A Reflection from Robert Stone

It feels weird to go back to the "real world". This experience has been different from any other trip, it's not like I am returning from an exotic Island that I don't want to leave or even coming back from an adventure from good ole Disney world, this whole experience was much more than that. There were times when I felt like I was in paradise, and then there were others when I asked myself what am I doing here? and then there were those times when I realized how grateful one can be to see the things that we saw and have had the opportunity to experience. Looking back at the trip words can't even describe what this trip did for me. So to sum it all up real fast I asked myself would I do it again?..... In a heartbeat........

Pictured below Rob Stone and Ross Naess


Pictured below Children from Dusk to Dawn Haven


Pictured below: Meg changing diapers


Pictured below: Durban, South Africa



Pictured below--parts of Soweto--informal housing

Reflections from Chelsea Donnarumma

It is difficulty to put into writing what this trip has meant to me. I can say that we saw beautiful sites, met amazing people, and had experiences that will change our lives forever. This group bonded so tightly and I am extremely happy we got to share this experience together. I also want to thank Eddie for putting together such an amazing trip and completing out tight-knit group.

Pictured below--the group on the Nelson Mandela Bridge


Pictured below--Cape Town, South Africa


Pictured below--Marist students working in the township of Langa


Pictured Below Dusk to Dawn Haven Women's Shelter

Museums Galore

Today begun bright and early…as usual. We started off the day by driving around Soweto, looking at things such as the largest hospital and mall in the southern hemisphere. We also stopped at a monument that featured the 10 pillars of the South African Bill of Rights. It was engraved in stone, in the shape of a circle. Another stop on our day’s journey was at a church that had been shot at by the police during the Apartheid Era. The church is now a monument, which honors those killed during the Soweto Youth Uprising of 1976. It is also the place where Nelson Mandela and Bill Clinton made a historic visit to after the release of many of the political prisoners that were exiled during the apartheid government rule. This church while serving as a historic landmark in South Africa’s history continues to function as a place of worship and a place where many large gatherings occur. While politicized for former United States President Bill Clinton’s visit, it’s a place that holds a significant place in South Africa’s history and political, social, and economic progress. The Soweto Uprising was the movement that begun the fight for freedom on the grounds of South Africa.

The first museum we visited was in also in dedication to the student uprisings in Soweto. It was called the Hector Pieterson Memorial museum. The museum is named after him because he was the first person shot and killed during the early phases of the uprisings. He was also the youngest person killed during the riots. The museum portrayed the stories of the students and what they went through in order to protest the mandate by the Apartheid regime to change the medium of learning from English and other tribal languages to Afrikaans. The 11 year struggle ended in success, but with the loss of many students who will not be forgotten. The point of this museum is to honor the youth who gave their lives in the struggle for freedom and democracy.

The other museum we went through was the Apartheid museum. We watched a movie about the 2,500 years of African history. We then walked through the museum and read about the history and progression of the movement towards equality. We also learned about Steve Biko who was the leader of the Black Conscience movement who was beaten to death in jail for his power to motivate and move black Africans. His death was initially covered up by the police until the truth was later unveiled. It was a very high-tech museum and we really enjoyed the experience.

A quote we found that reminded us of the leaders we have learned about…

“Success is not counted by how high you have climbed but by how many people you have brought with you”

~ Will Rose - Businessman

Pictured below black Madonna and child

Pictured below: Hector Pieterson Memorial





Pictured below: Apartheid Museum

Jo-Burg Day 2

This morning we had the chance to visit another division of the Marist family here in South Africa. The St. David’s Marist College campus is an all boy preparatory school from pre-school to grade twelve founded by the Marist Brothers. We began our visit by attending mass with the entirety of the school and had the pleasure of being there for St. Marcellin Champagnat day. St. Champagnat is the founder of the Marist Brothers delegation and the day is dedicated in memory of him.

To continue the celebration, the school held a field day with assorted foods, games, and activities. The older boys played soccer and rugby while the younger chaps played on giant inflatable games. Some of our group participated in a soccer game with the students and surprisingly won one nil! Everyone had a good time communicating with the students and held conversation easily.

After leaving the school we visited the Acres of Love headquarters. Acres of Love is an organization that takes in South African orphans and misplaced children and treats them as if they are their own children. The children are put into excellent homes where they are given a mother and father who takes care of all the children in the home. The children receive superb educations and they welcome any child who suffers from HIV/AIDS and provide them with the necessary medications to sustain healthy longer term lives. Part of their mission is to provide the children with “forever homes” meaning that they allow the children to stay at in their home as long as they need.

We met with all of the children in a park down the road from the Acres of Love Headquarters, where we had pizza, drinks, and had some serious play time; there were approximately 70 kids. The kids had a great time running around with us and they became attached to us immediately. Sadly, we could not take photos of the children due to respect for their privacy, but take our word for it, they were adorable. Before we met the children, we were able to hang over funds raised by our group and Pine Bush High School for Acres of Love. It was comforting to see where funds were going towards.

This group is finding the difference between Cape Town and Johannesburg very interesting and we are seeing some of the distinct differences between the attitudes of people in both cities. Also, we are witnessing the disparities between social care in townships such as at the Dusk to Dawn Haven in Ravensmead and the improved care at the Acres of Love center here in Johannesburg.We ended the day with a meeting with fellow Marist Alumus and former Tennis player Brendon Van Wasbeek.

Johannesburg Day 1

We began our day with a 6am wake up call and departed on an 8:40am airplane ride from Durban to Johannesburg, where we arrived at approximately 11am and immediately felt the drop in the temperature as we walked from the hotel to grab lunch a few blocks away. After situating ourselves, we did some sight-seeing in Pretoria, the capitol of South Africa. We first saw the Voortrekker monument, which represented the historical significance between the Zulus and Afrikaners and colonization of South Africa. The entire monument took twelve years to complete and is decorated with a 3-D stone mural chronicling the most important events throughout South Africa’s history. Below the monument on the ground floor in the center of the building, lays a grave symbolizing the victims of the battles fought between the Native African tribes and the Afrikaners; which also has an interesting architectural aspect: a skylight that shines on the memorial at noon on the Day of Reconciliation (December 16^th).

We later took a bus tour of the city and focused on the Church Square, which is the main meeting area where many political events and figureheads meet and hold public forums. The Square is also located where the first national bank was established. The Square was a popular hang out spot for former President Nelson Mandela where he drank coffee and relaxed during nice warm days. After we departed from the square we passed by the home of Paul Kruger, who was the former president of South Africa during the 19^th century. Across the street was the Church that former President Kruger built and preached at.

Following the visit to Paul Kruger’s house we toured the Union Building where President Mandela was inaugurated in 1994. The building was surrounded by beautiful Gardens, which are a popular spot for citizens as well as tourists to visit. There were two sides of the building that symbolized the unification of the whole country. Adjacent to the gardens is a memorial amphitheater for police officers who have lost their lives on the line of duty.

Last, we passed by a few embassies, including India, China, as well as the United States of America. An interesting observation was that the U.S. embassy was the largest and most secure of all. This was very comforting to see and take note of. We ended the day by returning to our hotel and then we enjoyed a nice dinner out in the suburbs of Rosebank and we were off to bed by 10pm. Wake up calls begin at 6am tomorrow!



Pictured below--the group in front of the Voortrekker Monument









The below pictures are of Church Square




Pictured below--- the Union Building



Pictured below--US Embassy

Pictures do no Justification

Our day began bright and early as we departed for the Safari at Shischulie. They have the Big Five there, which consists of lions, buffalo, elephants, giraffes, and rhino, but the chances of seeing all is rare. There are only 120 lions for the property which is around 95,000 acres. We split off into two vans and we were off.

Both vans had similar experiences. A few giraffes were spotted, some warthogs, and some indigenous birds. As exciting as it was this was considered child’s play for what was to happen next. A rustling in the bushes grabbed our attention so we came to a halt. Out of the bushes walked an elephant and its’ child. They were the leaders of the group apparently because in the next 10 minutes, 25 elephants were to follow. One group had an experience like none they have had before. The noise from the cameras frustrated one of the dominate males, who began to charge the van from the back. He ended his little rampage by sneezing on two of the members of our group.

Today was by far one of the most amazing days on the trip. We all agreed that you have not truly lived until you have experienced these exotic animals in their habitat.

MUST SEE VIDEO
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6-8b0ouX0E





Hippos (above)





Rhino (above)









Running into the Indian ocean!!!

Travel, Zulu Culture, and more travel!

After a very hectic and trying week, we got a much deserved day of rest. On Saturday we traveled to the town of Stellenbosch and got a tour of the University there. We also took a tour of a local winery where we partook in wine tasting and ate lunch there. Afterwards we went to a cheetah farm where we got the chance to interact with adult and baby cheetahs.

Saturday night we went to dinner at a restaurant in the township of Langa, where we had the opportunity to eat local food and enjoy live musical entertainment. There was an incredible large selection of food, which gave us the opportunity to try many new and interesting foods. Many Afrikaans often dine at the restaurant as a symbolic means of showing their good faith efforts to rebuild relationships with various communities after the dark and grime past that have plagued South Africa since the Apartheid public policies that begun in 1954 and ended in 1994. Despite the Afrikaans good faith effort to visit the townships restaurant, we noticed that they displayed impolite behavior towards our group, particularly we were stirred at and when they came in contact with us, they did not utilize sayings such as “excuse me” instead they used abrasive behavior and just rudely pushed their way pass us. This interaction with the Afrikaans at the township restaurant leaves us with many questions about the intent of the Afrikaans visit to the township and whether this interaction with normal for their population or whether there were some discontent with us. In spite of our interaction with the Afrikaans, we enjoyed a night of fine dining in Langa.

Sunday morning we had to depart Cape Town, and leave behind some great new friends and colleagues, namely, Shireen, Sean, and Toni. We already miss the fun and exciting interaction we have had with them and hope our paths will cross again. As we woke up bright and early, we were informed that our flight was delayed to Durban, so we didn’t arrive until 1:30pm. Although, we were tardy, we drove two hours to the Zulu Homestead directly after arriving at the airport.
The Zulu homestead is similar in our opinion to a Native American Reservation were indigenous people live in ways that are consisted with the traditions of their culture. We learned some aspects of the Zulu life and saw an example of how a Zulu village would be set up. We also ate a traditional Zulu lunch and went into traditional Zulu huts. The Zulu’s put on a dance for us, which was quite interesting and entertaining.

After a great day of enjoying the Zulu culture we headed for Hotel Tropicana, which is located on the South Coast of Durban. The views from our 10th floor hotel rooms were breathtaking and splendid. We had a great view of the Indiana Ocean and a beautiful waterfront walkway.

Today, Monday, June 02, 2008, we had the opportunity to sleep until 9:00 (and if you have been keeping up with our blog you would know this is very late for us haha). After enjoying the hotel breakfast, we are in route to Zulu Nayla Heritage Lodge, which is approximately a 4-5 hour drive from Durban. Upon arrival we will enjoy the nature, outdoors and prepare for our visit to Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park (Safari) and St. Lucia Estuary tomorrow.