Guess what, guess what?!

Guess who's going to the South Africa?

Ooh, good guess -- yes, it's me!

FGS runs student trips to various countries each spring break -- mostly in conjunction with the languages and social studies courses we offer. This coming spring, we're running our second trip to South Africa, and more kids than expected have signed up (probably because the first trip two or three years ago was apparently just amazing), so suddenly they needed an extra chaperone.

And guess whom they invited? Yes, that's right, it's me!

I have said "yes." Yay!

I haven't been overseas in 16 years -- a figure I hadn't quite realized until this afternoon. I have this sense of myself as not a great traveler, but I don't actually have any real evidence to back that up. And maybe I have just based that sense of myself on the fact that the last time I traveled, back in my late 20s, I got grumpy a couple of times with my mother, who was my traveling companion, although for the most part we did quite well together. So that's not really evidence of my being a bad traveler, right? And I am not always the most flexible person in the world, and my anxiety sometimes gets high when I'm in unfamiliar situations. But that's true of a lot of people, right?

Anyway, I didn't share any of those concerns about myself as a traveler with the chaperone who talked with me today about the trip. First of all, I'm not in charge on this trip -- I'll be an adult presence with responsibilities, but I won't be the one running the show. And three of the (now) five chaperones went on the trip last time and thus understand the ropes. And, finally, maybe I really am sometimes more adventurous than I think of myself as being.

Additional cool things about this trip:

I've been feeling sort of intellectually restless lately, wanting a research project but kind of spinning my wheels on finding one. But now -- South Africa! I certainly know as much about South Africa as the average person on the street, but that's hardly enough to take full advantage of this trip. So looks like I better hit the books! I have 4 1/2 months to learn all I canabout South Africa -- history, culture, politics, literature, etc. -- so that I feel thoughtfully prepared and knowledgeably excited about the adventure ahead. Yay! (And title suggestions most welcome if you all have them.)

In addition, one of the ugly things that happened in my last year at St. Martyr's was that the university president actually canceled an overseas student trip rather than let me chaperone it. (Apparently my deviancy was so unbridled that there was no telling what I'd do once I got the vulnerable undergrads overseas. Or at least that's what the president was afraid others would think, and he didn't want to appear to be condoning my lesbionic ways.) So, especially in light of my low-level anxiety this year about being in my fifth year at FGS, the same year everything went to hell at St. Martyr's, there's something wonderfully right about being sought out and invited as a chaperone on an overseas student trip.

Plus, ... South Africa! Yay! So I'm a very happy camper and excited about the adventure to come.

Comments

[anon]

An excuse to read some great (if depressing) fiction: Lessing, Gordimer, Coetzee.... I wish I knew of some uplifting South African fiction. If you find any, please let your readers know!

[Sarabeth]

There is loads of undepressing South African fiction, much of it written after 1994, but not all. After Tears, Room 407 [number may be wrong, I've had some wine, anyway the book is both wrenching and hilarious], Coconut, Fanie Fourie's Lobola are just the first ones to come to mind. For a lit round-up, check out the yearly Sunday Times literary award for fiction and the Alan Paton award for non-fiction. Recently, Jacob Dhlamini's Native Nostalgia is good. For older fiction, Drum Magazine's short stories, Nkosi's Underground People, Dikobe's Marabi Dance are all good places to start for not-super-depressing stuff.

[Sarabeth]

Also, it's a kind of dry text, but Beinart's Twentieth Century South Africa is the best place to start to get up to speed on the history. It's quite a sophisticated narrative, if not very gripping. And the Mail and Guardian is the best newspaper if you want to keep an eye on current events between now and then. If you say what, specifically, you are interested I can try to give more suggestions. Oh, and read both Long Walk to Freedom and No Future Without Forgiveness. Each is partisan in its own way, but both are beautifully written insider accounts.

[dr four eyes]

So cool! Very, very exciting!

[Bardiac]

Hurray! Coolness!

It's Botswana, but for relaxation, you can read Alexander McCall Smith's #1 Ladies Detective Agency!

Have fun!

[nik]

Awesome news What Now! A great antidote to 5th year fears!

[What Now?]

Thanks for the congrats and the reading suggestions! (And welcome, anon. and Sarabeth.) I spent a happy hour yesterday checking out my first stack of books from my local college library. And the weather is turning wintery just in time to make it cozy to hang out in front of the fire and read my way through them. I did some reading about the Boer War last night and found it a perfect end-of-the-week treat.

[Jackie]

Ever since I taught Cry, the Beloved Country last fall, South Africa has been on my travel-to-do list! What a great opportunity, and what lovely karmic full-circling for you too. I went on an overseas trip a few years ago, and while chaperoning overseas is quite a responsibility, it's wonderful to see the experience through the students' eyes as well. Hooray and congratulations!

[Flavia]

I'm waaaaay behind in my blog reading, but this is so cool I had to send a belated YAY. So, yay!

[comebacknikki]

Oh, that's so awesome! South Africa has been on my wanderlust list for years now.