Week 4 – Kimberley and Bloemfontein

This week I spent a few more days in Kimberley then I moved to Bloemfontein. After Bloemfontein I had to head back to Grahamstown.

The second part of my stay in Kimberley was spent at the Maths and Science leadership academy. It is here that schoolchildren from all schools in the area come for enrichment activities. I had a great time there with three sessions every day for three days. At the end of the time I was presented with a “Certificate of Achievement” and a present of biltong, the S. African dried meat.

On the Thursday of that week I drove to Bloemfontein, in the Free State. I took the old road  as I had been warned of roadworks along the new one. Once again I had the chance to sample the empty roads of South Africa. Fortunately the air conditioning was working well as the thermometer in the van was getting close to 40° C.

I spent the evening giving an educator workshop which took place at the Boyden Observatory. Even though this trip is a lot of work, I get to do all the demonstration experiments that I enjoy. In addition I get to do some other fun things. On this evening it was to view Jupiter and the four visible moons through what is one of the largest (or is it the largest) refracting telescopes in Africa.

Friday I was a the Eunice school to do the laser show and the physics department at the University of the Free State. It turned out that I was talking to first year undergraduates about spectroscopy, using the Spectroscopy in a Suitcase equipment. What I learned later was that it was the very first day for the undergraduates at university! The university terms align with the calendar year here in South Africa.

After a day off on Saturday I returned to Grahamstown on Sunday. During the six hour drive I crossed the Orange River, which marks the boundary between the Free State and the Eastern Cape which was an ideal place to have a spot of lunch. Throughout the Free State there were spectacular thunderstorms all around. The weather got better in the Eastern Cape, but the traffic hazards tended to be goats loose on the road.

The Orange River