Ubuntu

It's been a difficult week for the world as Madiba takes his final walk to freedom. But we are all much better for his presence on Earth and that is clearly evident in all we have witnessed in the last four days here in Johannesburg. Beyond the constant radio tributes and commercial spots paying him homage, the city and all of South Africa seems to be stopping to give thanks, smile more genuinely at one another, and pay their respects by striving to live his lessons. Even at 7 am on a Sunday morning, his house in Houghton (not his museum  house in the township of Soweto), was teeming with people grieving for our world's loss.

At school, my students and I read Chris van Wyk and Paddy Bouma's abridged children's story Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom while trying to figure out what the zulu word, UBUNTU meant. The word ubuntu is one that Mandela referred to often and literally translates to "human kindness." During Apartheid, ubuntu developed in to an ideology called Ubuntuism but became commonly used internationally once Mandela became president in 1994. 

As a philosophy, ubuntu is something we should all achieve for. To look for the virtue, goodness, and kindness in one another's human nature. To that end, my students and I reflected on how WE could demonstrate ubuntu. According to them, it doesn't take much: 

• "Be caring to people." 
• "Hug a person when they're sad."
• "Say, 'Thank you!'"
• "Don't judge people."
• "Be principled even when it's hard to do the right thing."

For some more pictures of the way we see beauty through grief, check out my Flickr feed.

Ubuntu

Ubuntu, a set on Flickr.

Reflections on Mandela's final walk to freedom.

Hail & Baby Lions

Hail & Baby Lions, a set on Flickr.

Grandma and Grandpa bring the hail and some lion love!

The good, the bad, and the soaking wet

As I sit here on the last days of my October holiday, I have time (mixed with the desire to procrastinate on report card writing) to sit back and take stock of the amazing adventures we've had in the last few months. I do this while my senses are at their peak: my tongue is teased by the delicious mixture of grapes from the Southern Cape while I drink one of South Africa's brilliant wines; my nose and eyes are burning with the smoke of our braai (the SA word for BBQ) as Rob prepares the charcoal for our regular weekend cook-out; and my ears are reaching for the distant sound of thunder as the summer storms (with their amazing light shows) are only about an hour from descending and deluging our humble abode.

We are lucky! We may be overwhelmed by the new move and the chaos of it all, but we know we are lucky.

Here is some of the chaos we are finding particularly challenging:

• our HUGE school, which is going through an array of development transitions, is so big we don't know who to talk to about what. That, and the changes it's going through, makes the answer to nearly every question, "Well, it used to be..."
• new colleagues, new rules, new curriculum, new students, new parents, and a TON of new names!
• buying a new-to-us car
• commuting 20-30 minutes to work (when, for the last 5 years, we've usually just been a short walk away!)
• waiting [sometimes not so patiently] over 8 weeks to get internet, satellite, and working phone service
• organizing essential tasks (like making dinner, doing homework, and organizing lunches) around our crazy schedules that has the four of us leaving the house by 6:00 am and getting home around 5:30 pm--we have had it really effortless for quite some time!
• sharing the road with ridiculous taxis (which you may remember as matatus from the Kenya days) who abide by no road rules and stop in front of you without warning
• trying to find a semblance of patience when the robots (or traffic lights) are out and the already terrible traffic jam becomes a near stand-still 4-way stop
• the awareness that this is NOT Kenya and so our idea of, "The settling in process will be easier..." had to be laid aside
• making new friends (a comment from the kids)
• and the list can go on and on and on...

But all that noted, we are also quite amazed by the great things that bring us joy:

• our school is physically lovely. Additionally, they have a brilliant vision and mission to give back to the country of South Africa, specifically to our local community of Diepsloot . They do this in a variety of ways, but I am most proud to work at a school that offers scholarships to 5-7 local township kids in 7th grade and pays their tuition (as well as room and board) through to their high school graduation!
• how quickly our dog gained back weight and confidence once arriving here in our new home (though if her crazy wacky ways return, we have also made friends with a dog trainer!)
• making new friends
• having a pool at our house
• the kids have their own rooms (though the current décor has left a lot to be desired)
• the lightening storms are brilliant
• variety! After spending 3 years in Indonesia we are amazed at the variety you can find here. Everything you can imagine is available (at a price). From breads, wines, and cheeses to game meats, pool equipment, and animal skins--most things can be purchased just minutes from our house (and even from the convenience of our own car!)
• and the list can go on and on and on...

All those great things, though, cannot undo the number of unforeseen (and noteworthy) challenges we've faced. Getting internet, satellite, and a car proved far more complicated than we had anticipated. The satellite saga was so funny, I shared it with my students as way of modelling how to write a story in which the problem gets worse before it gets better. And internet. Ugh! Though we have it now, we're still waiting for a refund from a company who said they could offer the service but couldn't once they came to the house. But now that we have internet at home it has lessened some of the work strain and helped us reconnect with all of you loved ones! 

But nothing was quite as challenging as the Friday we came home from school to a nanny who left early, the furniture company delivering our new bookshelves, a son with a high-fever, and a busted stop-valve in our master bathroom. Having never dealt with this in any of the homes we've lived in before, I must say, Rob and I did surprisingly well. After figuring out how to turn off our water main, we then we used the ever-popular "stomp-and-collect" method of soaking up water (think about Lucy and Ethell when they are stomping grapes and it should give you a visual of our cleaning method) and then twisting out towels in the bathtub. It was quite a feat (especially trying to get water out of the carpet), but also something we laughed about instantly (with a glass of wine in our hands!).

Over our holiday break we also made a pledge to do (virtually) no work. In lieu of work we lazed about, read books, made Halloween costumes and went on a short trip to Pilanesberg National Park. One of only 3 alkaline volcanoes in the world, Pilanesberg was formed over 2,000 million years ago when a huge volcano (even taller than Mt. Kilimanjaro) began erupting. The amazing geological aftermath is pretty staggering for those interested in geology. For those of us more interested in animals, visiting Pilanesberg is fascinating because its concentric rings and hills have created a number of different vegetation which, in turn, provides safe haven for a variety of animals. On our first-ever self-drive safari we were able to see giraffe, kudu, duiker, impala, springbok and klipspringer antelopes, zebra, wildebeest, warthog, baboon, a herd of elephants with two babies, two cheetah with a kill, and the elusive jackal. To top it all off, we camped--like real camping! After 13 years of marriage, we have never really camped. Yeah, we've done the tented camp thing on safari in Kenya, but with heated water bottles at the foot of the bed and running water that's more like the the Shangri-La of camping. In Pilanesberg, it was real camping--tents, sleeping bags, annoying toads that belched all night, and RAIN! We (as well as our sanity, our marriage, and our children's lives) survived. And we're already planning the next camping adventure.

Now, with just hours before bed and the start of another crazy week at AISJ, I will sign-off. I promise my next blog will be sooner and it should include some nice reminiscing details about adventures of our time with grandma and grandpa!