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7.22.98
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One Student's life will become drastically different as she seeks to make a difference in other people's lives by becoming a teacher in...
SOUTH AFRICA
These South African students are attending class in an open-roofed building. Some of the country's schools are so crowded that classes must meet outside for students to have room to take notes. At this school, students do not attend class when it rains because there is no roof. Contributed Photo.
By Liz Wristen
Kansan staff writer
The ground is composed of rough dirt and thick weeds. The huts are made of mud and clay with thatched roofs. Water is scarce, and basic amenities are few.
This is Kathleen McGee's new home. McGee, a Kansas native and KU graduate student in English, will move to South Africa early next year and teach at a Christian school there
"A good education is very important for everyone, especially blacks." McGee said. "Education is vital to give blacks an equal opportunity."
Her destination is a mission 12 miles from the town of Tzaneen, South Africa. 21 hours by plane from Kansas.
McGee's impetus to move to South Africa came from a chance encounter in a restaurant with a South African couple. Japi and Wilna Venter had traveled to the United States seeking financial support for a project to dig wells in the South African homelands. Very little water is available there, McGee said.
Last June, McGee spent two weeks touring South Africa with the Venters.
"The homelands are such an amazing picture at sunrise," McGee said. "When I first arrived in South Africa, the land just appeared rolling toward the sun. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I'll never forget that picture."
During her trip, she saw a sign in a restroom in Johannesburg, South Africa, that caused her to re-evaluate her life. It read, "Water is precious. Don't waste it!" She decided that she wanted to work in a less-developed country.
Her opportunity came when the Venters introduced McGee to Mr. Machaba, the tribal chief of the South African homelands. Machaba asked McGee to participate in a mission to rebuild the academic faculty in South African schools. The few schools that exist are overflowing with students.
Potholes in the floor and broken chairs make this South African classroom a rough place for studies. Its condition is representative of many South African classrooms. A lack of government funding and support for education has left many classrooms less than appealing for teachers and students. Missionary workers and teachers, such as Kathleen McGee, hope to change the poor education system in South Africa through volunteering their time and raising money. Contrib-Photo
At one school that McGee visited, the teacher had to bring the chalk.
board outside because the school building was too crowded.
McGee accepted Machaba's offer and is trying to find other teachers who want to teach in South Africa.
"I have always had a tremendous heart for people who suffer," McGee said. "South Africa is a country where I can work to make a difference. I became a Christian as an adult, and I feel that by teaching at a Christian school, I can make a difference in these kids' lives. These are my people, my kids."
She will not be making the move alone. Her 12-year-old son, David, will come with her.
"When she first told me, I was really uncomfortable and upset because I thought we were only going for a year," he said. "When she told me we were going for good, in short, I had a fit because I wouldn't get to see my friends for awhile. Now I'm mostly excited about going. I'm going to try and help the little kids learn English."
McGee is letting David make the final decision about moving to South Africa. She said she would cance! the move if he became unsure about going. However, once they arrive in South Africa, there will be no turning back.
"He will learn to cope," McGee said.
"He's 12. He's halfway to being an adult. He will have to learn how to live there."
David will attend either a private Christian school or a public school where English is spoken, McGee said.
Kathleen McGee, Lawrence graduate student,and her son, David, prepare to enjoy an American meal. They plan to move to South Africa early next year. McGee will teach English and other subjects. Contributed Photo
They will live in a tin-roofed brick home with no heating, air conditioning, microwave or cable. Although they will have water, pumped to their home, they will have to light a fire under a device outside the house to heat the water.
"Life will be hard," McGee said.
"But we will have to learn to adjust."
Housing and food will cost $300 to $400 a month. McGee has not begun soliciting funds for her trip, but she said she hoped to receive some support from the Mustard Seed Christian Church, 700 Wakarusa Drive, where she is a member.
University representatives to go overseas
South America sites chosen for recruiting
Representatives from the University of Kansas will travel to South America next September with a new mission: to recruit international students.
By Mariana Paiva
Kansan Staff Writer
Elizabeth Soppelsa, director of the Applied English Center, and Sam Somerville, assistant director of International Student Services, will represent the University for the first time at the Study USA Fair.
The KU representatives' goal is to show prospective students the benefits of studying abroad and coming to the University.
This institution has helped American universities recruit overseas students for more than 25 years.
Because of the cost of the trip, the representatives will only stop in three cities. Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo in Brazil.
and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Previously, the University relied on its foreign students to encourage their relatives and friends to come to the University of Kansas, she said. Five years ago, several departments started to work together mailing catalogs and brochures to advising centers throughout the world.
"We chose Brazil and Argentina because in both countries there are a high number of families that could afford paying for a study abroad program," Soppela said.
Two years ago. Soppelsa and Gerald Harris, former director of International Student Services, visited several embassies in Washington, D.C., to talk about the University and how to reach international students.
Elizabeth Soppelsa
"Before the University did not have to work hard to have international students. Now we are competing inside the United States, with other English speaking countries, like Australia for example and within the state," Soppeela said. "Wichita State has been sending people abroad for
"We chose Brazil and Argentina because in both countries there are a high number of families that could afford paying for a study abroad program."
Director of Applied English Center
more than 10 years now."
Alan Cerveny, director of admissions and the International Recruiting Committee coordinator, said that since fall 1997, the committee has met regularly to discuss how to improve the number of international students on campus and create faculty awareness about the importance of recruiting international students.
In 1993, the number of international students enrolled at the University was 1,992. That number has decreased to 1,700 in 1998.
"The University does not have a specific numeric number to achieve," Cerveny said. "We want to turn around the trend and see increases in the international
numbers."
Sommerville said besides helping to create a multicultural community on campus, international students spend an average of $25,000 per year paying for their expenses.
Sommerville will help students with advising questions in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
"We have to explain in a clear manner, and it is unreasonable to expect all the students to speak English," Sommerville said.
He said that international students interested in being KU ambassadors for their countries can ask for brochures and catalogs at the International Student Services Office at 2 Strong Hall.
Commentary Living abroad gives glimpse into global differences
This summer I have learned about issues such as the merits and disadvantages of westernization, the politics fueling nuclear proliferation and the situations of women and minorities in a less developed country.
These issues shed some light on the plight of the third world, but they are only a few scattered pieces of the big picture of a nation's people. I have reaped the benefits of conducting research on many of the social, political and economic aspects of Pakistani society, but my favorite moments have not been academic or professional.
It hits me when I'm sitting on a straw cot in front of a grubby street stall from which I just purchased the 50-cent lentil and bread dinner. I'm relishing an open-air market. It hits me when I'm riding home in a rickshaw a colorful, muffler-less, three-wheeled taxi that can only reach 30 miles per hour.
Nadia
Mustafa
editor@kansan.com
What hits me? It's
is an almost indescribable sense of universality, a glimpse into global differences and our unfortunate isolation as westerners. It is more than that. It is the sensation of being in a place comparatively so less developed and so culturally unique but so admirable.
I can only ride in a rickshaw or eat on a dirty straw cot here among people whose way of life is so different from my own. Despite the long list of physical inconveniences and societal frustrations, Pakistan culture has a down-to-earth charm. Beyond the chaotic, congested traffic and the pleading faces of beggars are streets filled with decent people trying to earn a living against all odds imposed by a corrupt government and a harsh global economy.
We can discuss poverty, corruption and a lack of education from our comfortable seats in an advanced western society, but one glance at a skinny child selling newspapers on the street corner makes it real. These people seem more real to me.
1
In spite of new hardships adding to the old ones, life keeps going in Pakistani cities, villages, slums, streets and homes. Pakistanis are not ignorant to the fact that they are a third world people, but that does not hinder their national pride. They retain a strong sense of moral and cultural tradition that is not struggling to survive like American baseball and apple pie.
Whether depravity and tradition are real is a matter of perspective, but a Pakistani shopkeeper in a dusty alley cannot imagine the post-materialist era the West is enjoying. The destruction of the ozone layer or the merits of affirmative action are the last things on his mind. He is just worried about putting food on his table and sending his children to school.
I wish American schoolchildren could take field trips to regions like Pakistan instead of the local zoo. We can learn so much about ourselves by living among people from other backgrounds. The purpose of traveling is not to see the Eiffel Tower or the Great Wall of China, but to deepen our understanding of other cultures. I've been to Pakistan several times and many things have become familiar, but each time, I view its people and institutions from a different angle and gain a higher level of sympathetic comprehension. Each time, I shed a layer of ignorance. I think.
It is impossible to categorize Pakistanis. They range from rich to poor, educated to uneducated and conservative to liberal. But they all share a common bond — the society they live in and the culture they are accustomed to. Through much careful observation, for me the terms less developed country and third world are not just textbook glossary definitions anymore.
Mustafa is a Topека sophomore in English and journalism.