Day 3: School, swim, supper and storm

I accompanied S to one of the campuses of the University of Kwazulu-Natal today. In the morning, we went “into the field” to conduct a focus group discussion with teachers at a local high school in Cato Manor. The schoolyard was abuzz with kids running from room to room and I couldn't quite tell whether classes were in session or they were on a break. There weren't a lot of resources: blackboards and desks, no computers and aging equipment.

Afterwards, we headed to the Jungle Garden Nursery to browse the plants and have a bite at their Jungle Cafe. At the end of the day, S's colleague M literally ran us through the Durban Botanic Gardens as they were about to close. Shame (a common South African term that I've adopted), because their orchid collection, cycads and Garden of the Senses warranted further exploration. To beat the crazy heat, we decided to go to the Kings Park Swimming Complex where they have both indoor and outdoor pools. Much to my dismay, neither pool had a shallow end, so S ended up giving me impromptu swimming lessons as I've never quite mastered the trick of treading water (or swimming, for that matter).

Dinner was at the 9th Avenue Bistro & Bar in Durban with M's friends and cousins. We had an excellent meal complete with wine, apps and dessert. The cost was easily half of what it would have been in Toronto. Our night was capped off by one of the fiercest thunderstorms I've ever seen. So much rain fell that the water in the street was halfway up to our knees and our rental car's interior and trunk had a few inches of water!

Complete set of South Africa pictures in my Flickr set.