The check off lists are...well, checked off. This trip will be far different than last year, but no less exciting.
Rather than have specific tasks like teaching English, South Africa is all about building relationships and hearing stories. The nonfiction books I have read - from the children's department, of course - show tidy pictures. Even the impoverished homes are litter free. The histories read in a straight line or demographic circles: Afrikaners, English, Black, Colored, Indian, Asian. What happens when the separating lines get too close or blur? Is the next generation as aware of their history? The geographies show vast areas. I will be in one small part of one area. How do they relate to the whole?
And a new interest - what are children's books in South Africa like?
The east coast has the greatest concentration of Indians and I understand the curry is great and there is something called "bunny chow"...
The flight is 21 hours in one long and two short hops but the time difference is only 5 hours. Still a lot of ocean between here and there - how much cultural and world view difference will there be? Answers - soon!
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