Keep Calm and Carry On

Durban, South Africa-absolutely breathtaking

I have been trying to figure out how to best express all of the feelings and thoughts that have come up  from my experiences so far, especially Robben Island. An island that was witness to so much pain, disease, and struggle yet was where the foundation was laid to end Apartheid; it is also a symbol of education, personal growth and the birth of  Mandela's A long walk to freedom.  We have learned about the Soweto uprisings of 1976 and reading Kaffir boy /watching A Dry White Season was helpful in creating a mental picture of the time. I was able to vividly picture the disconnect between education and freedom. It was saddening to read about a time when education was used as a tool to oppress and stifle human development, personal growth and liberty.

Depiction of township life through art

 Country of My Skull was able to shed more light on this because we read about how dropping out of school was seen as an act of rebellion against Apartheid. The struggle to redefine South African education and to engage people in the issues affecting the country is still very present and challenging.  Mandela was key in this change. I picture the influential voices of the fight against Apartheid; the students of the Soweto uprisings who gave up their right to an education for the fight and then the political prisoners of Robben Island who used any and every tool at their disposal to educate themselves as leaders, politicians and human beings.  It’s interesting seeing these two distinct groups of the population and how they were fighting against the same enemy but in very different ways.  Which example is the one that set the precedent for how education is viewed in South Africa? I see remnants of both but I hope that Mandela's legacy will be the one young generations hold on to for years to come. 

Flowers, kind thoughts for Madiba found outside the hospital

On Nelson Mandela day (July 18th) we visited a primary school. The students sang songs and we were greeted with such warmth, love and most importantly passion to education and learn. I believe that passion is one of the key elements of what drives us to continue with our education.  This sentiment can be inspired by many different things however, at a young age, the most influential thing in a child’s life are the role models he or she has.  What this particular school lacked in resources it made up for it in resiliency, drive and faith from its teachers and students. I was in a Kindergarten class and it was a very special experience because primary education is where my professional as well as personal interests lie. I am a strong believer in that by focusing on strengthening primary education programs we can make a bigger impact on a country’s socio-economic development.  If we can target the linguistic, physical and mental obstacles that seem to be left unaddressed then we can lower the dropout rates in secondary schools and actually bridge the gap between secondary and higher education.

Two of the most adorable 5 year olds you will ever meet

The students that I worked with were some of the sweetest kids I have come across and extremely bright. It was a class of 25 and the teacher taught a lesson while the students looked on while seated in the middle of the classroom. We were learning how to spell the letter K and after the teacher made a few examples the students split up and went to their tables. There weren’t enough tables so some stayed behind on the mat. She passed out blank sheets of paper and I helped to distribute crayons. I wasn’t sure if the lesson was more lax because she needed time filler but it came as a shock for me that they were expected to write letters with absolutely no direction. She asked me to check their work so instead I had them give me their papers one by one and I drew lines on their papers so they would know where to start the top of the letter and how much space to leave between the letters. The teacher encouraged me to take over the lesson; it was a bit difficult to communicate to them what I needed from them because they didn’t understand English. I used hand signals to show them what I wanted them to do. They caught on quickly but nonetheless, the inequality in the resources given to students across the country was evident. 

Kindergarteners!

The teacher helped me explain to the students what they needed to work on and she was very appreciative. She told me she felt overwhelmed at times because of the large classroom size as well as the lack of resources. I’m at a loss in envisioning a solution that could effectively aid all of the schools in need in South Africa. Most schools seems to be arbitrarily run by the administration and there is such a lack of governmental as well as administrative enforcement, which leads to students falling in between the cracks.  In my opinion, the schools are a microcosm of the national education system as a whole; each trying to find solutions to financial and administrative issue that plague them but not effectively communicating. Crime, drugs, rape, high pregnancy rates, issues over identity are all widespread and overwhelming for schools who are still trying to meet the most basic of needs.  Something inspring and powerful that I did see (and it is related to the passion that I touched upon earlier) is the unwavering pursuit of happiness through education.

Visit to an elephant conservatory

Some of the UNISA ( University of South Africa) students that we spoke to talked about empowerment and knowing that higher education was the way to freedom from poverty, ignorance and towards personal development. I have this hope that they are the generation who will bring along a new wave of further growth and development for South Africa. As much as we tend to focus on the obstacles that plague post Apartheid South Africa, I am constantly impressed with the resiliency and strength of the South African people. I feel it influencing the way I plan to live my life when I get back to NYC. For me, life in New York has been exhilarating, fulfilling but also challenging to say the least. I find myself clutching on to remnants of the person I was before moving there; it changed me and I was terrified  because the pace of city life didn’t allow me the opportunity to process  the changes that were constantly happening in my life. At times I was overwhelmed by the vast amount of choices and not always knowing if I was making the right one and the guilt that seemed  to  follow afterwards. What I realized in my time in South Africa, is that the parts of myself that I truly respect and love have never left me (I think we should all be conscious of what these attributes are within ourselves). I was also able to reconnect with my roots though I am not originally from here. A lot of that had to do with how  South Africa  is still trying to mold its own identity, the environment allowed me to have a clearer idea of  how I ahve matured and changed in the past year. Some things remain a constant, others evolve and it’s so important to make room for this change. I think that’s one of the most important lessons I

Life long dream come true :)

have  learned. I hope that when I return to New York City, I will be able to have a better understanding of how to handle the curve balls that NYC seems to love to throw at me. I feel that if I was able to process all of the things that I have learned in South Africa and most importantly remember the powerful, strong and influential role models that I have directly and indirectly met, I will be able to take on anything.  Below is a list of things that I had hoped to accomplish/remember while in South Africa. Some were accomplished, others not so much...whoops!  Nonetheless, the memories, friends and lessons learned are priceless in the end.

1. Live in the moment

2. Give as much as I can 

3. Learn as much I can 

4. Love as much as I can

5. Be patient 

6. Facebook only once a day (This one was the most difficult and not very successful)

7. Learn the language ( Dumela, le Kae)

8. RELAX (accomplished on most days)

9. Strive to be a better version of myself, a stronger, more optimistic, more open, more confident, more loving person

10. Have more perspective; what do I want, who do I want to be and want kind of people do I want to be surrounded with

11.Not dwell on things that can’t be answered in the present.  

Group shot ( Jess, Maura, Crysal, Dan)