Day 5 - 8: Arrival into Mahfikeng This Past Week, Settling In....

Welcome to Mafikeng!!

The city of Mafikeng is 3hrs North of Johannesburg, South Africa (SA) and goes by a few different spellings, like Mafikeng, Mahikeng.  This will be our home for the next 3 weeks or so while we work at Northwest University.

We arrived here on campus Tuesday and have enjoyed the grounds and surrounding area that will be our home.  Northwest University will be the host of the next "Co-Lab" that SA will position to foster the collaboration and development of e-skills for South African citizens.  This collaborative lab(Co-Lab) will bring together local/national government, Northwest University, employers and other stakeholders to best serve the needs of the Northwest Province to ensure its residents are prepared with the e-skills needed to compete in the Global Economy.  iNesi is leading this charge as part of a South African mandate.  See page 3 of their Newsletter for more details around the work IBM is doing in support of this National initiative.

The campus is very nice and although its very cold in the morning (winter time here), the day and afternoons are beautiful.  For my northern bird friends, you would still generally think this is early Spring!!  I know where to get coffee daily now and we tend to go out for lunch daily using campus transportation.

Northwest Campus University      Photo:  W. Denayer

Monday and throughout the week we have been engaged with meeting University Representatives like the Rector of the University, Prof Mashudu Davhana-Maselesele.  My mother, who has never feared going grey and actually welcomes it, is saying..."I wish my hair was that beautiful".

Rector of the University, Prof Mashudu Davhana-Maselesele
Photo:  W. Denayer

Our workplace has been in this Senator room(shown below) on campus and where most of our subteam work gets done each day.  We start about 8:30am and run into early evening each day.  The good looking guy on the lower right may be me but I am not entirely sure.  : )

Our Daily Working Location....            Photos:  W. Denayer

After work one evening, we were hosted by a SA Tourism leader and several provincial dignitaries at a dinner, including one of the composers and original singers of the Lion King theme song.  

Mr Charles Ndabeni, Tourism Leader

Our fearless Leader Muriuki with Lion King Composer and Artist, Lebohang “Lebo M.” Morake.  Lebo is the opening voice of song!

Photos by W. Denayer

We were treated to an African Meal on Thursday that made me consider sending a 1 way plane ticket for my wife to join me(smile)!!  It was held in the SABC studios, which is a radio station nearby on campus.  

A delicious meal, hosted by the University...

 





After lunch we took a brief tour of a LIVE radio show studio, which led to an impromptu interview of one of our teammates Valentina, who truly thought she was taking a seat just to be comfortable and had no idea she was about to be interviewed for a few million listeners.

 

   

Valentina did an excellent job representing our Corporate Service Corp Program!! 

Valentina thought she was just taking a seat to be comfortable.... : )   Photo:  W. Denayer

We have just returned this weekend from our first "off the grid" trip to a Game Reserve up near the coast of Botswana, but we stayed in South Africa the entire time...no worries!!!

So my next entry will focus on that first lifetime time experience for me!  I learned a lot.