SAI Itineracy
11th Annual Study Tour To South Africa...
Day 1 Departure From New York To South Africa
Day 2
Pretoria/ Welcome Reception
Day 3 Apartheid Museum/ Vootrekker Monument
Day 4 Infinite Family/ Nkosi’s Haven/ Film: University Pretoria
Day 5 Mamelodi Schools/ NYU Mixer
Day 6 National Zoological Gardens
Day 7
Mamelodi Schools
Day 8
Mamelodi Schools
Day 9 Teboho
Trust / Hector Pieterson Museum
Day 10 Travel To Cape Town
Day 11
Kalksteenfontein Primary School/ Blog Share
Day 12 Kalksteinfontein School
Day 13
Kalksteinfontein School/ Blog Share
Day 14 Kalksteinfontein School
Day 15
District 6 Museum/ Robben Island/V & A Waterfront
Day 16
Free -
Suggested Activities
Day 17
Depart South Africa For USA
Day 18
Arrive @ JFK
"The South Africa Initiative (SAI) is an interdisciplinary program that provides teachers and students from America and South Africa with the opportunity to bridge cultures and exchange information through service learning, training and distance technology that leads to educational gains for students and educators in both countries." (SAI website)
From all of the preparation that the other travelers and I have been doing over the past few months, I understand the complexity of the different activities that are planned for this trip. I also understand that many of these experiences will be racially charged, so I am taking the time to look up each place I am going so I am not caught off guard.
The Details...
Apartheid Museum: Opened in 2001 and is acknowledged as the pre-eminent museum in the world dealing with 20th century South Africa, at the heart of which is the apartheid story. I'm really looking forward to seeing this museum. As with many museums, its all about the artifacts and truly learning about the past, not only for my own personal knowledge but as an educator and historian.
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| Vootrekker Monument |
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| The Battle of Blood River |
Mamelodi Schools: Public and Private Schools in
Mamelodi, Pretoria. While in Mamelodi, I will have the opportunity to teach and
interact with learners and educators for three days.
National Zoological Gardens: An 85-hectare (210-acre) zoo located in Pretoria,
and is the national zoo of South Africa. The Centre breeds many endangered
species including white rhino, Pere David's deer, Cape mountain zebra,
scimitar-horned oryx and Arabian oryx. The zoo houses 3117 specimens of 209
mammal species, 1358 specimens of 202 bird species, 3871 specimens of 190 fish
species, 388 specimens of 4 invertebrate species, 309 specimens of 93 reptile
species, and 44 specimens of 7 amphibian species. The National Zoological
Gardens of South Africa is the largest zoo in the country and the only one with
national status.
Teboho Trust: Started in February 2001, Teboho Trust provides programs and
activities to educate and empower orphan, vulnerable and at-risk children /
adolescents (Ages 4-18). It also facilitate
the development of small enterprises for their caregivers, out-of-school youth
and adults in the community.
Hector Pieterson Museum: Opened in June 2002, near the place where Hector Pieterson was shot (at the age of 13) in Orlando West during the 1976 Soweto uprising. The museum
was erected to honor Hector and those who died around the country
in the 1976 uprising. Since it’s opening
the museum has become a major tourist attraction. The start of the museum
begins with pictures of Hector Pierterson's death. The museum fuses memorabilia
with modern technology and cultural history.
Moving onto Cape Town...
Kalksteenfontein Primary School: The
Kalksteenfontein School is located in the Cape Flats of the Western Cape region
of South Africa, not too far from Cape Town. The private school is a refuge for
many of its students, which live in poverty. While in Kalksteenfontein, I will
have the opportunity to teach and interact with learners and educators for four
days.
District 6 Museum: Founded
in December 1994, The District Six Museum, chronicles the experiences and the
history of forced removals of District Six.
Originally established as a mixed community
of freed slaves, merchants, artisans, laborers and immigrants, District Six was
a vibrant centre with close links to the city and the port. The first to
be 'resettled' were black South Africans, forcibly displaced from the District
in 1901. In 1966 it was declared a white area under the Group Areas Act of
1950, and by 1982, the life of the community was over. 60 000 people were
forcibly removed to barren outlying areas aptly known as the Cape Flats, and
their houses in District Six were flattened by bulldozers.
Robben Island: From
the 17th to the
20th centuries,
Robben Island served as a place of banishment, isolation and imprisonment (a
prison). Former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela and former
South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, alongside many other political
prisoners, spent 27 years imprisoned during the apartheid era.
V & A Waterfront: Victoria & Alfred Waterfront in the historic
heart of Cape Town's working
harbor is South Africa's most-visited destination, having the highest
rate of foreign tourists of any attraction in the country. Situated between Robben Island and Table Mountain and set against a backdrop of sea and
mountain views, it offers a variety of shopping and entertainment options to
visitors, intermingled with office locations, the Somerset Hospital, hotels (such as the
historical Breakwater
Lodge
- once a 19th century prison) and luxury
apartments in the residential marina.
My Free Day...
Thus far I have thought of two major things I want to do with my free day.
1) Go on a safari! Honestly I don't know how any one could pass it up. And I definitely don't know when the next time will be when I can see real live animals in their natural habitat. So check & check.
2) shop, Shop, SHOP!! I may even end up with the exact same ecstatic yet pleased look on my face by the time the day is over.
Ahh, one week and counting, can you tell I am getting EXCITED!!
Ukuvalelisa!
take leave from, say goodbye
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