Wow. It has been about two weeks since I last blogged, but so much has happened that it seems like a month! There is definitely a lot to tell, so bear with me with this one. It might get a little bit long. I am going to outline a little bit about daily life first, then I will tell about some of the adventures that I have embarked on since I last blogged.
If you were at all worried that I would be on a four month straight vacation over here, you are quite wrong, as I have been finding out the past couple of weeks. I am taking five classes for 18 credits, so it will be a semester filled with academic work, and along with that volunteering, traveling, and learning the ins and outs of the culture.
Our class schedule is different than the normal one at both CSB/SJU and here at NMMU. The classes that we take are only for those in our study abroad group, so the schedule is set according to what works best for us. Each has anywhere from 12 to 30 students and there is one period in the morning and one in the afternoon. The morning period is from 9:00am to 12:00pm and the afternoon period is from 2:00pm until 5:00pm. My first class of the week is on Monday afternoons. It is South African Music, a class that is interesting, but a little bit over my head since the last formal music education I had was piano lessons in 6th grade. But I’m sure that I’ll get the hang of it soon enough. On Tuesday afternoons I have Senior Seminar which is required to graduate and is done on almost all study abroad programs even though basically everyone on the trips are juniors. Then on every other Wednesday morning we have a two credit service learning class. It is an in-class discussion on the volunteering we do at Pendla Primary School and House of Resurrection. We discuss the immediate impact we have on those we serve, how we can have a lasting impact on the organizations, and things that we can learn from the experience. On Wednesday afternoons I have South African Literature and my last and favorite class of the week is on Thursday morning, Marine Biology. Yup, that is not a typo; my last class of the week is on Thursday morning! As part of the program we have every Friday off. This is to free up our schedule for the multiple group excursions throughout the semester. It also encourages smaller weekend trips on our own so that we can get a full experience of South Africa.
Along with classes, everyone in the group can choose to volunteer at either the House of Resurrection Aids Haven or Pendla Primary School, both institutions that mainly serve underprivileged children from the townships. I volunteer at Pendla where we work as teacher’s aids. I am working with Dave, my roommate and Europe travel partner, as an aid to a sixth and seventh grade math teacher. We have only been there twice, once for orientation and once volunteering, but I already know that it will be a life changing experience. These children have so little, but they seem to smile all the time!
It is definitely a learning experience. When we got there the teacher we were to work with must have thought that we were education majors. During our orientation he told us what each class was learning about and then when we got there the first day he attended to other business while Dave and I taught class. What a scary experience! That day alone gave me unbelievable respect for any teacher I have ever had, because it is hard work. By the second class, we composed ourselves, made a plan, and taught class in a fairly orderly way, but we still have a lot to learn.
Obviously it got a little bit hectic in the classroom, but outside during recess is a blast! The first day the bell rang, the children of course rushed out of the classroom, Dave and I collected our things, then stepped outside. Once outside it was like we were magnets for little kids, because almost instantaneously I was surrounded by about ten or fifteen kindergarten and first graders. Each of them wanted to come close and play with me or even just touch me. They kept feeling my hair, pinching my nose, and holding my hand. After this little get to know you, I just played simple games with them. Running around with them, chasing them, picking them up, and of course giving them horseback rides on my knee. By the end of it, I was pooped, and then had to teach another class!
Needless to say, after the first day I was completely worn out. I had two hours before class, so I plopped down on my bed, closed my eyes, and was out like a little baby. I expect this to be a trend that continues all the way through the semester. Even though I was worn out, I loved the experience and can’t wait to go back.
So, these past two weeks have been packed with myself and the rest of the group getting used to our new schedules, starting classes, and doing the relatively little amount of homework to be done. I love it, I can’t wait for what’s to come, and it will definitely be difficult to leave in three months. That’s about it for now, but I will probably be writing again soon about some of the adventures we have had, so stay tuned!
I also would like to thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers. Anything I hear back is encouraging and is a reminder about my loved ones back home. I would not be here without all of you, so THANK YOU!
With love,
Kirby
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
SOUTH AFRICA!!!
I can’t believe that I am actually here right now. As I was explaining to the people I sat next to on my flight to South Africa, this trip has been over a year in the making. I decided to apply for this program in early January of last year, applied, interviewed, and was accepted by the beginning of March. That was a long time ago and made for a lot of buildup. But I am here now, and I am loving it!
In case you missed it, I have a separate post for the end of my Europe adventures, so be sure and check that one out.
Travelling went smoothly. I awoke at 5:45am on Tuesday, my flight left at about 10:00am, and I landed around 10:30pm in Cape Town. I met a very nice couple from Sweden and we exchanged contact information just in case one of us is in the other’s neighborhood someday. I was not quite done with my journey. I had a one hour flight from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth which left at 6:00am the next morning, so I spent a nice night in the Cape Town airport by myself. I got some reading done and had some quality time watching Planet Earth (thanks Hal!).
Wednesday was a very long day. I got to Port Elizabeth (PE for short) around 7:15am after almost no sleep the night before, and started orientation right away. It was a little bit difficult to
keep from nodding off, but I made it! I spent the afternoon recuperating from the long journey, but that didn’t stop me from going to a club with some friends on my first night in South Africa!
I suppose I should introduce you to daily life before going any further. We will be living the rough life in a place called Langerry Flats, and they are right across the street from a
beautiful beach! Just for your info, we bought some post cards of a beach in PE, and our flats are definitely in the background, so don’t feel sorry for me! They are pretty small, consisting of two bedrooms, one with two people in it and mine with three, a small living room, a bathroom, and a small kitchen. They are cozy, but definitely adequate. I, Dave, Zach (who I travelled with in Europe) share a bedroom, and the other two in our flat are Sean Suter, another Minnesota boy, and Boris Sekulik, who is from Bosnia. They are all a lot of fun and pretty laid back, so we’ll have no problem sharing the place. I would introduce you to the rest of my group, but there are 30 of us total, so that would be pretty hard to keep straight. 
Orientation continued on Thursday, but was different and more interesting in my mind. We had a tour of the city and its townships. Our first stop was the port’s shipping docks for an explanation of what goes on there, we also stopped by the city’s center and founding spot for a little history lesson on PE, and we made a stop in a township near the outskirts of the city. It was all interesting, but the township is what stuck with me the most. They are basically slums or shanties where mostly black South Africans live. The poverty was almost unbelievable, and thankfully the government is working on building more suitable living conditions, but it is a slow process. We visited a museum there commemorating the struggle against Apartheid in the townships. Despite the poverty, I found the trip to the townships inspiring, because all of the people there seemed happy. When we arrived, there were a few children that happened to be outside the bus and they waved at us and when we got out, started dancing. As we were leaving, we saw people walking around and everyone smiled and waved at us like we were celebrities. We left the townships and fifteen minutes later we were at a shopping mall to eat lunch. Talk about your culture shock, going from such poverty to a shopping mall that is no different than any you would find in the United States in only fifteen minutes. After our city tour some friends and I walked across the street and checked out the beach! After a couple hours of swimming, body boarding, and a game of soccer on the beach everyone was pretty tired, so we went back, had some dinner, and most of us just hung out in the flats.
On Friday morning, I finished up orientation at NMMU (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University), where we will be taking our classes. For the last of our Friday orientation our whole
group attended a cricket match in PE that evening. I had basically never seen cricket played before, but by the end I was a screaming fan like the rest in the stadium! It was a really close game and the home team barely snuck by with the win! It was a ton of fun and we all got really into the game. The experience was definitely a step into their culture and I will not soon forget it. We were all in a festive mood, so after the match some of us paid a visit to a couple of nearby clubs and danced the night away!
Saturday was a very relaxing day. I got myself oriented to the neighborhood, got myself oriented with the beach a little more, and hung out around the flats a little bit. On the schedule for the evening was a braai, or a South African barbeque, with some locals. We were invited through a former SJU student who lives in South Africa and knows some people in our group. Everyone there was extremely nice, outgoing, and wanted to get to know us. It was a great experience and another fantastic look into the South African culture!
Sunday was another relaxing day (are you noticing a trend yet?). Every Sunday there is a little open air market all along the beach, so right across the street from where we live. They have almost everything imaginable, from purses and belts, wood carvings and food, to jerseys and electronics. I ventured down for a couple of hours with some friends, checking out the handiwork of those from PE. Afterwards, the whole group went to a soccer game between the PE team and another city team. It wasn’t too interesting until near the end of the game. We were down 1-0, and were looking kind of desperate. All of a sudden a few hundred people stood up and started cheering. They cheered for a few seconds then simultaneously started singing a song in a language I couldn’t understand. This might not be too surprising, except for the fact that the singing was really good! There were people singing in harmony and I don’t think I heard one person sing off key. It was better than a lot of choirs I have heard singing! I guess that’s South Africa!
Today is the first day of classes, but not for me and a few others. So, tomorrow is kind of the end of my vacation. I am excited to get into our routine and find out how classes are.
Well, I wish you all the best of luck staying warm back home and I will try and make an extra trip to the beach for you!
With love from South Africa,
Kirby
In case you missed it, I have a separate post for the end of my Europe adventures, so be sure and check that one out.
Travelling went smoothly. I awoke at 5:45am on Tuesday, my flight left at about 10:00am, and I landed around 10:30pm in Cape Town. I met a very nice couple from Sweden and we exchanged contact information just in case one of us is in the other’s neighborhood someday. I was not quite done with my journey. I had a one hour flight from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth which left at 6:00am the next morning, so I spent a nice night in the Cape Town airport by myself. I got some reading done and had some quality time watching Planet Earth (thanks Hal!).
Wednesday was a very long day. I got to Port Elizabeth (PE for short) around 7:15am after almost no sleep the night before, and started orientation right away. It was a little bit difficult to
keep from nodding off, but I made it! I spent the afternoon recuperating from the long journey, but that didn’t stop me from going to a club with some friends on my first night in South Africa!I suppose I should introduce you to daily life before going any further. We will be living the rough life in a place called Langerry Flats, and they are right across the street from a
beautiful beach! Just for your info, we bought some post cards of a beach in PE, and our flats are definitely in the background, so don’t feel sorry for me! They are pretty small, consisting of two bedrooms, one with two people in it and mine with three, a small living room, a bathroom, and a small kitchen. They are cozy, but definitely adequate. I, Dave, Zach (who I travelled with in Europe) share a bedroom, and the other two in our flat are Sean Suter, another Minnesota boy, and Boris Sekulik, who is from Bosnia. They are all a lot of fun and pretty laid back, so we’ll have no problem sharing the place. I would introduce you to the rest of my group, but there are 30 of us total, so that would be pretty hard to keep straight. 
Orientation continued on Thursday, but was different and more interesting in my mind. We had a tour of the city and its townships. Our first stop was the port’s shipping docks for an explanation of what goes on there, we also stopped by the city’s center and founding spot for a little history lesson on PE, and we made a stop in a township near the outskirts of the city. It was all interesting, but the township is what stuck with me the most. They are basically slums or shanties where mostly black South Africans live. The poverty was almost unbelievable, and thankfully the government is working on building more suitable living conditions, but it is a slow process. We visited a museum there commemorating the struggle against Apartheid in the townships. Despite the poverty, I found the trip to the townships inspiring, because all of the people there seemed happy. When we arrived, there were a few children that happened to be outside the bus and they waved at us and when we got out, started dancing. As we were leaving, we saw people walking around and everyone smiled and waved at us like we were celebrities. We left the townships and fifteen minutes later we were at a shopping mall to eat lunch. Talk about your culture shock, going from such poverty to a shopping mall that is no different than any you would find in the United States in only fifteen minutes. After our city tour some friends and I walked across the street and checked out the beach! After a couple hours of swimming, body boarding, and a game of soccer on the beach everyone was pretty tired, so we went back, had some dinner, and most of us just hung out in the flats.
On Friday morning, I finished up orientation at NMMU (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University), where we will be taking our classes. For the last of our Friday orientation our whole
group attended a cricket match in PE that evening. I had basically never seen cricket played before, but by the end I was a screaming fan like the rest in the stadium! It was a really close game and the home team barely snuck by with the win! It was a ton of fun and we all got really into the game. The experience was definitely a step into their culture and I will not soon forget it. We were all in a festive mood, so after the match some of us paid a visit to a couple of nearby clubs and danced the night away!Saturday was a very relaxing day. I got myself oriented to the neighborhood, got myself oriented with the beach a little more, and hung out around the flats a little bit. On the schedule for the evening was a braai, or a South African barbeque, with some locals. We were invited through a former SJU student who lives in South Africa and knows some people in our group. Everyone there was extremely nice, outgoing, and wanted to get to know us. It was a great experience and another fantastic look into the South African culture!
Sunday was another relaxing day (are you noticing a trend yet?). Every Sunday there is a little open air market all along the beach, so right across the street from where we live. They have almost everything imaginable, from purses and belts, wood carvings and food, to jerseys and electronics. I ventured down for a couple of hours with some friends, checking out the handiwork of those from PE. Afterwards, the whole group went to a soccer game between the PE team and another city team. It wasn’t too interesting until near the end of the game. We were down 1-0, and were looking kind of desperate. All of a sudden a few hundred people stood up and started cheering. They cheered for a few seconds then simultaneously started singing a song in a language I couldn’t understand. This might not be too surprising, except for the fact that the singing was really good! There were people singing in harmony and I don’t think I heard one person sing off key. It was better than a lot of choirs I have heard singing! I guess that’s South Africa!
Today is the first day of classes, but not for me and a few others. So, tomorrow is kind of the end of my vacation. I am excited to get into our routine and find out how classes are.
Well, I wish you all the best of luck staying warm back home and I will try and make an extra trip to the beach for you!
With love from South Africa,
Kirby
P.S. Here are the captions for the pictures
Top pic (right): The living room of flat 13 at Langerry. Cozy, but very adequate!
Second pic (left): The view of the ocean from the balcony of our flat.
Third pic (right): My bedroom.
Fourth pic (left): Photo of the taxis we take from the flats to school. They drive up and down the road, someone usually hanging out the window to "advertise" for lack of a better word, and pick anyone up who wants a ride. They're pretty economical, costing only about 60 cents per ride. It's a cultural experience itself!
Bringing Europe to a close…
Greetings to all of you freezing your rear end off in Minnesota and beyond. Well, I am going to split this post up into two separate ones, just to make it a little more understandable. I will finish telling about Europe, then write a separate post about South Africa.
I don’t think there was ever a dull moment throughout our Europe trip. When I last left off, it was Saturday and we had just experienced the atrocities of the Dachau concentration camp. Well, the next day (Sunday February 1st) was a travel day. But as I just said, the excitement never ended. We had to catch two trains in order to reach our final destination, Amsterdam. Everything with our first train went smoothly, but we were kind of nervous about our second one. We only had about 8 minutes from the time our first train was scheduled to arrive until the second one was supposed to leave. Of course our first train ended up being about 15 minutes late, our only train that was late the whole trip, so we missed our next one. It was more just an inconvenience than anything, because we were able to catch another train about three and a half hours later, it just drew our traveling out and put us a little on edge. We got to Amsterdam, took a cab to our hostel, and just hung out for the rest of the night.
On Monday morning my three travel companions departed for South Africa while I stayed in Amsterdam an extra day. Initially they were scheduled to fly on the same day as me, but their flight from Amsterdam to South Africa got cancelled about a week before we left. Basically their only option was to move everything to a day earlier. That left me to conquer Amsterdam alone. I looked at my options and decided to check out the Vincent Van Gogh museum. I found it was interesting and and eduacational. But I think, as they say, getting there was half the fun. I was pointed in the right direction, got on a trolley, and was left to figure it out. It was a little nerve racking, but I got there without too much hassle and felt empowered by my accomplishment. In the end I was glad that I got out of my comfort zone and got to know the city a little bit better. I spent the night in a dorm room hostel with five random people. After chatting and joking around a little bit I called it a relatively early night, for the next morning, I was to set sail for South Africa!
Peace,
Kirby
I don’t think there was ever a dull moment throughout our Europe trip. When I last left off, it was Saturday and we had just experienced the atrocities of the Dachau concentration camp. Well, the next day (Sunday February 1st) was a travel day. But as I just said, the excitement never ended. We had to catch two trains in order to reach our final destination, Amsterdam. Everything with our first train went smoothly, but we were kind of nervous about our second one. We only had about 8 minutes from the time our first train was scheduled to arrive until the second one was supposed to leave. Of course our first train ended up being about 15 minutes late, our only train that was late the whole trip, so we missed our next one. It was more just an inconvenience than anything, because we were able to catch another train about three and a half hours later, it just drew our traveling out and put us a little on edge. We got to Amsterdam, took a cab to our hostel, and just hung out for the rest of the night.
On Monday morning my three travel companions departed for South Africa while I stayed in Amsterdam an extra day. Initially they were scheduled to fly on the same day as me, but their flight from Amsterdam to South Africa got cancelled about a week before we left. Basically their only option was to move everything to a day earlier. That left me to conquer Amsterdam alone. I looked at my options and decided to check out the Vincent Van Gogh museum. I found it was interesting and and eduacational. But I think, as they say, getting there was half the fun. I was pointed in the right direction, got on a trolley, and was left to figure it out. It was a little nerve racking, but I got there without too much hassle and felt empowered by my accomplishment. In the end I was glad that I got out of my comfort zone and got to know the city a little bit better. I spent the night in a dorm room hostel with five random people. After chatting and joking around a little bit I called it a relatively early night, for the next morning, I was to set sail for South Africa!
Peace,
Kirby
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