Durban

July 29 - Durban
Holy smokes I'm tired. Got up at 4AM this morning to catch a flight to Durban. It was grey and rainy when we got here - very unusually cold, so they say. We immediately went to the Toyota factory for a tour of the production facilities. It was actually really interesting - we went around the factory floor, from the stamping machine (where they formed the parts for the doors and body from sheets of metal), to the assembly and welding area (where we were showered with sparks from the welders), to the finished product, where they started up the engine for the first time. Interestingly, they don't make the cars in like batches - there is a white, right hand drive car, then a blue left hand drive, etc. Doesn't seem efficient to me...

Had lunch at the factory, then went to the Bisasar Road Landfill. It's where they have a gas-to-electric project, extracting and burning off methane and other gasses and generating electricity. It was raining when we got there, so it was a quick visit.

After that, we had a talk with the Environmental Planning and Climate Protection Department of the city of Durban. They discussed the challenges of environmental protection when weighed against other urban needs, such as the housing shortage. We also went to see the living roof pilot project at the nearby department building.

It was a lot of info, especially since we were all so tired from the long day. Had dinner at the restaurant around the corner - tried the Portuguese sardines, which were pretty good, and had a steak. Lots of meat here! Everyone is off to bed early tonight...

July 30 - Durban
A great day today! Packed and a bit rushed, but lots of good stuff. Had breakfast at the hotel and left early - 8AM - for the Toyota facility to meet with the South African teachers. They are in the Toyota Teach Program, which identifies at risk schools and provides a mentoring program for the teachers. We talked to several of the mentors and got a good overview of the South African schooling system.

After that, we went to the Buffelsdraai Landfill, an area where they are trying to reforest with indigenous plants as a way to offset the carbon emissions from the World Cup (and, to some extent, the upcoming COP 17 Conference). They get their trees form local "tree-preneurs" who trade saplings for basic goods like food, clothing, and school fees. This way, the local people have a tie to the project and the land.

From the landfill, we went into the community to see one of the tree-preneurs. We had to walk about 5-10 minutes up the hill to a house. Along the way we waved at many people, and then we just started talking to them - to kids on the street and women outside their houses. They were all so welcome and friendly, and wanted to show us their homes. One woman, Pel, took us down to see the view behind her house. On the way back to the bus, two 7th graders took Uzma and I to see their planted trees. It was a fabulous experience talking to the locals and we didn't have nearly enough time.

Proud tree-preneurs 

The view from our actual seats...

Then I schooled Eric on the art of
sweet-talk, and got us onto the field...

We left around 2 for lunch, at a bird park, then off to Mr Price Kings Stadium for the Sharks vs. Cheetah's rugby match. It was so much fun! Eric and I decided to try sneaking on the field, so we went down and played the dumb tourist "we're from the US and have never seen rugby and can we just take a quick photo?"  Believe it or not, it worked. We basically stayed more than half the game, in the front row at center field.

...which gave us a slightly better view of the action!

Plus, you get to interact with
TRUE rugby fans!

The rugby players are HUGE - I can't believe they aren't all on steroids - and the hits are VERY hard. Can't say we understood what was going on, but it was still exciting to see the action and viscerally feel each hit and tackle! I can't imagine being this close to an American football game, so I wish I knew more about rugby. Nevertheless, it was an unforgettable experience.

The sharks won, 40-29, and after the game I bought two Springbok Jerseys (I know, not Sharks, but the Nation'l team of South Africa).









Came back to the hotel - we were going to walk to the beach but the receptionist said it was very dangerous (as did Jameson) so Elaine and I came back. met up with a group for dinner - fish and chips, a local (Capetown) fish called Kingklip. It's Deb's birthday today, and surprisingly JL paid for all of our dinner on Toyota's dime!
Tomorrow, off to Cape Town!

Soweto

July 28 - Soweto

Today we went into Soweto - the SOuthWEsternTOwnships of Johannesburg where displaced South African Blacks were forced to move during Apartheid. The most moving thing for me was the hope and joy of the people. In my visions of Soweto, I always saw miles of shantytowns - poverty and dispair beyond belief. But I was amazed by the people we saw - those on the streets who waved and smiled to the busses, the vendors who were friendly and open, even if you didn't buy anything, the people working in the restaurants and museums and churches. Given their history and past circumstances, the Sowetans had and have every right to feel bitter and to complain about their lot in life. Instead, I saw genuine joy and smiles, and a peoples who strive to overcome those obstacles and despite everything, to enjoy life.

We started the day at Freedom Square in Kliptown. The monument celebrates the rights of the people, and the "X" on the top of the monument represents the voting rights of the people.

From there we drove through Soweto, stopping to see some of the "informal settlements" that still sprawl across the landscape. It was a difficult thing to see from inside our luxury busses, and it was our first real taste of the poverty and plight of the people.

We drove to the Regina Mundi Church, where Bishop Desmond Tutu and the Truth and Reconciliation Committee met, as well as where all of the funerals from the Soweto Uprisings were held. Unlike those glorified, gothic monstrosities you see in Italy and other parts of Europe, it is a humble brick building with cracked tile floors, worn carpeting, and bullet holes in the roof. Upstairs is a series of photos from Soweto's history, and graffiti jams the walls behind the pictures. The struggle of Soweto's people clearly impacted everyone one on earth, and the messages left there show how inspirational they were.

From there, we went to the Hector Pieterson memorial and museum, a tribute to the young who marched in the Soweto uprising and who gave their lives for the struggle against apartheid.

Then to the Nelson Mandela House: 

And on the way, we saw the cooling towers from the power plants that were used to generate electricity for the whites in Joburg.

Johannesburg and Pretoria

An early start this morning - we almost missed it because the alarm was turned so low the neither Candice nor I heard it! So we got up at 7:30 for a 7:45 meeting - had a quick bite for breakfast then met at the hotel with our South African guides. First we heard from Keira, our tour guide from Spirit of Africa, who gave us a Quick History of South Africa from the Beginning of Time Until the Present. (Well, maybe her title was different, but that's what it should have been.) She had some really interesting insights on the background of whites in ZA, including the conflict between Boers and the English that led up to Apartheid. We also heard from Mark and Sphesh, guides from Educo Africa, a group that takes disadvantaged youth on wilderness adventures (a program that sounds a lot like Outward Bound). They're here to help us process and understand the things we're about to see.

We then left for Pretoria (the Executive capital of ZA) to visit the US Embassy. The roads here are very nice - for the World Cup last year, they widened the highway so there was virtually no traffic. Many big businesses and offices in modern buildings lined the highway - not what I expected of Africa. But this is Northern Joburg and Pretoria, where the biggest boom of economic development is happening on the continent, so I'm sure it isn't representative.

The US Embassy is a concrete, sterile building where we couldn't take pictures of bring any electronic equipment. We heard from the Minister Counselor of Public Affairs (Karl Stoltz), who gave an overview of US interest in South Africa (which deals in large part on educational and health reform). Also heard from Fulbright specialist Mareka Chabedi who discussed ZA's education system, and Martin Matlebyare, an economics

specialist who talked about ZA's environmental sustainability.

After leaving the embassy, we went to the Union Building Gardens for a picnic lunch. The Union Building is theExecutive house of the government, where the President has an office. Its also where Nelson Mandela was sworn in as president in 1994. There are beautiful tiered gardens with a great view of Pretoria.

After lunch, we drove back to Joburg to the Apartheid Museum. Along the way, we saw the stadium where the World Cup opening and closing ceremonies were held. The Apartheid Museum opened in 2001 and is a really stark but beautiful building. I especially loved the pillars reading "Freedom", "Respect", etc.

The museum gave a history of apartheid in ZA and showed many photos, videos, and articles. Not sure if it was because I'd just gone to the Holocaust Museum, but I didn't find it nearly as depressing as I was expecting. (Although I admit to getting emotional watching the video of FW de Klerk's speech when he freed Nelson Mandela).

Had dinner at Gramadoelas Restaurant, in the

old market building. It was an interesting restaurant with great decor, serving all kinds of traditional African foods. Tried fried mopane worms and ostrich, among other things. Delicious!

Now we're back at the hotel, and I'm trying to warm up. It is reaaallly cold here, unusually so, and they say it's the coldest day they've had this year. Supposedly there is a cold front that is only going to last a few days. But in the meantime, Welcome to Winter!

Start of the African Journey

So I finally made it to African soil! So far the trip has been wonderful - the people at Toyota and IIE are fantastic, and the teachers on the trip are all great - nice, friendly, and a very accomplished group. They treat us very well, so we're going to be spoiled by the time the trip ends!!

I left San Jose on Saturday night, 8PM. It was an eerily empty airport - actually kind of creeped me out, horror movie-style. But I connected smoothly in LA and had an easy (is this possible?) red-eye out to Washington DC. Met up with Candice at the airport and we took a limo to the Capitol Hill Liaison hotel - right near the Capitol building. It was around 8AM when we checked in (and 90 degrees - eesh!) and they didn't have a room ready yet, so after changing, Candice and I decided to walk around the mall. We ended up going to the Holocaust Museum, since neither of us had been there before.

The museum is dedicated almost entirely to the Holocaust, and is really good but very disturbing. It discusses several aspects leading up to the war, gives various perspectives, and has pictures and case studies. After a while it got to be a bit too much for both of us and we had to walk fairly quickly through the whole second half. I think the most disturbing part was the room of shoes - the musty, leathery old smell was really haunting.

From there, we walked to the Museum of American History and had lunch - then we just went back to the hotel to rest. After a nap and shower, we met up with the rest of the TITP group for the welcome and intros. Along with the 24 teachers, there are two IIE staff (MarDestinee and Mike), 2 from Toyota (Rhonda and her boss JL), 2 videographers (Dave and Scott), and a journalist (Osha).

At 6:30, we walked over to the US Botanical Garden for a reception - it's a beautiful space, and we met several other Toyota and IIE staff, plus a number of people from the South African Embassy.

It was lovely event, sponsored by Donald Payne, the congressman from NJ, who came to speak to us. Too bad I was so dang tired - by then I was totally exhausted.

The next morning, we checked out at 7:45 and went to the Toyota DC office for breakfast.

We ate up on their rooftop deck, which had a nice view of the city and Washington Monument. Then we went down into the offices for a talk about Toyota's environmental initiatives, plus a South Africa overview given by the Deputy Chief of Mission from the ZA embassy.

Lunch was on our own, paid for by the stipend they gave us at the beginning of the trip. It was raining pretty hard (but still very warm and muggy) so we went around the corner for a quick lunch then hid in the Toyota building until it was time to go. At 2, we headed out to the airport, checked in as a group, and waited through the 2 hr delay (ugh!).

It was a 7 1/2 hour flight to Dakar, Senegal, an hour or so wait on the plane, a disgusto anti-bug spray, then another 7 1/2 hours to Johannesburg. But we finally made it!

Now we're in the Grayston in Sandton - a very nice hotel in the fancy part of Joburg. We're all completely exhausted... off to bed...