Kurus English had an exciting week where the students focused on Cape Town and the environment.  The concept was well constructed and it focused on feel of nature where they visited the Rondevlei Nature Reserve, solar systems project called the Kuyasa CDM Project, in Kuyasa, a residential area in Khayelitsha, and finally, environmental sustainability institute at the Lyndoch Village, Stellenbosch. Our students got an opportunity to explore and interact in the English language, which means we managed to kill two birds with one stone because not only are the Language Excursions a fun-filled experience, but they are an excellent way for the students to improve their speech in English.

Simnikiwe

Happy 2011!

Kurus English has had a good start this year, and our plan is to elevate, grow and explore.

Last week our Language Excursions programme focused on Belief Systems and we visited 3 different religions namely, Islam, Judaism, and Traditional beliefs (sangomas).  Our students got the opportunity to meet leaders of these very different beliefs, and to learn more about them through interactive conversations.
Although the language excursions are a fun-filled experience, the main aim is to expand and improve our students’ speech, create that element of confidence when speaking in English, and to have fun learning the English language outside the classroom.

(Simnikiwe)

The Language Excursions this week starts with a trip to the Castle of Good Hope. There we visited a well-known art artist called Zavick aka “Supadog”. We had a drawing/art lesson and created a “Zine”. A very creative day! Wednesday we went to a township/suburb of Cape Town called Manenberg. We had the chance to speak to the Non Profit Organization “Proudly Manenberg”.

Last but not least we had a meeting with a very special person. We met Hildergard, a white sangoma. A sangoma is a practitioner of herbal medicine, divination and counseling.

Best regards,

Viktor

The Language Excursion week started with a trip to the Lyndoch Eco Village. This is the first ecologically designed, socially-mixed intentional community in South Africa. The Village is located in Stellenbosch, a University town 30 minutes drive inland from Cape Town. The term “ecology” was new to me and the theme was really fascinating. A big thank you to our guide Luke, who was informative and made real efforts to help us understand this complex subject.

The next day we went to the Slave Lodge in the centre of the City. A big part of Cape Town´s history is concerned with slavery and this period of the country´s history, so the Language Excursion to the museum was essential for our historical understanding.

On our last Language Excursion we visited a well-known art artist called “Zavick aka Supadog”. During a unique and interactive afternoon  tour through the Castle of Good Hope, we gained insights into the history of this famous edifice and theb went on to have some drawing-lessons, where we created a ‘Zine’. In any case a crazy, unique and creative day!

It was a fantastic week!

Viktor

Hey Guys

Over the next few months I will be reporting about Kurus English generally and about my experiences regarding the Language Excursions, in particular. If you want to knew more about me, you can read my Introduction “Hello everybody” on the Kurus Blog.

Up until now I have been attending English Lessons with Gavin, so I can both improve my English and, very importantly, learn more about the Kurus English language learning concept. Kurus English unites language, culture and discovery opportunities into a unique and powerful whole-learning experience.

We can all remember the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa; what a great atmosphere and what exciting Games we all saw, whether on TV or live in the stadia.The World Cup 2010 has had a huge influence on South African culture and infrastructure. So our first Language Excursion was to the magnificent, brand new Cape Town Stadium. During the tour through the Stadium, we had an opportunity visited the change-rooms, the jail, public areas and lastly we were even permitted to touched the grass! It was fantastic to be in the same place as Christiano Ronaldo and another Superstars had been. It was a superb day.

The next day we changed our focus to the history of South Africa. We started by visiting the District Six Museum. We learned a lot about the Apartheid era and South Africa´s transition to democracy.

Our Excursion-week ended with a tour to the oldest Township in South Africa called Langa.

It´s very interesting to see the difference between the richer and poorer areas of Cape Town.All in all we find a people are this city and county to be extremely friendly. Big thanks to our guides, Nomawethu (Nozha), Gavin and Michael! This was a great afternoon, with food, African beer and history…

I´m really looking forward to the next week. Best regards!

Viktor

This week we created tailor made Language Excursions especially for our Elementary students.The idea was to create excursions appropriate for the language level of Elementary students with many “Cape Town Discovery” elements.
On Tuesday we went to the District Six Museum and learned more about South African’s history. This excursion helped us a lot to understand from where the country is coming from and to imagine, where we are going to be in 20 years from today.

The next day we tried something completely new. We created a Coffee -Excursion and visited two coffee shops in the city centre. We also had the chance to taste different coffees and were surprised to see that something that smells so good can taste quiet different…
Last but not least we finished this week with a visit to the Cape Town Stadium. Wow, the big giant… beautiful!
It’s Ayobaaaaaaaaaaaa time!

Diana

We are back to Food and Cuisine, one of our most tasteful Language Excursions. Cape Town has a long history of hospitality, flavourful food and fresh local ingredients. During our week Food & Cuisine week try to discover and taste more of this diverse city and to show our students a variety of Food & Cuisine opportunities in Cape Town.

On Tuesday, our first Language Excursion for this week we took our students out for a city walk. First we stopped at the Atlas Trading in the Bo-Kaap. Atlas Trading is specialized in Indian cooking spices and one of the shops you shouldn’t miss. We also don’t want to miss the opportunity to thank Hasan for his warm hospitality.

Afterwards we had the chance to discover the flavors of the Ethiopian kitchen on Long Street.This afternoon taught us, that Ethiopia has far more to offer than only outstanding coffee.

   
On Wednesday we went together with our students to The Westin Cape Town, one of the top five star hotels in Cape Town. During a guided tour through this stunning hotel, we learned a lot about the logistic of a hotel and were quite surprised how many workplaces a hotel can provide.

Finally we had the chance decorate and taste a five star Malva Puding.
Yummy!!!

Last but not least we took  a train ride to Langa. Zozo, our host this last Food & Cuisine Language Excursions showed us some “secret” spots and most of our students tasted for the first time in their live fried chicken feet. …
Simply delicious!

Diana

This week we had special Language Excursions – a mixed selection of our different themes.

On the first day we went to the Nelson Mandela Exhibition at the Slave Lodge to learn more about Nelson Mandela’s life and his immense impact on South African history. We could see the progression of apartheid over the years and the great efforts people like Mandela made to create a free and democratic South Afirca.

The next day we focused on the new developments in Cape Town due to the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. We visited the new Cape Town station, the new IRT and observed further changes of the infrastructure. The city has made huge improvements over the last few years. Moreover we were told about future plans and developments in the city.

The next day we headed to Langa, the oldest township in South Africa. There we met Zozo, who used to live in the township. He told us about his life in this area and guided us through his hometown. It was very interesting to experience the environment, the people, the way of live and the living conditions in this area. A special highlight for us was the spontaneous performance of a small boy with his marimbas.

Anke

Last week’s Language Excursions was all about South African History.

To immerse ourselves in the history of South Africa our first stop was the Slave Lodge. There we were told more about the development of slavery in the Cape, the places of origin and slavery itself.

Our next stop to learn more about the past of South Africa was a visit of the District Six Museum in the District Six of Cape Town. The time of Apartheid marginalised South Africa and its inhabitants very strongly. Our guide told us how the apartheid society was created and about his experiences when the removals and marginalization had begun. The District Six Museum deals with the memories of these experiences, then District Six was declared a white area in 1966 and 60,000 people were forcibly removed to barren outlying areas.

On our last Language Excursion we celebrated the Freedom of Movement. To symbolise the freedom of movement we took the train to the oldest Township of South Africa, Langa. In the past it wasn’t possible for the disadvantaged population to move between definite areas without permission. We were guided through the township and experienced the people, the living conditions and the way of live in this area.

Anke

Painting, dancing and making music kept us busy last week.

We painted with John Bauer, an artist from Cape Town, at the Caste of Good Hope. In the beginning he told us about his work and inspired us with his artwork. Afterwards each of us created our individual artwork with the help of some oil colour, feathers and cuddly toys. Our printings looked very creative and before we left, all our pictures were interpreted and signed by John Bauer.

The dancing with Theo from the iKapa Dance Theatre was a big challenge. Everyone did their best to do the African moves of Pantsula, Gumboot and African dance. We became better and better and in the end we could definitely show our faces. It was great fun to learn the traditional African dances.

Last but not least we headed to Gugulethu for a Drum workshop with Lucky. The group from Ilangale-Afrika showed us how to play the Marimbas and the Djembes and we played some nice African rhythms together.

Anke

Belief Systems – plenty of different beliefs exist in our world. Nevertheless, some differences and similarities are obvious, which we could observe this week. We were exposed to three belief systems: Islam, the belief of Sangomas (traditional healers) and Rastafarianism.

On the first day we visited a mosque to get to know more about Islam and their belief in Quran. We met an imam, who told us more about the duties of Muslims and the way they practice their belief.

The next day we went to Hildegard, a white Sangoma, who told us about the Sangoma’s believe in a supreme being and other spirits, about the way they communicate with their ancestors and about the methods of their treatments.

The Rastas, who we visited on our last Language Excursion, guided us through their community, their living area and told us what they believe in.

Anke

2010 is an important year for South Africa. Everyone is focused on The World Cup. The preparations are in full swing.
For this great spectacle a magnificent new stadium has been built. We were shown the stadium, saw the changing rooms, felt like real VIPs when we were sitting in the VIP box and, of course, we all kissed the soccer field before we left!

The next day we concentrated on the changes of the city by doing a city walk. We kept an eye on the challenges the city has to cope with and the developments so far. We were shown significant cultural and historical sights too.

At the end of the week we visited the AYK (Ambitious Youth of Khayelitsha), whose motto is: “Using our passion for soccer and love for our community to create a financially stable business focused on alleviating crime and alcohol abuse in Khayelitsha”.
We were introduced into the area and the organisation of AYK. Later we played a soccer match with the local soccer players. It was a highly contested match and great fun!

Anke

The Language Excursions this week were all about Entertainment & Leisure.

On the first day we headed to Gugs, where Lucky and his friends welcomed us for a drum workshop. They taught us how to play the Djembes and the Marimbas and entertained us with great beats.

The next day we visited John Bauer an artist. We were told about his artwork and we each got a small area in the workshop to create our own artwork.

For the last Language Excursion we jumped onto the train to Langa. There we met Nhoza, who guided us through her home town. At her shack we had a small food tasting of various traditional foods, which she had prepared before we arrived. We tasted Lamb, Vetkoeks and sheep head. We all hesitated to try the sheep head, but finally some of us did and believe me their faces were fun to watch! At last we tasted the traditional beer “Umqombothi”, while we were sitting in a nice circle and Nhoza was singing and dancing.

Anke

This week we discovered the environment of Cape Town.

At Rondevlei Nature Reserve we spotted birds, fish and tracked the footprints of hippos. We all kept our eyes open, but unfortunately, we couldn’t find any. We were told more about the area and the animals that live there. Finally, the brave students could even touch or carry a snake!

The next day we experienced more about the local environment through African penguins and seabirds at SANCCOB, an institute which advocates saving seabirds. We were educated about their work and the rehabilitation process. We watched the volunteers by feeding and caring for the penguins.

On the last Language Excursion this week we visited the Lynedoch EcoVillage close to Stellenbosch. It’s an institute, which focuses on learning for sustainable living and further facilitates the equity in South Africa. We were shown ecological infrastructure that has been implemented to reduce water consumption, electricity use and how to live a more ecology friendly existence as well as their way of reducing and eradicating poverty.

Anke

Last week we concentrated on Youth & Education. We visited the Sarepta High School in Kuils River, where we had some interesting conversations with the students there. They told us about their lives, their local area and about the challenges they have to cope with in school as well as in their lives in general.

The other school we visited this week was the Tertiary School in Business Administration (TSiBA) in Pinelands. The TSiBA students welcomed us warmly and after an indroduction our task was to solve several problems together. It was very interesting to see how different the approaches we used were.

Finally we went to Velokhaya, a non-profit organisation focused on introducing the sport of cycling to previously disadvantaged communities. It was the highlight for most of our students. Everybody put on a helmet, got on a bike and then we were ready to cycle a few rounds of the race track. It was great fun and before we returned the kids showed us how to ride the track professionally and impressed us with their jumps.

Anke

The first stop on our journey through South Africa’s past this week was the Slave Lodge. Lucy informed us about Slavery in Cape Town and afterwards we had the chance to see a special Nelson Mandela exhibition.

The next day we learned more about the time when South Africa was ruled under an Apartheid government. We visited the District Six Museum and Noor told us about his personal experiences during this difficult time.

On the last Language Excursion we celebrated the Freedom of Movement by taking a train to Langa, the oldest Township of South Africa. Zozo, who used to live there, guided us through his hometown, showing us around. Before we returned to the city we ate Vetkoek.

The week was very interesting and everybody gained some insight into what happened in the past.

Anke

This week the Language Excursions were all about Art, Dance & Expression.

We hit the road for the Castle of Good Hope, where we met artist John Bauer. John Bauer told us about his art and showed us some of his handcrafted artwork. Thereafter our creativity was on the spot!He set up a few tables, gave everyone a big piece of plain white paper, a knitted teddy and oil colour and we all printed our own artwork in his unique style.

Dancing was the theme of the following day. We went to the iKapa Dance Theatre where Theo and his team taught us some traditional African moves, the “Gumboot Dance” and the “Pantsula Dance“. My favorite one was the “Gumboote Dance”, which reminded me a little bit of the German dance “Schuhplattler”. Performing the moves wasn’t easy, but I’d say we did pretty well!

For the last Language Excursion this week we drove for a drum workshop to Gugulethu. Lucky and his guys from Ilangale- Afrika played great beats for us and we were all smitten by their rhythm. Afterwards they showed us how to play the Djembes and the Marimbas and we tried to make our own beat!

It was a fantastic week!

Anke

This week we introduced the students to the different belief systems in South Africa.

On Tuesday, we went to Hildergarde, a traditional healer. For me, it was a very impressive experience. It’s a pity, in one month I have to leave Cape Town and especially for the last period I’m really going to feel the African feeling!!

Yesterday, it was all about the Islam. The students visited Dawood, an imam in Cape Town. They were able to ask all the questions they wanted to know and learned so much more about Muslims, the belief and everything what is related to it!!

Today, is already their last day. The school is quite buzzy because it is also the last day for the Kurus Team of 2009! Let’s get the holiday started and enjoy it to the max!!

~ Jessica

Last week was a diverse week in which the students got the chance to learn more about the African culture when it comes to entertaining and leisure.

The kick-off was a drive to Signal Hill to see the Cape Town Stadium. The view is amazing from that place! Afterwards, they went to the Fields of Play exhibition which explores the dynamic intersection of memory, football and forced removals in the history of Cape Town.

On Wednesday the students became artists at the Castle of Good Hope. They had a workshop there with John Bauer about the printing techniques. It seems like this is one of the more popular excursions last time.

The next day, on Thursday, it was all about Township Leisure at Langa. We literally took the bulls by the horns and tasted some sheep head and chicken liver. The township excursions are always impressive! Our singer from the Music Dinner before took us on a tour through Langa and we ended up in her yard to taste the food.

All together, a week with a lot of variation, fun and impressing experiences!!

~ Jessica

Last week was the second and last week for the FEJO IV Group from Germany. Time flies when you’re in Cape Town! After a very active week with dancing and making art en music, it was time to refresh their history knowledge.

On Tuesday they visited the Slave Lodge where they got an impression about Africa during the time of the slaves. Where they came from and what kind of life they lived.

District 6 Museum and the Holocaust museum were on the list for Wednesday. Some heavy stuff but really good to experience and to see what Africa was like years ago.

Thursday was the day to celebrate that we are now free and can live our lives how we want to live them. The students went on a train ride to Langa!

This week was a good one to go back to Germany with a fresh start. The group learned so many new things and were also remembered about the history. And with the freedom in their minds they went back to their home country!!

~ Jessica

Paint some art, make a move and feel the beat. As you can imagine, last week was a very creative one.

The start off took place in the Castle of Good Hope. At this place, John Bauer presented the printing technique with knitted teddy bears. The artist knows different unique art techniques by experimenting time and time again. The students were busy with painting the teddy bears and printing them on a paper sheet to make their own art.

The next day, on Wednesday, it was time to develop the dancing skills on an African way. The students, teachers and private guide Jacques drove to the iKapa Dance Theatre to learn the gumboot dance. It was an unexpected experience but great to see and practise a real African dance at close quarters.

The first week went fast by and the students were already on the third day of excursions. This day, it was all happening in Gugulethu where the Djembe and Marimba again were discovered! Lucky learned them all about the instruments and the ilanga le Africa project.

Thanks everybody for taking creative part in this creative week!

~ Jessica

Let’s go 2010. We are ready to welcome the world!!
The first day we went to Ajax Cape Town. That was a bull’s eye score with 3 Dutch people around. Dutch people in Cape Town have to support them. We met Mark Myers and he took us on a guided tour through the complex. We started at the reception and via the trophy exhibition, to the Ajax Lounge, the field’s en the fitting rooms.

On our second day we went to the Makaraba organisation which is responsible for the genuine South African hand painted fan helmets. Michael explained to us the whole process of making a fan helmet and finally we painted two ourselves.

The soccer game on the last excursion day was great. We visited the Ambitious Youth of Khayelitsha (AYK) where Andile told us everything about what they’re doing. After his interesting explanation we played a mixed soccer game with the AYK.
Take a look at the following album for some amazing sport shots!!

~ Jessica

Last week was in token of Entertainment & Leisure. Like the students who are doing an English course what about the South African people?
On the first excursion day they wanted us to put in touch with the African food. Actually, you can also say MEAT. So we went to Nandi Nandi, located in Khayelitsha, to order some meat. After a visit at the art centre where Cinga Samson showed us his paintings and told us more about the topic, we went back to pick up our meat and tried it! The plate was only for a few minutes filled by meat.

In my younger years I’ve done pottery for a few times but when we visited John Bauer at his home and atelier my mouth fell open in astonishment. Loads of pots and creations were placed everywhere! After recovering our breath we painted some pots. They’re now under the treatment of John Bauer and we are curious to see the results.

Our last day was very exciting! We drove to Guguletu where we played the marimba and other African instruments. Lucky Paliso taught us everything about the instruments, culture and how to play. It was a very energetic afternoon and we had a lot of fun!

We now know more about the African way of entertaining themselves and the leisure activities of the country.

~ Jessica

Last week’s theme fitted exactly in my educational program. Studying International Business & Languages, the cultural differences in doing business in different countries is very interesting.
The first excursion day we went to the Lwandle Migrant Labour Museum located in the township Lwandle. There, we got a guided tour by Lundi Mama through the museum, which reminds residents and visitors of the horrific living conditions that the migrant labour system imposed. Lundi took us on a small trip where we could see hostel 33 in the original conditions.

On Wednesday, we went to a local shop: Streetwires. The excursion was very exciting because Jethro showed us everything, from the design room to the workplaces. Afterwards we got the opportunity to make our own wires. Respect for the workers because what we did in one hour could they just do in a few seconds.

Capestorm, an outdoor apparel company based in South Africa was the third location for a language excursion. During that day I wasn’t present because I had to work on my network skills. The students told me that it was good to see that the workers do their work in a fair workplace and it was also interesting to hear the differences between a big company (Jack Wolfskin) and a smaller one (Capestorm), explained by Andrew Baxter.

~ Jessica