Jim's Job: Short-term program with Union College

Whale-watching and shark-cage diving, 6 Dec

Very little has been said about Jim’s job on our blog, so it is about time to provide an update. In short, I continue to thank God for supplying such a job that is so well suited to my situation, skills and interests. Not only is it part-time and on-campus, but it is a fantastic opportunity for growth and experience in higher education administration/student affairs. I assist in the development and administration of short-term international academic programmes at UCT.

Our first group just departed after a 2 1/2 week whirlwind tour of Cape Town and its environs. It was a new kind of responsibility I have never had before and I definitely felt the pressure: if anything went wrong, it was basically my fault! However, aside from a few miscues, the trip went smoothly. We took them to Stellenbosch and South Africa’s famous wine region; small micro-enterprises in several townships which provide work for residents; a day-long tour of the Cape Peninsula; a visit to the old Slave Lodge (built late 17^th century); a walking tour of the city; and many other excursions, some academic and others not-so-academic.

One of the not-so-academic excursions consisted of a day-trip to Hermanus and Gansbaai, two small villages about 1 ½ hours east from Cape Town. Hermanus is known for its whales, Gansbaai for its sharks. More accurately, each year from approximately September – December scores of whales (mainly Southern Right) migrate to the southern tip of Africa to give birth to calves. One can stand on the shore in Hermanus and spot a dozen whales at a time during the season. We saw 4 when we visited, 2 of them within 40 yards of the rocks on which we stood!

Another seaside village, Gansbaai, is home to 8 shark-cage diving companies. This was very high on the students’ list, and 14 of the 18 elected to do it. I was going to pass on the experience, in part due to cost ( R1000 / $175) and because Julianna accompanied us on this particular day. But the shark-cage diving company said, “You must do it – no cost to you, or your wife! We want you to know what you’re groups are doing”. Obviously good business practices on their part; the students had a great time and I plan to bring future groups back to that company.

I say “the students” because Julianna and I did not particularly enjoy ourselves. The sharks were definitely impressive and there was a lot of screaming coming from the students, but the ocean was very rough and we were out on it for about 3 hours (it takes a long time to attract Great Whites apparently), and for most of it I was feeling very queasy and Julianna was throwing up.