If I were back in the U.S. today, Easter would have consisted of church in the morning, an Easter egg hunt and a party in the evening. In Africa our Easter celebration was a small egg hunt that Lisa organized. This Easter was not the traditional Easter that I am used to, but it was still a meaningful day for me.

We stepped onto the ferry at one o’clock and headed for Robben Island. I had an image of what I thought it would look like from a movie we watched in school called, “The Color of Freedom.” When we arrived it looked exactly like I had imagined it. We all piled on a bus and went on a tour around the island. There are some places where the history is so vibrant you can feel it.

The tour guide had been imprisoned there and shared his story with us. Even though he had probably told this story more times than he could count, it was as fresh as if he were telling it for the first time. He told his story with so much sadness that it made people cry.

Robben Island

We were shown the quarry where the political leaders were forced to mine lime, with no eye protection, and many of them got snow blindness from the glare. There was a small cave in the quarry which served as their only bathroom, as well as their meeting place. The reason they could use it without being disturbed was that under Apartheid law, the white guards were not allowed into the cave, which was considered a non-white bathroom. The prisoners used this to their advantage. They educated one another in that cave. Those that had entered prison illiterate emerged able to read and write. They had a phrase that said “Each one Teach one.” The guide said that the mistake that the Apartheid government made was putting all of their political prisoners in one place, and giving them a place to meet.

For the tour of the actual prison, our guide was another ex-prisoner named Sparks. He spoke slowly, in a way that seemed almost completely detached as he told us about the place where he and his fellow prisoners were kept. Hs manner of speech took some of the horror of the place out of it for me. Thinking about it now though, I wonder if this detached manner is the only way for him to deal with the horror that the place holds for him. As I walked down the rows of small solitary cells of the Robben Island prison, past the cell where Mandela spent part of his 27 years in prison, the sadness and terror seemed to still be alive. Reflecting on the experience, does this detachment hold more horror in it than any emotion he could have shown?

Today was important to me because the people we encountered had suffered so much but did not seem to be angry. This is a contrast from many people I know in the U.S. who have so much, yet are filled with anger and discontent. Sedick did not seem resentful toward those who had imprisoned him. He has chosen to focus his energy on educating people. It seems that most of the people I have met in South Africa are passionate about education.
-Sara Birns, Brittany Lovato, Cliff Randolf, & Anneka Lettunich

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Additional Photos:

We got up at 4:00 A.M. this morning so that we could catch our plane from Nelspruit to Cape Town. After a 7 hour drive and a stop at Wimpy’s for breakfast, we got to the small airport. The airport is a few hours outside of Johannesburg. Our flight to Cape Town was very comfortable. We were picked up from the airport in Cape Town by a bus that is being used for Clint Eastwood’s movie about Nelson Mandela’s Rugby Team. Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon are starring in the movie.

Cape Town is nothing like I ever could have imagined. It reminds me of several cities combined into one large metropolis. Cape Town has traces of San Francisco, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Miami, and Malibu but it seems much cleaner, and more elaborate! Even the fields and countryside of South Africa remind me of home. It is amazing to see how much South Africa is like California.

The bus took us to a lookout point atop Signal Hill, near Table Mountain. The view was spectacular. It was absolutely breathtaking. Our chaperones worked hard to convince us that we would be staying in a very modest hotel, but the hotel we arrived at was glamorous and ritzy! Upon our arrival, we were given fresh fruit juice and a warm welcome from the hotel staff. There was a huge grand piano in the lobby. Leah sat down and played beautifully. Her playing touched me. After freshening up, we went to a lovely dinner on the waterfront.

The first week seemed to fly by. There were flashes of lions, elephants, giraffes, poverty stricken townships, a city where the wealthy live on one side of the street, and across the street, live people who barely make enough money to feed and clothe their children. Our second week here has just begun, and it is already proving to be just as exciting. We are taking some time now to recuperate, gearing up for Philani, and our interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. I can’t wait to see what this week has to offer!
-Mariel Fox & Trevor Forry

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Additional Photos:

Mount Madonna school students in South Africa for the Ubuntu Project spend time in Johannesburg with other South African students as well as at an orphanage.

Giraffe in Kruger National Park

We are on the bus ready to get started on our final day of the safari. The previous day could not have gone smoother. We managed to come across the “big 5” all in one day. Dawie himself said that he has never seen them all in one day and was astonished by our luck. SN often says “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” I feel we are all working fairly well and have dealt with the obstacles along the way in a sensible matter.

So far this trip I have really struggled to find the importance of half the things we have done. Of course I know it’s important, but why? This morning’s pep talk helped me get a better idea of what we are here for. We are finding the true meaning of Ubuntu, the principle that you are who you are because of others and your relationship with them.

Going through the last few days connecting with our environment made me realize that Ubuntu is not just about people, it is about connecting with the world as a whole. We are who we are because of plants, animals, people, and everything else around us. I came to that realization when Dawie explained how everything must be balanced in order to work and interact as a whole. We as a group must have perfect balance in order to work as one.

-Amar Nijor

Majestic. There are no other words to describe the queen of the Savannah, the lioness. Imagine a beautiful, powerful, mother lioness strolling through the grass as the sun sets and her cubs roam about behind her. We already could not believe how lucky we were to have seen all of the “Big 5” (lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffalo.) Then, just as the last rays of the sun were slipping behind the mountains, we saw her, an awe-inspiring female lion. I was breathless, pulling out my camera to take pictures, amazed by her grace. As she prowled into the bushes we drove off and burst into chatter. WOW.

-Mara Getz

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The landscape is different from what I expected. I thought it was going to be more of a jungle here. The savannah is so vast.

What is really shocking is how good I feel when I am on safari. I feel like I am supposed to be here. I am surprised by how fascinated I am with the animals. When we saw the three female lions crossing the road in front of us, and when we saw the giraffe for the first time, I had a whole new feeling. It was like seeing a movie star from the distance.

I seemed to know what to do to spot animals. I was surprised by how easy and natural it seemed.

-Danny Falcao

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Kruger – Impala

It seems that as our group gets more tired, we get luckier. In the beginning of the day we saw some cool monkeys and impalas. As the day progressed, the animals we saw got closer and more awe inspiring.

The first of the “big 5” we saw was the rhino. The rhino is the armored tank of the elephant world. After this, we saw a number of humongous elephants and towering giraffes. The most amazing part of the day was seeing the lions. Toward the end of the day we approached a hunting pride that patrolled around our bus. The power and majesty of the lions was unlike anything I have ever seen. All I could think about while watching the lions was how much more impressive they looked than lions in the zoo.

-Jack Massion

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Kruger National Park

We left for our night safari from Mopani Rest Camp at 8:00 P.M. Night Safaris are exciting because many of the animals are most active at night. We saw a lesser ganet, various herbivores, two hippos so close up that we could have touched them, jackals, water buffalo, and an individual male elephant in a bachelor herd.

The tour guide challenged the young male elephant by revving the engine and allowing the elephant to come very close to us. It was obvious that the elephant felt threatened. He threw dirt into the air with his trunk, twitched his ears, and threw his trunk over his tusks. Everyone in the jeep was nervous but our tour guide new what he was doing and eventually the elephant walked away from us. It was so thrilling to be so close to something as powerful as an angry elephant.

-Mariel Fox

Kruger – April 8th

Today we had a 9½ hour drive to Marloth Park, which is just outside of Kruger National Park. As soon as we got to his house, Dawie rushed us all to the riverbank where a lion sighting had been reported. Many people were sitting on the bank, beers in hand, looking at the wildlife. Part of what is so great about South Africa is people’s willingness to help complete strangers. Everyone on the bank helped us by pointing out the most exciting wildlife possible. The final group we met helped us by showing us the lion they had found. They allowed each of us to view the lion through their telescope.

-Mariel Fox

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Dawie knows everything about the history of South Africa. Today, as we drove from Maropeng through several cities and townships towards Kruger Park, Dawie mixed facts with personal experiences to explain what we were seeing. No textbook could have taught me what I learned from hearing about Dawie’s experience growing up in South Africa. It was fascinating hearing his perspective on the Apartheid movement since he lived through the chaos of those brutal times.

My appreciation of Dawie and all of the time he has sacrificed to make this “school” trip possible can not be expressed on paper. Rarely does one meet a person so generous, enthusiastic and dedicated. I think that my classmates and I will not only take his stories and lessons back to the United States, but also his good heartedness and free spirit.

-Leah Nascimento

If you look up the word apartheid you will most likely read of death and destruction. You will find stories of poverty, sadness, and riots. The history is so awful and appalling.

Dawie, the man who has organized much of our trip and helped us get our interview with Desmond Tutu, lived during the apartheid years. During our bus rides in the day and our dinners at night, we have been able to hear his experience of living in South Africa during apartheid.

After the apartheid museum we were all amazed and moved by what had gone on in those years. Dawie had never been to the Apartheid Museum and was shocked by the images he saw there. As a white South African he said he never saw the images of violence that the rest of the world were shown. He expressed his horror and surprise. He said he had never known the extent of the deaths, apartheid laws, and the brutality of the South African government under apartheid.

We are getting so much more than a tour guide, travel assistant, or friend. He is all of these. He is able to give us his own perspective. We get to hear to hear the life stories of an incredible person.
-Mara Getz

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Conquest of Life

What a day! We started out a little slow and sick. Unfortunately, Erin and Emily were feeling under the weather. After breakfast Emily felt better and we headed out for Soweto. Once we got there, we sat down with Trevor Tutu and asked him some questions relating to present politics. He doesn’t seem like a guy who wants much attention. He would rather make things happen behind the scenes than be in the limelight.

Today seemed to be a day of passion for a few reasons. First of all, when we talked to Trevor about what his future entails, he mentioned community related work, such as helping people learn to be self sufficient with little resources. His passion was so great for what he was interested in. Not only Trevor, but the kids from Conquest of Life had the same outlook. They all had clear paths and ambitions as well as perseverance to get there.

Overall, today really got me thinking about what it is I am passionate about. Whatever it is, I can’t wait to find it so I can someday be as passionate as the people we met today.
-Amar Nijor

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Cotlands

Today we met Trevor Tutu, Desmond Tutu’s son in Soweto. Trevor Tutu work with a non profit organization called The Noble Savage. They work in urban development creating sustainable business for the poor. They set up fish farms which create ongoing income and jobs for many people.

Trevor gave us new insight into the world of South African politics. South Africa has an election approaching quickly. It seems like there is a political poster every 10-20 seconds on the road. The three main parties are the ANC (African National Congress), the DAC (Democratic Alliance) and COPE . The problem they are facing, as we heard it, is that the ANC has been in control for so long they are starting to turn South Africa into a one party country. The ANC’s leader, Zuma, has been accused of

Trevor Tutu

corruption. Recently a man was convicted of bribing Zuma, but Zuma was never prosecuted for accepting the bribes. Also, there is fear that government position are not being given to the most deserving person, but rather to friends and supporters. Trevor Tutu said this is leading to less capable people getting the jobs and becoming rich, while many others remain impoverished.
-Jack Massion

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Additional Photos:

Mount Madonna School students arrive in South Africa and begin traveling for the Ubuntu Project.

We arrived in Johannesburg at 10 am after a day and a half of traveling. We were warmly welcomed at the airport by our friend and guide, Dawie Crous, who helped us get organized. Tension grew as we rushed to exchange money, sort the donation bags and look for misplaced equipment. Exhausted, hungry and irritable, we boarded the bus and headed to Maropeng. On this ride we got our first real look at South Africa.

At first, huge business buildings and towers consumed the landscape and the environment seemed similar to our own back home. As we drove further the buildings became sparser and soon were replaced by townships. Clusters of shacks lined the highway, and Dawie emphasized the differences between life in the city and life in the townships. I felt a twinge of guilt every time we passed a person sitting by their home or on the street. It appeared to me that they owned close to nothing. Two boys waved to us frantically as we passed them, as though it was the most exciting thing they’d seen all day.

Dining in Maropeng

We soon passed the townships, and were able to take in the stunning scenery. We continuously snapped pictures whenever possible, desperately trying to preserve the beautiful images of the rolling hills, brilliant clouds and even a few giraffes! We arrived at Maropeng, and the landscape was breathtaking and looked like a postcard.

The ride to our first destination in Africa was a definite eye-opener; first world, third world and nature all coexisting. I can’t wait to see more.
-Haley Turner

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It was very appropriate to start our journey with the Cradle of Humankind. This is said to be where humans first started to walk the earth. I find it amazing that we all come from the same place. Even though our DNA is the same, we are so different from each other. I realized from the discussion with Dawie how much our culture has to do with who we are.

Cradle of Mankind

This tour made me reflect on racism in our world and how unnecessary it is. How can some people think that because someone is a different color and has a different culture they are somehow less than us, and treat them as if they are a different species. It is sad that some people believe that they are superior to others, even though we all come from the same ancestors at Maropeng in Africa.
-Brittany Lovato

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Leah Nascimento

I was very distracted on our 15 hour flight to Dubai. Even the countless movie options failed to keep my attention. Every once in awhile I would fall asleep, then wake up thinking that we were about to land, only to find that we still had many hours to go. It’s amazing how far away we are from home.

It is currently 1:30 am in Dubai. Everything from the detailed marble floors to the elaborate architecture is grand. Each structure looks as though it came from the future; there are colored lights on everything. They catch your eye and make it hard to focus. Its almost eerie being in here, I’ve never felt this small before.

Walking through Dubai Airport

I have never been in such a quiet environment. The people here seem so conservative and reserved, with the exception of one who befriended me. While waiting in the airport an Arab toddler playfully snuck behind a tree near me and expressed interest in what I was doing. The few words he knew were in a language that I didn’t understand which made it all the more interesting. He was the most enthusiastic boy I have ever met. I handed him the journal I was writing in and he reached out for my pen. He scribbled an abstract piece of art that will be with me for the rest of the trip.

An Arab Haiku

Palm trees, marbled floors
Buildings shine with gold décor
I want to see more

-Leah Nascimento

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Arrival in Dubai 1

Dubai is a great launching point for our journey. It gives us our first taste of a foreign culture outside of the western world. The differences between Dubai and the United States are obvious. They range from signs in Arabic to more subtle differences such as the lack of trash and vandalism.

In addition to learning about different cultures, we are learning about each other. During our 15 hour plane ride we have found out how each of us operates. We have learned who is a sleeper and who is an insomniac. We are also learning valuable lessons like how to be up at 1:00 am alive and energized after only 3 hours of rest. This seems to be the final step in our preparation for Africa.

-Jack Massion

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Dubai – A Haiku

Huge glitter columns
Not a piece of trash in sight
Dubai warms my heart

-Erin Mitchell

Arrival in Dubai 2

Values in World Thought Program

A Learning Journey to South Africa

April 4th – 20th, 2009

Ubuntu Intro

Introduction

by Project Leader Ward Mailliard

The African phrase Ubuntu in its essence means “I am because you are,” or stated another way “I am a human being through you.” It is a statement of interdependence and interconnectedness. It also calls us into of our highest human attributes such as sharing, empathy, respect and compassion.

The initial inspiration to take a group of high school Juniors and Seniors on this ambitious journey to an unfamiliar part for the world was the opportunity to meet and speak with one of the great men of out times, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Tutu was a hero of the bitter struggle against Apartheid in South Africa. Even more importantly, Tutu was a healer of a divided culture as a major exponent of the “Truth and Reconciliation Councils” that put victim and victimizer together to remember their humanity and connectedness in order to forgive and move on.

Last year my wife Kranti and I went to Cape Town to meet Archbishop Tutu in the hope that we might be able to bring Mount Madonna students to meet him as part for the “Values in World Thought Program.” I was spurred on by the transformational magic of our 2007 trip to India to interview the Dalai Lama as part of Project Happiness. Through perseverance and the good luck of a friendship with a South African man by the name of Dawie Crous our request was granted.

Working in Class

I asked my 11th and 12th grade students if they wanted to go and got a resounding yes! We did not want to go empty handed so I asked Archbishop Tutu’s assistant what we could do to help our and she pointed us to the Philani Child Health and Nutrition Project in the township of Khayelitsha. The students led by juniors Mari Fox, Haley Turner and Mara Getz collected enough baby clothes, games and toys to fill 25 suitcases! The students also raised $2500. with projects like a hair cutting benefit and selling Ubuntu T-shirts at the flea market.

At one point in the planning Dawie suggested a detour to Johannesburg and a safari in Kruger National Park. Lisa Catterall, my colleague at Mount Madonna thought we should visit a project in the township of Soweto and Dawie suggested a visit to Cotlands HIV aids project for abandoned children. I emailed my new friend Linzi Thomas at MylifE, a project that is helping to get children who are homeless due to the AID’s crisis off the streets of Cape Town. With her enthusiastic support we set up a meeting with some of those children at her headquarters.

The pieces are still coming together in a mosaic that will include a trip to Robben Island where Mandela was incarcerated and a discussion with some of men who are veterans of that time. We will also explore the natural beauty that is South Africa and study the environment.

We are who we are on this journey because of so many others: because Ray and Alrene Flynn of the Windsor Mill family helped endow the trip so everyone could go; because our families and school were willing to make sacrifices; because Dawie Crous was willing to take time from the biggest fund raising project of his career to help us plan and organize; because the students said yes to the adventure and said yes to the challenges and discipline it will require; because our friends at the Santa Cruz Sentinel said yes to hosting this blog.

This trip is an example of the principle of Ubuntu. In truth, no journey in life happens without the help of others. We hope you will play your important role as witness to the journey because all stories need someone to listen and all rites of passage need to be witnessed by the community in order to be complete. Join us now and read to what our students discover about this very different world and witness what they learn about themselves.