Recently in Nate Whittaker (Instructor) Category

Busta Rhymes and his infamous "Flipmode Squad" crew has always found pride in taking the proverbial hip-hop phraseology and ideologies, and "flipping them on ya!" That has been our experience the past two days. It's safe to say I "flipped" it on the students. We're in the "flipmode." A very confusing, scary, and eye opening place but with some hope in the heart (and a truly open-mind), a wonderful place.

It wasn't necessarily my intent to have such a laissez-faire beginning with a sharp turn towards "reality" but it worked that way thanks to the holidays. It only made sense to have students get their feet wet, find their way from A to B, learn that the people of Cape Town will help, and settle the mind after a long trip. But the time has come to get to work.

Yesterday, as blog readers have gathered, we visited the District 6 Museum, St. George's Cathedral, and the Iziko Slave Lodge (with side trips to Greenmarket Square and a wrong train station that required a long walk to get home). We also simply happened to be in the city center during the Cape Minstrel Carnival parade with more HERE

Today was added exposure to "reality" and the stressed group cohesion (after very hot-button conversations) has made us all revisit the ideas of "community" that we started class with just days ago. I hope the students remain patience with each other and tolerant of their ambiguity of this place and experience.

I had to make some very quick arrangements (and confusing arrangements for many of the students) to nab a quick opportunity to visit my old stomping grounds of Imizamo Yethu aka "Mandela Park" on the outskirts of the beautiful "Republic of Hout Baai" (it's not a Republic but the locals might argue differently; they even have their own "passports"). "Hout" in Afrikaans is "wood" and "Baai" is "bay," meaning: bay of wood. The surrounding pine tree forests give it this name.

Some estimates put Mandela Park at 33,000 people but that's always up for debate. Yet, it is your typical informal South African settlement with no major infrastructure, including water facilities, sewage, bathrooms, electricity, and more. This area is also known as having the worst E-coli levels in the nation, but this is only found in the Disa River that runs near the township. But, let's put negative aside for a moment.

Imizamo Yethu is also a vibrant community, a place of art, color, and life. It is a place I once called home and seeing Auntie Ba and other familiar faces today brought me back to the truth (or at least my truth) of these areas. We tend to attach material items to human worth whether we like it or not. It causes many of us to feel a sense of pity, embarrassment, anger, and sadness to see these poverty stricken areas (to say we don't feel these things is not being honest with ourselves - for we are human). Yet, if we sit in these emotions for too long we can begin to forget our common humanity, stripped of the materialness of our world. We pay more attention to the "shacks" and garbage, and less attention to the "people." People who are proud of their homes (like we); who wish for something more (like we); who struggle with family (like we); who are dealing with daily life (like we); who want you to see their shacks after a good cleaning (like we); who have a pride in their community (like we); and who work hard if given the opportunity (like we).

I will never forget or ignore the fact that my loved ones in Mandela Park were handed an appallingly raw deal yet I will also never be afraid to hug them, visit their proud homes, eat at their table, learn from their experience, discuss world views with them, and work with them to find a common agreement on how to change OUR lives for the better, whether in Hout Baai or Minneapolis.

The students are wonderful and since the holiday season is coming to a close, so is the party lifestyle they've already become accustom to in Cape Town. We begin our "work" today with class recitation beginning within the hour. I sense that students, overall, are now dealing with some lessons of "familiarity" and sensitivity to privileges attached to us all as Americans. As most people know who have been to South Africa before, there is LITTLE difference between the infrastructure of Cape Town and those of the most beautiful American cities we know well.

One must remember that Cape Town was built for, by, and to benefit white South Africans during the Apartheid area. Cape Town was their oasis in the midst of African disparities. They could escape the "real" Africa in the cities - their skyscrapers and multi-million dollar homes and shopping districts are proof of this. Before 1991 (or just a little after that), the city was white only with Africans only being allowed in the cities with signatures from their white "bosses." Travel into the cities without passbooks equated to a new home in jail. But, with the money that flowed through white South Africa, the cities - from their very foundations - are ALL that we know as "familiar." The beauty in today's changes could certainly be felt during New Year's Eve, when we all traveled down to Long Street and rung in the New Year with immensely beautiful diversity - an opportunity bestowed on us thanks to the changes that occurred here post-1994. It's truly an amazing thing. I think the students understand this.

But, South Africa still has its complicated challenges - from the HIV/AIDS epidemic (about 1-6 suffering from the disease) to the test of self-worth for many Africans (self-oppression), particularly men who are quickly losing their "manhood" due to unemployment, deficiencies, the need to leave home, illness, a major influx of African immigration to South Africa, and drug abuse in some of the poorest townships in Africa. Their (men's) ability to take care of "house and home" is restricted and this certainly does not mesh well with their very proud culture. The smallest of things (to us) - for example - like obtaining a drivers license prevents employment, licenses can only be obtained for hundreds of US dollars (2,000+ Rand), and corruption is rabid causing a R2,000 fee to be insufficient for certain needs of employment.

I know for a fact that the students are very much ready to dive into these challenges over the next few weeks and we begin today.

Hello friends, family, and loved ones of all the students on this global seminar!

Two things come to mind tonight: (1) I'm ecstatic to be back in my second home of Cape Town and (2) even more thrilled (and thankful) to be sharing my second home with such a great group of students. I've had a covenant to my own South African family for years - to bring a group of students to Cape Town. That promise has come to fruition after an extraordinary amount of work - for me, the Learning Abroad Center, my best of friends here, and the AMAZING InterStudy staff who greeted us with open arms, drove us all over today, treated us to a South African braai (BBQ), and quickly befriended all of the students.

The journey here was not without a hitch. Our second flight group was - thanks to Delta Airlines - spilt up at check in and four students regrettably missed their flight to Amsterdam. Delta had shifted these four students back-and-forth between personal check in lanes and "group" check-in (floors apart). With storms ranging across the country, the airport was beyond hectic and the ping-pong game with our four students helped them to miss their flight. This was Delta's wrongdoing but I'm happy to report that these four students are on their way! Beyond that, our third flight group landed in Chicago, was on their way to London and forced to turn around and return to Chicago due to a medical emergency on board with another passenger. With saving grace, they made it to London and were able to make it to Cape Town this morning as planned.

There have been other slight issues with baggage, Internet connection, phones, and money, but nothing we couldn't handle and the overall sentiment for all students is one of joy and laughter.

Finally, I sense that the overall lesson of today was that of South Africa's remarkable contradictions. In one car ride from the airport, students witnessed families who make no more than $5 a week to those who make hundreds and hour. They have become witness to Apartheid's legacy. They have also learned that this is a place not so "unlike" home. South Africa in many ways is very much like home - familiar stores, infrastructure, food, roads, schools, etc. It is just beyond these beautiful neighborhoods, though, were the continued lessons on contradictions dwell. Once they travel to these places and see the "other side" of Cape Town, our deepest learning will begin!

Tracing the footsteps of social change in South Africa is not an easy task. The aim is not merely to "follow" the footsteps of South Africans, yet seek out the wisdom they gained during their long-walk in overcoming Apartheid. One way to do this is by first looking at their history and stories, followed by a close examination at how South Africans view community, their lessons on living together, forgiving one-another, and moving forward.

Cape Town, South Africa is a medley of sheer natural splendor, beautiful weather, and astounding bio-diversity. From "Table Mountain" dwarfing the city center and the sunny blue beaches of "False Bay" -- to Great White Sharks, Baboons, and a plethora of treasures produced by nature -- visitors have a reason to dig deep within and connect to a larger world. Though the magnificence of the Cape is vast, it is often said that visitors "ignore the view" by overlooking the juxtaposition between poverty-stricken (though vibrant) shantytowns and immensely affluent gated neighborhoods. Mindful visitors will often put into question the "free market" and recognize that Apartheid's anguish and racism still exists in all fabrics of life.

Nonetheless, Cape Town has a wealth of human diversity that enriches all aspects of the "Rainbow Nation." The people of South Africa, through struggle and wisdom, have helped many to live from the inside out - to achieve a deep sense of happiness and a zeal for life. Their story of overcoming Apartheid is unfinished yet their spirit to survive is essential to our understanding of human possibility. Right now, there are few other places in the world with such promise. This seminar will focus on the stories of both the people and the places of South Africa. Through lectures, site visits, and Service-Learning, students - via a direct exchange with South Africans - will start to transform their understanding of "community" and the essence of what it means to be human.