We greet you today with the traditional Zulu phrase Sawubona. This single word, often mistakenly interpreted as a simple hello, in reality has a meaning that is much more nuanced and which translates more accurately to “I see you, and by seeing you, I bring you into being.” The Zulu translation and the way these phrases are exchanged by community members in South Africa reflect a deeper cultural norm, that to greet and see someone each day acknowledges their value as a person– the sum of their experiences, their strengths and weaknesses, their past and their future, their spirit, their voice. Three common responses:

Yebo, sawubona, —“Yes, I see you too”,

Shiboka —“I exist for you”, or

Ngikhona — “I am here”

… all reflect that by giving each person our full attention and presence we bring them into existence and give them value, worth, and dignity.

In less than a week, an intrepid group of 11 NC educators and three Museum staff will travel to South Africa, where we will be joined by two South African teachers before embarking on a journey together with our South African guides, Andrew and David. We invite you to join us— to join us in seeing each and every person (and animals, rocks or fossils, plants or trees…), and appreciating them for who they are.

In particular, today, we see and acknowledge our educators as they prepare for this journey of mind, body, and spirit. They have survived another school year, impacted countless student lives by challenging them to learn and be the good they hope to see in the world, and they are getting ready to selflessly leave their comfort zones to travel far from home so that they can learn, and bring back and share with their students and communities when they return.

Here are some of the ways we’ve been getting ready:

Wendy has been treating her clothes with Permethrin to ward off ticks and mosquitoes that we might encounter while exploring.

As Katie gets ready for her trip to South Africa, she’s also preparing for the start of a new school year. She’ll be missing the first four days with her new 8th graders, so she’s getting lesson plans ready and setting up her classroom before she leaves. Her bulletin board will feature some of the animals we’ll see and a map of her journey—something she looks forward to sharing with her students when she returns!