Graduate School Almost Finished for the Semester

Tonight I attended my last class for the semester (I still have one final paper to write this weekend). For those of you that don't know, I have been working on earning my Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL). This degree has been preparing me to work more effectively with students who are learning English and from a different culture. The program at UMKC hasn't been the most impressive, but it will give me the ability to graduate with a degree of expertise in the field.

This may also may be a little nugget of new information, but part of the reason for my upcoming trip, is because I want to check out Africa as a place that I may want to move for a more long term stay. I want to teach overseas and hopefully make a difference in social justice. It is all very much up in the air, but I definitely don't want to close any doors prematurely.

As my school year is coming to a close, and the trip continues to approach, I have been keeping busy with many things. Typing many papers for my six hours of graduate credit has been dominating my life, I got more shots yesterday at the health clinic, and I also visited the doctor for my Malaria medicine. I decided to take Larium, which has a very likely side affect of hallucinations, vivid dreams, and possible night terrors. Never a dull moment ... At least I won't get malaria, and it may give me really interesting things to write about. Stay tuned for Larium induced dream stories and possible hallucinations.

I have sent off for my visa into Mozambique, and am waiting patiently that it will show up in a timely manner. Say a little prayer, because without my passport, I'm not going anywhere.

South Africa Running Out of Burial Plots

The following is an article from CNN.com that a friend sent to me:


AIDS-hit South Africa running out of burial plots

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) -- AIDS-hit South Africa is running short of cemetery space and residents of its main city, Johannesburg, need to consider "nontraditional" burials, including cremation, Mayor Amos Masondo said on Wednesday.
Masondo said 24 of the city's 35 cemeteries were already at full capacity and, although enough spaces remain for the foreseeable future, other options must now be considered.
"The city would like to make an appeal to residents to consider amongst other options, stack burials and cremations," the SAPA news agency quoted Masondo as saying at the opening of a new cemetery on the outskirts of the city.
South African officials have repeatedly warned in recent years of a looming shortage of burial plots, attributed in part to rapid urbanization and a cultural reluctance among African families to consider options such as cremation.
Masondo suggested that families could begin to double up with "stack burials" at existing, family-held gravesites.
Masondo did not explicitly mention South Africa's HIV/AIDS crisis, which infects about one in nine of the country's adults, but analysts say the epidemic is directly to blame for rising mortality rates in the country.
Masondo urged Johannesburg residents to respect existing graveyards and not to take them over for ramshackle temporary housing.
"Respecting those who are no more can add so much meaning to the land of the living," he said.
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


I don't want to rant about politics, but "When is America going to wake up and realize that there is a problem that we need to assist in that doesn't include the Persian Gulf?" Africa needs help!
It baffles my mind to think that so many people are dying of AIDs, that an entire country is concerned about running out of graveyard plots to buried their dead.
I don't have a simple answer to this major problem, but I do know that I have the power to raise awareness. I need to share the issues that concern the people of Africa, with the people that I come in contact with in my daily life. Enough with the soap box. It has now been put back away in the closet. But consider yourself informed. Thanks.

jb

A Boss that Rocks!!

Can I just state, that it has been a major blessing to work for a principal that is a rockstar! He has been nothing but 100% professional while we are at work. I know that I will always have his support in everything that I do. I have also come to the realization that not all administrators have these characteristics, and I am very fortunate to have a boss that is awesome.

You're probably wondering why I am posting this on a blog that is supposed to be about a trip to Africa. It all started on the day that I told him about my possible trip in December. When I told him, I wasn't sure how he would react, because traveling to Africa also meant that I would not be teaching summer school for him. In our conversation, he was so supportive, and was actually excited for me to have this opportunity. That was in December, now fast-forward to yesterday morning.

I am in the front office of our school, and he waves me into his office, we are working on some things school/work related, our conversation turns to my upcoming adventure to Mozambique. He asks me how I was doing with my preparations(shots, planning, ect.). I started to share a few details, the fact that I am so excited to be on my way to Maputo, that I have a hard time not thinking about the trip every other thought during the day. He leaned in toward me and asked, "What about when you come back?"

The question caught me off guard, and hit right at the heart of some of my most major concerns and worries. I just nodded my head and said, "I'm pretty worried about it," and I went into more details about the concerns that I have about the re-acclamation to American culture after returning from a third world country.

He sat across from me and nodded his head, with a slight grin on his face. He went on to share that he spent a year in Thailand early in his career teaching English. When he came back he was appalled by the culture of America. Our conversation didn't represent anything that was anti-America or that we weren't "proud to be an American," but we did share a moment that we acknowledged that, we as Americans, have our priorities skewed in certain areas of our culture.

He pointed out that when I get back, I will be thrown right back into our culture at the school. He also let me know that if I am struggling with the re-acclamation, that he will always have an ear available to listen, as a person who has went through similar things in his own life.

I am amazed that I am so fortunate to have a boss that is so good at his job, has a high concern for his staff, and truely cares about us outside of work.

We Want You to Come to Africa!

Passport and Vaccinations

It has been a whirlwind the last couple of weeks. I have been hard at work with graduate school, shaping young minds, and preparations for Africa. I have some of the latest happenings are that my passport finally showed up. I had sent it away at the beginning of the year understanding that it would be back no later than March 1st. It finally showed up this last week (almost a month late). I was starting to get a little worried because I still need to send away for my travel visas. I also have taken care of all of my shots and vaccinations. The week of my work's spring break I had slight cases of Hepatitis A&B, Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Typhoid. Sounds like a ton of fun, doesn't it? Yea, for shots!

I also purchased another plane ticket today. It was my first purchase in foreign currency. It cost R925 (Rand). We decided that a 55 minute plane ride on South African Airlines was better than a 10+ hour bus ride across South Africa. I'm a little disappointed because I will miss out on the adventure of the bus ride, but I think that I appreciate at the choice after I have been on a plane or in an airport for the last three days. Kansas City -- Chicago -- New York -- Madrid -- Johannesburg -- Nelspruit -- Maputo. 54 days until I leave.

jb