So sorry guys for taking so long for an update. Things have finally, for once, settled down and we have now transitioned into living on our own, in our own apartments and working on our separate independent study projects. But before that, I should talk a little about the homestay in Bo Kaap, the final homestay.
After Stellenbosch, we returned to Cape Town, spent a night in a backpackers, and then moved in with our new families. Bo Kaap, a colorful (literally- the houses are bright pink, blue, yellow and orange), secluded section of Cape Town on a (huge) hill leading up to Table Mountain. The community consists of a 70% Muslim population, and as with many of the other home-stays, there is a very close, tight-knit feel within the area. Almost everyone knows each other, and there are always neighbors chatting and walking in and out each others homes. I stayed with a family at the VERY top of the Bo Kaap hill, so I got my share of exercise that week, to say the least. Even though it was interesting to interact with another group of people and experience another culture, I (and most of the group) felt pretty spent and burnt out by time we got there. With three papers due that week and no break from the Stellenbosch homestay, it was hard to focus on spending time with my family. However, while I was there, I was able to attend my little homestay niece’s first birthday party where I experienced my first sheep slaughtering. It was actually pretty fascinating. Everyone sang prayers and songs while they performed the sacrifice, and it was surprisingly not as disturbing as I had imagined. In addition, I spent some time (well actually, almost every night and morning before school) at Raissa’s homestay family’s house (just a few steps away from mine). Her family was beyond welcoming and hospitable. The second I walked in the door, I was welcomed with a hot plate of food, three desserts to choose from, and a place to sit and hang out. Since the homestay, Raissa and I have gone back to visit several times now which has been great (especially when we run out of food and don’t want to go to the grocery store). But in all seriousness, it has been great to form such a great relationship with a family here and keep up the relationship when we’re past the home-stay period.
Once we moved out of our Bo-Kaap homes, we moved into our new apartments! I’m living with 5 other girls on my trip, Kayla, Karen, Maddie, Tess and Alex. I was a little hesitant at first since there are so many of us, but it has seriously worked out for the best. The apartment is beautiful, with tons of space and light and a great balcony with views of all of Cape Town, Table Mountain to the right and the ocean and harbor to the left. Sitting outside and eating my breakfast every morning seriously makes my day.. can’t get over it. This last month of the program is dedicated to working on an independent study project. We all got to choose our topics, find an advisor and if possible, find an internship at an organization. I am working for Passop, a NGO that fights for refugees’ and asylum-seekers’ rights (google it). I come in every morning, by train, to the office and do research on the topic as well as some work for the organization. My advisor, the head of the organization is in the complete center of the issue so he is always busy, running around and doing a million things at once. As frustrating as it can be at times, he has exposed to so many aspects and details of this issue. I got to sit in on a court hearing on xenophobic attacks at the Equality Court, stand outside of the court and sing songs in protest with Zimbabwean refugees, and sit in on a meeting in which a Congolese refugee told his story to Braam, myself and another volunteer. Just hanging out in the office with the other British, American and South African volunteers, I have learned so much about the topic. Tomorrow, I am spending a day with a Zimbabwean immigrant family so I can interview them, hear their story and retell it in my 35 page (ah) independent study project paper. Our ISPs are due next Thursday (7th) and then we leave South Africa and head home on the 14th. Ahhhhh.
Besides the actual ISP, during this last month, I have climbed Table Mountain (incredible), went restaurant crazy and tasted amazing food at as many restaurants as possible (until I ran out of money), attempted to go surfing and lay out at the beach, hosted a Passover seder and Easter potluck dinner, explored Greenmarket Square (artisanal market), attended Taste of Cape Town (an outdoor food festival in which some of the best restaurants in the city featured their best dishes and drinks), watched as South Africa’s new President, Jacob Zuma was elected (read about it- Capetimes.co.za), spent afternoons at the waterfront (just a 20 minute walk from my apartment), ventured out to Long Street to experience more of Cape Town’s nightlife as well as host some parties at my apartment, and explored sections of Cape Town that I had never seen.
Well, with all that said, this will probably be the last blog post for me. Sorry for the delay in posting, but I hope you have enjoyed reading these updates, as few as there were. Can’t wait to see you all and talk to you in person about the semester! Hope you are all doing well!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Durb, Safar and Stell
I got back from Durban on Sunday, March 22nd and it feels great to be back in Cape Town. I wasn’t very impressed with Durban. It had a much more industrial feel to the city, and not as many beautiful houses, buildings and parks to see. While there, we had an Indian identity seminar at the University of Ka-Zulu Natal almost everyday. It was fascinating to learn about the history of Indians’ presence in South Africa while in highly Indian populated area. On our lunch breaks we had the chance to walk through campus and eat where the rest of the students eat. We saw the segregated groups of students- the Whites sitting together, the Indians and the Blacks. We even witnessed a protest during one of the lunch breaks. All of a sudden we heard a crowd of people yelling and chanting, and after walking over, following the noise, we joined a group of mainly Black students protesting their ability to afford residence on campus. Of course I pulled out my camera to document the moment and before I knew it, the crowd of about 400 all turned and yelled at me and Karen both for taking pictures. Apparently, cameras were not allowed. Whoops. At another point, the crowd started acknowledging our presence at the strike. They said something like “look, there are White people here supporting us!” Even though we didn’t really notice that we were the only White students at the rally, apparently everyone else did. After the protest, we headed back to the classroom to have a round table discussion with about 7 University of Ka-Zulu Natal students. We talked about everything from on-campus life, the upcoming election, to immigration and racism within South Africa.
On Friday (March 17th), we drove from Durban to Isinkwe, a backpackers in the “bush” for a safari. We woke up at 5 AM on Saturday to head out into the game reserve, watching the sun rise as we descended into the park. We saw elephants, zebras, and giraffes, but unfortunately no lions- a little disappointed. Later in the afternoon, we drove to St. Lucia for a boat ride to view exotic birds and many, many hippos.
It felt great to come home to Langa after a two week trip. It was awesome to come home to a familiar house and family and neighborhood and to see my Mama and buthi again. As soon as we drove into Langa, we noticed that there were a lot more White people there than before. As it turned out, that there was another US study abroad group staying in Langa, and two of them were staying with me. So, I got to hang out with some different Americans for a change which was cooool. After our very short, two-day stay in Langa, we had to pack up and say goodbye to our families for good. We were off to the wine country, aka Stellenbosch, home of the Afrikaners (about 40 minutes from Cape Town).
We drove by hundreds of wine vineyards, viewed gorgeous mountain vistas and when entering the center of town, noticed the beautiful, European-esque outdoor cafes and restaurants. It felt like driving into another country. The people looked and dressed differently, the wealth was noticeable, and everyone spoke a different language (Afrikaans). That afternoon, we took a tour around town, through the neighborhoods and through their own township, Kayamundi. Afterwards, we were taken to the botanical gardens with a café and lecture room where we were briefed on Stellenbosch and our upcoming homestay. We were served bobotie for lunch, a traditional Afrikaner dish, a “noodle-less, red sauce-less lasagna” as Raissa described it…basically a meat and cheese casserole. Despite its unappealing description, it was surprisingly delicious. Towards the end of the day, we had a little wine and cheese party with our new homestay families. Raissa and I stayed together, in a beautiful house that reminded me of houses in my neighborhood at home. We had a mom, Liezel, dad, Louis, brother, Michael (8) and sister, Jana (12). They were all really welcoming and inviting and cooked us amazing meals that made me feel right at home (think stir fries and spaghetti). They also cooked us typical Afrikaner dishes like braaied (grilled) barracuda, curry dishes and bobotie. While there, we went to church with them, played games and watched movies, played soccer, took amazing showers, and spent hours outside on their porch. During the week, we had Afrikaner-Identity classes, ranging from lectures on Afrikaner history to a guilt and collective responsibility seminar to two art classes with University of Stellenbosch students (one drawing and one photography class). It was great to interact with students on campus to get a feel for the student body and to view the community through another lens. The whole time I was there I was constantly reminded of the United States and my life back home. The pace of life was similar, as well as the wealth and class standing. Raissa and I had many talks about how confused we were when we first arrived in Stellenbosch and to our homestay house. Prior to that stay, we were constantly faced with challenges and new experiences, but for some reason, we were both most uncomfortable at first in Stellenbosch. We heard story after story about the struggles of individuals after apartheid, about how nothing had improved after apartheid and that there is so much more to fight for. But while in Stellenbosch (which felt like a bubble from the outside world), I did not hear about those struggles, but instead had to pass them on to others. It was as if I was shielded from the rest of South Africa. For the previous month and a half we had been learning about one side of the story, but all of a sudden we had to change our mind sets and be open to learning about the other side. It was an awkward transition, but also a very comfortable and enjoyable stay. It really helped bring this whole trip full circle.
On Friday (March 17th), we drove from Durban to Isinkwe, a backpackers in the “bush” for a safari. We woke up at 5 AM on Saturday to head out into the game reserve, watching the sun rise as we descended into the park. We saw elephants, zebras, and giraffes, but unfortunately no lions- a little disappointed. Later in the afternoon, we drove to St. Lucia for a boat ride to view exotic birds and many, many hippos.
It felt great to come home to Langa after a two week trip. It was awesome to come home to a familiar house and family and neighborhood and to see my Mama and buthi again. As soon as we drove into Langa, we noticed that there were a lot more White people there than before. As it turned out, that there was another US study abroad group staying in Langa, and two of them were staying with me. So, I got to hang out with some different Americans for a change which was cooool. After our very short, two-day stay in Langa, we had to pack up and say goodbye to our families for good. We were off to the wine country, aka Stellenbosch, home of the Afrikaners (about 40 minutes from Cape Town).
We drove by hundreds of wine vineyards, viewed gorgeous mountain vistas and when entering the center of town, noticed the beautiful, European-esque outdoor cafes and restaurants. It felt like driving into another country. The people looked and dressed differently, the wealth was noticeable, and everyone spoke a different language (Afrikaans). That afternoon, we took a tour around town, through the neighborhoods and through their own township, Kayamundi. Afterwards, we were taken to the botanical gardens with a café and lecture room where we were briefed on Stellenbosch and our upcoming homestay. We were served bobotie for lunch, a traditional Afrikaner dish, a “noodle-less, red sauce-less lasagna” as Raissa described it…basically a meat and cheese casserole. Despite its unappealing description, it was surprisingly delicious. Towards the end of the day, we had a little wine and cheese party with our new homestay families. Raissa and I stayed together, in a beautiful house that reminded me of houses in my neighborhood at home. We had a mom, Liezel, dad, Louis, brother, Michael (8) and sister, Jana (12). They were all really welcoming and inviting and cooked us amazing meals that made me feel right at home (think stir fries and spaghetti). They also cooked us typical Afrikaner dishes like braaied (grilled) barracuda, curry dishes and bobotie. While there, we went to church with them, played games and watched movies, played soccer, took amazing showers, and spent hours outside on their porch. During the week, we had Afrikaner-Identity classes, ranging from lectures on Afrikaner history to a guilt and collective responsibility seminar to two art classes with University of Stellenbosch students (one drawing and one photography class). It was great to interact with students on campus to get a feel for the student body and to view the community through another lens. The whole time I was there I was constantly reminded of the United States and my life back home. The pace of life was similar, as well as the wealth and class standing. Raissa and I had many talks about how confused we were when we first arrived in Stellenbosch and to our homestay house. Prior to that stay, we were constantly faced with challenges and new experiences, but for some reason, we were both most uncomfortable at first in Stellenbosch. We heard story after story about the struggles of individuals after apartheid, about how nothing had improved after apartheid and that there is so much more to fight for. But while in Stellenbosch (which felt like a bubble from the outside world), I did not hear about those struggles, but instead had to pass them on to others. It was as if I was shielded from the rest of South Africa. For the previous month and a half we had been learning about one side of the story, but all of a sudden we had to change our mind sets and be open to learning about the other side. It was an awkward transition, but also a very comfortable and enjoyable stay. It really helped bring this whole trip full circle.
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