Departure

Thanks to everyone who has been reading my blog thus far. I cannot believe it, but tomorrow we leave for a "mid-semester" trip. Although it is not truly the exact half-way point, time has gone by so quickly here!

In any case, I will not have the chance to write for the next 10 days. However, when I return, I promise to have many stories to share. Also, I promise to get pictures onto Shutterfly. Limited internet at the house resulted in an unsuccessful upload the other day. I will make that a priority when I return.

Until then, I am off for an adventure along the Garden Route up to Kruger National Park!

Mis-Adventures

Someone asked me the other day what my favorite part about being in South Africa was. Without hesitation I said, “Looking at Table Mountain daily”. It just never seems to get old. That said, I have been unable to climb this landmark yet and after 6 full weeks, I feel the mountain is starting to mock me a bit, especially after this weekend’s many mis-adventures.

After a very sunny and bright Friday out in Stellenbosch at a gorgeous wine estate for a management retreat and workshop, the weekend weather turned quite gloomy. On Saturday that was most welcomed because I needed a day to recover from a very full week of work and UWC events. But this morning, I was ready for a good adventure.

I woke up to the familiar sound of rain on our glass roof but while eating breakfast it cleared up and we were feeling optimistic about the day. So, with much of the house busy with homework, Gill and I were determined to take advantage and climb the mountain.

We packed our lunch and headed out the door. After a roller-coaster-esq taxi drive, we made it to the base of the mountain and we looked up at the lingering cloud, locally called the table cloth, over the rock and thought, it must be cold up there and marched bravely along the road to start our ascent.

This lasted about 5 minutes when we ran into some locals who discouraged our attempt. We listened to their wisdom, but it was the rain that fell about 2 minutes later that sealed the deal on our waiting to climb. We found shelter in the tourist shops near the cable-car station where we saw a sign that read: Gale Force Winds-Cable Car closed. The final straw.

Having just paid for a taxi up, we were not about to crawl back into another cab. So we hitched hiked down the mountain with two German girls about our age. They were very nice and we rode with them in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the Athlon cooling tours that were scheduled for demolition-a significant event for locals as it will change the skyline a bit.

We made our way to Signal Hill to watch, only to be told that they had fallen 5 minutes early and were already down. The only thing here to happen before its scheduled time. Standing in the rain, made this news even more disappointing. Nonetheless, we got back into the car and were dropped off at the local taxi station.

Unwilling to call it quits and determined to have an adventure (and stay out of the house for an hour or two) we walked to Charley’s Bakery—known for delicious cupcakes and baked goods—only to discover it was closed…it is Sunday afterall. Once we were there, it down poured. We decided better to be wet and get home than get even colder than we already were.

So we walked quickly back towards the station, took a bus home and promptly took warm showers and had some tea. That is where I am at currently. Tucked under many blankets writing the afternoon away in sweats, drinking tea and listening to familiar music.

Despite the many mis-adventures today, it is a fun story. Though, I will say that after being defeated by the Mountain, I cannot look at it the same and it continues to stare at me and mock me even more. I can; however, guarantee that it will be conquered by the end of the semester!

Two Sides of the Story

I am currently sitting in the office of Social Responsibility and Leadership being taught a some Afrikaans and about South African delicacies. For all I have done in 6 weeks, it appears there is a lot more to experience. This reality proves there are always two perspectives--a glass can be half full or half empty.

In a recent UWC experience there were surely more than just two perspectives. On Tuesday, as we drove to campus, the radio newsflash warned that UWC students would be protesting and that classes may be interrupted. As a person who sees students and administrators daily, this was the first time I had heard anything about the protest or the issue being raised. I was relieved this morning at a managers meeting where the acting Rector said she was also taken by surprise.

In any case, I went to my first meeting without any change in routine, but when I came out to head to the 11:30 Inaugural Amy Biehl Lecture at the Library, I was deterred by a growing gathering of students. Students huddled on the large staircase chanting African songs, stomping in rhythm, waving arms and signs, and responding to slogans inbetween chants. This gathering shifted location throughout the day from 8:00 am-4:30 pm and students were adement that a "Injury to one is an injury to all." Thus no students were able to write their exams or attend classes whether or not they agreed or disagreed with the protests.

Being a curious person, I set out to better understand the situation talking to students, staff and administrators. Generally the discrepency between students and the University has to do with allocation and distribution of student financial aid. But when asked, the various stakeholders held quite an array of opinions.

Student opinions ranged from not having any idea or concern because they were international students from Namibia to being dedicated to standing up against "poverty as a tool of mass destruction" to accusations that administration was incompetent. Another student shared his perspective that only the Black students protested and that colored students did not find that course of action appropriate. He did not buy the unity of the student body and stated outright that students ran with their own. Other students were angry that they were trapped in the library when it was locked down or unable to write the test for which they had studied hard.

Staff and mid-level managers did not find the strike to be the most effective response by students. If they are worried about student financing, then what are they doing to help? How much are they spending on parties? One discussed the negative implications on image and recruitment. They also did not think University leadership effectively communicated to staff to prepare them on the situation.

When I asked a higher level manager about this, her response was that other univerisities have three times the amount of staff doing the same amount of work and the head of the university had been out ill and it was the systemic underresourcing that accounted for the lack of communication. Also, come to find out, the students leading the protest did not follow through on feedback from administration on how to resolve the problem at hand. Thus not empowering the administration to address their concerns effectively.

This sitaution clearly has many sides and is complex. From my vantage point, being between student and staff, I do my best to stay neutral but really appreciate hearing all the perspectives. The situation is a good case study allowing me to gain insight about how the hierarchy of stakeholders at univerisites perceive situations and to reflect on how the situation might have been handled better.

Lesson: there are always two sides to every story and any manager or adminstrator needs to understand both to empathetically respond to situations when they arise.

Working Weekend

Well, I am officially 26.5. That is right I celebrate my half birthday and did so this weekend with some homemade apple cinnamon muffins. Yum. Aside from this welcomed occassion, I had two work committments this weekend.

The first was a leadership workshop for the International Golden Key organization here on campus. My advisor gave me the opportunity to co-facilitate the session which lasted from 9:00 to 4:00. We were working with a great group of students and the day went smoothly and ended with some satisfied and enriched students so it was a lovely way to spend a Saturday.

Sunday, I attended the inaugural New Hope Summit at Stellenbosch Univeristy. This mini-conference brought together students from Stellenbosch, UCT and UWC. It was really engaging as students and speakers exchanged ideas about transformation and implementing the change they see as necessary.

The amount of ownership the students are taking to join students from very different backgrouds for a United South Africa is quite extraordinary to witness and I am grateful to have been part of such an incredible event. Students here take their potential seriously and are committed to and work hard towards building a strong South Africa. While not all students are so engaged, it is refreshing to see so much energy expended towards a worthy cause. Both the dialogue and committment to action is inspiring.

After two hard days of work, I thought I would rest, until the opportunity to climb Lion's Head was presented. We left at 4:00 to watch the sunset over the ocean from the top and wow what a sight it was. The adventure down in the dark is another story, but lets just say it was definitely worth the sore muscles and lack of sleep today!

Freaky Friday

In the spirit of less is more, I will keep today’s entry short and sweet. Some things are better left unsaid…

Today’s events go like this:

Breakfast (Peanut Butter and Banana Toast)

Church at St. George’s Cathedral with Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

Meet Desmond Tutu

Breakfast with a small gathering of churchgoers including Linda Biehl, Judy Mayotte, and Desmond Tutu

Run

Shop for Groceries

Lunch (Left over Spaghetti)

Baking, Wine and Mama Mia

Watch a Movie…Its Complicated

In an ever-growing list of surreal experiences here in South Africa, words fail to relay the complete dynamic and impact of many moments. So, here it is, an otherwise ordinary day (Friday the 13^th, no less), made extraordinary.

A Work Weekend Away

I am comfortably back “home” in Cape Town after a long weekend in Johannesburg…or at least its suburbs. I was there primarily for the National South African SIFE competition with 22 UWC students, the faculty advisor, Tonia, and the team director, PJ. We had a busy yet enjoyable three days together.

The competition was quite impressive with many corporate executives serving as judges, many delegations of students presenting very involved projects, traditional Zulu songs and dances that by week’s end brought together all the teams for an impressive display of community—I had chills on more than one occasion.

The UWC team worked hard for several weeks leading up to the competition which made me wonder when they went to class and did homework. Their dedication paid off as they won Second Place for Financial Literacy and Business Ethics. While they did not advance for the overall competition, the unique quality of this organization is that everyone wins. The students, their communities and the companies they partner with benefit from this organization that operates in 40 countries with over 42,000 student members. The energy from the weekend has given me many insights to consider.

On Saturday, I had the privilege of meeting a Marquette alumni, Peter Kwele and his family. While the logistics to meet him were a bit of an adventure, I was able to take the Gautrain built as part of the World Cup in Jo-burg. It rides quite nicely and although most Americans would not think it was a big deal, the South Africans are both proud and excited about the new mode of transportation.

I had a very nice visit with Peter getting to see his pictures and stories about his college days in Milwaukee and attending Church with his family. I had a bit of a girl’s night with his wife, Lindiwe, and their friends and it was very nice to be with locals and experience a new and genuine dimension of life in South Africa.

It never fails to amaze me how small the world has become and how friendly strangers can be in unfamiliar places. I ended up back at the OR Tambo airport exactly four weeks to the day from when I first arrived and sat there thinking how much has taken place over the past four weeks…and there is only more to come!

Movie Deprived-Luck and Circumstance

Most of you know that I am a bit out of touch when it comes to important movies in pop. culture. There are many I have not seen that I should like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. Well, this week, made me think twice about that track record and motivated me to see at least Lord of the Rings. Why?

I MET SIR IAN McKELLEN, aka Gandalf. Where?

Well, thanks to one of my housemates who is a theatre major, we learned that Waiting for Godot would be playing at the Fugard Theater and so in our usual desire to say yes to ALL opportunities, we bought student tickets for what would be equivalent to about $25. This was an incredible and irresistible value.

As things in Cape Town are not as driven by time and details as they are in the States, we were uncertain of the start time and arrived at the theatre at 6:00 to realize the show did not start until 7:30. Naturally we went for desert at the closest pub, DIAS. Good milkshakes. But back to the point, Sir Ian McKellen and the three other actors were sitting casually having dinner. There were not many other people there, so my housemate got the courage to speak with the table for a bit—she was very, VERY excited.

The play itself is a classic and has many nuggets that make one think and I would recommend reading it and perhaps seeing it if the chance comes along to anyone reading this blog. It was a delightful show after which we patiently outlasted the entire audience aside from the 15 people that remained as the crew exited. We met all four actors and got autographs and pictures…even with Sir Ian.

Now, lets note that I have no idea about this gentleman’s work outside of this one show, but after it, I look forward to watching at least Lord of the Rings. For those huge FANS out there…I know there are many…I apologize for being so removed, but know that I did truly enjoy the experience of meeting this legend.

A Delicious Weekend

Moving full steam ahead into week four, I will be departing for Johannesburg on Wednesday. So, I thought I would write a quick update so the next entry is devoted to the trip.

Last week was spent helping the SIFE students prepare for their upcoming national competition in Johannesburg. Teams from universities across South Africa will gather to deliver presentations about their entrepreneurial projects within their communities. I look forward to hearing about the innovative ways students have found to improve their communities.

I am also looking forward to getting to know the UWC students and staff a little better outside the office. My days are spent running around campus so an extended period of time to chat should be quite nice!

As for the past weekend, well you could say that I ate my way through it. On a blustery Saturday morning a few of us walked up to Old Biscuit Mills to what was an amped up Farmers Market that is very popular in Obs on the weekends. There was all sorts of food from crepes, curries, cheeses, chocolates, etc. You name it you could probably find it there.

I treated myself to a delicious Kebab and a homemade chocolate chocolate chip cookie. We then walked around some very cute shops that offered many temptations for which I resisted all but one. The rest of Saturday was spent reading and writing for UWC projects—always feels good to be productive!

Sunday…oh Sunday. We went to Mzoli’s for a South African braai. This is basically a huge community BBQ…and ohh my did we eat some delicious meat…and tons of it. Mzoli’s is located in Guguletu, a township about 15 minutes ride from Obs.

Our group was 20 strong and once we ordered a large tin bowl full of lamb, beef and chicken, we waited three hours before it was ready! That should give you an idea about how busy this little shop was. Mzoli, in case you were curious, is the owner and still works there…I was lucky enough to meet his acquaintance.

In between ordering and chowing down, there was ample music and dancing to keep us entertained. Even just sitting on top of the nearby wall offered ample entertainment and people watching. It was quite the mix of tourists, college students and locals. Quite the scene. Quite fun! Not to mention it was a gorgeous sunny day. That took the entire day from noon to about 6:00.

After which I came home, did laundry to get the smoky-BBQ smell from my clothing and made some homemade banana muffins. I did this off the cuff without my recipe from home. I am happy to report that they came out quite nicely…at least my housemates were happy!