MY TRIP TO SCHOOL
In my last post on 13 March, I shared my experineces with nature around here,on the
way to school ,on both sides of the road near Lake Barberspan.The bird sanctuary is a haven
of the rarest birds in the Southern hemisphere,and attracts bird-watchers from Denmark,
Holland etc.It doesn't attract large number of tourists.Let it be so,because when human
beings flock in large numbers to a wild-life park,the birds and animals get disturbed.
I was fascinated by the name chosen by the new Pope.The name of Francis has many
implications.Right-thinking people feel hurt,on an hourly,or daily basis,by the cruelty
inflicted on fellow human beings by some people,who have no appreciation for life.
I am fortunate enough to see some birds and animals in their natural habitat on my
way to school.They are there,in the sky,and on the fences,because nobody disturbs
them.They have a particular liking for sitting on the fence.
Incidentally,I have to mention that,during my childhood,the purayidoms in our area,ie
Paika,Poovarany etc were full of trees,birds and small animals.The rubber tree was just
another tree at a corner.Its economic value was not known at that time.
We used to catch parrots from holes on old pana tree and trained them to talk.In many
homes,people used to keep parrot or maina .I had a thatha,which I trained to say 'Good morning',ironically ,even in the evening.
Then came the rubber tree.Ironically,this tree played a major part in the destruction
of the environment.Other trees were cut down,and ,in every nook and corner,rubber
was planted.It brought lots of money,and initiated building activities that are still in
progress.Rubber money and other monies brought the monster,JCV,to these parts
to hammer the last nail on the coffin of the enviornment.
The rubber tree is a selfish tree.Its branches are Y shaped.Birds like to sit on horizontal
branches.Wherever I look here,I see birds sitting on horizontal branches,on telephone lines
or on the ground.The rubber tree has generally no place for birds.
Back to school.South Africa is awake early in the morning,except on Saturdays and
Sundays.The schools,offices and businesses start functioning at 8 a.m or before.
In South Africa,the legacy of apartheid still lingers in different forms.During the
apartheid era,blacks were denied quality education,because,according to the apartheid
philosophy,blacks were destined to work as gardeners,farm workers,domestic workers
miners etc.The elite schools,in the centre of cities,were exclusively for whites.Black
children rarely attended school,and if some attended,only primary schools.There were
very few boarding schools in the country,for black children.
That's why the school where my wife and I teach is a dayschool.In Kenya and Nigeria,
most schools were boarding schools,even in the remote villages.The teachers lived
in houses in the school compound. In this area,all schools are dayschools.Only a handful
of teachers live near the school.Others live in towns,and drive to school,or travel by
taxi or bus.The distance from the town ranges from 30 to60 kms or even more.
30 or 40 kms is a short distance in Africa.The driving is very easy in this region
because the land is level,and the roads are straight and wide.
We wake up early and prepare for the trip.We have to carry breakfast,lunch,drinking water
etc.We don't have the stress of preparing children for school,because that was in the last
century.Even then,it's a bit stressful to prepare everything in about one hour and leave.if anything
is forgotten,it'll trigger a chain of problems.But we never forget anything.
There are many advantages if husband and wife live together and work at the same
place.Live together,leave the house together,and return at the same time together-this
is a great blessing that we have experienced since 1979.
I depart at around 6.45 a.m.At one corner,I collect two teachers who travel with me.The
morning is always bright and beautiful.In this part of the country,it's always sunny
except before heavy rains.
I switch on South African FM to listen to what's happening in this country.Sometimes
the sun is so bright,and the rays come straight into my eyes,reducing visibility.It's highly
necessary to wear cooling glasses.
After 21 kms,I enter a gravel road.The surface is very rough because the upper layers
have been washed away over the years.On the sides of the road,there are maize and sun
flower farms.Due to a drought,some of the maize have dried up,and the sunflowers are
small and weak.In the grasslands,we can see cattle and sheep,hundreds of them.
Due to lack of rain,the road is somewhat ok,but when heavy rains fall,the road is in a mess.
This is purely due to lack of development in the rural areas.Much was expected since
1994,but what has happened is 'Mala eliye prasavichathu pole'.
The countryside is almost treeless,with the exception of a cluster of trees surrounding
a farmhouse,far from the road.The sky is beautiful and wide,seen upto the horizon.
There's a white trail left by a small aircraft,which is spraying insecticide against a
new kind of locust that has invaded the farms.The drought created ideal conditions
for them to breed.This area is the 'breadbasket 'of the country,producing the bulk of
maize,which is a staple food of the people.This year,the harvest is expected to be poor.
Half an hour news and analysis on SAFM has come to an end.We are at the gate of
Baks High school.The time,7.25 a.m
In my last post on 13 March, I shared my experineces with nature around here,on the
way to school ,on both sides of the road near Lake Barberspan.The bird sanctuary is a haven
of the rarest birds in the Southern hemisphere,and attracts bird-watchers from Denmark,
Holland etc.It doesn't attract large number of tourists.Let it be so,because when human
beings flock in large numbers to a wild-life park,the birds and animals get disturbed.
I was fascinated by the name chosen by the new Pope.The name of Francis has many
implications.Right-thinking people feel hurt,on an hourly,or daily basis,by the cruelty
inflicted on fellow human beings by some people,who have no appreciation for life.
I am fortunate enough to see some birds and animals in their natural habitat on my
way to school.They are there,in the sky,and on the fences,because nobody disturbs
them.They have a particular liking for sitting on the fence.
Incidentally,I have to mention that,during my childhood,the purayidoms in our area,ie
Paika,Poovarany etc were full of trees,birds and small animals.The rubber tree was just
another tree at a corner.Its economic value was not known at that time.
We used to catch parrots from holes on old pana tree and trained them to talk.In many
homes,people used to keep parrot or maina .I had a thatha,which I trained to say 'Good morning',ironically ,even in the evening.
Then came the rubber tree.Ironically,this tree played a major part in the destruction
of the environment.Other trees were cut down,and ,in every nook and corner,rubber
was planted.It brought lots of money,and initiated building activities that are still in
progress.Rubber money and other monies brought the monster,JCV,to these parts
to hammer the last nail on the coffin of the enviornment.
The rubber tree is a selfish tree.Its branches are Y shaped.Birds like to sit on horizontal
branches.Wherever I look here,I see birds sitting on horizontal branches,on telephone lines
or on the ground.The rubber tree has generally no place for birds.
Back to school.South Africa is awake early in the morning,except on Saturdays and
Sundays.The schools,offices and businesses start functioning at 8 a.m or before.
In South Africa,the legacy of apartheid still lingers in different forms.During the
apartheid era,blacks were denied quality education,because,according to the apartheid
philosophy,blacks were destined to work as gardeners,farm workers,domestic workers
miners etc.The elite schools,in the centre of cities,were exclusively for whites.Black
children rarely attended school,and if some attended,only primary schools.There were
very few boarding schools in the country,for black children.
That's why the school where my wife and I teach is a dayschool.In Kenya and Nigeria,
most schools were boarding schools,even in the remote villages.The teachers lived
in houses in the school compound. In this area,all schools are dayschools.Only a handful
of teachers live near the school.Others live in towns,and drive to school,or travel by
taxi or bus.The distance from the town ranges from 30 to60 kms or even more.
30 or 40 kms is a short distance in Africa.The driving is very easy in this region
because the land is level,and the roads are straight and wide.
We wake up early and prepare for the trip.We have to carry breakfast,lunch,drinking water
etc.We don't have the stress of preparing children for school,because that was in the last
century.Even then,it's a bit stressful to prepare everything in about one hour and leave.if anything
is forgotten,it'll trigger a chain of problems.But we never forget anything.
There are many advantages if husband and wife live together and work at the same
place.Live together,leave the house together,and return at the same time together-this
is a great blessing that we have experienced since 1979.
I depart at around 6.45 a.m.At one corner,I collect two teachers who travel with me.The
morning is always bright and beautiful.In this part of the country,it's always sunny
except before heavy rains.
I switch on South African FM to listen to what's happening in this country.Sometimes
the sun is so bright,and the rays come straight into my eyes,reducing visibility.It's highly
necessary to wear cooling glasses.
After 21 kms,I enter a gravel road.The surface is very rough because the upper layers
have been washed away over the years.On the sides of the road,there are maize and sun
flower farms.Due to a drought,some of the maize have dried up,and the sunflowers are
small and weak.In the grasslands,we can see cattle and sheep,hundreds of them.
Due to lack of rain,the road is somewhat ok,but when heavy rains fall,the road is in a mess.
This is purely due to lack of development in the rural areas.Much was expected since
1994,but what has happened is 'Mala eliye prasavichathu pole'.
The countryside is almost treeless,with the exception of a cluster of trees surrounding
a farmhouse,far from the road.The sky is beautiful and wide,seen upto the horizon.
There's a white trail left by a small aircraft,which is spraying insecticide against a
new kind of locust that has invaded the farms.The drought created ideal conditions
for them to breed.This area is the 'breadbasket 'of the country,producing the bulk of
maize,which is a staple food of the people.This year,the harvest is expected to be poor.
Half an hour news and analysis on SAFM has come to an end.We are at the gate of
Baks High school.The time,7.25 a.m
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