Critical reflection:

Third time lucky...

In my attempt to learn a new skill from my mother I tried to learn how to bake decorative cakes as cakes and birthdays strike memories from my childhood of happiness, love and family. There are many great memories that I hold onto as my parents have split up and these family events happen seldom and far between. I remember the excitement of the parties and the enjoyment of the treats-the themed Birthday cakes!

I wanted to learn this skill to enable me to bake like my mom did and decorate them as artistically as she did, to allow my children to experience the fulfilment I was able to have.

It also enabled me to use this baking time as a period of discussion and as a tool to aid discussion of many things I wanted to talk to my mom about relating to past emotions I felt as a child and many questions I wanted to know.

Therefore this experience was very enlightening on the knowledge side, yet honestly speaking I have not got the baking practise down to a tee yet. My first two attempts failed, but my third was lucky...let’s see how it tastes tomorrow.

Spending time with my mom and learning a skill from her taught me how to understand instead of judge, as well as respect her and appreciate what she did for us when we were young. It taught me that in my practise you need to listen to your subject matter and to be open minded and not judge. As well as to gain insight by being a researcher and take a step back and to not let your emotions blur your findings (To not let your emotions create a barrier to gaining insight).

Interviews and continuous discussion with a subject matter as a form of research methodology allows you to gain or collect qualitative information, and continuous discussion allows information to pass easier and more freely as more information comes into mind once certain questions are answered which triggers other questions that you did not think of during that discussion and then can ask it in the next ‘meeting’. And with repeated visits and discussions with a stranger this can build a relationship. Thus interviews, discussion and repeated visits are a great way to collect qualitative information about a subject which can aid to your primary research as a researcher.

Let’s go back to the soccer World Cup now shall we....only 52 more days to go till kick off J

Casey

The Old Tins Long Journey

My week has been filled with a huge amount of excitement. I keep thinking to myself, "Why do I never enquire and ask more questions?"

As my week draws to a close, I am just so thankful that this Alchemy task was given to us. The unbelievable and unforgettable stories that I have heard, throughtout these last 10 days, have been incredibly meaningful to me as a "Freak." :)

From whispers chocolates, boganvilla flowers to a few little mishaps, it has given me the opportunity to learn more about my special family.

I am so looking forward to sharing all that I have learnt with you on Tuesday. Remember to come to class VERY hungry! :)

Hayley

My Zodiac Alert

I’m not a great follower of star signs yet I am aware that I am a Libra. Which I’ve read and been told is someone who seeks balance as the sign represents the scales. And right now I’m weighing up which option would suit my brief best, yet taking away one option would mean that the scale would be unbalanced. I don’t understand why it seems the brief has such strict criteria. When I see control in whatever format I am guided by my inner energy to resist and find the alternative path.

In my mind I’m thinking, decided on a topic, commit to it, follow through and execute the brief. It can’t be that hard. But it is. Maybe I will choose my OPTION A or maybe my OPTION B or maybe OPTION A& OPTION B! And then indecision been my next weakness takes hold, if only I were bold enough to be a true rebel I would do both. So the war wages on in my mind of which option I will choose?!

 

OPTION A-

Person- My grandpa

Age- In his 60s

Background info- He lived in South Africa all his life. I like to think he is an inventor and handy man. He used to work at Eskom and has now retired. He would have studied mechanical engineering but his family couldn’t afford to pay for his fees. He definitely has a hording disorder, keeps allsorts of what I’d call rubbish. He says all rubbish could be reused in all sorts of strange ways and you just never know when you might need the particular piece of rubbish. My grandma thinks he’s off his head and doesn’t pay much attention to all his strange inventions and innovative ways of fixing things around the house. He talks a lot with me and has been able to explain how things work to me in easy ways in the past. He also loves sharing the memories associated with the particular inventions or repair jobs.

 

Skills to be learnt- How to change a plug, how to fit a washer, how to jump start a car, how to drill a hole.

( I originally wanted him to teach me how to ride a motor bike.)

Personal relevance- breaking the perceived norms of stereotypical roles and activities women can and should not do.  Learning to do “guy” things.

(Learning to ride a motorbike would be such a freeing experience as I’d be able to have independent transport instead of relying on the family car and friends.)

 

OPTION B

Person- Gudrun close family friend of 50 years

Age- in her 60s

Background info- My grandma and Gudrun have been friends since they were teenagers. Gudrun and her family are German, and they witnessed the World War two. They moved to South Africa when Gudrun was about 13. She has many stories about the war and post war. She has interesting religious views about the Jews. Gudrun wanted to be a physiotherapist but her family did not have funds to send her to university. She became a hairdresser instead. She has been a family friend and hairdresser for years.

 

Skills to be learnt- How to cut my own hair

Personal relevance- I want to learn about world history through her memories. She has told me over the years in bits and pieces but now I would be able to put the story together.

Learning to cut my hair would be quiet liberating going against the South African norms. In first world countries such as USA been a hairdressers is highly regarded and the price of a haircut is much higher than here in South Africa. Many people overseas therefore maintain their own hair. I think having my hair cut is something I take for granted and feel that it would be a useful skill to acquire.

 

Conclusion

I AM the scale holding a pair of sharp scissors in one hand and a screwdriver in the other. They seem to weigh even, each tool providing unique knowledge and power. So now what? Well I’m hoping I’ll find my predestined answer under the My Stars section in tomorrow’s newspaper.

Peace out.  

Melissa J

Pattern-Perfect Tradition

Home-knitted jerseys, cardigans, scarves, socks and beanies were once a regular feature of my wardrobe. From an early age I was adorned in pattern-perfect pink, white or baby blue apparel, each garment painstakingly knitted by my grandmother. In latter years my cupboards are filled with store-bought items, ones that don’t hold as much meaning and care as the items from my childhood did. I no longer hold the culture of making something, if my dad wants socks he buys them, if my brother needs a jersey, it’s store-bought. It is seldom, perhaps never, considered how much more something homemade can mean, the trial and error behind every stitch, the complexity of pattern and the meaning that comes with something made especially for you.

When I was four years old my grandmother, who I call Gaga, began to suffer terribly with osteo-arthritis and was forced to give up her knitting. With this assignment I have slowly realised what has been lost through her inability to knit. When she is gone, the knowledge and perfectionism that she brings to the skill will be gone too. Knitting from patterns, and creating my own clothing/garments has never really crossed my mind, although at school-level the few girls who did knit their own winter scarves seemed to relish in the experience. I would also imagine that, perhaps, to be able to one day knit something for someone, as a gift, would be a very rewarding and fulfilling experience.

I have hence undertaken the task of learning how to read and knit from a pattern. Gaga has agreed to help me, and her and I are meeting every day to knit together. She offers her guidance and skill-set, but cannot always demonstrate for long periods of time given her arthritis. This time also offers a valuable opportunity to learn so much more from her, and about her. The knitting is a catalyst to conversation, and will open doors to learn more about my grandmother and the amazing life that she has lived.

- Kate

A Taste of Culture

Trying to find one thing that i could learn from an elder was a difficult job as due to their vast experience of life, their wise words and many stories to share with us about their lives and its hardships choosing one single thing seemed like an impossible task. but after sometime it hit me that there is one thing that comes to mind when Muslim people speak of my culture, Memon Akni. 

This is a delicious dish that has been past down from generation to generation and leaves those consuming it licking their fingers. my Nani (mothers mother) who according to me is the bast cook in the world has agreed to share her knowledge of this dish with me as her mother had taught it to her.

Memon Akni is a rice dish that can be made with chicken, mutton, fish or vegetables and is served with a spicy yogurt. 

I look forward to this learning experience as well as spending that extra time during this experience with my grandmother who always has a new story for me. i will do a follow up next week to update all you guys.

Nazia..

weld the beloved country

Being a petrol head since i could barely walk had my attentions directly on the automotive field as soon as the 'learn a skill' challenge was introduced to us. I thought long and hard and came to the conclusion that learning how to weld would be a very valued skill. Almost every structure that surrounds us today contains some sort of weld within its framework, whether it be cars, buildings or furniture.

I approached a much respected member of my family, Zunaid Khan, and asked him if he would teach me this skill. He is a very busy man, being a great entreprenuer and running his own Toyota specialised workshop. I met him on wednesday the 7th of April to discuss how the next week would be scheduled and where he could fit me in for training. I returned on Saturday the 10th where he gave me a very brief and theoretical overview of welding, but with the absence of some staff and the saturday morning 'rush', i found myself helping behind the counter and getting my hands dirty in the workshop. i will return this week to continue my training

naseer

Traditions...

The task of learning something (a new skill or gaining knowledge) from an elder. The first thing that popped into my head was 'What am I going to do?'. I thought about it and the only person I would love to learn a new skill from or gain knowledge from is my gran(or Gogs as we call her) as she has so much knowledge to share.

This task we have been given makes one realise how we should embrace our grandparents or any elders as they have such a vast amount of experience, knowledge and some great old stories to share with us, we just need to take the time to listen to them...

As I sat and actually listened this time to the many stories my 'Gogs' tells about our family and how much fun we all have when we're together, I remembered the traditional celebratory drinks our family has on special occasions. These are her legendary liqueurs. The famous orange liqueur, fig-leaf liqueur and litchi liqueur were the ones I could remember from the big family functions. No one else in the family makes these liqueurs, so I thought it would be a great idea to pass on the family tradition.


As we spoke about these liqeuers my gran also mentioned they used to make their own 'home-brew' of beer. This too is a legendary practice as I have often heard my dad and his siblings talking about the 'old brewing days'. There are many great stories that my gran shared with me around the 'beer brewing' topic, yet it lead to some information and the gaining of new knowledge that her brother and uncle were alcoholics... This came as a suprise to me yet it is a pressing matter/issue in our family (as I recently learnt).

During this process of our 'living theory' task I would like to learn how to make our family's traditional home-made liqueurs as well as gaining insight into the background of our family and how something like making and having fun with liqueurs can also be a problem in our family and lead to alcoholism.


Chanel

The Tins that have many stories to tell

The title explains it all!

After being given the task of learning a skill from someone older than myself, I directly thought of my two grandmothers. The only problem I came across was WHAT to learn! They both have so much knowledge to share.

But after chatting to my Dad's mum, everything became a lot clearer. Her Orange Birthday Cake is something that has been in the 'Freakes' family for 53 years. She, herself, made it for every person's birthday in the family, whether it be my Dad, my Aunt, My 2 cousins or my sister or myself. I realised that speaking about this very special birthday was quite a touchy subject, seeing that she is now relocating to the Cape and the thoughts of who is going to carry on this tradition are in her thoughts day after day.

By me learning this very special tradition, it allows me to have the opportunity to realise the effort and love that went into these occassions and how much she would love to share it with me.

That's all for now!

Will update you next week!

Hayley

Memories

As part of our research process we have learn’t from our Alchemy classes as well as our guest speaker Joan Conolly that research or learning does not necessarily come from written documentation but from mental memories too. Our task is to learn a skill from a previous generation that will have meaning to us, before it is lost. Sometimes we take certain skills for granted and have managed on through the years dependant on others and thus have not taken the time to learn new things, specially if it is a skill that cannot be self taught and lives in memory.

My Nana, my father’s mother lived in the period of the Great Depression thus as my Papa was away at work everyday she managed the house. She had to learn how to budget daily in order to get by each month. She also knitted to earn a little extra money during those times, and as my father never learnt these skills to pass onto me I want to learn how to budget strictly and to knit.

My mother can sow fantastically, and used to make all mine and my sister’s clothes when we where little. It was cheaper and as a young couple my mother needed to make extra money when she had me and my sister (we are 1 year and 4 months apart) as she had to stay at home to bring us up. She baked birthday cakes to sell too. They were all different shapes and forms. Some of my best memories are from our childhood birthday parties, she baked Whinny The Poo cakes, cakes in the shape of a swan or in the shape of the year we were turning. Thus I want to learn both these skills as they have a great amount of value to me and are filled with amazing memories.

For those who are following our blog and are wondering what relevance this has to the World Cup 2010, well it doesn't, it has relevance to us, the researchers, as we need to learn about ourselves before we can learn about another field thus it will help us, even in a small unknown way, so please bear with us :)

Casey