May Ball

For years, I've been begging my friend Anil to take me to one of Cambridge University's famous (infamous?) May Balls. These are all-night black-tie parties done only the way the British can do a schmancy affair. And yes, May Balls are almost always held in the month of June. Weirdos.

Finally this year Anil told me that he could get tickets for St. John's College. Normally, most of Cambridge chants, "I'd rather be at Oxford than St. John's..." but Johns is one of the fanciest of the schmancies (and once called the 7th best party in the world by Time Magazine.) At £350 a ticket, it was sure to be a night to remember... how could I say no? So I dusted off my sparkly ball gown (doesn't every girl have one hidden in the depths of her closet?) and headed off across the pond.

It was almost intimidating. The dress code is strict (below-the-knee dresses for women, black tie only for men), security is tight, and the theme and entertainment is kept a secret. They requested my full name months before the event, and I soon found out why...                                                 

When we arrived, we found out the theme for the evening: Ars Gratia Artis - art for art's sake. 

           

We got our ticket from Malte (here with his date Julia). We arrived at around 8PM and waited in the line that snaked through the Fellow's Gardens, at the back of the college. That meant we had some entertainment while we waited for the doors opened at 9PM. They checked our IDs and issued wristbands (an embroidered ribbon, no less), that was checked and re-checked upon entering every Court lest a gate-crasher attempt to pass.



The big May Balls are famous for the Ents - the continuous stream of entertainment throughout the night - and John's did not disappoint. At any given time, there were up to 7 different acts to choose from, including the headliners Aluna George and Rudimental:

First thing we saw upon entering were mounds of strawberries with champagne. Holy strawberries. We each grabbed a glass and made our way across The Backs (with a view of the New Court) to the main part of the college.

Everyone was dressed to the nines. I'm sure this is what an Oscar party must look like - elegant people partaking in bacchanalian debauchery.

Thirsty? Scattered around were punts, the flat-bottomed boats that are usually found floating on the River Cam, that had been dragged throughout the college and filled with various drinks.


(Needless to say, as the evening wore on it became apparent who were the excited undergrads who felt the need to drink their money's worth...)

On a side note, there was a 'No Bins' policy - i.e. we were encouraged to throw our rubbish on the ground, so poor peasant workers could come around to pick up after us.

We took our champagne and crossed the Kitchen Bridge, where we had a good view of the Bridge of Sighs (connecting the Third Court with New Court.)

Later that evening, the Kitchen bridge was a good vantage for the Cam, which was slowly filling with punters trying to get a glimpse of the action. Most of the gawkers were waiting for the fireworks shows from both Queen's College and St. John's.

The fireworks began at 11PM, and we had an excellent view from The Backs:

Immediately after the show, we decided to play a bit of mini-golf and then ride the Dodgems (known in America as bumper cars). Nothing beats bumper cars in a ball gown:

When it got cold, we went into the casino to play a little blackjack, or stopped for some wine and cheese and a bit of music in the Hall:

The front side of the Cam is where the main (older) part of St. John's College is located. Going away from the river, we walked through Third Court, Second Court, and First Court. Each had a variety of tents, entertainment, and food, including this freaky stilt-walker:

and this, the comedy tent in the Second Court:

There was a different theme in each Court, with accompanying food and drink:

And there was food aplenty. Everywhere you turned was another tent, fountain, cart, or table laden with some treat or another. Thank god for Spanx...:

The main act, Rudimental, was actually pretty good:

In the early morning hours, we took a breather in the Acoustic Tent in Chapel Court:

and when we stepped outside at 4AM, it was already getting light out. Genius that I am, I'd flown in from California the day before and hadn't gotten used to the time change, so I was still awake:

The final act of the night is always The Gentlemen of St. John's, who played at 5AM on the main stage. By then we were exhausted, so when it started to rain at around 6:30, we were ready to call ourselves survivors.

Thanks Anil, Malte, Julia, and St. John's College, for an amazing night!

OK, so yes, while I was in Cambridge, I might as well get my fill of the May Ball parties. So Anil, Amir, Martina, David, and Ivana decided to go to Wolfson's event later that week. Two May Balls in four days? Why yes!

Wolfson's is definitely more casual than John's - the theme was Wolfstock, and it was a much more relaxed mood and dress. Still lots of fun, and an experience to remember. 

What I Learned in South Africa

(published in The Business of Teaching [South Africa] volume 1, number 4, Fourth Term 2011: 7) 

In August, I visited South Africa as part of the Toyota International Teacher Program, a professional development opportunity for 24 U.S. educators to learn about environmental conservation and increase cultural awareness. We toured the country, visiting museums in Johannesburg, landfills in Durban, and game parks in Kruger. In Cape Town, we partnered with South African teachers, visiting their communities, schools and homes.

I applied to this program to increase my knowledge of environmental education. I hoped to develop new curriculum, and I wanted to see firsthand the steps South Africa is taking to use green energy, reduce her carbon footprint, and boost ecotourism. In addition, I was eager to gain a deeper understanding of the social justice issues that profoundly impact so many aspects of South African life. I couldn’t wait to go on a game drive, see a rugby match, and experience my first braai, and I spent the weeks before the trip reading Paton, Mandela, and all the travel books I could get my hands on.

But nothing I read could prepare me for what I saw in South Africa. I knew life in the townships would be hard. I knew what percent of the population live with HIV/AIDS, the average life expectancy, and how many languages are spoken throughout the country - but these are merely statistics. What I could not know or predict was the indomitable spirit of the people. I didn’t expect the extraordinary energy of the land, nor did I anticipate the forgiveness and the courage I witnessed throughout every community we visited.

One of the highlights of the trip was my visit to Macassar High, a township school in the Western Cape serving a majority colored population. With pride, Principal Yusuf Abrahams showed us his school – the weight room, the science and computer labs, and the lunch room. From the huge key ring his in hand, he knew precisely which key opened which security door, padlock, and gate.

After the tour, I stopped by the biology classroom of Alicia Keet, my ZA teaching partner in this shared program. The families of Alicia’s students struggle with poverty, drugs, and unemployment, but Macassar High is doing wonderful things for the students and the community. The Eco and Bio Clubs maintain an indiginous garden.Student-painted murals adorn the concrete walls of the classrooms. The drama club rehearses an original play in the auditorium.

Alicia clearly loves her school. She and her husband, fellow science teacher Julian, run the Model United Nations program. They dedicate weekends and evenings to school projects, open their home to former students, and they even spent their latest wedding anniversary on a camping trip with Macassar students. I am inspired by teachers like Alicia who hope to transform disadvantaged communities and seek to empower those who struggle.

When I tell other teachers that my school is in a children’s hospital, invariably their eyes grow wide and I hear a collective sigh of sympathy. ‘It must be so difficult,’ they say. ‘I could never do what you do.’ And I used to think my job was hard. My school has unique challenges, since my students are patients at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. They may be facing life-threatening conditions such as cancer or organ transplants, and many suffer from social, emotional, or cognitive setbacks because of their illnesses or treatments.

Yet Alicia, Julian, and other ZA teachers face struggles that I could never imagine. My classroom has heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. I have enough money to buy books. My students are well-fed and clean, and they sleep in a safe bed each night. My windows do not have iron bars and my stairwells do not need padlocked security gates.

The reality is this: all teachers face challenges on a daily basis, whether we’re in the US or in ZA. Do I wish I’d never lost a student to cancer? Yes. But that doesn’t mean I’d ever stop working in the hospital, because I love what I do. Do I wish Alicia had enough textbooks to give to every pupil? Or that her students never had to go to school hungry? Of course. But these problems exist, and I’m grateful that such passionate and talented people as Alicia have made the commitment to continue teaching despite the hurdles thrown their way.

South Africa taught me that with compassion and dedication, we all can overcome obstacles and make life better for ourselves and those around us. My visit was a profoundly moving experience, and I find myself reevaluating my perceptions of my own classroom, students, teaching, and outlook on life. I will never again take for granted what I have or where I teach. 

 I am honored to have met you, South Africa. Thank you for inspiring me.

Kruger

Aug 7 - Phalaborwa
GAME DRIVES! Can't believe it, but I actually went to Kruger National Park today!

Started the morning very early with a 5AM checkout from Mountain Manor. We all flew together to J'burg, then the group split up and I was lucky enough to be in the group that left right away to Phalaborwa.

It was a small prop plane - 30 passengers, so only 14 of us got to go first. I bought a beanie in the airport, which I'm so glad I got! We got in around 1PM and went first to lunch at Kaia Tawana (really good potato soup). Then we drove for about 40 minutes to the animal rehab center, CARE. On the way, we saw a single wild baboon on the side of the road, just staring at us. Scott and I were SO excited, until we got to CARE and saw that the place was absolutely crawling with wild baboons...

We also saw tons of impalas (which we also saw by the runway at the airport), kudu, and guinea fowl.

The CARE center is a rehab facility for orphaned baboons - they have several large cages, but it draws in wild baboons to eat and mate with the caged ones. They are so used to humans you can walk VERY close to them - some even have babies on their tummies or backs. We also saw warthogs and vervet monkeys.










Went to check in to the lodge - Sefapane - and very quickly got ready to go on our game drive. We sat in raised 4x4 jeeps - open air but they provide lap blankets. Kruger is only about 3 miles away, so we got about an hour in the park. Drove to a watering hole where we saw a small herd of impala (which really are everywhere) but no big game. The only ohter cool animal was a solitary hyena that crossed the road in front of us - slightly larger than a dog, and spotted with wild-looking hair. It got cold and dark soon after sunset, so didn't see any more animals. But tomorrow we go on a long, all-day drive, so no worries!!!

Met up with the other group at the lodge, then had a slightly abbreviated stargazing session It was cold and not many people were very into it, so we went quickly to dinner (another buffet - main curse beef stew - very good).

Came back early to shower and unpack, plus I want to go to bed early. The next two days we have 5AM wakeups so that we can get to the game drive as soon as the park opens at 6AM!

August 8 - Phalaborwa
Last final day in South Africa - so sad!, but it was a GREAT one! We had a full day game drive - left at 5:30 this morning to be at the gate right when it opened at 6AM. We went with Heinrich, who I think was the best of the game rangers. He was knowledgable about not only the big game, but the birds and flora as well.

It was VERY cold in the morning, but we were so excited it didn't matter. Started off the day seeing impala - the first herd of many, many impala. They have black markings on their rump and tail, which makes it look like the letter "M" so they are called the McDonalds of Kruger (fast food for lions - haha). Then the game started pouring in. Zebras, giraffe, duiker, kudu, steenbok, cape buffalo, hippos, elephants, a crocodile, green tree snake, hyena (crunching a bone!)















It was all totally amazing - especially the hyena eating something recently killed, and it snapped the bone very close to us; the giraffe standing in the middle of the road just looking at us, the elephant that threatened us since we were only 20-30 yards away, the hippos that came half out of the water, eliciting a collective gasp from the group; the green tree snake (a boomslang, according to Heinrich) that crossed the road then climbed the tree; and finally the ENORMOUS herd of cape buffalo all around us.

Yum.

Fast food of Kruger

Mr. Boomslang

Symbiosis at work - eating the parasites off a giraffe

 

Vervet Monkey

Whatchoo lookin' at, kid??

Kudu. What gored that female??

Dik dik

Burchell's Zebra

Hippo family... and their crocodile neighbor

 

Hitching a ride...

All totally amazing, we exited the park at 5:30 - had a brai at the lodge, and am going to bed early for another 5AM wakeup tomorrow. Hope to see some cats!

Aug 9 - Phalaborwa and the Cradle of Humankind
We saw a recent lion kill!!! Did you know lions go for the soft bits first?? That's the eyes, throat, and belly. ew.








Lionesses do all the hard work. But then they get to relax.




After leaving Kruger, we headed back to J'burg and stopped at the Cradle of Humankind - the museum where we learned about human history and where they found Australopithecus africanus fossils in their cave system. There is a Disney-eque ride through time there, and it was fun wandering through all the exhibits.

A lovely final meal in South Africa