Fall 2004 Trip Reports

The School was in Southern Africa for Fall 2004

Sept 7,'04 From Gennifre Hartman, Program Director
Sept 15, '04 from Gennifre Hartman, Program Director
Sept 30, '04 from Gennifre Hartman, Program Director
Nov 5, '04, from Genevieve Walsh, Teacher
Nov 29, '04, from Gennifre Hartman, Program Director


The Fall Semester 2004 to Southern Africa has started! We left Atlanta last week with our new crew for a (gulp) 22-hour flight across the ocean. We arrive in South Africa Friday evening and enjoyed a drive north to the rolling mountains in the northeastern part of the country. The girls are a wonderful and dynamic group, and we're looking forward to an amazing semester.

Our group this semester consists of the following cast of characters:

Teachers:

Gennifre – the Program Director and Head of School. This is Gennifre's sixth visit to Africa, she speaks several of the local languages, and has enjoyed re-establishing contacts with her friends and contacts within the past week as we've been back in this area – which feels like a home away from home!

Genevieve – Science and Math teacher. This is Genevieve's second semester with The Traveling School in Africa, and she has already managed to teach the girls about African animals and indigenous forests during dinners and drives.

Shannon ­ History teacher. Shannon received her Master's Degree with her thesis focused on African history. Needless to say, she has insightful questions, and an answer to every simple, "what is that..?"

Students:

Laura ­ We have two Lauras on this trip, and they'll eventually earn nicknames. Laura from Colorado is thoughtful, strong, and the most courageous in the group as far as trying new experiences. Our first day in town, we walked the girls through the market, and Laura was the one who said, "I'm ready," and lead the rest of the girls through the maze and back to our meeting point.

Jessica ­ from Bozeman. Jessica is happy to talk and tell stories about absolutely everything. She is warm and kind, and has interesting tales about everything from work, to fishing, to her braces. She is a strong kayaker, and paddled hard during our Adventure Race this week!

Laura ­ from North Carolina. Laura joined us for a previous semester to South America, and has been a valuable asset to our group. Not only does she have a bright smile and incredible manners, but she has the insight about the program to help the other girls answer questions and understand how things work.

Nancy ­ from New York. Nancy is always ready with a colorful and creative story, and doesn't seem to have a shy bone in her body. She makes the other girls feel comfortable with her conversation, and has helped everyone feel like they are welcomed in our group. Not to mention that she has a natural gift for Ultimate and everyone wants her on their team!

Cari ­ from Bozeman. Cari also joined us from a previous semester in South America, and has been a great help for understanding how to get things done! Although she caught a cold on the flight, she now lights up the room with a huge smile and is feeling better every day!

Rachel ­ from Utah. Rachel is gentle, kind, and a great cook. She has a strong insight into the things we've seen so far, and the group really benefits from having her with us. She is patient and her stories are wonderful ­ and she is by far the most willing to speak other languages so far!

Academic

Our first day of classes was on Monday. We had a shortened class day to get everyone caught up to speed with class expectations and materials. Study Hall began that evening, and the girls spend each evening bent over their books and readings as they learn about Africa. They have their first full day of classes today. In Science, they started their science field journals and they were all sitting in the sunshine in the mountains this morning, sketching bizarre indigenous plants and making scientific observations. For Math, they have started their budgets, and they are busy learning about the Rand, the exchange rate, and how much a package of cookies costs. For History, they have started learning about South African history, beginning My Traitor's Heart by Rian Malan. In Language, they learned how to greet people in both Sotho and Afrikaans, and are studying the extinction of languages around the world. In English, they began their journals and are starting Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton this evening. For Global Studies, they are developing community standards, and learning about the cultural distinctions within South Africa.

Activities

The girls have been wonderfully busy since we landed in South Africa. We spent our first day in town exploring and doing food shopping. The girls were able to call home and say hi, before we drove back to the mountains where we are staying. We are living in wooden cabins with small kitchens and beds in a loft. They have incredible views of the mist filled valley and the morning sunrises have been spectacular. On Sunday, we went to a local school and played a game of Ultimate in their fields. The girls were also able to boulder around on an inside climbing gym. The local school is called Stanford Lake College (SLC) and they have a large Adventure Center, complete with an outdoor climbing wall, kayaking, paintball, and mountain bikes. On Tuesday, we went to SLC for the entire day. The girls all climbed on the climbing wall, and learned how to rappel. They did an Adventure Race against each other ­ pushing go-carts, running up a hill to find paddles, running back to the lake, paddling around red barrels in the middle of the lake in teams of two, and finally racing to the finish. They all did wonderfully. We ended the day with a drive to a viewpoint (too bad the mist completely covered the view!) and a hike back to the car and home. The girls have also started a prank war. On Monday, they created a scavenger hunt for the teachers, and while we were bumbling around in the woods trying to follow their clues, they ransacked our cabin and stole cushions, shoes, our shower curtain, and created general mayhem ­ hiding the house keys in the fridge, etc. It's been a lot of fun, and tonight we plan to get them back. With the help of the students at SLC, we are going to have them take the girls for a short hike through the woods at dusk. The boys plan to ask, "Has anyone here seen the Blair Witch project?" At which point, the girls will manage to scare themselves silly. One of the boys will be hiding in the woods and make a sound like a bush pig. The other boys will start running ­ and we're sure the girls will scream loudly enough to wake the village below. We plan to have empty paint pellet toys to make loud popping noises; I'm sure the girls will get us back two-fold! The pranks are such a fun way to get everyone having fun and playing with each other! Parents, if you call this evening ­ try not to give our prank away! Needless to say, the boys at SLC are quite impressed with our girls and are having us down for a movie this evening. Tomorrow, the girls will go to school at SLC with the local kids, and get to see how the South African school system works.

We plan to be here for another week before we leave for Krugar National Park. We'll write with more details about our adventures as we continue. Thanks for all of the support ­ and we'll keep you posted as the adventures continue!

Sincerely,

Gennifre Hartman
Program Director

Sept 15, '04
Dear friends and family,
Tomorrow is our last day in the Limpopo Province, and the girls plan to spend this afternoon packing all of their scattered belongings back into their backpacks to prepare for our departure tomorrow! We have thoroughly enjoyed our stay in the Chalets in the mountains, and our orientation has gone very well. Now - it's time to go and explore some more of Africa!
The girls have spent the past few days learning to rock climb on a climbing wall at Stanford Lake College, touring a banana plantation, visiting a malaria institute where active research is done on malaria, and enjoying a delicious braai prepared by Marthie and Hennie Van Niekerk - a wonderful and gracious Afrikaaner family who welcomed the girls into their home. Hennie said last night, "Since your parents are not here, let us be your African parents for the evening." We've had a busy schedule with classes, and everyone is getting into the groove of life with The Traveling School.
The girls will be in town tomorrow afternoon to email and buy snacks. It is the last email contact we'll have a for awhile. When we leave this area, we are driving to Krugar National Park. Krugar is an impressive game reserve on the border of Mozambique and we will spend the weekend looking for giraffes, elephants and lions. The camps in Krugar have modern facilities with running water and ice cold cans of soda. The second camp even has a swimming pool!
After Krugar, we'll begin our rock climbing section. We plan to spend the entire week in a small town with incredible climbing and incredible rock! We should have cell phone access, but we won't have Internet access. We're hoping to stay in an overnight hut in the mountains, and we're looking forward to climbing and exploring!
When we leave here, we'll be going to an area in the Drakensburg Mountains. There is a horribly slow computer at the area where we are camping - we'll be staying on a high mountain pass that overlooks the Drakensburg and Lesotho.
Have a great week. We are having a wonderful time and the girls have huge smiles and great attitudes. A few have earned nicknames - Laura from Colorado is called Flash becaus she is so fast on the Ultimate field, Nancy is called Roo because she is like a kangaroo on the Ultimate field when she hops up and snatches the disk from mid-air. Jes is called Paris because of the funny and perfect imitation she can do of Paris Hilton. Cari doesn't have a nickname yet, but she has been a great leader, helping girls to understand the expectations of the school. Laura from North Carolina has kept everone in high spirits with her great attitude and fun stories, and Rachel has impressed all of us with her incredible linguistic skill and enthusiasm for African culture. We have a great group!
All the best,
Gennifre

Sept 30, '04
Dear friends and family,

Last night, we treated our girls to a three course dinner at the lodge/ campground where we've been staying in Dundee, South Africa. As they were piling their plates with sliced pork, chicken pie, peas, pureed pumpkin, beets and other traditional South African fare - Roo said, "this is the best thing that has ever happened to me." After the past two weeks of fun and adventure we've had - that's quite a statement!

ACADEMIC

The group has been very busy studying all of the amazing things South Africa has to offer. While we were in Krugar National Park, each of the girls had to choose an animal to sketch while we were observing it. Imagine the challenge of trying to create a scientific observation of a pack of lionesses who were so close to the car we could have reached out to pet them! In History, the girls are learning about how history can be told from many perspectives. We are staying in an area known for historic battlefields from an assortment of Anglo, Boer and Zulu wars throughout the centuries. They've visited several battlefields, including Bloed River (literally, "Blood River"). We visited the Voortrekkers monument - a large monument of bronze wagons in a circle in the field from where a handful of Voortrekkers successfully defeated tens of thousands of Zulus. From there, we drove to the opposite side of the monument where the Zulus have their own historical interpretation of the battle. Who is right? A great question for the girls. Paris asked afterwards, "Shannon, what is the right answer if you ask us 'what happened at the battle of Bloed River on an exam?'" In Language they have just finished an intensive study of Afrikaans and took their first exam. They begin learning Zulu during our next class period, and are already struggling with how to say words with "click" sounds! In Literature and Composition, they have just finished Cry, The Beloved Country and are working on their second draft on their first paper - a character sketch about a person they know. In Math, they are busy working on their resumes, budgets, and are practicing mock interviews. In Global Studies, we've been studying the effects of tribalism and witchcraft in Africa - a fascinating discussion!

ACTIVITIES

After we left Stanford Lake College, we drove to Krugar National Park. Not only did we see giraffes, zebras, impalas, wildebeest and all of the traditional African animals - we saw lions. In the game parks in Africa, people are only allowed to drive from dawn to dusk. All cars must be back in camp by sundown or risk a serious fine. We were driving back to camp when we saw 3 lion cubs playing on the side of the road. We all stopped to take pictures, but we could only stay for a few minutes since the clock was ticking away. We continued driving, and Star (Rachel) said from the front seat, "I think those are baboons! Goody!" Shannon was driving and said, "those aren't baboons..." There was a pride of 9 lionesses walking in the middle of the road. They sauntered down the entire road with the sun setting behind them. We couldn't believe our frustration when we had to pass them and continue driving! The lionesses were inches from our cars, and they made direct contact with all of us. It was an incredible experience. We did make it back to camp on time, and enjoyed the evening cooking on the braai while a hyena circled outside of the gate.

After Krugar, we drove to Waterval Boven and spent a week living on a remote farm and climbing, rappelling and hiking. On our first day, we rappelled down a cliff with a beautiful backdrop of a waterfall in the distance. We hiked to the base of the waterfall, and all of the girls had a chance to to a Tyrolean Traverse from the base of the waterfall, across the pool, to the rocks on the other side. "That was incredible!" said Pixie (Laura from North Carolina) as she went sailing across the line. That afternoon, all of the girls wedged their feet into climbing shoes and we hit the rock. I was so proud of how they encouraged each other and helped each other succeed. Bella (Cari) was so scared at first that her hands almost couldn't grip the rock. Within a few climbs, she was the one shouting "I'll do it!" whenever we said there was a rope free. We climbed for the next day, and during a class day, we went to a local village for a soccer game. The game never transpired, but Roo and Star were literally swamped with kids who wanted to have their pictures taken, and who wanted to play games all afternoon. The next day, we hiked to an overnight hut in the mountains for a day of class and to rest our arms. The hike was approximately 5 miles with some steep scrambling sections, and everyone did great and made it to the top. The views were extraordinary, and we could see high veld and rolling green meadows in all directions.

When we hiked down from the overnight hut, we ended up bathing in a small pool, and crammed our grubby selves back in the cars for another long afternoon of driving to Dundee. We've spent the past week here - touring battlefields and doing cultural activities. Our group opted not to visit the Drakensburg, instead, we've visited pottery galleries, an art museum, met with local bead workers, and have been immersed in the Zulu countryside and traditions.

NEXT

We leave this afternoon for a traditional Zulu village outside of Durban. We have been invited to a Zulu Coming of Age ceremony tomorrow, and we'll stay in the area until next week, when we venture further south to the Wild Coast.

Thanks for all of your phone calls and emails! We're having a wonderful time!

Sincerely,
Gennifre Hartman
Program Director


November 5, 2004
Dear friends and family,
Tomorrow we board our new home away from home – an enormous overland safari truck prepared to take us into the remote stretches of Namibia and Botswana. The girls are filled with the buzz of excitement and anticipation, and they are leaving Cape Town with a sense of academic success after midterms, and a cultural richness and fulfillment after their home-stays and community service project.
We have been in Cape Town now for three weeks enjoying a fun-filled schedule. We arrived to Cape Town on October 21st after our travels on the remote and beautiful Wild Coast in southeastern Africa. Our first activity was a visit to the extravagant mall of Somerset West, near our flat for the three week stay outside of Cape Town. While Gennifre and I finished making copies and preparations for midterm exams, the girls experienced the wonders of the mall world. Rachel promptly returned after an hour free time with five pairs of shoes beginning to wonder how large the safari truck was really going to be. We all returned to the flat that evening with a bit of culture shock after experiencing city life after weeks in rural Africa. The girls settled in and began studying for the next few days of midterm exams.
ACADEMIC
The girls have impressed me with how they adjust and get the most out of any situation. They have truly become successful traveling high school students. During our long travel days they each have their books out and are reading sections of The Power of One or working on their science journals. Their performance during midterms proved that they have mastered The Traveling School schedule.
Math – Cari and Nancy have excelled during our Economics unit this semester. They both are beginning to use economic terms during their day to day activities, like “well, lets try to identify the opportunity cost if we choose to do this, or buy that…” I have been impressed by their enthusiasm and excitement during our lessons on global economics and how they want to understand how the United States has a role in the economy of South Africa.
Science – Jes, Rachel and Cari created portfolios for their science midterm. Their portfolios were a compilation of all of the work they have completed during the first half of this semester. They presented maps, essays, journal entries, collages and sketches of park preserves they designed, global biodiversity maps, and depictions of how global climate change has impacted different regions of the world. The girls’ completed portfolios were very impressive and they were submitted with a sense of pride and accomplishment.
English – The students cannot put down The Power of One and many discussions during meals or free time seem to eventually lead back to what is happening to Pekay and what they think about the characters in the story. Jes recently commented on how she wishes Pekay were a real person and how incredible it would be if his story were true. The girls are very emotionally involved with the work they do for this class.
Language – During midterms the girls were speaking a variety of South African languages with confidence. They can now go back and forth in conversations speaking in Zulu, Xosa and Africaans. It has become natural for them to greet in one of these languages depending on the people they are beginning a conversation with. Laura was on a run for morning exercise when she belted out an Africaans greeting to a passerby, but all she could get out was the guttural “g” sound deep within her throat.
History – I could not imagine these girls being more motivated to learn the history of South Africa! They have become so passionate about the people, history and events of this country. The story of South Africa will leave a lasting impression on each one of these girls, thanks to the passion and energy the teacher, Shannon, brings to class everyday. She has a way of getting the girls so fired up about South African history; it is beautiful to watch.
Global Studies – The girls are learning the tools to communicate effectively and to work through conflict resolution. We are also discussing what our experiences in the townships of Cape Town will be like. The girls were full of questions regarding their experience in areas where thousands of Africans live in shacks.
Physical Education – Ultimate Frisbee, morning runs on the beach, surfing, and strength workouts…. Could workouts be anymore fun?
ACTIVITIES
After midterms were successfully completed, the girls packed up their things and moved in with their home-stay families. Jes, Laura and Rachel lived with Sharon, Ma and Pa one block away from where Nancy and Cari were staying. The families are part of the “coloreds” population of South Africa, which is the term they are proud to use for the Indian and Asian populations. The girls spent ten days with their families being spoiled with homemade donuts, foods, deserts and comfortable accommodations. They were able to spend the day in local high school, they went ice skating at the local mall and they were taken into the city for a day-on-the-town with their families. Nancy felt so comfortable and happy with her family that she left in tears after ten days. “I didn’t expect that I was going to cry” she tells me later. Rachel was given a shawl that Ma knitted for her during their stay. “For the baby” Ma would say as Rachel blushed. It was a very heartfelt gift that Rachel received from the family – and a pink color perfect for Rachel’s advanced fashion sense. Jes came back to our group limping after straining a muscle laughing so hard during a movie with her home-stay family. There continue to be stories and impressions that the girls share with us after their experience living with these South African families.
During the home-stays the girls were a part of a community service project in a township outside of Cape Town. The teachers and students would meet with a Habitat for Humanity group in Khaylitsha to build two houses for two African families that have never owned their own homes before. The township of Khaylitsha is never ending neighborhood of shacks with occasional cinderblock structures. Blacks of South Africa were moved into these townships during times of Apartheid and are still trying to make these communities more permanent and attractive years after Apartheid ended. The townships may be intimidating from an outside perspective, but once you are in the neighborhoods you are surrounded by happy, smiling, friendly faces, open arms, beautiful songs, laughing children and pure generosity. It is one of the most welcoming, hospitable places I have visited. Laura commented how “it was different than I thought it would be. We didn’t get that much excessive attention – it was very comfortable and a nice area. I had previous thought of crime and danger, but that is not how it was at all.” Rachel was impressed at how resourceful these people were, “their shacks were so nice and these people have made so much out of nothing.” Jes and Laura made friends with the neighbors and the local kids, teaching them games and learning songs. They still talk about the neighbor woman Mama Z and her hospitality and wanting Nancy to marry her son. In four days our girls built two houses from the ground up with internal walls and a roof over the heads of very happy, fortunate families. “This is the best service project out there!” Rachel exclaimed. I know the families received one of the most incredible gifts that they worked years for, but these girls also gained so much from this experience. This service project was an incredible and powerful gift for the girls as well.
Our group reunited on the Sunday before the presidential elections. The girls were full of endless questions about the election process and about the U.S. political system in general. Many hours have been spent discussion what is happening in the U.S. while parallels are made to the South African political system. Our group was invited to the U.S. Embassy election party Wednesday morning. What an incredible experience for these girls to meet other Americans and South Africans, participating in political discussions and really voicing their beliefs and understandings of the current events. This experience was so empowering for them; they were able to participate in American politics even though they are not yet old enough to vote. I know they will be the first to the polls in the years to come!
Now we are a day away from loading onto the Safari truck with our guides Crispen and Japhet. As a present to our group, Crispen and Japhet had The Traveling School logo painted on the sides of the Safari truck. These are the same two Zimbabwean men and the same truck that lead our group on Safari last year. Our group was welcomed with hugs and laughter as Gennifre and I reunited with our good friends from Zimbabwe. We will say goodbye to Cape Town as it has been home for three weeks of incredible experiences. We are now all prepared to leave for the next leg of our trip, on SAFARI!
Until our next report from Namibia….. Much love to our friends and families following our “Adventures In Africa”!
Sincerely,
Genevieve Walsh
Teacher

November 29, 2004
Dear friends and family,

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I have to apologize for taking so long to get this Trip Report posted! The email in Swakopmund went down on our last night and I wasn't able to get it posted - I hope you all enjoyed speaking with your daughters during our African Thanksgiving celebration and have been caught up on life during the safari!

Since the second week of November we have been living on an enormous overland safari truck. Equipped with sandladders, a hundred gallon water tank, tables and chairs for outdoor classes and a full kitchen, we have found ourselves enjoying our truck in the deserts of Namibia. We crossed the border to Namibia and spent our first week trying to acclimate to the dry heat. We went canoeing on the Orange River on the border between South Africa and Namibia, and visited the second largest canyon in the world, Fish River Canyon.

As we continued north, we went to Sessriem and Slusuvlei, famous for their bright orange sand dunes. Nancy's mother met up with us and showered us with gifts from overseas, and even endured a long night of bushcamping while the rain fell in torrents around our truck! She also treated us to an incredible dinner in Swakopmund, which was a welcome treat after doing our own camping and sleeping in tents for so long. In Swakopmund, we stayed in chalets near the beach, did laundry, and went sandboarding! The sandboarding was either on a regular sandboard, or riding a flat tobaggon-style sled down the dunes. The girls had a great time, and we all enjoyed watching the video that evening to see who ate the most sand during our spectacular sand crashes!

From Swakopmund we journeyed further north to Etosha National Park. We hoped to see some lions, which are rare to see, but this group had already proven their lucky streak during our lion sighting in Krugar. In Etosha, we saw 8 lions on the first day and 5 cheetahs. The second day, we saw 5 more lions, a leopard and a rhino. We spent a total of 5 days and have seen more animals than we ever hoped for! We've dubbed the group the Lion Queens and we can't believe how lucky we've been! We've already seen the Big 5 and we still have several weeks of game viewing to go!

We had a remarkable Thanksgiving feast - complete with stuffing and cranberries my mother brought from the States. We accompanied our feast with grilled kudu and African stuffed butternut squash - what a treat! The day after Thanksgiving, Nancy turned 18 and we showered her with, what she described as, "the most meaningful birthday I've ever had." We had cake, gave gifts, and celebrated that she had brought us all of the luck in our incredible game viewing!

We are on our way to Botswana via a Bushman or San Village where we'll spend the night and dance under the stars. Everyone is in remarkably high spirits and we seem to spend our time singing, creating mini-plays, and lamenting the fact that we only have 2 more weeks of this fabulous adventure.

We'll check-in again from the road...

With African travels,
Gennifre

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