Beware of Construction

In my interview for this position, Andy (our director) mentioned that the school was in the beginning stages of a 5Year Plan. He described with great enthusiasm the amazing changes the campus would be going through over this time period to expand and increase its capabilities. The campus he envisioned sounded beautiful, and I was excited to see it for myself.

Fast forward six months and I find myself standing on the AISJ campus. It is beautiful with its open courtyards, landscaped lawns, and sprawling buildings. Of course, in order to see these things, you have to be able to look past the piles of torn down stone walls, open ditches in the middle of pathways, the frames of new buildings, the lovely hum of jackhammers splitting stone, the chime of copious hammers slamming nails, and the clouds of stone dust filling the air around every corner. J

Now, don’t get me wrong – I am not upset that the campus is in shambles. I truly believe that once all of the construction is done, this campus will be incredible. However, it is hard not to stand somewhere amongst the whole “mess” and not laugh. School starts on Wednesday, August 10^th, and there are an abundance of construction workers drilling, hammering, carrying stone slabs on their heads, or sometimes even napping next to a picnic table in the courtyard.

I am incredibly impressed with the calm demeanor of all those in charge despite the fact that our campus is not even close to being finished. Even more than this, I am inspired by the adaptability of those teachers in the elementary school who as of today (8/6) still don’t have a classroom! The 3 Kindergarten classes are creating three classrooms within the confines of the library! The positive attitude these teachers and a handful of others who don’t have classrooms is motivational! It reminds me that it doesn’t matter what the room looks like – just the learning and community that takes place inside the 4 walls.

I’m one of the lucky ones down in the Elementary portion of campus – I have a classroom. It is a great size, furnished with desk space and chairs for my 15 students and lots of supplies! We have spent about three days in our rooms attempting to set up and arrive at that state all of us teachers dream of – “ready for day #1.” In the states, I take my time preparing. I have been spoiled, in that I have always had a full month to set up my classroom. Therefore, this fast track to the first day of school has increased my stress level just a bit! BUT – every time I find myself getting a little overwhelmed, I remember that I actually have a classroom to set up . . . it could be worse! 

Soccer Practice (8/3)

I consider myself somewhat of a jock. With most sports I attempt, I can find success in some way or another. My genes have provided me with some coordination, a great cardio vascular system, and a level of energy that supports increased activity. For years I have spent my Monday nights releasing this energy on the field hockey field as part of a co-ed recreational league. I have always loved those hours on the turf.

Now, I find myself in a country obsessed with soccer. Immediately after signing my contract I went into withdrawals imagining a life without field hockey. I packed and shipped my field hockey stick, knowing full well the only real purpose it would serve down here in the land of soccer would be as a weapon to leave by my bed. Although I don’t plan on giving up hope that somewhere I’ll find a league to join down here, I decided the only way to fulfill my need for team sports would be to jump on the bandwagon.

Chelsea, my incredibly motivated and energized travel companion/friend found a soccer team that was in need of players. In an approach to step even further outside my comfort zone and to meet new people, I agreed to join Chelsea and our new friend Beth at a practice this past Wednesday night. Three things scared me: #1 - I haven’t exercised in over two and a half weeks! #2 – My hair elastics are packed in one of my boxes that has yet to arrive in Johannesburg, and we all know how much I sweat!! And finally #3 – I DON’T KNOW HOW TO PLAY SOCCER!

Well, after an hour and a half practice which consisted of laps, sprints, drills, and some 4V4 scrimmaging, I have to report that I didn’t do all that bad! I still MUCH prefer field hockey, but it was such a wonderful experience to join a group of local South Africans and play as a team. Practices are Mondays and Wednesdays, and I definitely think I’ll go back! Why not?! I just hope I don’t break an ankle trying to dribble the damn ball – I’m not ready to experience the South African health care system.

One of the neatest experiences of the evening occurred while we were gathering our things to leave. Beth pointed to the black night and said, “Hey – look at the moon!”  It was a crescent moon, but the exciting part was that the crescent was not facing sideways. It was on the bottom of the moon – almost as if it were the smile drawn on the moon. This was one of those moments where you realize life is different. I found myself confirming my world was upside down. It made me smile.

A Culturally Full Day (7/30)

One of our orientation events was to travel to an African Craft Market called Rosebank Market. This is a HUGE market with crafts, art, food, spices, and so much more! In some ways it resembled a large flee market, but in other ways it was like nothing I have seen before! Aside from driving on the opposite side of the road and car, this trip to Rosebank was incredibly cultural and truly enjoyable!

Walking in to the first “stall,” Chelsea and I immediately started smiling and saying “this is cool!” Everywhere you turned there were African masks, sculptures, beaded jewelry, and so much more. A man approached us immediately, “You my first customers. I give you a good deal!” Time to barter! Chelsea’s first purchase was a African mask keychain – only half the price the man asked for!  We were feeling pretty confident in our bargaining skills!

A few stalls down I picked up a wooden mask with reds, greens, and browns decorating the solemn face. A sweet woman walked up to me, “You my first customer. I give you good deal.” (apparently it didn’t matter what time it was – we were everyone’s first customer!) The woman told me she had made these masks (which later struck me funny seeing as the same masks were in about 15 other stalls all over the market, but anyway…). She explained that these were Zulu masks. One was the female mask and the other the male. In this tribe, there is a tradition that occurs before a couple marries. According to this woman, the woman is taken into the mountains and hidden. Her future husband is then released to go find her. He can marry his partner when he finds her. Now, I don’t know if this is a load of crap fed to me by a woman hoping I’d spend R90 (90 rands = about $15) on her masks, or if it truly is tradition in the Zulu tribe. When internet doesn’t cost a bundle and I have time outside of setting up my classroom, I’ll google it! J Either way, I bought the masks. I had to. For those of you who were at my going away party, my father shared a Zulu farewell song with us, and it seemed only fitting my first African art be a pair of Zulu masks.

After meeting up with Meghan and Evelyn, I spent some more money on three beautiful canvas paintings. They have yet to be stretched on wood because I was too cheap to spend an extra 300 Rand. The artist was at this particular booth, and explained the meaning behind each of his paintings. I bought one that is a couple walking together which is about their partnership (I figure it might give me luck in that department!), one of the others was the silhouette of a woman carrying a water basket on her head– something I have always been fascinated by, and the last was three people dancing, which to me represents energy and happiness. All three are extremely colorful, and I hope will look great on my new walls.

Our day did not stop after we left Rosebank. All 20 of us “new hires” boarded the buses headed toward the township of Soweto (on the way we got to see Soccer City – where the World Cup was played – can’t wait to go to a game!). Soweto is a township in South Africa which has become quite a tourist spot. It is most famous for being the former home of Nelson Mandella, but is also home to many well known South Africans alive and deceased. We only were able to drive through the township because there was no time to get out of the buses, but there is another trip planned where we will be able to get out and tour the area (with a guide). As we drove along the streets, the bus was quiet. We were all looking out the windows completely engaged in the view. Aside from a small of amount of larger brick shacks, most of the homes were run down metal shacks. Most of the roads were dirt and filled with children running from house to house. There were clothes lines strung between homes completely occupying the entire “lawn.” In one backyard (and I use this term loosely because there was no grass), a little boy was kicking a soccer ball at the wall, and beneath his feet was a mound of broken rocks and some garbage. As we passed a small patch of grass behind a fence, we saw a group of young boys playing soccer. In one corner of what must have been the back of a family’s home, a little boy was playing amidst garbage strewn on the ground.

All that I have describe probably makes you cringe, be glad you don’t live like this, or worry for my safety; however, the reason I am writing this is because the feeling we all seemed to share while riding by was one of safety and comfort. It is hard to put into words what feeling emanated from within the metal fences that enclosed Soweto. The word that continued to pop into my mind was community. Everyone seemed happy. The kids were smiling, the neighbors were sitting together in their miniscule backyards, families were walking TOGETHER down the dirt roads. Although I will not travel here alone or at night, there was not a bit of worry in my mind as we drove through. In fact, I found myself smiling at how good life seemed to be for these people despite the outward appearance of their living quarters. Our guide (a woman from AISJ named Donnaselay (sp?)) shared with us that one of the reasons Soweto is so popular with tourists is because of all the famous people who have achieved great things and remained living in the township despite their success. “It’s their home.”

We ended our great day with a catered dinner at our Director’s house. Talk about a contrast to what we saw in Soweto. One of the shacks in Soweto would probably be the size of Andy’s dining room! His house, paid for by the school (well deserved I have to say) is ENORMOUS!! I’m already looking forward to the next staff party! I enjoyed this night because it was a great chance to mingle and get to know (better) the other new hires. I am really looking forward to my time with these people. Not only do many of them come from incredibly diverse backgrounds, but they are all fantastic people (upon first impression). I think I made a great decision coming here! Despite the loneliness at night when I can’t come home and tell anyone about my day, missing my other half, family, and friends – this experience is going to be one of the best challenges I have ever chosen to tackle!

New Way to Meet the Locals

One of the highlights so far was when the director of Human Resources handed me an envelope with R15,000 tucked inside. The "R" I used stands for RAND, which is the South African currency. R15,000 is  equivalent to about $2,000 USD. When you have a nearly empty apartment, a boat load of cash, and a free day, the only logical thing is to spend! So, Chelsea, Samantha and I left the complex at about 10:30am - returned once around 3pm to drop off Round #1 of purchases - and finished our spree around 6pm as the store Checkers (equivalent of a Walmart) was shutting their lights off! It was an exciting day filled with some parking spot hopping (so no one would steal the items we put in our trunk in between stores), getting lost only once, and hitting a curb none of us saw!
We took about an hour to settle and find homes for some of our new purchases and then met up with Meghan and Evelyn for dinner. Sam offered to drive, so we all piled into her little white Hyundai. The restaurant we were meeting people at is called Molly Malone's (very Portsmouth-ish) and is an Irish Pub. No Irishmen to be seen though :) . We met up with Jason from Vancouver, Dee from Australia, Chris and Laura from Canada, and Robin from Australia. Like everyone else I have met so far, they are great people!
Our meal was nice; although, I probably will be careful not to order another burger - not the most delicious. I'm trying to find a beer that I like and hoped there may be some quality choices at this pub. Tonight I tried what is called Black Label. It's considered the "man" beer, while Haans (sp?) is considered the "woman" beer. I have now tried both. I guess I am a man because I prefer the Black Label. Regardless of which is better, it is clear to me, I will not find any beers here that top those from home. What I wouldn't give for a Peak Organic or even a good Sam!
As the night wore on and our eyes fell with the continuing effects of jet lag, we decided to head home. We all said our goodbyes in the parking lot as Sam tried to unlock the car. The lights flickered a bit. The locks did not open. It soon became clear to all of us that Sam had forgot to turn the lights off! Meghan and I went back into the restaurant to see if we could find someone with jumper cables (jumpers). After some cat calls and a few confused stares, we were able to find a man named Ryan from S.Africa who rode in on his white steed and saved the night.
Samantha handled the whole situation like a champ, and it definitely made the night exciting. Upon sharing this story with our director and the leadership team at dinner tonight, we were immediately teased about our approach to meeting the local men. I guess even in 2011, the damsel in distress act still works! However, I can assure you all, none of us will be seeing Ryan from S.Africa again! AND - we'll be sure to shut our lights off!

Rental Cars

I spent the morning growing very overwhelmed with ALL the information given to us about school: policies, handbooks, schedules, safety precautions, horror stories (so we can be prepared), insurance, health care...you name it! I kept reminding myself as I would feel the anxiety stirring in my stomach that I'm not alone and we all will get through it together, but man - it was A LOT! Our Director of the school (Andy Page-Smith) is amazing. From his perspective he probably saw the fear/anxiety in our blank stares, and he said: "Don't worry - you are my responsibility while you are in this country. You need anything; anything happens, you are scared in the middle of the night - you call one of us. We'll be there for you. You are never alone here." PHEW!

After a hot meal served to us in the cafeteria (hot was a key element seeing as it was easily in the lower 30's today), we all boarded a bus and headed to Budget Rental cars. Dun Dun Dun....time to drive on our own!! Sixteen of us paraded into the office ready to get the keys to our wheels; however, very few of us were actually ready to use them! I was given keys to a very new Chevy (light blue) sedan with leather seats, push button start, GORGEOUS! Parked three spots over was this rusted out, beaten up yellow-ish station wagon. In America this thought would never have crossed my mind, but today I wanted to go back into the office and ask if the wagon was for rent! It blows my mind the kinds of cars people drive here (mercedes, BMW, Lexus) given the high rate of hijacking. Despite my hesitation, I ended up driving the Chevy back to my apartment.

The 4 girls that live in the same complex with me (Chelsea, Samantha, Meghan, and Evelyn) and I agreed to follow each other "home" like a train. Samantha bravely took the role of lead car; Evelyn (our NYC friend who hasn't driven a car in years assumed the position as caboose. Three Honda Fits and Two Chevy (somethings) filed out of the Budget "carpark." Our bus drivers, George and Alfius (awesome guys!) were laughing as we slowly exited. The train broke up no less than 2 minutes later when the afternoon traffic of Fourways (our town) completely infiltrated the spaces between our vehicles. We were all given GPSs to help us get around for the next two years, so it wasn't so scary when we split up; however, it's true what they say about safety in numbers - or at least feeling safer amongst more people. As soon as I turned right onto William Nichol Drive (the main road) and came to a dead stop in the middle of the intersection I felt the nerves come alive! Cars were everywhere. People (obviously of a lower class - with all due respect) were walking up and down the road, right up to cars, trying to sell items. I just smiled, shook my head, and stared straight ahead. The drive was only 2.2km, but it felt like forever; and not just because of the insane traffic. Suddenly, all the warnings of hijacks and  smash&grabs settled in the front of my brain, and I was scared. BUT, as I looked around and saw people of every shape and size driving their cars around me, I reminded myself that they are warnings to keep my aware - not paranoid. As long as I use my head, drive defensively, and be careful - I'll be just fine!

When I drove into our complex, where you have to swipe a card to be let in, I stopped to say HI to Kenneth. He is one of the morning security guards. My friend Katie Scully (who moved to DC last year) very wisely advised me to make friends with these guys as soon as possibly. I took her advice and have met 3 out of the 4 of our guards. Today, I laughed with Kenneth about the fact that all 5 of us just drove into the complex on our own, and then I high fived him as I drove to my parking spot. It made me smile.

Tomorrow's a new day - a free day for shopping around (no school), so we've decided we'll get back out there and try our hand at the roads again. The reality is - no sense in fearing them...they are our reality for the next two years. Might as well get used to them!

I made it!

After many hours of very uncomfortable seats aboard the airline Etihad (has anyone heard of this one before?!), a stop over in AbuDhabi (temperature outside was 120F), and some tears in dark airplane filled with slumbering passengers - I made it! 

I was greeted at customs by a very friendly South African man, had a kind encounter with a stranger at baggage claim, claimed ALL the bags I checked, and was given a very warm and welcoming hug by the head of schools (the man who hired me) as he and my new principal picked me up from Johannesburg International Airport at 5am (about 11pm Eastern time). Things were looking and feeling good. 

It is currently 10:00pm on Wednesday night (4pm your time) and I have not slept (besides some very uncomfortable dozing on the plane) since Monday morning at 6am. Needless to say, this is a short post. I am off to bed. I put my new sheets on, covered it with my cozy down comforter (it is just about 30F here!), and found some hidden cards amongst my luggage from my amazing girls. Although I am missing home terribly, I am feeling good and a bit excited. I wish I could holler across the hall to Lori and tell her I love her and goodnight, but thanks to Skype I was able to do that earlier. So, I'm going to go lay my head down and finally sleep.

Lesson in Getting Frustrated

With about a week and a half to go before I was set to take off for JoBurg (as the locals call it), I received an email from Lesego (he works for the company that is arranging my Visa/Work Permit). In this email he shared with me that I needed to send my original passport in to the South African Consulate in New York City so they could complete my Work Permit application. I had no idea that I was supposed to have sent this passport in with my original paperwork, felt a little stupid for the mistake, and then went to FedEx and overnighted my passport. As I left FedEx I made the sign of the cross and silently prayed nothing would go wrong! Little did I know.
There are about 7 of us "newbies" heading to SA from the states, and all of us received an email on Thursday morning (7/21) from Lesego informing us that our passports/Visas had been completed and would be shipped that day. I was relieved. Several hours later as I was standing in the deli line at Shaw's, I received a phone call from a woman at the South African Consulate.

"You need to send a money order to the consulate immediately in order to get your passport."

Now, if you could have seen my face you would have immediately registered the panic. It was 4:30pm, and I had visions of the possibility of not receiving my passport in time. So, being the emotional one that I am, this panic was easily detectable in my voice. The woman continued to insist that I could only get my passport by sending in a money order. (By the way - I have never done a money order before - so this added to my panic!) As she continued to be very unhelpful and unsympathetic, I became frustrated with her. In hind sight - BIG MISTAKE! As I am standing in the empty wine aisle at Shaw's with tears streaming down my cheeks, she said to me: "Don't get an attitude with me - I am the one with your passport in my hand and you need it on Monday morning." Threats did nothing for my frustration level, and not long after the first threat, she issued the second: "Look, all these people here put together your Visa and you need it and your passport to get where you are going, so don't give me an attitude."
After rudely asking for the total of the money order again, I said "Bye!" with irritation in my voice and hung up.

I proceeded to cry (big surprise) throughout Shaw's, in my car, and to Fed Ex to overnight a money order for $25 to the South African Consulate. There was a VERY kind woman working at Fed Ex, who helped me get everything squared away - amidst my tears. Ultimately, I left Fed Ex hoping this time, my passport would come back to me.

After emailing Lesego and informing him of the money order ordeal, and admitting my lack of patience, I learned that mine was not the only passport to not be shipped out. In fact, all 7 of us needed to send money orders in or get in to the city to pick it up. On Friday morning, I received an email from Lesego, which said he had confirmation from the SA Consulate that my passport had been mailed out and would arrive to me on Saturday. PHEW - I could relax!

Wrong! On Saturday at noon, I still have not seen my passport. On the advice of some great people, Katie G and I went to FedEx to check on the status of my passport. To make a long story short, we learned through the help of another VERY KIND FedEx worker that my passport had never left the Consulate. Other packages went out, but not a single package was slated to arrive in NH at my address. She'd done it! That "you know what" from the consulate had followed through with her threats. My passport was sitting somewhere in the SA Consulate, which wouldn't be open again until 9am on Monday morning. My flight was scheduled to depart Boston at 6am. Now I was really panicking; however, I did stay somewhat calm because I reminded myself there was nothing I could do to fix it now. So, I emailed Lesego and Rhonda (HR at the school) and let them know what I had found out. Both were very shocked.

In the end, I spent the entire weekend completely unsure what was going to happen. On Sunday afternoon, I spoke with Rhonda and found out my flights had been cancelled, and I was rebooked on a flight leaving JFK at 10:50pm on Monday. New problem - how to get to NYC on Monday to get my passport and fly out. STRESS!!

My family was amazing. I know my mother was so upset and worried for me. I know my father was irritated that he couldn't fix it for me. And I know Lori and Scott would have done anything they could to make it better for me. My friends - the same! The whole situation was pretty crappy, and it looked like the only solution was to head to NYC to pick up the passport before the flight. SO, because I have the best family and friends, they drove me to New York. After a very sad final goodbye to my incredible mum and dad, we pulled out of my driveway. Lori, Brandon, Katie, Rich (many others offered and would have driven me if they could have - and I appreciate this!) and I drove the 4.5 hours down to New York making the first leg of this journey to my new world fun and incredibly more bareable. I did a little happy dance and let out a huge sigh of relief when my passport was finally in my hands, and then we celebrated with lunch and a cold beer!
My "Operation South Africa" Team, with the direction of Brandon, rented a limo, and we drove to the airport in style! With two bottles of champagne and many laughs (and some tears) we drove the distance to JFK. Then - all that was left was Goodbye.