South Africa Travel Journal

I'm in South Africa!!! It's still hard to believe I'm really here -- that I would be so blessed to be given this opportunity by the International Boys’ Schools Coalition and by University School.

Today began on a total visual high with a cable car ride up to the top of Table Mountain, which overlooks Cape Town. You know when you're in an airplane and looking down at the tops of the clouds, like they're fluffy marshmallows and spun cotton candy beneath you? That's what looking down on Cape Top in the morning is like, the occasional skyscraper breaking through the cloud cover here and there. From the edge of the clouds emerges two mountains, each with beautiful rock formations and greenery. And now imagine it all lit up by that beautiful light you only get first thing in the morning… absolutely unreal. I took about 100 photos, but of course, none of them begin to do the real thing any justice. As if that weren't good enough, I got to see rock dassies -- furry little critters that look like a cross between a guinea pig and a prairie dog. Bonus point: a mommy-and-baby pair of rock dassies!

The mood changed from awestruck to reverent as we boarded the ferry for Robben Island, which houses the prison in which Nelson Mandela, Motlanthe, and countless other South African leaders were held during apartheid. We toured the Island and visited Mandela's cell, as I had expected we would, but the real treat was meeting Derek. Derek was imprisoned on Robben Island for 20 years for joining in the fight against apartheid. He gave us a glimpse into what prison life was like, including the ways in which the prisoners were further segregated (according to what "type" of non-white they were) upon arriving at the prison, each group receiving different treatment, from how many blankets they were given to the food allocations they were allowed. It's easy to say that Derek is admirable for his work fighting apartheid, for his resilience during his time on the island, and for the work he does now educating people about the nation's past so future generations might not repeat these mistake. Of course that's all true. But what was really amazing was how Derek acknowledged the oppression he faced, but ultimately conveyed a positive message of progress and hope throughout his presentation, telling us of the small victories he witnessed during his time on Robben Island: The day the prison replaced their straw floor mats with beds. The day the prison uniforms became just that--uniform--after acting as a visual representation of the segregated sub-groups for so long. Derek was able to recognize the humanity and gradual change in heart occurring within his captors (and the Afrikaner community at large), and he chose to fix his gaze on those beacons. He is truly an amazing man, and this was truly an amazing start to this once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Bonus: The staff at the guest house, besides being warm and friendly, set up a breakfast display that is just out of this world. This morning, I had fresh papaya, passion fruit (it's crunchy!), and an herbed cottage cheese so good that I'll probably end up dreaming about it tonight.

I thought nothing could top yesterday... and then today happened. The day commenced with a trip to Kirstenbosch, Cape Town's botanical garden. It was so cool to see certain plant varieties that we don’t have in the States. The highlight of that segment was the canopy walk, which led you up a bridge and over the tops of the trees. The view of the mountains from up there was indescribable -- I can't wait to show everyone pictures! Howard (formerly of University School, but currently living in Australia) is in for the conference, so he joined us gals yesterday and will be traveling with us the rest of the trip. He has been a hobby photographer for years and has a really high-end camera and the know-how to wield it, so I will have amazing quality photos to share with all of you, thanks to Howard.

Next, we were off to a couple of local beaches. At Muisenberg Beach, we leisurely walked the shoreline and found some seashells for Cortney's kids, Antonio and Gio. At Boulder Beach, we saw PENGUINS! There is a type of penguin that only lives along the coast of Africa, nicknamed the jackass penguin because of the noise it makes. The beach was full of them, and we were able to get surprisingly close. The highlight of that portion of the day was the abundance of fluffy brown baby penguins -- I thought my heart was going to explode from cuteness overload.

Lunch was at a restaurant not just overlooking the ocean, but literally OVER the ocean because of how the building was designed; our seating section jutted out over the rocks and water. There were seals sunning themselves on the rocks directly beneath us.

The bulk of the day was spent at the Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost tip of the continent. We hiked up to the lighthouse overlooking the Cape for more unbelievable views. I say "unbelievable" quite literally, as Cortney and I kept muttering "how is this even possible" and "this can't be real" over and over again, struggling to fully comprehend the beauty. It was truly overwhelming. Again, I can't wait to share photos with everyone, even though I know there are so many things they won't be able to capture -- the crisp air on your face from the top of the mountains, the smell of the ocean water, the way the mountains and flora and clouds and sea foam look entirely different every hour as the light changes and the shadows shift. The setting sun illuminating the mist rising from the sea where the waves hit the rocks was, again, unreal. While at the Cape of Good Hope, we saw antelopes from a distance, ostriches from only a few yards away, and baboons from only a few feet away. We even saw mother baboons nursing their babies!

Our evening was spent getting to know a couple of local musicians. We started by having dinner in the home of composer and multi-instrumentalist Hilton Schilder, who treated us to a private concert afterward. We heard original compositions (mostly jazz) on the guitar, piano, and mouth bow. The mouth bow looks like a simple bow: a curved piece of wood with one taut wire string extending end to end. Hilton put one corner against his bottom lip, rhythmically hit the wire string with a small mallet to create a fundamental pitch, then changed the shape of his mouth (lips and tongue) to bring out various overtones to create the melody that rose above the drone. This was similar to the overtone singing from Tuva, but without vocal production behind it. It was VERY cool.

Next, we went to the home of Ongx, a young up-and-coming guitarist and vocalist. His soulful voice touched us, his audience engagement entertained us (he did a little call-and-response with us, then had us singing an ostinato in Xosa while he improvised over it), but more than anything, his story moved us. Ongx has used the lessons learned from South Africa's Steve Biko to guide his life philosophy and his work as an artist. Ongx founded an organization that is bringing music to youth of post-apartheid South Africa. He said, "Our goal is to fill the hands of every kid on the streets with a harmonica or a djembe or a guitar, rather than the knives and guns so many carry now." Ongx is using music as a platform for creating connections between people and crossing color barriers. Biko had remarked that blacks and colored (what South Africans call mixed-race individuals) need to realize that they are simply humans, and not inferior, and that whites need to realize that they are simply humans, and not superior. This is what Ongx is trying to help the youth in the area realize as they make these connections with one another, with music acting as the catalyst for those connections. Ongx also remarked that a lot of people think his goal is too lofty, but that as Mandela once remarked, "Everything seems impossible until it's done." Ongx's gentle strength is remarkable. He expressed interest in staying connected and creating a partnership between our respective organizations/kids, so we exchanged contact info. His work fits in seamlessly with the "music as a social force" unit my eighth graders undertake, and facilitating some sort of communication between the two groups would be so rewarding. I'm excited to see how this might unfold!

And that's a wrap for day 2.

We spent today in South Africa's beautiful wine country. I don't drink wine, so my commentary on this portion of the trip is rather short. I did enjoy the beautiful scenery, the excellent company, and the olive oil tasting in which we participated -- white truffle infused olive oil, yum!

Our guide these past 3 days was Michael, a South Africa native and member of the Sotho tribe. He was absolutely fantastic. What I enjoyed most about our time with him, aside from all of the exciting destinations to which he brought us, was his commentary throughout the car rides to and from these destinations. We learned so much about South African culture from him, including the languages, the class system, the government, tribal traditions, daily life, history, the economic climate, the social climate, and so much more. Gail, Courtney, Howard, and I were fascinated by everything he had to say, and we are so grateful for how he enriched our South African experience.

On a random note, the air in South Africa smells incredible. When we first stepped off the airplane late Monday night, the smell was the first thing we noticed. We wondered if it was just the airport, or just that immediate area, but as we traveled these last few days, the smell has followed us. South Africa smells a bit like a bonfire, only sweeter and more subtle.

Tomorrow morning, we board a plane and head north to Sabi Sands for our 3-day Safari (never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd ever get to say THAT!)

There are no words, but I'm going to try.

This morning, we said goodbye to our friends at Le Lezard Bleu and hopped on a plane headed north to Sabi Sands, which is part of South Africa's Kruger National Park. The park is larger than the state of Ohio, and it is our playground these next three days. The car ride from the airport to Dulini (our lodge) was made enjoyable both by the wildlife we saw along the way--monkeys, kudu, impala, and a napping white rhino--and by our hilarious driver, Paul, who educated us about what we might experience these next few days. (Paul: "What's the difference between a monkey lover and a monkey hater? Five days.") When we arrived at Dulini, there were warthogs grazing on the lawn, and a pair of bushbuck crossed our path on the way to our room... and what a room! The room Cortney and I are sharing is out of this world -- chandeliers made out of animal teeth, a private balcony overlooking Kruger, private outdoor shower, a warm plunge pool, a fire in the fireplace as I'm typing this right now... We feel like honeymooners!

At 4:00, we embarked on our first safari outing. This is the part for which my words will simply not be enough. I never imagined we'd see so much wildlife immediately from the get-go. We saw more impala, hyenas, and two baby warthogs with their momma. Gail has been gushing about how she just wants to see a giraffe, and sure enough, we saw two grazing together on the nearby trees. These gentle giants were absolutely stunning. The real highlight for all of us, however, was the mother leopard and her two cubs. You cannot even imagine how cute they were -- they were fuzzy and grey, had blue eyes, and were no larger than house cats. We watched as the mother leopard first groomed her cubs, then fed them, then dozed off as the cubs climbed a nearby rock and started playing together. At one point, one of the cubs put his hand on his brother's back and just chilled there for a bit, like they were best buddies. At another point, one of the cubs picked up the other one’s tail in its mouth and started playing with just the tail. My heart could have exploded. When the cubs finally climbed down off the rock and back to their mother, she greeted each of them by wrapping her front paw around them in a little leopard hug. And yes, I have pictures coming of all of it!

Once it grew dark, we drove around with a beam of light attempting to spot the big cats. We didn't see any lions tonight, so we stopped the jeep, turned everything off, and gazed up at the stars. There are some things that are so beautiful that every time you see them feels like the first time. While this certainly was awe-inspiring enough to qualify, I truly was seeing this particular night sky for the first time. As Cape Town was too cosmopolitan for such a viewing to be possible, this was my first time seeing the stars from the Southern Hemisphere. Our guide, Patrick, showed us how to locate Venus, Jupiter, the southern cross, Sagittarius, Scorpio, and more. I've had so many moments on this trip during which I've pinched myself at the beauty of this earth (and now beyond).

Back at the lodge, Maurice (another staff member) escorted us to a dinner shared with the other guests. There are two points to clarify here: first, that you can't leave your room without an escort because, as they say, "you never know where the leopard is." (!!!) You also have to leave your door locked at all times, because the moment you step away, the baboons try to break in! Second, by "other guests," we're talking about only 4 other people in addition to our own 4-person party. One of the reasons Gail chose this lodge for us out of the many in the area is because of its privacy and intimacy. It is beyond serene. At lunch, we remained mostly silent with only the occasional whisper here and there because the absolute serenity of this place feels almost sacred. After dinner, however, the mood changed to one of surprise and celebration when 9 of the staff members processed in wearing traditional skirts and head wraps while singing and dancing South African folk tunes around the fire, sometimes accompanying themselves with a drum. Truly, none of this is lost on me; not one moment is taken for granted.

Another amazing day. We headed out in the jeep first thing in the morning, while it was still dark. In addition to the gorgeous sunrise we caught, we also saw another giraffe, three grown hippos and one baby hippo popping their heads in and out of the water, kudu, impala, nyala, and a mother lion with her three cubs. The cubs were fairly large, about six months old. They frolicked and played with one another while the mother chewed on a kudu carcass -- and from only 15 feet away from us!

After breakfast, we headed back out on foot, Patrick leading the way and armed with a rifle just in case. Throughout the hike, Patrick pointed to various types of tracks and taught us how to identify what animals they were from. He also taught us about some of the local plant life and those plants' various uses. From a scenic overlook, we saw a giraffe's head sticking out above the tree canopy. We also saw six zebras, and yes, they were beautiful.

We went out in the jeep again at dusk, and we saw the thing I had been most hoping we would: elephants! The sight quickly surpassed my expectations. They were just so majestic -- and yet claiming and gentle at the same time. I ADORE elephants. We also saw crocodiles for the first time and the hippos a second time. The night could not have ended with a more fascinating sight than the one it did: a male lion feasting on a buffalo he had killed. Sure, it was a little graphic, but wow! He was beautiful. He was so relaxed and content eating his kill, occasionally even yawning, that we were again able to watch from the unbelievable distance of only 15 feet!

The food here is amazing. Today, I had papaya and passion fruit for breakfast, ostrich for lunch, and kudu for dinner. Also, South African coffee is so much better than any other coffee I've ever tasted.

I still can't believe any of this is real, and I'm still in complete awe of just how beautiful this place is. I’m very much looking forward to tomorrow. Happy 4th of July to everyone back in the states!

Before describing what we saw today, let me explain just how we are able to see all the amazing things that we are. First, Sabi Sands is a game reserve, which is "an area of land set aside for the conservation of wild animals," so the animal population here is thriving due to the lack of hunters or poachers. Second, our guides (a ranger and a tracker) are outstanding. I've been fascinated by their knowledge and skill in discerning where different animals might be, from studying the tracks on the ground to anticipating what they might be doing at a given time of day. For example, yesterday, they found a pair of male and female leopard tracks side by side and fairly fresh, so they knew a mating pair was nearby. Leopards will mate every 15-20 minutes, 24 hours per day, for 4 days. Because they make a particular noise when mating, we drove in the direction of the tracks, stopping the jeep and turning off the engine every so often to listen for the leopards. As another example, termites leave these huge mounds of hardened mud that dry and look like rocks. When the termites leave, armadillos hollow them out to make a home. Once an armadillo is lo longer inhabiting that space, other animals like warthogs use those as shelter, for example, when it rains. So larger animals like leopards will wait at the top of the mound during such times, waiting for the shelter-seeking animal to come out (and is thus a great waiting place for safari viewing). Our ranger knew where the male lion was likely to be because they had spotted an injured buffalo there a couple days earlier, and they knew he was likely to become prey -- once the lion takes its kill, it will stay with the carcass for a few days, eating. You wanna see hyenas? Just go to the last place you spotted that lion, and the hyenas are likely to be scavenging the remains, as they are able to break apart the ribs with their strong jaws to get at the meat the lion couldn't. It's been really fascinating. Third, the network of rangers is keen on helping one another, so you often hear rangers on the radio describing their coordinates and what they are seeing there, allowing others within reasonable distance to take advantage. Fourth, the vehicle we're in is pretty impressive, which makes the ever-changing terrain possible to navigate. Rivers, sand dunes, denser areas of the bush? No problem. Skinny 9-foot tree in our way? We just drive right over it. Fifth, we are able to get so close to the animals for the same reason that, say, elephants can walk past lions and crocodiles and the like and not scare them off. The animals view the safari vehicle as one large mass - another sort of beast that comes around every so often, stays a while, then leaves. It never hurts them or tries stealing their food, so they grow up seeing the vehicles here and there and accept them as non-threatening. Now, if you were to come by on foot, you'd have an issue. And if you were to stand up in the jeep (it's an open-air vehicle), you would break the silhouette and become threatening, and then you'd also have an issue. I've been really pleasantly surprised at how close we can get.

Now, onto today. Our first item of business was to go to the place we had seen the mother and two baby leopards a couple nights ago, where the mother had left the babies to go hunting, in hopes that she had returned. Sure enough, there they were! She had killed an impala, eaten the body herself at the kill site, and brought the head home for the babies. Our ranger told us that though the cubs are still nursing, this will expose them to meat for the first time. The next time the mother kills something, she will leave the carcass, go get the babies, and bring them back to the kill site. After spending a lot of time watching the leopards, we set out to find a cheetah. Another ranger had radioed that he had spotted fresh tracks a ways away, so we drove to join him and help with the search. After spending the morning tracking, we indeed did not find the cheetah. Plenty of interesting stuff happened in the meantime, though! Out of nowhere, a mother giraffe and a baby giraffe came sprinting past. When we discovered the reason--a nearby beautiful male leopard--we followed him around for a bit. At one point, he jumped on top of a termite hill to gain a better vantage point for finding his breakfast. Howard went nuts over the amazing camera shots the leopard was affording us, and it really was as though the leopard was modeling and knew it. At one point, a big female hyena walked right past, and the leopard stood up and followed her intently with his gaze and his body language, as if to tell her anything that might come by is his kill, not hers. When the leopard left, we drove to a large watering hole and got out of the jeep for hot cocoa to warm ourselves up (it's quite cold, if I haven't mentioned that yet -- it's winter here, and mornings and evenings in the jeep require coats, blankets, winter hats, gloves, etc.) Hippos were popping their heads out of the water from the middle of the watering hole as we sipped our cocoa -- what a way to start the day! On our way back to the lodge, we saw a group of buffalo. They certainly don't win the most attractive animal award, but it was cool to see the symbiotic relationship between them and the birds that are all over them, eating the bugs off of them.

At lunch, a monkey jumped on the table, stole our bread, and dashed off with it! Also, I ate eland, a member of the antelope family.

At dusk, we headed back out and saw a male leopard, wildebeest, waterbuck, and hyenas. The highlight of the night was a veeeery curious baby hyena that couldn't quite figure out what we were and wanted a closer look, sneaking closer and closer to the jeep, bit by bit, until he was standing right at the foot of the vehicle looking up at us! At one point, I was worried (okay, hopeful) he would jump in. Let me tell you what -- baby hyenas are CUTE. I can't believe how many baby animals, specifically, we've seen! Giraffe, leopard, lion, hippo, elephant, warthog, hyena, even a baby nyala (plus baboon at the Cape of Good Hope and rock dassie at Table Mountain earlier in the week.) Everyone said no, that is not typical at all - we just got really really lucky! The babies are born year round, not relegated to spring like in the colder states, but you also have to keep in mind that the female big cats will not mate for at least two years when they have babies. So yeah, we really got lucky.

Some animal fun facts: 1) Male rhinos leave all their poop in one giant pile to signal that they own that territory (others just poop all over). Then they roll in it and walk their territory to spread the scent and define their boundary. If a female poops in the dominant male's pile, she's letting him know she's randy. If another male poops in it, he's signifying that he's the boss of all that land and all the ladies on it. He's challenging him. 2) When female cats--like leopards and lions--decide to mate, they really get around. They mate with every male, not just one. This is so that the males don't know whose babies she just had. If there's a chance the babies are his, a male lion/leopard won't kill them. If, however, the female lion/leopard only mates with 3 of the available 4 males, the fourth will kill the babies, knowing they're not his. So she does this to protect the babies. This is also why male new arrivals to the pride will kill all of the existing babies in the pride. 3) Hyenas always have 2 babies. Hyena groups are matriarchal in nature. So if two males are born, they get along and don't battle for dominance. If one male and one female are born, they don't battle for dominance, because the female is automatically above the male. If, however, two females are born, one of them will kill the other sometime between the ages of 2 to 3 months.

A hyena is howling outside of our room at this very moment -- so cool!

Tomorrow morning, we head out before dawn for our final outing in the jeep before flying back to Cape Town for the conference. I definitely don't want to leave this place, but because it is inevitable, I will soak up these last few moments like a sponge!

This morning was our final time out in the jeep before leaving Dulini. We hadn't yet seen the fifth of the "big five," so we went tracking white rhino. At one point, both our tracker, Tyrone, and our ranger, Patrick, left the jeep and headed into the bush to do some tracking, as they often did. As we sat there waiting and enjoying the sunrise, all of the sudden Tyrone tore out of the bush at a sprint -- his accompanying giggle was half excited, half panicked, and we didn't know what to think. He hopped in the jeep and floored it to pick up Patrick. That's when we heard the growl of a leopard in the distance -- Tyrone had been excited that one was so close, but at the same time, the leopard seeing them on foot would have made for a bad situation! They said that was the female leopard calling to a male to come mate, so we headed in the opposite direction in search of the male, and we found him. He was marking his scent all over the territory as he walked, digging divest and peeing in them, spraying bushes, rubbing up against trees, etc. At one point, he laid down in a pile of buffalo poop and started rolling around it. Patrick said this was so the poop, too, would even smell like him rather than like the buffalo. After leaving the leopard, we headed to a scenic overlook to enjoy the remainder of the sunrise and some hot cocoa. We then continued tracking the rhinos, and we found them. They are huge, weighing in at 2 tons each. We had to call it a day earlier than usual, since we had a plane to catch, so we started heading back, but we were lucky enough to see more buffalo and another rhino on our return trek. The rhino had been in a fight, though, and he was pretty beaten up and a little bloody :-(

Back at the lodge, the monkeys saw the delicious breakfast we were enjoying, and one (possibly the same one who stole our bread yesterday) started shimmying down a tree and inching closer to us. Patrick got out his slingshot, and that little guy got the message pretty quickly and ran away!

And then it was on a plane and back to Cape Town, where our conference begins tomorrow. It was so sad to leave that little slice of paradise. Courtney, Gail, and I were wondering what adjective could do Dulini and our experience there any justice, ultimately deciding that "indescribable" was the most appropriate term. It's just not possible to capture any of it in words. We are so blessed to have had the chance to experience what we did.

I should also mention here that one of our favorite things so far about the trip as a whole is all of the wonderful people we've gotten to know. We have been so touched by the kindness, generosity, and gentle spirits of the people with whom we've spent time this past week: Maurice, Patrick, and Tyrone at Dulini; Chris and Lizzie at Lezard Bleu; Michael, our Cape Town guide; Derek at Robben Island; and Hilton and Ongx, the local musicians. Hearing their personal stories--like how Maurice has to travel 3 days to and 3 days from Malawi to visit his wife and family during his breaks (they work 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off)--is a reminder of just how lucky we are to have it as easily as we do in America. And the positive outlook they have in the midst of their adversity--whether it be the time Derek spent as prisoner on Robben Island or seeing the less than ideal living conditions in the government-formed township in which Ongx lives--is something to which we all can aspire.

Back in Cape Town, the day began with some yoga, a trip to the market to find some afro-jazz and South African gospel music for my dad, and with cappuccino overlooking the harbor with Gail, Cortney, and Howard. We all have a little bit of culture shock today, coming from a few days in the most serene place we've ever experienced and back to cosmopolitan Cape Town. I think we each left a little piece of ourselves at Dulini.

Next, it was time for the annual conference of the International Boys’ Schools Coalition. The conference couldn't have opened in a more special way than it did, with a talk from Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Though most are familiar with Tutu's work in promoting peace, justice, and passive resistance in response to apartheid, perhaps you did not know--nor had I--that Tutu's first career was not the priesthood, but was education. The Bantu Education Act was introduced just as he was settling into his career. The act mandated that black students be taught less than their white counterparts in order to help them better settle into careers of servitude. Black students were taught just enough English and Afrikaans to understand their white masters. The legislation prompted Tutu to leave the teaching profession, which is when he found his second calling in the church.

Tutu spoke mostly about the principle/philosophy of Ubuntu, which is humanity to others, or, more specifically, "I am who I am because of who we all are." Ubuntu references the interconnectedness between all people. Given that my own identity research is rooted in the principles of social psychology, this clearly resonated with me. Tutu, as is evident from his life's work, is a wise and compassionate soul. When he spoke, though his words were delivered so softly and gently, everyone was on the edge of their seat. He is pointedly honest in a way that inspires conviction, yet his delivery is so warm and understanding that you feel guided to love better rather than judged for not loving well enough. Here are some excerpts, transcribed as best I could, but undoubtedly missing a word here and there:

"I have been blessed to meet all different kinds of people: men, women, transgender, Jews, Christians, Muslims, homosexuals, heterosexuals, black, white, yellow, red, curly haired, straight haired, people with freckles... All of you without exception were born innocent, for goodness and love... Us, humanity, we are members of one family--God's family--and were made for interdependence."

"A person with Ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, and is not afraid of the abilities of others... When we live with Ubuntu, we accept others in all their diversity and integrity. We walk reverently on their holy ground, taking off our shoes... We have the particular responsibility as educators to instill in our charges the reverence for others -- ALL others."

Tutu spoke of Mandela's legacy. Mandela reached out to former political enemies and oppressors, believing all were entitled to Ubuntu. "He believed one must acknowledge others, affirm for others, build for others, listen to others." ... "We have become overcome by greed. We have allowed the interest of capital to outweigh the interest of human beings in our world." Tutu asserted that we are in need of a more tolerant, considerate, and compassionate approach.

Tutu told the story of the boy picking up starfish and throwing them back into the ocean, one by one, after the tide had washed several ashore. A man came by, saw what he was doing, and told him it was pointless -- there were too many starfish on the shore for him to save them all, and what did it matter anyway? The boy replied, "For this starfish, it is important." Tutu's message to the younger generation is to "Go on and dream, to be idealistic. Don't allow our cynicism to affect you. With this, we can have a better world." There was something of Mandela (who said, "It always seems impossible until it's done") echoed in Tutu's words.

We also heard a message from Khalil Osiris, who was incarcerated for 20 years and who used prison as a metaphor for self-imposed limitations. The ideas we internalize about ourselves--often times prompted by larger societal messages, but nonetheless ours to adopt or reject--keep us from living well.

Delegates from 11 countries and 346 schools are in attendance this year, so I'm looking forward to meeting some more fascinating and friendly people during my final few days in South Africa.

Today began with a presentation from Judge Edwin Cameron, who was a human rights lawyer during apartheid, an outspoken critic of former president Thabo Mbeki's AIDS-denialist policies, and is currently Judge of the Constitutional Court (South Africa's highest court). Cameron spoke about the importance of instilling in young people a sense of their own agency, as well as a sense of possibility. Schools become pivotal forums for this because each school is a microcosm, and thus, every decision you make exercises power. We have people at their tenderest age, and what we do with them, in our authority within that microcosm, forms their understanding of the world. As they open their minds to what we preach and to what we model, we can either demonstrate our own commitment to values like social justice and inclusion, or we can detrimentally perpetuate things like privilege and disparity. Cameron believes accepting otherness is imperative in fighting for the kind of world/society that our students' own agency makes possible.

After the morning session, we were free to split off and attend a number of sessions occurring concurrently, depending on our areas of interest and specialty. Because of my coaching assignments at University School, I first attended a session that addressed current paradigm shifts in school sports and the new challenges they present. Subtopics included inappropriate professionalization of school sports (including the shift of focus from competing to winning), the roles of nature and nurture in sport, the increased demand for instant gratification, increased media involvement in school sport, spectator behavior, team selection and talent identification, and the perils of too-early specialization (increased injury, burnout, and dropout rates). The dangers of early sport specialization--and, ironically, the absence of any benefit of specialization prior to the ages of 15 or 16--were backed by substantial data and empirical studies that are difficult to dispute.

Next, I attended a series of 3 presentations on topics related to developing leadership in students. Delegates from one school spoke of how they are incorporating student leadership into content areas across the board, a delegate from a second school spoke of his school's servant-leader model, and a delegate from a third school talked about a course they designed in order to educate students about how to control their executive functions so that they can better self-manage.

The final series I attended today detailed three separate action research projects that grew out of the "maker's movement." Each of the three researchers either completed their projects within the arts classroom or used art as an entry point for another content area, so it caught my interest. By employing boys as makers within those contexts, the boys' understanding was deepened, and curiosity and initiative were ignited. These sessions gave me some practical ideas that I plan to incorporate into my own repertoire.

Cortney and I both present tomorrow, so wish us luck!

The day opened with a talk from Dr. Wilhelm Verwoerd, who was born into an apartheid-supporting Afrikaner family and whose grandfather was Prime Minister during the era of segregation. "It took Wilhelm more than 20 years to face the systematic dehumanization of apartheid, leading him to join the African National Congress in the early 1900s and to work as a researcher within the Truth and Reconciliation Commission" (program notes). Wilhelm tied his own story into implications for the classroom, insisting that we need to construct the classroom to be a risk-accommodating space. If we are serious about reconnecting as humans, about reconciliation, it needs to start with our own willingness to take risks -- to be vulnerable by opening ourselves up to others. When we think of Ubuntu, we think about reaching out to the other, but just as important is having the humility to open oneself to otherness.

Next, I attended a session regarding fostering global citizenship, which included the exploration of such issues as identity, empathy, action, and power. The presenters talked about a course they designed in which students explored these notions in history (thematically rather than chronologically), in the media, and in societal practices (including their own daily practices). The session was both thought-provoking in a more abstract way as well as incredibly practical in terms of informing revisions to my curriculum.

And then it was time to present. It was scary, as always--I don't know if stage fright ever goes away--but it went well! I presented on employing multiple learning modalities in facilitating the development of emotional intelligence in boys. Unfortunately, Courtney's presentation on theme teaching ran opposite mine during the same session, so we didn't get to attend one another's… although, by the amount of pacing and practicing and reciting we did last night and this morning in one another's presence, we probably could have swapped and presented one other's if we had wanted to!

The conference delegates spent the evening at the wineries for tastings and the waterfront for dinner, but since Cortney and I had done that during our initial sightseeing in Cape Town, we opted for something else. We hit up a restaurant (really more of an "experience") we had heard about called Gold. Our evening began with a drumming lesson and jam session on the djembe, followed by a 14-course sampling of traditional African foods. The meal was accompanied by South African instrumentalists, singers, dancers, theatrics, and face painting. We had so much fun :-)

We are sad to know that tomorrow is our final day in South Africa, but we are also glad to know that we will soon be returning to the people and fur babies we love.

Dr. Ian McCallum addressed us this morning, speaking of the connection between human identity, ecology, and the concept of Ubuntu. Reminder, if needed: Ubuntu is, loosely translated, "I am who I am because of who we all are." Whereas general thought around Ubuntu links the self to others in terms of one human to another human or to human communities, Ian linked the self to the biosphere -- landscape, animals, etc. Humans have three levels of intelligence: reactive/biological, responsive/social, and reflective/cortical. The hallmark of the social animal is its capacity to say no to reactive "me" impulses and to engage in responsive "me and you" kinship recognition, powerful in societies and reinforced by beliefs systems, values, customs, rituals, and the formation of in-groups and out-groups. When the out-group becomes the enemy, the reactive brain stem impulses win out and override reflective cortical intelligence. At the reflective cortical level, we find ethics. Ethics is different from morality, because it's something you discover through the self. Although ethics and morality are not mutually exclusive categories, one sometimes realizes they don't want to do things (ethics) the way they were taught (morals). Following through on this requires a great deal of courage. Whereas the reactive is "me," and the responsive is "me and you," the reflective becomes "I, Ubuntu." Ian talked about keystone species -- species whose removal from the biosphere would negatively impact other areas of that fragile web of life. Bees, elephants, and termites are among these species. And then he posed the following question: Are humans a keystone species? Absolutely not. If we were to disappear, there is nothing that would miss us. And then the real question: We may not be a keynote species, but are you a keystone individual? Do you speak for the voiceless, human or otherwise? The three greatest human needs are to belong, to achieve, and to influence. Unfortunately, so many of us stop at the second of these -- we want it all, we want it now, and as much as possible. Keystone individuals combine all three of the intelligences, embodying Ubuntu, and thus see the world very differently and recognize the capacity we have for transformation. We need to evolve further socially and psychologically, and it's starting to happen because of keystone individuals. Will others speak of us and the good we've done in the way we do about Mandela? As educators, we are in a position of influence in our capacity to model and foster reflective/cortical processes, our capacity to embody Ubuntu, and the capacity to draw relevance between our lessons and world ecology.

The conference's overarching theme was "Lessons from Madiba"--Madiba being Nelson Mandela's clan name, a clan name honoring both the individual and their lineage--so it was fitting that Rory Steyn closed out the conference. Steyn had an interesting career, which began as a South African policeman who was trained to view anyone involved in the resistance against apartheid as a terrorist, and eventually transitioning into his role as Mandela's Chief of Security and personal body guard. Steyn talked about the man who had softened his heart, not through office or power, but through his gentle spirit and common touch. Among the lessons Steyn had for us were the importance of taking time to make a connection rather than "sticking to the program," the importance of relationship building, and the wonderful privilege we as educators have to affect the lives of those who will eventually lead our countries. Far more important than sticking to the program--whether it be a lesson plan, a schedule, or a bubble of comfort--is taking advantage of opportunities to demonstrate and foster such things as reconciliation, humility, goodness, kindness, and acknowledgement of others.

After the conference ended, we still had several hours to kill before boarding our first flight. Cortney, Gail, and I spent them walking along the beach at Camp's Bay and then shopping and dining on the waterfront, trying to soak up as much of Cape Town as possible before boarding our series of flights back to the states. Gail's daughter wrote her a message today, saying, "Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened," and it rings so true tonight! I'm so grateful to be leaving a little piece of me in Africa and to be bringing a little piece of Africa back home with me :-)