Week 9 - Personal Blog (3-04-2012)

It finally became official that I have been spending too much time with Americans when I started talking about how excited I was for ‘Spring Break’, despite it being autumn here. With differences of language put aside, we were all very excited for the upcoming holidays as we all had a lot of travelling planned. Having an Easter with no family plans was a new experience for me as this was my first year missing our Easter trip to Donegal. However, this is just another part of my new lifestyle and despite it being a shame that I missed it, I was very excited at the prospect of making my own Easter plans and having the independence to decide what to do with my break. After much discussion (arguments!), we eventually decided that the girls and boys would split. The girls heading to Plettenberg Bay which is a four hour drive along the west coast from Port Elizabeth and the home of some of my South African friends, and the boys would go further along to Sedgefield! As my school friends at home know, I generally end up organising any trips we take as everyone else is too indecisive to make a plan, and so travelling with Americans has been a new experience for me as they often know exactly what they want to do. It has taken a while to get used to taking a back seat in organising our trips, but surprisingly it has been a nice change for me to have the small details arranged for me.

I had no expectations of what Plettenberg Bay (known as Plett to the locals, I am told) was going to be like, but I certainly wasn’t disappointed! It is a town of cobbled streets, nice restaurants, friendly locals, plenty of activities and most importantly a stunning beach that stretches for miles. Before I left for South Africa I worried that I would begin to take the coast for granted if I saw it every day. In actual fact I feel lie it has only made me love it more, and so the three of us spent our first afternoon exploring the beaches. Albergo backpackers, our hostel for the weekend, provide a braii every night if we provide the food. Living here has definitely made me more adventurous in the food I eat, and I have been trying meals that I would never consider trying at home, and so after some gentle persuasion, we decided it was time to be adventurous and try some ostrich burgers rather than our standard choice of chicken. Thankfully we were all pleased and despite almost eating them only half cooked, it was a successful meal.

On Sunday, some of my local friends took us on a hike on Robberg island, and we saw some of the most beautiful scenery and beaches that quickly made ‘Plett’ my favourite place in South Africa so far. The Americans were absolutely blown away by the scenery and the coastlines, saying that they have never seen anything so beautiful. Although I agreed that it was beautiful,  realised that if you took away the heat and added cloud and rain it could almost pass as Ireland. Seeing the stunning coastlines here has made me realise just how beautiful Ireland also is, and although the weather may not be just as pleasant at home, I’d love to see more of Ireland’s coast lines when I get home as I feel like it’s so easy to take them for granted.

On the Monday morning we decided to go swimming with seals as a group from Annie’s cove had highly recommended it. I think I went along with this plan without much thought, as suddenly I was fifteen minutes away from the beach in a wetsuit, snorkel and flippers and was somehow surprised that these people expected me to jump in with at least 100 of these strange creatures! Despite a nervous first five minutes of seals swimming towards me with their mouths open (I swear they looked vicious!), I soon realised that they were just inquisitive animals that wanted to play, and we spent half an hour swimming amongst them, only occasionally screaming in terror as they brushed against me. All was going swimmingly (excuse the pun!) until I swallowed two mouthfuls of salt water which I was quickly informed definitely had seal poo in it. Thankfully it was nothing a good puke over the side of the boat couldn’t fix! Embarrassing. After our busy morning we spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach and eating in a seafood restaurant. With it being April fools day this weekend, on Sunday we managed to convince the boys that we had all been food poisoned, and they both surprised us with kind, sympathetic responses which soon transformed into a response typical of two angry, huffy children, which brought us great entertainment!

We got home on Monday early evening to give Glenn and I time to get some work done before we head off to Cape Town on the overnight bus this Tuesday night to meet Emily, Ian and John who are visiting us for two and a half weeks. We plan to spend time in Cape town and travel the garden route back with them. SO excited.

Until next time

Lynsey

Week 8 - Cultural Blog (25-03-2012)

Long weekends have taken on a new meaning for me living in Africa. At home a long weekend normally means an extra few days to chill out, see friends and not do very much at all. Here, a long weekend sees Annie’s Cove deserted as almost every international student packs up and travels to somewhere new to do something ridiculous. This weekend was no exception!

Having spent Monday and Tuesday trying to get a week’s work done in two days, Wednesday morning saw four of us head off to travel along the ‘Wild Coast’, which is along the East Coast of South Africa. I can’t forget to mention our experience of typical South African time keeping before we even left! We were borrowing a car from a South African friend and planned to leave at 9am. However, he said that he needed to borrow the car for half an hour before we left. We waited for two and a half hours before he returned, and he seemed surprised that we were getting extremely impatient. From what I have experienced, this is typical of the South African culture that I am slowly growing to love, and find myself checking the time less and less, and becoming less and less punctual as a result, which I am sure will not improve my already poor time-keeping skills at home. However, I am constantly reminded of how refreshing it is to live in an environment in which punctuality is not the be all and end all in our day.

When we finally got on the road we were not disappointed with the stunning views and scenery on our drive. South Africa is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever seen with such diversity, as it has stunning coastlines yet also has incredible mountains, quirky beach towns and rural villages yet has beautiful, well developed cities. Despite the MANY differences we have discovered between ourselves and the Americans, we are all blown away by the amazing scenery in South Africa and are agreed on how there is no comparison to our home countries.

 After a five hour drive, many stops, stupid games and photos taken, we eventually arrived at the destination our SATNAV was taking us to, following the co-ordinates our hostel had given us. I don’t know why we were surprised to find that we appeared to be in the middle of a housing development with no hostel in sight. After a phonecall and over-complicated directions, we eventually arrived at the hostel with no explanation as to why the co-ordinates were wrong – we just put it down to ‘This is Africa, what else do we expect?’! Just another example of the laid back lifestyle out here which has given me a new found appreciation for the efficiency and organisation of simple things in Northern Ireland.

The hostel, in a town named Chintsa, was exactly what I expected South African hostels to be like, with stunning views, basic bunk rooms, beautiful homemade breakfasts  made by the ‘mamas’ that work there and temperamental freezing showers that literally took your breath away!  The atmosphere of the breakfast room reminded me somewhat of my granny’s kitchen, as the Mamas are typically caring, respectful and most importantly, cook remarkably good food. All of these are attributes that are seemingly engrained into the lifestyle of these Xhosa South African ladies. The four of us spent two days here canoeing (and sinking) up the river, exploring the beaches and talking to other tourists who are also travelling South Africa. I loved meeting these people and found it so interesting chatting to people and hearing their plans. Many people I have met here seem completely content with a life of travel, most of which travel alone. It has been so refreshing to meet people who simply decide what they want to do and go and do it, and many of the people I have met seem to have learnt so much about themselves as a result. However, as much as they seem to have enjoyed it, I feel like travelling is something I would rather do with company!

On Friday four more friends joined us and we travelled on to a place called Bulungula, futher along the coast. If I wasn’t convinced that I was experiencing ‘real Africa’, this weekend convinced me. The journey was one to remember, as the further we drove, the worse the roads became until soon we were swerving around the biggest potholes I have ever seen at 10mph. Bulungula is like nowhere I have ever seen before. The hostel took ‘the middle of nowhere’ to a new extreme. The hostel went right back to basics; no electricity within the mud huts that we slept in, compost toilets that required two spoonfuls of soil after use, paraffin showers in which the water is heated through a piece of paraffin-soaked toilet roll thrown into the system, a large campfire area and traditional Xhosa meals served each night. The one night that we spent there quickly made me aware of how much we rely on technology as all of the girls had a panic when we realised we had no internet, no phone signal and no way of charging our phones.

                                                                                                     

Having a break from it was so refreshing as it allowed us to enjoy the hostel and go out without bringing anything with us, something I hope to do more often now as it is so easy to become reliant on these things. We woke up the next morning to a goat trying to get into our room and a cow blocking our path to the shower! Definitely a weekend spent within nature.  Staying in Bulungula and driving home allowed us to see a completely different part of Africa, and it is always a shock to realise that people live in this culture with such a basic lifestyle. I was surprised to find that every child we met along the road ran after our car waving and shouting ‘happy’ at us. We had a packet of biscuits that we handed out to some of the children as we passed, and to see their faces light up as they received them made it so real to us how little these families have here.  To see this area of South Africa was a surprise to me as it is so different to the areas of poverty I have seen before within Uganda, giving an idea of just how different areas within Africa are to each other, and the difference in levels of poverty.

 Sadly due to terrible weather and terrible dirt roads, we had to leave Bulungula a day early to make sure we got home, and despite a few hills that took more than a few attempts to get up, and pushing the car in torrential rain, we eventually made it home after a nine hour drive!

We now only have one week left until Easter break, and I’m getting very excited to greet our friends in Capetown and show them around our new home. I also hope to travel to Plettenberg Bay this weekend with some of the American girls to explore and begin our Easter break as we plan to continue – with plenty of travel!

Hope all is well at home!

Lynsey

Week 7 - Cultural Blog (18-03-2012)

 “The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before.” Albert Einstein.

From the minute we arrived in Port Elizabeth, Glenn and I were bombarded with all sorts of questions, from pet leprechauns and pots of gold to car bombs, the troubles and whether we had broadband internet. It quickly became clear to us that people were fascinated with Ireland, yet didn’t know a lot about it. With this weekend being St Patrick’s day, it was made clear to us that ‘the two Irish students’ were responsible for the day’s celebrations. 

Ironically it was our four American flat mates that were more excited than we were, and so the shopping for green clothes, face-paint, balloons, and decorations began at the beginning of the week.   It was amazing to see how many people knew of St Patrick’s day, despite never having been to Ireland, and with almost everyone claiming to have ‘some Irish blood in them’, everyone was keen to celebrate. It was so interesting speaking to people from the many countries represented in Annie’s Cove about their experiences of St Patrick’s day at home, and what they do to celebrate the day and it’s surprising to find that most of these countries acknowledge our public holiday. It has definitely given me a better understanding of how people view Ireland, and having been impressed with how much people knew about the day, I have been challenged to look into other countries beliefs more. We have already received several invites to St Patrick’s Day celebrations in different European countries next year!

Saturday was a fantastic day, and being the only Irish girl in Annie’s Cove, it was the perfect opportunity to meet and speak to those I haven’t had the chance to yet ad it seemed that almost everyone wanted a photo with the ‘real Irish’. The day began with the Irish and Americans blowing up endless amounts of balloons, decorating the pool and braii area, and going around making sure everyone was aware that it was essential for them to wear green if they wanted to join us for the day. The small gathering at the pool at lunch time soon grew into a mass of green by the afternoon, and the day was full of Irish music, green food, green drinks, plenty of ‘social dances’ which Glenn and I taught the crowds to songs like ‘cotton eyed joe’ and ‘I’ll tell me Ma’ and countless questions about ‘who actually was St Patrick?!’. The green party at Annie’s Cove later moved to an Irish pub in Summerstran where they serve green beer and played Irish music all evening. It was nice to do both, as the party at Annie’s Cove allowed us to celebrate with other international students, whereas going to ‘Barneys’ was the perfect opportunity to meet local South Africans and experience a South African St Patrick’s Day. It seemed that the South Africans were more low key in their celebrations, many don’t celebrate it, and they seemed to know a lot less about the holiday than the Europeans and Americans. It was a great day though, and I enjoyed the chance to talk to people about our home an how different it was to their own culture. 

On Sunday, I joined a group of international students to run a soup kitchen in a local township called Kwazakhele. This was my first opportunity to properly interact with the children from any township and it was such a challenging day for me. We went together to a local super market within the township to buy the ingredients (shopping in the townships supermarket supported them financially) and then travelled by kombi to the home of a man who organises these soup kitchens. Together we cut up and prepared the vegetables and cooked the biggest pot of stew I have ever seen that we served with rice. As the food was cooking we played with the children and they were an absolute joy to spend time with. They were all so curious about our skin and hair, and would spend their time stroking our arms and plaiting out hair. They amazed me with the endless supplies of hand games and rhymes they knew, and they took great joy in trying (and failing) to teach me some of them. The children were so happy and content at just playing with each other and making their own fun and it struck me how some of them seemed more content and happy than many of the children you may see at home when stripped of their electronic game consoles and other games. What bothered me the most was the number of expensive cars that drove at high speeds up the streets of these townships and beeped their horn, not slowing and just expecting the children to run out of the way, which they did. It was an image that reminded me of how some people may treat stray animals as they drive up a street, and it bothers me that these people can live so close to this poverty and feel no need to acknowledge these children or do anything to help.

As soon as we arrived, the children began to gather with their own plastic containers in hand to fetch the food, simply associating white people with wealth and food. When I returned, a friend asked me how I reacted to the poverty and I just responded with “It’s not real.”, to experience such poverty so close to the wealthy areas is so surreal, and I feel it’s such a tragedy that these children, despite their potential, will more than likely receive very little support or encouragement to continue in their education.  I was surprised to hear that there are few support teams sent from the richer areas of Port Elizabeth into the poorer areas, despite the difference in wealth. This is something I feel is in great contrast In Ireland. Although it’s on a completely different scale, there are also areas of Ireland that require (and normally receive from charities or church organisations) support, both financially and educationally. It has made me more aware of the need for support from other countries into these areas of poverty in South Africa, and I would like to try to set this up when I return. 

The rest of the week was spent doing University work (believe it or not) and planning our travels next week. As we have a public holiday next week we plan to travel from Wednesday to Sunday next week, and so we need to get our work done before we leave.

To think I wasn’t sure I even wanted to leave home for four months, it is amazing to think of the opportunities I have had to meet people from all over the world and experience the contrasted culture within South Africa which has changed my ways of thinking and my attitude about so many things. The longer I am here, the surer I am that it is an essential to travel at some stage of your life, to get out of Northern Ireland and see the world outside of our tiny perspective. So far , being here has been the experience of a life time.

That’s all for now

Lynsey 

Week 6 - Personal Blog (11-3-2012)

 “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”  Mark Twain

When finally having it confirmed that I was going to live in Africa for four months, I found myself not knowing what to expect. Thoughts of dry desert land, serious crime, dirt roads, a basic university and schools with no electricity were just a few. Obviously from the moment I arrived into Port Elizabeth, I was met by a lifestyle completely different to the one many people had prepared me for. Having now been here for six weeks, it has struck me just how important it is to travel and see the world, to break down any misconceptions or false reputation of countries, had I not been given the opportunity to see South Africa in the way I have so far, I would still be holding onto those misconceptions so many people believe to be true. I have yet to even come across any form of crime, and despite the obvious areas of poverty, there are also many wealthy areas, which I did not expect.

 Something I was completely unsure of what to expect was the work I would be doing in university and the assessments I would be carrying out. This week brought our first assessed piece of work for our ‘Barriers to inclusive learning’ module, bringing also our first week of real work since we got here. For the assignment we had to get into groups of four and present a power-point on a specific learning disability. I was surprised at how similar this assignment was to ones that we are asked to complete for Stranmillis, and as we watched each of the presentations I couldn’t help but be surprised at the difference in support for teachers teaching children with disabilities here in South Africa and at home in Northern Ireland. In South Africa there are very few schools that provide teaching assistants within classes of children who have special educational needs, and so the teachers are expected to look after a classroom of around twenty children, all of which have some form of Special Educational Need. Although my initial expectations were of very basic schools, I found it hard to believe that even the specific Special Educational Needs schools followed that trend.

 

During our presentation, it became clear to us for the first time that our accents cause great difficulty for some of the students in our class. (A good indication was when they stared at us with a confused and panicked look on their face, very off putting!) We quickly realised that there is a need to slow down our speech a lot when talking to many of the students, and pronounce our words much clearer, which has now become a way of my speech in every day conversations and is making conversation much easier and less awkward! We realise this will also be essential when teaching in our placement school after Easter, and may be one of our greatest challenges.

 It has been a great source of entertainment talking to the Americans about their expectations of South Africa, many of which expected lions and elephants to be roaming around in the fields behind our accommodation. Sadly, this was not the case, however, this week a group of us had the privilege to visit a nearby elephant sanctuary. I think this has been the most surreal experience so far for me, as myself and four American girls got to ride the elephants through a game park and then feed the elephants by hand. Despite the rain, the five of us came home buzzing about our trip. The sheer size yet gentleness of the elephants was more than I ever expected. Being able to place the meal in their trunks and in their mouths was something I will never forget, and has quickly moved the elephants up to my favourite African animal. Showing off, the elephants performed for us, following simple instructions such as left turn, sit, walk in a circle, and we just watched amazed as these incredible animals demonstrated their intelligence. Interaction with these animals made it real to us that we are in Africa, and the amount of incredible wild animals the continent of Africa have.

  Other than that our week has been pretty quiet, we have spent a lot more time on the beach and by the pool, making the most of the sun as the locals keep telling us it will soon get cold. Being here and having so few commitments has been very refreshing for me as it has given me a chance to do things that we want to do and relax, yet there is always something to do or somewhere to go, something I didn’t expect when I first arrived here. However, I am also looking forward to returning to my commitments when I return, refreshed and ready to contribute from a new angle having lived here for four months.

On Sunday night we all headed to the local Irish pub for a meal so we could watch the Ireland match! Glenn and I somehow ended up the centre of attention as we were 'the Irish kids', and with it being such a tight match with France, there was a great atmosphere in the pub, despite the final score resulting in a draw. Being away from home seems to give me more interest in Irish Rugby, and it was a lot of fun supporting them with Americans, South Africans and Norwegians.

Next week bring St Patrick’s day, and it seems to be mine and Glenn’s responsibility to organise a party as we are the only Irish that we know of here, so that is guaranteed to be an interesting weekend ahead.    

Hope everyone is well at home and teaching practice is going well for all the Stran folk out there.

Lynsey

Week 5 - Professional ( 4-3-2012)

Having spent many weeks trying to convince everyone at home that I am intending on doing work while in South Africa, not simply having a four month holiday, week five finally marked the first indication of this discussed work. This week classes were into full flow and I had my first observation visit into my placement school. Having decided to take a module on ‘Barriers to Inclusive Learning’ this semester, it has worked out very well that we have been placed in a nearby special needs school called Cape Receif.

Cape Receif School.

After the first few days of lectures it was made clear to us how much of a barrier a disability is seen as in certain areas of South Africa. We learnt of how it is common for families to be shunned if there is a child with a disability born into the family and how many schools do not cater for special needs, rather they just leave them to fend for themselves. Having studied a module similar to this one and doing a placement in a special needs school at home, it was a shock to see the difference in culture here and it’s been interesting to hear similar lectures from a South African point of view. These differences have made it clear how important these modules are in South Africa, as it seems that there is a shortage of well trained teachers that are equipped to teach learners with special educational needs. 

My day visit into Cape Receife on Tuesday gave me a great insight into how they cater for children with Special Educational needs. My expectations were immediately exceeded as I walked in and saw the school vision statement displayed in the corridor and the countless pictures of extra-curricular activities that they provide for the children. “Cape Recife High School strives to excel in providing quality education and support services for learners with special education needs, to empower them to lead meaningful lives as productive members of society, being well prepared for the future.” It was surprising how similar a vision this was to the SEN school that I did placement in at home. I was disappointed, however, with the teaching approach when I observed the lessons during the day. I found the lessons very old fashioned compared to the lessons I observed within the school at home; the teacher used a very traditional method of standing in front of the class, teaching a short lesson and leaving them to work in complete silence. I’ll be interested to see how the children will react to my teaching style and lessons in the future. It’s been disheartening to see a select few pupils who are more than capable at completing their set work, but rather than being given work at a higher standard or extension tasks, they are left to wait for their classmates to finish with nothing to do. This is preventing the child reaching their full potential and has made me aware of the importance of differentiation and how it can also benefit the children at the top end of the spectrum, rather than just the lower end which is more common in Ireland. However, I was very impressed with the children’s manners within the class, compared to some of the children I have taught at home, they were very polite and have a lot of respect for their teachers. I enjoyed the layout of the classroom as it is very open planned and airy, however the children are seated in straight rows, facing the board, which helps keep the children focussed as many of them are diagnosed with ADHD.

Port Elizabeth

    The South African National Curriculum Statement explains how “outcomes-based education forms the foundation of the curriculum in South Africa. It strives to enable all learners to achieve to their maximum ability.” It also states that “the outcomes encourage a learner-centred and activity-based approach to education.” (Department of Education, Pretoria, 2002) While this is not always apparent in the class I have been in, it is something that I hope to implement while on teaching practice here. It is very beneficial to see how the education system works in this country, and I have learnt many things that will be invaluable when I return to teach in schools in Northern Ireland.  

The Waterfall

Outside of class and lectures this week a group of us ventured to ‘Bay World’, Port Elizabeth’s combination of a natural and cultural museum, oceanarium and snake park. It’s sad to see that the park used to be much bigger and more successful than it is now. There is a large tank that has been drained that used to contain dolphins that performed daily for audiences and an old unused shark aquarium. Although it was disappointing that these are no longer in use, we enjoyed getting a close up view of the seals, penguins, tortoises, snakes, crocodiles and, randomly, rabbits. We spent the rest         of the day walking along the coastline running parallel with the main road of Summerstrand, enjoying the sun, ice-cream and views. I’ve been told that I need to ‘get over’ my obsession with the sea and it has become a running joke as apparently I comment on it every time we see it. I’m not sure it will ever get old.

On Saturday we were hit with a heat wave, probably the hottest day so far, and so I went with a group from church to ‘the waterfall’, which is an old quarry filled with water which is commonly used for cliff jumping and zip lining on hot days by locals, again befriending the locals showing it’s many benefits. Although there isn’t actually much of a waterfall at all, we enjoyed spending the day jumping off the rocks and zip lining into the water, and even I managed to jump off the top jump following some persuasion and emotional blackmail (“If Callum can do it, you can do it…!”). On Sunday the locals brought me along to church with them, and it was so refreshing to meet more Christians and hear the pastor speak from a different culture and background. Everyone has been so welcoming within the church and it’s a great encouragement to know that I have their support and hospitality while I am here in South Africa. 

Life is finally becoming routine here, and we are finding ourselves feeling more and more settled as the weeks go on. Work for classes is starting to build up now, so we plan on acting like proper students next week and actually doing some work.

American meatloaf

Hope all is well at home

Lynsey

 

Week 4 - Culture (22-2-2012)

“The experience of living and studying in another country is so eye-opening … [it] tested preconceptions and habits I wasn’t even aware were so ingrained in me,”  (Cynthia Perras (IES Paris, 1981).)

This week I have been truly challenged by the culture here in South Africa in comparison to our culture at home. With it now being our fourth week in South Africa, things that were initially standing out as different to me, are now becoming ways of my life and have led me to think back to our ways of life at home and question them. I have completely adapted to the slow paced way of life here in South Africa, and when people question why I walk so fast, or rush everything I do I genuinely have no reason. I’m becoming aware of the tendency within our culture to do everything as fast as we can rather than take our time and enjoy what we do which is something we should do more often. 

Steven Mazunga Primary School

With this being our first full week in class, this week was quieter than what we were used to as people are beginning to do university work. This allowed me and a number of others to volunteer to visit a school in a township during the week under the supervision of a lecturer. We were invited by the principal of the school as she requested for us to come to show the children that we had chosen to visit the country and study there. It seems that within the township, children lack passion for their education systems and would rather leave school and begin to work. This is so sad to see as there is such potential within the South African Education system. “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." (Nelson Mandela.) However it was exciting to hear that recently a local church has been purchasing English books for the school and are organising volunteers to come in and work on the children’s English skills. It is becoming clear the difference simple donations can make in children’s lives here and has challenged me to consider the idea of sponsoring a child or organising a school to be supported by organisations at home. 

 The delight and fascination on the children’s faces as we walked through the school was difficult to understand until our lecturer explained that most of these children have never seen a white person before, another reminder of how split the country of South Africa still is despite modern areas. I was also shocked to hear that at the time of the World Cup being held in South Africa in 2010, large screens were put in place to hide the view of the township from visitors. It is things like these that reveal the very real barriers between poverty and wealth and between blacks and whites within the country, which I had never realised was still such a current issue. However, it is an encouragement to know that the president of this country is fighting to break down of these barriers. "I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." (Nelson Mandela)


Outside of classes and school this week we decided it was time that we did some travelling. After much discussion and hanging around, which seems to happen a lot here, we finally got three cars hired and filled with mostly Americans, and made the journey to Jeffrey’s Bay. As Americans aren’t familiar with driving manual cars I was ‘allowed’ to drive despite many protesting comments from the boys, and had the joy of driving an old citi golf with no power steering or air con. I loved it, if I could bring it home I would! (We also had the joy of watching the American’s attempt to roll out of a space backwards before asking a random man to put the car into reverse for them as they couldn’t work it out.)Following this I had a lot of fun teaching one of them how to drive manually (or with stick, as they call it) with some of the worst stalls I have ever seen. It was refreshing to get out of the city for the weekend and spend it in the small beach village of Jeffrey’s Bay. We saw some of the most beautiful scenery so far on our journeys. It was very common in Jeffrey’s Bay to find black or coloured men standing within the car parks, claiming to be keeping watch of your car as you shop or eat, and feel the need to loudly direct you out of your parking space as you leave. Although I found this a strange concept to begin with, we were later told that these men were unemployed and were simply trying to earn money. One afternoon as we handed one of these men small change, we were reminded of the true poverty still in existence as two of the men physically fought over the 5 Rand that we handed them, which is the value of 30p.

 Taking the weekend away to a popular beach city allowed us to meet more locals and experience more South African culture. On Friday evening the owner of the hostel lit a large braai for us to cook on, and then enjoyed sitting chatting to us finding out about where we are from and recommending things we should do. I am always struck by the local’s friendly nature and genuine interest in us, and often wonder if visitors to Northern Ireland are made to feel as welcomed.

On Saturday the girls got up early and to my delight were all persuaded to go horse riding for the afternoon (the boys felt it wasn’t quite manly enough for them!). Having only ridden one time a year on holidays, I am aware of the strict health and safety of horse riding for beginners in Ireland, but yet again, South Africa managed to surprise us with their laid back nature. All eight of us rode barefoot with no helmets and were given free reign of our horses, just encouraged to follow the trek leaders. The scenery we saw that afternoon was enough to leave us all raving about it for the rest of the weekend. As our horses climbed the first dune and allowed us to see the beach of dunes we were all left speechless. I have never seen a beach like it (Beside Whiterocks of course!), I’m not sure I even believed they existed, and galloping across the dunes was like riding through a desert. It was beautiful and something I won’t forget for a long time.

This week I also got the opportunity to go to a bible study with some of the locals that Paddy and Callum met last year. It has been a great encouragement to have those contacts and despite being asked several times if I am ‘as crazy as them’, it is clear they love their contact with their Irish friends and intend to visit Ireland after hearing so much about it from them last year. Again I was blown away by the kindness and hospitality of everyone there, no matter what age, and it was really refreshing to hear a bible study within this culture. I’m excited to get to their church service next week and become settled within the church. 

Since we got here Glenn has made it his sole aim to be injured for the full time he is here. In our second week here he managed to walk into a tree (completely sober) and did ligament damage to his foot. As this was healing up he managed to lose a toenail as he runs around everywhere (including the footpath to university) with no shoes on, so myself and the four American girls we live with are quickly becoming used to his moaning and complaints, along with his constant singing of Irish folk songs.

It’s hard to believe that it has now been a month since we left home, time is going so quickly and we are becoming friends with so many people of different cultures and nationalities.  We are excited at the prospect of our friends from home visiting in just five weeks’ time, and are constantly reminded of how quickly time is going to pass. 

 

Week 3 - Personal Blog (19-2-2012)

Almost every day, my flat mates and I have a moment when we just look each other and ask if ‘this is actually real’. Living here so far has almost seemed like a holiday and with having no class, seeing the sights and meeting a lot of people, you could be forgiven for forgetting that this isn’t actually a holiday and you aren’t returning home in a week or two. However, now that we have finished our third week here, we are starting to settle into the lifestyle and culture of South Africa, and it’s starting to feel like the home it is going to be to us for the next four months.

This week saw the start of our classes at University, which is giving us a great insight into the education system and culture of South Africa both from the lectures and through talking to lecturers and other local students. Classes here don’t run quite as smoothly as they do at home, both technologically and organisationally. Already this week it has been a common thing for a student to be asked to come up and show the lecturer how to begin the powerpoint or for us to arrive at campus at 915 just to be told that the lecture has just been cancelled, which has given me an unusual appreciation of lectures at Stranmillis. However, class has given us the opportunity to meet more locals, rather than international students, which has been refreshing and has provided opportunities to experience some ‘real South African culture’ with friends from class. I was invited to a Braai at the house of one of the locals on Friday night, in which they have a built in braai area outside their house which consisted of a thatched roof and seating area, which made it clear how much of a tradition it is within the South African culture. This gave me the opportunity to try some South African food like boerewors, which is similar to a sausage but longer and made with local game meat, and some local wine. I can safely say I am quickly adapting to the South African food and  life style.

With it being Valentine’s day this week, I could not believe how big a deal people made out of it here compared to at home, however it was not the flowers everywhere or everyone greeting you with cheery ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ outbursts that made it memorable, but a music night that was hosted for us in the bagpackers lodge in the township that we visited during our City tour last week. Two full buses of international students were transported down for a night in the township in which we had no idea what to expect, and were greeted by almost one hundred children waving excitedly at us as we got off the bus. I was blown away by how excited the children were to see us, despite the history between black and white people, and as they performed several dances for us it was not an atmosphere of hostility or tension, but complete hospitality. After the children had performed for us, we were ushered inside to listen to some traditional South African music and dance and they offered us some of the finest local food and wine for a small price. As we were served Goat tongue, and some other substances that I still haven’t identified, on a plate, I tried to hide the horror on my face. Eating the food (which was surprisingly tasty!) was a close reminder of how different life is here, and as we were leaving the township it was difficult to accept that those people don’t leave, that this is their lifestyle every day. The bagpackers lodge was set up by a group of local ladies (also known as Mamas) who wanted to put an end to the men drinking (as the lodge is a former beer hall) and rather bring success into the area. They were inspirational women and it was a privilege to talk to them about their lifestyles, and truly humbling when we compare them to our own.

Travel in South Africa has been interesting so far, to say the least. To get in and out of the town, everyone uses combis, which are like run down minibuses that travel along with a man hanging out the window whistling and shouting at anyone he can spot. Our most memorable combi journey was this week as the driver stops for as many people as he can find, and managed to fit 19 of us into a 12 seater combi and still managed to know who exactly had or hadn’t passed their money up the bus. Multi-tasking to a new level. Again, the public transport system at home is something I remember with a strange fondness. On another of our combi journeys this week, we left a man off in a very remote area where it was quite clear he was living in the bushes, as it was all swept and well kept. The driver told us that the men in that area tend to steal all they can from people to keep them living. It’s little things like these that remind me that poverty is a very real thing, both here and at home, and it’s a sobering thought that as we are loving our time here in South Africa, these men are living in bushes with only the money they can find or steal to keep them living.

On a brighter note, this weekend we decided it was time we went to see some animals. We had previously been warned that there was a chance we would only see the tame lions at the end of the game drive, so you can imagine our excitement at spotting zebras and giraffes around the first corner. Seeing these animals so closely in their natural habitat was incredible, and gives a great understanding of their true strength and how amazing they are. At the end we were delighted to be given the chance to stroke and play with the lion and tiger cubs, (despite a number of us walking away with a few war wounds from the cubs’ claws!) which is something I would never have experienced if I hadn’t been here. Just driving through the park and taking in the scenery around us made this weekend feel rather surreal and only now are we realising that we are, in fact, in South Africa.  We also went to a rugby match on Friday night in the new stadium in Port Elizabeth, and even being there gave us an understanding of how big a part of life sport is here is South Africa. The Stadium was very impressive, and although the local team lost, it was an incredible atmosphere and a great game. As rugby is not a big sport in America, I was (somehow!) left to attempt to explain the rules to them. As time goes on I feel like I am learning so much about different cultures and interests of all the international students and unfortunately I feel like I am slowly losing my accent.

There are plans for travel to Jeffrey’s Bay and a trip to a township school next week, so I am sure there will be many stories to tell.

Hoping all is well at home.

Lynsey