right humans

       One of the best things about reaching Cape Town was being reunited with Seri.  You remember her, right? Seri of "Seri's Cross Culture Porch, of "Asante Sana" and kissing a giraffe, Seri of "Kili and Zanzi" the ice climb up Kilimanjaro, and the list goes on. She's practically a blog legend! It's not enough that Seri volunteered for three months in Tanzania, making a huge difference in the lives of everyone she touched.  That would be plenty for any person, who could then race back to the states, guilt free for hot showers and Starbucks and beds without nets. Oh no, that's not the stuff she's made of. Seri went straight to South Africa for another three months of volunteerism, with yet another school.  This is a woman who is clear about her purpose and passion. She's a ninety pound fireball of activism for children, and the importance of educating them to brighten their future.  Her enthusiasm is contagious and just being near her, the glow of it rubs off on you. After we'd caught up with excited, rapid fire talk-over-each-other sentences about our experiences during the last few months, Seri said,

       "I think you should participate with me in a march on Human Right's Day. We'll march for Minimum Norms and Standards in the schools, from the city center to Parliament where we'll remind the government that these kids must have the basics to get an education."

       Of course that would be her normal conversation. And of course I couldn't say no.

So march we did.

Having Tabletop Mountain as a backdrop, the rally started with a concert and speeches about education. With mostly middle and high school students in attendance, 

the final count was over 20,000!

Seri's posse also included some other amazing volunteers.

The band Freshly Ground performed. They were the band that sang
"Waka Waka" with Shakira at the FIFA World Cup. They
got the crowd pumped up!

Spontaneous dance circle 

um. yes.  another spontaneous dance circle.

backpack wisdom

Then the march begins.

At close look, the crowd behind stretches for a mile. wow

The students were so happy to have their say and stand up for their rights.

It was inspiring.

These are the things needed in the schools out in the Townships:

Water, toilets, electricity, enough classrooms, a library, textbooks, 

a playground, and an administration center. 

It's difficult for us to understand it, 

but these are the things they don't have. 

Parliament

TWO SCENARIOS ~

1.  Kids who have everything...

The Grio reports:

A dozen people were arrested after several fights broke out at a back-to-school rally in (a US State).Police were called in to clear the streets after the rally started to wrap up and several fights broke out in downtown (a US City) Thursday afternoon. Twelve people were arrested and several people were treated for injuries they received in the melee.  

2. Kids who have nothing...

The New York Times reports:

In a peaceful demonstration, more than 15,000 people marched in Cape Town on Monday to demand libraries, computer labs and other resources for township schools, many of which are vastly under equipped. 

Hmmm, interesting... peaceful?... violent?... what does this say?

I choose not be discouraged though, look where we ended up.