Having now read most of the blogs, it seems like a big theme of the trip so far is expectations. I even touched on this in my last/first entry. It is amazing how, as human beings, we formulate so many anticipations for the future. I think this is relevant even in daily life, as I have expectations for how practically every day, week, or month will go, whether its business as usual or something spectacular (like this trip). Moreover, I have felt like I am practically retracing the steps of last years trip, having listened to the same lecturer, visited the same museum, and gone to the same market area. Thus, I feel that I am especially susceptible to allowing my expectations to take over my senses and not directly experiencing what is going on around me. I am working hard to be mindful of this, which is a really interesting exercise.
Today we had the first classroom component of our trip, which was fun. Zwelethu, our lecturer, is a really engaging speaker with a lot of really cool history. I did, however, feel a little ignorant, as I am really rusty with my history. I think I was even a little sharper last year on these topics. Regardless, he had a lot of cool things to say and presented the history in a really comprehensive way. I really wish we would have had more time to discuss the lecture, however. We broke for lunch immediately, and I feel that information like this gets lost pretty quickly when you don't immediately stop and consider the take home messages. Additionally, this was my first chance to be a teacher in the classroom, and I was sad at the lost opportunity to try facilitating discussion. I am sure there will be more chances though. I wrote down some questions I wanted to ask, so I will save them for Friday, when we have alloted discussion time.
Overall, the first two days have gone by quickly. Reading the blogs, I sense that the rest of the group is getting restless for the township stuff. I have mentioned a couple times how that part of this trip is really intense, so maybe I am setting them up for it. This trip has a really interesting design, in which we get comfortable in the parts of South Africa that are really familiar. We are purposely staying away from the stuff that is really controversial. I love how this illuminates the poverty that we will see. It shows how society is full of contradictions, which are enshrouded in an organically evolved culture that reinforces them. Just like in nature, everything fits into its context perfectly. Every element of the universe is interconnected and in complete, uninterrupted dialogue with everything else. I hope I can impart a sense of this transcendence to the students, as I feel this is something critical to a deeper understanding of our personal experiences and our role as societal leaders, regardless of the immediate context.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Christen's Blog
For a really comprehensive blog that links to some other blogs, check out Christen Christopherson's blog. She is the teacher of this course.
christenincapetown.blogspot.com
Travel and Day 1
Hi there. For anyone reading this, my name is David Horn, and I am the teacher's assistant for the May/June 2009 South Africa trip. I went for the first time with last years group, and I am coming along this time to provide support for our teacher, Christen, and advice for the students as they explore this amazing country. I graduated from the University of Minnesota this May with my B.S. in neuroscience, and I am currently planning for a career in medicine.
I have had a lot of mixed emotions as I prepared to embark on this trip. While last year's journey was an absolutely amazing experience, the Cross-cultural Leadership Context of the AIDS Pandemic program challenged me to take in a ton of experiential information in a very short period of time. Consequently, the three weeks were exhausting, emotional, and unwaveringly intense. For this reason, I am anxious for the next three weeks, and I am already combating expectations that I have and trying to be open to this time as its own distinct experience. I definitely felt this way as we traveled to the waterfront today and visited a posh mall and restaurant. I understand that the first part of this trip is supposed to be a tourist experience, so that we can compare the perceptions we are having now to those we will have in the township; however, I am reflecting on our experience in the township last year and applying it to today's settings, which is making me somewhat uncomfortable.
This is particularly interesting to me because this experience tests the way that last year's trip was life changing. In a way, this is a direct test of the lessons I learned last year, as I apply my new perceptual templates to an environment that I have already experienced once. Moreover, this year has been one of great personal growth and change, as I dealt with a number of changes in my personal and professional life. I am both excited and anxious to see how this plays out over the next few days.
It will also be interesting to watch other students have this experience for the first time. I anticipate, given that I am the TA, that I will be a little bit outside the group, and I will be taking some steps back and making observations about the ongoing group learning process. I will also be making extra effort to ask questions that help guide the thoughts of the students as they explore South Africa. This should be a very fun, exciting adventure, and I am looking forward to its development over the coming 20 days.
I have had a lot of mixed emotions as I prepared to embark on this trip. While last year's journey was an absolutely amazing experience, the Cross-cultural Leadership Context of the AIDS Pandemic program challenged me to take in a ton of experiential information in a very short period of time. Consequently, the three weeks were exhausting, emotional, and unwaveringly intense. For this reason, I am anxious for the next three weeks, and I am already combating expectations that I have and trying to be open to this time as its own distinct experience. I definitely felt this way as we traveled to the waterfront today and visited a posh mall and restaurant. I understand that the first part of this trip is supposed to be a tourist experience, so that we can compare the perceptions we are having now to those we will have in the township; however, I am reflecting on our experience in the township last year and applying it to today's settings, which is making me somewhat uncomfortable.
This is particularly interesting to me because this experience tests the way that last year's trip was life changing. In a way, this is a direct test of the lessons I learned last year, as I apply my new perceptual templates to an environment that I have already experienced once. Moreover, this year has been one of great personal growth and change, as I dealt with a number of changes in my personal and professional life. I am both excited and anxious to see how this plays out over the next few days.
It will also be interesting to watch other students have this experience for the first time. I anticipate, given that I am the TA, that I will be a little bit outside the group, and I will be taking some steps back and making observations about the ongoing group learning process. I will also be making extra effort to ask questions that help guide the thoughts of the students as they explore South Africa. This should be a very fun, exciting adventure, and I am looking forward to its development over the coming 20 days.
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