Days 10 / 11: The Long Way Home

Day 10 was really two days of travel. On Friday, July 3, we checked out of our hotel in Zimbabwe and headed to the airport. After more than a week of moving through South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, it felt strange to be packing our bags for the final time. We would not arrive back at RDU until Saturday at noon, 33 hours later. 

Our first flight was on Airlink from Victoria Falls to Johannesburg. Once we arrived, we had a nine-hour layover before our United flight to Newark. We went through customs, collected our checked bags, and then realized it was still too early to re-check them. For a while, our whole group settled into an open corner of the airport with our luggage, backpacks, snacks, and nowhere else to be just yet.

After some searching, we found an area big enough for our whole group and all of our bags. That spot became the setting for our final reflection. It was not exactly a conference room, but by that point, we were used to making things work wherever we were. We sat on the floor, surrounded by suitcases, and began trying to process what we had just experienced.

There was something fitting about having our last reflection in between places. We were no longer fully in the trip, but we were not home yet either. We were tired, a little scattered, and still carrying more than we could probably explain in one conversation.

Eventually, we were able to check our bags and board our fifteen-hour flight to Newark. Once we landed in Newark, the goodbyes began. Our group split in different directions: some headed to RDU, some to Charlotte, and Rachel continued on to Seattle. 

After the fifteen-hour flight to Newark, the final flight to Raleigh felt easy. We arrived at RDU around noon on Saturday, July 4, and said our last round of goodbyes at baggage claim. Then everyone started disappearing into cars, Ubers, and family hugs. Slowly, photos began appearing in our group chat of people reuniting with spouses, children, pets, and the familiar pieces of home.

When I got home, I added pins to our family map in the living room. I placed two in South Africa for Johannesburg and Pretoria, then added pins for Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, even if Namibia only counted for about five minutes during our safari.

It was a quiet way to close the loop. After all the airports, classrooms, border crossings, bus rides, wildlife sightings, conversations, and questions, the program had become part of the map at home.

Day 10 did not have the dramatic scenery of Victoria Falls or the energy of a school visit, but it had its own kind of importance. It was the day we began carrying the experience back with us. Not just in our luggage or photos, but in the stories we would tell, the lessons we would build, and the ways the program would keep showing up long after we were home.

#itsaprogram

Day 3: Education, Community, and History in South Africa

Day 3 focused on education in South Africa, from the school system as a whole to community-based programs serving young children, youth, and adults.

On the bus ride, Darryl shared several things about South African schools and history. Students wear uniforms, which he said many South Africans value because uniforms help create a sense of equality. He also shared that he waited in line for four hours during South Africa’s first democratic election.

Our first visit was with the Catholic Institute of Education, where Mduduzi Qwabe spoke to us about the South African school system and the work of Catholic schools. We learned about the structure of schooling, public and independent schools, early childhood development, literacy challenges, restorative practices, and the Three-Stream Model, which includes academic, vocational, and occupational pathways.

One statistic that stood out was that 81% of Grade 4 students could not read for meaning in any language. We also heard about the “Thrive by Five” assessment, which showed that many young children were not thriving cognitively or physically by age five. Those numbers helped frame the rest of the day because both of our next visits focused heavily on early childhood education and community support.

Our next stop was New Schools of Hope in the Zama Zama informal settlement. The organization began as a Bible study group concerned about education and grew into a program that now serves children through multiple schools. Their work focuses on early childhood education, play-based learning, teacher development, nutrition, health care, sanitation, and community partnerships.

We learned that many of the children speak multiple home languages, and English is not always their first language. The school uses integrated, play-based learning, with new themes each week or every two weeks for the youngest children. One idea shared with us was that “talents are equally distributed, but opportunities are not.”

After learning about the program, we visited the children. We observed praise and worship, met some of the youngest children, and then spent time with the older children. Stations were set up for face painting and nail painting, and it was a simple but meaningful way to interact with them.

After lunch at Wonderboom Junction, we visited PEN in Pretoria. PEN stands for Participate, Envision, Navigate. The organization works with young children, youth, and adults experiencing homelessness. Their programs include Early Childhood Development support centers, youth programming, tutoring, meals, life skills, work readiness, and support for adults working toward stability.

We learned that PEN supports 8 Early Childhood Development centers, 227 daycares, 1,098 staff members, and more than 11,000 children. Their model focuses on helping people build long-term independence rather than only meeting immediate needs.

At PEN, we went into a large hall where students were gathered for a lesson. Darryl told us that seeing the students in that space was symbolic because when he was young, a hall like that would likely have been used for white students under very different circumstances. The lesson reviewed goal setting, child protection, bullying prevention, conflict resolution, and how to treat others.

After the lesson, the older students performed a dance. Then students with birthdays during Term 2 were recognized. Everyone sang, the students stood around three cakes, made a wish, and blew out the candles together. Before we left, one of the staff members proudly showed me their student art gallery.

As we were leaving, the children waved goodbye, and each of us was given a bar of handmade soap.

Our last stop was the Nelson Mandela Memorial at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. Many people were there taking photos, including graduation photos. One young woman named Felicia had just graduated from studying to become a teacher. When she found out we were teachers from the United States, she wanted a picture with us, and we wished her good luck as she begins her teaching career.

We also had a brief conversation with a man near the statue. He asked where we were from, and when we told him we were a group of teachers from the United States, he said, “But the World Cup is there! Why are you here?” We told him we were here to learn about South African culture and education. He smiled and seemed pleased with that answer.

Day 3 gave us a lot to think about. We learned about the structure of education in South Africa, but we also saw how schools and community programs are connected to much larger issues: poverty, language, safety, health care, employment, history, and belonging.

Day 1: Leaving North Carolina and Arriving in South Africa

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.