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.