Death by “life science”

Wednesday morning through Thursday afternoon was consumed with a biology lab report about the extremely exciting beach macrofauna Bullia rhodostoma, Bullia pura, and Bullia digitalis three snails of the same genus which live on the beach across from Langerry.  In late February we collected snails from the beach in our first lab practical, and we are compiling the information into a report which will be graded harshly.  I am nervous because the PhD student who is grading the reports basically said that we should not expect much for grades.  That’s a bummer, since we are putting a lot of work into the papers, but I guess if someone is set on holding us to a standard which they don’t lay out for us clearly, then we’ll just get what we get.

This morning when we arrived, we created our own studies and went on a rocky shore practical (even though none of us were really dressed for a lab practical on the beachside).  It was drizzling when we left, but we shortly arrived at the quaint, upscale area of Shoenmakerskop, a beautiful rocky shoreline that could be confused with Maine, from the photos I’ve seen.  We used a 1m by 1.5m “quadrat” as a boundary to inventory the diversity and abundance of high shore versus low shore areas.  We found limpets—flat shelled and look like half of a clam stuck to the side of a rock which never move once they attach, barnacles, snails, coral, worms, sea urchins, and even a tiny, dead Portuguese man of war (jelly fish) that came in with the tide.  I only got really wet once when I wasn’t watching and a wave came and covered my whole shoe, but it was fabulous to be outside and see the beautifully colored animals which cover rocky surfaces in Africa.  Although I’m not looking forward to another lab write-up, the day at the beach was well worth it.  We were also given permission to write the paper as a group, so we can play “real world” and work as a team to finish a project.  That will be fun.

Now, I am in the library, waiting for my roomies to finish their lab write ups so we can turn them in and go home to check our emails, where a bio take home test should be waiting.  No rest for the weary, as we must complete that by noon tomorrow.  School is really heating up here at the end of the first term, and I hate to think how fast our next few weeks will go before Cape Town trip for Easter.  After Cape Town we have a million things to finish for the end of the semester which is only three weeks later, and I fly out just a few hours after my last exam.  This second half is going to fly by.  We are hoping to plan some day trips or weekend trips to get us out of Langerry and experiencing more of Africa while we have the chance.

Culture for Bruce and Norma

A guest named Janet Cherry came to our literature class to speak about the role of protest music and songs in the struggle against apartheid.  She told us about her role as one of three white freedom fighters in Port Elizabeth during the unrest in the 1980’s.  She printed pamphlets for economic boycotts which, according to a documentary we watched, after three months of boycotting pushed the politicians into negotiations about the release of freedom fighters from prison.  She was imprisoned many times, and had friends who were killed and tortured in the struggle.  After apartheid regime fell in the early 1990’s, Janet was a part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, which were a much greater healing process than the justice process after WWII, the Nuremberg Trials.  In the process, policemen and upholders of apartheid were asked to submit the full truth of their actions against political activists during the struggle in order to qualify for amnesty.  Janet learnt of the policemen who threw a brick through her windshield while driving in a township and she was an investigator who helped to uncover missing people as well.  She said that bodies are still being discovered which were abducted in the 1980’s.  Her biggest point was that the freedom songs show how ordinary people fought to get rid of apartheid.  She said that it is paramount of African culture to participate, rather than wait for one person to get up in front of everyone and tell them what to do—just do it.  We see that sentiment in the African music class as well.  We are not allowed to be an audience at a performance.  African music asks that everyone participate rather than the oh-so-Western practice of performance.  I would like to look up more about Janet online, especially since most of her work was right in PE.