Settling in After One Month

Grade 19

~UCT Campus~

As if grades K-12, 4 years of Davidson, a semester in Israel, and 1.5 years at American University were not enough… I am STILL in school! After finishing my Master of Public Policy (Concentration in International Development) in Washington DC, I have moved to Cape Town to study towards an MPhil in Justice and Transformation (Concentration in Peace and Conflict Resolution) at the University of Cape Town (Africa’s top university). Although the program is typically 1.5 – 2 years, I am attempting to finish my coursework and dissertation in a year as I return to work in Washington DC in February 2012. My coursework for this semester includes: Conflict in Africa, Theories of Peace and Conflict Resolution, and Peace-Development Community Nexus. I will write about my thesis/research interest at a later date but my general experience at UCT has been positive thus far. Unfortunately, I have found my classes to be filled with Americans and Europeans; although I am clearly contributing to this problem I was hoping for the opportunity to academically engage with more South Africans and students from SADC countries. Additionally, while there are numerous controversial debates about the affirmation action programs in South Africa and at UCT, I have found it disappointing that there are very few students of color in my current courses. That being said, my professors are engaging and I have enjoyed the diverse interest and backgrounds of the other students.

View of the City at Night

Exploring Cape Town

 Although I have been busy with school these past 3 weeks I have found time to explore Cape Town, visit the beach, and make new friends! On Saturday, Feb 19^th I hiked Lion’s Head with two other Rotary Ambassadorial Scholars, Betsy and Julia. While hiking up the mountain at sunset we could hear a concert on the beach below. The views of the beaches, Table Mountain, and the city are absolutely breathtaking from the top of Lion’s Head.

Jesse and Clint :)

All of you who know me well, know that I absolutely LOVE Davidson and can find a reason to talk about my Davidson experience with just about anyone. Fortunately for me, there are a few Davidson connections in South Africa. At the end of February, I was able to see Clint Smith (’10) who has spent the past seven months in South Africa working with Grassroot Soccer in Soweto. This organization uses soccer to promote awareness and educate young people and their communities about HIV/AIDs. (Check out Clint’s Blog). Clint was in Cape Town to visit his sister (Jesse who is studying abroad at UCT) and for a slam poetry/ spoken word performance in Observatory at Mojo. Other than via youtube, it had been three years since I’ve heard Clint perform so it was wonderful to see him and listen as he shared his experiences from Senegal, South Africa, and the States. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with spoken word or Clint check him out at (http://clint-in-southafrica.blogspot.com/2010/10/slam.html or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6cK0II3Yt8&feature=player_embedded).

Rotary

Wednesday, February 23^rd was Rotary International Day and I participated in the Landmark Lighting of the famous Cape Town World Cup Stadium. All over the world, various Rotary Districts displayed the "End Polio Now" slogan on famous buildings to bring awareness to the incredible work that Rotary is doing to eradicate Polio. Today, Polio is only present in four countries, including Angola which is in the same Rotary District as South Africa. In 1985 Rotary began working towards Polio Eradication and has contributed nearly $1.2 BILLION to the effort!   

LEAP

On Friday, February 25^th Chrissy and I visited LEAP school (as previously mentioned Chrissy and I met representatives from LEAP’s Interact club at the Youth Night at Newlands Rotary Club). LEAP is a high school for math and science students from disadvantaged (township) communities; utilizing a transformation approach in partnership with the community LEAP is committed to academic knowledge and creating socially responsible citizens.

Our site visit was absolutely wonderful in that we met with students, faculty, and administrators. The most memorable part of the day was helping students with algebra worksheets and being asked by one of the boys, “Why is your hair like ours?” (Clearly I need to get a tan since there is so much confusion about my ‘race’ in South Africa but that is for another blog post~). The two young women who gave us a tour were very impressive and kind; one was studying computer science and the other accounting, both interested in visiting the States.

Two aspects of LEAP’s curriculum strongly resonated with me: the life-orientation classes and the commitment to service. I am interested in learning much more about the life-orientation curriculum but my first observations are that this course is designed to empower students through a ‘values-based personal development framework.’ I think the success of this model is that it focuses on preventative intervention and is not a counseling response program but gives students the tools to discuss the challenges and opportunities of their experiences with their peers and a facilitator. (Click this link to learn more). In regards to service, there is an emphasis on students giving back to their communities which is something I cherished at both Foxcroft School and Davidson College. (Those of you who are familiar with my family, this idea of giving back to your community through service has been a profound part of my life. For example, my 17 year old brother Benjamin is Co-founder and President of the Loudoun Do Something Now youth volunteer club http://loudounteensdsn.ning.com/).

Given my academic and volunteer background, I am keen to assist LEAP with some of their strategic management of numerous partnerships but also with helping students and faculty members understand the benefits of community engagement and their role as global citizens. One thing I firmly believe is that anyone can make a difference in their own home, school, or community regardless of age or financial means. I am still unsure of in what capacity I will specifically contribute to LEAP but given my passion for education and community service I look forward to partnering with LEAP during my time in Cape Town.

Life in Cape Town

With all the English (and American study abroad students) sometimes I forget that I am not in the US until...

1. I buy prepaid SMS Bundles and Airtime for my phone and electricity for my apartment  (per month) at the grocery store

2. I buy prepaid, monthly internet based, not on time but, on gigabytes of usage (still getting accommodated to this one)

3.  People say Baie Dankie (sounds like ‘buy-a-donkey’)  in Afrikaans to say ‘thank you’

4.  There is cheap, amazing sushi all over Cape Town

5.  Everyone loves Rugby (maybe even more than my family loves American football)

6. The beautiful beaches are just around the corner

7.  The MOUNTAIN is every present, every beautiful, and reminds you daily of the beauty of life

Hiking Lion's Head

  

Last Weekend Before Classes

Bain's Kloof

Chrissy and I had a wonderful last weekend of ‘freedom’ before classes began on Monday (Valentine’s Day). (Just a note: I would venture to say that the general population here is significantly more aware and knowledgeable about US history and current events then the other way around. Here in South Africa there is the understanding that the activities and policies of the US have a great influence on the lives of those throughout the world whether in regards to security, governance, or the economy, etc.  Unfortunately, some Americans do not feel the same way. In understanding that we live in a globalized world, Americans cannot afford to ignore or disregard what is happening in Africa. It is my hope and belief that this mindset of Americans has (and will continue) to evolve over the next few years. This topic is for another post entirely!)

Before the weekend festivities, Chrissy and I spent 2.5 hours at the bank securing some logistics with our student accounts. The upside of spending that long at the bank is that we were able to have some GREAT conversations with the people we met. In particular we had a fascinating conversation with a man from Zimbabwe. We are encountering interesting opinions in regards to the interpretation of recent American history (post-9/11). For example, I found myself dispelling ‘conspiracy theories’ about US involvement in the attacks as well as the role of the FAA.  It is interesting to learn that some of these beliefs are widely held as true in other parts of the world; accordingly, US communication to the world regarding both 9/11 and the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has clearly not achieved ‘desired results.’ Additionally, the topic of US ‘strategic engagement’ in places like Iraq as oppose to the DRC and Zimbabwe is definitely a reoccurring conversation in South Africa. I’m learning a lot and loving the engagement with different backgrounds, experiences, opinions, and perspectives.

After the bank and spending Friday around our flat, Chrissy and I traveled to Edgemead to attend our friend Cavan’s Braii. We met some really fun people and (per usual) I found myself in a political conversation about the Middle East. J The only down side of meeting great people and having engaging conversations is that I went to bed at 6 am, knowing that we planned to spend the next day hiking. On Saturday a group of 5 of us travelled to Bain’s Kloof (about an hour outside of Cape Town near Wellington) for a short hike and afternoon of swimming in the Witte River. Bain’s Kloof Pass, completed in 1853, is a road across the Limiet Moutains. The drive is absolutely beautiful and Bainskloof village is used for many environmental workshops. As you can see in the pictures, the hike mostly consisted of jumping and climbing over rocks! It was absolutely beautiful, a little bit of a work out, and a great way to start getting a tan J

Following our time at Bain’s Kloof we stopped by Canal Walk Mall, got pizza, and spent more time with friends before heading to another Rotary Scholar’s house gathering/party. Given the day’s events Chrissy and I were pretty tired and spent most of the night at our apartment with friends. In other news, I’m slowly starting to understand Rugby after watching a lot of the Seven’s games from the tournament in Las Vegas this weekend (I’m assuming that nobody reading this even knew there was a rugby field in Vegas, ha!). Sunday consisted of relaxing, McDonalds for lunch, and going to Kirstenbosch Gardens for a summer concert to see Zebra and Giraffe! The concert was people of all ages with baskets of food and wine; very similar to the Jazz in the Sculpture Gardens in Washington DC.  

Following the concert, a group of us went to see the sunset at Clifton Beach. As much as I love the District, upon returning to DC I will definitely miss spending relaxing nights watching the sunset on the beach. 

Sunset at Clifton

Second Week

Chrissy and I moved into our new flat on Friday during Ray’s reunion and have spent the last week doing everything from grocery shopping to finding hair care products! In the midst of the activities we spent Sunday at Rhodes Memorial Restaurant to meet all the other Ambassadorial Scholars in this part of South Africa! Monday was Youth Night at the Newlands Rotary Club so brief presentations were given by early actors, Interact, Rotaract, and an Ambassadorial Scholar (me!). Although Rotarians themselves are usually of a more senior generation, it is wonderful to see the support and leadership development of youth people in community service. In regards to my ‘American accent’ it was quite sweet when one of the Interact girls approached me after my presentation to say “what is wrong with your English?” J

This past week has been filled with Post-Graduation Orientation and Registration at University of Cape Town. As with any university there has been a lot of paperwork and meetings but the staff at UCT have been very friendly and helpful! For an escape from all the logistics, Chrissy and I spent Tuesday afternoon visiting some of her friends and their adorable litter of golden retriever puppies. We enjoyed the sunset at Camps Bay (minus the intense wind & sand combination) while listening to Chrissy and her friends play the guitar. I look forward to a relaxing weekend before classes start on Monday. Please comment, email, gchat, call, or write me if there is anything in particular you would like me to discuss. ALSO, come visit!! J

Ray's Reunion

http://raysrotaryreunions.weebly.com/ 

Building Communities – Bridging Continents

President Ray

Every step of the way I am realizing more and more that coming to South Africa was the best decision possible. As mentioned previously, I could have landed in Cairo last week among the unrest. Although it would be a wonderful experience to witness history, it is unlikely that I would have been able to complete the Rotary Scholar year. Furthermore, this year is the 50^th anniversary of current Rotary International (RI) President Ray Klinginsmith’s Ambassadorial Scholarship to South Africa, also at UCT. Small world! Ray is the first RI President to have also been an Ambassadorial Scholar. (The Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar Program was started in 1947 and has funded over 40,000 ambassadors of goodwill!) As an Ambassadorial Scholar who has just arrived it was wonderful for me to meet Bud Kreh who was also here 60 years ago in 1951! Bud said the freighter trip from NJ to South Africa took three weeks; clearly I can’t complain about my 23 hours of plane travel! The purpose of Ray’s Reunion was to facilitate international service projects in Africa, particularly the ROTA (Reach Out of Africa) Initiative of Rotary International. What a perfect time to be a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in Cape Town!! J

Bud Kreh

At the 3-day reunion event I was fortunate to hear from former South Africa President and Noble Peace Prize winner F.W. de Klerk, current Rotary International President Ray Klinginsmith, World Bank Consultant (and DC residentJ) Peter Kyle, former South African Constitutional Court Judge Catherine O’Regan, South African Diplomat Francis Moloi, and former Finance Minister Trevor Manuel! Just some brief discussion of the speakers and topics:

-         South Africa, like many other emerging markets, is concerned with attracting and retaining the educated younger generations. Rotary International is concerned with the need for greater ethnic diversity and engagement of the next generation of Rotarians.

 

-          Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar (former Rotary International President) emphasizes ‘civilian peace’ and believes that if every 17 year old in the world could do an exchange program then there would be no war in the world

  Judge O’Regan see today’s greatest challenge as the need for networks and connections for reliable international regulation and a commitment to problem solving. As a former Ambassadorial Scholar herself she highlighted three purposes of the program:

o   Intellectual pursuits

o   Personal growth and confidence

o   Contribution to knowledge of the world and peace between nations

F.W. de Klerk

-        Former President de Klerk believes that the ability to manage relationships between ethnic, cultural, and religious communities is one of the world’s greatest challenges. Accordingly, he emphasizes the importance of the facilitation of migration of people while questioning whether the social-democracy model of the US will hold above that of economically driven entities like China and India


Francis Moloi, an Ambassadorial Scholar to Harvard and current South African Diplomat, discussed being armed with weapons to declare war on ignorance and violence. This is similar Carl Wilkens, the only American remaining in Rwanda during the genocide, who told a story of a man who made a difference in the lives of others with his personal ‘weapons’: his smile and his relationships. Mr. Moloi quoted St. Francis Assis ““Lord, make us instruments of your peace.  Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.  Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.  For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”

Trevor Manuel, former Minister of Finance, discussed five challenges (both risks and opportunities) in today’s world: food (security), world economy, employment (particularly among youth), technological change, and climate change. He stressed the risk of uncoordinated policy at a global level and stated that part of wanting to make a difference is in understanding how and where you can make the largest difference.

Welcome to South Africa :)

HAPPY FRIDAY! I hope people in the states are surviving the snow! This blog is for family, friends, Rotarians, mentors, classmates, and colleagues so I will try to entertain/accommodate everyone with a balance of pictures, fun stories, academic inquiries, and reflections. In the future my post will hopefully be a little shorter and more structured but here is a brief overview of my first two weeks:

When I applied for the Rotary Scholarship my first choice was Cairo, Egypt but as I left Dulles Airport on January 25^th it was clear that Rotary’s decision to send me to Cape Town, South Africa was a blessing! (Many of you know that I was living in the Middle East briefly in 2007 and I have a strong affinity for the culture and people in that region of the World). As is to be expected, I was packing until the last minute and had some difficulty begging the airlines to allow my OVERWEIGHT luggage on board without extra fees! After 23 hours of travelling Chrissy (my roommate and fellow Ambassadorial Scholar) and I arrived in Cape Town at 10 pm Wednesday January 26^th.

One of the many wonderful things about the Rotary Ambassadorial program is that Chrissy and I were greeted by our ‘host counselors’ at the airport!! It was such a blessing to have a host family to help us find housing, acquire cell phones, get bank accounts, and welcome us to South Africa for our first 10 days in the country. I was fortunate to get both a host counselor and another host family in South Africa! I spent most of my first two weeks living with my ‘host parents’ Jana and Mart, an absolutely wonderful pair of people. I immediately felt right at home and I am so thankful to have them as a adopted family in South Africa!

My first day in Cape Town consisted of making friends at a local coffee shop (Alma), walking around the famous Long St strip of stores and restaurants, visiting the Company Gardens near Wale St (pronounced like the animal and not the hip-hop artist as I’ve come to learn!), apartment hunting, and dinner! Fortunately my host mom Jana is a big tennis fan and I felt right at home watching tennis highlights of the Australia Open for my first few days in SA.

My second day in Cape Town consisted of visiting the beautiful campus of UCT (in Rondebosch). Chrissy and I both loved the tunnel graffiti and picturesque upper campus; however, we will definitely be getting our fair share of exercise because the size of campus and the stairs leading to upper campus! For lunch Chrissy and I accompanied Jana to meet a perspective South Africa who was keen to apply for the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship to the states in environmental studies (Chrissy’s field of interest). After dinner and a great conversation with Mart (spanning everything from Obama to Hurricane Katrina to US Healthcare policy), I telephoned home to reassure my parents that I had arrived safely. (The pictures on the left are of graffiti in the student tunnel to upper campus)

Saturday was spent with Chrissy at the mall (Cavendish) and then Llandudno Beach with her friends Cavan and Craig. That night I attended my first South African Braii (basically a BBQ) with my hosts’ extended family which was wonderful. My little brother Ben would definitely love all the food at a Braii! Sunday morning was spent with my official host counselor’s family in Constantia (similar to The Plains or Middleburg). For lunch we visited the Tea Room and the beautiful Kristenbosch Gardens! At dinner with friends of my host family I was mistaken for the Brazilian exchange student and told that my English ‘was quite good!’ (Tanya, my Brazilian best friend, of course appreciated this story).

After five days in the country, Chrissy and I had a very productive Monday! We learned how to shuttle from campus to the city, found a suitable flat, got bank accounts, and cell phones! I was also able to attend my first meeting at Newlands Rotary (my host club). I am greatly looking forward to interacting with the Rotarians in my host club and I have enjoyed many of the personal conversations to-date concerning politics and society in the States. In the future I will blog about some of the projects the Newlands Club is doing in the community.