South Africa - The University of Mississippi Division of ... Africa: Thinking Back, Looking Forward...
Transcript of South Africa - The University of Mississippi Division of ... Africa: Thinking Back, Looking Forward...
South Africa:Thinking Back, Looking Forward By Dr. Debby Chessin
art of the joy of experiencing the wonders of a new
place is sharing it with others – in my case, with other students
and teachers in the summer of 2007 in Port Elizabeth, South
Africa. We connected with the wonderfully friendly and support-
ive faculty, staff, and students of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan
University (NMMU) and shared 3 intense weeks of classes, ex-
ploration, and living as South Africans in the “Friendly City”
of the “Rainbow Nation.” As I think back and read over my
journals to revive the memories, I find myself looking forward
to reconnecting with my South African friends and extending
the understandings and impressions gained that summer. I hope
you will join me in 2008 for a Study Abroad trip that will stay
with you forever as my memories will be with me.
In the field of education, we strive to learn about, better
appreciate, and meet the needs of diverse groups of people
in the classroom. An effective way to meet this broad goal
is to get to know individuals and their specific cultures and
understand the interrelationship between their history and
current culture, what they believe and why, who they ad-
mire, and the infinite ways they go about their everyday
lives.
In South Africa, our experiences far surpassed our
expectations even though we prepared, read articles, and
visited many informative websites. It’s true when they say,
“You had to be there!” On the NMMU campus, we were
greeted by Zulu drummers and singers and many cute little
monkeys that roam wild on campus — adorable but they
will steal food right out of your hand! After orientation,
we took a cultural tour of Port Elizabeth and the surround-
ing area to learn how the history of the region influenced
people’s lives today. The rich ethnographic history of
South Africa and the remarkable diversity of people today
is reflected in the fact that there are 11 official languages.
The “townships” are a remnant of Apartheid society where
Blacks were housed in nothing more than ramshackle
dwellings and shipping containers. In a tribute to the Town-
ship Riots of 1985, we visited the Red Museum which pro
vided a tribute and elegant reminder of the people and their
struggle.
From there, we toasted with a group of locals at
Kwe Kwe’s “Shabeen” (bar), shared packages of “crisps”
(chips), insights on their history and its effect on business
and industry, and the residual affects on their everyday
lives. On the way back to our apartment, small groups of
children ran alongside the van, and we shared the common
language of “thumbs up” and big smiles!
Visits to local schools, arranged by the faculty and
staff of NMMU, provided a rewarding and exciting focus
during the next few weeks. We discovered that the faculty,
staff, and students
were just as excited to
meet and learn more
about us as Ameri-
cans! Setting out with
a map and directions,
driving in South Afri-
ca proved to be a little
challenging - driving
on the “wrong” side
of the road with the
steering wheel on the
“wrong” side of the
car was one obstacle.
We learned quickly
that a “bakkie” is a
pickup truck, a “boot”
is the trunk of the car,
“petrol” is gas, a “robot” is a traffic light, and a “koppie”
means a rocky hill!
The first school visit was to a public, Christian,
“ex-Model C” school that housed grades 1-7. “Model C”
schools were private schools for whites in South Africa
during Apartheid, which ended in 1994. Most of the stu-
dents there today were black, Indian, or coloured (a term
for mixed race but not considered derogatory in South
Africa) and most of the teachers were White — a situa-
tion which led to some thought-provoking discussion. As a
school in transitional culture, there still seemed to be plenty of
room and desire for making more positive connections among
people.
Several teachers were absent so we optimistically and
enthusiastically agreed to each take our own class for a day.
Lessons were sidelined by a lively cultural exchange which
included a funny, revealing question and answer period, a
dance contest, and a folk-tale telling session. In this school
English was primarily spoken, yet all the students were fluent
in at least Khosa, Afrikaans, or Zulu. We invited them to write
and illustrate letters to an imaginary friend in America describ-
ing themselves, their families, and what they enjoy doing after
school while we treated
them with a pizza party,
and chocolate cookies
we baked the night be-
fore and distributed much
needed books, paper, and
crayons from home.
Next we went to a
local “coloured” school
where the students and
faculty alike were almost
all “coloured.” Here, the
students were supposed
to be taught in English
but many were more flu-
ent in Afrikaans, Khosa,
or Zulu and thus given
special accommodations.
We enjoyed reading with small groups of children and helping
them on the computers that were donated by local businesses
and industries. The teachers brought a fantastic potluck lunch
— which included unusual and delicious native recipes — and
we enjoyed talking with them about their educational views and
their lives since Apartheid. The buildings and grounds were
less than modern and needed some major repairs and improve-
ments, but the warmth and high level of quality educational
practices within the classroom walls were the most obvious fea-
ture of this school.
The third and last public school we visited was in the
township that served the most poor, rural population in this area,
and we were required to have a driver who knew the area well
to escort us to and from the school. We were told that it was not
so much an issue of danger, but that the roads were difficult to
travel and directions were confusing. To our utter surprise, the
children spoke only Xhosa! This language has no resemblance
to English and the numerous clicks made it almost impossible
for us to successfully repeat words in our eagerness to learn
their language. We communicated through facial expressions,
acting things out, and
drawing — and the chil-
dren were delightful and
very friendly. It was dif-
ficult to see the rundown
condition of their school
and to see them cleaning
out their own dilapidated
bathroom barefoot.
On the weekends,
we had several wonderful
opportunities to observe
the South African wildlife
in their natural environ-
ment— we were amazed
at how close we could get
to large herds of huge el-
ephants — one baby got
too close to the jeep in her
zeal to find a nice prickly
bush to eat and actually trumpeted at us in a warning that was
more sweet than scary! The giraffes seemed to float above the
trees and were just beautiful with their giant liquid eyes and
huge curly eyelashes. Zebras at the waterhole blended into one
another in an abundance of stripes, legs, and head at various
angles. We actually “hunted” for the lions at night and found a
resting family with disarmingly calm expressions — occasion-
ally, the male and female would play a little wrestling game.
A whale watching trip was an amazing experience
where one lively specimen was apparently putting on a
show for us flapping her tail, swimming around the boat,
then ending her display in a big noisy breach with flippers
waving goodbye! The whales were kept company by South
African penguins and a small group of whiskered, playful
seals.
Can you envision yourself studying in South Af-
rica this summer? Did I mention our apartment building
was right on the beach and only a short side-trip from Cape
Town and the beauti-
ful Garden Route or
Jeffries Bay — home
to the international
surfing championships
while we were in town.
It’s a 10-minute walk
from our apartments
to the Internet café and
small shopping mall, a
huge variety of restau-
rants and entertaining
nightspots, open-air
African craft markets
and native dance per-
formances on the
boardwalk. Are you
ready to try some bil-
tong, babotie, boere-
wors, or bredie, or a
braii? Treat yourself to a four-course meal with dessert in
a great restaurant overlooking the Indian Ocean and you
probably won’t spend over $15.00! Just remember the
Zulu word for “hello” is “sawubona” and “goodbye” is
“sala kahle” and you’ll fit right in. Let’s face it, location
is everything — South Africa is simply a fantastic place to
learn and relax and I look forward to taking you there with
me this summer!