A quick group update - onto country #2

Update from Sarah moments ago: "South Luangwa is beautiful, and the wildlife camp is great. Elephants everywhere, fighting hippos, naughty monkeys. A baby monitor lizard is living above papa's room." 

From Beth: 

The maiden voyage of our new chariot brought us to Cape Maclear: a beach town nestled in a beautiful bay of Lake Malawi. Our group enjoyed our first truck-camping experience: chopping vegetables from Samukange (our cook), learning Shona phrases with Ngwena (our driver), and basking in golden orange sunsets on the beach. The lake provided an impressive backdrop for classes, and the students finally found time to take care of the important things in life – laundry! Yet right as our clothes dried, it was time to immerse ourselves in a new experience. In double kayaks, the students and teachers of TTS24 paddled out to Domwe Island, and had the opportunity to experience a private island experience. With our tents set up on the beach, we found time to journal independently, make science field observations, and enjoy each others company. We learned the value of a dedicated hour of conversation in an activity called “dyads,” in which a pair are assigned to speak to each other and no one else. Tiny blue geckos darted around the paths, and we encouraged the students to move beyond superficial topics and gain deeper knowledge about their peers. The setting of reflection, relaxation, and rejuvenation led into our first Circle – a TTS tradition in which an intentional space is created to safely share feelings and address concerns. We dedicated this Circle to what we want to let go from our lives during this semester, and were joined in our ceremony by a civet cat slyly spying on our group from the forest.

We crossed into a new country today! As I write this now, I am eavesdropping on the students as they pour over the guide books from our library, quizzing each other on Zambia-related trivia. Discussions of resources, exchange rates, regions, and population statistics float through the cool night air. Tomorrow we head to South Luangwa National Park, one of the foremost wildlife viewing locations in Africa!

More Academic Updates

Global Studies

Big Blue with previous group

What is Global Studies? It's the 'umbrella over the bucket' class, the course that is overarching. It encompasses site-visits and guest lecturers, and the processing and debriefs that occur after each academic activity. So far students have learned basic Chichewa, the language of Southern Malawi, and asked probing questions about the nature of service. They have written journal reflections on their preconceived notions of the African continent, and read articles on the invisibility of Africa. Recently the group interviewed their hiking guides on Mt. Mulanje and learned about the illegal cedar logging on the mountain. Today we met Ngwenya, our driver, Samuconge, our cook, and ‘Big Blue', our truck, which means we will need to learn Shona greetings (a language of Zimbabwe) quickly to show proper respect! Everyone is excited to set off tomorrow and get into the groove of 'truck life'. Global Studies will continue with language lessons, article-reading, question-asking, and intense discussions.

Best,

Sarah

Physical Education

The girls of TTS are off to a roaring start for this semester's PE class. By the end of the semester our students will be leading the class, becoming teachers themselves. In the meantime, during these two short weeks we've completed early morning exercises, afternoon swims, and even climbed one of Sub-Saharan Africa's highest mountains!

Our first class was a series of circuits that helped warm us up in the chilly morning, starting us out for the day ahead. Mary Reid led our students through a combination of sit-ups, jumping jacks, squats and push-ups to help strengthen our core for the coming months.  Later in the week Katie and TTS's first overseas teaching intern Quinn had the girls swimming in the pool for some water aerobics. While the water wasn't the warmest, the girls braved the cold and joined in on the team-building activity. The students ended the week with an early morning run in the midst of switching between push-ups, planks, tree stances, superman balancing poses, and much more!

However, our most exciting workout so far has been climbing Mount Mulanje over the past few days. Our group hiked to 2,200 meters in one day to reach our cabin in the woods. The next day we hiked through the rain to a lookout point that we fondly called 'the end of the world'. From the high cloud coverage we weren't able to see as much as we liked, however, the misty atmosphere was still enjoyed by the group. We now know from experience what the inside of a cloud is like. Our hike down from the mountain included much nicer weather, and we were able to enjoy the beauty of the mountain. Even though our legs may have been tired, we all thoroughly enjoyed the journey and the accomplishment we were able to complete as a group.

Travel Journalism

Our TTS students have been getting busy the past two weeks with writing, photography, and even practice interviewing. We started off the course with writing an 'About Me' article and learning how to edit and peer review with other students in the class. Later in the week we dove into photography and completed portrait photo-shoots in the beauty of the nature reserve. The students then had a gallery walk to showcase their work and have the opportunity to share some of their photography techniques with the rest of the class.

Most recently students completed a diagram of their cameras and are in the process of making their very own camera manuals which they will continue to work on for the rest of the semester. This is a great way for them to become familiar with their own camera and learn how to adjust the settings in order to make the most of their photographs. Moving forward, students are beginning to build their interview skills and have started practicing with other students in the class. A few have even started interviewing and writing about the people we have worked with from our local accommodation, visit to the orphanage, and guides from our hike up Mount Mulanje. Stay tuned for updates coming from our budding journalists here at The Traveling School!

Algebra 2

Our TTS Algebra 2 class has been off to a good start by reviewing real, rational, and irrational numbers, as well as commutative, distributive, associative, and identity properties. Our lessons have included classes at our accommodation's picnic table, as well as moments up in a tree house with markers and a white board. They have covered how to divide, multiply, subtract, and add exponents and have been able to solve equations using by working with interval notation and set-builders.

However we are most impressed by the students' camaraderie and helpfulness towards one another in order to collectively succeed. During study hall the students have been sitting with one another to help each other work through the problems. Before leaving for Mount Mulanje, Algebra 2 students shared an intense study session then completed their first quiz. It is great seeing how positive and motivated the students are and how much they want each other to learn.

Katie Ryan (Travel Journalism teacher; Algebra 2 & PE co-teacher)

Academics at The Traveling School

History and Government of Southern Africa

"Who are your teachers?" I asked a second time, the first day of history class. "Everyone!" the class shouted. Students are practicing their interview and discussion skills, set out on tasks to find answers to their questions. "Who is the leader of Malawi? How did they come to power? What type of government exists here? Was Malawi ever colonized? If so, by what country, and for what purpose? What is the difference between a colony and a protectorate?" The history students, now able to say a few key phrases in Chichewa, collected information from the cooks, maids, and security guards, realizing that everyone around them is a fount of knowledge. Yesterday Bronia, one of the owners of our orientation site, and a young woman who wrote her dissertation on colonialism in the area, came to lunch. The students pelted our guests with questions about Malawi. Their curiosity is awesome.

In order to get on the same page about key political terms, students created haikus to differentiate between various economic systems and drawings to portray different forms of government.

It is my goal to inspire students of history to 'read the world', seeing the social layers and the human story behind each site they visit, each setting they drive by. We are looking forward to the end of orientation, setting off, meeting new people, learning about new places, continually digging deeper asking, "How?" and "Why?"

Mathematical Concepts

The first day of Mathematical Concepts began by searching each other's tags, a globalization activity which illustrates the interconnectedness of our current economic systems. "What country was your water bottle made in? Your watch? Your Eagle Creek? Your camp chair? How about your pants, sports bra, and hat?" Students created a list of countries to which they are connected by the chain of production and consumption. We have since created interview questions for a local tailor to begin to understand local economies, wrapped our minds around the exchange rate and Malawian Kwacha, watched videos about planned and perceived obsolescence, and begun to learn personal finance skills.

The students are full of questions. Claudia brings unique knowledge of Venezuelan and Panamanian economic policies. Sydney L. and Maia articulate their critical thinking beautifully. They are all eager to observe patterns in the marketplace. So far we have driven by women selling maize on the side of the streets, one of the main crops of the country. MC students know that Malawi's primary export is tobacco, which is sold to China and the U.S. How else are the students economically connected to Malawi? We will continue to explore this broad question in the upcoming weeks while honing our financial literacy skills.

Sarah White (History & Math Concepts teacher; Literature & Composition & Global Studies co-teacher)

World Literature & Composition

In Literature, we have been exploring how stories can help us interpret both the world and our own personal experience. We have begun reading our first major novel, Zenzele by Nozipo Mairaire. Zenzele is a fictional story written as a series of letters from a Zimbabwean mother to her daughter, a student at Harvard. Through this text, we are discussing the implications of tradition, family, culture, and colonialism. Students will soon begin their own epistolary narrative, digging into a moment when their perspective of the world shifted. We are also exploring the art of creative writing, a realm in which most students have expressed particular interest. Each student recently wrote a poem about a particular age in her life, and each will bravely share their work with the group during our upcoming hikes on Mt. Mulanje.

Precalculus

Our five student Precalculus class has jumped into math with a willing spirit. The casual nature of such a small class has allowed us to have some lively debates about radicals, exponents, and algebraic equations. In our first class, students used prior knowledge to derive the formula to convert temperature from Celsius to the more familiar Fahrenheit scale. The first week was primarily a review of key topics; we practiced simplifying algebraic expressions on the porch, discussed absolute value in the tree house, and recalled the properties of exponents and radicals underneath the trees. Each student tackled our first quiz this past Saturday.

Mary Reid Munford (Precalculus teacher; Literature & Composition, Algebra 2, & PE co-teacher)

  

Science

Big Five Africa Mammals

I wish you could've heard how science started this semester: a theme song accompanied a professional sports style introduction of the “Big Five”: rhino, buffalo, lion, leopard, and elephant. Even though we haven't encountered these creatures yet, any science student studying in southern Africa must be able to name them all. With the Five taken care of, we were able to jump into a discussion of scientific logic and the importance of asking good questions. Students responded to each of the units coming up in science this semester, listing knowledge they already have, and coming up with planned topics of investigation regarding biomes and ecology of the region, infectious disease, resource extraction, and water quality. The class broke in to pairs to research specific biomes in the course area, created visuals, and conducted presentations to share their information. Through an exercise involving blindfolds and unique found objects, we delved into the relevance of careful description and detailed observation. Armed with these skills, the students will tackle their first field journal entries this week at Mount Mulanje. In this course, I hope to guide the students towards utilizing scientific logic on an every day basis: making unique observations, asking profound questions, and developing relevant hypotheses. The use of field journals will be crucial to their documentation and knowledge development throughout the semester.

iLife

Our study of independent life skills has taken center stage during the orientation process, as students begin to practice self-care and hygiene. We discussed values and concerns regarding food while traveling, the sometimes-upsetting stages of culture shock, and joined in the TTS tradition of writing a letter to oneself. Students learned how to navigate their budget recording system and are starting to keep track of their own expenses. As classes progress, students settle, and we move into our life on the Big Blue Truck, we will be working to establish goals and intentions for the rest of the semester, organization, and stages of group development. In this team-taught course, we strive to set students up for success – personally, inter-personally, and in the greater context of the complicated world in which we travel.

Beth Billington (Science teacher; Global Studies & P.E. co-teacher; Spanish Independent Studies facilitator)

First Week Sightings & Activities

Muli Bwanji!

Greetings from Fisherman's Rest. We've had the opportunity to enjoy our first week together here, in Blantyre, Malawi. Fisherman's is a fifty-acre nature reserve overlooking the Great Rift Valley, and impalas and nyalas have accompanied us during our journey to orient ourselves to the TTS lifestyle...

Pronking Impala

Nyala Buck

The ladies of TTS24 took the long trip to Africa in stride, relishing the chance to get to know each other a bit – between airport scavenger hunts, Harry Potter marathons, and 2am mid-flight wake-up calls. Upon our long-anticipated arrival in Blantyre, the girls were positive about conquering those first-week fears, and jumped into a game of Capture the Flag to shake off the plane legs. Throughout orientation, we wanted to be sure everyone was on the same page in terms of TTS practices and policies. Through skits, debates, conversations, and written reflections, the group was able to focus our energy on important opening topics. We considered the relevance of culture and what it means to be a U.S. citizen; shared our hopes and fears for the semester; wrote letters to ourselves; read advice written by TTS23 students; and spent time getting to know each other in mentor groups. What mentor groups, you might ask? Here they are for the first quarter!

Maris, Sydney SG, Hannah L, and Violet are “Shades,” with Sarah and Quinn...

Maia, Sydney M, Ava, and Claudia are “Robe Nation,” with Beth...

Sarah, Marley, Kait, and Hannah W. are “Channel Four News,” with Katie....

Caroline, Sydney L, Marisa and Baylie are “The Big Five,” with Mary Reid!

As you can see, the inside jokes are developing nicely, and we are happy to be starting with our crew rotations in which students lead the charge with particular chores, such as cooking, cleaning, and packing (all completed, thus far, whilst singing Disney songs).

(We are still working out a great system for having three Sydneys and two Hannahs!)

After our first tastes of classes, we set off down the road to get to know some local kids at the community center, called “Tilitonse,” meaning “We are together” in Chichewa, the local language spoken in this community http://malawi.tripod.com/chichewa.html. Our group was introduced to a rousing game of rhythm and mimicry called “Like I Do,” a popular local pastime with children and adults alike, we are now realizing. The next few days were busy with more classes and more outings into the community. We were set up for success by the careful instruction of our Chichewa teachers, who came on a daily basis to work with us on our local language skills – and had everyone speaking in basic phrases by the end of the week.

We visited a school that is under construction, and we helped to rearranged bricks in long fire lines with the locals. A certain highlight so far was dancing around in the mud at the site, creating the material to stuff into brick molds. Our team (TTS + community members) made over 700 bricks in one hot day.

Boreholes are a source of life in this part of the world, as they provide safe drinking water to rural communities. Students of TTS24 were motivated to find out more about these important resources and had the chance to become more expert in the function and repair of a borehole.

During other excursions, we painted classrooms, read books with children, taught computer lessons, and played games (especially “Like I Do”). The girls reflected on what community service means – both for them personally, and in the places we visit – a conversation that will certainly continue throughout the semester.

Our last experience in the area was at an orphanage, a touching and poignant experience for all. We joined the children in a church service filled with heartfelt songs, dancing, and a dramatic play.

Mount Mulanje

During our last days in Blantyre, our hosts at Fisherman's Rest threw us a goodbye party: a traditional “Braai.” Similar in motivation and feeling to the quintessential American BBQ, the event included meat on a grill, a spread of delicious other foods, dancing, and singing. Some kids from around town came in to share music with us, which they played on their handmade instruments. After an extensive dance party, the girls performed several songs in their steadily growing repertoire of Disney hits, musical features, and Hannah Montana. They are still working out the choreography, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a fantastic rendition of “Grease Lightning” released very soon, maybe this week when we go to hike Mount Mulanje. We're off on our trek now, but we'll be back with you soon with some updates on what our classes have entailed quite soon.

On to the massif!

Tionana (Bye),

Beth Billington

Thank You

If you had asked me five years ago if I would be ready to let my daughter head off into the uncertainty of Africa (for four months), at the young age of sixteen, I might have looked at you as if you had lost your mind... Fast forward to today and I'm guessing some are looking at me as though I have lost my mind. Well, if that is the case, thank goodness I have!

While it certainly wasn't easy allowing my first born baby to burst out of her cocoon ( a few years earlier then expected) I'm so grateful she has chosen this path and honestly, Im grateful I had the strength needed to allow her to break free.What an amazing life gift to be able to give to a young, open-minded women

THANK YOU Traveling School for providing ours girls with a safe, nurturing, stimulating and clearly life changing experience. You truly are dedicated to creating a whole women.

While our daughters have just begun their journey, I could already hear the true joy and light in my Hannah's voice this past weekend.

THANK YOU for having the courage to run a school that allows young inspired girls to grow into  inspired women.

I look forward to hearing all about their journey as it continues to unfold.

With Gratitude,
Danielle Lawrence

On Sunglasses and What We Bring

“Imagine that in your own country, from the time of the first people, today, and far into the future, everyone that was ever born or will be born with 2 legs, 2 arms, 2 eyes, a nose and a mouth and a pair of sunglasses. The color of the lenses in the sunglasses is yellow. No one has ever thought it strange that the sunglasses are these, because they have always been there and they are a part of the human body. Everyone has them. What makes them yellow are the values, attitudes, ideas, beliefs, and assumptions that all people in your country have in common. Everything they have seen, learned or experienced (past, present and future) has entered into the brain through yellow lenses. Everything has been filtered and interpreted through these values and attitudes that have made the lenses yellow. The yellow lenses thus represent your attitudes, beliefs, values and cultural background.

Thousands of miles away in another country, from the time of the first people, today and far in to the future everyone that was ever born or will ever be born with 2 legs, 2 arms, 2 eyes, a nose, a mouth and a pair of sunglasses. The color of the lenses in the sunglasses is blue. No on has ever though it strange that the sunglasses are these, because they have always been there and they are a part of the human body. Everyone has them. Everything the people see, learn or experience is filtered through the blue lenses.

A traveler from the yellow sunglasses country who wanted to go to that far away land has enough sense to realize that to learn about the country and the people more thoroughly, she would have to acquire some blue sunglasses so that she could “see”. When the traveler arrived, she wore the blue glasses, stayed for 2 years, and felt that she really was learning about the attitudes, beliefs, and values of the people. She actually “saw” wearing the sunglasses. She came home to this own country and declared that she was now an expert on the country and that their culture was green . . . “

Sarah began orientation with this story from Engineers withouth Borders to help TTS24 students think about culture and perspectives.

The story continued:
What happened? She had a hard time removing her own yellow filters. By being able to understand and describe the values, attitudes, beliefs and assumptions we have, the lighter the yellow becomes and the more true blue the other culture becomes.

For TTS24, the question is, how will each individual experience this program and what relevance do our lenses have as we interact with classmates, teachers, and people you meet throughout southern Africa?

Throughout orientation students thought about their own values, beliefs and traditions to understand each individual has a distinct culture and background, which may be slightly different than every other member of the group.

As students progressed through the week, they studied the culture of The Traveling School and eventually created unique community standards to uphold for the next 15 weeks. Based on common values and aspirations, these standards will help the group develop into a new community.

Students continuously worked to peel off their sunglasses and embrace newness. And, it was quite a sight to witness. Each morning they had Chichewa lessons with local teachers. On various occasions the group went to different sites and volunteered – reading books, playing games, repairing boreholes – and so they experienced rural Malawi.

Indeed, the first week has been filled with deep thought, as well, the days have included laughter and song. Wednesday's lunch provided the staging ground for spontaneous song and dance – a full rendition of Grease followed by selections from High School Musical and then Disney classics. It is moments like these that crystallize the power of blossoming friendships and free spirits. As an honorary member of TTS24 and many other semesters, it was a moment to relish – girls being girls and proudly letting the world know.
 

That same day, Sarah S. and Violet reminded me it was the one-week anniversary of the group's meeting. Soon others piped in about how fast the time is going, and they all agreed how naturally the group is coming together. "Is this how the semester really goes?" asked Sydney M. Yes, it truly goes by in he blink of an eye, sure there may be ups and downs along the way, but I reminded them to embrace the experience, recognize how fortunate they all are to be in southern Africa, and try to live in the moment.

I said goodbye to the group on Sunday morning as they prepared to visit an orphanage. Although it was early, the laughter echoed as everyone recounted Saturday night's braai and dance party. As the stars popped out of the dark evening sky last night, TTS24 kicked off a "Like I Do, Like I Do" dance off with the band.

It's always difficult to pull away from a TTS group. To leave the anticipation of the girls as they begin to learn about each other and their surroundings. But, unfortunately, it was time for me to head off to Zimbabwe for a few more stops before heading back to the States next weekend. I'll be back in the office in about a week with loads of pictures and stories from my time with TTS24. Until then, enjoy your fist phone calls to Malawi. 

Here's to a fantastic start!

Aunge

Phones

What a great pleasure it was to talk to Violet tonight and hear her say that all the teachers were amazing, and all the girls were amazing, and everyone was close, and there were no cliques! She said she loved all her classes. Loved the deep conversations about social justice, philosophy, and learning that were going on all around her. She was positive about everything. Must be a great school! Thanks, TTS.