Remembering

I didn’t think I was going to write on here again. I thought I was done, that I had put Cape Town in my box of memories along with everything else that happens when your life continues. I thought maybe one day if someone asked or if I thought about it, I would come back here and read my posts, reminisce on the summer that I still can’t believe was real. I think about the stories, the people, the long days at work, the fun going out nights, and feel like it was a movie I watched or a book I read. But I lived it. And this week made it too real.

Sandile wasn’t my closest friend, wasn’t the first person I met, and was someone I hung out with about 5 times. He came to the bed and breakfast for our 4th of July celebration, and I realized I met one of the coolest, nicest, sweetest, and probably one of the best cooks ever. I stayed up all night talking to him, Tsepo, and Beryll about any and everything, ignoring the fact that we still had to go to work the next day. He was charming and funny, and as I tried to determine if he liked Beryll or not, I found myself just a little attracted too. He reminded me of one of my best guy friends back home, just genuinely good and had insight on everything. I saw him a few more times, taking us to a show downtown, and finally at the talent show in Langa. Looking back through my journal I’m sad that I didn’t put more details about either of those days, wishing I had even more to say about those few moments.

And then came the Facebook post.  I was out riding around this Friday when Caroline tagged me in a post. I saw the notification on my phone, figured it was a quick pic about something random, who knows, malva pudding or anything. A few hours later Caroline comes by my friend’s room and asks if I’ve looked at it. I say no and say I’ll pull it up. As it pulls up she tells me that Sandile died. That he was stabbed. That he was going to visit his father who had just had a stroke and he resisted being robbed. And all I can think is shock. Sadness. Anguish. I wanted to cry for him, for his family, his friends, for Thulani and Tsepo, and for Beryll and Caroline, who I knew were hurt by this even though we were so far away.

I didn’t think I was going to have to write about this. I have never felt so connected to Cape Town as I have today. I feel like I’m mourning with everyone from across the ocean the same way I was mourning with my family over the summer. Thinking about how this lovable 20 year old that was cooking for us a few months ago is now gone. I know Langa is dangerous. I know these things happen, in and around Cape Town probably everyday. But I never thought it would happen to someone I met. I hung out with. Even for those few times.

Rest In Paradise Sandile

Last Day of Work!

And I must say, I greatly appreciate the Treatment Action Campaign for everything. I have even more office skills to add to my resume and confirmed my idea that I want to be a librarian even more after spending a solid month working with Excel as a database. I took minutes at a conference, which was cool, and learned more about HIV than I ever did, and completely realize that there is really no “look” when it comes to someone who is HIV positive. I’ve also met people who are so passionate about their cause that it has been truly inspirational. I’m going to miss the office a lot!

And of course, my DukeEngage coworker Colin. We complement each other so much that it’s funny and I’m glad we got to work together. His indecisiveness and my thoughtful decisiveness, his impatience and need to constantly rush next to my almost too much patience and love of simply chillin.  We spent many minutes Sporcling and looking at cute pictures of bunnies, kitties, doggies, and all that stuff, showing off his geography skills against my love of music and TV (especially cartoons from childhood). He’s also helped me keep my faith together while I’ve been here, going to church every week, telling to me participate in communion when I wasn’t sure if I would or not, and being a close yet still distant reminder that I’m not the only religious one in the group. I appreciate him.

So, we’re sitting here, done with the goals we had, wondering what to do next on this nasty cloudy and rainy day. And it’s weird to think in 2 days we’ll be on a plane back to the US and back to normal life. It will be interesting to see what this group does together upon our return, if anything. I hope so! Duke  has a way of putting people together who may not be best friends, but somehow still work, and this group did just that. It just worked.

Last Full Weekend Adventures!

So, Saturday we went to tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel and it was soo fun! We all had different types of teas, and food, and it was just nice to be all dressed up and cute to drink tea and such.

Then we went to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. After an excruciatingly long boat ride, and an even longer tour, it was great to see all these things. the most important thing I think is that Robben Island is (and was) not just a prison. People live there and other important meetings and such happen there, including a stay form Hilary Clinton and Kofi Annan.

So, my draft was erased at this point. And I could recall everything in as much details as I had before, but I can’t. I will retell as much as I can but quickly.  Sunday meant shark diving for everyone else, and a chill day for me that ended at Beluga for our last day of half off sushi. Then we had hot chocolate in front of a fire together, which was fun.

Today is our last Monday and that’s crazy! But i’m ready to head back home to warmth and comfort. And fast food! Sad, but true.

The Countdown Begins

I felt compelled to write, especially with the burst of activity on our group blog, which you should definitely read, because you may find it more interesting than mine. People have been writing some truly deep and thought-provoking things on there.

With only a few weeks left in our journey, we’re taking in all the sights and sounds and doing all of our last minute touristy things. We went wine tasting at M’Hudi, the only black-owned winery in the area, and had a great conversation with the owner/starter, who knew nothing about wine before deciding to buy a farm. He was absolutely hilarious, and the wine was tasty, even for a not-really-into-wine person like myself. Almost everyone bought bottles, and they should definitely try to sell it in the states.

Sunday ended up being a horribly nasty day, and it greatly hindered many of the plans. It’s been raining for a few days here now, and that is not the best for excursions. But, we went to the movies and saw Men In Black 3, which is a great ending (hopefully) to the franchise if they decide for that. Then we went to Beluga for half off sushi, which was good as always. As my group has noticed, I have a lack of love for food. But I find some of our most interesting adventures are with restaurants because it’s a piece of the culture and a place where often times we gather and have interesting conversations. It’s crazy how here we go to a new restaurant every day but in the states we barely give non-chain establishments a chance, at least in my experience. Gives me some things to think about when I go home.

Yesterday we had a speaker fron UCT named Yaliwe Clarke who teaches and researches through the African Gender Institute, and she was absolutely great. I used to think there were 2 sides to everything. Now I think there’s at least 8. She breaks down every subject, terminology, and focus that has to do with human issues that it is crazy. But it confirmed why I love studying African and African-American studies. I wish I could stay here and take a class with her. She’d definitely my new favorite speaker that we’ve had, because she has opened my mind so much as to the possibilities and the way that we try to explain human rights as right and wrong, but even some of those definitions can vary depending on who you’re talking to and what you’re talking about. And often it’s a matter of simply changing how you speak about something so that it will be more accessible to everyone you’re around. And although it’s hard not to compartmentalize people and things, when you’re in different environments it can be helpful so that you can at least understand the other side.

Long Time No See

Busy, busy. busy and calm, calm, calm. That’s how my last few days without blogging have been.

Yesterday we had a great party of the 4th of July! It’s always interesting to celebrate a holiday outside of your own country, but we invited our community orgs and friends to have a barbecue with us! It was so much fun to have our little slice of American pie in South Africa! We sang the national anthem, Proud to Be An American, and This Land Is Your Land, complete with a ukulele accompaniment!

Tuesday and Wednesday we were in Khayelitsha at the BEMF (Budget and Expenditure Monitoring Forum) which is a meeting in which a bunch of different NGOs get together and discuss innovative ways of financing health care, but also focus on the projects that members of the forum are working on such as intellectual property rights through patenting and the current crises in different areas of the country. Me and Colin were taking minutes for the meeting, which gave us a chance to be involved and learn a lot about the health system outside of the Western Cape. As with every country, South Africa is constantly fighting for reforms to the health system and it’s interesting to see all the ways they are trying to tackle it, from groundwork to legislation about patent laws on medicine.

The other few days before that have been really relaxed. I actually spent a lot of my weekend napping after I went to the University of Cape Town and got a spiffy rain jacket, the perfect souvenir for myself 🙂

There are a few more events coming up though in our last few weeks. We have Ma’hudi wine tasting on Saturday and Robben Island next Saturday. Time has gone so fast I can’t believe it! Only 18 more days until I’m back at home! Crazy.

Pictures!!!

Finally, I have pictures up! Figured it would be cool to do at work right before lunch :p Enjoy!

It’s A Beautiful Day

Today was the perfect day for reflecting, and I realized that I have so many things to reflect about that it was great to be in nature most of the day. I have no clue where to even begin, I journaled so much already.

Our day began in a mist, a fog that we were all hoping would lift before we got to our excursion and that seemed like it wanted to ruin our entire day. We went to Simon’s Town, where we met with Peter Storey and his wife Elizabeth. They let us into their lovely home and gave us tea as we talked. It was great to see this couple who were so dedicated to the cause of equality and hear them tell us their stories and what they thought about the world today. Mr. Storey is so charismatic and just someone who makes a lot of sense when he speaks. He talked to us about the use of violence in the anti-apartheid movement, about black consciousness, and about the struggles that the current government in South Africa has. Talking to all these pastors have almost made me want to go to Theology school and learn more about my faith. Hearing them speak to our professor about the gospel is fascinating, and I’m lucky that I get to be on a trip that is increasing my knowledge as well as my faith. We had lunch at Seaforth, and I sat at Elizabeth’s table, which was nice. I admire women like her who are so often placed in the background but it is obvious that they love and support their men so fiercely that they often are activists in their own right. Being a preacher’s wife is hard, you have a man who is not only the head of your household but the head of a lot of people’s. Women like her don’t get nearly enough credit, and I’m glad she opened her home to us.

While we were talking, the sky cleared and the sun came out, making it an absolutely great day. After some time to think, I realized that life is kind of like that too. We’re so worried and concerned during the “foggy” parts, and then the sun comes out at the perfect time and everything is beautiful again. Sometimes the sun doesn’t come out when we want it to, but that’s ok. Because it has to come out at some point, and it’s never in our timing. I think that describes my family situation right now as we deal with our loss. There were all these clouds, and there still are, but the sun is going to come out. We’re still confused as to the why, and we may never know, but the sun is coming out. It’s going to be a beautiful day again.

Next we went to see penguins, which was super cool! They were so cute, and the babies were out and it was adorable. After that, it was a trip Cape Point, or as I grew up to know it, the Cape of Good Hope. We went to both since they’re in the same park, but it was easy to get them confused. Anyways, it was absolutely beautiful. One of those things I’ll have to put pictures up of one of these days. We also had a mini safari along the way, complete with baboons, ostriches, and antelope.  I ended up walking down from the point by myself, and there was another point of reflections for my day. I ended up thinking about time, and how we plan it so meticulously as if we have so much of it to spare. In reality, time is unknowing. We don’t know when anything is going to happen. We may plan for it, but so many things can occur to throw our plans that we don’t consider. My uncle was young in comparison to many. Who knew that his life would be cut that short? And why should I not take risks in my life in order to make sure my time is worth it? Why shouldn’t I reach out and do all those things that we’re absolutely scared of in order to make sure the time I have on Earth is as efficient as possible? So many sailors came around the Cape with no clue of where they were going or what was going to happen, but it was the idea of finding out and taking that leap. We must take leaps, and pray that we affect lives in positive ways in the process.

Like I said, a great day for reflection.

 

Khayelitsha

Sounds beautiful huh?

Well unfortunately, Khayelitsha is a township on the edge of Cape Town. It took us a solid 30 minutes to get there from the city center, which is ridiculous when you think about how people often need to work in the city every day. The name is Xhosa for New City and is reportedly the largest and fastest growing township in the country. About 500,000 people live there, most of which unfortunately in homes that many of us would not find suitable for any living condition. A large majority of people come form the Eastern Cape and move there for better job opportunities and health care, and it’s a major site for TAC, who works in at least 3 clinics there. The HIV rate is an astounding 32% and the majority of people are unemployed. Needless to say, it was an eye opening experience for me to spend a day there learning about how TAC is going to improve its evaluation of their work.  I visited a clinic where we talked to the manager about how to get information like how many people are served and how many people are remaining on the ARVs and things like that. It’s interesting to me that an established organization is just now finding things like this to get together, but I’m glad Colin is helping them with that and that we’re helping the organization overall.

Last night we had dinner with Johnny Copelyn, one of the richest men in South Africa. He’s the CEO of about 5 companies, used to be a member of Parliament, and was the head of South African Clothing and Textiles Workers Union (SACTWU), where we have people taking oral histories as their internship. He’s really personable and was interesting to talk to, a great way to hear the business side of running an union. Of course, I was so tired that I was struggling, but I tell people all the time that I’m not meant to be talked at for more than 15 minutes. I will fall asleep. College does not fit my attention span.

But today, I’m back in the office trying to finish up the database, excited about the Korean restaurant I’m going to for lunch and even more excited that its Friday! This week absolutely flew by, and this weekend we’re going to Cape Point! Penguins! Yay!

Reflections…

I had to blog after the reflection session we just had. Every week we have “reflection sessions” in which we sit around and talk about anything really. Typically it would be about our feelings toward South Africa and what we’re learning about ourselves, blah blah blah. However, here in Cape Town we think almost everything DukeEngage comes up with to restrict us within their ideals is stupid sooo.. we go along with our own way of having sessions by simply asking what everyone’s up to and through the basic structure of appreciations, questions, and concerns.

Today’s started out fine, everyone talking about what they were doing at work, etc. And through looking first at the South African education system (very broadly), we began to talk about how in some places we can feel alienated through our races, and how people define white and themselves and “others”, and how we all want to be “othered” or we look for the “other”. Not to be cliche, but I’m pretty sure these are the conversations we try to have on our engage experience.  So I felt the need to blog about that. And I’m sure there’s tons more I could say but I always think it’s interesting to think of where my ideas of race come from, and it makes me glad to know that I try to think about it with as much openness as possible without disregarding my own views, because I do believe they’re there for a reason, and race is not something that can or will simply go away. This is the reason I’m an African-American Studies major, as well as history with a concentration in the diaspora 🙂

Food: The restaurant I went to yesterday was Clark’s. It was decent. We had dinner at the B&B today, and oddly enough I haven’t been hungry lately. We eat too much for that. Oh well.

Reading: I’m currently reading The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson. It’s my first book by him, but I’ve been meaning to read him for a while. One thing I love about summer is how much time I have to read for myself and my enjoyment. The Harlem Renaissance writers are always enlightening.

Work: I’m almost done redoing the database! There’s some modifications that need to be made, but I like my work so far. Hopefully I’ll be able to get out this week and do something a little different for a day.

Continue to keep my family in your thoughts and prayers. My uncle’s funeral is Saturday, and my dad has to make the ridiculous drive (13 hours) essentially by himself.  It’s going to mark the exact halfway point for my time here. I may be counting down the days until I leave, but still appreciating my time here. Ok, bedtime awaits.

Shhhhh…

I’m writing from work! *tee hee*

Sunday was fun! After a great church service about the transistion of power and how God is preparing young people to take over the old before they retire (based off the story of Saul and David), we went to the V&A Waterfront for shopping and a movie! Well, I went for the movie. Me, Angie, Caroline, Irina, and Rose saw Snow White and the Huntsman, which was surprisingly not bad, even with Kristen Stewart. I of course had popcorn (my favorite movie snack), and since I was hungry I also had some M&Ms. After ruining my popcorn with nasty butter salt, I still managed to eat an entire medium bag. After the movie we went to Beluga and had some pretty good sushi for 1/2 off!

The Portguese restaurant we went to Saturday was Toni’s on Kloof, and the food was GREAT.  I had a Mozambican chicken curry and it was amazing.  Everyone loved their food. Saturday night everyone was tired so we chilled, which was good.

Tonight we plan to have a home-cooked dinner by Professor Chafe, our accompanying faculty, and with dishes made by each room. Me and Rachel are making chips and guacamole since our cooking skills are not amazing. So far our dinner should include pork in prosciutto, salad, asparagus, and potatoes. Sounds great to me! I’m not remembering where we planned to go for lunch. I’m sure it will be good regardless.

On a more serious note, my uncle passed away Saturday morning. I want nothing more to be with my family right now, but I also understand that these things happen for a reason and there’s a reason why I’m not there. I thank God for the family I have everyday, because as evidenced, we never know when we’re going to see them again. My uncle was a loving father, brother,  and an amazing person, and I’m lucky for the time I spent with him here on Earth. For anyone who prays, please keep my family on your prayer list.

Also, a belated Happy Father’s Day to all the father’s out there! My father and godfather are some of the most influential people in my life, and I’m proud to call them my fathers. I pray that one day my children will have men to look up to similar to them! Have a marvelous Monday everyone!