August 2–Monday

Up at 7 and downstairs for an uninspired continental breakfast. Got a car and were off by 8:30, first through heavy fog. Went to Stellenbosch and walked around and had a scone. City has a university but wasn’t a very interesting city. Drove to Paarl to go to Nederland estate but one had to book it beforehand. Drove back to Paarl Information Center and got directions to a winery. Got to KVW winery to find we were late for the tour. Drove to Laborie (or KVW estate) for lunch. Beautiful lawns and white building–like a Southern cotton plantation. Restaurant opened at 12:30 and started with good brown bread, a salad, and good (but cheap) estate wine. Had cream of chicken soup, tomato (beef) stew, fish cakes, crumb baked cauliflower, pumpkin or squash rice, and fruit pudding cake. Ye gads!

Drove to Afrikaans language monument and then came back to Cape Town with an uneventful detour to Durbanville. Dropped car off about 3:30 and for the next hour tried to find a camera shop with a carrying case for Jack’s camera. The day was great weatherwise and it was beautiful to see grapes and farmland and the starkness of the cape hills. Ate in hotel restaurant. Somewhat antsy boring evening on my part–day had no work schedule.

August 3–Tuesday

Up late–8:15–and ate in hotel. Walked to Swiss Air and found they could not change our tickets. Came back to National Gallery and saw a very disappointing art collection. Got ready to be picked up at 12. Taken to CRIC and we had a tour of their sparse facilities and saw their initial start at career information.

Had an unusual lunch with the three field workers without silverware or napkins–served tacos with spiced meat, lettuce and tomatoes, cheese, and rolls. They briefed us on what they have done with teachers and showed us what lesson plans they have prepared. Went to the workshop site and readied room. Started at 2:15 and warmup. Did our introduction slides (projector not good) and then did job/vocation/leisure exercise with few comments from them. Then did a 15-minute overview of guidance components. Had a 30-minute tea break. Did an hour on career planning skills plus questions. Stopped at 5:30 and seemed to have their interest.

Trish brought us back to hotel and seemed the friendliest yet. Had a celebration drink in the bar. Ate in hotel.

August 4–Wednesday

Up at 7:45 and breakfast in hotel. Out to find art and antiques and had a very pleasant 2 ½ hours browsing. Jack bought a copper South African railroad oil can and I bought a necklace for my niece. Had lunch in hotel.

Trish picked us up at 1:30 and went to UCT Careers Centre to meet a careers professor. Strange–did not introduce himself and kept shoving all his books at us. Went to workshop with Kim, a UCT Career staff member and started at 3:15. Did job satisfaction/dissatisfaction and gave career survival skills principles and walked them through three other exercises. Explained U Oregon counselor education program and read evaluations. Evaluations were positive.

Stayed to talk for an hour with the CRIC staff. They wanted to know how we did team teaching, if they should be one of the group or an expert, how to discuss with teachers rather than griping, and how to have effective staff meetings. Trish drove us back to the hotel and we sat in the bar and discussed U of Wits workshop.

August 5–Thursday

Up at 7:30 and down to hotel coffee shop. Went out to find Barclay’s bank, and found a department store that seemed to have good gifts. Back to be picked up by 10:30 by Trish. Had a good talk on way to airport regarding funding and the role of her staff. Plane left for East London and Durban at 11:20.

Arrived in Durban at 1:30 and met by Barry Beck who took us to Logan’s Bookstore and met Allen, a publisher. Interesting ½ hour talk on publishing career education material in South Africa. Went downtown and had a stop at Swissair to change tickets and then went shopping. Bought gold chains at Stern’s and then put bag away at Stuttaford’s for my nephew. Walked back to hotel and Barry came at 7 and we discussed trip finances. Down for smorgasbord and had a 3 hour feast and good talk. Barry tells good stories.

August 6–Friday

Up at 7:30 and met Helena at 9 who is a PR person with Unilever. We had a good hour talk and best idea was to sell a career planning workshop to students in 9 and 10 grades. Went on to 10 a.m. appointment at Elangeni and more planning for future workshops in South Africa.

Light lunch at Hotel Edward and walked downtown. Got tickets at Swissair. Bought briefcase at Stuttafords and a gold chain at Sterns. It rained and was our first rainy day in South Africa. Back to hotel by 5:30 and Barry called with tomorrow’s arrangements. Ate in Grape Vine with hovering service.

August 7–Saturday

Up and breakfast downstairs. Went for fairly long run along Indian Ocean and then cleaned up and walked to nearby curio shops. Junk stuff. Back to be picked up by Barry at noon and drove for 45 minutes to a game reserve past a poor black area. At game reserve drove around for about an hour and saw elan, impala, cheetah, ostrich, zebra, small moneky, wildebeest.

Drove back through Indian town and then stopped at Oyster Bar Hotel for coffee. Back to hotel by 5, windy, dark day by now. Barry back after 7 and went to British and East Indian Sporting and Dining Club. Had peanut soup, Persian chicken curry, and Turkish delight dessert (gumdrops). A good meal but not outstanding–waiters did wear turbans and brought washbowl. Had drink in hotel and I felt too much wine and it spoiled evening and then could not sleep.

August 8–Sunday

Started with coffee at 7:30 and saw runners outside and joined in part of a marathon. Beautiful weather and felt much better upon return. Took time to read Sunday paper–lots of sex-related items in paper. Barry picked us up at 11:15 and went to his house and finalized plans and projects. He took us to airport and had coke and then took airbus at 1:15.

Got into Joburg at 2:30 and took cab to Milpark Holiday Inn. Like a HI–no style. Walked around to shops and came back and took a nap–both pooped. Nice lazy Sunday from Durban to Joburg. Went down at 5 to have coffee and plan workshop.

Met Mervyn (host) at 6:30 at hotel and talked for 1 ½ hours. Went to Gallery Grill for supper and had great salad bar and pork sausage and chips–not as good as Zululand. Had bits and pieces of homemade ice cream. Came back and called Jim and Sue.

August 9–Monday

Up at 7 and down for a bad Holiday Inn breakfast. Terri picked us up at 8:30 and went to U of Wits. Program started at 9 with an overview by Vice-Chancellor. Then with no introduction Jack and I did a warm plus describing job/vocation/leisure. Then had tea.

After tea Mr. Staples gave the party line regarding Trasval education...unreal. Then a 6-person panel spoke, giving various points of view. Panel went an hour beyond schedule. Went to lunch with panel at faculty club. I spoke with black inspector who said he had good feedback from Soweto about our earlier workshops and concerned about who would come to U Oregon.

Then tea and Jack and I gave 1 hour presentation on career planning skills. Well received and then asked for comments for tomorrow.

Had brief cocktail party, talked to person from South African mines and back to hotel for quick bath before being picked up at 7:30. Had dinner with some U of Wits people, very pleasant evening with talk about South Africa situation. Tired upon return and called Jim. Tough evening for sleeping because of TV next door and feeling the 48-hour last press of coming events.

August 10–Tuesday

Up at 6:45 and had breakfast served in room. Organized for conference, but it was very hard to whomp up enthusiasm. Terri collected us at 8:15 and workshop started at 8:30. Did background slides, then did job/vocation/leisure exercise. Did guidance components and then tea break. After break did counselor-based and teacher-based models and asked them to discuss with seat mate and did 30 second reports. Then did counselor education program at U Oregon.

Break for lunch and went to faculty club and had drinks before lunch. Went to bookstore and got Jack a t-shirt. Back and started at 2 p.m. and did job satisfaction/dissatisfaction and how to build career survival skills exercises. Then asked them to write five main concerns of guidance in South Africa; evaluation evaluations; and slides of Oregon. FINISHED!

Tea break and hassle trying to get Joy. After tea break Mervyn discussed feasibility of building a national South Africa Personnel and Guidance Association. Fifteen minute discussion and then nomination of 15 steering committee members. Andrew gave thank you and Terri bought us back. Called to arrange for evening.

Went for short run...harder breathing in Joburg. A little relaxation before evening gathering. Sue picked us up at 7:15 and went in hunt of Astra Rd–quite an adventure. Finally found Terri’s place which was an old farmhouse. Party of 13 people. Pleasant evening and good chats with many. Supper was a Woolworth quiche (good!), salad, cheese, rolls, and ice cream. Went home about 10:30.

August 11–Wednesday

Joy S. Called at 7:30 and checked day’s options and invited Jack to speech for this all women’s group...a new alternative. Went downstairs to eat. Packed and got downstairs at 10 to get a cab, 45 minutes later we pirated an incoming cab with another resident. Got to Carleton Hotel around 11 and Jack went off to cash Barry’s check. I contemplated talk and Pat came by and we went upstairs to check out overhead.

Women started arriving at 12:15 and there was a 45 minute standup drinking time. A guy from Black TV came again and had a 5-minute interview. Had lunch with marketing director from Gillette, a tennis star, an academic, a PR woman, a representative from the Carleton, 3 others, and Jack. In total had about 200 professional and managerial women. Definitely professional upper crust of South African women. Joy introduced me to a black woman who was principal of Alexandria high school. Lunch consisted of a tuna filled avocado, main course of chicken over pastry, carrots, and mango ice cream.

Moved to speaker’s table and had a charming introduction from Gillette man who promoted three Gillette products, Silkience, Daisy, and erasing ballpoint. I spoke on a decade of change for American women–three points on assertiveness, superwoman, networks and then made changeover to introduction to Jack and talk about dual careers. Jack made few introductory remarks and then gave definition of dual careers and assessment device and ended with New Directions transparency. WELL RECEIVED–many people came to make comments and get my business card.

Then went to women’s room to change into jeans and had ½ hour wait for Sue. Sue took us to airport and had nice goodbye. Got through all procedures and had about ½ hour wait for flight. Left at 6 p.m. and had 3 ½ hour flight to Nairobi. Served dinner and even gave us toothbrush and paste. Plane was almost empty. Stayed in Nairobi for an hour in the plane because of the night curfew in the country. Left there at 10:30 and had 7 ½ hour flight to Zurich. Tried creative sleeping on floor and seats.

August 12–Thursday

They woke us at 4:30 a.m. to serve us breakfast and arrived in Zurich at 6. Got to Hertz by 6:30 and picked up Ford Fiesta.

 

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The journal goes on through Continental Europe and London and ends on August 28 in Eugene being picked up by a Eugene friend (surprised us) and ends with these words in printed, block, bold letters.

The Duo Returned in Triumph!!!

My goodness I was full of ourselves, but it was quite an adventure.