Coming Home

We have traveled from the southern to the northern tip of Africa ending our journey in Tunis, Tunisia.  It has been a fascinating and enriching adventure.  Renewing old friendships and making new ones are the highlights.  Mostly, we have learned that being curious and keeping an open mind lead to the most amazing experiences.  

Reflections

I want to thank all of my colleagues and friends in Port Elizabeth.  This has truly been a most remarkable and rewarding experience.  I learned so much from everyone.  It was wonderful to have David as my partner on this journey, and I am so grateful for his ever present support.

Thank you to everyone at NMMU and especially to Anette Knight.  She is forever my "guru".  To close, I am sharing Anette's letter that sums up my visit. 

Dr. Anette Knight

Dear Prof Iona

Dr Silverman will return to Chicago soon and we just would like to thank you for being her hostess, for supporting this project and also getting the funding sorted out for her stipend via Prof Piet Naude. Thank you Prof Piet for your immediate assistance in this regard.  Thank you to Dr Andre and Marina de Jager for their assistance with her accommodation.

In my capacity as the team leader of the Anatomy and Physiology group on Missionvale campus I have worked relentlessly since 2008 to motivate for a visit by Dr Silverman to our campus. Since my first correspondence with her she was keen to return to the NMMU and re-kindle some old educational ties (as she visited the old UPE on many occasions before especially in the time of the Sharing Cultures project with Elize Naude) and to share her expertise and work with us in her capacity as a Fulbright educational specialist.

We are privileged and grateful for her foresight and goodwill to have planned her visit through regular contact with us and making this project happen with such success. Thank you also to my team at Anatomy and Physiology (Missionvale) for your enthusiasm and support. Every workshop and seminar slot we prearranged with our colleagues at Missionvale and the other campuses was technically well prepared, the media in place and the venues ready; many thanks to colleagues who organised and supported these slots; all the workshops and seminar were very well attended and after every encounter we got reports of praise for Dr Silverman’s educational charisma and enthusiasm back from students and lecturers alike.

We want to thank Sharon for her wonderful positive way in which she has given us a new look at ourselves and our practice. She has influenced, transformed and touched many students and lecturers educational mindsets and has set a pace of energy and motivation amongst our first year students during the orientation period. We thank her and David for their absolute dedicated and exciting daily participation. The angle and approach of Sharon’s workshops and seminars were filled with new ideas; she also included the latest research on educational practice and these new concepts gave continuous hands-on practical advice for all. She made us work hard to get to the core of our own practice critically, but at the same time did so with hope and anticipation, never doubting that we can do it. Eg. For me, it meant that I could make changes immediately in aspects of my teaching which has altered student’s participation and learning in my classes.

An example of what Dr Silverman conveyed to NMMU lecturers during her first public lecturer at Missionvale on the 31^st January:

‘In our teaching, we should not emphasize what students lack....... but rather emphasise their abilities, their wealth of previous experience and their humanity,  this with the idea of  moulding their knowing as thriving individuals ; lets rather discount their risk quotient in the ‘academic account’

Furthermore let’s make our students share the responsibility of their learning by avoiding being the SAGE on the STAGE. Make learning meaningful with guidance on the sidelines and remember what is not visible in your classes might plays a mighty role in your students’ thriving quotient and eventually influence their futures and throughput rates.

Watch their mindsets and remember yours too. Focus on student self-regulation and make them check their self-reliance; teach with hope in your daily teachings and especially your voice and normalize help seeking by expressing your own experiences. Many of these could be difficult and negative experiences which will make students appreciate that you are also fallible.’

Dr Silverman’s magic in our lecture halls will be echoed and portrayed in our own changed teaching this year and we just hope that the NMMU will be able to bring her back to help with more integration and workshops on student identities and in particular with the ‘on the edge educational virtual learning’ in the new ‘blended learning era’ the NMMU has taken on with great determination.

Many thanks

Kind regards

Anette

Dr A K Knight

Lecturer: Anatomy and Physiology

Department Biochemistry (CES)

Missionvale Campus

NMMU

Port Elizabeth

The Hammam

When in a new place, I like to experience the culture as fully as possible.  Having heard of hammams  (steam baths), I decided to try one.

Hammams are either for women or men.  The one for women is near where we are staying down a narrow winding stone street.  Not sure exactly where to find it, someone from our place guided me there but first took me to a stall in the souq to buy my very own “scrubber”.  The scrubber is a black glove made out of coarse material to be used to rub all over your body and exfoliate your skin.

Scrubber in hand I continued down the street to a small, somewhat broken down red door where I entered.  There was a dusty plastic screen before the entrance to a small room with mattresses and straw mats.  Women were sitting around naked except for panties and drying themselves.  The place was dark and musty with small rays of light coming in from cracked windows. The mattresses and straw mats were covered in printed material, and I couldn’t really tell how clean they were.  The straw mats were squishy when I stepped on them.  I hesitated and wondered how clean and comfortable I would feel.   Should I make a hasty exit?  No.  I’m going to do this! 

A woman in muslim garb greeted me. I was directed to a mattress where I sat down and took off my clothes and was then given two big empty plastic buckets and a plastic scooper.  After paying 7 dinar (less than $5.00) I was shown to another room filled with steam coming out of a large hot water tub.  Now what? 

I looked around and saw other women (young and old, fat and thin) scrubbing themselves with their feet in buckets of hot water.  I did the same.   After some time, an old woman naked on the top with only one or two teeth came to get me and took me to another adjoining room.  By this time, I had decided to follow whatever I was directed to do and completely give myself over to the process.

She filled the buckets again with warm water and began using the scrubber on my arms.  The pressure was hard but felt good.  Next she motioned for me to lie down on the stone slab.  While lying on my back, she continued scrubbing and rubbing my body all over while regularly pouring warm water over me.  I turned over and she continued. No part of my body was left untouched expect the most private.  It was wonderful, and I felt like a baby being rubbed and scrubbed by her mother.  All the time, water was being poured over me as she kept rubbing and scrubbing.    This went on for some time.  Then, she sprinkled some sweet smelling drops of water all over my body.  She washed and rinsed my hair.  I completely gave myself over to her, and it was marvelous.

 Returning to the front room of the hammam, I found a young woman fully clothed before entering the steam room.  She was sitting on a mattress typing on her large laptop.  What a contrast! 

I was the only non-native in the place and was welcomed warmly and fully. Back on my mattress, I continued drying off and put on my clothes, said good-bye and walked along the narrow street back to our small hotel.  My body was smooth and extremely relaxed.  I felt like a baby waking from a long nap.  Memories of my mother washing me as a baby filled my mind.  We ate an early dinner, and I went to sleep at 7:30 p.m. only to wake up now some 10 hours later.  If you ever come to Tunis, be sure to go to a hammam.  You will have one of the most remarkable experiences of your life.

Tunis, Tunisia

We’ve been in Tunis now for a few days and are soaking in the sights, sounds, and smells.  Our accommodation is in a 19^th century stone mansion, and our room has its very own courtyard!  The calls to worship in the mosques fill the air around us as do the scents of the souq in the Medina where we are staying.  We keep saying that words and pictures can’t capture the experience, but we try anyway.

The language here is French and Arabic and we speak and understand neither.  So, we make do as best we can and have a few laughs along the way.  The other night we were struggling to communicate with the waiter at dinner when David’s eyes lightened as he understood a French word.  Then he said, to my amazement, that he took French in high school!  We laughed heartily, and I laughed even more when he shared later in the evening that he also studied it in college!  French is definitely not one of his strong suits!

The souq here is huge and amazing.  It is a labyrinth that winds around and around, and we easily get lost.  There are seven mosques within, and people are moving through it like ants.  The shop owners approach you mercilessly especially if you look like a tourist.  To blend in more, I wear a scarf (habib) on my head, and this seems to keep them away a bit.

Tunis is safe so we don’t worry about moving around the city.  We are staying very near the place where the Arab Spring uprising started, and the area is filled with all ages walking, talking, and moving through the day.  The area around the Prime Minister’s office and some other plazas are protected by barbed wire, military police stand around, and there are some tanks as well, but all is quiet, and there is a vibrant sense of freedom in the air.

We’ve been enjoying delicious food since arriving here, and last night’s dinner was the best.  We dined at Dar El Jled, a top end restaurant in another beautiful old mansion.  See photos below.  The dishes kept coming, and we kept eating surrounded by candlelight in an opulent setting.  Tunisian salads of many types came first, followed by a lamb and couscous entrée, and fish soup.  In this mostly Muslim country, alcohol is not regularly consumed, but I managed to have a vodka martini and wine.   Too stuffed to eat any more, we succumbed to the waiter’s offer of a pistachio and chocolate pudding dessert.  It was truly a magnificent meal and experience.  Twelve hours after this gastronomic experience, David still is burping and taking Tums.

Today, we have resolved to eat lightly as we prepare to take the TGM (public transport train) to visit Carthage and Sidi Bou Said along the coast.  With only a few more days before our journey home, we continue to seek more adventure in this fascinating country.

Cape Town Weekend

Our weekend in Cape Town was a welcome retreat from the working pace in Port Elizabeth.  We celebrated David’s birthday with champagne and cake and had dinner at the home of Sonja, someone Aleen (David’s daughter) met on a previous visit here.  She prepared a beautiful meal and we shared it with some of Sonja’s friends. 

We stayed in luxury at the Westin Cape Town.  Our room overlooked Table Mountain and the Sea and no amenity was lacking.  We even had heated tiles on the bathroom floor. 

In our rented car, we spent Sunday driving down the coast to Cape Point where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet stopping to see the penguins in Simon’s Town and marveling at the absolutely breathtaking scenery.  Hugging the road, David successfully swerved around many hundreds of bicycle riders training for a long distance ride.

On Monday before returning to PE, we took a boat to Robben Island, visited Nelson Mandela’s prison cell and continued to learn more about the horrors of apartheid.

On a lighter note, on a hotel shuttle we encountered some travelers from Turkey who spoke no English.  With David’s inimitable talking addiction, he began communicating with them by naming every place in Turkey he could remember.  “Istanbul, Ankara, …”  You get the picture.  With each name, they laughed and applauded.  One large woman was especially enthusiastic and vibrant.  After running out of city names, David suddenly remembered another Turkish word:  “karpoozee” and said it loudly to great applause.  I then learned that karpoozee means “watermelon” and said quietly to David “That lady has “nice karpoozees” and burst into uncontrollable laughter”.   Everyone in the shuttle continued to laugh hysterically and fortunately didn’t hear my comment.   

                                                    NICE KARPOOZEES!

Missionvale Campus and Surroundings

Missionvale Campus where my office is located is in the heart of a township.  As you know, townships in South Africa have been the locations where blacks were required to live during apartheid.  Since apartheid, there is no longer a restriction on place of residence, but the legacy of apartheid does not allow many township residents to have the economic viability of moving to better quality homes.  During my frequent visits to South Africa in the last decade, I have seen gradual improvement in living quality in the townships.  Many areas now have electricity and running water.  Many others still are in deep poverty.

Missionvale campus of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) is located in the heart of a very poor township.  The campus stands as a “beacon of light and hope” for the township residents as it serves to provide access to higher education and a better life as a result of better education.  Progress is slow, but hope is ever present.

I write this on Friday and the end of my month long series of workshops, seminars, and conversations with hundreds of faculty, staff, and students.  I am full of gratitude and deep pleasure reflecting on my visit here.  Most of all, I am excited about the possibility of returning in 2013 as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (second in command at NMMU) has invited me back for a three month visit next year.  My work then will include a project focused on continuing to transform the teaching and learning culture and climate here.  The foundation has been laid in this visit, and I’m eager to return to continue the process.

Tomorrow David and I go to Cape Town for some much anticipated rest and relaxation and to celebrate David’s birthday on Saturday.  We will have dinner Sat. night at the home of a woman known to Aleen, David’s daughter.  Sunday we will drive around the Cape of Good Hope and soak in the gorgeous scenery as well as a penguin colony migrating there from Antarctica.  Monday we will take a boat to tour Robben Island where Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years and return to PE Monday night.

Tuesday next week is our last full day in PE with time to say our farewells.  We depart PE on Wednesday and head toward our next destination – Tunis, Tunisia. Stay tuned for news from North Africa in the next posting.

Here are some photos to give you the feel of Missionvale and surroundings.

Weekend in Addo National Park Game Reserve

Our trip to Addo Elephant National Park was outstanding.  We traveled with Andre and Marina, our friends and hosts of our accommodation, in their Land Rover named Stanley (of Stanley and Livingston).  Andre and Marina and their children have traveled extensively in Stanley throughout southern Africa, and this was Stanley’s last trip to Addo as they are trading him in for a new Land Rover next week.  He served us well as we drove though the game reserve that covers over 100 km.

We had two safari tents fully resourced for all of our needs.  Sitting on the deck of our tents, we drank wine, had dinner cooked over a braii (South African term for a barbeque), and soaked in the African sunset on our first night.  The next morning, we got an early start in Stanley making our way for several hours through the reserve. We came back for lunch and a rest and then ventured out again before returning for dinner.  After dinner, we went on a guided Night Drive to see more animals.  All in all, the day was remarkable with views of many elephant, warthogs, zebra, and more.  The photos here tell the story.

Andre recounted the story of how the hippopotamus came to be.  Did you know that after God created all the animals, he took what was left over and made the hippo?  The result was a very unattractive animal, so unattractive in fact that he chose to live under water most of the time so that others wouldn’t see him.  We didn’t see any hippo on our game drives, so they must have been submerged so we wouldn’t comment on their appearance.

Within only one hour of PE you can be out in the bush, complete with nature, surrounded by animals of all kinds, vibrant and diverse birdlife, and gorgeous vegetation.  Coming out of the bush to PE you are met by the crashing waves of the Indian Ocean and the throb of city life once again.  We marvel at the contrasts of life – both human and non-human – in this remarkable country.