American as Apple Pie - Repost 7-15-2012

This week was the winter term here in Cape Town. School is not officially in session, but students are still coming to school for the Holiday Programme - almost a camp. It is much more relaxed. Part of my contribution to the program is leading science mini-labs. Last week I started with a Predict-Observe-Explain lesson about the properties of water (surface tension, capillary action, etc.) with the middle school students. This week we differentiated between researchable questions and investigable questions using frozen water balloons. A huge hit.

I also participated in the cultural workshops with the Future Leaders (student teachers and recent graduates from university). They spent a day teaching us songs and dances, cooking and eating a typical meal. The future leaders are audio teachers. None of the lyrics or steps were ever written down. There was a lot of mimicry to learn. I don’t think I’m quite there yet to put on a recital, but it was fun. Then we were in the kitchen chopping vegetables, slicing tripe, and watching one of the FL stand on a chair to stir the enormous pots on the stove. I tried everything, from the beef stew with potatoes, to the side dish that resembled salsa, to the skinless maize, and even the tripe. It smelled. I was scared. I took one bite and didn’t like it. At least I could say I tried.

The next day was our turn to share. We taught a step dance, a classic jazz dance in line-dance form, and hand clapping games. Next was lunch time. Two of us were on cooking duty. There was a pasta dish with meat sauce. Delicious! The South Africans called the penne pasta “straws.” Next was my apple pie. I thought it was a safe bet. Who doesn’t like apple pie?

I was met with great hesitancy. I thought they were being polite, because even though I brought a substantial sized pie, it wasn’t enough for everyone to get a slice of typical American portions. The other members of the American teaching team loved it and gobbled it up. A few South African tasted some politely, and really enjoyed the crust I made. I soon learned that they were scared of warm/cooked fruit. Hey if I’m brave enough to try the tripe, they should be brave enough to try the apple pie.