Khama Rhino Sanctuary (Take 2!)

Hello to everyone back home!

This weekend was a long one thanks to the mid-term holiday break and the Maru-a-Pula staff have scattered themselves throughout Southern Africa. To do my part, I hired a car with a friend of mine (Julia Shore, another volunteer teacher and my next-room neighbor), borrowed bits of camping gear from everyone I know on staff, and hopped about 350 kms NE to the Khama Rhino Sanctuary. Now, my most avid readers may recall that this was the site of a rather unusual camping experience when my tour group attempted to stay there in December--luckily things went much more smoothly this time around! No swarming Afrikaaners, no movement of tents and belongings, etc.

In fact, even from the planning side this trip was a breeze! Apparently it's not high-season for tourists anymore, because when I called on Tuesday to book a campsite for the weekend I got the choice of any campsite, and only two of the 12 or so sites were occupied while we were there. We had a bit of a scare with the hire car because we left the booking of that quite late, but in the end the cheapest place did have cars available and we got one for a good deal. The only problem we anticipated was the 2WD/4WD problem, but renting a 4x4 was out of the question, so we decided to give it a go in the Corolla and dig ourselves out if we ran into too much sand.

Our drive was smooth, but a bit long without aircon. Luckily we found a variety of interesting local radio stations (interesting in many senses of the word) to keep us entertained, despite the rather noisy rush of air past the open windows at 140 kms/hr. Unfortunately our map was a bit deficient and we had a few tense moments on unmarked back roads (most of the roads in Botswana seem to be unmarked) before arriving at the rather tall and imposing gate of the Sanctuary.

Our first day there was also very exciting in many ways--the campsite we were given turned out to have a rather large and busy wasp nest in the central tree, the roads were completely unimproved sand tracks (our poor rental 2WD!), and the mosquitos were out in force--but we had a great time overall. On our game drive that evening we saw heaps of game and didn't even get stuck in the sand! I was driving (unfortunately?) and we did get a few scratches on the sides of the car... this was cause for nail-biting until the bill came earlier this week :).

One of the other Maru-a-Pula teachers brought her family the following day and we had an interesting time chatting with them and looking around the park with them... they have a lovely daughter who was just a delight to play with. One incident in particular was worth mentioning... we were lounging in deck chairs beside a tiny swimming pool all morning with a rhinocerous in the distance (a bit idyllic, actually) when our friend from MaP says "Guys, did you see the rhinocerous there?"

"Oh that one, he hasn't moved for hours"

"No, I don't think so. Look again!"

And there he was, a rather large black rhinocerous less than 10 meters from us (black rhinos are the aggressive, irritable sort), staring us right in the eye! We had no idea whether to move out of the way, stay very still, or just panic... but eventually some of the wardens came out and asked us to move around to the other side of the swimming pool--apparently all the rhino wanted was a drink of water! I'll post a picture of this soon, it's rather unbelievable unless you see it with your own eyes!

But other than a few nice meals, a rather ridiculous amount of time spent trying to boil water (my fellow camper was somewhat unexperienced with fire-building), and some wildlife in our campsite, nothing much happened. It was amazingly refreshing to get away from the MaP campus, though... even if it did take the majority of the next week to readjust to the school schedule.

Six Months and Counting...

Dear everyone,

Unfortunately I have been experiencing some wrist pain (probably from too much marimba) but it means that typing is usually a painful process. I know that this means you are all left stranded without updates from me... so I thought I would post my second quarterly report that I sent in to Watson HQ about my experiences at Maru-a-Pula School. I will try to keep posting more often in smaller quantities, but I am becoming unreliable so I apologize if that falls through!

So here goes!

Dear Watson HQ,

First I would like to apologize for the tardiness of this quarterly report! My life has become very busy (in a good way) and there have been other obstacles as well, which you will hear about in the course of this report.

Since my last report I have spent a great deal of time at Maru-a-Pula School (MAP) in Gaborone, Botswana. I chose to visit MAP because the marimba teacher here, Mr. Alport Mhlanga, is an internationally renowned marimba composer and a good friend of my former marimba instructor in Portland, OR. My arrival went very smoothly, but the month that I spent at MAP during November/December was only partially productive in terms of my project. Firstly, this was the end of the MAP school year and many of the students were involved in an extensive examination process, limiting the time they were able to spend on extra-curricular activities such as marimba. Secondly, many of the classes themselves were winding down at this point for the end of the term, making my classroom research less valuable.

The one upside of my time at MAP during this month was my interaction with Mr. Mhlanga. Because of the examinations that were happening, many of his regular classes were not meeting and he was able to spend more time with me in private sessions. He is an amazing composer! Even with the frustrations of last term, I learned that my former marimba education was very limited. It turns out that the style of marimba I had been taught in Portland was very right-hand dominant. I knew that already, especially after playing in the classical percussion ensemble at Grinnell, but I didn’t know that so much of the marimba world played with a more equal-handed style. I know that might not make much sense, but essentially I had to learn to lead movement across the keyboard with my left hand instead of my right hand… which is difficult and unfamiliar in the same way as trying to write with your off-hand. At this point I have gotten much better at it, but I’m afraid that there is still a long way for me to go! It’s just a combination of a lot of small things, like the fact that I am used to doubling notes with my right hand only, and only in a downward direction, and now I’m trying to learn with both hands in both directions… well, it’s changed the way I think about marimba! Suddenly I am combining my classical sticking techniques with my African music and it seems strange. But it does make me very glad for my classical training at Grinnell! I do consider myself to be a proficient marimba player, but I would be much more behind if it weren’t for my classical experience at Grinnell.

Since my return in January I have had less private time with Mr. Mhlanga, but I have gained a lot in terms of student rehearsals and class time. Mr. Mhlanga was absent from Maru-a-Pula for the first two weeks of the term because he was on a contract as a visiting artist at Williams in the US, and during this time I taught his classes as a substitute. This was really an amazing experience for me. Not only was I a “real” full-time teacher for two weeks, but I gained a lot of respect from the other teachers and the students at MAP. Because I am so young-looking (especially to people here in Botswana) I was often mistaken for an exchange student or a teacher-aide last term, but after my stint as a full-time music teacher I felt that the community here understood me much better. It is nice when people recognize that you do more than photocopying and filing J although it really doesn’t matter to me as long as I get respect from the other music staff. During this two weeks I taught classes to middle-school aged students in music theory and in marimba playing. Luckily, my stint at MAP before the Christmas holiday meant that I knew a few of Mr. Mhlanga’s tunes to teach to the classes, and this all went very well. It was actually hard for me to give up my students when Mr. Mhlanga returned… I have gotten very attached to them.

Mr. Mhlanga’s return also coincided with the beginning of after-school activities. Maru-a-Pula believes in a spirit of service and self-involvement, so the school day ends at 1:00 pm and the afternoon in occupied with extra-curriculars. Marimba ensemble is one of those extras and normally there are three or four groups that each meet once per week for about two hours. Because MAP is sending a student ensemble overseas in April (this is the trip that I requested permission to go on) the schedule has gone a bit haywire. There are only two groups that meet now, one of young students who are still in their second year of playing, and the professional-quality group that is being trained for the tour. The tour group rehearses on four afternoons per week for four hours, as well as two to three hours on Saturday mornings. It has been amazing to work with this group—I have learned many new tunes from them and I am helping to teach them as well. Most of the time I play as if I were part of the group, but as we get closer to the tour departure date I will have to stop so that the players can get used to the sound of their performing ensemble. The group is an interesting mix of students. They range from 15-18 in age and also range in ability level. The selection criteria for the tour were musical ability and appropriate temperament, so there are some very sweet kids with more modest talent that require extra practice. There are also some pretty amazing players who were part of the previous performance group from Maru-a-Pula. It is very fun to play with these players, especially on Saturdays when we workshop with only the advanced players. During those sessions we learn parts and songs that will be taught the following week so that we can help teach the others.

Let me go on for a moment about how amazing Mr. Mhlanga is. He might possibly be one of the most naturally talented musicians I have ever come across! Not only that, but he is fully trained as a classical guitarist and knows more music theory than most university professors. I think he enjoys having me around because I am a classical audience in some ways and he can tell me all about the chord progressions with suspended 9ths and minor 7^th chords modulating to bizarre key changes, etc. But I am also enjoying it, even if I’m barely keeping up on the theory side of things, and he has inspired me to start composing. I haven’t gotten very far yet, but since I have never EVER felt the desire to compose at all, I think it’s a big step. He has fundamentally changed the way that I think about marimba music and about the people who play marimba. There are so many different sides to his humor and personality that I am continually perplexed (and amused too… you should hear some of his jokes!). He is also a very proper person who exemplifies respect and loyalty. And aside from that, I really think he’s a musical genius. He just knows how things will sound before he plays them and he has an ear that you’d never believe. He can pick out a wrong note on one instrument in a deafening chorus of 15 marimbas. I have also been very impressed at how well he adapts the music to his players. Each song is molded to suit the ability level and even the personality of each player. On top of that, his rehearsal style is very sneaky. Instead of saying “OK, it starts like this and then you do this and this and this” he just starts rehearsing the form from the beginning. Each part he teaches is played within the form it will eventually be performed in. It’s amazing how quickly he can bring a group along without any of the stress or frustration that normally comes into the rehearsal process. I am learning a lot!

One of the greatest challenges I have run into here has actually been physical. I am having pain in my wrists (especially my left… surprise, surprise) and it is probably caused by so much Marimba playing. I started feeling this pain when I was here in November, and I had thought that a month off would cure it. That didn’t happen, but I am being very careful to ice every evening and wear braces when I can. Unfortunately, my wrist pain is also aggravated by typing, so I have been spending as little time at the computer as possible. That has made correspondence much more difficult, especially because my wrists just can’t handle typing after a full day of marimba. Weekends are really the only time I can type for extended periods of time, and they do hurt while I type so I end up cutting most computer work short even then. That said, they seem to be holding up fairly well this term with the ice and braces. I can’t wear braces while I play marimba because the wrist motion is essential to marimba technique, but with the treatment I have been giving them they aren’t getting worse and sometimes I think they’re building strength and actually getting better. Of course, this is still a concern for me and I am keeping a close eye on the pain. The last thing I want is to come out of this year with tendonitis!

Overall, my marimba experience here has been incredible! I am literally playing or teaching marimba for 8 hours or more every day, and even though I thought I would get bored of it I find that I am still learning new things all the time. The department has asked that I stay until the end of this academic term so that I can finish teaching some of the classes that are still mine and so that I can continue assisting Mr. Mhlanga in his classes and afterschool rehearsals. There is a music festival here in the first week of April that I hoped to return for anyway, so I am planning to stay through the term (ends second week in April). That way I can finish the preparation process with the tour group and see them off to the US. Watching these students pour their hearts and lives into the marimba for the tour has been amazing.

My time at MAP has also been highly education in a cultural sense. I have learned a lot from the students here and made some really good friends. I am living in an annex off of the girls boarding house (approx. a quarter of the students are boarders) and eating in the dining hall. It’s not the greatest living situation but it does put me in close contact with many of the students. I have gotten them to come out and play Frisbee with me, to chat about their families and lives, to talk about their perceptions of race and of the US and all sorts of other things. The MAP students are really special… they are more like US students than they know in many ways, and incredibly different from students in Cape Town. I love talking with them about South Africa and hearing what their perceptions are and what they think about the current political situation. I have made some firm friendships among the staff as well. There are a few staff members especially who I eat lunch with on a regular basis and I am hoping to keep in contact with when I leave here. There is a lovely “Hakuna Matata” mentality here that somehow doesn’t get in the way of competence and actually completing one’s job, but makes for lively personalities. One of the PE teachers has become almost like a brother to me—he is a fun person with integrity and a strong sense of commitment. I love watching him interact with his family (who are just lovely) because he exemplifies what I consider to be the positive aspects of Batswana culture and he’s open enough to chat about even the most culturally sensitive topics.

While I was traveling over the Christmas holiday I had expected to take a break from my Watson-ing for a while, but it turns out that it’s become my lifestyle and I can’t just leave it behind that easily! I traveled to the North of Botswana, South to Lesotho and Durban, back to Cape Town for a week, and to Johannesburg and Kruger National Park. It was, firstly, an amazing trip. Covering such a large geographic area in a short time gave me a shock to see how different the cultures were in such similar areas. We visited a Batswana village near Maun and got to know some of the locals who work as mokoro polers in the Okavango Delta, I visited a Zulu village near Durban, I got to know park rangers from Mmphumalanga near the Kruger Park, and I interacted with plenty of Afrikaaners in between. What an interesting hodge-podge of cultures! Being up North in Botswana made me really interested in visiting Zambia. Apparently it is a very poor country and it might be hard for me to find an appropriate school to visit, but there is a slightly different sort of marimba played in the Eastern part of the country. I am planning to follow up with some of the teachers here at Maru-a-Pula who are Zambian expatriates to see if they have any connections with schools there.

My plan from this point is to spend the rest of the term here at MAP, then to head to Zimbabwe for perhaps a month. I am connecting with a few schools in Bulawayo through teachers that I know here at Maru-a-Pula, but I am waiting to approach Mr. Mhlanga for his advice until the tour arrangements have settled down a bit. That should be very soon, I am hoping. The only problem that I foresee is the school holiday period following this term. I believe that schools in Zimbabwe also follow the same term schedule, so I may take another trip (not as extensive as my last one) into Namibia or possibly Zambia if I find any information/connections leading me there. I have also been suggested to investigate Mozambique, but I am hesitant because the official language is not English. Again, I am planning to do more research.

Thanks for your attention and your help along the way! I will keep you posted as my plans for April take shape.

All the best,

Sarah