April 30, Pilanesberg National Park
“We had all hoped to see lions but we acknowledged that it was pretty unlikely, so getting to see so many up close was incredible.
I was in awe. I had seen lions in the zoo before, but this was completely different. Seeing these animals in their habitat made me feel small somehow.”
~Madison Gaston, OTS
April 29, Pilanesberg National Park
“This photo is so significant because it allows us to see the beauty of this creature in its natural habitat. The elephant itself was allowing us to get so close to them so we could admire its beauty.
I was in awe during this moment. It’s crazy to think a beautiful creature like this is living in a beautiful land and there are so many people in the world who have yet to experience it.”
~Caitlyn Caffee, OTS
April 28, Kwa Maritane Bush Lodge
The OT Abroad group based themselves here for two days of exploration in Pilanesberg National Park.
“Our home for our time at Pilanesberg National Park. Kwa Maritane, or ‘Place of the Rock,’ is located on the slopes of a 2-billion-year-old volcano.
The safari was undoubtedly a portion of the trip that the whole party was excited about. To see wild animals, free, in the environment where they are supposed to be, engaged in their ‘daily occupations,’ was to be special for everyone, and having a ‘home’ at the end of dusty game drives to rest and relax was perfect.”
~Gavin Jenkins, chair, Department of Occupational Therapy
Did you know? Table Mountain has its own cloud cover – people call it the Tablecloth.
The OT Abroad team stopped to “enjoy a few moments of togetherness” after their game drive at Pilanesberg National Park.
“When I think of the years of preparation and the tireless work of my colleague, Dr. Jewell Dickson, to allow us to get to this moment, it was just a special experience and moment of reflection.”
~Gavin Jenkins, chair, UAB Department of Occupational Therapy
During our trip, we will visit Pilanesberg National Park – the fourth largest park in South Africa. It is located between the dryness of the Kalahari and the wet Lowveld vegetation so we should see a wide variety of animals, flora and fauna. We are told many of those are not often found living side by side.
Continue reading “Itinerary: Pilanesberg National Park”Constitution Hill is a living museum with tours given daily that tells the story of South Africa’s journey to democracy. It is also a place of contrasts – the home of such injustice in the past is also home to the Constitutional Court. This space is dedicated to “preserving sites of atrocity for posterity, and also to recreating them so that they can serve the purposes of the present and serve to mould the future.” Click here to learn more. Click below to see our photos.
Continue reading “Constitution Hill (Photo Gallery)”South Africa’s Constitutional Court, the nation’s highest, is deeply symbolic. President Nelson Mandela first opened the court on February 14, 1995. It later moved to Constitution Hill “as an act of reclaiming a place previously affiliated with the violation of human rights.” Click here to learn more. Click below to see our photos.
Continue reading “Constitutional Court (Photo Gallery)”The GE Africa Innovation Centre is an award-winning glass-encased building that opened in June 2016. It is a place for collaboration with work and learning spaces for 2 to 120 people within. The GE-AIC team also provides “training, workshops, innovation programmes, and immersions for local partners.”
“This is at Belinda and Norman Lebowitz’s home – they welcomed us for lunch with them and their family. I met Bea – an occupational therapist specializing in low vision – after attending the World Fed of OT congress in 2018 after she took a photo of my poster and then we started emailing after.
In 2019, we met in person and since that day we have been working together. I introduced her to Beth Barstow, director of our Graduate Certificate in Low Vision Rehabilitation program, and our collaboration has gone from strength to strength. Beth met Bea in person for first time today.
It was just wonderful to meet in person again and continue our planning to create low vision education and resources for occupational therapists in the United States and South Africa.
Bea is also involved in mentoring Nikki Fernandez one of our students in the OTD and her capstone, so Nikki got to meet her in person as well.
Belinda and Norman welcomed this whole group – two dozen of us – into their home. It was a huge honor.”
~Gavin Jenkins, chair, UAB Department of Occupational Therapy
