Crossing over with Apple!

It has finally happened! I gave in! I crossed over to the techno-dark side. After swearing blindly that I couldn’t see the sense in having earphones jammed into my ears while doing exercise, and coming up with so many reasons as to why it is unsafe and just downright ridiculous, I crossed over tonight and joined the ever-growing number of people who wear some sort of MP3 player while exercising. Having received an Apple ipod as a gift at Christmas this year, and finally loading some music onto it, I took it to gym with me and ran my regular 5km on the treadmill, while listening to some excellent 80s music. I couldn’t help but laugh at the irony of hearing Mr. Roboto by Styx half way through my run.

An old friend and a new city!

Back when I was a scrawny teenager embarking on my high school career I became friends with a guy called Ryan. Ryan was born in the USA, but as a baby moved to South Africa with his parents. As teenagers we were both of the adrenaline-seeking persuasion and would spend afternoons and weekends sneaking into places where we probably really shouldn’t have, in order to find new and exciting places to rip up on our skateboards. (Although I can’t prove it, I am going to boast that we, along with another mate Ralph, were the first and possibly only kids to sneak in and skate on the roof of the Arwyp Medical Centre in Kempton Park. I can see my mother shaking her head as she reads this little boastful admission.) When not skateboarding we would take Ryan’s Kawasaki off-road motorcycle and head at break-neck speeds along the sandy trails and paths around the outskirts of the neighbourhoods in which we lived. In hindsight we probably should have been wearing something more protective than the t-shirts and jeans that we had on. (But Mom, if you are reading this, know that we did at least wear a helmet.) Irresponsible and slightly dangerous choices aside though, with the exception of a few cuts, scrapes and bruises, we came through it unharmed. The only possible negative side effect that my mother might argue is that it was these little excursions with Ryan that probably fuelled my current penchant for scuba-diving, mountain biking, bungee jumping, and my desire to still go skydiving. Physical dangers aside, our extra-curricular pursuits were wholesome, outdoor activities and we never once felt the need or desire to experiment with drugs, alcohol or cigarettes. In fact, by the time that Ryan and his parents moved back to the USA at the end of 1993, we had never once shared a beer or gone out to a club, pub or bar together.

Unfortunately Ryan and I lost contact with each other for the next 12 years and it was only through a set of fortunate circumstances that I managed to track him down again. As a result of the combination this good fortune and the timing of my little adventure to the USA, I was able to not only catch up and spend Christmas with a dear old friend, but also visit another city for the first time. So while Ryan didn’t become the storm-chasing climatologist I had always imagined him to be, he does still ride and race motorcycles, and he owns his own production company, called Lionstarfilms, which makes corporate video for many of Atlanta’s and the US’s top companies. And on top of that he makes a pretty darn good tour guide of Atlanta as well. And as neither of had a skateboard handy we decided to sit down and enjoy a drink together for the first time.

Atlanta really is a huge city. In fact, as a result of its location and not being impeded by any physical landform, it is continuing to grow sideways rather than. That is not to say that the city doesn’t have an abundance of plate glass and steel skyscrapers. It has that and more. There are the old, historical neighbourhoods, the esoteric, eclectic, and alternative suburbs and the trendy, yuppie post-modernistic design, living developments, all thrown into the mix too. The one warming observation that I did make while visiting all these areas though, was that it is clean. The city definitely takes pride in its appearance. The city can also brag being Martin Luther King Jr’s hometown, as well as being the venue for two excellent tourist traps, the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca Cola. I also got to experience my first ice-hockey game while in Atlanta. The Atlanta Thrashers verse the Toronto Canadiens ice-hockey game proved to be a really fortunate game to attend, as not only did the game end in a tied score, resulting in an exciting and relatively rare penalty face off, but I had the hilarious pleasure of witnessing someone proposing on the big screen to his girlfriend. (And here we thought it just happened in the movies!)

All in it was both an exciting and nostalgic trip to Atlanta for Christmas.

If you're gonna drink together why not make it single malt, 15 year old, at the top of the Westin Hotel, in a revolving restaurant on the 70th floor, while enjoying the night lights of Atlanta?

$50 first prize if you can tell me where the puck is?

Beluga whales, which occur naturally in the Arctic Ocean, but have been brought to the Georgia Aquarium by way of Mexico! Huh!

So how much pressure can that glass take anyway?

The World of Coca-Cola!

High fructose corn syrup anyone?

Not to be too obvious, but, um, Atlanta at night!

And while we are stating the obvious, Atlanta's skyline during the day!

Body Clock!

Having grown up and gone though my entire primary, secondary and tertiary education in South Africa, a certain cycle of Southern Hemisphere life is entrenched in me. In South Africa, as with most Southern Hemisphere schools, the academic year begins a week or two into January. The smell of lush, green grass on the school sports fields, freshly mowed after the summer rains, heralds the arrival of a new year of possibilities, a new year of challenges, and a new year of mischief of some kind or other. The school year then plays out in the same routine. Four academic quarters of about 10 or 11 weeks filled with mornings in the classroom and afternoons out on the sports fields. During the year, each academic quarter is separated by a much anticipated break of anywhere between ten days to three weeks. During these vacations we would have the much needed “down time” from school, running around with our friends, riding our bicycles, swimming and generally getting up to innocent mischief. Come November/December and the end of the fourth quarter, we would write our end of year exams, attend the final assembly and prize giving and happily run the teachers over in our enthusiasm to get out the school gates and start six weeks of glorious summer vacationing. As well as occasional family trips to either the beach or mountains in one or other part of our beautiful country, these holidays would also bring with them Christmas and New Year celebrations, ultimately signifying the end of another year and the completion of another turn of the cycle.

You can imagine then my complete sense of having my world turned upside down by coming to teach in the Northern Hemisphere. If you have grown up in the Northern Hemisphere, then of course this cycle of things would make complete sense. But to me, starting the school year in August, having the academic quarters measured by report ‘due dates’ and not holidays, only two short school breaks (between 3 and 6 school days off for each) for Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Years, neither of which signifies the start of a new year, all in the first 18 weeks of teaching, just sends my whole body clock out of sync. You can also understand then, how my mind is telling my body that the time of year is early January, which is associated with the first cutting of the lush, green grass, afternoon thunderstorms, and the beginning of a new cycle, yet my body is telling my mind that it is 2 degrees Celsius outside, the trees are bare and that running around in a pair of swimming shorts all day is just not an option right now.

I guess the point of all this is that is amazing how our lives are so dominated by routines, cycles and comfort zones, and it is only when we take ourselves out of those routines completely that we become aware of them. Therefore I am going to go and crack a beer on this frosty Saturday here in the Northern hemisphere and celebrate this wintery January and all its un-cyclical beauty, all while quietly praying for a couple of snow days.

'snow problem at all!

About two weeks ago we had our first and, to date, only snowfall. By local standards it wasn’t a biggie, only about 2 -3 inches at best. By South African standards of course this was a climatological adventure of note. As far as I can remember I have only ever experienced snow up close twice in my life. One occasion being a freak snow fall in Johannesburg in 1982 at the tender age of about 8 years old. The second time was on a college geography tour to Lesotho to see the construction of the Katse Dam as part of the Highlands Water Project. While the first was seriously memorable (ask any kid who was in school in Johannesburg in 1982) the second was somewhat disappointing as there wasn’t very much snow at all. Hence my complete enthrallment with the icy precipitation two weeks ago.

The danger of course with snow is that if it gets cold enough over night, the snow freezes and becomes solid ice and not the easiest surface to drive on. So at the first sign of snow and or icy driving conditions, schools are closed in our, and surrounding, counties. Well, usually anyway, but not this time. It was deemed by the powers that be, that 2 – 3 inches of snow did not warrant a snow day, and that it was still safe to transport students to school. I just happen to have witnessed at least three cars skidding across various roads with shell-shocked drivers who might disagree with this sentiment though. Never-the-less, on the second day of snow we were all contacted at about 5:00 in the morning and told that school would be starting two hours later than normal, in order for the surface ice to melt and thereby make the roads safer to drive on. What nobody took the time to tell me was that apparently that doesn’t apply to teachers. Apparently teachers are supposed to report for duty only one hour later. Oh well!

I have included some photos below of the snowfall around our apartment complex and a few photos of my students having a snowball fight. It was only upon our sodden return to the class that I was informed that we are apparently not permitted to take the kids outside and let them play in the snow. Oops! Oh well! Again!

...and at 3am you have a slice!

There is a small suburb in the northern part of Washington DC called Adams Morgan. It reminds me of Melville in Johannesburg, or even Rocky Street, Yeoville, as we used to know it back in the early 90’s. It is an eclectic mix of pubs, clubs, restaurants and coffee shops servicing a smorgasbord of people from all walks of life. On one side of the street, within the space of about 50m you will come across a bikers bar, an Ethiopian restaurant, some standard issue sports bars, a jazz lounge, a night club and a piano bar. With names like “Anarchy”, “Tom-Toms”, "Millie and Al’s" and “The Reef”, you can just imagine how it makes for an interesting evening of people watching.

And at 3am, after all the clubs, bars, restaurants and lounges have rung the bell for last round, everyone spills out onto the sidewalk and makes their way up to one of three little pizza take away spots and ends the evening (or should that be early morning) by having "a slice” of pizza. What is so remarkable about that you might ask? This “slice” is not your standard issue “slice" of pizza. It is a "slice" of pizza, not a whole pizza, which measures about 40cm from crust to tip and about 30 cm at its widest point along the crust. And it tastes great!!! NO! That’s not because we were all on a "good beer buzz early in the morning!" I have had one of these slices at about 4 in the afternoon and it was just as good. In fact my good mate, Andrew the Aussie, actually packed away two slices on one particular night. But that’s another story!

Ten Things I learned in Pennsylvania and Ohio

For the Thanksgiving holidays I was fortunate enough to visit parts of the states of Pennsylvania and Ohio and stay in the home of a colleague's family from school in order to experience a traditional Thanksgiving . It turned out to be a great way to see another part of the USA, with a local as a guide, and a learning experience of some note. Some of the lessons were one's you would expect I should know already, and others were genuine first time experiences.

LESSON 1: It is possible to put your whole lunch order between two slices of bread and make it taste good.

We stopped in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for lunch. The restaurant is called Primanti Brothers and is famous throughout the Northeast and Mid West states for its sandwiches. I should mention that this restaurant is at its busiest at about 3am, just after last call at the pubs in town. How much this factor affects the restaurant's infamy, I am not sure. For the record, I had a corn beef and cheese sandwich with coleslaw and fries... all between two slices of bread.


LESSON 2: Pictures taken through the sun roof and back passenger window can turn out better than expected.

These are two fairly random pics of the city of Pittsburgh. The city lies at the confluence of three rivers and was at one time the hub of the metal industry in the USA. There are many interesting bridges that need to be crossed to get round the city. Pittsburgh was voted into the top 5 most beautiful cities in the USA at one time. It is an interesting mix of post-modern metal and glass design, and old style Gothic churches and redbrick warehouses.

LESSON 3: The Amish community was not invented for the movie "The Witness" and do actually exist in all their unique non-materialistic splendour.

As part of my Standard 9 curriculum we did a film study of the movie "The Witness" with Harrison Ford and a very young Elijah Wood. This was my introduction to the Amish religion. The Amish are actually a sect of the Pennsylvania Dutch which originated in Switzerland and have at least 2o other sects. Each sect has its own unwritten laws pertaining to how they integrate themselves into society at large. Chris, my host and chauffeur, was kind enough to drive me through a small Amish farm community on our way to Ohio.

LESSON 4: Pumpkin pie is best eaten with loads of whipped cream.

As part of a traditional Thanksgiving meal, pumpkin pie is served as a dessert with whipped cream. The jury is still out as to whether or not I liked it.

LESSON 5: Not everyone is born to be rock star, and that's okay!

Electronic entertainment has risen to new heights. X-Box have a game that comes complete with microphone, guitars (both base and lead) and a drum set. You then stand glued to the television set watching your particular cues to strum and play various combinations of coloured buttons on the neck of the guitar and thereby belt out scary renditions of some of the classic rock songs from the last 35 years. I could just feel Mick Jagger cringing. Even so, it was great entertainment for the evening.

LESSON 6: Snow is cool... literally!

It snowed on Thanksgiving day. This was my first experience of snow in the US. It WAS cool! And we were warm as toast indoors playing RockBand! We actually had about 3 inches of snow, but I just took too long to get outside and take photos. Hence the grass showing through in the pictures.

LESSON 7: Lebron James IS the king of Cleveland.

Chris, his bother Alex, and I got tickets to see an NBA game at the Quickens Loans Arena in the city o Cleveland. The Cleveland Cavaliers took on the Toronto Raptors and won by 111 - 108. Lebron James, the Cavs' captain, score at least a third of his teams points, as well as leading the stat in rebounds and assists. And if the there is something the Americans do well, it is keep record of game stats!!!

LESSON 8: Tequila should always be consumed in moderation!

I am not going to expand too much on this lesson. Suffice to say that courtesy of our old friend Jose Cuervo, we were too late to visit the Rock 'n Roll Hall of fame. I did get some great pictures of the outside of the imitation 'Louvre' museum though.

LESSON 9: Wind energy may be efficient and renewable but it is an eyesore on the horizon!

Being somewhat environmentally conscious, I was thrilled to have my first sighting of the turbine blades used to generate wind energy. While it was a personally exciting experience to witness these giant power generators, I couldn't help but notice how these 6 story high towers cut into the horizon. In my book though, it is still better than the cooling towers and accompanying smoke stacks of a coal power station.

LESSON 10: Black and white pictures of snow scenes can come out awesomely too!

The one they get right!!!

America has become so PC that it borders on the sublime. I understand the ideal of not wanting to rub someone up the wrong way or not wanting to make individuals within an organization or team feel excluded, but seriously, there has to be a limit to how much you pander to people. And it would seem that American education system, or at least the chapter that I am currently part of has lost complete sight of that line. In order that we don’t offend anyone, or lead them to believe that we are not conscious of their religious or cultural differences, the names of the most joyously, and rigorously, celebrated holidays in America have been ‘altered’.

Since I started teaching in the US in September, which feels years ago at this point, I have been fortunate enough to be a part of two traditional holidays. The first was Halloween. However, as the foundations of Halloween apparently have connotations and associations that are considered taboo in certain religious quarters (although the Celts to whom this refers might themselves feel somewhat insulted), we were instructed to refer to this particular occasion as “The Harvest Festival” or, more commonly “The Fall Party” being that the Fall (Autumn for all my South African readers) is the season in which Halloween occurs. However, and here is the ironic part, every second house or apartment, is decorated to the gills with pumpkins, skeletons, cobwebs, jack-o-lanterns, scarecrows and other generally monstrous type adornments. Every restaurant, pub and take away has its windows draped with all manor of orange and black trimmings and every grocery store has whole aisles dedicated to selling the aforementioned ornamentation, as well as islands of chocolates and candy specially wrapped for the occasion, and all of the above is marketed under the very explicit label of "Halloween". On the evening of the 31st of October, the same students, who were encouraged not to use the term "Halloween", dress up as ghouls, ghosts, goblins and many other monstrous creatures and take part in the ‘trick or treating’ tradition. So which message is stronger at the end of the day?

In a similar vein to the PC approach to Halloween, we will not be breaking for Christmas holidays, but rather we will be celebrating the Winter Holidays. Taking into account that the day after Halloween, almost every store had already unpacked its Christmas decorations and repacked the aforementioned aisles with Christmas, sorry, Winter Holiday decorations, I am interested to see how the students react to this particular holiday branding.

However, having had my cynical swipe at the holidays and their related entrapments, there is one holiday that the USA gets 150% right. This particular holiday is Thanksgiving, and were it in my power, I would make it a worldwide holiday. Putting aside the actual history of the day, it is a holiday celebrated with sincerity and generosity of spirit. Family and friends unite to celebrate and give thanks for the things that they have. They sit down to a simple, yet hearty meal in the warmth of their homes and spend more than just a few hours in that old fashioned (and unfortunately somewhat forgotten) cathartic pursuit of conversing and laughing, with, at and next to each other. There are no gaudy decorations, no obligatory gift exchanging and no commercial hype. Just pure appreciation of being able to spend a couple of hours, at the very least, with loved ones. Once the meal is complete, it is traditional to all gather in front of the over sized television and watch some American Football. (The ironic part of this last little chapter in the tradition is that the players playing in the game were unable to partake in the holiday. But then I guess someone has to play in order for the rest to be able to cheer over their full bellies.)

Here’s to Thanksgiving! Cheers!