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.