Monday, July 23, 2012

8PM on Saturday--4PM on Monday Cape Town Time

I've finally arrived safe and sound at CasaSito in Antigua, a little late but, here I am.  The plane rides were okay--I must not have chosen my seats online because I was in the middle on both 11+ hours flights.  The transition in Mexico City was chaos--after spending an hour trying to get through customs just to recheck my bag and get on the plane again, there were no monitors that had my flight information on them!   So I tried to go through security and they told me my flight was leaving from a different terminal that I had to take a train to! With only 30 minutes until my flight was scheduled to take off I had to wait 10 minutes for the train...while I was waiting for the train I finally found my flight on the screen but it didn't show what gate it was leaving from.  Arriving at the other terminal my gate was finally posted and it still said it was on time so I was really worried I'd miss it--I had 15 minutes.  Then I had to have my bag searched at security for liquids and I ran to the terminal to find a mass of several hundred people waiting at the counters.  I thought for sure I'd miss my flight then but, when I finally reached the guard, he said my flight wasn't boarding yet.  As it turns out, they have one gate full of buses to reach different planes but they only board one plane at a time so all of those people were waiting for different flights to Acupulco, Guatemala, San Lucas del Cabo, etc. etc.  Phew.  At least I made it and I promptly fell asleep when I got to my seat a half hour later, waking up only to hear that we weren't able to land in the city because the pilot couldn't see the runway.  So, we circled the city for a while waiting for a clear shot at the runway.  So my flight that was supposed to arrive at 10:40 actually arrived at 11:40 and my ride was ready and waiting to get home on a dreary, rainy night.  Then...arriving in Antigua at 1:20AM  (now 9:20 in the morning Cape Town time...people were already at their volunteer placements), there was not answer at the CasaSito door.  We stood in the rain knocking and ringing the bell for a few minutes before giving up and going to a hotel associated with the shuttle company.  They were accommodating and got me right to a room but only had Q200 rooms available (when I was planning to pay Q80 at CasaSito).  It was nice to be in a bed finally!   This morning, I waited until 7 for the hot water to come on as the posted sign said but it wasn't there.  Then, I thought I'd use the internet while I was waiting but it wouldn't connect.  So, I was really thankful to see my friend who owns the hotel come to help me with my luggage and he offered me a ride to CasaSito.  Well, here I am, 44 hours later, comfortable and ready to meet with Alice before I catch my shuttle up to Coban.  Talking with other volunteers at the house, I'm excited to be back and look forward to settling in for the next 6 weeks to learn Q'eqchi' while meeting people in Coban and processing my experiences in Cape Town.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Final Checklist


Headed into my last week, I have my final checklist.
See wild animals in the wild—Tydon Safari at Sabi Sands and Kruger!
See a prison and learn about history--Robben Island
Climb something—Table Mountain and Lion’s Head
See penguins in the wild—Boulder’s Beach Penguins
Visit the Southeastern-most point of Africa--Cape of Good Hope
See a whale—Two Oceans Marine Eco-Tour
Buy an African print skirt—Women’s Market on Long Street
Show off at trivia—Mr. Pickwicks with CCS Volunteers and Alex (Did you know that Kruger National Park was called Sabi first?)
Buy some flats—Croc’s Outlet in Access Park
Arrange housing and transport for Guatemala—CasaSito, Dona Martita, and Coban Travels
Pay for Q’eqchi’ classes—Oxford Language School
o Finish 5+ reports about placement
o Finish UM requirements for placement
o Do some hiking…somewhere
o Buy an African Bushprint T-shirt and a Vangie Coker album
o Finish reading a couple books that I have to leave here
o Send the postcards I bought a month and a half ago
o Mandela Day 67 minutes of service
o Buy travel health insurance for Guatemala
o Visit with Ayanna!
o Jump off the highest commercial bungee jump bridge in the world?!
o One last session at the high school?
o Say bye to staff and other volunteers :(
o Don’t get sick
o Pack…
Seems do-able. But I better get moving!

Friday, June 29, 2012

4 middle weeks


So, Honey (my aunt) arrives tonight and we leave for Kruger just a few short hours later!  Just realizing that it’s been about a month since my last update!  The middle 4 weeks of the CCS program has just flown by and I anticipate the remaining 4 weeks to do the same.
At the end of last week, I met with my supervisor to review my accomplishments so far this summer and lay out my plans for the remaining weeks.  Highlights include: assessing, revising, and piloting a survey that Cross Cultural Solutions administers to all volunteers to assess the impact of the experience on the volunteer's personal growth and development; designing, piloting, and revising two volunteer reflection meetings including an "effective volunteer" and "identity" workshop; helping to design and facilitate a meeting with all of Cross Cultural Solution's partner CBOs about strengthening the partnership; getting to know 3 (soon to be 4) different groups of volunteers; facilitating a support at a nearby high school; visiting interesting museums like the District 6 Museum and the Slave Lodge; attending several informative documentaries in the South African Documentary Film Festival; hiking Table Mountain and Lion's Head (3 times); and, of course, visiting the penguin colony! 
My role as a CCS volunteer intern continues to bring new surprises as I’m faced with additional tasks that build on my skills as a social work student.  I’ve written more reports this summer than I have ever done before—documenting everything I do so that anyone would be able to repeat the things I’ve done or pick up where I left off.  I’ve also developed and implemented interactive programs for volunteers, partner organizations, and teens at a local high school—the process of documenting why I choose each activity or discussion topic then reflecting on how each activity goes and making recommendations for the future has really helped me understand the concept of best-practices and is certainly giving me much needed experience for my future.  I was even asked to create community profiles for each of the areas where we work!
Other things that have happened since the last update include the Partner Program Workshop, 3 sessions of the teen program at Oval North, my first and second visits to Mama Africa, the entirety of Encounters: South African Documentary Film Festival, a job interview and denial, a workshop on identity, Youth Day, a new group arrived, World Refugee Day, World Music Day, my first rugby match, a trip to Stellenbosch, a third attempt to visit Robben Island, and two Center for Conflict Resolution book releases/lectures.
Let’s break that down a little…
Partner Program Workshop:  This was one of the central aspects of my volunteer experience.  With CCS Staff, I helped to develop the agenda to make the workshop with CCS partner organizations (where they send volunteers) interactive and effective.  We used the symbol of a tree throughout the day to represent the foundation of the CCS/Partner relationship (the roots), actions and characteristics that maintain a strong partnership (the trunk), and the reach of the impact (the branches representing the reach and the fruit representing the impact).  It was exciting for me because I got the opportunity to meet leaders from 10+ organizations around Cape Town and hear their perspectives on working with international volunteers.
3 sessions of the teen program at Oval North: As a typical social work experience, nothing went as planned.  I developed lesson plans that I hoped would get the group comfortable and chatting then ready to take action.  It was good to be prepared and the three sessions we did have went really well but different people attended the sessions so there was little room for continuity and the attendance dwindled off as holiday break began (it’s mid-winter holiday until July 16th).  Either way, it was great practice for me to develop and attempt to implement a group plan.  It was also valuable for me to meet learners from Mitchell’s Plain and learn about their experiences growing up and plans for the future.  I plan to pick up where we left off during the first week of school and attempt to create a transition plan so that this group may continue in the future, if desired.
My first and second visits to Mama Africa: I honestly wasn’t planning to visit Mama Africa while I was here in Cape Town.  http://www.mamaafricarestaurant.co.za/en/  It’s one of the obvious stops for tourists on Long Street where you can indulge in a platter of kudu, springbok, crocodile, and ostrich with a side of warthog if you so wish.   Clearly meant to “look like Africa,” the place does serve some authentic vegetarian dishes as well.  The experience turned out to be fun and the staff are refreshingly incredible at making you feel comfortable and cared for throughout the entire dining experience.
The entirety of Encounters: South African Documentary Film Festival: This was a surprising highlight to my time in South Africa.  As a fan of documentaries, when I heard about this, I headed right to the movie theatre to get a frequent movie-goers card because I knew I’d want to attend many of the screenings.  In the end, I attended 5 film screenings (of 100+ screenings of 30+ films) and enjoyed each of them.
iThemba was an Al Jazeera film about a group of youth who talked about their experiences living with disabilities in Zimbabwe then had the opportunity to travel as a band to perform around the United States.  It had some interesting political commentary about the economic situation in Zimbabwe of which I had no idea…here’s the conversion (it’s okay, you can laugh…then go read about it!): 1.00 USD = 92,233,720,368,547,760.00 ZWD; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperinflation_in_Zimbabwe; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703730804576314953091790360.html
Libya-Through the Fire was an Al Jazeera documentary about a man at the center of social networking throughout the Libyan revolution.  It provided a focused, on the ground view of the revolution and demonstrated the energy that went into making the news known to the world.
The Sunny Side of Sex followed a Dutch woman to Uganda to talk with frank African women about sex.  It’s quite socially acceptable to discuss the process and anatomy and to practice with aunties (paternal aunt). In fact, there are even commercial aunties for hire if you don’t have your own.  Men can have their own lessons, too!
The Cut was about female circumcision.  Painful to watch, it was actually difficult to follow but the point was clear—FGM is painful, many girls don’t want to do it, it’s performed at a very young age, and it’s very ritualistic.  It showed a packed safe house where girls can run away to leading up to the date of the ritual…unfortunately, they still have to go home afterward and face their families and the social pressure.
The final film was A Common Purpose about the Upington 25, a group of black men who were collectively charged in 1985 with murdering a black police officer.  They were charged together because of the “Common Purpose Law” which allowed large groups to be charged with the same crime because they were all there for the same intent, regardless of who made the assault or the death blow.  The film follows the lawyer who was on their case and jumps back and forth between actual footage and photos from 1985 to interview updates with the accused.  The interesting thing about this one was the Q & A to follow with the film’s producer and the lawyer in the film.
A job interview and denial: The position I’m studying social work for at the Ginsberg Center for Service-Learning opened up this spring and I applied as soon as I found out.  The position was for Coordinator of Co-Curricular Service Learning—in short—working with student groups to make the most of a service learning experience and contributing to the overall progress of the Ginsberg Center.  It was a long-shot to apply, however because I don’t graduate until December and they would certainly need someone to start ASAP to be fully functional throughout the school year.  Unfortunately, it’s not quite my time yet to become a Ginsberg staff member but I’ll keep trying and stay involved in the meantime as I have been for several years!  I’m also looking forward to filling up my schedule with interesting classes for my final semester then spending some time in Guatemala volunteering with CasaSito again and (“hopefully”) beginning some research on the best-practices and impact of student groups serving with Guatemalan NGOs and communities.
A workshop on identity: Just as it sounds. I integrated identity reflection activities into an “Imbizo” (gathering) where volunteers and staff spoke about their experiences with their identities and interactions with others.  This related to how international volunteers enter and experience African culture, how staff receive and interact with volunteers, how South Africans overcome engrained prejudices leftover from the Apartheid era, and how volunteers relate their experience entering a new culture and interacting with new identities to their own countries and home communities. 
Youth Day: South African celebrates Youth Day to commemorate the 1976 youth uprisings when youth in cities and townships throughout South Africa spoke out against forced Afrikaans language in schools and many were shot, abused, or tortured in jail for their views.  To celebrate, I attended a panel discussion on the role of white youth in the struggle.  It was an interesting and inspiring conversation to witness and empowering to see a church-full of youth gathered together to ask, “what now”?
A new group arrived: I have really been enjoying this new group though their first two weeks have gone by so fast!  Most of them seem thrilled to be here, learning about South Africa and helping at their placements.  Not looking forward to their departure.
World Refugee Day: Another day to recognize suffering, World Refugee Day was celebrated with a big event at Scalabrini Centre with music, movies, art, and a “Peace Tree.”  The event was organized by Scalabrini volunteers and well-attended by the public.  After the event, we stumbled upon a bookshop around the corner that was hosting a book release about refugee women and their stories.  That was a lucky find…the presentation was interesting and the discussion afterward was even more enlightening.  We spoke with a girl from Burundi who is looking forward to studying social work but cannot get scholarships to study because she is not a South African citizen and the current situation for refugees is one of transition and uncertainty.
World Music Day: This was bound to be a cool day—apparently on this day every year, venues around the world put on La Fete de La Musique, providing free music performances in obscure locations throughout the day.  Excited to visit a music venue on Long Street that I had yet to visit, we planned to go there after Mama Africa. Upon arrival, the staff had no clue what I was talking about when I said we were there for World Music Day celebrations.   Apparently, the Cape Town event organizers cancelled the morning of and had never actually informed the venues that they’d planned to host bands there…
My first rugby match: And Baby Boks won!!!  Just our luck, we bought tickets (for $3) for the championship game! Not only did I learn rugby, I got to experience a full stadium and see South Africa win against the favored “All Blacks” (New Zealand).  This was the under 20 league but it was still well attended and they were supported just as if they were the adult team!
A trip to Stellenbosch: Was less incredible than anticipated.  We visited a touristy wine estate—though I didn’t care about the wine, I was excited to learn about the history of the estate and I didn’t really get a lot of that.  Instead I walked around with headphones on listening to a fictional story about a slave woman who was about to be freed—we learned at the end of the walk (not even from the recording) that she drown in the river two years before freedom…hmm.  Anyway, the estate is also known for it’s sustainability initiatives so it was a good surprise to see some signs about that.  The city of Stellenbosch was like a ghost town the day we went because, built around Stellenbosch University, it was the start of winter holiday and all of the students were away.  It was nice to walk around and look at the old buildings, though…and to get out of Cape Town for the first time since I arrived!
A third attempt to visit Robben Island: While waiting in line to board the ferry, our group was approached by an American woman who explained that she and her husband brought her father and stepmother to South Africa for her dad’s 70th birthday but she wasn’t able to get Robben Island tickets (her bad travel agent told her she didn’t need to book in advance…fired).  Four of us happily sold her our tickets and went right up to the ticket counter to buy four more for two weeks later.  We’ll try again next week!
Two Center for Conflict Resolution book releases/lectures: The Center for Conflict Resolution is a very left-thinking South African think tank that hosts lectures, book releases, and other events.  I was lucky enough to have two happen in one week—the first about white exiles organizing in London and being central to the Apartheid struggle and the second about a comparison of Mandela and Mbeki who were both post-Apartheid presidents but viewed by society in very different lights.  The first lecture, a panel, was much more interesting and engaging than the second but both had some feisty Q & As that helped me think a little deeper and question global affairs.
Anyway, I realized today that, the way the CCS program works, my final meeting is THIS THURSDAY because I will already be gone when the next group has their final week!  It’s time to start reflecting on what this experience has meant and wrapping things up—good thing I started doing that here!
Off to Kruger National Park for a 4-day safari adventure!

Monday, June 4, 2012

Africa Day at Oval North


May 25 was Africa Day, which commemorates the founding of the Organization of African Unity, joined by 30 out of 32 independent African states. 
Oval North, a high school in Mitchell’s Plain (a designated colored township, built as they forced District 6 residents out of the city in the 1960s and 70s) celebrated Africa Day with a morning assembly to celebrate Africa’s freedom and future.   After visiting the courts with their school nurse/counselor/wellness program coordinator/etc. last week, I was invited to attend this event with the volunteer who was placed there.  There was a lot of excitement in the school since the “learners” (what they call students) were permitted to wear “something that represented Africa” instead of their school uniforms.  Further, it was the volunteer’s last day there so she had a lot of good byes to be said and there was always a buzz when she’d walk through the hallways (she was the first American volunteer to help at the school so she was immediately elevated to celebrity status as soon as she stepped through the gate).  As we cruised through the hallways people asked her to take pictures with them and over the course of the morning we both acquired enough clothing and jewelry and tribal face paintings to look like native Africans.
The assembly started 3 hours after school started but certainly no one had done any studying that morning despite exams starting next Monday; instead we heard the band practicing, saw learners painting each other faces, and others making posters to decorate for and celebrate Africa Day.  The assembly started with the student-led school band energizing the audience and the “honored guests” (speakers and other outside guests like myself) were escorted in by girls dressed in tribal wear.  The entire assembly was arranged by students and a new teacher in the school who has certainly taken the lead on school improvement and empowerment activities. 
The astonishing emcee was a popular student who always had the crowd cheering and laughing.  Honestly, his intercessions were really among the most inspiring, impactful pieces of the event.   He would reiterate the most important points that the speakers said in case students weren’t paying attention to the important messages about history, freedom, education, the future, and HIV/AIDS.  The speakers were well planned, however, and included a gentleman from South Africa History Online who talked about the origins of Africa Day and how education is the future; a woman from University of the Western Cape who spoke about a leadership and dialogue program they have at the school and shared her HIV status to make a point that the learners should make good choices; and our very own volunteer who gave one of the more inspiring talks of the morning about how excellent their school is (it really is advanced…it’s specialized to business and engineering students) and encouraged the youth to stay in school so they could achieve great things (tear).  As the emcee commentated, other schools would bring in help to plan and present an assembly of this caliber, but Oval North had everything it needed to make an incredible event—their lively band played popular songs and had the learners up and dancing or at least rocking in their place while a clearly exhilarated principal tried to maintain order by keeping the youth seated, their choir (by far the most popular) sang traditional African songs with dancing and solos that really got the crowd going, and a drill squad that marched and drummed a salute to Africans and their departing volunteer (an “honorary African”).
Inspired by the students at Oval North, I asked to arrange an afternoon placement there.  After discussions with CCS and Oval North staff, I learned of a couple of issues affecting students and heard concern from the principal that those students would not complete their education, resulting in a bleak future for them and their children.  Last week, I developed a proposal for a 6-week group session to carry out with a group of these learners.  I’m looking forward to sharing more about how this progresses though many of the details of the program will be kept confidential to protect those involved.  Please feel free to contact me directly for more details about this program.

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

***P.S. Click here for the best deals in Cape Town***


So my mother raised me to be frugal and we’ve always prided ourselves on finding the best things to on vacation at little or no cost.  So, here’s my list so far of no to low cost attractions in Cape Town.
#7 The Labia
There are two art circuit theaters called The Labia here in Cape Town.  There are some strange films but, you’ll also find some mainstream movies there that are considered “art-y.”  You won’t find the “Lorax” or “Avengers” films here but others like “Young Adult” or “Shame” (current as of this blog post) play regularly and it will only cost you R35 to see a movie there compared to R80 at the big theatres.  Plus popcorn is only R10 and a Coke in a glass bottle for R12.  For under R60, you can have an entire movie-going experience at an old-fashioned theatre.
#6 Nelson Mandela Gateway
Commonly known as the Gateway to the ferry to Robben Island, this beautiful building is also a museum with interesting exhibits of its own.  While waiting for the people to come back from the Robben Island Tour (which you should probably splurge for, too), you can look around the museum which currently has an exhibit about a Jewish, communist couple that was involved in the resistance and the husband became a political prisoner while the wife and children faced many challenges and exile themselves.  The exhibit seems to be rotating but there will surely be something interesting there at any given time.
Nearby you’ll find Nobel Square which houses bronze statues of the 4 South African Nobel Peace Prize Winners and many quotes written in multiple languages recognizing their work and contributions to peace.  Also, the giant Coca-Cola Man is a very interesting Waterfront attraction.
#5 Hiking the Mountains
There’s plenty of hiking to do in Table Mountain National Park.
Table Mountain: 1.5-3 hours up the rocky, stair-like pass to the flat top overlooking the city and beach.   NOT free to go down the Cable Car but it’s a nice ride since it spins you around so everyone in the car can see all angles of the view.  FREE to hike down but I would have been too nervous to run down like some of the brave, fit people out there and “hiking” down would require a lot of sitting and sliding.

Lions Head: 45 minutes-2 hours up the steep, well maintained path that turns into skinny, rocky trails where you have to hug the cliff and even use chains and handlebars to reach the very, very top.  Completely free up and down and there’s a convenient sign on the drive there that says whether it’s safe to climb or not.
Devil’s Peak: It’s on my list. All I know so far is that it’s free and that the trail goes past a reserve that houses some zebras.
The 12 Apostles: I don't know yet if you can climb these but wouldn’t it be awesome to say that you hiked the Devil’s Peak then the 12 Apostles in 12 weeks?
#4 Old Biscuit Mill (or one of the many other lovely farmer’s markets or organic festivals)
Pesto Princess Queen size tub of Basil Pesto for R45 ($5.60 while the USD is strong) and a full freshly-baked that morning baguette served from a old trailer for R15 (less than $2).  Don’t get me wrong. Old Biscuit Mill has its scene and the gourmet sandwiches can be decently pricey.  However, if you buy smart, you can have breakfast (baguette with basil pesto), lunch (baguette with basil pesto), snacks (baguette with basil pesto), and just add some shredded cheese to have a well-rounded dinner (gourmet pesto grilled cheese on baguette).  Yes, that was my meal schedule last Saturday…and I still have plenty of pesto left over to spice up some other meals (macaroni and cheese with pesto…grilled fake chicken patty sandwich with cheese and pesto…curried vegetables with pesto?...well I’m not sure about that one.) 
#3 Green Point to Camps Bay boardwalk
This tour is completely free and wonderful in so many ways (See Blog Post 6).  To recap…
First, Cape Town is such a dog friendly city, there’s no shortage of dogs to play with along the way.  In my quasi-experimental study, 100% of the respondents enjoyed talking about their dogs. Tip: Just ask someone about their dog and you and the dog can enjoy some bonding time while the owner goes off about their furry family member.
Second, if coming from the Waterfront, you’ll encounter a breaker wall that sometimes sends waves crashing over the barrier and onto the sidewalk much to the delight of children at heart or dismay of tourists with cameras.  Basically, a “Waterpark at the Waterfront” that doesn't cost you $35/ticket.
Third, everywhere from the City through the Southern Suburbs all the way down to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope is part of the national park system.  Along the boardwalk, you’ll find some beaches which would probably be nice in the summer and even a place where you can walk down to the rocks right in the ocean by the breaker wall.  Enjoy the rocks near the staircase (careful, they might be slippery or covered in teeny-tiny baby snails) but you probably shouldn’t venture out to the larger ones…one local woman passed on the warning that people have been killed there when the larger waves come in.
Fourth, playgrounds are so creative here in Cape Town…along this path you’ll encounter some standard playgrounds but also a field of horse statues with horns in their mouths and…other ends…that connect the horses to each other so playground attendees can enjoy conversations across the field from one another…Where else can you literally say that the words your friend must be talking from a horse’s a**?!
Tip: Combine #4 with #3 and you’ve got yourself a great day! 




Tip tip: The boardwalk from the Waterfront to Camps Bay is an estimated 10K…perfect run or what?
#2 Penguin Park at Simon’s Town
As you’ll see in Lonely Planet, they do charge a good chunk of Rand to enter the museum or penguin beach but those are totally unnecessary.  There’s also a well-maintained National Park boardwalk that walks you right through penguin nesting grounds and down to a rocky overlook where the penguins like to hang out and bask in the sun.  Exploring a little further, there’s a tight squeeze trail that heads out to Boulder Beach where you can watch individual penguins enjoying the peace and quiet or swimming in the shallow waters near the edge.  Here you’ll also encounter Simon’s Town-ians strolling down from their beachfront mansions to walk their dogs. 
Certainly, Sea World can’t match a wild penguin show and natural breeding grounds for $50/ticket.
You could even try to ride the train there for free but…WARNING…if they ask for your ticket and you don’t have one they’ll take you into a little room, intimidate you, then demand that you pay for your ticket.  Really, it’s probably better to just buy the USD1.50 ticket…first class, that is.

#1 Top attraction and surprise of the year…..
[insert image of soft-serve cone]
R2.95 cones at McDonald’s!***
Seriously, this takes the cake…for a person who visits McDonald’s only once a year for a minty Shamrock Shake and an occasional Sweet Tea, I’ve been there at least 3 times since I discovered this amazing deal about a week and a half ago.  R2.95 was a mere 42 cents when we found out about the deal and now only 36 cents since the Rand has taken a plunge in anticipation of upcoming Greek elections. Fortunately, there’s no McDonald’s in Rondebosch so my ice cream cone diet is restricted to trips downtown when I can convince the others to stop at McDonald’s with me (believe me…not a hard thing to do).
***NOTE: I would not otherwise condone the consumption of McDonald’s products or support of their factory farming mega-dynasty.  Please only support the soft-serve

Well, I hope this helps some other frugal travelers find their way in Cape Town.  Overall, the cabs are cheap in comparison to Ann Arbor; the food at the fancier restaurants is comparable in cost to a standard meal at Macaroni Grill though they don’t fill you up on that delicious bread before your meal arrives like most Americans look forward to…some will provide modest appetizers; renting a car might be the cheaper way to go but watch “Jerusalema” and you’ll surely think twice; and you certainly don’t need to pay R80 to ride that Ferris wheel at the Waterfront to see the best views in town.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Seeking North Face Sponsorship


Like an ad for North Face, several other volunteers and I hiked and climbed (literally) to the top of Lion’s Head this week in a mere 45 minutes (guide sites suggest that it should take 2-3 hours).  It was quite a workout and made us feel like important rock climbers when we had to hang onto the chains and handles drilled into the side of the mountain (not as difficult as it sounds).  The view from the top was well worth it…unlike Table Mountain where you only get a 180 degree view of the city and beach, the top of Lion’s Head affords a beautiful view in any direction.  To the North, we could see the “Waterfront” and the World Cup Stadium. To the East, most of the city including Bo Kaap, City Bowl, and the highways that lead out to the suburbs and townships.  To the South, we could see Table Mountain (which didn’t look so high from where we were) and the 12 Apostles following it right along the coastline toward Hout Bay.  And, to the West, we had a complete view of the coastline from the Sea Point neighborhood through Camps Bay (the Laguna Beach of Cape Town, if you will).  Also at this angle we could see the paragliders as they flew off the side of Lion’s Head out over the water before landing in soccer fields or on the beach.
Tomorrow, I’m headed off to an Africa Day celebration at the placement site of one of the other volunteers (a high school).  Last week, I went with her and the coordinator she works with (the school nurse, counselor, gardener, and Peace Club leader) to visit a local court.  The “auntie” (an endearing term that South Africans use to address older women…sisi would be for someone my age) we went with works with a non-profit that supports victims of domestic violence in the court system.  She wanted to show the volunteer and I the “real Cape Town” so she showed us around the court system and we got to talk to a social worker who manages the Witness Waiting Room.  Anyway, this experience turned into an invitation to attend this special day at the high school where the students will celebrate their African heritage and honor their first international volunteer by singing her…the Star Spangled Banner.  This afternoon we listened to the South African national anthem at least 20 times hoping that we could learn it before tomorrow.  So far all I can remember is “Nkosi sikelel iAfrika…” It’s a really nice national anthem that has verses in Zulu, Sutu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, English, and maybe even a couple others; it was a protest song during Apartheid.
Well, we’re losing 4 more volunteers this week but have 14 coming in!  It’s going to be sad to lose some people that I’ve gotten to know in the past 4 weeks but I’m really looking forward to attending the orientation sessions with the new and getting to know them, too!

The Power of Experience


Last week was the final week of Cultural & Learning Activities with CCS and also the last week for one of our group members. 
We visited the District 6 Museum and got first hand accounts from our very own driver who was born and married there.  His schoolmate was a co-founder of the museum which had some very cool features including most of the original street signs from the area before it was demolished to become a “whites only” area and all of the black and coloured residents were forcibly moved to separate townships.  There is also a bench, marked “Europeans Only” that anyone can now occupy without issue. Both of the now 68-year-old schoolboys talked about how lively and accepting the area was when they were growing up until the forced removals began in the 1960s. 
We also went to a famous restaurant in Guguleto called Mzoli’s where all of the internationally renowned chefs visit when they come to Cape Town then to a community center to see local artists perform traditional African dances.  We also had a visitor to Home Base named Themba who told a musical story about the reconciliation process.  He explained the role of the Truth and Reconciliation committee in overcoming the hurt and anger leftover from the bitter Apartheid era and how his organization finds ways to bring music and art to the healing process.
Over the weekend, the other volunteers and I spent a day walking the boardwalk on the waterfront.  We thoroughly enjoyed the free “waterpark attractions” when the waves would crash against the break wall sending a downpour of water onto the sidewalk.  We also stopped at every playground and dog park along the way to play on the seesaws and pet other people’s dogs.
These past few weeks, I’ve been thinking about how amazing the power of experience can be.   Through the experiences and encounters I’ve already had here in South Africa, I have a newly piqued interest in:
·      The impact of short term volunteering on childhood development.  I’m concerned about/interested in the lasting results of volunteers forming relationships with children then disappearing over time.  The goal is to have steady care for the children and volunteers can provide that but, in many cases, they are different people every few weeks.
·      Having learned so much about the history already, I’m really interested in the reconciliation process and the power of forgiveness.  I should have already been interested in this since it’s so connected to what I already know about Guatemala but there’s much more out there to learn and I’m excited to get started!  I’m hoping to get into courses in the School of Public Policy about Reconciliation and Peace building for my last semester the fall! I should be well prepared!
·      Africa in general—honestly, before I came, I wasn’t very interested or willing to learn more about the continent, it’s geography, history, cultures, current political and social situations, etc.  I think I was overwhelmed by the massive amounts of information there is to know and learn.
·      I’ve always been interested in the role of religious institutions/missionaries in development and have a renewed interest after some discussions with the group.
·      I was interested in immigration but never really thought about refugees.  After our meeting with Scalabrini Refugee Centre, I realized the hardships that refugees face integrating into a new society after escaping serious hardships in their countries of origin.  Immigrants in general can be a link to learning about another culture and country.
·      I’m finally developing an interest in HIV/AIDS.  Despite learning about it and being presented with many opportunities to learn about and care about it, I just never really understood the significance of the virus and disease.  Being in the country with the highest infection rate, I realize how it can so seriously affect families and communities.  I hope to take advantage of a mini-course in the fall on this topic.
There are probably many more that I can’t think of now but I certainly look forward to exploring these topics more thoroughly.