Marist contingent travels back to the U.S. while Professor Summers heads to Eastern Africa

Hello all, after 3 weeks of traveling around South Africa from Cape Town, Langa, and GuGuletu, to Durban, and Hluhluwe to Jo-Burg and Soweto it's now time to say good bye. The Marist students and TA are headed back to the U.S. They should arrive at 7:35am U.S. time. However, Professor Summers is headed for a week long visit to Kenya and Tanzania to investigate new opportunities for Marist College. Summers is looking forward to his adventures in Eastern Africa as it will be the first visit to this region of the African continent.

Reality Check: Life in the "Developing" World!

For the past two days the Marist College contingent was reminded that although we're in South Africa, a very modern/industrialized place, the country still faces developing world problems. In Rosebank, which is a fashionable, architecturally pleasing, and expensive suburbs of Johannesburg, a pipe that provides water to the local area has burst. The Rosebank area and 8 other suburbs have been affected by the bursting of the pipe, which means we've been without water for two days. In addition to not having access to an adequate supply of water we've been without the internet as well. These problems remind us of issues facing people in the townships that we've visited in Cape Town, Durban, and the Jo-Burg area. While we'd prefer to have access to such basic amenities, we now fully realize the perversity of a place like South Africa where you have the rich, who has everything, the growing middle class, who have limited access to goods and services, and the very poor, whom do not have access to clean water (in some places or it is shared among a township of 100s), electricity, or adequate bathing facilities. This experience allows us to understand a global phenomenon that exist around the world, the gap between the haves and have nots. It allows us to reflect on what our role should be in the global community. Knowing what we know what should we do to effect global change? Is it right and/or fair for some to have access to certain basic necessities while others do not have that access? Lastly, in a place like South Africa where so much wrong has been committed to South Africans who's responsibility is it to right the wrongs of others?

Despite our recent experiences we've had an amazing experience in South Africa. We're sad to leave such a great Country that has so much potential. This experience has been life-changing and will stick with us forever. We will always remember the innocent children we've met along our journey and the families in the townships without adequate basic necessities that we take for granted on a daily basis. We will also remember the good, the great cities, the vibrant culture, the love of ones Country, and cultural traditions, the love of Soccer and the amazing people we've met along the way. While we prepare for our journey back home today, we'll have 19 hours to continue to think about a place that we've come to love so dearly.

Josie Zoo, Lilliesleaf farm, and Birthday celebrations!

Hello all, as our time comes closer to an end we've had more time to relax and reflect on our South African experience. Today we spent the morning at the Johannesburg Zoo. We saw several animals,however our group decided that we like the animals in their natural inhabitant. After the Zoo we visited the Lilliesleaf farm, where famous leaders such as Mandela, Walter Sisulu, and Govan Mbeki organized and took shelter during apartheid. The Lilliesleaf Farm was a major site that helped fight for the liberation of South Africans. It played a significant role during the anti-apartheid movement and is not as well recognized as other sites such as Soweto. After the farm, Steve, Nina, Alex, and Kelly O. had the opportunity to attend the South Africa v. Iraq soccer game. Upon their return we celebrated the Birthdays of Lauren May and Chris Rivera. Tomorrow we're looking forward to visiting with Acres of Love and the Apartheid Musuem. We're also excited for the summer time to truly reflect on the experience and to bring what we've learned and gained from this experience to our personal lives and back to Marist College. Despite all that we've gained from this experience we still have many unanswered questions about South Africa, the role of the developed world, and issues affecting the developing world. We cannot begin to unpack many of the mixed emotions we've felt during our time in RSA. We're hopeful for the future of South Africa.

Saturday, 13/6/09- Pretoria, family connections, and learning!

Today, we traveled to Pretoria, which is one of South Africa’s three capital cities. There, we toured The Voortrekker Monument. From the top of the building, it felt like you could see forever, even through the foggy winter air. Inside the Monument, the walls were lined with sculptures depicting the story of the fight between the Dutch and the Zulus. The story, according to the Afrikaans, states that the Dutch fled the Cape Colony in order to flee British rule and were faced by the Zulus on the other side of the mountain. There, they signed a peace treaty which the Zulus did not acknowledge and violence quickly ensued. After all our discussions about the Apartheid and racism against indigenous Africans, it was interesting to see a monument erected in the point of view of the Afrikaans about their struggle against the Zulus.

Later on in the day, our group travelled to Church Square, which is in the center Pretoria. We wandered around looking at various monuments and statues that honor South African pioneers. One aspect of the day that was especially interesting for our group was that one of our group members, Samantha Battline, is the distant descendant of Paul Kruger, who was a prominent figure in South African history.

After our trip to Pretoria, our group separated into different group: some went off to explore Johannesburg, while others went to the market. Our day in Pretoria, however, was an eye-opening experience because it was interesting to obtain the point of view of the colonization of South Africa from the opposing perspective of “white pioneers.”

As our trip slowly comes to an end, it has become an experience we will never forget. There has been such a variety of positive and troubling experiences for the group. Over the last two weeks we have learned so much about South Africa, too much about each other and even more about ourselves. This has been a positive growing experience for us all. We look forward to sharing this experience back at Marist College.

June 12, 2009 – Sacred Heart – And we’re Marist all over the world…

Today we began our day with a 5 am wake up call to go to Sacred Heart Marist College, a school for grades K through 12. At Sacred Heart, we got a chance to interact with faculty and students and we also got a tour of the lovely campus.

We broke off into groups and some of us went to work with the pre-primary grades while others went to the primary school to work with the middle and high school children. As we entered the classrooms, each of the students stood up to welcome us into their classes. They were excited to have visitors from the United States and they asked many questions, mostly about Hannah Montana. We also witnessed a debate amongst the 11th graders about their views of foreign aid for Africa. Many of the students had valid points behind their arguments; it was interesting to see how involved and in tune the students were with modern politics, not only South African but also America politics. We did not realize the impact our current election in the States had on the country of South Africa and the hope that it brought to this struggling nation.

After the debate we had lunch and mingled with a lot of the faculty. They were interested in what we had to say about South Africa and they had a good time talking about our accents. We noticed that the perception many of the students had about Americans was mostly based around what they see and hear in the media. We were asked many questions about celebrities and whether or not we ever met them. They think that Americans live this lavish lifestyle and they don’t realize that we are really just like South Africans in some ways.

Compared to other schools in South Africa, these students we believe are very lucky to have such a privileged schooling experience. After a tea and sandwich break, we got to split up and go into different classrooms. Steve and Mary got the opportunity to spend most of the day with the Physical Education Department, playing sports with the children all day and learning about the amazing athletic ability of the South African students. In each and every game that was played, Mary and Steve lost miserably to children of all ages and were picked on like they were back in middle school.

At three o clock we got the privilege to spend time in the college’s 3-6PM program, which brought in students that are refugees from all countries around Africa. The students were very interested in learning, and wanted to better themselves from the lives that they had left.

Overall, our experience at Sacred Heart College today was amazing. The feeling that the group received of love and care from the Marist Family abroad was extraordinary and greatly appreciated. It was also nice to see statues and pictures of St. Marcellin Champagnat everywhere and to be able to have the same Marist traditions, beliefs and values as the students, faculty, and administration at Sacred Heart. The Marist Brothers founded an education system based on concrete beliefs and it’s just wonderful to see the same ideals that we believe in being followed abroad in countries so far from our home.

Blog from June 10 and 11th--Catching up "Howisit?"

On June 10 th we travelled from Hluhluwe to Durban. We had a pretty low-key day because it was about a four hour car ride to Durban. When we got to Durban, we went right to St. Henry’s Marist College to tour the school and to get in touch with the Marist community here in South Africa. The school ranged from primary school to our version of high school aged students. We all thought that the college was absolutely beautiful. Some of the students said that the architecture reminded them of Floridian housing. The colors were bright and sunny, and there were many columns throughout the college. Our group felt extremely welcomed at the college and fit right into the community through a luncheon that St. Henry’s provided us. It was amazing to see such a functional school after our experiences with South African public education in the townships.

That afternoon we went to the local aquarium, UShaka, which is supposedly South Africa’s best display of marine life. Shortly after this, we met with a Professor named Sean from the University of KuaZulu Natal. Sean spoke to us about the history of Durban. Our group felt that they learned a lot from Sean and his optimistic outlook for Durban’s social and economic future. From there, the group separated. Some students went to a rugby game, while others went to dinner at an Italian revolving restaurant.

The next day, June 11 th , we had a very early flight to Johannesburg. We arrived shortly after 10am and left to settle down at the hotel. From there we left to go on a bus tour of Johannesburg to see the beauty of this city. Due to the rainy weather we weren’t able to get out of the bus and check out the city. But we’ll have plenty of time to explore in the next few days! After our tour of Johannesburg, we drove to Sacred Heart College where we had dinner at the Head Master’s house and we met with the faculty and staff. Like at St. Henry’s, we felt very welcomed into the Sacred Heart atmosphere. Our group is excited for the in-class observations tomorrow that we’ll be having at the school.

Video Blog by Chris Rivera on "Heal the Hood"

Please cut and paste the below URL of Chris Rivera's video commentary on "Heal the Hood" Community Service project.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9SGHbbWVbA

Jossie! Jo-Burg!

We've arrived in Jo-burg or as the locals call it Jossie. We'll add pictures and more information about our adventures.

Safari and more! "Fun is about the learning of other Cultures" Animals have a culture too"

We think the group could agree that today was the most entertaining day we’ve had here in Africa. Many of the other days were informative and interesting, but today was an experience of a lifetime. We began our day traveling from the Zulu Nayla Safari Lodge to the Hluhluwe Umfolozi Safari Parks. We were divided into two groups and put on large, open vehicles and taken on a three hour adventure. During the trip, we spotted large giraffe families, elephant families, zebras, warthogs, and various birds. It was so exciting every time we found an animal in its natural habitat. The elephants and giraffe families each had babies that followed their parents around. The trail of elephants walking in a line must have been a mile long! Later on in the adventure we spotted giraffes, zebras, and antelope all existing peacefully together. I think some of us were disappointed we didn’t see any cheetahs or lions, but we saw cheetahs a few days ago so our experience is complete. Also, one group was able to see Rhinos, but unfortunately the other group did not. One Marist student, Samantha Battline, pointed out a little known fact that rhinos have an instinct to trample small fires that begin in the desert. Since forest fires are so common in dry areas, this has become a survival instinct. There were no forest fires for the rhinos to extinguish so we did not spot too many rhinos!

Once that journey was over, we went to the St. Lucia estuary for a water safari. There, we saw hippos, baby hippos, crocodiles and exotic birds. We learned that hippos account for many accidental human deaths a year. While they appear friendly and docile, they are actually quite aggressive! We saw families of hippos and watched them play and/or fight. There are also many endangered birds on the island that build nests and create homes along the estuary shores.
After a quick trip to the market, we made it to the beach! It was the first step many of us have made into the warm Indian Ocean. Although none of us had swimsuits, we decided to jump in the water with our clothes, figuring it was a small chance we would ever get to again. The water was so clear and warm, compared to the New Jersey and Long Island shore most of us are used to. It was a great bonding experience for all of us. It was an amazing time that we will remember for the rest of our lives.

Tomorrow, we will be traveling back to Durban and visiting with St. Henry’s Marist College.

Mary Zugibe's Commentary on one of the Community Service Projects

Please cut and paste the link below so you can see Mary Zugibe's commentary on one of the community service projects.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5dHcVl7Vb8

Days 11 & 12 – June 7 & 8, 2009: Goodbye Cape Town, Hello Durban!

First of all, we apologize for the delay in our blog. Yesterday was a day packed with traveling and exploring the traditional Zulu way of life. It was an early morning, but it was hard to say goodbye to Cape Town. We grew to love the city and enjoyed all that it had to offer.

Our plane departed from Cape Town at 9am and landed in Durban at 11am. Most of us do not remember the flight, including the members that are blogging today because we all fell asleep before take off and woke up after landing. Those who were smart enough designated a person from the group to wake them for food and drinks.

Once we landed in Durban, we rushed off the plane to get on our bus to travel three hours to a traditional Zulu homestead. We arrived at the traditional Zulu homestead where we ate a traditional Zulu meal and watched traditional Zulu dances. Some people even volunteered to get up and dance! We were introduced to a more rural lifestyle and experienced some of the daily customs of the Zulu culture.

An important practice of Zulu culture is war and defense. Traditionally, the men went off to protect their families, and women cared for the children and the household. We watched and participated in some of their traditional dances, and stick fights. Many of our group members participated in these activities realized that it was much more difficult than expected.

We were privileged to behold the humility in the way that they live. They hold cattle in a very high regard, it is central to their society and survival. The wealth of a man is reflected in the amount of cattle he has. When a man wants to take on a wife, he must give the brides family a lobola, which is an offering of cattle. Cattle offer clothing, food, shelter, methane, protection, cleaning supplies and so much more. For example, one of the members of the Zulu tribe showed us how cow dung is used to clean their floors. Some members were brave enough to try it as well.

Ultimately, we were fed wonderful food and experienced a different culture. We went our separate ways and headed to The Tropicana Hotel in the city of Durban. It was lovely to be right on the beach and to hear the ocean as we slept at night. We were able to sleep in and then we departed to Hluhluwe. On our way, we were able to see many wild animals including wild boars, nyala, monkeys, and kudus. It was a long ride but we arrived and were pleasantly surprised to see the scenery and the safari lodge. We look forward to tomorrow’s adventure on the safari expedition.

Video Blog by Stephen Townsend on South African Life

Video Blog by Stephen Townsend on South African Life


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7ZpyuyG5aU

Travel to Durban and Hluhluwe

Hello all, the group has been traveling for the past two days. We arrived in Durban yesterday and visited a traditional Zulu home. Today we're in Hluhluwe at a game lodge. We will post pictures and more information about our travels later today.

Stellenbosch and Cheetahs

Today was a very busy, eventful, and informative day for our class. First, we visited the historical town of Stellenbosch. This is the second oldest town built by the Dutch colonists in South Africa. Our class was very excited to visit this town because of its aesthetic beauty. We took a walking tour of the town’s historical center, and we visited several historical museums and a botanical garden. We also got the opportunity to view the inside of an old church and we had a rare sighting of a small chameleon outside of the church! After Stellenbosch, we went to Neethlingshof Estate, a gorgeous vineyard outside of Stellenbosch. While visiting the Estate we were able to participate in a wine tasting and an academic session about the wine making process. There were around six different wines, and after the tasting the students got a tour of the estate’s wine cellar. After the vineyard, we went to the Spier Estate to see cheetahs! The Spier Estate, just down the road from Neethlingshof, works to educate and protect the Cheetah population in South Africa. Because Cheetahs here are often shot by ranchers for threatening livestock, the program also trains Anatollian sheep dogs to help ward off the Cheetahs, helping to protect the wild Cheetah population. The students were all extremely excited; many of us have not been this close to this rare mammal. There were cubs and full-grown adults at the cheetah farm. The students could either take pictures from outside of the cheetah cages, or if they were brave enough they could go inside and pet them! And finally, after some very good luck with the typically rainy winter weather here, we were able to go to the top of Table Mountain. The weather was a little chilly, but everyone was still very happy to be able to go up the mountain in a cable car. The view from the Mountain was stunning and it allowed us to reflect on our ten days in Cape Town. While today is our last day we’re excited to travel to other parts of the Country to experience what life is like in other cities. Since it’s out last night in Cape Town, we’ve decided to get together as group to have a farewell dinner to mark the end of our time in this wonderful place.