Last Minute Thoughts for 2005

Everything is in order--at least that is how I feel about things for now. Oh, there are some "loose ends", but basically things are in place for my departure to Johannesburg on Saturday, Jan. 7. Marina Cronje arrives at about 3:30p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 4. Phew, it's gonna be a whirlwind of activity between her arrival time and my departure time! Scheduled for early Friday morning, Jan. 6, we will meet with Mayor Don Williamson at Flint City Hall. Marina will be presented with a Key to the City, along with a proclamation. I'll be there to capture it all on camera...I'm sure she'll be impressed with the welcome from our mayor.

I'm somehow reminded of a quote I carry around in my wallet: "Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards" -Soren Kierkegaard. The Danish existentialist philosopher's remark certainly has left an imprint on my way of thinking about such things. This Fulbright to South Africa will be experienced in the context of Kierkegaard's thinking on life--to the fullest extent. My primary goal in going to South Africa is to learn, to share, and to become a better human being as a result of the experience. I hope to be able to make a difference in the lives of people I come into contact with while there. Most of all, I want this tremendous learning adventure for my son, Ivan J.J., and my wife, Svetlana. Without them, this Fulbright would be an empty vessal--adrift in a sea of people with little, or no direction. With them, I am grounded in meaning and direction for my life. Most importantly, we will have the unique opportunity of sharing this Fulbright and engaging the fascinating array of peoples we are about to meet and know. I am a very fortunate, blessed person!

Flint Journal Article 12-29-05

Thanks to Rickey Hampton's persistance, his interview of me pertaining to my Fulbright Teacher Exchange Grant to South Africa, became an article in The Flint Journal. Thank goodness the photograph taken by Journal photographer Ryan Garza did not appear in the online Journal account(!). The well-written article pretty much says it all--with a couple of journalistic miscues: (1) Rickey, I'm not (yet) 63 years of age; (2) Somehow Rickey got my comments mixed up relative to the reference to my staying over in S.A. and working to help HIV-AIDs victims. Not so. Noble thought though. I'm sure in some manner we'll be involved with some humanitarian activity while we're there. You'll just have to return to my Blog to learn more...

http://www.mlive.com/columns/fljournal/rickey_hampton/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1135875006275480.xml&coll=5

Flint teacher trading places in South Africa
FLINT JOURNAL COLUMN
FLINT
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Thursday, December 29, 2005
By Rickey Hampton
JOURNAL COLUMNIST
FLINT - John Davidek was taught by his parents at an early age that the world is vast and diverse. And part of living is discovering that world.

Davidek listened to his parents.

The history/sociology teacher at Flint Southwestern Academy will soon trade places with a high school teacher from suburban Johannesburg, South Africa.

Davidek leaves Jan. 7 for South Africa, where he will teach for a year at Norkem Park High School in Kempton Park, near Johannesburg.

Meanwhile, an instructor from Norkem, Maria "Marina" Cronje, will come to Flint and teach Davidek's classes at Southwestern.

Not only will Davidek and Cronje exchange high school classrooms, they will trade homes, too.

The arrangement is part of the prestigious Fulbright Teacher Exchange program.

Davidek, 63, said he spent four years of "relentless applications, interviews and phone calls" before being accepted.

He'll be joined in South Africa by his wife, Svetlana, and son, Ivan, 6.

That Davidek was picked shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who has spent time in his classroom. His room is alive with pictures, maps and flags that portray people of all different colors and cultures around the world. Topics that affect our daily lives, from politics to race relations, are discussed freely and openly.

Davidek teaches with passion, urging his students to take part not only in their community and country, but their global society.

For example, his students wrote letters to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger expressing their feelings on the execution of Stanley "Tookie" Williams. The governor's office actually responded, explaining Schwarzenegger's decision.

"It's important that our kids take part in the society we live in," Davidek explained.

Davidek grew up in Pittsburgh in an area he describes as a "melting pot." It helped shape his world view.

"In my neighborhood, there were Hungarians, Italians, Jews, blacks and whites. No one even made a big deal about it," he said.

Things changed, however, when Davidek's family moved to Florida while he was in high school in the early 1960s. That's when he discovered how skin color affected people's attitudes.

"It was a big shock for me," he said.

"I remember walking down Orange Avenue (in Fort Pierce, Fla.) and an elderly black man was approaching me. He stepped off the walk to allow me to pass. This elderly gentleman deferring to me, a little punk kid. What sense did that make? It was those kind of differences that blew my mind."

Davidek was taught to explore the differences in people, and because of that he has been rewarded. His experiences traveling the world in the armed forces, as an educator and interacting with kids from all walks of life will serve him well in South Africa.

"This match with Marina was meant to be," he said. "Her school is about 83 percent black, and the rest are either Afrikaner, English or Asian in ethnicity.

"SWA is similar in enrollment (1,400) to her school. The black students at Norkem Park are drawn from a township that can be seen from the second-floor window of Ms. Cronje's classroom.

"It is a public school, and I'm told prayer is something that is heard every day on the announcements. Interesting, when compared to our public schools, eh?"

Davidek actually was awarded a Fulbright to the Slovak Republic in 2002 but turned it down. His goal was always to go to South Africa.

He lauds anti-apartheid giant Nelson Mandela and the once-divided country's stance against racism.

"It pains me greatly to see my students wearing T-shirts that glorify gangsters, rogues and pimps when they should be wearing clothing with renderings of Mandela, (Martin Luther) King or Rosa Parks on them," he said.

Davidek plans to keep a blog (www.joburgjournal.blogspot.com) during his stay. And after his term ends, he hopes to stay on and work with South Africans in their fight against HIV/AIDS.

Davidek thinks the best part of the adventure will be sharing it with his family.

"I'm very, very excited about this learning opportunity for Ivan," he said.

"He'll have the chance to meet new and interesting friends, and perhaps pick up another language to go with his fluency in English and Russian, and expand his travel horizons beyond his many visits to Russia with his mother.

"It will surely have a tremendous impact on his young life, and that means a lot to me."

Ivan won't be the first youngster impacted by John Davidek. He's been doing that for 34 years as a Flint teacher.

***

Good morning Johannesburg!!

The good morning will occur on January 8th; I depart Flint, MI on the 7th...fly to Atlanta, then on to the sunny weather of "Joburg" that day. I'll arrive, along with three Fulbright colleagues. We will be met and greeted by Fulbright Commission officials from Pretoria.
The planning and preparation for this year-long teaching adventure has been going on for most of 2005, since about April, I think. There have been many, many emails back and forth between my exchange partner, Ms. Maria (Marina) Cronje. She's a Geography teacher at Norkem Park High School, in Kempton Park, a suburb of Johannesburg. We have gotten to know each other fairly well over the past year--sharing professional advice, family stories, utilitarian information, and just plain talk about our respective positions as teachers. It's been fun!
With that, I'll sign off for now with much, much more information forthcoming. I must add that this Blog is being accomplished with the able assistance of one Mr. Page Brousseau, my pre-student teaching intern during the past few weeks. Thanks to him this Blog will be a reality...