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ECA conference Washington March 2012. Agenda. Introduction ( Useless ) Information about SA Useful information (Placement realities) Questions/Comments Summary. South Africa. Capital City – Pretoria Population - approx 50 million Provinces – 9
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Agenda • Introduction • (Useless) Information about SA • Useful information (Placement realities) • Questions/Comments • Summary
South Africa • Capital City – Pretoria • Population - approx 50 million • Provinces – 9 • Languages – 11 official languages • 4 Main ethnic groups: Black (79%), White (9.6%), Coloured(8.9%), Indian/Asian (2.5%) • SA is called the Rainbow Nation
Our Flag Green - the colour of the land and the abundant natural wealth Gold - the sun and gold Blue - the blue sky, freedom, vigilance, perseverance & justice. White - peace and honesty and the people of European origin. Red - the blood that unites all people of African ancestry and the blood that has been shed in the liberation of the African people Black - the color of the African skin
South Africa • After Washington DC, our capital, Pretoria has more embassies than any other city in the world • Our currency, the South African Rand is one of only fifteen currencies worldwide used to settle forex transactions immediately
Our major achievement in 2010……. • Soccer World Cup 2010
Our Country………Minerals. • Our wealth has been built on the country's vast resources: • Gold - 41% • Manganese – 80% • Chrome – 73% • Vanadium – 45% • Platinum - 90% • Diamonds – world’s 4th largest producer
Education System 3 types of schools: Private Schools (non-government funded, or almost non, school runs of parents’ contribution only) “Model C” Schools (although not a formal term used be the department of education, it is widely used in SA for schools that were only accessible to the white population during the apartheid area) Public Schools or Government Schools (no or low school fees)
Education values • Education is at the centre of focus for most SA families! • Teachers are respected! • All pupils wear school uniform. By wearing the uniform, a pupil subscribes to the value set of the school, strict rules of conduct apply! • Sports and Art are in general included into the curriculum of the school, or offered as extra-mural activity • Exchange pax are expected to follow the curriculum to the best of their abilities, including participation in exam writing • Conversational knowledge of English is a pre-requirement for school admission
Communication – general rules • Yes please! • Ask if you do not understand! • Respect elders, do not talk back! • Hierarchical structures are obeyed, instructions from parents and teachers are not questioned • Bad language and swearing will not be tolerated • People tend to not face issues head-on, but only hint at them at first • Sensitivity is required to make sense of the environment, as not everything is easily spoken about
Communication….. continued • Not all SA families have internet access at home • Cell phones are widely used • Language differences per province or region • Eye contact vs No eye contact • Religion • Transportation • Security • Family life
Questionnaire on SA • What is the Population? • How many Provinces? • How many official Languages? Name two? • SA is called the …. Nation….., Why? • What is the name of SA’s great international icon? • How many race groups?
Exercise: Include into the cultural detective lense: Coloured community Islamic community Indian community Note: find 3 stories to illustrate
Scenario 1 • Chat leaves her room disorderly, she has noted her host mom picking up after her during the morning tidy up session. Sometimes after school she would notice personal items having moved. Nobody has spoken to her. • One day host dad comes into Chat’s room and confronts her in an authoritarian manner on the untidy room and on how upset host mom had become that now it was up to the him, the host dad to interfere. He has decided to phone AFS Interculture SA this morning to let them know that Chat is untidy and unclean and cannot be tolerated in the house any longer Question: • Where does it fit into the cultural lense? Why? What cultural values can you identify? • What went wrong? Who could have done what differently?