We've arrived!

I apologize for not posting sooner, but this is the first time I've been able to sit down and condense my thoughts! It was a long day and a half of travel, but we made it to SA! The 16 hour flight was not nearly as bad as I expected, largely because we each had our own row to spread out in. I didn’t even need Ambien! I have now only been in South Africa for 5 days, but they have been packed full nonetheless! We arrived in Pretoria in time for a late dinner Monday night and orientation began promptly at 8am the following morning. Our first day of orientation was hands on. We visited both a secondary and primary school in the townships where we observed instruction and spoke with learners (the term for students in primary and secondary school) and teachers. That same afternoon, the principals and teachers we had met joined us at the conference room in our hotel for a panel discussion about the events of the day and how they related to the current state of education in South Africa. This latter topic would prove to be central for the remainder of orientation. Day two of orientation was a bit more pragmatic. We took a trip to the U.S. Embassy to register in their system and meet the staff who will be great resources for our program. Following our embassy trip, we had a rather intimidating security briefing by a less than intimidating government agent where we learned that on a six point scale of low to critical, South Africa is a critically dangerous county. The good news is that Port Elizabeth is one of the safer cities and that common sense will do a whole lot of good here! That evening we engaged in a presentation by a representative from the National Department of Basic Education. He provided a key insight to the perspective of the policy makers in an education system that is constantly changing. Day 2 concluded with a dinner reception at Moyo restaurant hosted by the embassy. The restaurant was set up on a beautiful piece of land and included a large outdoor space. After a brief cocktail hour, we spent some time drumming with a band of drummers outside for good vibes before the meal. Dinner was my first braai, somewhat comparable to a barbeque in the states but on a much bigger scale. As many of you know, I began eating meat again before I arrived, and for dinners such as this one, I’m so glad I did! I’m not sure I could even list all the foods I tried, but it included a combination of fish, meats, stews, rice, and cold vegetables. The food was good, but the atmosphere was better. Many of the teachers and embassy representatives we had spent the last two days with were present, and it was great to intermingle in such an enjoyable setting.

                Our final day of orientation was only a half day in Pretoria, but we got to speak with many great people. The first was a lecture by Profesor Makalela from Wits University in Pretoria. He is incredibly knowledgeable in his field and well respected both in SA, as well as internationally. He provided great insight to the state of education in South Africa from the university educator’s point of view. Additionally, we were able to speak with the Ambassador’s wife (who is from Boulder, CO!) She was very friendly and supportive of the Fulbright program in SA. She spoke with us about the ongoing education programs in SA and how the states were supporting not only these programs as well as the general mission of the United States in South Africa. After a long 2 ½ days in Pretoria, we left for PE with a lot on our minds. 

The 10 Fulbrighters at Moyo