Packing and travel day back to NYC

Hello all, today we will be traveling back to the United States. Stay tuned for an update on Sunday of pictures and a reflection from Eddie Summers. In another week or so we will also post reflections from the students and their research papers.

Soweto and the Apartheid Museum

Today's journey started with a bus tour of Jo-Burg. We got the opportunity to see both the very rich suburbs to the decaying urban city center. This experience was enlightening to observe and we could easily "classify" or "stereotype" the central city of Jo-burg as being similar to our experience in Durban. Nonetheless, this experience was profound in understanding the great divide that still exist in South Africa, very much based off of one's socio-economic status. However, it would be irresponsible if we did not mention the country's history of race relations as being another key factor in the economic divide between individuals in South Africa.

After touring Jo-Burg, we visited the famous township of Soweto, home to Nelson Mandela, Winnie Mandela, Desmond Tutu, to name a few and the place of a major 1976 protest against the apartheid government . While visiting Soweto we toured the homes of the very affluent and the homes of individuals who live in shacks and hostiles. This experience continues to re-affirm what we've experienced and thought about the townships in Cape Town, the need for economic empowerment, education, skills training, and housing. Following our tour of Soweto, we had lunch at a home, which has been converted into a restaurant. The food was of traditional South African cuisine, including pop, curry, rice, etc. While this meal was delightful, the importance of the visit to this home was to show us the growth of the informal job sector. This restaurant serves as the primary revenue stream for the home owner and her staff.

While in Soweto we had the opportunity to visit the Hector Pieterson's memorial. Hector was one of the first kids killed during the 1976 protest against the apartheid government. The protest was in response to the demand for all students to have Afrikaans as a medium of instruction. The protest was a significant milestone in South Africa's struggle for equality and the right to be treated like a human being. We ended the day at the apartheid museum. This museum documents the road to freedom and equality for black South Africans. This museum also document the untold story of women's activism during the struggle for equality. Th museum was profound and a critical site which should be viewed be anyone who visits South Africa.

Township of Soweto








Apartheid Museum

Johannesburg & Pretoria

Today started out with an early flight from Durban to Johannesburg. Our flight was 45 minutes long, however, after getting our luggage and checking into the hotel we did not start out day until 1:00pm. When we stepped off the plane we were welcomed by the surprisingly cold temperature. After we checked into the hotel we got a little taste of home by having lunch at Subway. After finishing up our good ole American flavored subway sandwiches, we headed to the Voortrekker Monument, our first stop on our tour of Pretoria. The monument represented the Afrikaans, which is a mix of the Dutch, French, and Germans history in South Africa and their battle with the British and the Zulu. Although the monument represented the darker times in South Africa’s history, the building and monument remains because President Nelson Mandela thought it was an important part of South Africa’s history that must be told, known, and forgiven. After visiting the monument we continued our educational driving tour to Church Square, the Kruger house and the Union buildings. The Kruger house was a gift from the former President Stephen Paul Kruger to South Africa. Kruger held office from 1883-1902. This gift to South Africa is now utilized as a museum and a major part of Pretoria’s economy. Today, while a short day, was an important education trip both by seeing Pretoria and experiencing the Johannesburg afternoon traffic.



Jo-Burg





Voortrekker Monument

Back to Durban, UShaka and some Reflection time

We finished our Safari portion of the trip in Hluhluwe and began the drive back to Durban. The beach that our hotel sits on in Durban is gorgeous, however today was overcast so plans changed. Half of the group went to the Aquarium, where the other half had an easy day at the hotel. The trip has been jam packed with great events, so it was nice to relax, watch a movie, and order room service. We reminisced about the past events on the trip and what we were longing for back at home. Friends, family, pets, favorite food, and simply driving a car were at the top of most lists.

At the Aquarium we first got to see a dolphin show in which our fearless leader, Edward Summers, fell in love with a dolphin named Gambit and got the chance of a lifetime to kiss his true love haha -J. He also was able to address the crowd about his emotions after having realized that his true love would not turn into a princess after having kissed it. Two of our fellow students were also selected at the show and had the pleasure of experiencing the dolphin shower, which is basically them getting doused with water by dolphins. Much to their chagrin they did not get the opportunity to address the crowd about their emotions or represent Marist to the fullest. The dolphins also sang and danced for all the audience. Afterwards we saw a seal show which turned out to be a skit involving a prisoner, imprisoned due to poaching, a cop, a seal, a restaurant waiter, sardines, sushi, and tequila. An interesting production, but nothing compared to the dolphin show. We also were able to see penguins, sharks, sting rays and much, much more. Besides being a scenic trip, we learned much about sea life. Some of the interesting facts we learned include: that mother seals can smell their pups out from other pups and that penguins live an average of 37 years in captivity. One of the best parts about our day was the walk back from Ushaka; we walked along the beach and watched the sunset. However, what really completed the day was our spontaneous expedition into the Indian Ocean. Now, we have yet another flight, destination: Joburg.

ZuluNyala Heritage Safari Lodge & St. Lucia

Our first night at the Safari Lodge has reacquainted us with the sounds of frogs, crickets and cows. Not too far off from the lodge there is a herd of cattle and they are just the type to insist on making their noises heard through the night. Most of us have sworn to make steak out of a few of them but the night was enjoyable none-the-less. Following our breakfast, we took an hour and half trip down to the St. Lucia Estuary where we were welcomed with a boat tour of the region. On our way down, we saw many people selling fruit and statues. As we passed, it became apparent that there were not only adults doing the selling but many children as well. A labor strike has continued to progress over the time we have been in South Africa and consequently, many of the schools were closed. This is probably the cause of all the children out selling goods the last few days and has offered yet another interesting contrast.

The captain of the boat was a cheeky fellow that managed to throw jokes in to our tour of St. Lucia as frequently as possible. One such joke was his offer for swimming lessons that would literally cost an arm and a leg. This may have been because of the many different animals that were swimming around the estuary such as hippopotamus, crocodiles, a variety of sharks (who never made their presence known) and king fisher hawk. The trip was rather relaxing and pleasant.

After we made it back to shore, we had a late lunch at a seafood restaurant where a few of us enjoyed crocodile steak and crocodile pizza. It was an experience that offered all of us a bit of South African cuisine that we haven’t had before. After our long ride back, we had dinner at the lodge and got to watch Zulu dancers in front of a fire. The dancers were both powerful and nimble. The dance really symbolized who the Zulu people were and had a component of the dance that resembled a fight scene while singing in Zulu. Everything about the dance spoke of tradition and of times past and present and was an excellent way to end our evening.
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Marist: Mother Africa--Safari and the great outdoors!

Hello all, today the group embarked on a journey from Durban to Hluhluwe National Park, where we had the opportunity to go on a safari. However, due to being out in Hluhluwe away from modern civilization, we will not be able to post many pictures until wednesday morning but we've compensate for not posting pictures today with a great deal of detail and humor about our adventures today. If anyone is offended in anyone we apologize-- this is not meant to offend anyone but to bring humor to the students adventures.

National Geographic has nothing compared to what our fresh safari eyes saw today. We did not see all of the “Big Five” (Elephant, Water Buffalo, Leopard, Rhino, Lion), but we were up close and personal to some pretty prolific life species. While some usually associate the Giraffe with the logo of ‘Toys R Us’, there is a fine line between being a company’s mascot from being in striking distance of your hunter green 4x4 sports utility vehicle. The day was hot in the African bush, but our heads were protected by a strong canvas covering our four wheel chariot. The rugged terrain that we conquered today in our journey sprawled an amazing 1800 hectares of land that held an abundance of luscious flora and fauna along with your occasional cacti. We set out on our expedition at 1400 hours with the almighty sun still baking the flaky red African soil. Can you picture it?

The trekkers made their way over the treacherous landscape avoiding deaths grasp at every turn in search of gold, diamonds, and adventure. They knew their time in the park would be brief so we took in the sights as if they were oxygen and we basked in the beauty that is Hluhluwe National Park. This convoy of fearless Americans from the prestigious higher educational institution known as Marist College started out traveling together where they first encountered some disgruntled Wart Hogs and their offspring. The journeymen later cautiously approached a gorge teeming with hungry, hungry Hippos. The girth of these giant beasts was comparable to a 2008 Ford F-150 and there was no doubt that these creatures had the strength of a Hemi engine.

At times the fearless were distracted not by impressive mammalian, but by the perilous pathways that they were forced to voyage through. Though they were equipped with Goodyear tires as pillows on the relentless terrain and the king size Sleepy’s Mattresses of off-road vehicles, their tour was anything but dreamy and at several times throughout the expedition they found themselves at the mercy of fresh African mud (the worst kind). A literal fork in the road led to the convoy parting paths and from this moment on the two vehicles would now have two different tales to pass down to future generations.

To the brave there was a minor disappointment with the lack of big cat predators and Mufasa. However, the various species of prey were certainly roaming the bush in great numbers. They were all impressed by the sheer speed and agility of the playful Impala and Nyala. One group of the heroic went toe to toe with one of nature’s “Big Five”. At what seemed to be an arms length away the group held their ground in the face of danger when confronted by a magnificent white Rhinoceros with an abnormally large horn. The great beast lingered in their presence for quite some time before growing bored with the awestruck group and their immeasurable amounts ‘Sony Cybershot 2100’ photos. Meanwhile over yonder, the other squadron was busy climbing Giraffe as if they were nothing more than a painter’s step stool. These were not the only beautiful beasts that were viewed on this momentous day with others making a cameo appearance such as the majestic Zebra, the bewildered Wildebeest, and Chuck Norris in the critically acclaimed film ‘Dodgeball.’

As the sun went down the brave men & women decided to head back after a long day on safari in Mother Africa. However, she did not want it to be such a simple ending for them and decided to entrap their trucks in mud as sticky as Maple syrup on your Sunday morning short-stack. While one group was able to maneuver their vehicle through a rough patch and escape imminent danger, the other group did not fair as well. They were forced to toss aside concern for their material possessions such as beloved denim stitching of Levi jeans and over priced earth toned UGZ boots while they pushed the rear of their immobilized 4x4 to relieve it of the earth’s kung fu grip. They rode back feeling fulfilled and overzealous with joy. A few philosophic passengers reminisced to themselves the old Sicilian proverb, “You can take the person out of the USA but you can’t take the USA out of the individual (we all bring parts of ourselves with us while learning and understanding different cultures).” This saying certainly applied to the day’s happenings and the mud that covered their exhausted bodies could never hide their elation for what Mother Nature had allowed them to witness.

Travel Day from Cape Town to Durban--- O what a difference for the Marist College Contingent

Today we had to get up really early to make our flight to Durban. We don’t think that any of the group was too thrilled about getting up early and leaving Cape Town because we have all grown to love it so much; however, we are all really excited to head to a new city and have more fun and exciting adventures. As soon as we landed we got off of the plane and headed to a Zulu village that served both as an educational facility and their homes. One of the men explained many of the traditions and culture of the Zulu tribe, describing everything from their home styles and designs to their crops and development of bio-fuel.

There were a few opportunities for some of the group to try some of the activities that the Zulu chieftain was explaining about the way in which traditional Zulu’s live. One activity was the use of a particular cow that is native to Africa. Long over looked because it doesn’t produce as much milk as the European cow, they found them to be far more resilient and able to handle the sharp changes in the African country. Generally, these cows weren’t slaughtered and they were kept for milk. However, Africans have a tough time digesting the milk from the cow and allow it to sour for a few days to allow the nutritional value to increase and make digestion easier. A few people volunteered to milk the cow with the guide. We were also given the opportunity to patch the floor with cow dung in one of the traditional huts. They also use the cow dung and urine as a source of energy. We got to taste the beef for lunch when they served us a traditional Zulu feast. It was delicious, one of the best meals we have all had thus far in South Africa. First, they served us beef that you could dip it in salt and bread. Then they gave us plates filled with a variety of different dishes from cous cous to sweet potato. We also were served fruit after the meal. We were also given freshly squeezed juice made by the villagers. Before we departed, we were shown some traditional Zulu dances and given the chance to try some dancing out ourselves. We then traveled back to Durban to celebrate Eddie’s birthday!!! Happy Birthday Eddie!!!!!!!!!!! And we miss you Marissa!