Ok, but more important than an office, I got to meet my
advisor on Friday. We talked my
inquiry project and he told me about schools here. In the US, visitors can come into public schools any
time. I remember walking into
Fannie Lou the first time, surprised to find Agent Jackson at the desk asking
for an ID. In New York City,
school safety agents are strict about requiring an ID from visitors. It is
nothing like that here. There must
be connections made with schools in advance and (possibly) research clearance
for our projects, even just to visit.
In the meantime, we will be able to visit some private
schools that do not have these restrictions. Our first visit is tomorrow. The public affairs officer for the US Embassy is also one of
the hashers (social running club).
She’s the one who invited us to our first hash last Sunday. Her husband is a teacher and we will
visit his economics class tomorrow.
Oh, right, how are we getting there?
In addition to the inquiry project in schools, we can also
take up to two classes. In the
Fulbright program guidelines, they say we can audit the classes. But apparently, auditing isn’t really a
thing here, so the university is saying it will likely be easier to actually
enroll in the classes. The
exciting part is that we can choose from the entire catalog. My advisor recommended a course called
Mathematics & Society. He
described it as similar to a history of mathematics course, but with a cultural
focus about how formal mathematics has developed on the continent. It is one of the requirements for a
bachelor of secondary education. So
for the second course, I am hoping to take something from either the history or
mathematics departments.
Here’s what I’ve inquired about from the catalog:
Hist 414 Chiefs, Commoners and the Impact of Colonial Rule
in Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland
Hist 416 Land, Labour and Liberation in Mozambique,
Namibia and Zimbabwe
Hist 615 History and Religion in Africa (there may be a
pre-req)
Hist 616 Religion and Power in Botswana
Hist 446 Growth, Policy and Poverty in Africa, Latin
America and South and South-East Asia
Hist 412 20th Century South Africa
Hist 202 Africa and the era of the Atlantic Slave Trade
(C. 1500 - 1800)
Hist 201 African Cultures and Civilizations to C. 1500
Since the course catalog I have is from 2011-2012 (I’m
told the listings don’t change) and also doesn’t specify in which semester
these courses are offered, it is possible that the above, it is possible that
these are not offered this semester.
I do know that these math courses are being offered by the graduate
school:
MAT 658 Stochastic Mathematics
MAT 645 Numerical Analysis
(Also, Advanced Real Analysis and also Optimization, but I
didn’t put those on the list.)
On one hand, yes, I could take math any time. But I don’t and is not usually an
opportunity that simply presents itself.
And there is also possible something interesting about taking it in
another country. Still, I am
hoping that one of the history courses works out.
We had our security briefing with the U.S. Embassy last
Thursday. Amanda, the pubic
affairs officer, picked us up and after the officers thoroughly inspected the
car and kept our passports, we went into the embassy. We were supposed to have a meeting with the ambassador, but
his schedule kept changing and eventually he couldn’t come into his office at
all. We got a message saying that
since we already met him, he would see us again some other time. Already met him? Ok, yes, I did know that I already met
him, but I could have easily missed it.
He’s also a hasher! I
noticed on our first Sunday that there was a man jogging in jeans. Thankfully one of the hosts told me who
he was. I also later found out
that the hash is supposed to bring everyone together as equals so it would not
be appropriate to go shake his hand or address him as Ambassador Miller. So when we chatted, I figured I’d just
ask about the jeans. He said he
really likes the heat. Hey Pete,
this part is for you. He was
asking if any family was coming to visit and then followed it up asking what
you do for a living. Direct quote
“I’m just a mailman out on a walk here, but we have many government programs
here and can always use as much medical help as we can get.” I said I’d try to bring you by. Ok, back to the security briefing. Three of us Americans were seated
behind the desk of a regional security officer. He begins in a soft, calm, reassuring tone. I soon understand that we are here for
a service that the embassy provides for
its citizens in country. I relax
as I realize that we are here to get information, not to be questioned
ourselves. I am not the potential
security threat. Also, hey Mom, there
are no guns here.
Ok, so more about fun social things.
On Saturday night, we had a big meal at the suite where I
got to try pap for the first time.
It is a traditional porridge made from maize meal. I’d heard it described many times in
the first week. Basically, it’s
like whatever side carbohydrate (or maybe even main dish) – rice, potato, pasta
– except has more of a grits taste from the corn. What really stood out was the texture. It was spongier than anything else I
can think of. The closest I can
think of is mochi, except that is sweet and rice. But the sponginess of the pap makes it good for picking up
pieces of the meat. I loved how
the night went down. We were at
the Liquorama buying wine (more on South African reds in another post), and
Bongy ran into a friend. We also
went to a butcher to get more of this delicious sausage we had last week. On the counter was a big piece of
something with a bone. Bongy was
ordering $4 of sausage and I was paying attention to how much you get for
that. So much. Then the butcher brought
down a huge hatchet through the middle of that big piece and the whole counter
shook. I thought, “I’m
alive!” So we were back at the
dorm cooking the meat and some pork chops, the pap and some veggies when the
friend we ran into at the Liquorama knocks on the door. There were three of them, the other two
were in the car, and she got sent in to ask if they could hang out with
us. So we threw on another pot of
pap, pulled some chairs out of our room, had a feast and went dancing
afterwards.
Here are the four of
us who were hanging out all day.
After the dancing until 1am, I wasn’t sure we would all make
it to the hash on Sunday morning, especially since it was out in Gabane, a
small town half an hour or so outside of Gabs. But somehow we did and I’m so glad. People say this location is the best
because it is way out in the hills, no traffic, good scenery and animals. But, in fact, this is the perfect thing
to do after dancing until 1am. I’ve noticed most of them wear t-shirts from
various years of hashing. On the
back, they say “A drinking club with a running problem.” So I looked them
up.
From Wikipedia:
The objectives of the Hash House Harriers as recorded on the
club registration card dated 1950:
- To promote physical fitness among our members
- To get rid of weekend hangovers
- To acquire a good thirst and to satisfy it in beer
- To persuade the older members that they are not as old as they feel
Here are some photos from Gabane. Look who's a hasher now! There's Bongy as we welcomed her (along with the new intern at the embassy) in the center of the circle.
I'll end with quick note regarding our shopping adventures. I just can't get over how orderly and well-stocked the shelves are. So here are some photos of that.
The photo of the juice above and the peanut butter below are from the campus store. This is way more peanut butter than what I see in the grocery stores. College is college.
And, finally, this.
