It is unbelievable that Black South Africans are experiencing the same issue and they are 80% of the population! It's amazing how groups who have oppressed others don't want them to know anything about themselves. Oh wait... that might be too liberating for them and then they might actually challenge their oppressors.
After the trip to the University of Cape Town, I went to Robben Island. I'm still processing the experience.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
A Day of Leisure
I know I said I would write more today, but it's not going to happen. The pictures take a while to upload and tomorrow is a professional day and I have to get up early.
Today we were on our own until dinner. Ritu and I went to the Waterfront and did a little shopping. The wonderful thing about Cape Town is that no matter where you are, you see these beautiful mountains or water. It is a gorgeous place! The delegation spent the evening at dinner at a family's house in suburban Cape Town.
More tomorrow...
Today we were on our own until dinner. Ritu and I went to the Waterfront and did a little shopping. The wonderful thing about Cape Town is that no matter where you are, you see these beautiful mountains or water. It is a gorgeous place! The delegation spent the evening at dinner at a family's house in suburban Cape Town.
More tomorrow...
Saturday, November 14, 2009
SightSeeing
Today we got an early start and explored the sights of the Cape. We went along the Atlantic Seaboard and around the Cape. It was a very full day. It's after midnight here and I'm tired. Lots of walking and fresh air today. Hopefully the pictures can tell some of the story. I'll write more tomorrow. Goodnight!
Friday, November 13, 2009
Last Day in Johannesburg
Today was our last day in Johannesburg. We went to the Origins Museum and learned about the migration of the Sans people from northern and central Africa to the southern part of the continent. It's a fascinating history. This was certainly not included in my K-12 education. The museum also highlighted Africa as being the birth place of man.
Jo-Burg is a very modern, urban city. In fact, one of the issues that we learned about relating to public education has to do with the urbanization of South Africa. As more people move to cities looking for work, the rural schools are less attractive spaces for employment for teachers. So, it's hard finding good teachers for the rural schools. The migration is also causing the urban schools to have more students who speak various languages (South Africa has 11 official languages- of course there are many more spoken). This is a challenge, especially for primary teachers, because the education policy mandates that children be taught in their mother tongue for their first 3 years of school. Again, these are challenges that US schools are dealing with.
After our museum outing we then went to the Tambo International Airport and flew to Cape Town (a 2 hour plane ride). Cape Town is really beautiful. We have a full day tour around the peninsula tomorrow.
Jo-Burg is a very modern, urban city. In fact, one of the issues that we learned about relating to public education has to do with the urbanization of South Africa. As more people move to cities looking for work, the rural schools are less attractive spaces for employment for teachers. So, it's hard finding good teachers for the rural schools. The migration is also causing the urban schools to have more students who speak various languages (South Africa has 11 official languages- of course there are many more spoken). This is a challenge, especially for primary teachers, because the education policy mandates that children be taught in their mother tongue for their first 3 years of school. Again, these are challenges that US schools are dealing with.
After our museum outing we then went to the Tambo International Airport and flew to Cape Town (a 2 hour plane ride). Cape Town is really beautiful. We have a full day tour around the peninsula tomorrow.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
BUSY Day
Greetings from wonderful South Africa! As you can see from the pictures we had a very busy and packed day yesterday. I keep feeling as though we don't have enough time at each venue to explore all that I would like to. After visiting two universities, I definitely would like to come back as a visiting professor. There is soooooo much to learn from them. I am on information overload right now. The more I learn about their education system and issues the more I see many parallels between their issues and those of the US schools. I am convinced that collaboration is the key to solving these global educational issues.
Since we were at universities, as you can see from the pictures, the areas around the campuses were VERY nice! (Again, no different from the areas around most of our campuses). If you didn't think about it, you would almost forget that you were in South Africa... the traffic, the cars, the modern buildings, and yes the mall. We went to the mall for lunch and guess what I saw... a MAC counter!! So, yes, I could definitely come to South Africa and live because MAC is available.
I'm having so much fun and learning so much. These postings are just a glimpse into all that I am experiencing. I have to hold back the tears so many times, because it's really a dream come true.
Since we were at universities, as you can see from the pictures, the areas around the campuses were VERY nice! (Again, no different from the areas around most of our campuses). If you didn't think about it, you would almost forget that you were in South Africa... the traffic, the cars, the modern buildings, and yes the mall. We went to the mall for lunch and guess what I saw... a MAC counter!! So, yes, I could definitely come to South Africa and live because MAC is available.
I'm having so much fun and learning so much. These postings are just a glimpse into all that I am experiencing. I have to hold back the tears so many times, because it's really a dream come true.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Good morning- Yesterday was a FULL day. We had a cultural debriefing in the morning which was very informative. South Africa's history with colonization and racial discrimination is parallel to the US in so many ways. This country is so fascinating! The people are so resilient! We went to visit a primary school and had an opportunity to meet with children ans speak with teachers. Their stories are powerful. The teachers at this school are teaching 45-50 children in their classrooms. Their commitment is amazing. We learned, however, that South Africa is experiencing a teacher shortage. Similar to the US, there is a decline in Black teachers entering the profession primarily because there are more and different occupational opportunities for them. This poses a great challenge because children are allowed to be taught in their mother tongue their first 3 years of school. We went to the Hector Piertersen Museum which was a very somber experience. I kept thinking about the students who were part of SNCC and other student led activities that were part of the US Civil Rights Movement. This museum commemorated the lives and actions of South African youth who protested against having to learn Afrikaans in school. I ended the day with dinner at a good restaurant in Mandela Square.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Arrived Safely
Good morning everyone- The delegates arrived safely to South Africa. We got here at about 6pm their time, but it was close to 8 before we arrived at the hotel. We have a large group (51 people), so we had a lot of organizing to do at the airport. My first international flight went relatively well. I had good seatmates (Elizabeth from Missouri and Blaine from Canada). Once we checked into the hotel, we had dinner and then off to bed. My morning was going smooth sailing until I couldn't get my flat iron to work. Ugh! I will post pictures tomorrow. We have a full day today. We will have a cultural debriefing this morning as well as a session on educational policy in SA. This afternoon we will be visiting a museum. Thank you for your prayers. Hugs~Tambra
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
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