EDHD 3100 - South Africa: Tracing the Footsteps of Social Change 2011/12

It's still only the beginning of the adventure

2012-01-29T23:53:46Z

I want to start out by saying I don't think I realized how much I really loved the trip until I got home. The first week back was an easy transition to my regular sleep schedule and I was actually really happy to finally be back home after 3 weeks away. I was happy to see my loved ones and pass out all the things I got at green market square. It wasn't really until the first weekend back that I started realizing some things.

The hardest thing for me coming home has been trying to stay in touch with the better person that I had become in South Africa. It was easy to be more genuine and caring when you are away from all the stresses of life in Minnesota; but upon returning I feel as though I have sunk back into it. I am glad that it was something I noticed though. I printed out my New Year's resolutions and posted them next to my bed because I have heard having them in writing helps; and I think it has. I am am feeling the most at peace I ever have in Minneapolis. I also have notice a large difference in my anxiety since returning, which is probably one of the things I am happiest about. I love when I get to use the class material we learned in everyday life here at the U: thinking of others lived experience before getting angry, working on listening and patience, Ubuntu instead of individualism, and most importantly, forgiveness. I have been working on forgiving others and myself since coming home and it has been such a challenge. When we sat in class and talked about it, it seemed so easy to just not let people from your past bother you. When returning home and actually having to see and talk to those people made it a bigger challenge. I am still determined to do so though, I more than anything want the freedom I will receive once I am done forgiving. I think the last thing I want to share is from my list of New Year's resolutions that I posted in a previous blog of mine... I think that some of the learning we did with each other and conversations I have had since returning home has helped me to accomplish a goal already! I decided that I really want to do something to stand again laws that are unfair to minorities in America, and I will work to do that by joining activist groups and volunteering to do anything I can. My plans for the future are to move to Arizona and finish my education at ASU, and Arizona is currently having a lot of issues surrounding laws that are unjust to the Mexican american population; I think that is where I want to start out helping.

Home again.

2012-01-25T23:32:47Z

Jessica LeBlanc
1/25/12

It's a good thing I have waited well over a week since our return to write this entry. If I had written within a few days of returning it would have gone something like this: "Booooo, I'm so miserable. I should have tried harder to lose my passport so I could have stayed. I want to go back NOW. The end."

Thankfully things have gotten better since that first week back.   The first few days were consumed with sleeping, looking through pictures for hours on end, talking to classmates and even some tears.   Some of this was expected. I knew it would be an adjustment to go back to my life in Minnesota, but I certainly did NOT expect to be so emotional. The weirdest part was I couldn't really put my finger on what it was. Was it the abrupt change in weather? Was it going from being surrounded by more than 25 people and there always being noise to the stillness of being alone in my apartment? Perhaps it was the realization that all those weeks of planning and anticipation were now over? I think it was all of the above AND then some.

On our last day of class Sarah from LAC talked about re-entry. By this point many of us were already concerned about what it would be like to go back to Minnesota. She explained that there are 4 phases - ranging from the initial excitement of going home to the re-adaptation phase after we had been home for sometime.   I can't say I experienced much of the 'initial excitement' phase. That is not to say that I didn't miss family and friends back home and wasn't excited to seem the, because I was. However, during the trip I was fully aware of how extraordinarily lucky I was to even to get to participate in this program I knew that once I returned it would be back to 'real life' again. It was such an amazing break from my daily routine I didn't want it to end.   Obviously it HAS come to an end and now the question is "What do I do next?" Not only does this include when will I get to travel overseas again (perhaps to South Africa), but more importantly, what can I do to 'give back' to the place that embraced me with open arms for 3 weeks? I've already got some ideas......

PS - The postcard I sent myself from the Cape Town airport the morning we left arrived yesterday! I must say I am quite impressed with the mail service. Only 10 days! I thought I'd be lucky if I saw it before 2013.

Gugulethu and all that jazz...

2012-01-23T20:21:14Z

Jessica LeBlanc
1/23/12

Thursday (1/12/12) was our last day working with Afrika Tikkun. After we finished our service work, we drove to Gugulethu for lunch at Mzoli's Place. Unfortunately I had the lovely stomach bug that day so my enjoyment of food was limited, but just the experience of being there was awesome!   I did a quick internet search of the place and this is what I found:

Mzoli's was opened in 2003 by Mzoli Ngcawuzele, who got a start-up fund from the Development Bank of South Africa as part of their support of black-owned businesses. From selling meat informally from a garage, Mzoli's, by 2006, had become one of the most popular hangouts in Cape Town.

We waited about an hour while the meat was prepared. During this time many people got drinks from other local stores and just relaxed. I used this time to chit-chat, but also stop inside the store to see the 'magic happen.'   What a production - grilling meat to feed 30+ people. It was pretty incredible to watch. It was soon delivered and everyone ate up!


That evening we were invited by Joe Schaffers to go to a jazz club. How cool to be invited by someone who is living history of Cape Town?!   Joe was our tour guide at the District Six Museum and was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge. Just being invited by him was unbelievable, but seeing almost 20 college students have such a great time at a jazz club was something else.   Another amazing day in Cape Town!

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Familiar

2012-01-22T20:34:02Z

Being back in Minneapolis is quite a change from being in the warm weather of Cape Town. On the first day of class, I hurried to the bus anticipating the new semester. There's a class called the History of Modern Africa that I'm taking as an elective towards my major I was particularly excited about. As I headed towards my class, I was excited that my trip would be of much relevance to the course. Our professor Helena Pohlandt-McCormick, began to speak to our small class, and the introduced herself. She said she was from Johannesburg, South Africa and my face lit up. Shortly after, our TA, Virgil Slade, began introducing himself as well with an uncommon yet familiar Afrikaans accent. He told us he was born and raised in Cape Town. I was ecstatic! Both of my professors came from the country, one of them even came from the exact place, I had been for 3 weeks. I feel fortunate to have them as my new teachers; it helps my reentry process to become smooth and more enjoyable. It will remind me of what I learned during my time is South Africa; it's easy to forget. This class will challenge me to continue my learning and explore interrelated subjects similar to my experience. Feels good to be home, but I need to go back!!

Was I Dreaming?

2012-01-20T19:53:36Z

Well, it has almost been a week since I have re-entered back into the United States and let me tell you, it has been a lot weirder than I had previously anticipated. My sleep schedule is still a little bit off and I keep dreaming as if I am still in Africa. There have been a number of times where I wake up confused about where I am and where everybody else is, which is something I have never experienced before. As happy as I am to be back and to see my friends and family, I am also very sad because my experience in South Africa was so amazing and I would be lying if I said I didn't completely fall in love with the place. Everything we did from when we first stepped foot in the Minneapolis airport to begin our journey to when we first stepped foot in the Minneapolis airport to end our journey touched my heart in one way or another. The memories, friendships, and bonds that were made on our journey are ones that will never be forgotten. My trip to South Africa and submerging myself into another culture, trying to look through eyes other than my American ones, was the best thing that I think has ever happened to me in a long time. It really opened my eyes to what is out there in the world, good and bad, and it motivated me to continue doing so. I want to keep educating myself and learning about other cultures, people, issues, and places of the world and how to take on "responsible service" throughout the rest of my life. Traveling, stepping outside of the American ways of life, submerging oneself in other cultures, and actually listening to people's stories is something I encourage people to do--I know it is a decision one will not regret. I cannot yet put into words how this has been a life changing experience because it will take time until I am completely re-integrated into life back here in the States to fully understand, but I do know for certain that it has been life changing in more ways than one and that is something I am truly grateful for. And of course, I am so thankful for Nate, Sarah, the whole gang, the great people at Interstudy and Afrika Tikkun, and everyone else we met and spent time with South Africa because the experience would not have been the same without them. My time spent in South Africa was hands down the best experience of my life thus far. It was so unbelievable...I still feel like I was dreaming.

re-entry.

2012-01-20T17:57:40Z

Well after a week of being back I definitely am having a harder time readjusting than I did adjusting to South Africa. Luckily I do have a few pretty great friends that were interested in hearing about the more important parts of our trip, but for the most part, it is difficult trying to explain the trip to people and to get people to really care about what I learned and what I took away from the trip. On a more positive note, I am definitely noticing continuing differences in the way I think and how I am even approaching my classes and projects in my different studios. I am doing an independent study in ceramics that is focused on taking functional objects to relay a social message. At first I was nervous about explaining my project ideas to my professor and getting a blank or discouraging response, but he was actually extremely interested to hear about my experience in South Africa and how it is influencing my goals in art and design. He has done several projects with strong social and political messages and understands the desire to use art as a tool to raise awareness in some way, so it is very encouraging to work with him after our journey in South Africa. I am also taking a Development of Africa class in which we have already talked about South Africa a few times and it already means so much more to me than it would have before this trip, since I can personally relate to the issues we are discussing. The classes I am least excited about, are the ones that I can least apply to what I've learned from South Africa. Basically, even though it has been very hard to come back, and as overwhelmed as I am from all the experiences we had in South Africa, this trip definitely made me more excited about life, and what I'm going to do with everything I've learned. I'm determined to try and do this trip, and all who were involved in making it possible, justice by making myself responsible for the knowledge I gained making a change somehow in the best way I can. Overall, there are really no words for how I feel and how this experience has affected me.

Greatest Quotes

2012-01-19T19:40:56Z

-Accept the Process.

- TIA (This is Africa)

-Do you know what a JOB is???

- This is the youngest weave I've ever seen.

- If you're chasing a leopard why do you have a boner?

-My favorite song is pocket jazz.

- I'm going to keep chasing that sunset.

- I'm going to be careful about who I tell about Africa, because they're going to try to picture it and they're e probably going to picture it wrong. It was probably a thousand times more beautiful than they can imagine.

- I'm a lightweight but I can still drink.

- I don't do walking.

- I'm going to kick it.

- Youth Studies majors I see a child.

-We will be reunited soon enough as if no time has passed.

- B.R.E.A.T.H.E

- I'm grown!

* More to Come Soon

Good News Bears

2012-01-19T19:33:06Z

As I sit here on the last plane back to St.Paul all I can think about is one challenge, probably the most difficult challenge I was faced while on this trip. On our first day in Deflt as we walked backed from the hospital which was very emotional a man asked me do I have any good news for him. I was stuck. I did not know how to respond. I wanted to say that we had gifts for him and his family, but we didn't. Then I thought about saying that tomorrow would be a better day, but I didn't know that for sure. A person walking with me answered for me and said no. This stuck with me the entire trip and when I reflect on the situation now I had a lot of good things to tell him. I should have said that I am here to learn from you and your community about Ubuntu, forgiveness, and resiliency so that I can take it back to the U. S. so we can try to become a more open and caring society like South Africa. I should have invited the man to walk with me so he could tell me his story, but I can't go back. I have to forgive myself for being so self-centered, learn from the experience, and move on. This is one of the many lessons I learned from the MaT staff. You cannot live in the "what if's". Instead you have to learn from every experience and move on.

Last Few Days...

2012-01-18T21:23:02Z

The last few days of the trip were perfect. We had a braai in the township of Guguletu, which was a great experience. Although, it did feel like everyone from the township was looking at us funny. The food was amazing. We ordered 3 or 4 different kinds of meats and the meat was brought out in big bins, which were passed around. It was a great way of ending our time in the townships and sharing time with the organization whom we had been working with - Africa Tikkun.

On Friday, some of us started the day by driving to Cape Point. On the way, we saw baboons sitting right on the side of the road. There were about 10 of them and none of them were scared of the vehicles just feet away from them. We had to shut our van windows because apparently they like to jump in cars. When we arrived at Cape Point, we were able to see both the Indian and Atlantic oceans in one spot. After that, we went and saw the penguins and some of us swam with them.

On Friday night we had our final good-bye Braai (Grill-out). Everyone whom we had met throughout the entirety of the trip showed up, which was around 50 people. We had a ton of food and drinks. People were dancing and playing drums. Everyone from Africa Tikkun and Interstudy were there. It was a great way to say goodbye and thank you to all of those who helped us throughout our journey in South Africa.

Well, this is my final blog and I'd like to say thank you to everyone who has followed along throughout the trip. I learned so many things in such a short amount of time - I truly had the best time of my life.

Matt Norring

And now...we're home.

2012-01-18T19:12:33Z

This is my last blog for our South Africa trip. I actually tried typing it the other night, but when I'm at home in good ol' Hutchinson, I steal wireless from the neighbors :). And apparently there is karma because I had finished my last blog and really enjoyed what I had written and I was kicked off of the internet....and it didn't save my blog...or upload it to this site. As you can see I was a little frustrated by it and decided not to re-do it that night. So I'm writing it now!

So class started yesterday, I only had one, History of the Holocaust. And as morbid as it sounds, I'm excited for the class to progress so I can learn more about that time period. I have three classes today, two down and one more to go, my night class at 5:20. Ick.

Let's just say I'm not ready to be back to school yet. Not ready for the realities of life to come full force at me, which they did. I missed a lot of stuff while I was in Africa. Some of it good, some of it bad. To be honest, it just scares me to know that I missed so much in such a short span of time. There were things I could control and things that were completely out of my control, and it scares me. It's been hard being back but I know that it will get better as time goes on.

One thing that has really helped my integration back into Minneapolis is my dad and Annie. They both came and picked me up from the airport. After we went out to eat and on our drive to the restaurant, at the restaurant, and our drive home they were asking me questions. Not just the typical what was your favorite part of the trip. They asked in depth of what happened and how it made me feel. When I got home, I showed them all of the pictures I had taken and tried to describe to them what I had seen. Even though they will never completely understand what I went through, they both tried their hardest too, and to me that means the most out of anything that they could have done. I realize that not everyone I talk to about my trip will be like this, none of my six roomates were. But I will cherish them and their need to help me succeed and to help me reinterate into Minnesota. I will never forget or misuse that about my dad and Annie.

Besides that, I have all of my stuff unpacked at home and at my apartment so everything is clean! Which is a nice change, I'm sure it won't stay this clean for very long though!

An expectation, or a hope that I have is that we all stay in contact in Minneapolis. I realize that a lot of people are graduating, some are not in Minneapolis, and not everyone got along. But this trip was an out of the world experience that we only understand. I think it would be healthy to stay in contact so we can talk to each other about Africa and just so we can grow in our friendships. Last night a bunch of us were supposed to meet at Buffalo Wild Wings to eat dinner. It was Scott, Ed, and I. I was slightly disappointed that no one else showed up. I realize it was the first day of class and some people had night class, but we were so excited to meet up when we got back. I just hope that this doesn't continue to happen and we can make this work for all of us.

Home away from Home

2012-01-18T14:10:50Z

Scott Michaelis January 18th 2012. So we.ve been home for a few days now and I don't think the shock and awe have rubbed off just yet. An opportunity of a lifetime shouldn't be restricted to three weeks, but dreams are more highly held because they take us away from reality not encompass it. Looking back on the trip, Africa was gorgeous and the experience was second to none, but what I will remember most is the vibrance of the people. Despite all of the hardships we saw while in S. Africa the people had a resilience and passion about them that I have never experienced before. For those reasons the Africa trip was also interestingly spiritual, not necessarily religious although some people spoke to that effect, I think I experienced someone a little bit deeper than just an incredible three weeks and found something a little bit greater. This may sound a little bit crazy, but unless it was experienced it is hard to believe and I think if anyone from this group was asked we could all speak about how there was something spiritual about South Africa. Being home now has been kinda weird, like I never left because the trip went by so fast. Yet, here I am all ready to start my second day of classes in this Minnesota cold. It is weird when people ask me about my time in South Africa because I don't know how to answer a 1 minute question with a lifetime of experiences. However, back to reality emphasizes I am home, and also eludes to another trip, who knows South Africa perhaps again sometime soon.

Where do I go from here?

2012-01-18T02:13:45Z

We have been back in the United States for a couple of days now. Between the jetlag and the immediate return to work and school, I can already feel the hustle and bustle of my life before my Capetown experience returning to me. It is nice to be back to my old familiar world, but I am very much afraid that I will get caught up in it and lose the important lessons that I gained while on our journey in South Africa. There were some very valuable lessons that I want to keep with me forever and that I want to apply to my life in general, but I know that such things are very easy to lose when outside of the setting that they were learned in. I do not want this to be my truth following such an amazing journey. I do not want to lose sight of what South Africa has given me.

So the question is... where do I go from here?

I cannot say exactly how things will play out... but I do know that I have some concrete goals for myself to help me to not lose what I gained in South Africa:

1) I will stay in contact with the people that I went on this trip with. The idea of ubuntu that we learned about in South Africa is that a person is a person through other persons. I am who I am because of the other people in my life. This applies to my experience in South Africa as well. Each member of our group added a piece to the puzzle that made up what this experience was. In order to keep that experience alive, it is important to keep our bond alive. My commitment to ubuntu will start with my commitment to this special group of people.

2) I will contribute to a fundraising project with my fellow South Africa classmates to raise money for the two organizations that contributed significantly to our experience. I'm not sure what role I will play in this fundraising, but I will do my best to be sure that it gets done and to be sure that I give all that I can. Both EducoAfrica and Africa Tikkun were vital to our experience, and furthermore, both are vital to South African youth. I want to give back in anyway that I can.

3) I will become an activist. In order to do this, I plan on first being more informed about the world around me. I will do this by reading... newspapers, magazines, online articles. From there I will focus on issues that are important to me. I will take whatever steps I think are necessary to contribute to the issues that I care about.

4) I will do my best to be aware of the reality that I have an impact on everything and everybody around me. The decisions I make, or that I neglect to make, does truly have an impact on more than just myself. I will do my best to make decisions based on my awareness of how they will impact the people and the world around me.

5) I will do my best to always consider that other people have different lived-experiences than I do. By acknowledging this, I will see others as individual human beings. I will be able to better understand the people that I meet. And even if I can't fully understand the people that I am around, I will be better able to contribute to any compromises we may need to live together peacefully.

6) Finally, I will do my best to forgive those that may wrong me. Not only can this be healthy in improving the relationships in my life, but this will also be healthy for my own well being and my own ability to move on. I will try my best to be forgiving on all levels so that conflict can be resolved and true healing can take place.

I will miss South Africa! But I will do my best to honor the memories I've made there by working on the goals listed above.

Home

2012-01-17T01:17:37Z

Arrived back in Minneapolis yesterday, and proceeded to sleep for almost the entire day, and night. I'm still feeling a bit odd today, adjusting to the new sleep schedule, and American food again. Its really nice to see my boyfriend, and my pets again. I do not feel ready to start classes and work again though, this all feels very strange...

All I can hope for is that I can bring back some of what I learned in Africa here with me. I will never forget the philosophies of ubuntu, and I am trying hard to work on forgiveness within my own life, in hopes that it will bring me more peace. I have learned to appreciate everything that I have in life, because I have met people who have nothing, and are still full of joy. I am going to miss the new friends I made in South Africa, but I know I will be back some day. It is impossible for me to have been to this beautiful country and not return there. It feels like home.

Lived Experience / Respect.

2012-01-17T00:07:39Z

Re-entry in the USA after a profound experience brings a strange mixture of feelings. I'm still in a daze not only from lack of sleep over the near 30-hour travel but also from the whirlwind of what we found -- and what found us -- in Cape Town over the past 3 weeks. Rather, I should say the people we met were easily the best part for me, in conjunction with the ridiculous splendor of the South African landscape. It's difficult to do justice to the course in words; for now what I can attempt to articulate is a sense of joy and longing (and fatigue, as stated). I'm all studied out, and can't believe my final semester of university begins tomorrow. Really not ready, although I couldn't ask for a better experience to propel me and motivate me going forward.

What I found to be most valuable about the course was the importance and centrality given to lived experience. Not only does paying attention and simply listening to others' stories move us toward potential social justice, it brings us closer as human beings. As I am exiting my undergraduate career it was crucial that I remember that although I have read a small amount -- don't get me wrong I consider myself a nerd in many respects and do adore reading -- book knowledge often can come along with all kinds of elitism and exclusion, alienating people from the idea that they might know something because they have lived. Having the opportunity to listen to stories -- whether in watching footage from South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission or visiting homes in the township of Delft -- was extraordinarily powerful. It has made me seriously consider whether or not (or where) I want to go into the academy, which typically (depending upon the department or specialty) devalues knowledge coming from experience rather than books. I've been leaning more and more recently toward education work in my future, but that could of course take many forms. Things may change over time; however I'm convinced that the right kind of genuine education -- sharing the humble curiousity which children so easily employ -- in any case is vital to sustaining respect for others. As Thomas Szasz wrote,

Every act of conscious learning requires the willingness to suffer an injury to one's self-esteem. That is why young children, before they are aware of their own self-importance, learn so easily.

and bell hooks:

the engaged voice must never be fixed and absolute but always changing, always evolving in dialogue with a world beyond itself.

Thanks to Nate's instruction and openness, in addition to the many people encountered on this trip, I've found the above practices to be ever so necessary in everything we did on this wonderful course. I have come to more concretely appreciate the fact that learning when done right must include everyone's voice, or else we continue moving away from any meaningful relationships and bury ourselves in ego and ignorance.

Final night in Cape Town/ back home

2012-01-16T18:18:34Z

I could not believe it was the last day. I woke up and got ready to head out to Boulders beach to go see some penguins. We took the train there and it was fun looking out the window and realizing how beautiful a place could be, and how much I would miss it. It was also sad because our time had finally come; it was all happening to quick. As we tried to make it to Simons town, we ran into a pickle, first we had made it to the last train stop, but we still had to get on a different one to make it to Simons town. We had asked someone for help and they told us to go stand on the other side of the track, and that the next train would take us. So we did, the most hilarious but disturbing thing happened. A little girl walks by and with long hair. Carla busted out that is the youngest weave I have ever seen. It was funny because the girl that was about four had long weave in. Besides the little girl, we had gotten on the wrong train. We noticed that when the train starting going back the way we had come. Therefore, we got off and got on the right train. We made it to boulders beach we saw some penguins. It sucked because it was raining but it was all good. We went and ate some lunch at this nice place. After that, we headed back towards Cape Town so we could finish last minute shopping at the Green Market. We were late to circle but we still made it. After that, we prepared for our last Braii. It was great seeing everyone there and having a good time. We ate delicious food and had fire going outside. It could not get any better. After taking a bunch of pictures with everyone, a few of us headed out Down Town. It was a great night. The next morning was not so great though. I was tired and not ready to leave. Jessica T, Carla, Natalie, Curtly, Mikalya, Marika and I headed out to what would be our last breakfast in Cape Town. It was great eating with all of them. I hope we could do it again. We left the restaurant and headed to our houses to get our luggage. We said bye to everyone and headed out to the airport. It was unrealistic, just like the day we had arrived. I could not believe we were in South Africa. That is how I felt when I got to the airport. Are we actually heading back home? After a long long plane ride we had made it to Washington, where had some problems trying to get everyone on the plane. Some of the students were stuck at customs still; we could not find two of the students. Everyone was wondering if they would make it on time. However, in the end everyone managed to make it. We arrived to Minneapolis; I was at shock because I could not believe I was back home. I know I will miss everyone that was on the trip. I cannot wait to go back. We all need to get together and relive this wonderful experience.