Journey to Grahamstown

Today we traveled to Grahamstown which was about an hour and a half from Port Elizabeth. It is a cute little college town. Our group went to Rhodes University where we met with the author of Voices From the Forest, Michelle Cocks. She discussed Bio-Cultural Diversity and the impact that the various biomes have on the culture.
After the trip to the university we then visited  Nombuelo Secondary School to learn about the Bio-Diversity education program is being implemented. Students learn about conservation, grow a medicinal garden and learn about the importance of cultural identity.

We traveled to the forest with a few of the students as well as Mr. Mluleki Nkosi, another member of the program's team. We hiked down a steep path and came to a clearing. There we sat. We closed our eyes and we listened. We FELT nature. We CONNECTED with nature. We listened to him speak in Isixhosa about REALLY connecting.

When is was over, we had a chance to talk with the students. They were amazing!! They were able to explain about what it meant to them to stay connected to their culture. These kids here. I can't even explain.......