Wednesday was the first day since we arrived that I had a ‘free’ day--- while the students did some exploring, shopping, and relaxing on their own. As wonderful as the past 10 days have been, it was marvelous for me to have a bit of time to catch my breath.
While the students were learning the enjoyment (and challenges) of minibus taxi transportation into town, finding their way to the Jammie Shuttle (which provides free transport to campus for those not wanting to climb the mountain), and/or relaxing around the pool, I settled back into ‘my flat’ which truly does feel like coming home.
In addition to having a bit of time to myself, today gave me a chance to reconnect with some folks I met while here last year. Lunch with Ronnie Ngalo gave me a chance to hear more about the wonderful work he is doing in Nyanga. For his full time job, Ronnie works at MoloSongololo, a children’s rights NGO where, Joelle (Honors in Cape Town '08), did her internship last year. I was fortunate to get to know Ronnie when I accompanied him and Joelle on some of their township school visits while they were recruiting learners for a program directed at young men and boys. (pictures of Ronnie working in those schools can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/marita.mccomiskey/TownshipSchoolsWithMoloSongololo#).
Knowing Ronnie had been extremely sick, having spent several of the past 7 months in the hospital, it was wonderful to see him back on his feet and looking so happy and healthy! His enthusiasm about the work he is doing is truly inspirational. An extremely faith-filled person, Ronnie is convinced that his life has been spared because there is still much for him to share with the world--and he surely does have a commitment to do that.
In the afternoon I was able to enjoy tea-time with Lumka Qinela, a woman so full of life that her cheerfulness is truly contagious.
Lumka, who will turn 35 on 3 Feb, was explaining to me that as she turns 35 this year she will now have to be a “real” grown-up. Since I have children both older and younger then Lumka, she contends should be my middle child---and my only “daughter! With that realization she instructed me to tell my four sons "they now have a sister in South Africa!" Lumka always finds a way to make me laugh--- listening to stories about her kids and sharing such easy conversation over a cup of tea and her favorite chocolate cookies, reminded me again of how great it is to be back. ( Lumka and her children, Nontombi and Chris, live in Khayelitsha)Having done some catching up with great people, I spent much of the remainder of day shopping and cooking for students---since we decided my class will be held each Thursday from 4:30-7:30, at my flat---and I will provide dinner. Perhaps I planned an overly ambitious menu considering I am still attempting to stock the flat with staples, as well as relearning the challenges of shopping without a car—--great exercise but a bit time consuming when one considers the fact that I am among the world’s worst shoppers—thus requiring me to return to the store -- several times! Love to cook –hate to shop!
Thursday, 22 Jan, first day of classes!
As I did last year, in addition to teaching one class on Race and Gender in a Globl Perspective, I plan to attend both the other classes the students will be taking.
Vincent William's, whose primary job is as an executive staff member of IDASA, “an independent public interest organisation committed to promoting sustainable democracy based on active citizenship, democratic institutions, and social justice,” will teach a course on the history and politics of South Africa. In his first class he was able to remarkably present a 300 year history in just over two hours—a great foundation upon which he will build throughout the remainder of the semester.
Vernon Rose, UConn's incredible Cape Town coordinator for the program, assigned students a journal writing exercise which provided a great opportunity to reflect upon some of the amazing experiences they have had in the "Mother City." In addition, his "exploration of the city assignment" challenged each group of students to locate the means of transportation necessary to get to a specific place. Completing that assignment enabled everyone to begin to feel comfortable with finding their way around. and with Vernon’s expert ability to find the perfect placement for each student, everyone is eagerly looking forward to beginning their internships on Monday morning!)
For their final class of the day, students arrived at my flat where we began with a discussion of assignments and projects they would do to encourage the integration of theory and practice throughout their adventures in Cape Town. Having participated in the pre-departure class during fall semester, we had begun to lay the groundwork which enabled us to work as co-educators on a consensus decision-making exercise to establish specific project assignments and evaluation criteria for the class. Next, each student described one or two things they have learned about South Africa and themselves since they arrived.
Listening to all 15 students describe thoughts and feelings about their first 11 days here convinced me that if they were to leave Cape Town tomorrow, each would have gotten more than their money's worth out of the experience! Student after student confirmed that nothing they could have heard or read about Cape Town would have prepared them for the actuality. The breathtaking beauty, the incredible poverty, the friendliness of everyone they have met, the heartbreaking legacy of apartheid, the inspirational accomplishments of so many, the astonishing work being done at the numerous NGOs we visited ---have all left a permanent imprint on their hearts and minds. Some found it amazing that people in a humble, non-air conditioned church in Guguletu radiate more hope and joy than they had ever seen in extremely well-resourced churches at home. Others recognized that despite all the time many of us spend talking about things, we too often spend little time listening, communicating, connecting with others on a truly personal level. While becoming unplugged (from email, face-book, texting) allowed at least one person to face just how much time can be used on such activities without even noticing. Realizing that there is not simply a different pace in Cape Town but also a very different approach to life, relationships, conversations, and possessions, has been an eye-opening experience. Student after student spoke of feeling content, at peace, at home.
Following our truly amazing conversation, we combined eating dinner with watching Part I of the PBS series Race: the Power of an Illusion: the Difference Between Us. This film shows that despite what most of us have been taught to believe, "the world's peoples simply don't come bundled into distinct biological groups. The story follows a dozen students, including Black athletes and Asian string players, who sequence and compare their own DNA to see who is more genetically similar. The results surprise the students and the viewer, when they discover their closest genetic matches are as likely to be with people from other "races" as their own." Thinking and talking about the social construction of race and the multiple ways “science” has been used (misused) to justify some of the most horrific human rights abuses, was quite a bit to digest.
The remainder of the class entailed creating class groups for a semester long project, discussing potential activist projects, and making a class decision on how to best put together a symposium for the UConn community when we return to campus. While some left discussing plans for an evening out on the town and others headed off for a run around the commons before sunset, I was left to reflect upon how amazingly well everyone seems to be approaching their time here. Heeding the advice of students from last year, everyone appears committed to not wasting any of their precious time. Whether they are working on social justice issues, seeing the amazing sights, or simply having a fun time, all seem determined to make the very most of every moment –each in their own unique way.
