Shoe Shopping

So today I bought a pair of waterproof hiking shoes for South Africa. I literally tried on at least 10 pairs of shoes at REI before finally finding this one really funky but comfortable shoe.


The part that I think is awesome and silly at the same time is the way the shoe laces up. You have this little gadget that pulls at the laces and then it can hang or you can tuck it into a part of the shoe. You can't see it too well on the picture but if you've ever seen a pair of Salomon shoes then you'll know what I am talking about.

I realize that in 24 days I will actually be in South Africa. That's awesome! I can't wait!

The U.S. is out!

Today the U.S. team lost to Ghana and they are out of the World Cup! Below is a picture of the Asamoah Gyan of Ghana celebrating his winning goal. Did any of you watch the game?

Source: http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/photos/

Click on that link if you want to see more photos from the game.

Tomorrow Germany will play England and then Mexico plays Brazil. That'll be pretty interesting and I am sure a *ton* of Mexico fans will be watching all over Chicago. I'm rooting for Mexico. :)

One week later...

Wow, so I really can't believe a whole week has gone by since school let out! I miss all of my students and hope all of you are enjoying your summer!

I have been very busy so far... As many of you know, I am in school too and my professors have given us so much work to do that I feel like I have been drowning in my school work. I bet you guys think that's funny. :) Plus, I spent two days back at Northwest doing stuff so it hasn't really felt like school has ended. Also, I read a really good book that I wish I could share with all of you but I can't because it's top secret and not yet published. My author friend gave me a copy of it and I really do hope it gets published because it's really, really neat and I think a lot of you readers (especially the girls) would LOVE it.

Tomorrow I am attending a reading workshop for teachers and last week when I went to the first part of it they gave us a homework assignment -- can you believe that?!?! I was surprised but the homework assignment was really cool. I had to somehow show what kind of a reader I am. So, I did this semi-artistic poster that tells you what's going on in my mind while I am reading. Take a look at it and let me know if your brain does this or if you experience reading differently.
Today I went to the beach so today was really the first day that actually felt like summer. Then I went to the library and picked up four books to read so I will definitely be busy reading for fun this weekend. Here's what I got:

1. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (this is another one of those books where the main character dies and she's reflecting on the last day of her life)
2. Learning to Swim in Swaziland (a picture book about a country in Africa called Swaziland)
3. Nelson Mandela's Favorite African Folk Tales (remember him -- he was the president of South Africa)
4. Sister Slam (a novel-in-verse)

I'll let you know what I think of these!

The last thing I wanted to share with you all is that there is supposed to be a really exciting soccer game tomorrow. The U.S. will be playing Ghana, another African country, and it's going to be really neat because it will be sort of a rematch from the last World Cup when Ghana beat out the United States. So a lot of Americans are really into this game. Me? Well, I'm rooting for Ghana. :)

Hope everyone's doing well! Leave us a comment so we know what you're up to!

The Kanda Bongo Man and his Music

My sister really likes the Kanda Bongo Man and his music so we thought we'd share this with you guys! He is from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is a country in the middle of Africa. You can read his wiki profile here.


Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALlcaO_gi9g

They speak French in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Kanda Bongo Man is really popular even here in the United States so watch for his tour dates! :) You might run into my sister at his concert.

Summer break is here!

Tomorrow Ms. Ade jets off to Nigeria for three weeks so expect to see a lot of cool pictures and posts about her experiences! Ms. Ade was born in Nigeria and has a lot of family there but she hasn't been back in 13 or 14 years so she'll probably have a lot to write about...

School got out yesterday and what am I doing today? I'm going to a class! Yes, kids, school ends and Ms. Koch, instead of going on "vacation," goes to a workshop. :) In the next few weeks I plan to keep you all updated on what I've been reading for fun and I am also going to be doing a lot of reading and exploring of books tied to our trip to South Africa.

Keep us posted on how your summer is going. If you think of any more books that you think we should bring to South Africa with us, let us know!

South Africa Library Project

As a young girl growing up in Nigeria, I remember some of my most vivid memories on the grounds of my elementary school. The day I discovered the library, I had been sent to the infirmary (school clinic) because I wasn’t feeling well. Not one with the greatest sense of direction, I got lost and found myself in a dim room with many tables. A few of the older students were sitting at the far end of the room but I paid them no notice. What held my attention was the amount of books that was in the room. I remember asking someone if I could take one with me, promising in earnest to return it. I was told the books were not allowed to leave the room, but I was welcome to stay and read them.

In Nigeria, I don’t remember seeing or visiting a public library. Rather, most of the books we had were purchased by my parents and friends of the family. We always had books around us. My mother would even secret books out of her office, a no-go zone for us children. We would bounce around in glee and anticipation as we waited for the joys of a new story to spill out of their bindings.

At school, the culture amongst the other students was to lend and borrow books. If a friend or relative got there hands on a collection of Aesop’s Fairy tales or better yet the Adventures of Tin Tin, you were an instant celebrity. My mother would often get us European novelities like Obelix and Asterix, one of my sister’s favorites, and we would spend hours pouring of the pictures and the strange worlds the words painted. Despite this environment, rich with literature, I do not remember visiting a library.

The importance of having a library, whether a novelty as it is in many parts of Africa, or a commodity as it is here in America, cannot be overstated. South Africa Partners has an initiative to increase the number of libraries in the most impoverished parts of the nation. Check out their link to find out more information. http://www.sapartners.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=28&Itemid=25%20%20.

As students in America, how can we contribute to this initiative? One of the goals of our expedition is to partner with a school and I am hoping an end product would be a literary exchange where we populate their libraries as they populate ours. What are some titles you would recommend for students in South Africa?

Oprah Winfrey's School for South African Girls

You might want to check out the website for Oprah Winfrey's school in South Africa. It's an all-girl school that aims to provide girls with a good education. I especially like the video section of the website because you can sort of "meet" four girls that attend her school. There are also some great pictures up there that'll help you better understand and see the differences between school in the U.S. and school in South Africa.

Gumboot Dancing

Gumboot dancing is a popular South African tradition that started in the gold mines of the country. Under oppressive conditions, miners wore thick black Wellington boots to protect them from the harsh environment. In the dark mines, they learned to communicate with one another by slapping their boots. This tradition developed into a dance form.

Lots and lots of Pictures from the World Fair!

We had our first (hopefully annual!) sixth grade World Fair today. It was fantastic! I am so proud of all of the students that worked so hard to create their boards, games, activities, and artifacts, and am pleased to say it was a huge success! Everyone had a great time and hopefully learned quite a bit about other countries in the world. Thanks to everyone who participated!

World Cup Concert

Here are some pictures from the World Cup Concert, held in South Africa last night. It looks like a lot of fun!

Sad News about Mandela

Nelson Mandela will miss the opening of the World Cup because his granddaughter just died in a car crash. Read about it here.

Official World Cup 2010 Song

Such an awesome song and the video totally gets me excited about the World Cup!


Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgyJY9yndv4

South African National Anthem

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr0414FrN7g

Summer Reading List

I know school's almost out but if you're interested in learning more about South Africa this summer, check out some of my favorite young adult novels that take place in South Africa and other African countries.

1) Afrika by Colleen Craig. I LOVE THIS BOOK. It made me cry and it made me think about the world. Kim, is a 13-year-old Canadian girl who travels to South Africa with her South African mother and meets her extended family for the first time. Kim's mom is white (and Kim is pretty sure she's white too) but she's not really sure what to expect in South Africa since her mom hardly ever talks about the country. What's interesting is why her mother decides to go there. Her mom is a journalist and she's going there to cover the Truth and Reconciliation hearings that were held post-apartheid. I honestly had no idea what they were (and even that they happened) until this book. Basically Nelson Mandela, when he became president, made the decision to seek the truth about the injustices that happened under apartheid but the idea was not to prosecute people. Actually, you couldn't prosecute people who committed crimes or harmed others under apartheid. But the idea behind these hearings is that the truth would come out and people would be able to forgive each other. A beautiful idea in theory but I still can't believe this actually happened. And you can imagine how totally controversial these hearings could be.

Anyway, Kim and her mom Riana arrive in South Africa and Kim's whole world is turned upside down. She starts looking for her father. She makes friends with a black South African boy named Themba, who makes her see the world differently. She starts to realize why her mom fled South Africa when she was pregnant. She gets to meet her extended family and learns who they are now, who they were under apartheid, and gets to see firsthand just how much (or how little) had changed.

The book is beautiful. It's a wonderful way for younger readers to learn about the history of South Africa and some of the more modern problems in the country. The book makes you really understand why "undoing" apartheid in reality will take several generations. I loved that the characters were not black-and-white. The "good" characters had flaws and the "bad" characters weren't really "bad." You (through Kim's eyes) come to understand why they are the way they are and see the world from their eyes.

2) Journey to Jo'burg by Beverley Naidoo. Don't underestimate this short and easy read. I actually almost have up on it because this first time I tried reading it I got confused by the characters and went to sleep! But I tried again and I read the whole thing in one sitting!

What's great about this book is that on the surface it's a simple story. A couple of black South African kids travel to the city in search of their mom because their younger sister is sick. Seems simple enough, right? Well, you get to know and begin to care about the two kids quickly. After a series of adventures, they end up finding their mom and return to the village. Together they manage to get medical help for their sister. On the surface it's a simple story.

In reality, if you dig deeper, you will learn that this was a journey of self-discovery and awareness for them. They learned firsthand about apartheid because in Johannesburg they experienced it! They finally saw what their mother's job is like. They accidentally got on the white bus and were yelled at and were told they were stupid. They meet a girl who introduced them to the idea of freedom. They realized that there is a lot about South Africa that they don't know, which their schools are not teaching them.

3) Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate. I had a lump in my throat throughout much of this novel and the ending absolutely brought tears to my eyes. It's a sad but beautiful story of a Sudanese refugee named Kek. Kek flees Sudan and is "resettled" in Minneapolis, where his aunt and cousin have already been living for a while. The book documents his adjustment to the U.S. and really, I think, captures just how emotionally difficult it is to leave your country because you have to, not because you want to. Kek is a great character and his optimism is heartwarming but it's so incredibly sad to watch him kind of "grow up" and become more like his cousin.

If you end up checking any of them out, let me know what you think!

FIFA World Cup Information

Hey everyone, I found a link to FIFA. Check it out.

Everyculture.com

Possibly everything you could ever want to know about South Africa (or any other country) on everyculture.com.

Short but Heartbreaking Apartheid Video

This man tells what it was like living under apartheid. He lived in District Six, a slum of Cape Town. One day his family came home to find that the entire slum had been cleared out. He had nothing left to call home. Heartbreaking.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0jJknikgCY

What is Apartheid?

From 1948 to 1991, South Africa had a legal segregation system in place called apartheid. Apartheid meant that blacks and other non-whites lived in overcrowded townships (suburbs) and were treated like second-class citizens. Only 10% of the country's population was white but they were in charge. Black Africans made up 87%, coloreds (mixed race people) made up 9%, and Indians made up 2.5% of the population.

This video shows what living under apartheid was like for many black Africans:

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1DD2NKB8wM

In the 1960s when the Civil Rights Movement was going on in the United States, a lot of Black Africans also began fighting for their rights in South Africa. The Soweto Uprising, for example, was one of the major events that really jump-started the anti-apartheid movement ("anti-" means against). Students just like you were so important in starting this movement.

In 1989 change finally started to come about and the process of taking apart apartheid began. In 1990, Nelson Mandela, a jailed anti-apartheid activist, was released from prison and in 1992 Black Africans were able to vote for the first time. Look at the pictures from that day -- it is amazing to see people waiting in such long lines because they wanted their voices to be heard and their vote to count.


The first multiracial government was elected in 1994. Nelson Mandela—winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993—became the new president, and things began to change in the country. Things are improving but South Africa still faces challenges in terms of being able to end racial discrimination and provide access to education for all.

National Geographic Rocks!

I just discovered the National Geographic page on South Africa and it is awesome!

The Facts page gives you such a good overview of South Africa without overwhelming you with too much info. Don't forget to look at the fast facts on the left!

There's also a map you can check out and some cool photos.

But the best part is the South Africa Quiz! I can hear you groaning but I promise it's a good kind of quiz. Give the quiz a chance and you'll learn a lot about South Africa, its people, and its culture.

Beautiful Sights, Cool Music

This video shows some beautiful sights across South Africa. You can dance along the music while you watch!

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gU4zV_JZc0

Cape Town Video

This is the video that I showed in class today. I like it because it helps you visualize Cape Town, one of the biggest and most beautiful cities in South Africa, while also showing you what some of the slums look like. You can see that even though apartheid has ended, racial inequality still exists.

There's a scene in the middle that shows a classroom in one of the poor parts of the city. Compare that our classrooms at Northwest and think about the kinds of opportunities we take for granted.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0uUD2vPuPk

South African Languages and Culture

South Africa has 11 official languages. Eleven!!! Can you believe that?

I'm so glad they speak English so we'll be able to communicate.  But I'm sure that walking around cities in South Africa will feel a lot like being in Chicago -- everyone will speak in their own native language.

Tour Itinerary (What We'll Be Doing)

Thursday, 22 July
We leave the United States for South Africa

Friday, 23 July: Johannesburg
 We arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa

Saturday, 24 July: Johannesburg
Tour of Soweto
Visit Apartheid Museum

Sunday, 25 July: Johannesburg
Shopping, African Market, Rosebank
Market Theatre Performance

Monday, 26 July: Johannesburg
Tour of Johannesburg, Constitutional Hill, and Women’s Prison Museum
Afternoon Visit to Local School

Tuesday, 27 July: Johannesburg/East London
Fly from Johannesburg to East London, South Africa (it's on the eastern coat, right by the Indian Ocean)

Wednesday, 28 July: East London
Visit Local Schools
Shopping at Vincent Park Mall

Thursday, 29 July: East London
Visit Local Schools

Friday, 30 July: East London
Visit Local Schools
Fly to Cape Town, South Africa (on the western tip)

Saturday, 31 July: Cape Town
Tour of city, District Six Museum and Table Mountain
Visit to Cape Point Peninsula

Sunday, 1 August: Cape Town
Tour of Solms-Delta Wine Estate in Franschhoek Valley
Visit the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront

Monday, 2 August: Cape Town
Ferry to Robben Island, Tour of Robben Island (the prison where Nelson Mandela was held)
Visit Local Schools

Tuesday, 3 August: Cape Town
Visit Local Schools

Wednesday, 4 August: Cape Town
Depart Cape Town for Johannesburg
Depart Johannesburg for the United States

Thursday, 5 August
Arrive in the United States