Initial Thoughts about Grahamstown and the College

It's a bit intimidating coming up with what to write, not because I can't think of anything, but because there's so much going on here.

The College of the Transfiguration (COTT) is situated in a pretty wealthy area of Grahamstown. Grahamstown certainly does not seem to be a typical South African town. COTT is situated next to several schools of varying degrees of education. Rhodes University dominates the city and it is filled with thousands of students from all over South Africa. Between Rhodes and COTT lie St. Andrews College, the South African equivalent to a boarding school like Exeter or Deerfield Academy in the United States. St. Andrews has the reputation of being the best school in South Africa. The Diocesan School for Girls is right next door to St. Andrews and directly across the street from COTT and it serves as the girls' school counterpart to St. Andrew's boys'.

COTT is not nearly so well off financially as its neighbors. The buildings are serviceable, but many things are in great need of replacement or updating. However, what COTT lacks in plant resources it makes up for in human resources. The students here are extremely welcoming and faithful people. There are students here from all over the Province of South Africa, which also includes Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Angola, St. Helena, and Mozambique. There are a few dioceses which seem to have several students: Cape Town, kwaZulu-Natal, Umtata, and the small country of Lesotho.

Most of the socializing is done around meals and two different tea times (10:30am and 4pm). Tea is a particularly wonderful time to get a break from classes (Hear that, VTS?) and get to know your classmates. Everyone congregates in "Freedom Square" - a paved courtyard in the midst of the college, and shares tea while chatting about anything that comes to mind. I have heard and participated in discussions about the Lambeth Conference, family histories, the relative merits of culturally enforced mourning periods (3 months for men and 2 years for women), and polygamy, among others. Students here are just like students at home. Some are shy, some are outgoing, some are quick to throw out opinions and get emotional over issues, some are reserved and seem to be figuring things out. However, the students at COTT do seem to have two things in common: they are loud and always laughing. It makes getting to know them easy, and it makes feeling a part of the community instantaneous.

Already there are about 10 things running around in my mind to comments about: the Contextual Theology program itself, worship at the College, the makeup of the faculty, racial relations, thoughts about Apartheit and the feelings of students about the current situation...and many others, but I will wait to tackle them at another time. No doubt I'll come back with another topic altogether.

-Gates