Weekend Explorations

It's been too long since I last posted! Please pardon the delay and bear with me as the blog catches up over the next few days to the present time. It's been a month, but it feels as though I've been here a long, wonderful time.
Where did we leave off last? 17 February, the Sunday we visited Jo'burg!

Photos Courtesy of Mike Rezin. Check out his facebook here which is regularly updated with photos from South Africa. https://www.facebook.com/michael.rezin.7

We explored a Jo'burg market in a warehouse with tree-shaded seating outside and a rooftop bar. I spent the first half hour trying every vegetarian-friendly sample that food vendors presented, including sweet rosepetal jelly, yummy sesame brittle, homemade pesto, and stoneground bread with hummus.  Here and there we found tables of jewellery, hair pieces, and other small trinkets. Upstairs was food-less  but fascinating, featuring art in multiple mediums from photography and sculpting to clothing and furniture constructed from recycled junk including a couch made of tires and pipes. My favourite room boasted books on everything from art to animals of South Africa.

After the market, we headed to Melville, a neighbourhood in Jo'burg featuring a long strip of road lined with bars, bookshops, clothing stores, and artsy shops. Chill and laid-back, it was a nice place to relax, have a few drinks, and read snippets from South African literature.

We took on another week of classes, a soccer game or two, and acquainting ourselves with our service sites. Things here move slowly in comparison to New York, which is challenge for many, but also sometimes a relief since we get a chance to slow down and take in our new experiences.

The last Sunday of February we headed to a music festival at Voortrekker Monument south of Pretoria. Unfortunately, when we arrived, the concert was sold out. The musical expedition turned into a journey through the monument itself and the museum underneath. The monument is a tribute to the Voortrekkers, pioneers who left the Cape Colony in the 1830s-40s and travelled north to escape British rule and find a better life. The view from the top of the monument stretched over hills, trees, and the city of Pretoria warmly lit by the afternoon sun.

Voortrekker monument, photo courtesy of Mike Rezin.

Monday I'll post about our first March weekend in South Africa and how our service placements are going.

Until then, tata,

~The Cloud Catcher

Classes, Football Games, and Birthdays

After a simultaneously relaxing and tiring retreat (sleep time was minimal), we spent a lot of time napping and lounging about the pool in the village where we live. By Saturday evening though, we were ready to go out and take part in RAG "Reach out and Give." University of Pretoria holds the event, of which the first part involves resident students making floats. They parade the floats through the town, asking for donations which will go to a charity. When the night comes around it is time to party. We joined thousands of other Pretoria students in town for music and socializing. The night was long and so we took the following Sunday morning slow. People swam and hung out; a handful of students went to mass or church. For dinner we had a braai (a barbecue) in Kaleigh's honour, since it was her birthday.

With Monday came the first day of classes and the hard reality that we aren't just in South Africa to explore and volunteer. Our classes are really interesting and I am looking forward to learning from professors who may have perspectives different than I am used to. We are all taking two of the same classes which are aimed at expanding our knowledge and understanding of South Africa, its people, and its history. They will help guide us in our service and volunteering. For my other two classes I am taking a cultural anthropology class on South Africa and a Southern Africa archaeology class. I love the archaeology class so far, which is an ideal subject to be studying in a country such as South Africa which is rich with ancient archaeological sites and ties. At the end of the day we celebrated the birthday of one of our South African mentors, Mashuping.

After classes on Tuesday, our group went to a football (soccer) game between the Kaizer Chiefs and the Mamelodi Sundowns. The stadium was huge and packed, and the exhilarating energy of the crowd pulsed in time with the sound of drums that were played the entirety of the game. The game ended in a tie, 0-0, and while the Sundowns in particular played a great game, both teams proved to be talented.

Classes continued through the week, and Thursday evening we had our first class with Father Egan. His class is one of the two core, mostly a history class. It's unique because we'll have the class at the village each week, just the 14 of us (our other classes, including the other core module, has South African students in it). Friday was chill since most of us don't have class, and Saturday, too, was chill. Some people ran a 5k or 10k race in the morning. At dinner time we celebrated the birthday of Stephen, our RD/mentor.

Sunday we'll visit Jo'burg and explore, so good night and goodbye for now,

~ The Cloud Catcher

P. S. Sorry for the lack of photos.

Don't Fall Asleep!

Photo of the 2013 Ubuntu group, courtesy of Mike Rezin.

That was the first challenge we faced in South Africa: stay awake against our internal clock set to Eastern Standard Time until it was night-time here in South African Standard Time. We arrived at the airport in Johannesburg at half past eight in the morning, which meant we had a whole day ahead of us to zombie through. A lucky few slept on the plane, but spending sixteen hours uncomfortably curled up against a hard arm rest didn't make for sound sleep. And this was after months of preparation which included obtaining police clearance, fulfilling a 14-item check-list in order to apply for a study permit, figuring out how to pack efficiently for a five month move, and saying goodbye to all we love.

Just who are we? We are a group of students from Fordham University in New York City who chose to study abroad in Pretoria, South Africa from the beginning of February until the end of June. We will be studying at the University of Pretoria through the Ubuntu Program. Yet this isn't any ordinary study abroad trip; it's specifically a service learning program through which we will volunteer within a nearby community and offer our help where it is needed at various sites. I, Julie Goetz, an Anthropology and Creative Writing student, will be blogging about our adventures.

Not falling asleep was far from easy, but our leaders and mentors kept us active with a long walk around the nearby athletic fields and gym where we'll be running, exercising, and playing football (known as soccer in the States). When the evening came around, we gathered in a local square to watch a football game between South Africa and Mali. The energy of the crowd kept me well awake until midnight - after the game had ended and we had walked back to the village.

The next day, Sunday, we explored the nearby Hatfield Plaza and Market and bought a few necessities. Then we had our first Themeli Boot Camp experience: running, exercises, and stretches - all to prepare us for football and to help us get in shape (or keep in shape for the athletes of the group). The altitude made breathing a difficulty even for the experienced runners of the group, but we should get used to it with time. After a trying workout, we were rewarded with a "braai," a barbecue, held to officially welcome us. Both food and conversation were great.

On Monday we had orientation for our study abroad trip. Jesuit leaders led us in some ice breakers and reflection exercises, plus handed out journals to each of us. Part way through the orientation, we went on a tour of the surrounding areas. We visited the Union Buildings, featured behind us in the group picture at the beginning of this entry. It is the official seat оf the South African government and аlsо houses the offices оf the President оf South Africa. Afterwards, we stopped at a huge mall to exchange money, buy adapters for our electronics, and eat lunch. Upon returning we finished orientation, then went to the nearby fields to play football. Unfortunately, rain kept us from playing , but we had an impromptu ab workout once we got back to the village. Then after dinner we took a long stroll as a group to walk one of our mentors to her home.

Tomorrow we have academic orientation, but we won't start classes until Monday - thank goodness! The rest of the week looks like a promising opportunity to settle into South Africa before having to deal with the craziness of school. I'm excited about taking classes with South African students, but it's nice to first have a chance to explore South Africa and learn about what it has to offer.

The best part of the trip so far happened within the first thirty minutes. On the way from the airport to the village we are staying in, I saw giraffes! I hadn't expected such a spectacular moment so soon, but I feel it is a sign of many more great animal moments and phenomenal moments in general to come in the next five months.