Saturday, October 06, 2012

New York - Day 5

Central Park. And I had my hotdog there. Enough said. 1 Down on bucketlist. Still have to experience New Year's on Times Square. My business in NYC is not done!

Friday, October 05, 2012

Some African proverbs mentioned at our conference

Nobody is silent; people are deaf" - Prof. Oduyoye
"An army of sheep, led by a lion can defeat an army of lions, led by a sheep" - Prof Opoku
"Wisdom is like a baobab tree; it cannot be embraced by the arms of one person" - Prof Opoku
"Know who you are before they tell you" - Prof Opoku
"When the axe went into the woods, the trees said to it 'Your handle is one of us'" - Prof Opoku

New York - Day 4

Another lovely day in New York.

Natalie went to Madame Tussaud's and other amours shops.

After the conference today - by the way, my paper went very well - Natalie and I went to the Empire State Building. The sun was busy setting, so we went on the skyride and then to the 86th level. By this time it was dark and a cloud skimmed the top of the building. It was an awesome sight.

From there we walked to Times Square (a bit further than I thought) and had supper at Ruby Tuesday. Awesome food and amazing service!

It is now 11pm and we just arrived back at our guesthouse. our time is running short :-(.

Thursday, October 04, 2012

New York - Day 3

Conference started

Took me 20 mins from West 11th to Grand Central station...and I had breakfast on the run!

Conference is good so far. My question is just whether our contemplation has any real effect on the people at grassroots level. For instance, what do the miners of Marikana think about us contemplating Blackness? Does it really make a difference, or am I being too critical?

Natalie went shopping today, by herself, in Manhattan. Must say, I was a bit nervous the whole day, fearing that she might get lost, or mugged, or something. And then the following at the end of the day...

Coolest thing ever: Message on phone - "Meet you at Apple shop in Grand Central".

Nat and I had sushi at the sushi-bar around the corner on Hudson street. Then went for ice-cream. I still can't get used to seeing young girls and little old ladies walking alone in the middle of the city at 10pm. Blows my mind. A lot is always said about American arrogance. Honestly, I haven't seen it. Just thinking...until such time that little old ladies can walk alone outside in our cities back home, it is better that we keep our opinions subdued. There is something that works here which we could learn from. Respect.

Tuesday, October 02, 2012

New York - Day 2

Rainy day, but awesome!

Went to Ground Zero and to the memorial. What an inspiring place.

Took Staten Island Ferry right past Statue of Liberty. Thanks Dion for the tip.

Had lunch on SI, best pizza I've ever had.

Body exhibition - pricey, but spectacular.

Going to Greenwich village for supper tonight close to Washington Square Park.

Tomorrow work starts. Feel so rejuvenated already. BTW, our bags arrived!!! Thanks SAA, I think...

See photos on Facebook.

New York - Day 1

Got off to a bumpy start. SAA lost both Natalie's and my bags.How do they manage that?

Well, got to Alma Mathews House, a Methodist guesthouse in New York (275 West 11th Street). It is absolutely fantastic and less than half the price of other places in Manhattan.

- Went shopping for clothes in Harlem
- Went to Grand Central Station
- Went to the Chrysler Building
- Went to Times Square, ToysRus and had supper at Applebees on TS.
- Caught subway home to find plenty people, especially women, walking around alone at night.
- Saw our fair share of strange today. When we boarded our first subway train, we were met with an Evangelist preaching funny theology. This was followed by a guy who believed he was a boxing champion, shadow-boxing.

See photos on my FB page