July 24–Saturday

Up a little later and had breakfast at Hotel Edward. Met Barry at 9 and went shopping for 2 day’s supply of food. Also stopped for bran at health food store. Started our trek to the Drakensburgs gently rolling hills, very dry–took 2 hours to get to our lunch spot at Himville. Had delicious dark grain bread and vegetable soup. Barry and Jack also had cold cuts and salad. Drove another 40 miles and got to our cottage.

Stopped along the way at a black village “supermarket.” Our cottage is booked 6 months in advance and it is gaslite and has a thatch roof. Took an hour walk around the cottage and came back to have a drink outside. As the sun went down the temperature lowered, we lit a fire and turned on the gaslight. Joseph, our black ‘servant’, fixed us supper (steak, potatoes, and carrots) and then we spent the evening talking. Went to bed at 10 in our cylinder beds in which you felt like you sunk into the middle and needed a straw to continue breathing.

July 25–Sunday

Woke up to a cool house and got up and fixed breakfast and started out for our 5 ½ hour hike in the Drakensburgs. Good trail and easy, but long, hike. Had lunch by the river–drank OJ made by river–and then walked back. It was a cloudy, nice cool day. Joseph fixed us kingslip, peas, and potatoes. Had a pleasant evening scheming about future ventures in South Africa, the States, and Hawaii. Had difficulty staying awake until 10 p.m.

July 26–Monday

Up a little after 7 and fixed breakfast and on the road by 8:30. Drove for 2 hours on a dirt road through the Drakensburgs. Lots of cattle on the road and blacks walking somewhere. Stopped and had coffee and then stopped at Greytown for gas and a look at a craft shop. Tried to stop for lunch at a black village but no where to eat. Stopped at Stranger at 1p.m. to eat. It was an Indian village near sugar cane fields. Community was both Hindu and Moslem. Ate at Stranger Hotel and had mutton and curry (mild) served by women–Barry said that was very unusual.

Drove on to the Forest Inn near University of Zululand with a short stop at a nearby white town. Forest Inn was definitely one star but it only cost R25 a night for a double. The three of us took a short walk down a cane field and later met in the public lounge. Dining room opened at 7 p.m. and then we were in for a 7-course meal of tomato soup, line fish, chicken, beef rolled, baked apple, and cheeseboard. Ye gads!! Rolled home and went to bed by 10.

July 27–Tuesday

Had breakfast at 7:00 with Barry and joined by Anne who had driven up from Durban. Got to the campus by 8:15 and found University of Zululand to be a newly built campus. It had been founded 21 years ago but had been considered a bush college and had been burnt down several times by the Zulus. We were in a very modern lecture hall and finally started the program at 9:15–30 minutes late. Started by briefly introducing ourselves, having them talk to a neighbor considering their concerns of guidance and then did our introduction slides. Then did our job/vocation/leisure talk with exercise. Break for 30 minutes and met a woman principal and asked her to speak up in group. Participants had swelled to 200 by end of morning.

From 11:15-12:45 we talked through the 6 career planning skills. Broke for lunch and went to bookstore and purchased five University of Zululand folders. Went to VIP lounge in sports pavilion and had a ½ hour talk with Gugu, Gemeany, and Zululand University counselor. Talked about university growing from 75 students in 1959 to 2600 today.

Lunch turned out to be apple juice, shrimp cocktail, soup, steak (20 oz.!), potatoes, carrots, salad, and ice cream. Plus wine! Not only that but we were just getting served our main course at 2:00 when the p.m. session was suppose to start. They didn’t seem to be concerned! Finally got back at 2:30 and did lifeline exercise and talked through Career Survival Skills exercises and how to develop them. Finished at 3:45 and overall have to say it went better than we expected.

Barry and Anne drove us up to Richards Bay and got back to The Inn at 6. Got together at 7:00 for a drink and then off to a Zulu party. Our hosts had been at U Oregon for 2 years. First cornered by three inspectors who wanted to talk. Found out people were liking the workshop (especially team teaching) but eye contact was disrespectful...ah, that was the problem! Food consisted of corn mush, cabbage, stead and SUPER sausage. Left around 9:30 and came home and packed.

July 28–Wednesday

Met Barry for breakfast at 7 and left for University of Zululand at 8. Started at 8:45 and made a few comments regarding team teaching, using first names, and eye contact. They also made comments and seemed to get off to a good start.

Had everyone get into groups of 5 and made a guidance exercise, very tough to get them to understand. Walked around and talked to many groups. Had tea break and came back and five people reported what their groups had done. Not bad–how to choose a career, choosing a marriage partner, how to know if students could speak (good woman presenter, the nun in white), and a last very nervous fellow.

Very quickly did components of a guidance program. Broke for lunch and again confusion about what was happening. Got it together and finally were having lunch with the inspectors. BIG AGAIN–asparagus, tomato soup, fish, cabbage, chips, salad, and ice cream plus wine. Got picture taken after a difficult coordination and ready to start afternoon program.

Described Uoregon counselor education program and then did Oregon slides and evaluation. Then the summaries and thank yous started. First, we got gifts–mine a purse to keep my feminine charms and Jack an impala to poke out hurts. Then announcements and a summary thank you. Then we gave out our frisbee and three Oregon pens. Finally more announcements and it was over. On the way back read evaluations and they were very high. We were a success at Zululand U!!!

Checked into The Edward in Durban felt like home and went for a run on the beachfront.

July 29–Thursday

Up before 7 and coffee came at 7:15. Barry met us at 8:30 and went to airport and checked tickets and boarded flight to Port Elizabeth at 9:45. Arrived at 11 a.m. and met by Bob and Mark. Drove to Port Elizabeth University which is ½ English and ½ Afrikanders. Met people who worked in the university clinic and had a strange tour of the neuropsychological equipment. Had tea with the staff and then went to meet head of psychology department. Went to lunch at university union with about 10 people. Guess what we had for lunch? STEAK, fruit cup, salad, chips, broccoli, and ice cream.

Took a 1 ½ hour rough drive to Grahamstown. Rather insipid talk on the way discussing career education, etc. Had a quick tour of Grahamstown (population 10,000) and it’s a picturesque place that was settled in 1820 by the English. Went to the university and saw our presentation room and met the department head.

Went to Settler’s Inn Motel and had a 2 star room with lots of desk space. Got an iron to press very wrinkled clothes. Bob was born and raised in Australia–came here in his 20's and met his wife and stayed here. Met several people for supper at Settler’s Inn. (The black waitresses are all called Missy.) The talk at supper revolved around women’s issues–much at Bob’s initiation.

July 30–Friday

Picked up at 9 and the conference started on time at 9:30. The beginning was deadly with an opening by the dean of education and then a listing of our credentials by Bob. Then we did a warmup and our slide intro which seemed a bit deadly. We then went on to our presentation of job/vocation/leisure plus exercise and discussion. Had tea in the church hall. Met black psychology head from the Transki who seemed so interesting.

After tea we did career planning skills and then the components of guidance quickly before the 1 p.m. break. We were both slightly discouraged because we could not seem to get a reaction from the audience. Walked over to the Rhodes Club and had a buffet lunch of roast beef, peas, and carrots and apple crumb cake. Talked to one guidance teacher who said the program was good and got a bit more encouraged.

At 2:15 started and did a shortened version of jobsatisfaction/dissatisfaction, how to make career survival skills exercises, and a walk through of two career survival skills exercises. Then did an overview of counselor education at U Oregon. The program was summarized by Angela, the black psychology head and she made a disjointed statement and a plea for something. Then Mark summarized and said it had really been a workshop and not a talkshop. Many participants came up to talk afterwards, but we forgot to do an evaluation.

Bob took us downtown and we got perfume, Rhodes sweatshirt, and antihistamines. It had been a beautiful, sunny, warm day and the campus was charmingly beautiful. Came back to the motel and had an hour talk with Bob about meeting with his students tomorrow. Ate at Settler’s Inn. Both Jack and I realized how irritated we had become by the day.

July 31–Saturday

Up at 8 and had good muesli cold porridge. Mervyn picked us up at 9 in his new Golf and took us to the black community on the other side of the street. It was poorer than Soweto–estimated that there are 40,000 black with 50% unemployment among black males. Makes the community tension understandable.

Went to antique shop and then two bookstores to find Andre Brink’s books. Went for coffee and Mervyn told us that on a recent visit to his parents one feels unsafe in the country.

Got to university at 10:30, had tea, and didn’t start talking to Bob’s four students until 11. All four work in high schools as counselors. The main awareness of the 2 ½ hours was that: guidance is limited to 2 hours per term, each counselor also teaches and has sport and no time, and there are few choices for students. Guidance seems to be a farce.

Came back to hotel at 1:30 and ran up to monument. The 1820 monument was quite impressive architecturally. It is a new, modern conference theatre center. Walked back to hotel and cleaned up and a beer to wait for our “tour” from the dean of education. George, our guide, is an articulate and also theatrical. We had an hour plus tour of Old Grahamstown (avoiding the black section) that was interesting–but smokey.

PLEASE LET ME ESCAPE GRAHAMSTOWN!!!

George and Kathy picked us up at 7 p.m. The evening was an experience in being ignored. Bob had not informed any of the staff that we would be there and social skills are not especially high with these white South Africans. Finally the academic dean talked to us–he had just been to Victoria Falls. Another man from Yale was there. A brief episode with an Afrikaner teacher of philosophy of education. The supper was good! Afterwards, Kathy cornered us to describe her flying travels. Relief, got away and talked to Arthur again. Tried to leave and George waffled and Arthur offered to take us home. A unique evening.

August 1–Sunday

Breakfast and ready to meet Sam, Mary (faculty member and spouse), and kids by 8:45. Didn’t arrive until after 9 and Mary and I sat in back with the 2-year-old. Best experience we had with Sam. Mary described their maid who had one child not living with her and a husband who occasionally beat her. Victoria has made a huge emotional investment in her 2-year old and actually gets along better with him than Mary (by her own description). One of their main reasons for not going to Capetown was not being able to take Victoria. And of course she cannot go with them to Australia. Mary said she had been raised with the expectation that the future was uncertain and wondered what it would be like to be able to plan your future. She described always living with a packed suitcase under her bed. Mary found my description of the two types of women in Grahamstown being either a college kid or in a frock quite descriptive. It was a pleasant way to leave Grahamstown.

Arrived in Port Elizabeth at 10:30 and left on South African Airlines at 11:30. Got to Capetown by 1:15. Met by Trish and it was sprinkling. Trish took us to Crossroads, the shack town of black people who came to be with their families. It was worst than Soweto. We then went to a Youth Development Center where there was a pottery area and a library. Pretty depressing if this is the best there is. Went to hotel Dorp Huis, a 3 star hotel that had slightly bigger beds, 2 comfy rocking chairs, a pants presser, and a much more homey atmosphere.

Jack and I took a walk down Parliament Row and the pretty gardens and went to the South Africa museum. The most interesting displays were the human body molds of the various black tribes. Walked back and met Trish and another CRIC staff member who was an Anglican minister’s wife from Massachusetts. Took a ride along the coast to Hout Bay. Talked about the workshop on Tuesday and Wednesday and drove back.