Day 2 Sam Bonani (Hello in Zulu)

Day 2….Sam Bonani (Hello all in Zulu)

On day two of our study tour we took an extreme turn. We traveled from Pretoria through Johannesburg to the eastern most point which is a town called Soweto better known as “So Where To.” And I must say this was an experience. When people who think of South Africa they think of the famous Johannesburg. Soweto is one of those places that is overlooked and is also a part of Johannesburg that tourist do not visit. Our reason for visiting Johannesburg was to connect with Jose Bright the founder of an organization called “Teboho Trust”. The main purpose of Teboho Trust” is to uplift orphaned and vulnerable children by way of education. This organization is no tin the form of a school, but rather a supplemental program to help the lives of children living in Soweto. The organization focuses their support around four main components: educational support, social development, personal empowerment, and economic development. They primarily meet on Saturdays for about four to six hours every Saturday. They also meet on all major holidays and school breaks because the children generally have nothing to do. Jose Bright is a wonderful human being with a passion for helping the dispriviledged individuals. It is hard for me to even write about him because his passion and desire cannot be put into words. The purpose of the session was to introduce to this special organization before we take part in their Saturday session tomorrow. Just experiencing the introduction to this wonderful organization was a tough experience because it was our first glance at the poverty in Africa that runs rampant throughout Africa. It was moving for me because it is a reminder that my problems that I face in the states do not compare to anything that these children face on a daily basis. And it also motivates me to commit my life to always helping others.

Day 1…..

The first day of our trip was fairly light. We were given time to get through customs and unpack. We were also given time to recover from jet leg. We did however conduct our first session and at approximately 2:00pm we jumped in the van and drove over to the US/S. African embassy. Our session with the embassy was interesting because we discussed he relations between the two countries. One interesting thing that came up is that our newly appointed Secretary of State Hilary Clinton will be visiting South Africa in a short time. The experience with the embassy was a very good one; but due to exhaustion everyone in our group suffered from the chronic head nod at least once during the session. The session was however very helpful and a great precursor for our trip. We were given the rest of the day to rest and kind of recover from jet lag and the long flight. Dinner was pretty decent, we ate pasta..salad...chicken kebab..and...orange juice.
Another interesting event on my first day in South Africa is that we all fell asleep at about 9:00pm due to the time difference. So I woke up at about 2:30am and walked outside and to my surprise Fred (a group member) was outside on hanging out. So I came out and joined the party. Next my roommate came out; followed by Cienai and her roommate due to the level of noise in the lounge. So by about 4:00am there were about four of us having an interesting conversation. Our topic was ranged from the longevity of African American relationships to the personal development of African Americans youth across America.

The Plane Ride....15 hours of fun

The Plane Ride…..

The first part of my journey home that I would like to chart is my plane ride. I have no fear of flying and in fact I started flying at a very young age of ten. I have been flying on a consistent basis ever since. This plane ride is however, very different. I will be flying for a total fifteen hours to South Africa, and around twenty hours back, with the difference lying in flying with and against the wind and currents. The flight is not as bad as I thought it would be. I originally thought that the flight would be long and boring. I am currently writing this blog posting on my laptop while I am on the plane. I have been flying four about ten hours now and I have five remaining. The flight consist of many accessories that add to comfort including; personal TV screens in every seat, two meals thus far with one remaining, drinks (alcoholic & non alcoholic) on request, and a host of stewarts and stewartists that have been very helpful. There is also a feature on the personal tvs called “Flight Map” which actually shows you exactly where you flying at and includes information about; the altitude, the miles flown, the miles left, and the time flown, and the time remaining. At this point I have five hours and five minutes left and I am currently flying near Libera and the western point of the continent of Africa. I will also attach a short video clip from my 15-hour plane ride experience. Signing Off..until next time.

Introduction: Who Am I?

Greetings Folks,

I want to take the time to introduce myself for those of you who do not know me. My name is Tristian M. Cox, born to the father Martin P. Cox and mother Dorianne Taylor-Cox. I was born an raised in Plainfield, NJ. I am also a product of the Plainfield school system and proud to say so. I attended Rutgers University, New Brunswick Campus for my undergraduate Degree in Africana Studies. While I was an undergraduate at Rutgers, I made the decision that I would join the greatest fraternity known to man, Thee Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc Thundering Tau Zeta Chapter. I dedicated my entire undergraduate career to being invovled with the Rutgers community. I also worked with Rutgers Dining Services and Pepsi Bottling Group. While I was studying at Rutgers I decided that I would pursue a life in education and thus focus my studies in that area. I applied and was accepted into the Graduate School of Education: Five year masters program in the Social Studies department. I am currently enrolled in the fifth year of this program. I will be conducting my student teaching at Perth Amboy high school in the fall of 2009. While conducting my student teaching internship I will be working primarily with freshman teaching Modern World History.

How about South Africa, what lead me to this excursion across the Atlantic Ocean. A good friend and colleague of mine(Cienai Wright) informed me that she was going on a study abroad trip to South Africa in the summer of 2009. I was immediately intrigued by this discussion and I asked her if I could still apply. Although the deadline for applications had passed, I was determined to find out if I could still partake in this wonderful experince. So, I asked, applied and was accepted into the 8th annual group of students traveling to South Africa.