Almighty

On the day I visited Tiger Kloof, my friend Eddie was subbing for a class. He had me come as a guest and focused the class on me. The students’ questions and reactions were fascinating.

Using Google earth, Eddie took us on a journey from their classroom in Vryburg to my home in Oakland. They were impressed by the fact that I live in a two-story house. If you have a two-story house in Vryburg, you are wealthy. I pointed out that we only live in the second floor and a different family lives downstairs, but I don’t know if they caught that detail.

One girl had a US history question about ‘President George Abraham.’ After determining that she meant Abraham Lincoln, I had the interesting challenge of  describing, briefly, for black South Africans, his role in ending the slavery of people of African heritage in the United States.

Eddie pointed out my American accent. I told them I can’t help myself.

One student asked if I’d ever been mugged in the United States. While that happens in the USA, it’s more common here.

Near the end, a student asked about the exchange rate between the US dollar and South African rand. The exchange rate for the rand has come up often in conversation. I briefly explained how exchange rates fluctuate between currencies.

I had a crisp United States one dollar bill in my wallet and took it out. Eddie held it up before the class and pronounced: ‘The most powerful currency in the world.’ Now the students were excited. Many left their seats and started moving to the front of the room. Several students asked if they could have that dollar or buy it. There was something about the US dollar and what it represented that generated a bolt of energy in the room.