During most of the Parks & People program, we get to look around in awe and say to yourself, "This is our classroom!" Occasionally, we spend time inside, and it is even more rare that we spend time in a traditional classroom. NMMU gave us the opportunity to hear from some experts in the School of Natural Resource Management. While I didn't expect the classroom environment would differ much from U.S. colleges, I was surprised by just how little was different. If I would have walked into the classroom without knowing where I was, I would have assumed I was in the United States. Although, the baboons that seemed to be everywhere would have clued me in! We were warned that the baboons would be out and we would need to lock our doors. One morning, while driving across campus, we saw some baboons raiding a house. While we felt bad for the people who lived there, we couldn't help but laugh as the baboons came and went from the house and ate out of a Pick n Pay bag.
While the itinerary said "Wilderness Beach," some students were disappointed that it didn't mean swimming. Instead, we met a local who is involved in the conservation of Wilderness Beach, as well as some staff from SANParks, who explained what efforts are in place to conserve the beach.
On Thursday we headed to Sedgefield to meet "The Fisher Ladies." Sedgefield is a popular tourist and retiree destination, so our experience was a bit off the beaten path. "The Fisher Ladies" spend their days fishing with the hopes of feeding their families. The fish is typically their only source of meat, as any other meat is too costly. The women go to the water early in the morning and sometimes stay all day. Some days they have good luck and other days, like the day we visited, they leave empty handed. It was humbling to know that "The Fisher Ladies" were willing to spend their day with us, even though it was prime time for oyster gathering.
We all found a small stick in the brush to use as a fishing rod and we tied on fishing line and hooks. We found our fishing spot and dug a bigger stick into the sand. Then, we threw out our lines, tied our lines to the longer stick (in the sand), and topped the stick with a self-made alarm. The alarms were soda cans with a rock inside, to alert us if something bit. Sadly, none of us got to hear the alarm sound! Regardless, we had a good time and were appreciative of the time we spent with "The Fisher Ladies."
One unexpected adventure on this trip was "shark tagging." We went on a boat (half the group went each day) and tried to bait sharks for research. On my day, we watched a boat with shark cages have great luck in attracting the sharks, but we took until the very end. It was a neat experience being so close to an animal we fear so much. Part of the purpose of the research is to help people realize that sharks are not as dangerous as we like to make them out to be.
My birthday was the last day in George. I was appreciative of the students who helped me shellebrate my birthday, especially those who were my roommates at NMMU. Jan, who had been with us in the Karoo and is faculty at NMMU, surprised me with a birthday gift...a South Africa mug. The thoughtfulness of others really warmed my heart and was a great way to close our time in George.
What more can I say?
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