Picnic at the Union.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Postcards from South Africa: 02.14.11
Goodbye, Dierk! Our German flatmate went back to Germany, and a few days later we welcomed two new flatmates from the Netherlands. Here, a photo of a braai we enjoyed with the Steyns as a goodbye to Dierk.
Postcards from South Africa: 02.13.11
A palm tree? Exciting, you say. But no. It's a cell phone tower.
Postcards from South Africa: 02.12.11
The last post of our "Johannesburg week" fittingly ends with the site that housed the celebration of the demise of Apartheid -- as signaled by Nelson Mandela's release from prison: the Orlando Stadium. The Apartheid Museum described this as the site where the black african community crowned Mandela as their king. A few years later, he was crowned as the national king -- the first black president of an African nation that is almost 80% comprised of black South Africans.
Postcards from South Africa: 02.10.11
This episode of Postcards from the Straits is dedicated to Nelson Mandela!
As we've mentioned, Mandela and Desmond Tutu lived on the same street in the township of Soweto, just outside of Johannesburg and only a few houses away from the West Orlando High School, where many say that the anti-Apartheid movement was born. Although Tutu's house is still his residence, Mandela's was given to the public to serve as a museum by his ex-wife, Winnie Mandela (Mandela married the former first lady of Mozambique just prior to his inauguration, Graca Machel--the only woman to serve as the first lady of two different countries).
Drew and I went on a tour of the house--all three tiny rooms of it! It was powerful for us to be part of a group of people who truly love this man and appreciate all he's done for this country. Members of our small group came from Nigeria, Lesotho, South Africa and England. When we said we were from Chicago, everyone seemed to think that meant Canada... so we were the token "Canadians." This made it very interesting when the topic of the States came up--and George Bush refusing to apologize to Mandela, after his inauguration to the Presidency and the ban on Apartheid, for the U.S. C.I.A.'s revealing his hiding location to the Apartheid government, which then imprisoned him on Robin Island. As it turns out, the governor of Michigan at that time initiated a movement for all of the governors from each of the 50 states to sign an official apology, in spite of President Bush's refusal.
As we've mentioned, Mandela and Desmond Tutu lived on the same street in the township of Soweto, just outside of Johannesburg and only a few houses away from the West Orlando High School, where many say that the anti-Apartheid movement was born. Although Tutu's house is still his residence, Mandela's was given to the public to serve as a museum by his ex-wife, Winnie Mandela (Mandela married the former first lady of Mozambique just prior to his inauguration, Graca Machel--the only woman to serve as the first lady of two different countries).
Drew and I went on a tour of the house--all three tiny rooms of it! It was powerful for us to be part of a group of people who truly love this man and appreciate all he's done for this country. Members of our small group came from Nigeria, Lesotho, South Africa and England. When we said we were from Chicago, everyone seemed to think that meant Canada... so we were the token "Canadians." This made it very interesting when the topic of the States came up--and George Bush refusing to apologize to Mandela, after his inauguration to the Presidency and the ban on Apartheid, for the U.S. C.I.A.'s revealing his hiding location to the Apartheid government, which then imprisoned him on Robin Island. As it turns out, the governor of Michigan at that time initiated a movement for all of the governors from each of the 50 states to sign an official apology, in spite of President Bush's refusal.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Postcards from South Africa: 02.09.11
After our time at the Apartheid Museum our brains were very full and we needed some time to decompress. Thank God for GPS as we were able to drive straight to "Wandies," a famous African restaurant in the heart of the historic township of Soweto. When we walked in we assumed we would order off a menu, but no, Wandies is all about go big or go home. The waiter kindly guided us around the corner and showed us the 'all you can eat' buffet full of South African specialties such as pap (special corn mash) and delicious meats including mutton and the famous sausage called Boerewors. The food was delicious. You will notice that the walls are covered in people's business cards from all over the world. Many famous people have dined here including the Clintons and Evander Holyfield.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Postcards from South Africa: 02.08.11
Just another quick peak at the Apartheid Museum. The entry is striking, with very tall cement pillars, one for each pillar of the constitution. We took a photo of each pillar, but with our slow internet connection it'd likely take me the rest of the week to get them all uploaded here. Regardless, you can read about the pillars, below.
Postcards from South Africa: 02.07.11
Happy, happy birthday to my dear husband, best friend and advocate: Drew Jacobson Strait! We enjoyed a relaxing day, begun with espresso and pastries at our favorite cafe (Drew says they have better espresso even that Peet's... can you believe it?) and ended the day with a Braai put on by our hosts.
Here is a shot of Drew with his advisor, Professor Geyrt Stein. They are posing with Drew's favorite birthday cake, the traditional "Debbie Strait Ice Cream Pie."
Enough candles, you think?
Here is a shot of Drew with his advisor, Professor Geyrt Stein. They are posing with Drew's favorite birthday cake, the traditional "Debbie Strait Ice Cream Pie."
Enough candles, you think?
Postcards from South Africa: 02.05.11 & 02.06.11
More specifically, Postcards from Johannesburg. Drew and I rented our host's car for the weekend of his birthday to drive to Johannesburg and its nearby township, Soweto. We visited the Apartheid Museum, which took about 3-4 hours to tour, and we felt so honored to have the experience to absorb this country's history in that intimate and artistic environment. After that, we drove to the township (Soweto) where Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu lived (Tutu still calls that same house home when in Joburg). Believe it or not, they lived just a few houses apart--on the same street. I'm pretty sure that this is the only place in the world where two Nobel Peace Prize winners lived on the same street! We ate at a very famous black African restaurant in the township (a "shebeen") named Wandie's, and then ventured over to tour Mandela's former house and to walk by the high school where many say that the anti-Apartheid movement really began: Orlando West High School. It was here that students began protesting being educated in Afrikaans, as it was such a road block to their learning (learning to read in a foreign language you do not yet speak? no thank you!!). We ended the day by driving through Johannesburg, right into the downtown area.
Our experience was so very rich, I feel it would sound trite to try to explain much here. I've had a fascination with South Africa's history since 1999, when I wrote my first college paper on Apartheid and Mandela, but I never dreamed I would actually have the chance to see the sites I had studied first hand.
We are very, very, very very blessed to be doing this and this weekend we were moved to tears by what we learned about South Africa's history. What is most moving to us is how peaceful the transition was, and the how far the country has come in just a short time (Apartheid officially ended in 1994). There is much that we U.S. Americans can learn from South Africa.
Of course, we took a lot of photos this weekend and it is hard to choose just a few, so we are calling this "Apartheid Museum & Soweto Week" (plus perhaps a wee bit of Drew's birthday). Enjoy!
02.05.11 -- The entry to the Apartheid Museum. The tickets are randomly printed with white or blacks/coloreds, and you are required to enter through your respective category's door. I was black and Drew was white -- and as you might anticipate, we had very different experiences!
02.06.11 -- A rock carving by tribal Africans during the early days of colonialism. All of the art displayed depicted the early European settlers as gun-toting.
Our experience was so very rich, I feel it would sound trite to try to explain much here. I've had a fascination with South Africa's history since 1999, when I wrote my first college paper on Apartheid and Mandela, but I never dreamed I would actually have the chance to see the sites I had studied first hand.
We are very, very, very very blessed to be doing this and this weekend we were moved to tears by what we learned about South Africa's history. What is most moving to us is how peaceful the transition was, and the how far the country has come in just a short time (Apartheid officially ended in 1994). There is much that we U.S. Americans can learn from South Africa.
Of course, we took a lot of photos this weekend and it is hard to choose just a few, so we are calling this "Apartheid Museum & Soweto Week" (plus perhaps a wee bit of Drew's birthday). Enjoy!
02.05.11 -- The entry to the Apartheid Museum. The tickets are randomly printed with white or blacks/coloreds, and you are required to enter through your respective category's door. I was black and Drew was white -- and as you might anticipate, we had very different experiences!
02.06.11 -- A rock carving by tribal Africans during the early days of colonialism. All of the art displayed depicted the early European settlers as gun-toting.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Postcards from South Africa: 02.03.11 & 02.04.11
The 3rd and 4th of February are dedicated to one of my favorite topics: animals!
If you look carefully, you'll see round little nests with holes underneath. These nests house the brightest of yellow birds. The male builds the nest, spending days to complete just one. When he has finished, the female comes to inspect. From what we've learned, the first and second nests are rarely up to snuff. In this case, the female demolishes the nest, flies away and the male must begin anew.
This kitty didn't blink an eye when we rattled the Coca Cola machine (Coke Light! Or Coke made with real sugar...! How can we resist?). I reaaaally wanted to pet her but Drew warned me that it might not be a good idea (though stray animals aren't common--South Africans love their pets).
If you look carefully, you'll see round little nests with holes underneath. These nests house the brightest of yellow birds. The male builds the nest, spending days to complete just one. When he has finished, the female comes to inspect. From what we've learned, the first and second nests are rarely up to snuff. In this case, the female demolishes the nest, flies away and the male must begin anew.
This kitty didn't blink an eye when we rattled the Coca Cola machine (Coke Light! Or Coke made with real sugar...! How can we resist?). I reaaaally wanted to pet her but Drew warned me that it might not be a good idea (though stray animals aren't common--South Africans love their pets).
Postcards from South Africa: 02.02.11
There are many wonderful things about South African culture, but one of my favorites thus far (other than the words "shame, man" and "ja") is the general consciousness about electricity and water usage. For example, we quickly noticed that lights are not turned on during the day in homes. This may not seem like a big deal but it was very hard to get used to not automatically flipping on light switches when walking into rooms!
Enter the photo, below. The outlets in our flat can be turned off and on, minimizing "phantom electricity" use (which occurs when appliances are plugged in but not in use). During our initial tour, our hosts pointed out that we should make sure to use this feature (in addition to turning off water while sudsing up in the shower... brr!).
Enter the photo, below. The outlets in our flat can be turned off and on, minimizing "phantom electricity" use (which occurs when appliances are plugged in but not in use). During our initial tour, our hosts pointed out that we should make sure to use this feature (in addition to turning off water while sudsing up in the shower... brr!).
Postcards from South Africa: 02.01.11
Happy February! My dear Drew's birth month, and a month that I am sure will hold many adventures.
Giddyup!
Giddyup!
Postcards from South Africa: 01.31.11
Last Sunday we rode bikes through the city to the Parliament, or "Union," building. This is the building where Mandela was inaugurated and where the president and other national government officials work. The grounds are breathtakingly beautiful--consisting of perfectly manicured gardens, walking trails and tiers that overlook downtown Pretoria.
We enjoyed some special time in conversation and prayer on the lawn and returned home refreshed (and very, very sweaty!). It was the perfect way to recharge for another work week.
We enjoyed some special time in conversation and prayer on the lawn and returned home refreshed (and very, very sweaty!). It was the perfect way to recharge for another work week.
Postcards from South Africa: 01.30.11
More of U of P's historic campus! Featuring the original library (there is a huge modern library elsewhere on campus) and the "Faculty of Arts & Lettres" (English, perhaps?? Not sure!).
University of Pretoria houses 70,000 students and all the undergrads arrived on campus to start their school year this week. Drew thoroughly enjoyed walking through a game of frisbee played by college kids in nothing more than makeshift togas this afternoon.
University of Pretoria houses 70,000 students and all the undergrads arrived on campus to start their school year this week. Drew thoroughly enjoyed walking through a game of frisbee played by college kids in nothing more than makeshift togas this afternoon.
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