Day 11: Lesedi and Maropeng

Last night we had our farewell dinner at Moyo's. It's hard to believe that we are already winding down our 2 week stay in South Africa! We arrived for dinner at 7 and it looked so pretty all lit up. There were little firepits everyone and nice fireplaces inside. We had the entire upstairs area for 70 people- all 27 students, their parents and siblings, plus a few teachers from CHC. Mr. Simpson welcomed everyone, Ted gave a great thank you speech, and one of the teachers from CHC, Mr. Venter, said a prayer. Moyo's set up an outdoor grill area with a buffet and it had ALL the traditional South African food: grilled steak, lamb, and fish; pap with sauce, couscous, pumpkin with brown sugar, roasted vegetables; malva pudding, koeksisters, cheesecake, and chocolate mousse. We wrapped up around 9:30 to rest up for our next day- which would start early and be very busy.

We met at school at 7:30 and said our last goodbyes to the other CHC students. We loaded 2 buses- 1 for the girls, 1 for the guys- and packed up a trailer for all our stuff. By 9 we arrived at Lesedi Cultural Village. Lesedi means "place of light." The premise is like that of Burton Century Village- family run with actors for each village wearing the traditional dress. In each tribal village we were greeted in their respective language.

As we walked in, we were welcomed by the music of drums and marimbas made from wood keys and gourds. There were shops in front with all handmade beadwork- we watched them make everything from necklaces to keychains. Our guide brought us into a large hall to watch an introductory video on the history of the tribes in South Africa. Lesedi focuses on the Zulu, Basotho, Xhosa, and Pedi tribes. Fun fact: one of our bus drivers is Pedi, so he really enjoyed our morning! After the video, we watched them perform traditional Zulu songs and dances. It was SO COLD and they were all in costume- just animal skins for the most part! They tried to get Tommy Collins' host, Darryl, to dance... once you get to know Darryl, you'll know EXACTLY why that was the wrong person to pick :) They ended up getting Simon's host, Michael, up there and he did so well!

At each village, we learned about the meeting place, traditions of the tribe, what they wore, the typical food, where the cows were kept, how the kitchen/fire was set up, if the tribe was peaceful, etc. I could go on and on about each, but we'll leave it at that. What the kids, nevermind- the boys, found the most interesting was how "expensive" wives were- the Zulus only paid 11 cows for a wife, but the Pedis had to pay 13 cows! Unbelievable :/ Everyone listened intently and learned a lot. Several students even ate DRIED CATERPILLARS at the Pedi village! It really was a fun morning. We ended it with lunch and a chance to look at all the shops.

In the afternoon, we made our way to Maropeng. Maropeng is the location for the museum/exhibitions at the Cradle of Humankind. We had the opportunity to stay at the educational accomodations there- the Hominid House. When we checked in, we had about an hour and a half to relax and explore before our tour. The Hominid House has 2 cabins with bunk beds for boys, 2 cabins for the girls. They are joined together by a covered picnic area with a kitchen and a grassy space complete with a fire pit and volleyball net.

We walked up to the Maropeng visitor's center for food and the shops. They had amazing ice cream there and the kids loved this candy that I can only really compare to stale Froot Loops. Weird, but I guess it grew on them. Once we were all there, we started our tour. Our guide was awesome and had the same name as the museum- Maropeng means "coming home." He was energetic and knew how to relate to our students. Before going inside the museum, we learned about Little Foot and Mrs Ples, the two most famous human fossils in South Africa. We also saw replicas of the common dinosaur fossils found here.

The Maropeng center is an impressive building- 3 story lobby with a large fountain in the middle. We went downstairs for the first part of the visit, a "boat ride" (I use this loosely) through the elements of water(ice), wind, earth, and fire. After that, we walked through the Big Bang, a short, spiraling tunnel that some of us felt the need to go through more than once :) There was a short presentation on the origins of the Earth, from the gases to Pangaea to Laurasia and Gondwana, etc. From there we saw exhibits ranging from mitochondrial DNA to joint structure to teeth (why being an omnivore led to greater brain and muscle development) to extinctions. Then it left us with where we are going. There is a world population counter at the end and Nelson Mandela's handprints" "It is in your hands to make a difference." What are we doing for our future?

There was BEAUTIFUL landscape around us once we left the museum- we all took lots of pictures. Many of us got more ice cream, then walked back to hang out until dinner. There was a volleyball game, some rugby, reading, and several students made bracelets with a kit that Mrs. Klopper brought. I had an awesome talk with Tommy Cardaman and Nathan about anything and everything, including what we thought about the museum, our families, and our future plans. That's one of the things that I love most about these trips- really getting to know your students on a completely different level. I hope it makes me seem a little more human instead of just being their teacher! We watched the sun set over the savanna, some of us from large rocks or tree branches. It was gorgeous and it was incredible how we all just watched without even talking to one another.

We had dinner and made a fire. There were several games of "Mafia." Meaghan played her ukelele and we all sang songs, which was a lot of fun. The students had planned a rave, but it was cut short when the speakers they brought kept cutting in and out. Despite the abrupt end to the party, we all had a very enjoyable and educational day!

Day 10: Inter-House Athletics

I think I could write forever about Inter-House Athletics, but we will be leaving for our farewell dinner shortly. I wanted to try to get a post in quick this evening because I'm not sure how late we'll be. We're expecting over 70 people at Moyo's tonight! This evening has been highly anticipated; however, it is bittersweet because it means our time together is drawing to a close.

Before Inter-House Athletics started, a few of the students who will be missing school on Friday met up at the pool for the Polar Bear Swim. This is an annual event for Grade 11s and 12s. During the coldest part of the year, the students who sign up jump into the pool and swim down and back. I'm disappointed that we will miss it on Friday- there are outfits and cheers and it sounds like a great time. But I am very happy that Mrs. Hagen arranged this morning for students who will be missing. There were about 10 students (I think?) who participated, including 3 from Chagrin! I was SO PROUD of Nick, Simon, and Lauren for swimming. Nick made it one length and Simon & Lauren made it the whole way! By the way- the pool was only 2 degrees Celsius this morning. I'll let you do the math :)

Now it was finally time for Inter-House Athletics. At CHC, the students in grades 8-12 are divided up into 4 houses: Truro (blue), Penzance (red), Bodwin (green), and Clamborne (yellow). As soon as a student enters Grade 8, he/she is placed into a house. If the student has a sibling in Truro, then he/she will also be placed in Truro. The house system is fantastic. The students grow close over the course of 5 academic years, thanks to activities like Inter-House Athletics and weekly house meetings. It is an EXCELLENT way of getting the upperclassmen to mentor to the underclassmen. It really helps the younger students become acclimated to the college environment and the expectations set.

The morning starts at 8 with the team entrances. All students wear their track pants or shorts and their house t-shirt, but some houses add their own flair for the entrance- like kilts! They sit in their respective spot in the pavilion (grandstand) and cheer, have flags, paint their faces, etc as they watch the events. Athletics is the term that South Africans use for track and field. So essentially, we watched a track meet that had 100% student participation. Regardless of athletic ability or prior experience with track and field events, all students do something on this day. The events are kept equal as the heats are divided into U-14s (Grade 8s) up through the Open division (Grade 12s- the Matrics). All the points for each age group, boys and girls, are added for a house total. They keep track of the meet records as well. I THINK I was told that they take the top times and distances for an event in October, but I'm not sure if that is correct.

It's wonderful to see everyone being active, as well as observing all the school spirit! Some of our students participated in events and others led cheers. The CHC students actually FOUGHT over American students to cheer in their section :) I was fortunate enough to help out with the high jump events for the day. It was yet another cloudless day and it warmed up rather nicely- the perfect day to be outside.

Lauren, Maddie, and I are already scheming as to how WE can incorporate Inter-House Athletics at CFHS. We really think that it could be a good thing for our school, promoting unity and school spirit. Lauren is already thinking of the proposal to make to our new administration. There are so many positive outcomes that could come from this event, everything from mentoring, encouraging school spirit, promoting physical fitness, etc. I hope that we were able to draw enough information from the CHC students and teachers today to make this event possible at Chagrin!

We all had an afternoon off- and now we're going to dinner! Have a wonderful evening and I will post later if I can :)

Day 9: School and Pretoria Tour

Today was our last day of classes at school. Tuesdays have a funny schedule. There is a staff meeting at 7:20 and after that, instead of registration, there is a testing period from 7:40-8:40. The students do not take tests during their regular class periods; there are tests scheduled in the respective subject areas on a weekly rotation. After that, the regular schedule is followed, but classes are only 35 minutes long.

Attending school has been my favorite part of the trip for a number of reasons. The most important reason? Our students love it! When I pass by the American students and say hello, they don't even notice me! They aren't being rude; they are just so acclimated to the school environment and their South African peers that they don't seek out their American peers. With the exception of their attire, our students fit right in. They have made several friends outside of our exchange group and the S.A. students that I see in class constantly ask me about them. The CHC students genuinely want to get us and they really want us to enjoy our time here- which we have! They have been excellent hosts.

Today our students followed their hosts around from class to class; there weren't any special assemblies or any more "History Day"-like events to attend. I taught two sections of Grade 11 Life Sciences and a section of Grade 12 as well. I didn't see any of our students; however, my classes told me how excited they were with our involvement in tomorrow's Inter-House Athletics. It is a field day with track events and we have a lot of participants in the running events! Anyone not participating has been an active part in planning the outfits, flyers, and cheers. It is wonderful to receive this kind of feedback from the CHC kids.

A post from Mr. Kline's day at school:
"I went into the Grade 7 English classes today. The students were reading a novel, 'The Car,' which centers around a 14 year old boy from Cleveland, Ohio who takes a cross country road trip with two Vietnam Vets. I talked to them about Cleveland. They could not believe how cold it gets or how much snowfall we average. I also talked to them about the Vietnam War, especially the ill treatment of the veterans upon return."

After 2nd break (basically their lunch period), we left school for our tour of Pretoria. Our tour guide for the day was Mr. Simpson's father-in-law, a former history professor. He was a very friendly individual with a WEALTH of knowledge to share! I hope that the students caught bits and pieces of what he had to say, because they were excited to finally go out on a group excursion a week after the trip to Soweto. There was a ton of singing and dancing on this outing!

Our first stop was Jan Smuts' house in Irene. Many of us saw this house on Saturday because the Irene Village Market is located here. Jan Smuts was instrumental in the Boer War, World War I, and World War II. He actually is the only individual to have signed peace treaties for both world wars. He helped to create the South African Defence Force (SADF) and the Royal Air Force. In addition to being a war hero, Smuts served as the Prime Minister of South Africa from 1919 to 1924 and from 1939 to 1948. Early in his political career, he supported racial segregation. He narrowly lost the election in 1948 after he supported racial equality in South Africa (the 1948 election ultimately led to apartheid). As prime minister, Smuts wanted to stay at his home in Irene. Instead of living in Pretoria, he would walk 15 kilometers into work in the morning, then walk back to Irene in the evening.

We drove through Irene and past the concentration camp site. There is a concentration camp graveyard and memorial just inside the village gates. It is estimated that 2,000 to 3,000 died in the Irene camp; 26,000 total in all of the concentration camps (45 for the Boers alone). We continued on our tour of the Pretoria area...

The Voortrekker Monument Heritage Site was inaugurated on a hill just south of Pretoria on December 16, 1949. This memorial monument was constructed to honor the forefathers of the Afrikaner people who left British rule in the Cape, leading them into Africa's interior during the Great Trek. These Afrikaners travelled between 1834 and 1854. The people travelling were called Voortrekkers. The grounds include Fort Schanskop, which was constructed on the hilltop to protest Pretoria during the Anglo Boer War, the Garden of Remembrance, which is a masoleum of sorts for Afrikaners, and the Wall of Remembrance, commemorating members of the SADF who died in service between 1961 to 1994. We went inside the Voortrekker Monument, a massive, high domed hall constructed all in marble. Around the perimeter, there is the Hall of Hearoes and Frieze, which depicts the historical events from the Great Trek. If you look down in the middle, you can see the Cenotaph, "grave without bones," an empty grave that is the symbolic resting place of Piet Retief (one of the major forefathers). Every year on December 16th at 12 o'clock, the sun shines through an opening in the roof of the monument onto the words on the Cenotaph, "Ons vir jou Suid-Afrika," or "We for thee South Africa." We made the long hike up the narrow stone spiral staircase (we got so dizzy!) all the way up to the top of the cupola where the light shines in.

Our next stop was Fort Klapperkop. Klapperkop is one of the four forts built on the hills surrounding Pretoria. Constructed in 1898, it was "sophisticated" with a paraffin-powered generator for electricity and telegraph and telephone links. Klapperkop has a drawbridge and a moat- which was never filled with water! In 1979, it was declared a SADF war memorial. One odd part of its history: Mr. Simpson told me that in 1992, extremist groups upset with the imminent collapse of apartheid tried take over the fort. The SADF had to come in to remove them.

As the sun was setting, we drove down the hill, through Pretoria in the valley, then up yet another hill to the Union Buildings, the official seat of the South African government. The buildings are constructed in sandstone, making each and every stone it's own unique shape and color (GORGEOUS at sunset). There is a large garden leading up to the buildings, complete with rose bushes, fountains, statues, and many, many steps. The east and west sides of the buildings represent English and Afrikaans, and the center court unites them. The Parliament spends the winter months in Pretoria and the summer months in Cape Town. As we left, we drove through Arcadia, "Playground of Gods," home to the second highest number of embassies after Washington, D.C.

Tonight several of the students and their hosts got together for dinner at Primi Priatti, an nice pizza and pasta restaurant. A few others were going out to dinner with their families. It's nice to see them get along so well as their group of 26- sometimes 27 if we have both of Connor's hosts :) - but they also interact well in their host homes with their South African "family." I think, dare I say it, that this group is much closer than the China group- THAT was a tight-knit group of students. They are going to have so much fun together back in Chagrin Falls!

Inter-House Athletics tomorrow until 1:00, our afternoon is free, then we have our farewell dinner (can you believe it?) at Moyo's Fountains. One more day in Irene, then our two day trip- crazy!

Day 8: School Day

After a very cold start to our morning, we ended up having a nice day at school. Saturday was probably the coldest it's been since we arrived, so it's great that the temperature is climbing back up again. The classrooms are still really cold- in between classes I have to go outside in the sun to warm up!

I taught two sections of Grade 11 Life Sciences today for 4 periods total. Because of the 8 day rotation, there are some days where the students don't see certain teachers and other days where they have a double-period. Mrs. Hagen had two double sessions today and two single sessions of Grade 12 Life Sciences for 6 total class periods. The lessons were so much fun to teach! At this point in the trip, I know a lot of student names and I know a few of the students very well, so I felt very comfortable with them. They made me feel welcome and they volunteered, answered when called on, and they worked when they were supposed to. But that doesn't mean they didn't have fun- they were obsessed with MY accent and had me say so many different words and pronounce different Afrikaans names. Mrs. Hagen was quite amused because they did the same thing to her when she started teaching in South Africa four years ago.
My first lesson of the day I had Tommy Cardaman, Nathan, and Nick in class. As I started teaching, I realized that NONE of their hosts were in this class! I had Tommy and Nick in class this year and Nathan in class the last two years- I couldn't believe they wanted to put up with me again! I asked them why they were in my class and they said that it was better than being in Math :)

It was nice hearing about everyone's weekends. Each person did something a little different- it just shows how many different things there are to do in this area! I think everyone had the opportunity to go shopping; I hope by this time they are done shopping for themselves and on to buying gifts for family and friends back home! Lauren told me that Cape Town was a lot of fun- "like all of the best parts of California all in one place." I'm looking forward to hearing more about what everyone did when we're not on a hectic school schedule.

We all had the afternoon off. If the host students have a co-curricular, then it's off to practice. Otherwise I think a lot of them hang out at each others' houses or go to the Irene Mall. A group of teachers invited me out for coffee afterschool- while the boarding house is nice, it was WONDERFUL to get away from teenage boys for a couple hours :) We went to Mugg & Bean at the Irene Mall. Mrs. Hagen told me that it was the closest thing that she's had compared to Starbucks, but it still doesn't quite measure up. They do, however, have an excellent strawberry cheesecake...

When we left school, I saw Maddie and her host Roxanne hard at work after school preparing for Inter-House Athletics on Wednesday. I'll write more about it after I actually see it, but the entire school is divided into 4(?) houses that compete against one another in track events and cheers. It should be a lot of fun! Today there were red signs all over school with odd messages on them. One of the houses is red, Penzance, so they are already gearing up for the events. Apparently it gets VERY competitive.

First, we have our last official school day. We will attend classes 1-6 tomorrow morning, get lunch at the boarding house, then we will have a tour of Pretoria. Mr. Simpson's father will be our tour guide! There are a lot of great things to see in Pretoria so the students should find it interesting. It's hard to believe that the trip is winding down so quickly!

Just in case I forget to post this later: I'm not sure what type of computer access I'll have on Thursday and Friday while we are away. We will only be an hour from Irene and the facilities look impressive (check it out here), but I'm not sure if they'll have a computer that I can use- I'm going to ask Mrs. Klopper tomorrow. We are so excited for our mini-getaway and we started planning activities this weekend. Between the exhibits at Maropeng and the animals at Pilanesburg, it looks like there is still a lot more excitement in these last few days.

Hope you have a great Monday!

Day 7: Host Family Day!

***Two blog posts this evening because of the busy weekend***

You can choose to read this post or completely disregard it- we all did something different today! Sunday is a host family day, so the hosts pick an activity to do with their American student. Some families will go as far as Cape Town, others will stay right in Irene. I always LOVE hearing about this day on Monday because everyone always gets a taste of something a little different from the next person. You can read about my day, or you can just skip this one and wait until tomorrow night... I won't mind :)

Last night, Mr. Klopper mentioned that he would be attending church this morning and that it was Presbyterian. I was very excited to attend with him because I was raised Presbyterian. He stopped by the boarding house a little before 9 to pick us up for church. His congregation is 20 members strong and meets in a tiny stone church on the campus of Irene Primary School. It is called Highveld Community Presbyterian Church. We met everyone before church started and it was a very nice service- same format as mine at home :) The church was very cold and the congregation gathers for tea and fellowship afterward. It was a great way to start our Sunday.

In the morning, we drove all the way out to Cullinan to tour the diamond mine. Cullinan is a tiny, tiny town in the middle of the "bushveld" of South Africa. The landscape is different from Irene because there are a lot more trees, taller grasses- it felt like we were on safari as we drove out there. Vervet monkeys even ran across the road! All of the buildings in town are made of feldspar stone and they each have a green tin roof. The only house that is different is the home of William McHardy, the general manager of the mine during its hey-day in the early 1900s. We toured his home, then went on the surface mine tour. The tour took us through town and each of the buildings have been converted into shops and restaurants- it was a popular brunch spot on a Sunday.

Cullinan has the 4th largest surface diamond mine in the world- it is 1 kilometer by 500 meters. Just 9 meters under the surface, the Cullinan diamond was found in 1905. It is the largest gem-quality diamond ever found, over 3,000 carats! The diamond was cut into 9 larger diamonds and 96 smaller brilliants. For some reason, it was sold by DeBeers (who owned the mine at the time) to the Transvaal government, who presented it to King Edward VII on his birthday. The diamonds are on display in the Tower of London.

At the end of the tour, they bring you to the jewelry store to look at the diamonds. They give everyone glasses of champagne and let you shop and look at the Cullinan Diamonds, diamonds with extra cuts to make them different from the typical 58 cut brilliant stones. I had a lot of fun trying on the 1.63 carat Cullinan cut ring that sells for $35,000 :) It was cool to look at all the different jewelry designs and the 5+ carat rings after seeing where they come from. They mine about 15,000 tons of kimberlite (the volcanic rock named after Kimberley, South Africa) each day, and only about a handful of it contains diamonds- only 20% of it is gem-quality! The other 80% is used for industrial materials, like drill bits. Something else cool: blue diamonds are blue because they contain boron, which is an excellent conductor. The majority of blue diamonds are sold to NASA to be used for their shuttles. They also use the diamonds for all of their camera lenses.

After the diamond mine, we drove in the opposite direction to Tswaing Crater. Tswaing means "place of salt" in the Tswana tribe and the Afrikaners call it Soutpankrater, or salt pan crater. It is a large impact crater, 1.13 kilometers wide and 100 meters deep, formed by a stony meteorite over 220,000 years ago. It is estimated that the meteorite was 50 meters in diameter and vaporized on impact. There is water at the bottom of the crater from a surface spring and rainwater- and it is incredibly salty. Before the area became part of a nature reserve, there were mines for soda and salt, hence the name. There are over 10 kilometers of trails around it (unfortunately, we did not have time to hike) and we saw more vervet monkeys and some gorgeous birds.

This evening, we stopped at Menlyn shopping center in Pretoria, a place where a lot of the kids have already gone. It is the most confusing mall I have ever been to- three floors, then sometimes floors in between, additions to the buildings, loops around, etc. It would be very easy to get lost in there. We got dinner and looked at some of the stores- I still can't get used to the prices! I think that everything is over priced... then I have to stop to do the math.

Tomorrow is another full day at school. I have to finish up my lesson for tomorrow and get some sleep! I hope that your kids had a fun day with their families- I am looking forward to hearing all about it :) Hope you had a nice weekend as well and I will post again tomorrow night!

Day 6: Rugby and Irene

***Two blog posts this evening because of the busy weekend***

It is 11:30 PM and we just arrived back at the boarding house- 14 1/2 hours after we left :) Today was a packed, but very fun day. I wish that I could post on the blog now, but I'll settle for writing in my journal and re-typing tomorrow. We came back too late and the rec room is closed for the evening. In fact, we almost got locked out because the school gate is supposed to close at 10 PM...

This morning, we met at the Booysen's house for the Super 15 semi-final between the Natal (S.A.) Sharks and the Christchurch (N.Z.) Crusaders. Super 15 is considered the biggest rugby tournament in the world- it is more prestigious than any playoff that the northern hemisphere has and these teams are considered more elite than the ones that compete in the rugby world cup (or so I'm told). The Crusaders feature Daniel Carter, the premier player in the world. He is the Cristiano Ronaldo of rugby- talented AND easy on the eyes. The game was competitive in the first half, but everyone lost interest in the second half as the Crusaders ran away with it.

The Booysens are so friendly and they were incredibly hospitable to our large group. They have a beautiful home located in Cornwall Hill Estates, which is right behind CHC. It is one of the many gated communities in the area- come to think of it, most, if not all, communities are gated. It is far more difficult to get into these communities than it is any gated community in the U.S. Not only must you be on the list to get in, your car VIN is scanned, and your license is scanned before they let you in. The entire process takes several minutes. Anyway, their home was perfect for hosting a large group of students. They have a tennis court, pool, trampoline, climbing wall, cricket pitch, and a large walkout patio complete with a fire pit, grill, arcade games, and a jukebox. There was a fire in the family room and out on the patio to keep everyone warm- no heat in any of these houses and it was a cold day! The students roamed back and forth during the game and played tennis outside. Because it was so early in the morning, they had hot chocolate, coffee, and muffins for us.

Between the game and lunch, Mrs. Klopper and Emily's host mom brought two car loads of students down to the Irene Flea Market. It was a very popular place to be! I was impressed with how many stalls there were, everything from cheese and baked goods to jewelry and clothing, to paintings and iron work. The vendors had intricate work. Everything in the market must be handcrafted or the vendors are kicked out. Many markets in the area have been infiltrated with items made in China, but Irene has kept up it's repuation as one of the best.

After an hour, we went back to the Booysens for lunch. The CHC boys were in charge of the grill and I think they had every mammal possible on there- South Africans love meat! The parents also prepared roasted vegetables, pap (a cornmeal that resembles a very small, dry couscous) with an excellent tomato and onion sauce, corn-on-the-cob, bread, and Greek salad. They also had koeksisters for dessert. NO ONE left that house hungry!

We went our separate ways for the afternoon and evening (with the exception of Lauren, who was whisked away early Saturday morning for a surprise trip to Cape Town!) Mr. Kline and I went with Mr. and Mrs. Klopper to Irene Farm. When you exit the freeway for Irene, the first thing you notice are the cows on all the signs. When you think of South Africa, you typically don't think of dairy cows. At the local malls, they even have statues of cows- the one place has a cow udder fountaion- I kid you not. We weren't really sure why, until this afternoon. Irene Farm was one of the first settlements in the area. A lot of the land has been sold off for development, including a golf community next door, but the farm has increased its milk production in recent years. They have mostly Holstein cows and a few Brown Swiss. People can actually milk their own cow and bring home a bucket of milk. They have a very nice market, coffee shop, and restaurant inside renovated barns, in addition to being a fully functional dairy farm. The buildings and grounds were absolutely beautiful.

As we drove through the area, Mr. Klopper explained a bit of the history of the area. Irene, pronounced I-ree-nee, is the Afrikaans word for "peace." It was an Afrikaner settlement established after the Great Trek. The land that Irene Village is now built on was actually a concentration camp for Afrikaners during the Boer War (Darryl- feel free to correct this if I'm wrong). The British assembled tents in rows and placed the women and children in these camps while the men were fighting in the war. Mrs. Klopper showed me a book later with all the pictures in it- it is a very sad time in their history that is not mentioned often; Mr. Klopper's grandmother was actually a camp survivor. It's something that I had never heard about.

We went to Centurion Mall to pick up a few things for dinner that evening. The mall was built by a lake for the scenic views; however, the developers never considered the environmental implications of such a project. The lake isn't really a lake at all anymore- most of it has been filled in with silt from runoff. It was so shallow, it is less than a few feet deep in most places. During the summer months, flooding is a major problem because of all the pavement around it. The water overflows and parts of the mall and office buildings around it are under water! We stopped at Woolworth's, a department store, to pick up groceries for dinner. Yes, a department store for groceries- imagine a small grocery store just beyond the cosmetics section in Nordstrom's- that's what it is like. The line for the cashier was too long in the grocery store, so we ended up paying in the women's clothing department :)

One other funny thing: the area was not originally called Centurion. This area (so sparsely populated it really couldn't be called a town) was called Lyttelton. The cricket team in Pretoria outgrew their stadium, so they built one in Lyttelton and called it Centurion Park. The population grew and it quickly became a suburb of Pretoria- and the town was named after the STADIUM.

We went to the Klopper's home for dinner this evening and we were joined by another teacher from CHC and her family. The house that they live in is the house Mr. Klopper grew up in. We all prepared a traditional Afrikaner meal together- and it was delicious. I can't believe how well-fed I was today!

New foods to add:
Rusks: shortbread biscuit similar to biscotti. It must be dipped in coffee before eaten.
Bobotie: casserole made of ground beef, diced carrots and onions, Cape Malay curry, turmeric, bay leaves, and topped with an egg-based sour cream sauce
Souskluitjies: dumplings with a sweet vanilla/brown sugar/cinnamon butter sauce. VERY good!

Tomorrow the students have a day with their host families- I can't wait to hear about what they do- especially Lauren's trip!

Day 5: School and Sparrow Village

I'm going into tonight's blog post dreading it. I'm not sure that I'm going to have the words to really describe how I'm feeling at the moment and I'm positive that I won't be able to describe the range of emotions that your children felt today. The entire afternoon, I have been working to fight back tears and now I can't even type without having them stream down my face. Sparrow Village was a life-changing experience. While I think of exactly what I want to say about it to try to give you an accurate picture, I'll start with our day at school.

Friday is an assembly day, so the classes are only about 35 minutes long. We went to periods 1-3, had a short 15 minute break, then we went to periods 4-6. After that, the college meets for an hour assembly period. This morning, I went to a double session (back-to-back classes) of Grade 11 Life Sciences, acted as a teacher assistant for two Grade 12 Life Sciences classes, and I observed a Grade 10 Life Sciences class. During my last period of the day, I prepped for the lesson I will be teaching on Monday! I will teach Mrs. Hagen's Grade 11 classes for their lesson on kidney structure and function. I brought a textbook and their workbook pages home this weekend- teachers do their homework too!!! I am VERY excited for school on Monday :)

To give you a little more insight into the school, when the students meet for registration, or homeroom, they have a uniform check. Oh how I WISH Chagrin had uniforms! This takes away the dress code issues AND the students don't have to agonize over what to wear in the morning! Student representatives walk around the room to check that shirts are tucked in, ties are tied straight, and skirts are the proper length. Boys must have a short haircut and they need to be clean shaven. Girls must have their hair pulled up, they cannot wear make-up, and their fingernails should be short and without nail polish. If a student has a violation, he is given a demerit. 5 demerits lead to a detention or a detention is received for 2 demerits in one week. The students are also asked to bring "charity" on Friday to earn the right to wear their "civvies" to school one day. It is an interesting, student-policed system.

I have a little more insight on the school calendar as well. The school year is different from ours and runs January through November. There are 3 terms at CHC- the public/government schools have 4 terms. Students have 1 week long mid-term breaks right before exams. CHC's next break will be July 2-11- and the students are EXTREMELY excited. Their long breaks are split up- not like our summer break. They have April off (roughly the entire month), August 5-September 6 off, and they do not meet for school in December. For the day to day schedule, Monday has the longest day with 40 minute periods and no assemblies during the day. On Wednesdays, the students are dismissed at 1:00 for sports/athletics. I asked several CHC Grade 11s and 12s what they thought of the 8 day rotation- all agreed that it is very confusing (these are the upperclassmen who have been on this schedule for a while now). I found that teachers are even caught off guard and confused too, as I saw students correct them throughout the day.

The assembly was interesting and our students were a hit! They did SO WELL in front of such a large group of people! The college met inside the hall- girls on one side, boys on the other- seated in grade order. All students sit on the floor except for the Grade 11s, who get chairs in the back, and the Grade 12s, who get to sit in the balcony. All the staff members wear black robes. Assembly begins by singing a few hymns, then the headmaster, Mr. Simpson addresses everyone. Awards and honors for the students are recognized. Then, it was our turn to take the stage. The assembly went from being a very serious, quiet occasion to a fun event filled with giggles and cheers! Our students introduced themselves to the crowd one-by-one, saying their grade and identifying their hosts. Then, they had a powerpoint with pictures with maps, pictures of Chagrin, and pictures from different events at the high school. Each student had a slide to present and the crowd ROARED with laughter at our accents! They found a lot of the facts rather funny: "These are our falls. Sometimes people jump off of them. One guy lights himself on fire every year and jumps off. Yes, I'm serious." Then, to make the assembly EVEN BETTER, our students challenged the CHC students to read statements in their best American accents. Volunteers were picked from the crowd and they had to read facts comparing the two countries like: "In South Africa, you have to be 18 to drive. In America, we get our license at 16." All participants were given American candy, so it was easy to get volunteers! It was so entertaining to watch- I was very proud of their creativity :) We were cut short because we ran WAY over on time, but it was definitely worth it. A BIG thank you to Ted for putting together all the pictures and bringing the candy! The assembly still wrapped up on time and we went to the boarding house for lunch.

A little after 1:00 we left for Roodepoort. It's about an hour drive from Irene. They came up with the BEST game for the ride there (and back)- you'll have to ask Lauren what it was :) When we arrived at Sparrow Village, the first thing that we noted was the unique building structure. At first, we speculated that it was for warmth, but in the office building, they told us it was to help with ventilation- to get any allergens or microorganisms that could make anyone sick out of the buildings. In the office building, there is a tree stump in the middle with several brass sparrows on it. Upon closer inspection, each sparrow has a name, birth date, and death date. Each sparrow represents someone in the Village who has passed away from AIDS. Seeing all of those birds on that stump gave us an idea of what we were going to see that afternoon. At the office building we dropped off our socks and clothing to be donated. Then, we were introduced to Patricia, who works at Sparrow Village full time as an administrator, and she led our tour through the facility. It was requested that we only take pictures of buildings, but later they let us take a few. Maddie has some great pictures that she took- and also a few that the children took with her camera!

We only had 2 hours, so we needed to move quickly. This was difficult to do because we started in the hospice building. It has two wings, one for children and one for adults. There are two rooms just for babies. As soon as we walked in, I think each of our students picked one up. Some of the babies had severe developmental handicaps. It was touching to watch the interaction between these high school students and these young children; parents, you have raised wonderful kids. We played with the babies for a little while, then we were told we needed to move on. I don't think that we were aware that as we moved on, it would only get harder and harder to say goodbye. The next room had children who were a little older- they could walk around a little (I'm not sure of the ages because of some of the disabilities that delay development). Emily was holding one who LOVED the board book she brought with a finger puppet lion in it; the child kept kissing the lion :) The Tommys played a little catch with two of the kids. There were even more hugs and smiles here. Again, our time was too short and we moved on.

We stopped by the orphanage section featured in the documentary, but all of the children were in one of the houses for nap time. They were all snuggled together on mats on the floor, huddled under blankets and looked so peaceful sleeping. We were told to stop back later, so we went to the school building. The children leave Sparrow Village to attend school, but they don't all go to the same place. Students who have the ability to attend government school get split up between the few in the area; there are some deaf and blind students that attend the appropriate schools; some of the children attend vocational schools or culinary school. In the school building, there is a library with a wide range of books, from picture books to Algebra 2 textbooks. They have several desks and 6 computers. There were a few children in there playing computer games.
The students come here after school for tutoring and to complete homework. There are 3 staff members who help with this. Nick and Tommy Cardaman went outside for an impromptu game of soccer with some of the kids and eventually we all went outside to watch. No offense to Nick and Tommy, but the children playing barefoot or with socks with holes in them were FAR better with their foot skills :)

We had half an hour left, so we made our way back to the orphanage. The children were just waking up from their naps. They sang us two songs and we sang a couple to them. I would guess that the kids were between the ages of 3 and 6. One little girl spoke English very well, but the others we could not understand- and that didn't matter at all. After the songs, they rushed over with open arms and smiles. They sat on our laps, they climbed on our backs, they held our hands. We read to them, played games, and gave them books and silly bands. When I looked around the room, all I saw was smiles and hugs from both the children and the students. All I could hear was singing and laughter. But truthfully, I didn't want to look around or listen to anyone around me because I was SO absorbed in the 3 adorable little faces in front of me. I didn't have anything to read to them or anything to give them- they just wanted to be LOVED. I have never received hugs as tight as the ones that I got today. I'm sitting here at the computer now, an absolute mess, just praying no one walks into the rec room. I can't express how good it felt to spend time with those kids- it was 30 minutes that I just wanted to last forever. It was heart wrenching to leave and I tried to say "see you later" instead of "goodbye." What made things even more difficult was seeing the tears on our students' faces. It's not that we felt guilty- it was just HARD. This visit had a major impact on everyone, myself included.

Tonight the students are out bowling with their hosts. It's nice to know that they hang out as an entire group. Tomorrow morning, we will meet at Roxanne Booysen's house (Maddie's host) to watch the Super 15 semi-final. The Super 15 includes the best rugby teams from South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. The game is at 9:30 AM because it is being played in New Zealand. We will be rooting for the Natal Sharks tomorrow- we were told to wear black! The area team, the Bulls, are out of the competition.

Two apologies to make this evening. First, I apologize for posting about an hour later than usual and if the post is a little choppy. One of the boarding students, Paul, sat down to talk with me about American universities. This is the fourth student I've talked to about colleges in the States just today. I was about halfway done with the post when Paul and I started working (thankfully, before I was in tears!) We went through the Common Application website and researched some schools online because he is interested in studying law. He is a Grade 12, or Matric as they call them here, and has already been accepted to the 3 universities he applied to in South Africa. Paul is incredibly bright AND focused. It has been WONDERFUL getting to know him and to the other students here.

My second apology goes out to Tommy Collins' host, Darryl. To Darryl and our other South African friends reading the blog (which I was not aware of!)- I apologize for any errors. Darryl very kindly pointed out an error in yesterday's post. CHC does NOT have an IB program. The tests taken are the IEB, which I do not know much about, but IEB is printed on all of the content standards. There have been other mistakes as well, which he was too humble to point out :) So Darryl- please feel free to post any corrections/clarifications for our parents in the comments section. This way, they can learn AND I can learn- I can only post so much from memory! Thank you for your insight!

I hope that your weekend is off to a great start!

Day 4: School Day!

We switched things up today with a day at school! After all of our days from 7:30 until 5:00, it was nice to have a change of pace. The schedule at school is different each day, but this was our set-up for the day:

7:40 - 7:50 Registration (pictured left)
7:50 - 8:25 Period 1
8:25 - 9:00 Period 2
9:00 - 9:35 Period 3
9:35 - 10:10 Period 4
SHORT BREAK (15 Minutes)
10:25 - 11:00 Period 5
11:00 - 11:35 Period 6
LONG BREAK (25 Minutes)
12:00 - 12:35 Period 7
12:35 - 1:10 Period 8
1:10 - 2:10 House/Class Assemblies

On Thursdays, the students have shortened classes so they can have their respective house, or class, meetings at the end of the day. The schedule is always up in the air, however, because the school operates on an 8 day class rotation. It reminds me of how they schedule "specials" at Gurney or the Intermediate School- there is a rotation of which class you go to and at what time, so you better be organized so you have the right materials! Tomorrow, Friday, they always have their all-school assembly in their hall, which takes place from 11:35-12:35.

I absolutely LOVED today! I think that makes me a bit of a nerd, but we all knew that already :) Mr. Kline and I had the opportunity to rotate from class to class. I went to all the science classes, so I stayed in the science block (located in buildings E and F). The science department reminded me so much of the one at CFHS- I felt right at home! I was very fortunate to be placed in different rooms by the Grade 11 & 12 Life Sciences teacher, Mrs. Hagen, who is Canadian- so I can understand her accent! I observed 5 different teachers who taught biology, chemistry, and physics lessons for grades 10-12. At CHC, they offer Life Sciences and/or Physical Sciences to ALL grade levels, so each year you take a little bit of everything. Mrs. Hagen gave me a copy of the 11 & 12 Life Sciences curriculum and it's a blend of AP Biology, Anatomy & Physiology, and AP Environmental Science. Some areas are more in-depth than what we do, but other topics that we teach are not taught at all here. My day was entertaining- dissecting a sheep lung, solving capacitor problems, watching sodium blow up in water, setting up chemical reactions, and arranging student portfolios.

The grading system here is completely different. The students all must keep their own portfolio for their respective subject. This includes all of their "marks," or grades, for each term. The students here have 3 terms, much like our 2 semesters. Each term they take one or all of the following: written exam, practical, writing component. The exams here help the 11s and 12s prepare for their exams later in the school year. The students have a week period after each term to "write," or take, their exams. The teachers have a TON of grading to do because all forms of their exams are EXTREMELY writing intensive. Some of these exams looked more intense than the ones I took in college- SO MUCH WRITING! It was easy to see why some of the students are so stressed out and how it becomes so difficult to earn high marks, or As, here. One other thing that makes the grading different- nothing is posted online. Students are responsible for tracking their own progress and the parents do not receive marks until the terms are over.

Back to the schedule- today there was a History Day event taking place in the auditorium. CHC brought in speakers to talk about South African and World History and they also had local politicians come in for a debate. Some students found this interesting, others fell asleep during the first half and opted out of the second half :) Many decided to go to all the classes. Maddie correctly answered questions in math class on material the teacher hadn't taught her students yet and Ted, Olivia, and Meaghan decided to take the AP Math exam to see how they measured up compared to the South African students! I was so proud :) At the end of the day during the assembly, we all met in Mrs. Klopper's room to watch a documentary on Sparrow Village. The documentary was filmed by David Ponce, CFHS Class of 2004, who passed away in 2006 after a battle with leukemia. It gave the students insight on exactly what we would be observing tomorrow afternoon.

When school was over, some of the hosts had sports and others had the afternoon off. A lot of the students were heading to the local mall, not even 2 miles down the road. Mrs. Klopper took me and Mr. Kline out in Pretoria. We went to go scout the location for our farewell dinner, Moyo Fountains. Oh my goodness! If you haven't Googled it yet, PLEASE check out this link! It was BEAUTIFUL! We drove past the Groenkloof Nature Preserve on the way there (even saw running antelope!) and Moyo is located right in the midst of it. I took a lot of pictures in the daylight just in case it would be too dark when we arrived next week. Mrs. Klopper took us to Duncan Yard for some coffee and a snack and we got to look in all the little shops- it was a fun place with cool architecture! We drove around the universities and other high schools/colleges, past the home of the Bulls (Pretoria's beloved rugby team), and through Waterkloof Ridge- "if you live in Waterkloof, then you've made it!"

One final note- what have your children been eating? Have they talked to you about any of the food yet? One of the teachers at the boarding house made a list for me and Mr. Kline. The main thing he is making us try are the desserts :) So far, we have had:

Melktert (milk tart): cross between custard and cheesecake. I don't think it has any flavor...
Pavlova: basically a bowl made out of meringue and filled with fruit, whipped cream, and honey.
Koeksisters: a crunchy dough-cake that is very sweet. It looks like a twist cinnamon doughnut.
Guava: we've had the juice, but never the actual fruit. It looks like a pear, has the color of a watermelon, but has the consistency of a tomato. It is very tart and very good!
Biltong: this is like beef jerky, but it looks more like sliced skirt steak. It is usually made of ostrich or springbok(!) meat. I did not have it, but the students LOVE it!
Malva pudding (MY personal favorite): cake made with apricot jam topped with warm vanilla custard. It reminds me of the gingerbread at Gamekeeper's :)

That's enough for this evening. Tomorrow we attend classes until 11:35, present at the assembly (I hope they are all working on it tonight!), have lunch at the boarding house, then we head out to Sparrow Village in Roodepoort. I have a feeling tomorrow will be a draining day, but the students are looking forward to their visit.

Have a wonderful Thursday afternoon :)

Day 3: Apartheid Museum and Lion Park

There was a stark contrast between our morning and afternoon activities today. This morning, we left CHC at 8:00 to head to Johannesburg once again. We went to Gold Reef Road, an area designed like the old mining towns. Gold Reef City is a major tourist attraction, with a theme park, casino, and even a small area where you can pan for gold. At the end of the road, however, was our destination- the Apartheid Museum.

The Apartheid Museum is an impressive complex. It opened in 2001, thanks to a bid by the Gold Reef Casino. In 1995, when the government first allowed casinos, they had to make a bid to show how they would benefit the community, so the Gold Reef developers included the museum- and subsequently won their bid. There have already been many visitors (apparently we just missed Michelle Obama, who was whisked away from the exhibits for a surprise visit from Nelson Mandela). We were only allowed to take pictures on the outside of the building, but there are still some impressive features there. We were greeted by the Pillars of the Constitution, which stand tall over the building. There is a large reflecting pool in front, with this Mandela quote: "To be free is not merely to cast off one's chains but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedoms of others."

We went through either the "Whites" or "Non-Whites" entrance and saw all of the IDs, indicating whites and non-whites, as well as pictures of apartheid pass books. We walked through "The Journey," with all these people moving/looking forward, which led to the top of the building and a great panoramic view of Johannesburg. Once inside the museum, we started with a short film on the history of South Africa, starting with the Dutch colonists and ending with the British takeover. It set the ground work for the rest of the museum- the exhibits started with the early 1900s. We walked through each decade and each major event, complete with videos, posters, old newspaper clippings, large photographs, flags, guns, a tank, and more. It was unbelievably eye-opening. I walked through with Olivia and I think it took us about 2 1/2 hours; we didn't read everything, but we read most of it. On of the things that shocked us the most were how aware other nations were of what was going on here; the ANC reached out to foreign leaders, there were Time magazine articles from the 1960s about how "delusional" South African apartheid leaders were, and there was BBC video footage from the 1960s as well. We were also surprised to see the hangings of political prisoners continue up until 1989. The thing that was probably the most shocking, however, was the AWB, or Afrikaner Weerstandsbewegig. This white supremacist group lead by Boer descendants in the 1980s and 90s modeled itself after the Nazis- from the logo, to the flag, to the armband, to the marching. It was disturbing to see such a group have a major influence on a nation and no one did anything about it. Many of the students felt guilty after the museum and they weren't even alive for the apartheid rule- or even the reversal movements afterward.

At the end of the museum, there was a Nelson Mandela exhibit that the students found very interesting. You can check out the key points at the bottom at this link. They had colored sticks, each representing the different characteristics that Mandela represents, and you could pick the ones most important to you and place them in baskets scattered around the courtyard. After that, we walked around the outside pathways and had lunch out front.

We departed and drove through Sandton City and way out into the country for the Lion Park. This was a hit! We weren't even completely pulled into the parking lot and everyone was clamoring to the windows for pictures. Our afternoon started out with a bus tour of the grounds. A guide boarded the bus and we went through the herbivore, or game, exhibition first. The first animal herd that we saw was the Blesbok. They are typically found around the Cape, but could survive and thrive in a variety of locations in South Africa. The park has two Gemsbok, which had black stripes on its face and what looked liked racing stripes down its torso. They can live for 5 days without water and they have an interesting cooling system, which starts with their wide nostrils. There were several Springboks, the national animal of South Africa, running around, which we all loved. They choose their mates based on which male can jump the highest. On a slightly unsettling note, despite being the national animal, their skins are quite popular and people enjoy eating them- one student compared this to what would have happened if the turkey was our national bird. We took several pictures of the Burchell's zebras, or "zeb-ras" as our guide called them. They are the most common species of zebra and can be differentiated from the others because their stripes are much wider. The game exhibition is also home to a herd of black wildebeests, which were once on the verge of extinction. The blue wildebeest is much more common.

Everyone had been looking forward to seeing the lions. We drove into the carnivore exhibition, which is home to 3 lion prides, wild dogs, and cheetahs, all kept in separate enclosures. The first pride was right out in the open- I think that Emily got the BEST pictures zoomed in on the male and some of the cubs. We saw a mother nursing 3 cubs at this first stop. The second stop had a pride of white lions, consisting of 4 brothers and a few females. As we drove in, one of the males jumped up and reached up a side of a tree- RIGHT next to the bus- he was so close! The white lions are not albinos, but they carry a recessive gene. This pride is kept together to keep the gene going. In the last lion pride, one of the females got up and started running toward the side of our bus! I've never seen any student scramble so fast to close the bus windows! Once she decided to end the game of chasing our bus, we moved on to the wild dogs. They were very lazy, but we were told they are very ferocious. They will chase down their food and take a huge bite out of it- but they won't kill it. They leave the animal to die on their own later. Wild dogs only like to eat live prey. They cause all sorts of problems for African farmers raising chickens and goats.

The last area was the most impressive- the cheetahs. When we entered their area, they were stalking along the far fence. As the bus approached, all 3 turned and looked, then started walking our direction. One went right around the front of our bus, then reached up- and again, the windows were quickly slammed shut and a few startled girls screamed! It continued to circle, then another cheetah took off toward the side of the bus in a dead sprint! The third had lost interest, but the first two cheetahs continued to walk around, staring us down. It was thrilling to be that close and look right into their eyes!

The biggest hit of the day, however, was the cub exhibit. When we were done with our bus tour, we went into the main part of the park. They take you down a path to where they keep the juvenile lions in 3 different pens- cubs, "tweens," and "teens," as we called them. The handlers took us into one section of the cub pen, 7 at a time, to pet 3 different lion cubs. They had 2 regular cubs and 1 white lion cub. We could pet them and take pictures. Two fo the cubs were very friendly and one of them was a little, well, salty. He was not the friendliest or most open to pictures. Once everyone had a turn to pet the cubs, they let us go back in a second time. A few of the students had the opportunity then to sit down and play with a cub in their laps. I was impressed by how brave they were! So many of them did it!

The last item on our agenda was feeding the giraffes. We could get alfalfa pellets and feed their two giraffes from the top of a platform, or we could coax them along the fence and closer to the ground. The giraffe's tongue was the main attraction- it is very dark purple, almost black, and it is long enough to wrap around your hand as you feed it. Ted, Olivia, Meaghan, and some other students decided to "kiss" the giraffe. I would hardly call it a kiss- it was more like the giraffe licked their face! As much fun as it was feeding the giraffes, I think we almost had more fun looking at the faces everyone made in our pictures!

The students are busy this evening and next preparing for a short presentation to the school at their Friday assembly. They came up with some fun, creative ideas this morning and I can't wait to see the finished product. I'll let you know all about it Friday evening. They are also hard at work on a different type of assignment. Much to Simon's dismay, they are creating a photo project with Simon photos. They have been taking action shots and coming up with captions for each one- "Simon likes lions." "Simon is bored." "Giraffes think Simon tastes good." Silly things like that. Who knows if he'll ever need a modeling portfolio, but the girls are hard at work taking pictures :)

As a chaperone, it's great seeing everyone have so much fun and get along so well. They had fun games for the bus ride too- some very few of us had ever heard of- so we thought they were made up on the spot. Everybody is having a great time and getting along well with their hosts. There have been some crazy stories and I think everyone is overfed with new South African treats, but overall the students have been giving the country great reviews. We'll see how they feel after a full day of school tomorrow :)

Day 2: Jeppe Boys School

What a fun day we had! This morning, we met in front of the school at 8:00. The CHC school bus took all 15 of us and Mr. Simpson, the CHC headmaster, to Jeppe School in Johannesburg. With the morning traffic, it took us about an hour to get there. Jeppe is just outside the city center, but very difficult to find. We arrived about 10 minutes late because we kept driving around on back streets looking for the campus. Once we got there, you could tell it was a school with a rich tradition.

If you look at one of the previous posts, you can get some background information on Jeppe. It was originally founded in a tin building as a school for the gold miners' children. Once the land was set aside for the school, students would ride on horseback to get to campus- they had stables on the school grounds. I really don't think that the website does the school justice; I, for one, was very impressed with it's background and current state. We were greeted at the main gate by Eugene and Robert, two teachers who are also alumni of the school (classes of '97 and '98 respectively), as well as their headmaster. Eugene and Robert were excellent tour guides because they know the school inside and out. We started at the main gates, which are considered a national monument. Each side of the gate is a memorial to students who died while serving South Africa in World War I. We walked inside the gates and there is a large rotunda with a fountain in front to honor students who died while attending the school, everything from illness to students who lied about their age to enlist in the army.

Students at the school are currently "writing," or taking, their exams (this time of year they are ending what would be their first semester). Our tour took us around the perimeter of the school until the first exam period was done at 11. On campus, they have 5 different rugby/(field) hockey fields and 1 hockey field that has turf. We were thrilled to get to try to take a couple shots on the school's hockey goalie- it is MUCH harder than it looks! They also have an outdoor pool for water polo and a training house for their rowing team with two different small pools. Jeppe is built on the hillside, so there are beautiful views of the suburbs of Johannesburg.

We also had the opportunity to visit one of the houses on campus. The students are split into houses, even those who do not board at the school. They compete against one another in friendly competitions for athletics, academics, and school spirit. It was interesting to see how the boys lived. The house we went in was gorgeous. Eugene gave us it's interesting background- the school founder won it in a game of cards. The boys bunk in rooms of 3 to 5, depending on the size of the room. They showed us the rooms, but apologized for the messes- during exams, all the focus goes into studying rather than cleaning. There are nice sun rooms that the boys study together in, usually by grade level.

As we walked around, we developed quite the following. Several students who were done with exams or waiting for their noon exam started following us around and engaged in conversation with our students. A couple of the boys will be on the Jeppe trip to Chagrin in September. It was great to see everyone click right away. BBM pin numbers were exchanged and before we knew it, they were talking non-stop all day. In fact, when we were driving to lunch, one boy sent a BBM to Maddie that said "you are all legends!" So the American students were a big hit!

We had a little bit of time left until we could tour inside, so some of our boys played pick-up basketball with the Jeppe students. A few also learned the rules behind rugby (and got to play a little later). Others who chose not to play continued to socialize with the 10 or so boys who started to follow our tour. We learned all about their sharp school uniforms- black blazers with white stripes. The boys have different ties to chose from based on what grade level they are in, wear different color scarves if they are on a varsity sports team, earn patches for their blazers depending on their various clubs or sports, or may even have different color blazers based on their achievements. For example, students with the highest marks, or grades, earn an academic blazer that is white with black stripes. Needless to say, these students looked very stylish.

Once the first exam period was over, we walked through their main hall. Our students said it was just like something out of Harry Potter- it was all dark wood, old pictures of championship sports teams, paintings of past head masters, and their school shield and motto in stained glass. Because the hall is so large, they use it for exams- kind of like how Chagrin used the gym and rec center for AP exams. We went into a few of the classrooms, one of which was an art room, which was very interesting. The art teacher had tattoos all over his head and neck- our students either found that intimidating or cool... I'm honestly not sure.

At the end of our tour, we said goodbye or "see you in September!" and many of the Jeppe students followed us out of the gate. Eugene and Robert accompanied us on the Jeppe school bus to Sandton City for lunch. Sandton City is located right by Johannesburg and it is quickly becoming the new economic center. It is a very nice area. We drove by the hotel where Michelle Obama and her daughters are staying during their visit (they apparently caused a traffic jam last night). We went to Nelson Mandela Square, a large space surrounded by a library, office buildings, and upscale apartments. Around the square, there are a variety of restaurants. Inside the buildings, the first 3 floors make up a large shopping mall. We took a group picture in front of the Nelson Mandela statue, then went to lunch at Lekgotla, which serves African cuisine from several nations. We washed our hands at the table with vanilla water, had our faces painted with tribal designs, and ate platters of Naan bread, Senegal calamari, peri-peri curry sauce and chicken liver, hummus, sausage kebabs, and other intriguing items (some of the things sound weird, but rest assured- no one left hungry). We had an hour after lunch to shop and I hope that the students shopped for family back home because they bought a LOT! A couple of them purchased vuvuzelas (the horns from the World Cup) which may get confiscated sooner rather than later...

The weather was perfect today and everyone had a lot of fun. We are VERY excited for the Jeppe visit to the U.S. in the fall. It was great to see everyone make new friends so quickly. I hope that each day continues to be as good as this one, if not better! Tomorrow we head out to the Apartheid Museum in the morning, then we are off to the Lion Park in the afternoon.

Cheers!

Day 1: Soweto

We've just wrapped up our first day in South Africa and it was a full day! The day started at 5:30 AM and breakfast in the boarding house at 6:30. Despite the early alarm, I don't think I've ever slept so well- I was OUT! It was rather brisk this morning and we all had the opportunity to wear jeans and our new hoodies. All the students met at the school at 7:30 to head out for the Soweto tour. We went with 2 history classes from CHC and their teachers, so we had 61 people on our tour bus. It was a long bus ride in morning rush hour traffic. Even though the highway was 6 lanes across, there were times we were at a complete standstill. It took about an hour and 30 minutes to get to Soweto.

Along the way, we saw all the gold mines that surround Johannesburg. Mining and agriculture are the mainstays in South Africa's economy and this was evident. There are large, yellow soil hills that circle the city limits. All of the other soil in the country looks like red Georgia clay. We went to the top of a hill to see the Johannesburg skyline, then observed exactly how far Soweto is from the city center- it can barely be called a suburb. At the top of the hill was the stadium for the 2010 World Cup final. It was a very interesting building from the outside- we stayed on the bus and did not get to go inside.

Soweto is an abbreviation for "southwest township." It is a suburb of Johannesburg that was started because of the eviction of Africans from the city limits. It is at least 30 minutes from downtown Johannesburg, therefore it has one of the largest taxi "rinks," or hubs, in the world to help the 1.8 million people (and still growing...) there get to work in the city. At the very edge of Soweto is Baragwanath Hospital, the largest hospital in the southern hemisphere. It is one of the most popular teaching hospitals in the world- because people here cannot sue doctors for malpractice! Also, on a sad note, they have one of the best burn units in the world due to political unrest and the current conditions in the shanty towns.

We took a bus tour through Soweto, which included the former powerstation. The cooling towers have been painted with murals and are now home to a popular nightclub. There is also a skywalk connecting the two towers where you can bungee jump! We drove through a neighborhood where the local Orlando Pirates soccer team was founded and also saw the home of Lillian Ngoyi, the first woman to march and protest the apartheid passes.

A major focus of the day was the youth movement. This past Thursday, June 16th, was a national holiday, Youth Day, that was created by Nelson Mandela. This all stems from the Soweto uprising on June 16, 1976. A group of students from Morris Isaacson High School and Orlando West High School (located directly across the street from Nelson Mandela's house) marched from MIHS to the Orlando soccer stadium. The march was intended to be peaceful, but ended in violence. Police fired shots into the crowd and chased the students through Soweto. Some students sought refuge in a church, Regina Mundi (the largest catholic church in South Africa), but the police followed them in and continued to shoot. In all, it is estimated that over 125 students out of 20,000 participants died in that protest.

Our morning started with the Hector Pieterson Trail. Hector Pieterson was a 12 year old boy who was killed in the crossfire. He wasn't supposed to be at the march and rally, but followed his older sister, Antoinette. Hector is considered the "face" of the youth movement after an iconic photograph was published worldwide with another boy, Mbuyisa Makhubo, carrying him and Antoinette running at his side. (Side note: after the photograph, Mbuyisa disappeared and it is assumed he went into hiding out of fear of arrest)

The students were split into two groups and walked the trail. We went to the Hector Pieterson Museum, which follows the history of the youth movement in South Africa, walked the same route that the students took past Orlando West High School, and we visited Nelson Mandela's house, which is now a museum. Both places were impressive. The Hector Pieterson Museum was extremely moving; the best comparison I can make is how I felt going through the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. Two very different events, but to see the faces associated with such a painful part of someone's past makes an impact. I hope that the students realized that these were kids their age who were incredibly passionate about their heritage, their country, and their future. It was difficult to look at them, then all the pictures on the walls. Nelson Mandela's house still has bullet holes and burn marks from petrol-bombs on it. It was a tiny home with so many of his personal things in it. There was a lot to read, so we probably could have spent more time there.

We moved on and continued to drive through Soweto. After seeing Morris Isaacson High School, we stopped for lunch at Wandie's. It was a very interesting little restaurant. The walls are COVERED with business cards and writing; many of the students left their names on it. Then we went to Regina Mundi. Again, it is the largest catholic church in South Africa. It was constructed in the 1960s and not much has been replaced since the Soweto uprising. There are bullet holes in the stained glass on one side of the building; the other side has been replaced thanks to a donation by the Polish First Lady in 1998. There are also bullet holes in the walls and ceilings and the marble altar is broken on one side. The tour guide showed us were Bill Clinton and Jesse Jackson sit during their visits to the church and he told us that Michelle Obama would be there on Wednesday (they were doing a lot of cleaning in preparation while we were there). There is an art exhibit in the back of the church that chronicles the uprising.

As if there wasn't enough history or emotional stops today, our final stop was in the Shanty Town. One of the teachers, Vanessa, made special arrangements for us to take a walking tour. It is difficult, even now, to think about what we saw. There is no electricity, no running water. There is one water tub and one port-a-potty per block. The houses are made of corrugated tin and tarp, or they are converted trash dumpsters. Many of the children run around barefoot, some half-clothed, but all of them had smiles and even said "Cheese!" trying to mug for the camera. We weren't afraid when we were there- we were safe- but it still was incredibly unnerving because these shacks kept going... and going... and going. They make up such a large portion of Soweto and represent the area with the fastest growing population. It was very sad and you wanted to look away, but found yourself staring.

When we drove out of the Shanty Town, we went through the former mining hostels. All of the mine workers brought into the area had to live in these barracks, which are now multi-family homes. Each hostel block was separated by "no-man's land," because the different groups could not get along. For example, one block is the Zulu block, strictly for those who speak the language. We continued to drive up the hill into the Beverly Hills district (yes, that's what it's called) of Soweto. These houses had gates, security systems, rose bushes, swimming pools- and a view of the Shanty Town below. A stark contrast in less than 1 mile.

I apologize for writing so much, but there was a TON of history packed into one day. I could write more, but there are boys waiting to use this computer in the rec room :) They are hilarious and not quite used to me being here yet- lots of rough housing and swear words have slipped :)

I hope to have more posted for you tomorrow evening (afternoon for you!)