As my time in South Africa is coming to an end, I thought that I would share all of the new vocabulary that I picked up here so that you will be able to understand me when I talk!
Plaster- band-aid
Takkies- sneakers
Now now- soon
Just now- in a while, if ever
Robot- stop light
Jersey- sweater or sweatshirt
Braai- barbecue
Howzit- whats up
Bru- dude
Hectic- crazy
Chips- French fries
Crisps- Chips
Biscuits- Cookies
Flat- apartment
Bakkie- truck
Costume- swim suit
It's late for you- its not going to happen
Tut (short for tutorial)- study group
Lift- elevator
Boot- trunk
Loose- drunk
Wat is jou naam- what is your name (Afrikaans)
Lekker- good or delicious (also Afrikaans)
Suid Africa- South Africa (Afrikaans)
Molo- Hello (Xhosa)
Ndeipi- What's up (Shona)
Series- t.v. show
Lift- elevator
Monday, June 6, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Guguletu
On Mother's Day, I had the opportunity to take a tour of a township called Guguletu. The word Guguletu is Xhosa for 'our pride'. However, when this township was established in the 1960's under apartheid, its residents had little to be proud of. Residential areas in Cape Town were declared to be for whites-only, and residents were forcibly moved into townships based on their racial categorization. While Oceanview, the township that I did a homestay in was designated coloured-only, Guguletu was originally designated for blacks.
The townships were one of many ways of demeaning blacks during the Apartheid era. By forcing black farmers off of productive land to make way for white-owned farms, the government was able to both put land in the hands of whites while forcing blacks to move to urban areas to earn money, satisfying a demand for labour in factories and the service sector. Since blacks were not given formal citizenship, they had to carry documentation that proved that they were qualified to live in township housing. To get a house in a township, a person would have to show that they had a job in Cape Town. But in order to get a job in Cape Town, a person would have to show that they lived in the area and would be able to get to work.
When we visited Guguletu, the roads were lined with two room houses. These houses were built by the apartheid government. Although each house only had two rooms, no running water, and no electricity, several families were usually forced to live in one house due to the difficulties of qualifying for housing. When all of the houses were occupied, the apartheid government refused to build more houses. Instead, everybody who was forced to move to Cape Town to look for work would either have to move in with relatives, or build an informal shack to live in.
Our tour guide lived in Guguletu and had lived in both a house and shack in the township before he had been able to build his own home. He introduced himself as Donald, but then went on to say that Donald wasn't his real name. His baas (which is the Afrikaans word for boss, but blacks were forced to call any white man baas) couldn't pronounce his name and told him that from now on, he would be called Donald. He told us that he was proud that under the new government, young men joining the workforce would never have to suffer the humiliation of being forced to go by a different name just because a white person couldn't pronounce their real name.
Part of the tour was visiting a shack and getting the chance to look inside. To get to the shacks, we had to leave the road and walk on a sandy path to a field behind the formal houses. The shacks were built on a hill, and during the rainy season our tour guide told us that it could be almost impossible to get to the shacks through the mud. The shack that we visited was about 3/4 the size of my bedroom at home and was divided into three rooms-- a kitchen area, a livingroom/bedroom, and an entry way. It was built out of pieces of scrap wood and corrugated metal and had a couch, bed, dresser, and television. The woman living in the shack shared it with her husband and her young daughter. She told us that in the summer it got unbearably hot, and in the winter the wind and rain made it cold and damp.
Since the individual shacks don't have running water, the government built pumps every 150 meters. If you want to do the dishes, bathe, or wash your clothes, you have to fill a bucket up with water and carry it back to your house. Forget showers, real baths, or hot water. There is one toilet that is shared between five or six families. The residents of this area were lucky though-- unlike in many townships, this toilet had walls around it.
Another part of the tour was visiting the memorial for the Guguletu Seven. This was a group of seven black young men and women who were sharing a taxi on the way to a job interview. The taxi driver suspected that they were members of the ANC, which was banned during the liberation struggle, and called the police. The police set up a roadblock, pulled everybody out of the car, and executed them.
People have been getting more and more frustrated at the lack of change since the end of apartheid. Even though the government has been trying to create more jobs and provide affordable housing near those jobs, progress had been slow at best. In my classes I had been learning about the ANC and why government progress had been so slow, and it seemed understandable given the legacy of apartheid. But visiting the township and seeing for myself the conditions that people had to live in, I realized how inexcusable it is that people are still being forced to live like this.
The townships were one of many ways of demeaning blacks during the Apartheid era. By forcing black farmers off of productive land to make way for white-owned farms, the government was able to both put land in the hands of whites while forcing blacks to move to urban areas to earn money, satisfying a demand for labour in factories and the service sector. Since blacks were not given formal citizenship, they had to carry documentation that proved that they were qualified to live in township housing. To get a house in a township, a person would have to show that they had a job in Cape Town. But in order to get a job in Cape Town, a person would have to show that they lived in the area and would be able to get to work.
When we visited Guguletu, the roads were lined with two room houses. These houses were built by the apartheid government. Although each house only had two rooms, no running water, and no electricity, several families were usually forced to live in one house due to the difficulties of qualifying for housing. When all of the houses were occupied, the apartheid government refused to build more houses. Instead, everybody who was forced to move to Cape Town to look for work would either have to move in with relatives, or build an informal shack to live in.
Our tour guide lived in Guguletu and had lived in both a house and shack in the township before he had been able to build his own home. He introduced himself as Donald, but then went on to say that Donald wasn't his real name. His baas (which is the Afrikaans word for boss, but blacks were forced to call any white man baas) couldn't pronounce his name and told him that from now on, he would be called Donald. He told us that he was proud that under the new government, young men joining the workforce would never have to suffer the humiliation of being forced to go by a different name just because a white person couldn't pronounce their real name.
Part of the tour was visiting a shack and getting the chance to look inside. To get to the shacks, we had to leave the road and walk on a sandy path to a field behind the formal houses. The shacks were built on a hill, and during the rainy season our tour guide told us that it could be almost impossible to get to the shacks through the mud. The shack that we visited was about 3/4 the size of my bedroom at home and was divided into three rooms-- a kitchen area, a livingroom/bedroom, and an entry way. It was built out of pieces of scrap wood and corrugated metal and had a couch, bed, dresser, and television. The woman living in the shack shared it with her husband and her young daughter. She told us that in the summer it got unbearably hot, and in the winter the wind and rain made it cold and damp.
Since the individual shacks don't have running water, the government built pumps every 150 meters. If you want to do the dishes, bathe, or wash your clothes, you have to fill a bucket up with water and carry it back to your house. Forget showers, real baths, or hot water. There is one toilet that is shared between five or six families. The residents of this area were lucky though-- unlike in many townships, this toilet had walls around it.
Another part of the tour was visiting the memorial for the Guguletu Seven. This was a group of seven black young men and women who were sharing a taxi on the way to a job interview. The taxi driver suspected that they were members of the ANC, which was banned during the liberation struggle, and called the police. The police set up a roadblock, pulled everybody out of the car, and executed them.
People have been getting more and more frustrated at the lack of change since the end of apartheid. Even though the government has been trying to create more jobs and provide affordable housing near those jobs, progress had been slow at best. In my classes I had been learning about the ANC and why government progress had been so slow, and it seemed understandable given the legacy of apartheid. But visiting the township and seeing for myself the conditions that people had to live in, I realized how inexcusable it is that people are still being forced to live like this.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Two Oceans
Over Easter weekend, I ran the Two Oceans Half Marathon. It is advertised as the most beautiful race on Earth, and I 100% agree! The race started at 6:00am in Newlands and went along the Main Rd in Claremont. After about 5 miles, the sun started coming up and we were running in a residential area with a beautiful view of the mountains. That is, it was beautiful until I realized that I would be running up the nearest one! As soon as we were out of Claremont, the road was winding up the mountain and was lined with these huge, beautiful evergreens. I had contemplated running with my camera, and this was one section of the race that I wish that I had. The incline was pretty steep and lasted about 2 miles, but it was nowhere near as terrible as I thought it would be. Plus, the rest of the race was downhill so I was really able to pick up the pace (although my joints regretted it later)!
The energy in the race was amazing. There were African drummers along the route as well as a few DJs and cheerleading squads. There was also tons of support from the crowds and the 14,000 other runners who were doing the half marathon. International runners have different bib colours, and a lot of other international runners introduced themselves during the run. I met a few people from Brazil as well as Namibia and Zimbabwe.
After the race, my knees started to cramp up and I ended up limping around town for the rest of the day. I was absolutely amazed when I saw the ultra marathon runners, who had run 56k, or about 33.6 miles, strolling around town without looking tired at all! This was also the first year in about 30 years that a South African won the ultra marathon, so there was a lot of patriotism from the South Africans that day.
Before the race, we got supporter signes made at the expo..this one says 'Nobody made you do this Amanda' and the other one says 'Run like someone is chasing you'.
Elite runner finishing the ultra marathon.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Bo-Kaap and Downtown
On Saturday we had a house trip that ended up being a tour of downtown Cape Town and Bo-Kaap. We started out at the Castle, which was originally built between 1666 and 1679 by the Dutch East India Company and is the oldest building in South Africa. The Cape was a strategic point because ships needed a place to stop for food and water on the way to India to trade for spices and other goods. The Dutch built the castle to defend it from the threat of a British attack.
The flags represent the different eras of South Africa's history: Dutch rule under the Prince of Orange, British rule, Dutch rule again, British rule again, Apartheid rule, and the current democratic South Africa.
We also walked past the Cape Town City Hall, where Nelson Mandela made his first speech after he was released from Robben Island.
Although most people think of slaves as having been captured from the west coast of Africa and being brought to the Americas, slavery was also an important part of Cape society during the colonial period. The Dutch were ordered not to enslave the local population in the interest of preventing conflicts, so many slaves were imported from India, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia. Today, their descendants are broadly know as Cape Malays. Along the way, we stopped in at the slave lodge, which is now a museum.
By the time we made it to Bo-Kaap, it was super hot outside! Bo-Kaap is a neighborhood that was originally built to house soldiers but instead was used to house the descendants of former slaves who lived in the Cape Town area. During the apartheid era, everybody who was not classified as a Cape Malay was forced to move out of the area, but now it is known for its beautiful houses!
The flags represent the different eras of South Africa's history: Dutch rule under the Prince of Orange, British rule, Dutch rule again, British rule again, Apartheid rule, and the current democratic South Africa.We also walked past the Cape Town City Hall, where Nelson Mandela made his first speech after he was released from Robben Island.
Although most people think of slaves as having been captured from the west coast of Africa and being brought to the Americas, slavery was also an important part of Cape society during the colonial period. The Dutch were ordered not to enslave the local population in the interest of preventing conflicts, so many slaves were imported from India, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia. Today, their descendants are broadly know as Cape Malays. Along the way, we stopped in at the slave lodge, which is now a museum.
By the time we made it to Bo-Kaap, it was super hot outside! Bo-Kaap is a neighborhood that was originally built to house soldiers but instead was used to house the descendants of former slaves who lived in the Cape Town area. During the apartheid era, everybody who was not classified as a Cape Malay was forced to move out of the area, but now it is known for its beautiful houses!
Pictures of my homestay in Ocean View
Fall Break in Cape Town.
Last week we had time off from classes for fall break, otherwise known as vac. I had a nice time staying in Cape Town and catching up on homework, although I didn't get to visit any museums, which had been one of my priorities. However, I did get the chance to go for unlimited ribs and prawn with some of my Zimbabwean friends at a restaurant called Aqua, which was fun but also complicated since we forgot to print out our vouchers before we came and had to find a place with free wireless so we could pull them up on the computer screen for the manager. But the food was good, we ate up the rest of the restaurants ribs, and the waiter was nice and let us take doggy bags even though we weren't supposed to. Apparently, there was also a South African movie star at the restaurant. Afterward, we stopped by a salsa club to watch the more accomplished dancers. Ngoni tried to teach me the basic steps, but I definitely couldn't compare to the awesome dancers who were there.
On Wednesday, Quinton, the CIEE program coordinator, surprised us by taking the people who were left in Cape Town on a safari. We went to a game reserve called Fairy Glen. Since it is a game reserve it is much smaller than a national park. The more common animals like Springbok and Zebras are bred on the reserve while the protected species like rhino and lions have to be bought and are usually rescued animals or animals that caused problems in the national park and would have otherwise been put down.
I was surprised at myself for actually being intimidated by some of the animals. We first saw two rhino, who seemed pretty tame until our guide told us that there used to be a hippo on the reserve until it got in a fight with the rhino. Apparently, when the hippo opened its mouth to bite the rhino, the rhino gored it in the roof of its mouth and actually lifted it off of the ground!
Rhinos are endangered because their horns can be sold for a lot of money in Asia where people think that ground horns can cure cancer. Horns are usually about 7 kgs and are worth $36,000 per kg.
We were also able to see some giraffes. According to our guide, giraffes are unable to lay down for long periods of time or to sleep because they need to keep high blood pressure to get blood from their hearts to their brains.
I found the buffalo to be the most intimidating because one of the buffalo we saw had mauled our guide on the reserve about a year ago. It was also aggressive when we drove by, and ended up trying to charge the vehicle!
The elephant was my favorite animal. Elephants eat and destroy about 3 tonnes of vegetation a day, so they constantly have to be planting more trees on the reserve. This elephant had lived in Kruger National Park, but was going to be put down because it had a habit of damaging fences and buildings in the parks. Since the animals on the game reserve are somewhat protected and don't really need to defend themselves, the reserve was able to take in the elephant and cut off its tusks so that it wouldn't be able to damage the property. This one was busy uprooting a tree when we drove by...
Lastly, we saw the lions. They were a sad story because they were rescued from captivity and could not be released into the wild because they never learned how to hunt.
P.S. All of the pictures are courtesy of Farai because I forgot my camera. Thanks!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Ocean View
This past weekend, I experienced some real South African hospitality during my home stay in Ocean View. Ocean View is a township that is a 10-15 minute drive from Fishhoek and Simons Town--two beautiful beach neighborhoods. In the 1960's-1970's the coloured residents of Fishoek and Simons Town were forced to relocate to Ocean View when these areas were classified as white-only. Today the community is almost all coloured (that is what mixed race people or Cape Malays are called in South Africa) and most people speak both English and Afrikaans.
Although many people will tell you that Ocean View is dangerous, I really enjoyed my time in the community. My host parents and their two children went all-out to make sure that we were able to experience the area. My host dad, Neville, is a commercial fisherman, which I thought was fascinating. He fishes using nets and fishing lines, but also free dives to catch prawn and lobster. He told me that he can hold his breath for about four and a half minutes! He alternates between fishing and running a tyre repair shop from his home during the week.
Luzanne, my host mother, and Neville took us to a fish market on the coast and on a tour of the peninsula. It was BEAUTIFUL, but unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera. We also visited a farm where we saw camels (they are huge!!!) and watched the Cape Argus bike tour, a 110 km race that is one of the biggest in the world.
Luzanne was an amazing chef. She and Neville treated us to an awesome seafood dinner with snoek, calamari, prawn, and other fresh seafood that Neville caught himself. Luzanne also taught me how to cook lamb and gave me a special baked vegetable recipe.
My time in Ocean View was an amazing experience, and it was hard to say goodbye. I learned so much about the culture and history of Ocean View, which gave me so much appreciation for Cape Town as a whole. I can't wait to continue my explorations!
Although many people will tell you that Ocean View is dangerous, I really enjoyed my time in the community. My host parents and their two children went all-out to make sure that we were able to experience the area. My host dad, Neville, is a commercial fisherman, which I thought was fascinating. He fishes using nets and fishing lines, but also free dives to catch prawn and lobster. He told me that he can hold his breath for about four and a half minutes! He alternates between fishing and running a tyre repair shop from his home during the week.
Luzanne, my host mother, and Neville took us to a fish market on the coast and on a tour of the peninsula. It was BEAUTIFUL, but unfortunately I forgot to bring my camera. We also visited a farm where we saw camels (they are huge!!!) and watched the Cape Argus bike tour, a 110 km race that is one of the biggest in the world.
Luzanne was an amazing chef. She and Neville treated us to an awesome seafood dinner with snoek, calamari, prawn, and other fresh seafood that Neville caught himself. Luzanne also taught me how to cook lamb and gave me a special baked vegetable recipe.
My time in Ocean View was an amazing experience, and it was hard to say goodbye. I learned so much about the culture and history of Ocean View, which gave me so much appreciation for Cape Town as a whole. I can't wait to continue my explorations!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Robben Island
Robben Island has a history of housing outcasts. During the colonial era, the island was used as a quarantine for people with leprosy, but the only things on the island that remain from that period in time are a church and a graveyard. Everything else was burned to prevent the spread of the disease.
More recently, Robben Island was used to hold political prisoners during the struggle against Apartheid.
This is Nelson Mandela's prison cell. He was given three blankets to sleep on, but no bed. The bucket in the picture was used for washing clothes, as a toilet, and to carry drinking water back to his cell in. After work, the prisoners were given a limited amount of time to visit before they were locked into their cells, which they would use to play chess, exercise, or talk about political strategies.
The Apartheid government created racial classifications in order to divide the oppressed and create factions. For example, Indians, mixed race and Cape Malay (called coloureds), and blacks were given different privileges to create resentment for those who had more and a sense of superiority over those who were given less. This was not any different at Robben Island. Coloureds were given more food and clothing than blacks, who were not even allowed to wear underwear. Our tour guide, who was a former prisoner on the island, explained to us that they were very conscious of these racial divisions and demonstrated unity by dividing everything they ate and owned equally.
During the day, the prisoners were forced to mine sandstone. The quarry was directly in the sun, and today many of the former prisoners, including Nelson Mandela have damage to their eyes from the glare. At first they were forced to mine the rocks all day, but when the older guards were replaced with younger and more liberal guards, they were able to form an agreement. Instead of mining, the more educated prisoners would teach the prisoners who had not had a formal education while the guards would act as lookouts. In this way, many of the prisoners who arrived at Robben Island illiterate had the equivalent of a college education when they were released.
The sandstone quarry where prisoners worked during the day.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Bikes, wine, museums, and cheetahs
On Sunday, the residence hall sponsored a trip to the beach, which was beautiful but crowded. I thought it was interesting that since sharks are such a big problem in South Africa, the African government has hired shark watchers to make sure that the beaches are safe. The shark watcher sits on a mountain or a high chair like a lifeguard and watches the water for any signs of sharks. If a shark is spotted near the beach then a flag is flown so that people know to stay out of the water.
On Tuesday, a group of people from my study abroad program went downtown to see what was going on. We found the South African museum, a museum that is similar to the Natural History Museum in DC and mostly focuses on early African history. My favorite exhibit had rock drawings that are 2,000 or more years old!
While we were downtown we also explored Long Street. At night Long Street is the place to go out because it has a lot of clubs, restaurants, and bars, but during the day there are a lot of shops that sell African things. My roommate Rohanna found a neat African mask and bargained it down from R350 to R100, which was pretty impressive! Even though I didn't buy anything, I had a lot of fun talking with the shop owners. Most of them were from Kenya or Zimbabwe. In fact, I've only met a handful of South Africans while I've been here because almost everybody here seems to be Zim!
Popular fabric choices at the market.....
On Wednesday, our RA Farai took us to Simon’s Town. Simon’s Town is a small area by the Indian Ocean with beaches and sea food restaurants, and it is also home to the South African Navy. The South African Navy is the largest navy in Africa and is proud of its two submarines, but it is only a fraction of the size of the U.S. Navy. We visited the Naval Museum, which was really cool. They had replicas of all of the ships in the navy as well as old cannons, missiles, and part of an old submarine. At the museum, there was a flag with a swastika displayed next to a sign that read, “South Africa seconded to the British Royal Navy”. We found out that South Africa had been divided between those who supported the British and those who supported the Germans during WWII. Since there was strong support for both sides, the South African Navy fought for both the Allies and the Axis.
Today I did a biking and wine tasting tour with the travel agency on campus. We left early in the morning and took a train to Stellenbosch, the section of Cape Town with vineyards. It was amazing! We first biked to Van Ryn’s, a brandy distillery in the area. There, we learned the proper form for tasting brandy and got to try the 10 and the 15 year fine cask reserve, which won the International Spirits Challenge and has been named the best brandy in the world!
From there we had a short bike ride to a winery where we ate lunch and sampled wine. We then had a 3-mile bike ride to the next winery. It was amazing since we were able to bike through the vineyards and the African brush. Many of the native plants in the brush are thought to be related to sea corals, since the area was once underwater.
The last winery that we visited was on the Moyo estate, the same place where our study abroad dinner was held. Aside for a restaurant and a winery, the estate has a cheetah and a raptor rehabilitation center. The cheetah we met was supposedly in a movie with Patrick Swayze!
Even though Monday is our first official day of classes, there is an official ‘practice run’ tomorrow. I was confused at first about what we were supposed to do, especially because the RA’s had no idea what we were talking about. Later I found out that even though everybody is supposed to attend the ‘practice run’ so that the lecturers can make sure that the space is big enough to accommodate everybody, usually only the American exchange students show up!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Mzoli's!
Today the student government of our dorm (the members are called wardens) organized a trip to Mzoli's Meat in Gugulethu, which is a township about 15 minutes away from my res. The restaurant itself is a corrugated metal roof with tarp hanging down in place of walls. Since we got there at about 11:00am we were able to get a table and a place to sit, but most people who got there after us brought folding chairs and had to sit outside on the sidewalk. As soon as we got off of the bus, people came up to us selling sunglasses, fedora hats, and goblets made out of beer bottles.
The only thing that the restaurant served was meat. We had to bring our own drinks and rolls, and there was a stand across the street that sold drinks, chips, and ice cream. When it was time to eat, they brought us two big mixing bowls that were filled up with chicken wings, really long beef sausages, and steaks. Since there were no utensils, you just took what you wanted out of the bowl and ate with your fingers.
We stayed at the restaurant until 4:00 because after we were done eating there was a DJ. His name was DJ Spu, and he is supposed to be one of the most famous DJs in South Africa. People would be eating at their table, and when a song that they liked came on they would just stand up and dance at the table. By the time we left, it was a full out party.
When we got back to the res I went grocery shopping, which is still a little bit strange to me because I am not used to all of the brands here and it is hard to evaluate the nutrition facts because it is all in kilojoules instead of calories. I bought potatoes that ame pre-washed, and eggs which aren't kept refrigerated in the store. They also sell ostrich burgers and springbok butter, but I held out :) I have a feeling that I will be learning to cook a lot of new dishes this semester in the absence of my normal favorite foods and without a microwave or toaster oven to cook with.
The only thing that the restaurant served was meat. We had to bring our own drinks and rolls, and there was a stand across the street that sold drinks, chips, and ice cream. When it was time to eat, they brought us two big mixing bowls that were filled up with chicken wings, really long beef sausages, and steaks. Since there were no utensils, you just took what you wanted out of the bowl and ate with your fingers.
We stayed at the restaurant until 4:00 because after we were done eating there was a DJ. His name was DJ Spu, and he is supposed to be one of the most famous DJs in South Africa. People would be eating at their table, and when a song that they liked came on they would just stand up and dance at the table. By the time we left, it was a full out party.
When we got back to the res I went grocery shopping, which is still a little bit strange to me because I am not used to all of the brands here and it is hard to evaluate the nutrition facts because it is all in kilojoules instead of calories. I bought potatoes that ame pre-washed, and eggs which aren't kept refrigerated in the store. They also sell ostrich burgers and springbok butter, but I held out :) I have a feeling that I will be learning to cook a lot of new dishes this semester in the absence of my normal favorite foods and without a microwave or toaster oven to cook with.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Class Registration
Now that I am pre-registered, I will have to get pre-approved for classes, which basically means that I will have to find professors who are willing to approve my course selection. I won't be able to register for classes until tomorrow when I will bring my pre-approval sheets and wait in yet ANOTHER line.
I'm finding out that in order to stay within American University's credit requirements, I will only be taking three classes when I usually take four, but since classes at UCT usually meet 3-5 times a week + tutorials, this might be the same amount of work. So far I'm trying to decide between taking Conflict in World Politics, Advanced South African Politics, Poverty, Development, and Globalization, South Africa to 1900, Genocide: African Experiences, and Xhosa (an African clicking language).
So, off to wait in some more lines. On the bright side, there is a beautiful campus to look at while I am waiting in line...
Aside from registering for classes, I am still just settling into the dorms and getting to know my way around campus.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Waka Waka
Waka Waka Music Video
I can't tell you how many times I have heard this. They are really proud of having hosted the world cup here :)
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Baboons and Dorm Rooms Oh My!
Friday night the study abroad program took us to a restaurant in Stellenbosch, the vineyard area outside of Cape Town, for dinner. We went to a restaurant called Spier on an organic and sustainable wine farm. It was beautiful! All of the seating was outside in a tent and lit by candlelight. There was a live band and African drummers who also danced. I was able to try Antelope kabobs, which tasted like very tender steak, and Springbok sausage, which mostly tasted like regular sausage. As we were eating, a woman came around to the tables and painted our faces with a white paint in traditional Xhosa patterns.
On Saturday, we moved into the dorms. I am living with an American who goes to George Washington University in DC named Rohanna and with two UCT students who I haven’t met yet. The dorm that I am in has four rooms, two big ones connected to a balcony and two smaller ones. Rohanna and I are both in the larger rooms. There are also two bathrooms, one with a shower and one with a bath because South Africans take a lot of baths. There is also a shared kitchen, but no dining room or common space to hang out in.
Today we spent the day touring Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula. On our way out of Cape Town we passed Bo Kaap, a township that was originally built for white workers, the castle, and a penthouse owned by Oprah as well as a house owned by Leonardo di Caprio. Our first stop was at a beach where we could take pictures of the African Penguins. They used to live out on the rocks in the ocean where they bred on top of the bird droppings. In the 1800’s the British began to scrape off the bird droppings to use as fuel, forcing the penguins to move to the beach.
We stopped for lunch in Ocean View, a township that was created when the Apartheid government decided to make certain sections of Cape Town white only. The government built small houses in an unused area about 40 minutes outside of Cape Town and did not invest in any businesses in the community except for a liquor store. Many people who were forced to relocate lost their jobs because they could not commute to their jobs. Today most people living in Ocean View are fishermen. We had lunch in the community center where there was a talent show that included a drag queen and a boy who danced like Michael Jackson.
After lunch, we drove to the Cape of Good Hope, which is the point where the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean meet. It is also the spot where Africa used to be connected to South America and the Falkland Islands. On the way to the Cape, we spotted some baboons, antelope, and a whale!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Volunteering
Today we visited and heard from several different non-profits, and I need input on which organization to volunteer with. One non-profit, called CHOSA is an organizations started by a GW student after she studied abroad with this program. It is an after school tutoring program that meets 2 times a week that serves children living in orphanages. You can make your own lesson plan/curriculum and choose the ages that you want to work with. The organization also coordinates funding for the orphanages, applies for grants on their behalf, and ‘networks’ by connecting community organizations and non-profits to one anther. This seems to be an interesting program because I would be able to work with kids, but I could also have the opportunity to learn more about starting my own non-profit.
Another interesting program was the LEAP school which is a private high school that is located right outside of a township and focuses on science and math. The philosophy is based around teaching the students social responsibility by volunteerism in their neighborhood. I found it very interesting that the man who spoke about the program talked about the achievement gap, the missing black male phenomenon, charter schools, etc in such a way that he could have been speaking about DC. Since the schools are very successful I would be interested in learning how the organization tackles these problems, but the volunteering seemed very open-ended and without much direction so I’m not sure how I would fit into the organization.
The last program that I was interested in is called People Against Suffering, Oppression, and Poverty. Its an organization that works with African refugees to make sure that they are aware of their rights in South Africa and to combat xenophobia in South Africa and abroad. For example, the presenter mentioned that they organized a protest against the Arizona immigration law in front of the United States embassy. Most of the refugees are from Zimbabwe or Congo and live in refugee camps around the country. As a volunteer, my time would be split between interning in the office doing things like writing news letters, research, and attending meetings and doing things in the field like going to refugee camps, organizing events and protests, and offering advice to refugees. This might be a neat experience because it would give me an opportunity to learn more about the politics of Africa and issues that face refugees since I know virtually nothing about these issues, but at the same time I would really miss working with kids.
Any input into where I should volunteer?
Another interesting program was the LEAP school which is a private high school that is located right outside of a township and focuses on science and math. The philosophy is based around teaching the students social responsibility by volunteerism in their neighborhood. I found it very interesting that the man who spoke about the program talked about the achievement gap, the missing black male phenomenon, charter schools, etc in such a way that he could have been speaking about DC. Since the schools are very successful I would be interested in learning how the organization tackles these problems, but the volunteering seemed very open-ended and without much direction so I’m not sure how I would fit into the organization.
The last program that I was interested in is called People Against Suffering, Oppression, and Poverty. Its an organization that works with African refugees to make sure that they are aware of their rights in South Africa and to combat xenophobia in South Africa and abroad. For example, the presenter mentioned that they organized a protest against the Arizona immigration law in front of the United States embassy. Most of the refugees are from Zimbabwe or Congo and live in refugee camps around the country. As a volunteer, my time would be split between interning in the office doing things like writing news letters, research, and attending meetings and doing things in the field like going to refugee camps, organizing events and protests, and offering advice to refugees. This might be a neat experience because it would give me an opportunity to learn more about the politics of Africa and issues that face refugees since I know virtually nothing about these issues, but at the same time I would really miss working with kids.
Any input into where I should volunteer?
This is a picture of a shanty town that we passed.
Kids who live and go to school at a Christian ministry. Some of them are homeless or abandoned and some live here with their parents. This was one possible volunteer site.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
First Day in Cape Town!
After an almost 12 hour flight from London, I arrived in Cape Town today around 9:00 am. The program RA’s were there to meet us and we were taken back to campus in a Jammy, or a university shuttle bus. As we drove to campus, we passed a shanty town. Even though its residents were obviously poor, it had an upbeat feel to it. All of the houses were painted bright colors and many of them had really beautiful murals. When we drove by, there were horses wandering around the outskirts of the area and through the town, which struck me as odd. Hopefully I will have a chance to visit and learn more about the community. I would have liked to take pictures, but we had already passed it by the time I got out my camera, but I did get a picture of some acacia(?) trees.
For orientation week we will be staying in a dorm, otherwise known as a res, before we move into our permanent living spaces. I am sharing my room with Sydney, who I know from AU. There are a lot of other students from American here which is nice because I already know some people right off the bat. After I got settled in, the RA’s took us to a barbecue restaurant that is just a few blocks away from the res. Because there were so many of us we had to get it for ‘take away’ and brought it back to campus to eat.
At 3:00 the program took us on an outing to Table Mountain. We had the option to hike up or take the cable cars to the top, but since we were told that the hike was an easy 45 minutes most people decided to do the hike. It was VERY steep—imagine doing a Jillian workout that only involves your calves and quads for an hour and a half, which was how long it actually took us. Thank goodness that I had a backpack that carried extra water bottles, emergen-c, and sunscreen comfortably! But when we got to the top the view from the mountain was amazing—the pictures don’t do it justice.
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