Our week with Ursuline High School Wimbledon

These last few days with our British sisters have been fantastic! The visit is a bit short this year so we are making the most of every day! We have spent time together in classes at UA as well as all around Dallas. Here are a few highlights:

 Learning all about Dallas casual cuisine at Snuffer's Restaurant

Living "Little House on the Prarie" at the Dallas Arboretum

Enjoying a beautiful Spring day at the Arboretum

Chatting with Ms. Bourgeois

Serviam in Action at the North Texas Food Bank

Greeting Sr. Margaret Ann and Mrs. McGee before the Wimbledon presentation

Welcome Ursuline High School Wimbledon!

Tonight we welcomed nine fabulous British girls and two teachers to Dallas from Ursuline High School in Wimbledon, England. This is the second time that we have welcomed a British delegation to UA Dallas and the excitement has been huge! Because our British sisters are a little bit younger than our UA Dallas students, they are being hosted by all freshmen students. This special hosting responsibility has put a lot of energy into the already vibrant freshman class - we just know that the week is going to be really special!

Some festive photos of our Texas welcome are below ....

South African History: Robben Island & Nelson Mandela

A painting of Nelson Mandela hangs in the boardroom of Brescia House School

Certainly no visit to South Africa would be complete without a few historical lessons about the difficult time period from 1948-1994 when the unjust system of Apartheid was enforced. In order to better understand South African history and the challenges faced today in the period of reconciliation, we visited Constitution Hill in Johannesburg and Robben Island near Cape Town. Below are some photos of Robben Island, the place where many political prisoners were held for years including Nelson Mandela who served 18 of his imprisoned 27 years on the island. It was a sad and humbling place to visit but one that is really important for understanding the anguishing struggle for human rights in South Africa.

Nelson Mandela worked 13 years in this quarry - he still has eye damage from the intense sunlight

A photo of President Mandela when he was imprisoned on the island

Cell of Nelson Mandela

Robben Island - A beautiful but harsh and isolated place

Day 9 in Chile - Visit to Downtown Santiago

Today was very busy!  Our day started at 8 a.m. with the girls giving their presentation to the students and teachers of Colegio Santa Ursula.  Each girl prepared a short description of her favorite parts of the visit to Chile in SPANISH!  You all would have been very proud of how well each one spoke.  The girls expressed how much they appreciated how friendly everyone was to them as well as some funny stories about their adventures. 

After the morning assembly, we boarded a bus to downtown Santiago where we learned more about the culture of Chile.  We visited Casa de la Moneda (the presidental building), Plaza de Armas (a large square with tributes to Chile's military heros and the actual center of Santiago), the Cathedral, and nautral history museum. 

Tomorrow we say farewell to all of our friends from Colegio Santa Ursula.  It has been a wonderful trip and an experience that the students and teachers will remember forever!  See you in Dallas!

Presenting about our experience in Chile

Sor Angela giving Mary a hug after a wonderful presentation

The whole group in front of Casa de Moneda

Grace with the guard.  We were allowed to take pictures, but not be silly!

The whole group in front of the biggest Chilean flag ever made!  It was made for the bicentennial celebration.

Grace and Caitlin, ready to run for president!

Brittany, Maria, Ali, Mary, and Mia learning about Casa de Moneda

With our new friend, the presidential guard!

Enjoying lunch on a patio after a very educational morning!

UA Teachers go "Wild" in South Africa

One of the joys of being in Africa is that nature is all around. Much good work is being done all over Africa to preserve habitats and natural environments for both people and animals. We had a wonderful time visiting the Lion Park in Johannesburg (all there are rescued animals) as well as Boulder Beach near Cape Town where there is a thriving penguin colony. At the Cape Town Botanical Gardens, we also attended an outdoor concert of the South African band Freshly Ground (you may know them as the Waka Waka singers of theme song from the 2010 World Cup)  and all of the proceeds from their concerts go to Rhino rescue organizations. We can only imagine how much our students would enjoy learning about these animals as well as seeing them in their natural habitats!

  

Subiaco Mission and St. Bedes School

On Thursday and Friday, we traveled outside Johannesburg north to a town called Polokwane. Polokwane is the nearest town to a remote area where several Ursuline sisters live as part of the SUBIACO mission and St. Bedes school community. Along with the Benedictine monks of the St. Benedict Abbey, the sisters serve the school and the community as a whole.

We had a wonderful visit at St. Bedes. We joined the sisters in their home for tea and we also had a chance to visit the school and individual classes. Sadly, we visited at a time of sorrow for the community because they had just learned of the death of a beloved faculty member. Despite their grief, the teachers and students still welcomed us with smiles and lots of warmth.  

As teachers, we particularly enjoyed talking to the students and answering their questions about the USA. We found them to be so engaging and bright. The school faces enormous challenges such as average class size of 50-70 pupils per classroom and a lack of resources for updating their computer lab. Nevertheless, the learning environment is solid and very encouraging of the students.

Back in the USA, many Ursuline schools, including UA Dallas and UA St. Louis, are participating in fundraisers for Ursuline sisters in Botswana who live just 2 hours from St. Bedes. It was very meaningful to see firsthand the important work of the Ursuline sisters in Africa as well as that of other religious orders. We hope to continue our support of the sisters as well as to deepen our connection with St. Bedes through service and friendship.  

A typical scene around the Subiaco Mission neighborhood

Chatting with Sr. Catherine at the Ursuline convent

The Ursuline USA Delegation with the faculty of St. Bedes 

Greeting the students at the morning assembly

posing with new friends

St. Bedes High School class

Kathleen shares the Ipad

Father Thomas (from the USA) at the St. benedict Abbey

A humble but beautiful place

Sr. Mary Hugh enjoys seeing a photo of Ursuline St. Louis

Girl students curious about the USA