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In this issue:
Eye On: South Africa
When you hear the words "South Africa," what images are conjured up in your
mind?
Massive herds of elephant roaming freely? The struggle of Apartheid freedom
fighters like Nelson Mandela and Stephen Biko? A Rainbow Nation of tribal
groups dressed in traditional attire?
These images are not merely from a movie screen; they are part of the real
life portrait of a unique and fascinating country alive with a diverse
cultural mix – South Africa has 11 official national languages including
Afrikaans, English, Zulu and Xhosa – an impressive array of historical sites
– including several associated with Mandela – and stunning landscapes
populated with more biodiversity than rainforests – South Africa is home to
the Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino).
Ever consider organizing an educational tour to South Africa? Let this
"not–to–be–missed" list of places and attractions set your mind in motion:
Soweto – About 15 miles outside of South Africa's capital city,
Johannesburg, lies a sprawl of matchbox houses that make up the biggest and
most populous of all townships in South Africa. Home to The Nelson Mandela
Museum, The Hector Pieterson Heritage Museum and the Regina Mundi Catholic
Church, former site of countless protests, Soweto is a living history lesson
on South Africa's struggle against Apartheid.
Kruger National Park – Nearly the size of Israel, Kruger is the greatest of
South Africa's many national parks. The park is home to an impressive number
of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and
147 mammals, and it offers visitors the best chance of spotting the Big Five
during a guided walk or drive.
Table Mountain National Park – Situated at the southwestern tip of South
Africa is a narrow finger of land with beautiful valleys, bays and beaches,
surrounded by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and containing two
world–renowned landmarks – the majestic Table Mountain and the legendary
Cape of Good Hope. Nowhere else in the world does an area of such
spectacular beauty and rich bio–diversity exist almost entirely within a
metropolitan area – the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town. No visit to the TMNP
is complete without a cable car ride up to the top of Table Mountain, from
which you can enjoy some of South Africa's most breathtaking views, or a
stop at the Bolder Beach African Penguin colony. This species are the only
nesting penguins in Africa, and you can stroll across a wooden boardwalk
right into the middle of their nesting area.
Robben Island – A short ferry cruise from Cape Town's Victoria and Albert Waterfront, this legendary island is where Nelson Mandela and his comrades
were imprisoned for decades during the Apartheid era. Join former inmates on
an insightful tour of the prison grounds.
Spier Cheetah Outreach – Take a short 25–minute drive outside of Cape Town,
and you can enjoy a personal encounter with a cheetah. Cheetahs are the
fastest land animal in the world but face extinction through loss of
habitat, poaching, competition with large predators and ranchers who shoot
cheetahs to protect their livestock. Founded in 1997, the Spier Cheetah
Outreach program aims to educate the public about the diminishing numbers of
free–ranging cheetahs in the wild, help ensure the survival of the cheetah
through fundraising, and where possible, breed cheetahs in captivity.
KwaZulu–Natal – Flanked by the soaring, jagged peaks of the Drakensberg
("dragon mountains") Mountain range in the eastern part South Africa, lies
the historic homeland of the Zulu Nation. Under the 19th–century reign of
Emperor Shaka, the Zulu clan became a great nation and the most powerful and
feared fighting force in all of South Africa. Follow in the footsteps of
this legendary leader, as you take a ox wagon to a traditional Zulu village
made of beehive huts and experience traditional Zulu hospitality.
These days it's relatively easy to get to South Africa from the United
States. South African Airways offers daily flights to Johannesburg from both
Washington, DC and New York; Virgin Atlantic operates a selection of east
and west coast flights to Johannesburg; and travelers can opt to connect in
Europe on British Airways, Air France and Lufthansa from gateways around the
US. Best of all, South Africa is a relatively inexpensive long–haul
destination. Consider this: a group of 20 full–paying participants traveling
with two free group leaders can spend 12 days visiting Johannesburg, Cape
Town and Kruger National Park for approximately $3500 pp including airfare
from JFK and internal flight segments in South Africa.
In February 2006, CQ sent a group of special–interest travelers from
International House Philadelphia on a behind–the–scenes tour of social
problems affecting contemporary South Africa. In addition to highlights
enjoyed by first–time visitors, the group explored the pediatric AIDS crisis
in South Africa during a visit to Cape Town Child Welfare and a lecture at
Groote Schuur Hospital with Dr. Paul Roux. The group also learned about
black empowerment in South Africa by visiting Thubelisha Homes, a non–profit
housing organization dedicated to building affordable housing and
sustainable communities in Soweto.
Contact Alessandra Taddeucci to find out how you can organize an
extraordinary educational opportunity for your students – an extraordinary
educational tour to South Africa.
CQ Capers
New CQ Web Site to be Unveiled
 Face lifts aren't just for the Rich and Famous; sometimes the web site of
your favorite educational tour company needs a little pick-me-up just to
keep things fresh and lively.
Keep your eyes peeled for Culture Quest's new and improved web site debuting
early next year.
In addition to program information and our customized group quote request
form, the new site will feature downloadable application materials, sample
itineraries, CQ's New Teacher Loyalty Program, photo contests,
service-learning travel opportunities with our non-profit sister MYX:
Multicultural Youth eXchange and much more!
Teachers Talk
John Gardner
 John Gardner, Assistant Professor of Spanish at Rose-Hulman Institute of
Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana, organized a Spring 2006 trip to Spain
with Culture Quest for 16 of his students. Here's what he had to say about
his experience traveling with us:
July 12, 2006
Dear Alessandra,
I am writing to thank you for all your help in working out the details of
our trip to Spain this year. Both the students and myself were very pleased
with the hotels, restaurants, busses and tour guide selected, all of which
met or exceeded our expectations. With so many details to be worked out, I
was very grateful for having such pleasant people to work with at Culture
Quest to make things go so smoothly.
The students (for nearly all of whom this was their first trip to Spain or
abroad) had a wonderful time, and judging from their final projects, which I
have just finished grading, learned a great deal and experiences much of
lasting value. Thanks again for your help in making our trip possible.
Sincerely,
John Gardner
Assistant Professor of Spanish
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Travel Tidbits
Ecotourism Alternatives
 In the past decade, student ecotourism trips have become synonymous with
Costa Rica. While there's no denying that this country has an astounding
array of natural gems to offer visitors, we can't forget that there are many
other destinations worldwide boasting their own ecological jewels.
Croatia
Where: lying on the east side of the Adriatic Sea directly across from the
Italian Peninsula.
What's There: a rich variety of beautiful landscapes and preserved natural
areas from mountains to plains, from rivers to the sea and over 1000 -
mostly uninhabited - islands off the west coast. Plus a long and rich
history alive in well-preserved old towns, castles, palaces, monuments and
works of art. Colorful native architecture, tradition, folklore and music. A
mild climate makes outdoor exploration possible throughout the year. Easy to
reach by bus, train or ferry lines from Italy. Ecuador
Where: a relatively small Latin American country located in Western South
America, bordering the Pacific Ocean at the Equator, between Colombia and
Peru. Country includes the Galapagos Archipelago.
What's There: one the planet's top 17 most biologically diverse nations;
home to rain forests, jungles, mountains, islands, deserts, valleys and
snowcapped peaks. Landlubbers can explore both the Andes and the Amazon
which, combined, host close to 20,000 different plant species. Not to be
missed: the Avenue of the Volcanoes - a 200-mile-long valley dotted with a
series of massive, snow-capped volcanoes skirted by green equatorial
lushness. Seafarers should head 600 miles off shore to the Galapagos
Islands. Cruise around for a few days in search of iguanas, penguins, sting
rays, sea lions and giant tortoises. Iceland
Where: island in the North Atlantic Ocean sitting just below the Artic
Circle and straddling the North American and Eurasian continental tectonic
plates. 
What's There: more diverse landscapes forged by fire and ice than you can
imagine - active volcanoes and ancient lava flows; geothermal fields alive
with geysers, steam vents, hot springs and bubbling mud pots; countless
glacial caps, ice caves, ice walls and glacial tongues; endless waterfalls,
lakes ands rivers. A Technicolor geology dream! Plus go whale watching and
try to spot the elusive puffin! Montserrat
Where: tiny, mountainous island located in the eastern Caribbean Sea some 27
miles southwest of Antigua.
What's There: chance to get up close and personal with the still very active
Soufriere Hills Volcano; walk through abandoned houses and hotels in the
former Georgian-era capital city of Plymouth (now a modern-day Pompeii),
buried by a 1997 eruption. Observe a variety of marine life including
tropical fish, sea turtles and sponges while snorkeling above the coral
reefs. Hike the rain forest for a chance to spot many different kinds of
tropical birds, amphibians and unusual reptiles like the galliwasp. Learn
the tricks of the volcanology trade during a tour of the Montserrat Volcano
Observatory. South Africa
Where: southernmost country on the African continent; bordered by Namibia,
Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland to the north.
What's There: country extremely rich in scenic beauty and wildlife. Home of
the Big Five - lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and rhino. Not to mention
baboons, giraffes, hippos, Nile crocs, zebras, warthogs and spotted hyenas.
Oh my! More species of native flowers on the Cape Peninsula than throughout
North America or Europe. One of the world's oldest and biggest parks, Kruger
National Park, protects a diversity of ecosystems with the greatest variety
of animals in Southern Africa including more than 500 bird and 49 fish
species. Traditional Zulu culture a must-see.
Contact CQ to help you organize a student ecotour to any of these amazing
countries.
Multicultural Corner
Multicultural Murals from Our Corner of the World to Theirs
2006 was a banner year for the Multicultural Youth eXchange, which extended the healing hand of art to a handful of communities at home and abroad.
In May, MYX traveled to Pascagoula, a small town on Mississippi's eastern Gulf Coast devastated by Hurricane Katrina last year, to deliver a special gift - a 12-foot-by-12-foot mural - to students at Central Elementary School.
 Entitled "Strokes of Strength and Hope: A Youth Friendship Mural," the mural was created over three days by more than 150 young people who attended the 17th Annual National Service Learning Conference in Philadelphia last March. The idea behind the project was to connect kids in Philadelphia with Katrina kids in Pascagoula through positive messages, images and poetry.
The mural's central image was based on the West African symbol for strength, and themes of endurance, faith and hope for a positive future were incorporated into the mural including one message which exuberantly stated, "If God brought you to it, He'll bring you through it."
Now hanging permanently in Central Elementary's main foyer, the mural was supported by the National Youth Leadership Council, the Philadelphia Foundation and Southwest Airlines.
MYX Co-Directors, Josette Bonafino and Michelle Ortiz, spent three days in Pascagoula working with the community and hearing many recounts of the harrowing experiences brought on by Katrina. One such anecdote stuck in Bonafino's mind: "As the waters began to rise, we climbed to the top of our SUV just to escape," recalled Beach Elementary School principal, Shirley Hunter, with both laughter and tears in her eyes. "We knew things were bad when fish started jumping over our heads!"
During the trip, Ortiz, a visual artist, conducted a one-day workshop for approximately forty Central Elementary fifth graders entitled, "I am a Reflection of Strength and Hope." Drawing inspiration from the "Strokes of Strength Mural," students painted personal messages of hope, strength and friendship on individual wood framed mirrors, which were generously donated by IKEA Philadelphia. The mirrors were then assembled into a multipanel mosaic and installed in the school.
 Next on MYX's agenda was a five-week summer school course entitled "Female Gender Stereotypes in North America and South Africa" conducted for fifty 9th and 10th graders in the School District of Philadelphia. Funded by the Philadelphia Youth Network, the course was designed to teach students how mass media often portray girls and women stereotypically in both American and South African society with dangerous consequences. Through study articles, film and open classroom dialogue, students discovered that female stereotypes can lead to eating disorders among teenage girls, job discrimination, domestic violence and, in the case, of South Africa, the continued spread of HIV/AIDS. The course concluded with the creation of a fifty-panel quilt in which the students were able to express their reactions and possible solutions to the problems associated with stereotyping females.
Next year, MYX will donate this completed quilt to Cape Town Child Welfare, a nonprofit in the Cape Town township of Kyelitsha, which promotes the well-being of children in predominantly poor socio-economic communities, many of whom have been infected or orphaned by HIV/AIDS.
Says Cape Town Child Welfare Marketing Director, Alexanne Tingley, "So often our communities feel as though they are living and surviving in a vacuum and that no one beyond their immediate family, let alone communities across the world, can know and empathise with their own individual tragedy or circumstances. Receiving this artwork will mean so much to the men, women and children with whom we work (because now they know) there are people who have taken the time to spare a thought for their African cousins."
Another MYX summer project took place on Isla de Chira, a small community of 3000 fisher people located in Costa Rica's Gulf of Nicoya. After a successful debut project in July 2005, MYX returned to Chira this past summer with two teams of America high school students to build a library for one of the island's tree schools. Using wood and other natural objects found on Chira, American and Costa Rican students created bookshelves and a large scale mural, turning a once neglected and characterless concrete room into a cheery and inviting study center. "Going to Chira helped me realize that giving back to other communities is extremely rewarding," writes Emily Whilhite, a high school junior from Philadelphia. "I want to definitely continue it in the future."
Next summer MYX will return to Chira for the third time and inaugurate a new project site in Ambato, Ecuador where American and Ecuadorian students will paint a mural in the playground of a local school.
To find out more about MYX, click here
© Copyright 2006 Culture Quest Tours. Please report any broken links or other site problems to webmaster@cqtours.com.
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Fall 2006