A-C-C-O-U-N-T-A-B-I-L-I-T-Y

Sarah come's home with weekly horror stories of injustice - how teachers are treated by parents at her "upperclass" public school. Somehow teachers are held accountable for EVERYthing - from the child's bad behaviour, to poor grades to homework not handed in.

Let's calculate:
Sarah has 3 classes, with an average of 20 students/class. She spends an hour and a half per class, which comes down to about 4.5 minutes/child/day = 22.5 minutes/week that she theoretically has to spend with each child.

Of course, parents only have evenings after school AND weekends to monitor their child's academic diligence and progress. How can they possibly be expected to take ownership for their child AND also RAISE their kids.
Let's rather blame the teacher! It's much easier for the accountability of education and raising of the child to be placed onto the educators' broad shoulders. It's their job, isn't it!

"The Buck Stops Here," seems a long forgotten saying.

Kragdadige(-lose) Kaapstad

Part 12 - Cycling in the Everglades National Park

Dis die voor-laaste dag wat die Bouwers hier kuier, maar Marli, Sarah en J.P. besluit ons moet uitglip vir 'n rukkie wyl die ouers inpak en wegpak voor hulle die grote terugreis aanpak.
Shark Valley in die Everglades was met al ons vorige kuiergaste telkens 'n wenner en Sarah voel haar gestel het lug en lig nodig. It is also the US's only sub-tropical wildernis. Shark Valley it is.

Sowat 20 myl van ons huis af, vanuit Aligator Alley wat Oos-Wes strek dwarsdeur die Everglades strek, is 'n 15 myl fietsroete in Indiaan-kontrei, kompleet met 'n uitkyktoring by die halfpadmerk.

The South-Florida sawgrass with the "islands" of trees, reminds very much of the Highveld, of an African scene. Only here are aligators, deer and waterbirds alien to the Dark Continent.

We saw a Great Blue Heron trying to gulp down a fish three times the size of it's thin throat. It was quite funny watching the big wading bird's antics as it tried everything to get the food in it's stomach!

'n Verfrissende rit en as julle kom kuier, is dit julle beurt. Dalk sorg ek dat ons volgende keer 'n aligator-toebroodjie proe.

Part 11 - The Fish Farm

Ons goeie vrint Michael Joubert van forelplaas-faam Suid langs die Everglades het goedgunstiglik ingestem om my ouers die prosesse met die forelle te wys.
Wyl ons daar was, het ons dan ook 'n terplaatse ondersoek geloods met Mike as gedugte gids. Ons was gelukkig om te sien hoe die forel ge-oes word ook en dan's dit nog so vrekmooi langs die Everglades se water ook.

'n Paar duisend kg vis is ge-oes, en almal is bestem om opgeroep te word vir hoër diens in die beste restaurante in New York en Tokio. Dis 'n ander tipe visvang-storie om te vertel daai!

Part 10 - Second Cruise

Na hierdie besige week was almal reg vir 'n blaaskansie. Ons het die Bouwers terstonds Sondag gaan aflaai by Miami Port vir hul tweede vaart oor die oseaan, na eilande waarvan ek nog net droom. Die groot spul saamreisende skare op die skip het my effe afgesit, alhoewel die weelde en die verskriklike hoeveelheid kos my laat kwyl het. Dit moet sonde wees. Dis 'n grote vakansie wat vir my Pa-le voorlê.

Middagete saam met Tian op die skip was heerlik. Ek sien my broer min deur die jaar en dis lekker om te sien waar die siel leef en speel.

Part 9 - Miami

The week before their second weeklong cruise, my family spend with us in Miami. Seven days were a very restricted time for me to show them where we live - "our valley".

Sarah and I took them everywhere we thought they'd find cool. And in the end - guess what excited my sister Marli and JP the most - the USPS truck and plain ol' Burger King and Taco Bell!

Pictures: Ice hockey game in Kendall, Sunday afternoon. This was pretty exciting and I'm glad they got to experience the fastest game on earth.

Second picture: The UPS truck seemed to have all of Marli's attention. She loved the little Postman Pat truck.

3rd Picture: Marli and J.P. at Bayside, a huge mall on the waterfront where the yachts dock and the cruise ships come in, close to Downtown Miami. Very similar to the Waterfront in Cape Town, a little spiced up with Latino bands and influence.

Picture: J.P. on South Beach. This was their favorite place. For any hotblooded man, of course! But South Beach has a funky young vibe, lots of restaurants, clubs, artsy shops, galleries, cobble stone streets. There's always a chance you'll see a celebrity here - and of course it's recognizable if you watch CSI Miami or have watched Miami Vice.

Last picture: I took them to a real old-style diner for lunch and milk shakes. They were "oo-ing" and "aaaa-ing" just like I did the first time I stepped into one. This is Sarah and my big joke. She hates American food and I love it!

Part 8 - Naples, Florida West Coast

What can I say? Napels is picturesque. It's a not-so-small-anymore artsy retirement village on the calm West Coast of Florida, facing the Gulf of Mexico. Nothing happens there every 30 minutes and then it lasts for a while. The average age of the town is propably roughly about 75.

My parents realy enjoyed it and we were grateful to get away from the maddening crowds. Our roadtrip was coming to an end.
It's only an hour and a half from Miami, through the Everglades, taking Alligator Alley, and I'd love to go back there often in the foreseeable future.

Part 7 - Busch Gardens, Tampa, West-Florida

We arrived in Tampa early on the morning of the 31st of December, according to Sarah and my careful planning. You see, there's a huge fireworks display and a concert in Busch Gardens Africa on New Year's Eve. Nothing can screw up our fine planning!

Except that we forgot one small detail: In both of Annheuser-Busch's theme parks - SeaWorld and Busch Gardens you WALK. From the Dolphin pool, to the Shark tank, to Molly the seal's gig, to the Beer garden, thank goodness for the Beer Garden! The park's gardens are beautiful and there's a surprise around every well-designed corner. Fact is, my parents are nearing sixty - a youthful sixty that is, but still, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is very tired after a day's trodging.

Although SeaWorld was a treat, we were all exhausted and Busch Gardens promised more of the same - a whole day of sore feet and tired legs!
Busch Gardens Africa is an extremely realistic simulation of what life in Africa would be like if the continent consisted almost entirely of Busch Gardens souvenir shops enclosed animal digs, restaurants , rides and Beer Gardens. A fabulous Beer Garden that is! Woohoo!!

At the entrance, as you embark into the African world, there's an aligator pit, with the most humongous reptiles I've ever seen. However, they all just lie there, all - with what looked to me - like a severe case of the hangovers. One had a piece of dead rotten fish still lying on it's head, like some high swamp fashion-headgear. All very entertaining though.

I took my Mom and Dad to some of the shows, time to have FUN! NOT! Time to stand in line! In these lines we saw very interesting tour groups, one I'm pretty sure were the entire population of Okinawa, Japan. They were in front of us mostly.
At some of the entrances they stamp your hand as you move inside with the rest of the huge herd. Moo! Moo! Once inside you see an even larger crowd. Having Fun! Moo!
It's a pretty place, but we were tired before we got there.

Sarah, sister Marli and boyfriend J.P. met up with us later. They were like energized EveReady bunnies after each adrenaline-inducing freefalling suicide-ride. There were some awesome rides with names I can't recall, but would be something like, "Ride of Death", " The Fall of Death", and "The Psycho Death-Trap". Sarah, Marli and J.P. loved it...

Then I took them to the Dolphin and Whale Show. What looooong lines. The people in the front of this long line looked like they were from the Jurassic Age, the line were so long. Moo! I wanted at first to explain to my sister that she could miss the best years of her life waiting in this line, but she looked so excited that I just couldn't tell her this terrible truth. We were gonna DO this! Moo!
They loved it...
Marli even got to feed a dolphin afterwards and that was quite special. A moment in time, being so close to these magnificent animals.

Eventually we left the park, took the Fam. to dinner at Arbor City in Downtown Tampa - a grrreat place, but there's pubs, restaurants and lots of live bands and it WAS New Year's Eve...
With my parents in bed, us four went back to Busch Gardens adn saw out 2006 with an incredible fireworks display, welcomed 2007 and went to bed, all of us quite exhausted.

Part 5 - SeaWorld, Orlando, Central-Florida

What can I say about SeaWorld?
My first time there last year was magical en my bek het aanmekaar oopgehang.
This was my third time there and the legs were dragging.

Part 6 - Old's Town, Orlando

Just South of Orlando, in the heart of Kissimmee, is Old Town - a bunch of commercial streetblocks set aside for dining, entertainment and shopping.
The whole area looks like the sixties, all vintage, all sixty/seventy-something stores and the merchandise on sale enhances this atmosphere. Old Town's centerpiece is a huge old lighted ferris wheel.
On Saturday night the area draws enormous crowds - and it was New Years! - so we took my parents down there. Apart from a live concert, there was a parade of over 300 vintage cars that greeted us upon our arrival. It was awesome!
The cars include classics, hot rods, street rods and antiques - the largest monthly classic car parade in the US.
I had to drag me mom away from the shops and the old-fashioned collectibles, "Mom, you don't have space left in your suitcase!"
We had a good time and a bit of a rest before tomorrow's drive to Tampa.
A pretty magical, but short, night. There's never enough time.

Part 4 - St. Augustine

St. Augustine, an historic,old, sleepy Spanish town, is the oldest permanent European settlement on the North-American continent, and being so close to where Sarah's parents live, was a must stop on our roadtrip. We spend two days in the ancient cobblestone streets, between musty old preserved pubs and old houses, museums, art galleries, shops, restaurants and historical re-enactments. It wasn't nearly enough time, and although I think we exhausted my parents, they had an excellent time.

Contrary to what we've been taught in school, our chum Christopher C. did NOT discover America. He discovered the present-day Dominican Republic, next to Haiti, where he committed some less attractive historical attrocities. Anger management issues and a wee greed-problem.

North-America was first sighted on March 27, 1513, by the Spanish explorer Don Juan Ponce de Leon. He subsequently came ashore to use a McDonalds restroom and failed in 6 attempts to put up a colony. When ze French built a fort in the vicinity in 1564, Spain send Admiral Don Pedro Menendez, who arrived with 600 soldiers and settlers on August 28, 1565, on the Feast Day of St. Augustine - hence the name of the town.
They built a small settlement next to the Timucuan Indian village. Soon they started to introduce their European culture until all the Indians were wiped out.

Thus St. Augustine was found 42 years before the English colony at Jamestown, Virginia and 55 years before the first Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts.
Just like Cape Town, being vital to the treasure route from the West-Indies (Rum, sugar, gold), it was sought after and occupied by the Spanish, the French and the British during it's history.

Part 2 - Xmas and the Families Meet

The Bouwers disembarked on Sunday the 24th. Sarah and I picked 'em up early morning and headed North on I-95 towards Sarah's parents - In time to spend Xmas and the next few days there for the two families to get aquainted.
(Pic, top left - Northern-Florida's East coast, just North of the famous Daytona Beach.)

Part 3 - Boxer Day Fishing Expedition

The Setting: Washington Oaks State Park. The Intercoastal Waterway South of St. Augustine, Florida.

Weather: 55 degrees F., South-Easterly wind present, chill in the air, slight chance of rain later. Near perfect for fishing. Early mornin'.

I did NOT end the day as the top fisherman!

The Bouwers' American Holiday - Part 1

My parents, Sarah and I on board the Victory, a Carnival Cruise Liner. Below is my sister Marli, on the balcony of their suite. Behind her is McArthur Causeway, connecting Downtown Miami with South Beach and Star Island, that lies in the background.
After arriving here from Cape Town, they stayed with us a few days, before embarking on the first of their 2 week-long Caribbean cruises with my brother, Tian. Next time it's me!

As Alumni Development Officer

Here I am recently speaking at an alumni function in Doral, Miami.
My function at the university includes developing the alumni association and soliciting funds for the university, short of actually robbing banks!

Notice

My apologies that you as a visitor are finding our Blog poorly updated during the past 2-3 weeks. My Family left this morning and I started with my M.B.A. last week. It's been very busy.
Our grrreat holiday will be updated with pics by the weekend.
Come check out the updates in a few days. Thanx for being patient.

The Bouwers in Florida

Mom and Dad taking a moment at SeaWorld, Orlando. We packed their schedule and they had a busy, but wonderful time on their first visit to the Land of the Star-spangled banner.

We're Back!

A New Year, a new week, a fresh start.
While my family embarked on another week-long cruise to the Bahamas yesterday, Sarah and I unwillingly started cleaning, washing, preparing, tuning in to the start of our first work week of 2007.
We had a great festive time roadtripping Florida with the Fam. We're exhausted from our holiday and I can't wait to get to work to get some rest! Report back and pictures following as soon as I can gather my wits and work through all the paperworks, messages and e-mails.

May 2007 be a prosperous, exciting year, a year in which you redefine your boundaries, push your limits and increase your potential.