Top of the World

And another South African adventure has brought us to our last day in our 2017 trip to KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, South Africa.  Sitting in the Bloemfontein airport Mugg & Bean cafe with Elene and Dennis, I'm typing up one last comment before boarding the flight to Johannesburg, and then the long haul to JFK.

Our last sight-see at 7,000 feet at a mountain pass called Otto du Plessis.  What we can see there is a vast portion of the Eastern Cape, including the Indian Ocean behind us on a good day.  This area of South Africa includes the formerly named Transkei and Ciskei, where homelands or Bantusans were established for the relocation of Xhosa speaking black South Africans.  Nelson Mandela's original home was in the Transkei.  

High Veld

Farewells are part of the journey, and they can be wonderful, and a little tearful, too.  The most beautiful departures are the musical ones and the University of Zululand Choir did not let me down.  The choir sang my arrangement of "The Parting Glass" and a very improvisational version of an old Girl Scout song called "Tumba - Ta - Tumba" that I taught the choir as we sang together for the past three weeks.

Here is a little video snapshot of the choir on the day they learned the song.  They added the choreography and enthusiasm after I simply sang them their parts.  


As I was walking out the door, they sang a song called "Suzan" by the vocal group THE SOIL.  The lyrics on the refrain translate they are singing so that I will remember them.


Suzan song by THE SOIL



I am now happily reunited with Dennis in the high veld of the Eastern Cape, foothills of the Drakensburg Mountains.  Just minutes from southern Lesotho border, we are planning some shopping at a border town tomorrow, mostly for 1 Basotho blanket and small souvenirs for friends.

 Also reunited with my dear Elene Cloete who has just finished her Ph.D. in Social Anthropology at the University of Kansas, we are heading up to the border today to greet some culture bearers and friends who participated in her dissertation fieldwork.  Yesterday, we greeted a culture bearer and friend of the Cloete family who showed me around the music of this region 7 years ago, named Vusi Marinoti.  It is an amazing blessing to see each other again, and catch up.  Vusi has recently secured a South African government grant for his musical ensemble to record and produce their own and other groups' music in Barkly East, the town nearest the Cloete farm, here in the high veld. 

Busy, Busy

This is an unusual time for me in South Africa.  I have actually spent most of my daylight hours in meetings with faculty for the last couple of weeks.  We have had our fair share of singing and socializing, but the curriculum development is coming to an end on Tuesday.  The daylight hours are important to note, because it is winter, so darkness begins falling at about 5:00 p.m. and happens quickly.

These students attend Dlangezwa High School, a really rockin' school with a dedicated administration and staff.  Guess what time is study hall?  EVERY night at 6-9 p.m.!  Seriously?

Dennis' last day in KwaZulu-Natal, we are sending a happy birthday message to my sister Cindy, and posing with Bhekani, next to the mosaic on the side of the Creative Arts Building. 

The smirk on this face indicates that Dennis is taking off to one of his favorite places on earth, the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, where gyrocopter rides, trips up to the Lesotho border and barbeque smoker grill business awaits him.  Bon voyage, Dennis!  I miss you!