With the release of Umbraco 5 demand for training worldwide is
at an all time high and for the first time ever we had an
opportunity to open up courses in South Africa. So with bags packed
with course books and a boat load of excitement I set off on what
would be a big adventure.
After 18 hours of travel I finally arrived in Johannesburg, the
biggest city in south Africa. I had been told many horror stories
by former South Africans of muggings, hijackings etc so I was
somewhat apprehensive about looking like a tourist. Joburg is
a massive contrasting place, a mix of 3rd and 1st world separated
by security fences and is completely landlocked. The streets
are full of people peddling phone chargers, car badges or asking if
they can clear the rubbish from your car for a fee. You are always
alert and watching out for the insane minibus taxi drivers who
follow their own road code (none). After a while however you get
used to it.
Minibus Taxi (photo from wikipedia because I was too chicken to
take one :P)
My first challenge was making my way to the hotel. I had
been given instructions to catch the Gautrain, the ultra modern
light rail system that was installed during the World Cup, and then
the Gaubus to my hotel. However things didn't quite go to
plan. The train got me to Sandton, which is the new business
district of Joburg. It's the new business district because "the old
one has been hijacked by Nigerians" I was later informed. I
guess this is where most of our spam originates. On arrival I
wandered around the station trying to find the Gaubus. There
were loads of buses parked in the station but no drivers.
After a searching around for another 15mins a security guard
informed me that "the buses do not run today". This is
typical of public transport in South Africa. Its next to non
existent. So a taxi was my only choice. I had been told
to be careful about what kind of taxi to get into and under no
circumstances should I get in a minibus taxi. Minibus taxis
are somewhat of a game of Russian roulette from what I can
tell. Most of them are would not be road legal in most
countries and I had heard a story that one driver had been caught
driving one with a spanner rather than steering wheel because it
took up too much room and without the steering wheel he could fit
more passengers. They apparently have also discovered others
that have used cardboard for brake pads. The drivers pack in as
many people as they can then drive a circuit picking up and
dropping off passengers much like a bus. However I couldn't
figure out how you tell where they go?. Anyway I managed to
find a cab that I figured I could trust. My
driver spent the whole time texting while driving well above the
speed limit. As we approached our turn a lady in a car behind
us did not check her speed.. BAM we were in a car accident.
It was a pretty interesting introduction to the city. I made
to the hotel shaken but not deterred.
My hosts in Joburg, Oilstone, were a fantastic group passionate
about Umbraco and excited about the opportunities for the
platform. They chose to certify almost their entire
organisation from administrators through to the company directors
to ensure that as an organisation they could truly say they knew
Umbraco. After 4 days in the training room, Oilstone emerged
equipped and excited about Umbraco 5 and ready to take on new
projects.
Level 2 students Jobrug
This was the VERY FIRST TIME the new version 5 course had been
taught, and as a teacher, I personally thoroughly enjoyed teaching
it. Level 2 in particular was a lot of fun! I'm pretty
sure the attendees enjoyed it also, with many expressing how much
they learnt and got out of it.
Level 1 students hard at work
Next I was off to Cape Town which is a seaside city surrounded
by stunning scenery. One of Cape Town's main trades is tourism,
with activities such as cage diving with great white sharks, wine
tours, whale watching, and the cable car to the top of Table
Mountain. There is loads to do and unlike Joburg, it's generally a
safe place to be. I had a day to myself so I decided to go check
out Table Mountain which rises almost vertically over 1km about sea
level. You travel to the top via a cable car which is fitted with a
rotating floor allowing everyone on board to get a glimpse of the
view. It is well worth it if you ever find yourself there.
Cape Town from the summit of Table Mountain
The courses in Cape Town were hosted by Blue Grass Group who are
massive advocates of Umbraco and who are actively promoting Umbraco
with a view to build a community of Umbraco developers in
Africa. The course attendees were varied, from agencies to
contractors. The courses were again a great success and all left
positive and energised, pleased with what they had managed to
achieve.
I have left South Africa able to add not only three new
companies to the growing list of Umbraco certified partners but in
fact a whole new country. I enjoyed my time there and can truly say
that Umbraco has a bright future in the region if the talent and
passion that course attendees showed is anything to go by. I
am sure that we will be back again to run more courses in the near
future.
I am excited about teaching this latest version 5 course in some
of our more regular cities. Courses are quickly filling up with
some now completely sold out. If you would like further
information about course locations, dates and availabilities please
check out the course
schedule. These courses are aweomse, and we'd love to see you
soon.