In the next few posts, I’ll be sharing about my experiences in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. I was selected to participate in Go Global NC’s Global Teachers: Southern Africa 2026 program, a professional learning program for North Carolina educators. The purpose of the program is to help teachers develop a deeper understanding of southern Africa through direct experiences with history, culture, education, conservation, land use, development, and shared global challenges.
Throughout the program, I will be thinking about what I can bring back to my students and classroom, especially as a visual arts teacher. I am interested in paying attention to schools, public art, community spaces, murals, classroom environments, student work, symbols of identity, and the ways people and places communicate who they are. My hope is that this program will deepen my own understanding and eventually grow into lessons, projects, and conversations that help my students see the world, and their own place in it, with a wider lens.
This first post covers “Day 1,” our travel day: leaving North Carolina on June 23, flying through Newark, and arriving in Johannesburg on June 24.
On June 23, Jeff drove me to RDU. It was raining, and I was more nervous than I expected. Before I left home, I hugged both boys goodbye. I have traveled plenty in my life, so I can't really explain why I was so nervous, but by the time I got out of the car at the airport, I felt like I was about to board a roller coaster.
The first person I saw was Tyler, who recognized me from our Go Global group bio and called my name. I was immediately grateful because, in my state of anxiety, it probably would have taken me ten minutes to read the directions and figure out how to attach the luggage tag to my checked bag. Tyler had it done in less than a minute.
Our group leaving from RDU had a little trouble getting started. Because of weather, our flight was delayed a couple of hours. At one point, we even had to deplane and then board again, which added a little extra stress since we still had an international connection waiting for us in Newark. Thankfully, everything worked out. Once we arrived in Newark, we met up with the rest of our group, including those who had flown from Charlotte.
From Newark, we boarded a United Dreamliner for Johannesburg. The flight was about fifteen hours. We boarded around 9:00 p.m. on June 23, ate dinner, and I went to sleep soon after. When I woke up, it was daylight on June 24. I slept on and off, stared at the flight map, and before I knew it, we were watching the sun set again.
One of the most beautiful moments of the flight was looking out the window as we flew over the Namib Desert. From above, the land looked almost unreal, full of lines, textures, and ridges with no visible signs of human disturbance.
We landed in Johannesburg around 6:30 p.m. on June 24 and made it through customs fairly easily. After collecting our luggage, our whole group gathered in the airport: tired, relieved, and officially here.
Our guide, Darryl, met us at the airport, along with our bus driver, whose name was Nkululeko, to the best of my spelling ability. On the ride to our hotel, Darryl began introducing us to Johannesburg. He explained that the airport is outside the city and spoke honestly about some of the realities here, including deep inequality and high unemployment. He also talked about language, currency, religious diversity, and the importance of greeting people warmly before getting down to business.
One idea he shared that stayed with me was Ubuntu, a South African moral philosophy rooted in shared humanity and connectedness. It is often described as “I am because we are.” As I continue to think about that idea, I want to keep listening for it throughout this program: in schools, in conversations, in hospitality, in history, and in the way people care for one another.
We are staying at the Garden Court in Johannesburg's financial district. After we arrived, my roommate and I got settled, put away our luggage, and headed downstairs for dinner with a few members of our group. I ordered three mini cheeseburgers, a bottle of water, and a glass of wine, and the whole meal was 230 Rand, about $14.
By the end of the night, I was exhausted, but grateful. Day 1 was mostly airports, delays, long flights, and luggage, but it was also the beginning of a bigger learning experience. We left North Carolina carrying our usual pace and assumptions. We arrived in South Africa ready to slow down, listen, and learn.
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