Have my years and years of education taught me nothing?
It's debatable. Grant and I have misread probably every flight plan we have had this summer.
The first, less problematic error was leaving Pretoria. We thought that we had an early morning flight on Friday morning so we decided to try and crash Jo-Burg for an afternoon. We booked a backpacker near the airport that supposedly offered free rides to the airport. Upon getting to the backpacker (an adventure in and of itself) we were greeted by a minorly sketchy middle aged man who basically owns this house that he has set up as a backpacker...The vibe was odd to put it nicely. It wasn't the cleanest of places. It wasn't the most welcoming of places. It was one of the quirkiest places. We then were asked about what time we would like a ride to the airport the next day. Consulting our itinerary we discovered that the flight didn't leave until 8:30 PM the next day. No big deal, we would have more time in Jo-burg to see the highly esteemed Apartheid museum at a leisurely pace which would be nice. That afternoon we wandered around the neighborhood...which was kind of a scary environment. We found a mall eventually after a long, long row of car dealerships and small hole in the wall shops that sold things like used cells and leather. Let me tell you I've never been happier to see a mall establishment in my life. We then feasted at Wimpy's (a fast food like diner...) Another one of those never been happier moments. We were probably in Wimpy's for up near two hours, trying to kill time before returning to our scary prison like backpacker. Luckily when we got back more people had arrived...made us feel a little more secure I guess. The rest of the afternoon Grant and I took pretentious to the highest of heights and kept eachother company with a little Richard the III and Hamlet...We were literally sitting in the same top bunk, reading Shakespeare for protection and escape. We napped then cooked a foul dinner on a propane stove 6 inches under a thatched roof (safe!?) whose makings were bought at a shady grocer down the road (let's just say the bag we bought the rice in was sticky)... We called it an early night...I took sleeping pills so that I could have some semblance of an easy night's rest. Unfortunately from around 4 am on I woke up every hour on the hour...why?!?!?
At 7 we arose...greeting the day ready to be out of there asap. We booked a taxi but then Grant concientiously asked how expensive it would be to get into Joburg and back...the number was a whopping 700 rand. Not really in the budget. Soooo we decided to skip it and just hang by the pool for the day. That was going well until the manager decided that if we wanted to stay the day we would have to pay for an entire day and night's stay...nooooo thanks. So we got in a taxi at around 11 am and hung out at the Jo-Burg airport for 9-ish hours...It's a wonderful place :) highlights include feasting in the airport food court. Nertz at Spur. Naps in the prayer room. waiting in many many lines just to be told that we were too early for our flight. carting around our luggage all day...etc. I crack it up to be a terrible experience, but you know after a summer of relatively easy traveling with no glitches one unexpected day in an airport is really not that bad. At least we were optimistic and in each other's good company.
With this little debaucle behind us we decided to check our flight info home...and true to form these days we had misread that too! We get into NY a day later than we thought and thus into Seattle a day later as well. Bummer. I'm a little stressed about this at the moment, but I'm trying to just relax and realize that it will work out and that I will get home...Mostly I just feel a little incompetant.
Needless to say we were OVERJOYED to be back in Cape Town. It really does feel like home. We're staying in the backpacker for two nights and saying our last goodbyes to the city today and tomorrow. Then we move onto another backpacker a little out side the city, but closer to the people that we'll be hanging out with and working with this week. It's hard to believe we've only got 6 days left. I have been thinking a lot about coming home lately though, trying to get my mind ready so that it's all caught up with my body when I arrive back in the states. There are definitely things I'm looking forward to coming home. So that's a good thing :)
Thanks to everyone who's been reading these updates. It's wonderful to know that there is a connection to you all from all the way around the world :) Much love and we'll be seeing each other soon!!!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Pretoria! Pretoria!
Hello from Pretoria!
The last week has been wonderful! We flew out of Cape Town and were picked up at the airport. We had a nice drive through the city and got to our private compound. We aren't staying in or even really near the city center, but in a suburb of primarily white Afrikaaners which has been a different setting than we've had so far this summer. Grant and I have been staying in a private guest house as the only visitors. Soooo we have a kitchen a living room a back yard..a koi pond!!! It's been super great. For the weekend we pretty much just found different places to lounge around and read, soak up the sun...all the good things that were kind of neglected by our busy schedule in Cape Town. The whether here is incredible. It's winter, but the sun is out and warm every day. It's a welcome climate.
On Monday we decided that we should probably get out a little bit so we went on an epic adventure for the Pretoria art museum. We bussed downtown which was super easy and then started wandering. What we thought was the art museum turned out to be a theater, so we asked for directions and went on our way. The staff directed us to a museum, but not an art museum...it was some animal museum natural science business...not really our thing. Pretoria is kind of funny because literally every building that isn't a shop is an official governmental building or a museum...We let go of finding the actual art museum pretty quickly and just settled for wandering around the city. Pretoria is the first city we've spent time in where we've been the minority, so it was a really neat experience. We found some beautiful parks and even more beautiful buildings. The architecture in Pretoria is pretty astounding. As we were walking around we came across this really dilapidated building that was fenced off and things. Right as we walked up a group of uni students were coming out and so we got to go in. Turns out the building was the first synagogue in Pretoria and was where they held Nelson Mandela's trials...what?! It was really pretty amazing. Then inspired by our adventure we continued on to another area that we had seen some cool buildings in. One was particularly interesting looking so we went up to the front door and it turned out they were doing construction. We were able to go into the building...sans close toed shoes...sans hard hats...and explore around. It was really, really fun. All of the old molding and wood work are being preserved so it was a pretty incredible space. We nearly got trapped in by scaffolding but made it out alive! We also took this ancient lift down which was scary and very exciting.
There's this great thing going on this week in Pretoria called the festival of the clowns. It's a week spent with different lecturers and arts and performances put on by a local church. We've only been to one event, but it's one of the top things that I will take away from South Africa. It was this man, Father Michael, who was leading the workshop and a group of around 20 Zimbabwean, South African, international adults all coming together to reclaim our vulnerability. This included hearing the Father's personal story of the adversity and trauma that he'd faced in his life (he was an active opponent to the Apartheid government and was targeted with a parcel bomb...he lost both hands and an eye in the disaster and has since started a group called the "healing of memories" in which he counsels groups on how to forgive oneself as well as the perpatrator so that victims do not fall into cyclical patterns of victimization.) So we spent 4 hours going through a condensed program to reclaim our vulnerability and heal from past experiences. It was an intimate, honest, emotional, and hopeful experience. We got to listen to people's histories and the ways they've been victimized and offer encouraging words of strength and healing. I never know what to expect from any situation we enter into here and have been so struck by the multitude of powerful experiences that just seem to spring up in whatever arenas we enter.
After that we had a rushed lunch and then headed into a nearby township, Soshanguve (sp?) We caught up with a family that Nieu Communities is really involved with and met other community members...I love township life. It was really interesting to be in a bigger, more rural township compared to those near Cape Town. People had much more space in Sosh which seemed to be a big difference. It's hard not to compare different places, but I really don't think the townships are comparable. What is universal is the joy that emanates from the different families we've met. The strength of the women. The sass, spunk and love I've felt. It seems to always be an energy renewal when we are welcomed into these places. I wish we could have spent more time out there since being in Pretoria, but oh well...such is life under tourist time schedules...
Well...we leave Pretoria tomorrow and go back to Cape Town on Friday. We're going to spend the afternoon and evening in Jo-Burg which will be fun. Grant is a little nervous about it but I'm excited. We've heard so much about the place that to not spend any time there would be a shame. There's a pretty amazing Apartheid museum that we're going to check out so that should be great.
I only have 9 days left in this place. Single digits...it's impossible to believe. I'm in denial. It still feels like we have so much to do and see and people to meet and spend time with...ah!
Hope you're all having wonderful days, mornings, evenings, afternoons. I am looking forward to seeing you in the near, near future :)
The last week has been wonderful! We flew out of Cape Town and were picked up at the airport. We had a nice drive through the city and got to our private compound. We aren't staying in or even really near the city center, but in a suburb of primarily white Afrikaaners which has been a different setting than we've had so far this summer. Grant and I have been staying in a private guest house as the only visitors. Soooo we have a kitchen a living room a back yard..a koi pond!!! It's been super great. For the weekend we pretty much just found different places to lounge around and read, soak up the sun...all the good things that were kind of neglected by our busy schedule in Cape Town. The whether here is incredible. It's winter, but the sun is out and warm every day. It's a welcome climate.
On Monday we decided that we should probably get out a little bit so we went on an epic adventure for the Pretoria art museum. We bussed downtown which was super easy and then started wandering. What we thought was the art museum turned out to be a theater, so we asked for directions and went on our way. The staff directed us to a museum, but not an art museum...it was some animal museum natural science business...not really our thing. Pretoria is kind of funny because literally every building that isn't a shop is an official governmental building or a museum...We let go of finding the actual art museum pretty quickly and just settled for wandering around the city. Pretoria is the first city we've spent time in where we've been the minority, so it was a really neat experience. We found some beautiful parks and even more beautiful buildings. The architecture in Pretoria is pretty astounding. As we were walking around we came across this really dilapidated building that was fenced off and things. Right as we walked up a group of uni students were coming out and so we got to go in. Turns out the building was the first synagogue in Pretoria and was where they held Nelson Mandela's trials...what?! It was really pretty amazing. Then inspired by our adventure we continued on to another area that we had seen some cool buildings in. One was particularly interesting looking so we went up to the front door and it turned out they were doing construction. We were able to go into the building...sans close toed shoes...sans hard hats...and explore around. It was really, really fun. All of the old molding and wood work are being preserved so it was a pretty incredible space. We nearly got trapped in by scaffolding but made it out alive! We also took this ancient lift down which was scary and very exciting.
There's this great thing going on this week in Pretoria called the festival of the clowns. It's a week spent with different lecturers and arts and performances put on by a local church. We've only been to one event, but it's one of the top things that I will take away from South Africa. It was this man, Father Michael, who was leading the workshop and a group of around 20 Zimbabwean, South African, international adults all coming together to reclaim our vulnerability. This included hearing the Father's personal story of the adversity and trauma that he'd faced in his life (he was an active opponent to the Apartheid government and was targeted with a parcel bomb...he lost both hands and an eye in the disaster and has since started a group called the "healing of memories" in which he counsels groups on how to forgive oneself as well as the perpatrator so that victims do not fall into cyclical patterns of victimization.) So we spent 4 hours going through a condensed program to reclaim our vulnerability and heal from past experiences. It was an intimate, honest, emotional, and hopeful experience. We got to listen to people's histories and the ways they've been victimized and offer encouraging words of strength and healing. I never know what to expect from any situation we enter into here and have been so struck by the multitude of powerful experiences that just seem to spring up in whatever arenas we enter.
After that we had a rushed lunch and then headed into a nearby township, Soshanguve (sp?) We caught up with a family that Nieu Communities is really involved with and met other community members...I love township life. It was really interesting to be in a bigger, more rural township compared to those near Cape Town. People had much more space in Sosh which seemed to be a big difference. It's hard not to compare different places, but I really don't think the townships are comparable. What is universal is the joy that emanates from the different families we've met. The strength of the women. The sass, spunk and love I've felt. It seems to always be an energy renewal when we are welcomed into these places. I wish we could have spent more time out there since being in Pretoria, but oh well...such is life under tourist time schedules...
Well...we leave Pretoria tomorrow and go back to Cape Town on Friday. We're going to spend the afternoon and evening in Jo-Burg which will be fun. Grant is a little nervous about it but I'm excited. We've heard so much about the place that to not spend any time there would be a shame. There's a pretty amazing Apartheid museum that we're going to check out so that should be great.
I only have 9 days left in this place. Single digits...it's impossible to believe. I'm in denial. It still feels like we have so much to do and see and people to meet and spend time with...ah!
Hope you're all having wonderful days, mornings, evenings, afternoons. I am looking forward to seeing you in the near, near future :)
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Life is Wonderful
...and crazy!
sheesh eh...we are busy out here in Cape Town!
These days are jam packed. It's pretty funny because only a week and a half ago Grant and I were saying...gee we really don't know what the next week holds before heading off to Pretoria. Surely enough though we were booked in one second. We continued building with Habitat which was a delight. Last week we did foundations which is seriously hard work...think 36 wheelbarrows of sand, 36 wheelbarrows of stones and 18 bags of concrete all mixed together. It's a day's hard work. Honestly though I've never felt so physically satisfied as I do after a hard day of building. As many of you know I'm not very physically fit and am quite the klutz, but when building I'm capable. It's a really great feeling. This week we're doing another house build. It's been some of the most ridiculous days of my life. Yesterday we got onto the site and it was all corporate business people. There were about 25 people per site (which is about 10+ people too many) and they were all Afrikaans. So our site was run in the Afrikaan's language...The first thing they did was set up their advertisement. Big posters and umbrellas. Then they got out their cooler of cold drinks and crate of toilet paper. I was floored. It was definitely the oddest start to a day. Then we come to find out that every day there is a new group of people from the same company...so today we got 25 new people. It definitely creates a different feel to the site. With so many people the pace is very different as well. I've stepped back from a lot of the tasks because I figure the 25 people who are only going to be on site for one day should have an opportunity to be involved. It's a little frusterating though. On the upside the build is in the same neighborhood as the last house I built so there are a lot of the same faces around. So I'm getting to know the community members which is really a treat. Tomorrow is my last day in Mfuleni though and it's going to be really hard to part with the people and places that I've grown so fond of. I keep thinking, well we'll be back in Cape Town we can just stop by one day, but I know that there is a time to let go of everything and tomorrow is going to be that time for Mfuleni and myself.
On a different note, Grant and I finally got in touch with one of the contacts we'd been emailing. Lindsay. She runs a house called Beth Uriel in Cape town that houses 26-ish guys from the age of 14-26 (the official ages are 16-25). The first day we visited we sat in on a "family meeting" where all the house members met and had announcements and updates. Each one shared a highlight from their day and there was a workshop about the roots of a lot of problems that break families up in South Africa. It was incredible. Lindsay is a 30-ish year old American woman who has just invested her life in these boys. She commands attention and respect from them, joy and love, in a supremely unique way. She makes fun of the boys and loves on them in a genuinly authentic way. I'm obsessed. Later we went to dinner with Lindsay and the other volunteers and got to know them and what they've been doing at BU. I can't even put into words yet the attatchment I have to these people. You think "African street boys" and you think of hardened youth who are cold and hardened, but they are so wonderful. They're immature and silly and real and open to new people and new things. I've seriously been blown away by how quick they are to open up to us. I've had a few really great talks with some of the guys and I've only been around for 2 other days. I'm mostly just really excited to spend more time at BU when we get back to Cape Town.
It shocks me that two months into this trip I still have new and exciting things to be looking forward to. There hasn't been one day of one week when I've been bored in this place. It's hard to predict, but I'm pretty sure I won't be ready to leave. I feel like there are endless lives and organizations that I could pour my energy and time into here and be consistently fulfilled. That pretty much leaves me with two thoughts: One) There will be this feeling in other places of the world. If I can find this environment and satisfaction here I will be able to find it elsewhere. Two) I will just have to come back someday. I'm sure that if this is a unique experience to this place I will find my way back one way or another. Either way I'm excited about the reality of this trip now and am planning to enjoy the last two and a half weeks to the fullest.
sheesh eh...we are busy out here in Cape Town!
These days are jam packed. It's pretty funny because only a week and a half ago Grant and I were saying...gee we really don't know what the next week holds before heading off to Pretoria. Surely enough though we were booked in one second. We continued building with Habitat which was a delight. Last week we did foundations which is seriously hard work...think 36 wheelbarrows of sand, 36 wheelbarrows of stones and 18 bags of concrete all mixed together. It's a day's hard work. Honestly though I've never felt so physically satisfied as I do after a hard day of building. As many of you know I'm not very physically fit and am quite the klutz, but when building I'm capable. It's a really great feeling. This week we're doing another house build. It's been some of the most ridiculous days of my life. Yesterday we got onto the site and it was all corporate business people. There were about 25 people per site (which is about 10+ people too many) and they were all Afrikaans. So our site was run in the Afrikaan's language...The first thing they did was set up their advertisement. Big posters and umbrellas. Then they got out their cooler of cold drinks and crate of toilet paper. I was floored. It was definitely the oddest start to a day. Then we come to find out that every day there is a new group of people from the same company...so today we got 25 new people. It definitely creates a different feel to the site. With so many people the pace is very different as well. I've stepped back from a lot of the tasks because I figure the 25 people who are only going to be on site for one day should have an opportunity to be involved. It's a little frusterating though. On the upside the build is in the same neighborhood as the last house I built so there are a lot of the same faces around. So I'm getting to know the community members which is really a treat. Tomorrow is my last day in Mfuleni though and it's going to be really hard to part with the people and places that I've grown so fond of. I keep thinking, well we'll be back in Cape Town we can just stop by one day, but I know that there is a time to let go of everything and tomorrow is going to be that time for Mfuleni and myself.
On a different note, Grant and I finally got in touch with one of the contacts we'd been emailing. Lindsay. She runs a house called Beth Uriel in Cape town that houses 26-ish guys from the age of 14-26 (the official ages are 16-25). The first day we visited we sat in on a "family meeting" where all the house members met and had announcements and updates. Each one shared a highlight from their day and there was a workshop about the roots of a lot of problems that break families up in South Africa. It was incredible. Lindsay is a 30-ish year old American woman who has just invested her life in these boys. She commands attention and respect from them, joy and love, in a supremely unique way. She makes fun of the boys and loves on them in a genuinly authentic way. I'm obsessed. Later we went to dinner with Lindsay and the other volunteers and got to know them and what they've been doing at BU. I can't even put into words yet the attatchment I have to these people. You think "African street boys" and you think of hardened youth who are cold and hardened, but they are so wonderful. They're immature and silly and real and open to new people and new things. I've seriously been blown away by how quick they are to open up to us. I've had a few really great talks with some of the guys and I've only been around for 2 other days. I'm mostly just really excited to spend more time at BU when we get back to Cape Town.
It shocks me that two months into this trip I still have new and exciting things to be looking forward to. There hasn't been one day of one week when I've been bored in this place. It's hard to predict, but I'm pretty sure I won't be ready to leave. I feel like there are endless lives and organizations that I could pour my energy and time into here and be consistently fulfilled. That pretty much leaves me with two thoughts: One) There will be this feeling in other places of the world. If I can find this environment and satisfaction here I will be able to find it elsewhere. Two) I will just have to come back someday. I'm sure that if this is a unique experience to this place I will find my way back one way or another. Either way I'm excited about the reality of this trip now and am planning to enjoy the last two and a half weeks to the fullest.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Home in Cape Town
We made it back in one piece!!!!
I guess I'll just pick up where I left off :)
After Cintsa we headed out to Coffee Bay. This was quite the adventure. Pretty much immediately after East London (the big city before Cintsa) you hit the Transkei. This is a land that during Apartheid was a "homeland" or a place where black, Xhosa South African's were exported. It's pretty crazy because it seems like instantly even the landscape changes to savannah-esque "African" landscape. It was a 3 hour drive like none other in my life. The roads were precarious...pot holes, animals, children, overturned trucks, fires...Origionally we had planed to drive out to Coffee Bay in the evening and night, which would have been disasterous. About every hour we would pass through a town. These places were bustling. There were people everywhere selling things and visiting and going about their daily business. It was funny because we were trying to figure out if there was something special going on that day, but it was a Tuesday and the towns were just going on like normal. It was great to be able to catch a glimpse of what this area of South Africa is like. It seems so independent of any outside infulence, which I know is only surface deep and there are probably huge impacts that run very deeply. In between these cities there were expansive rolling hills covered in rural farms. The homes and land out there were beautiful. Colorful cirucular huts...herds of sheep...corn fields...Driving through it seemed so unreal to me. We've seen plays and had lectures about these areas in South Africa, but I could never really place what the life style is like. I still only have a fraction of an idea, an image, but it is far more than I could ever think up on my own. I would be so intrigued to spend even one day in one of these houses. Some of them were burried deep in the valleys, miles from the road...I just wonder what their lives are like. Do they make it out to the cities? do they just have a completely sustainable life on their farm? It's so hard for me to imagine being that disconnected from a bustling, central meeting place. I think that this drive was one of the most valuable experiences that I've had here. It makes a much more well rounded picture of life in this country. It also fortifies the struggles that the country has politically...how does a central government work over places like Cape Town and the Transkei? I'm pretty rivited by this place...
Soooo we got to Coffee Bay...which was distressing...It was a very remote town, beautiful location, but a strange vibe. We were all in kind of tense moods...Travelling for 7 days with the same four people can get a bit strained. So we went to the backpacker and met the owners and got set up...then we went down to the beach. I was walking there by myself and was met by a young boy who was in tattered clothes. He introduced himself and then told me he wanted to sing for me. I didn't really think anything of it and just walked away. He left me alone without any bother. I settled down on the beach apart from everyone else and after fifteen minutes I looked up and a pack of about seven school girls were charging me...I was surrounded by the girls and they were pressuring me for anything they could get their hands on...I gave them a hair tie and they continued to ask if I would support them, or if they could sing for me. I guess I misunderstood something and they all began singing. After they were finnished I got up and walked away and they followed me chanting "NOTHING FOR FREE" as I tried to explain to them that I didn't have any money and that I was sorry for making them sing they got more and more fiesty...then they started telling me they would follow me home. Eventually Scotty intervened and somehow got them to lay off, but it was a pretty intense experience. I was really shaken by it. Basically it shows the corruption that comes from tourism. If there had never been tourists there to give into the demands of these children they wouldn't think it was an ok thing to do. They would find other ways of supporting themselves...I've never really experienced the responsibility ethical tourism. I don't want to be a tourist that breaks a community because of my poor choices to complacently satisfy myself. There are better ways to travel. This was really only one incident in Coffee Bay that led us to question the moral responsibility of tourism...While it was an unfortunate experience, I think it was valuable for perspective. How do we manage ourselves as guests in another country? What are responsible ways of giving into communities that we visit?
Needless to say we got an early start the next morning...Drove back through the Transkei and on to Knysna...It was probably a 12 hour day of driving...Pretty intense. We were all dilusional by the end of the night...which was silly. That night we crashed at a backpackers directly on the beach. It was a pretty beautiful place, just reinforced how amazing Knysna is. The stars were out that night!!! got to see a fair amount of shooting stars and the expansive milky way. That night was one of the most absurd nights here. We were in a dorm room with four Germans...that had the maturity level of probably 14 year old boys...Pretty annoying. There were bodily noises being made for probably an hour after they got in...awesome...
The next day was our final leg of the journey. 5-ish more hours I think. Then home sweet home back to Faldhin's (our landlord) front door :)
What's to come...We have a few more weeks here in Cape Town when hopefully we'll hook up with the people we've been planning to meet doing homeless services in the city. Maybe do another build with Habitat. Then out to Pretoria to meet up with some contacts up there and see what they're doing and then a few more days in Cape Town and home...when laid out like that it feels like this trip will be over in a blink of an eye.
I'm missing you all and looking forward to hearing about the adventures you've been having this summer! Lots of Love.
I guess I'll just pick up where I left off :)
After Cintsa we headed out to Coffee Bay. This was quite the adventure. Pretty much immediately after East London (the big city before Cintsa) you hit the Transkei. This is a land that during Apartheid was a "homeland" or a place where black, Xhosa South African's were exported. It's pretty crazy because it seems like instantly even the landscape changes to savannah-esque "African" landscape. It was a 3 hour drive like none other in my life. The roads were precarious...pot holes, animals, children, overturned trucks, fires...Origionally we had planed to drive out to Coffee Bay in the evening and night, which would have been disasterous. About every hour we would pass through a town. These places were bustling. There were people everywhere selling things and visiting and going about their daily business. It was funny because we were trying to figure out if there was something special going on that day, but it was a Tuesday and the towns were just going on like normal. It was great to be able to catch a glimpse of what this area of South Africa is like. It seems so independent of any outside infulence, which I know is only surface deep and there are probably huge impacts that run very deeply. In between these cities there were expansive rolling hills covered in rural farms. The homes and land out there were beautiful. Colorful cirucular huts...herds of sheep...corn fields...Driving through it seemed so unreal to me. We've seen plays and had lectures about these areas in South Africa, but I could never really place what the life style is like. I still only have a fraction of an idea, an image, but it is far more than I could ever think up on my own. I would be so intrigued to spend even one day in one of these houses. Some of them were burried deep in the valleys, miles from the road...I just wonder what their lives are like. Do they make it out to the cities? do they just have a completely sustainable life on their farm? It's so hard for me to imagine being that disconnected from a bustling, central meeting place. I think that this drive was one of the most valuable experiences that I've had here. It makes a much more well rounded picture of life in this country. It also fortifies the struggles that the country has politically...how does a central government work over places like Cape Town and the Transkei? I'm pretty rivited by this place...
Soooo we got to Coffee Bay...which was distressing...It was a very remote town, beautiful location, but a strange vibe. We were all in kind of tense moods...Travelling for 7 days with the same four people can get a bit strained. So we went to the backpacker and met the owners and got set up...then we went down to the beach. I was walking there by myself and was met by a young boy who was in tattered clothes. He introduced himself and then told me he wanted to sing for me. I didn't really think anything of it and just walked away. He left me alone without any bother. I settled down on the beach apart from everyone else and after fifteen minutes I looked up and a pack of about seven school girls were charging me...I was surrounded by the girls and they were pressuring me for anything they could get their hands on...I gave them a hair tie and they continued to ask if I would support them, or if they could sing for me. I guess I misunderstood something and they all began singing. After they were finnished I got up and walked away and they followed me chanting "NOTHING FOR FREE" as I tried to explain to them that I didn't have any money and that I was sorry for making them sing they got more and more fiesty...then they started telling me they would follow me home. Eventually Scotty intervened and somehow got them to lay off, but it was a pretty intense experience. I was really shaken by it. Basically it shows the corruption that comes from tourism. If there had never been tourists there to give into the demands of these children they wouldn't think it was an ok thing to do. They would find other ways of supporting themselves...I've never really experienced the responsibility ethical tourism. I don't want to be a tourist that breaks a community because of my poor choices to complacently satisfy myself. There are better ways to travel. This was really only one incident in Coffee Bay that led us to question the moral responsibility of tourism...While it was an unfortunate experience, I think it was valuable for perspective. How do we manage ourselves as guests in another country? What are responsible ways of giving into communities that we visit?
Needless to say we got an early start the next morning...Drove back through the Transkei and on to Knysna...It was probably a 12 hour day of driving...Pretty intense. We were all dilusional by the end of the night...which was silly. That night we crashed at a backpackers directly on the beach. It was a pretty beautiful place, just reinforced how amazing Knysna is. The stars were out that night!!! got to see a fair amount of shooting stars and the expansive milky way. That night was one of the most absurd nights here. We were in a dorm room with four Germans...that had the maturity level of probably 14 year old boys...Pretty annoying. There were bodily noises being made for probably an hour after they got in...awesome...
The next day was our final leg of the journey. 5-ish more hours I think. Then home sweet home back to Faldhin's (our landlord) front door :)
What's to come...We have a few more weeks here in Cape Town when hopefully we'll hook up with the people we've been planning to meet doing homeless services in the city. Maybe do another build with Habitat. Then out to Pretoria to meet up with some contacts up there and see what they're doing and then a few more days in Cape Town and home...when laid out like that it feels like this trip will be over in a blink of an eye.
I'm missing you all and looking forward to hearing about the adventures you've been having this summer! Lots of Love.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Road Tripping!
Hard to believe I'm halfway through this trip...A lot has been going on the last few weeks!!!!
We finished our second build which was a ton of fun. The second Irish team that we were building with were all very friendly and wonderful...I was a little worried about joining up with a team who all knew each other and had been working together for a few days already, but it was totally fine and a great time. It was really exciting to get to be on cite for the dedication. It definitely illuminated the reality of the community in Mfuleni. There were people at the house that I had never seen before, sharing this hugely important time with the family. I talked to more of the adults on that one day than i had really the whole week, which maybe is not saying anything aside my lack of engagement, but I think it was the spirit that was coming from our house and getting the whole neighborhood involved. Later in the afternoon we went over to see Williem the homeowner of the first build. It was incredible!!!! Msinga his brother was in the house working on plastering the walls...Almost the entire interior was done and plumbing and electricity were already installed! It was very special to go back and see them.
That night we said goodbye to the Irish team...It was actually really sad. It definitely felt like a chapter of the trip closing. Who would have thought that a group from Ireland would become my family on this trip?!
The next day we set off on our road trip!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ít's hard to explain what this has been like. Pretty wonderful. The first two nights we stayed on a farm with one of Scott's friends...it was beautiful. The family was SO hospitable and wonderful and I just was so relaxed and at home. We went on a hike that nearly killed me, but whatever...it was still fun :) the second night we slept in a wood cabin over this huge valley. The cabin didn't have any electricity so we braaied and it also had an abundance of spiders...which was pretty funny. The spiders here are pretty huge so we're kind of wusses. I definitely think that Knysna is the most unique place we've been and probrably my favorite so far. it's hard to beat home cooking and orange groves...
Then we took off for Port Alfred...on the way we stopped to see some lions and in J-bay to catch the surf competition. Unfortunately the competition was over and the lions were too rowdy that day...haha...so...Then we ended up driving all around Port Alfred in the dark trying to find accomodations...pretty hilarious really. We ended up at this beach front chalet which was just what we wanted. The next day we kicked it in PA by the side of this river thing then headed out for Cintsa which is where I am now. It's AMAZING. Like no other place I've been. I't's a backpacker built on this hill overlooking the ocean but it's amongst the trees and things...Kind of like paradise. We spent all day on the beach yesterday playing and swimming and lying. pretty much this week will be my entire summer...so that's fun :-D Today we're off to Coffee Bay and after that we'll turn around and head home to Cape Town. I'll keep you all updated :-D
Love~you all!!!!!
We finished our second build which was a ton of fun. The second Irish team that we were building with were all very friendly and wonderful...I was a little worried about joining up with a team who all knew each other and had been working together for a few days already, but it was totally fine and a great time. It was really exciting to get to be on cite for the dedication. It definitely illuminated the reality of the community in Mfuleni. There were people at the house that I had never seen before, sharing this hugely important time with the family. I talked to more of the adults on that one day than i had really the whole week, which maybe is not saying anything aside my lack of engagement, but I think it was the spirit that was coming from our house and getting the whole neighborhood involved. Later in the afternoon we went over to see Williem the homeowner of the first build. It was incredible!!!! Msinga his brother was in the house working on plastering the walls...Almost the entire interior was done and plumbing and electricity were already installed! It was very special to go back and see them.
That night we said goodbye to the Irish team...It was actually really sad. It definitely felt like a chapter of the trip closing. Who would have thought that a group from Ireland would become my family on this trip?!
The next day we set off on our road trip!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ít's hard to explain what this has been like. Pretty wonderful. The first two nights we stayed on a farm with one of Scott's friends...it was beautiful. The family was SO hospitable and wonderful and I just was so relaxed and at home. We went on a hike that nearly killed me, but whatever...it was still fun :) the second night we slept in a wood cabin over this huge valley. The cabin didn't have any electricity so we braaied and it also had an abundance of spiders...which was pretty funny. The spiders here are pretty huge so we're kind of wusses. I definitely think that Knysna is the most unique place we've been and probrably my favorite so far. it's hard to beat home cooking and orange groves...
Then we took off for Port Alfred...on the way we stopped to see some lions and in J-bay to catch the surf competition. Unfortunately the competition was over and the lions were too rowdy that day...haha...so...Then we ended up driving all around Port Alfred in the dark trying to find accomodations...pretty hilarious really. We ended up at this beach front chalet which was just what we wanted. The next day we kicked it in PA by the side of this river thing then headed out for Cintsa which is where I am now. It's AMAZING. Like no other place I've been. I't's a backpacker built on this hill overlooking the ocean but it's amongst the trees and things...Kind of like paradise. We spent all day on the beach yesterday playing and swimming and lying. pretty much this week will be my entire summer...so that's fun :-D Today we're off to Coffee Bay and after that we'll turn around and head home to Cape Town. I'll keep you all updated :-D
Love~you all!!!!!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
A Wee Post
It's a lovely Saturday afternoon here in Cape Town. It's really been a beautiful day.
Last night was the first night at the house. After everyone left (SPU-ers) Grant and I just got settled in...nested :) Then we grabbed some dinner with our house mates and laid low for the evening. It's nice having a slower pace...I think the constant fast paced life has finally caught up with me!!! I've just been quiet for the last few days and it feel really good. This morning we slept until noon...WOOOOOOO...and then cooked a wonderful breakfast and then went to the beach! The beaches here really are wonderful...a bit cold so there was no going in the water for me, but really nice all the same. Makes me miss Cali a little bit.
I'm really just happy to be moving a little slower at least for a few days...playing everything by ear and all. Things will pick up again though this week when we start building again.
Love you all!!
Last night was the first night at the house. After everyone left (SPU-ers) Grant and I just got settled in...nested :) Then we grabbed some dinner with our house mates and laid low for the evening. It's nice having a slower pace...I think the constant fast paced life has finally caught up with me!!! I've just been quiet for the last few days and it feel really good. This morning we slept until noon...WOOOOOOO...and then cooked a wonderful breakfast and then went to the beach! The beaches here really are wonderful...a bit cold so there was no going in the water for me, but really nice all the same. Makes me miss Cali a little bit.
I'm really just happy to be moving a little slower at least for a few days...playing everything by ear and all. Things will pick up again though this week when we start building again.
Love you all!!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
It's been a long, long while
Wow, so the last few weeks have been a whirlwind.
Basically, there wasn't any inexpensive, good working internet anywhere so I never got a chance to sit down and type anything out! I don't really remember what I wrote about so I'll just recap...
Grahamstown was amazing. I love the artist world. Also, Grahamstown was tiny, so it was fun because we'd meet some people one night or day and then see them everywhere we went. This included the actors and directors of the shows that we saw. It was kind of silly because I ended up being star struck half the time :) The night life was a little strange. The venues were all very stereotyped. There was a sports bar, a hippie bar, an alternative bar and a night club. The club had black and white nights...which was kind of shocking. We unknowingly went to one of both and then found out that they literally hand out fliers to either white people or black people depending on the night. It was just strange because as Americans we all just wanted to dance regardless of who else would be there!!!! Just a shock at the cultural differences and the "post" apartheid world. We had a TON of work cut out for us that week too, so Katie Ann and I pretty much camped out at this one coffee shop. I think we spent around 4 hours a day there...The weather there was the best we've had. It was sunny and warm which is strange because Grahamstown is supposed to be the coldest place in the country. Anyway, my favorite show that we saw was probably #Untitled it was a very post modern show that didn't really have a plot but was expressing fear and trauma and grief and violence through different movements and stories and sounds and languages. At least half of the show was in Afrikaans so that made it even harder to follow, but from the beginning you knew that it was an exploration on the loss of control. It worked really well. It's pretty hard to describe I guess :)
On our way out of Grahamstown we stopped at a resort and had a safari!! It was the nicest place we've stayed and it was really relaxing. I'm not really into animals, but it was still pretty amazing to be so close to elephants and lions. We were literally 2 yards away from a young male lion at one point and he was just staring us down! There are some funny stories from the safari that I'll have to share later :) The next day our group went and saw snakes and lion cubs, but I stayed back at the resort and lounged around. It was really nice weather and I just took some time to read and write and reflect on the last month and what's left to come!
The bus ride back to Cape Town was an absolute beast. I have never been so ready to get off a bus. We watched terrible movies and people got impatient and I definitely was cranky. But now it's over and we're here!!!!!!!!!! Getting back here was a breath of fresh air. The first night back we met up with some of the Irish from our week at habitat and I was so so overjoyed to see them. Then the next day we finished our school work!!!!!!!!!!! (IT"S OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!) and hopped on a train to this quaint fishing town on the coast. It was really beautiful and exactly what we needed. We ate and walked around, saw fish being caught, saw seals...the whole coastal experience. We also escaped some terrible rain in Cape Town so that was nice. The weather in Cape Town is letting me down...I fear I will never be dry. One of the Irish boys was making fun of me and asking if I shower with my clothes on...
Tomorrow the SPU crew goes home...it's all very strange. I will definitely miss having everyone around, but it will also be nice to not be controlled by a group. I seriously had so much fun with everyone though and am excited to go back to Seattle and have sweet reunions :)
Grant and I checked out the place we'll be living in. It's gorgeous. It's in this fun neighborhood that has all kinds of colored buildings and great architecture. It's all wood and there's roof access so what more could you want right? Also, the boys we're living with have planned a week long road trip, so that should be fun :) We're supposed to be staying at one of their friends houses on a river in the country, so that sounds quite quaint. For the next week Grant and I are going to be tagging along with the second team of Irish people and building a second house in the same township we were in before. I'm pretty excited about this! I get to work with my same leader who I got along with really well so that will be great! I'll also get to go back and see Williem and his house :) I'm really impressed with the way things have been falling into place. I can only hope that it will continue to go so well :)
Again I'm sorry for not posting for so long...Sorry if anyone was worried (Mark...PS I can't seem to email you...it keeps bouncing...)
OH! One major disaster!!! I lost my wallet in Grahamstown!!!! Luckily there wasn't much money in it, but cancelling the card kind of stressed me out. I've worked it out though so everything is fine. I feel like something like that was bound to happen and it was good that it did when I still had adults around to help me figure out how to handle it.
hmmm...I guess that's pretty much it for now. I miss everyone, but am so so glad to be staying here for the rest of the summer. I can't even imagine going home right now. I wouldn't be ready at all. I love this experience so much and can't wait to come back and share my experiences and what I've learned.
Basically, there wasn't any inexpensive, good working internet anywhere so I never got a chance to sit down and type anything out! I don't really remember what I wrote about so I'll just recap...
Grahamstown was amazing. I love the artist world. Also, Grahamstown was tiny, so it was fun because we'd meet some people one night or day and then see them everywhere we went. This included the actors and directors of the shows that we saw. It was kind of silly because I ended up being star struck half the time :) The night life was a little strange. The venues were all very stereotyped. There was a sports bar, a hippie bar, an alternative bar and a night club. The club had black and white nights...which was kind of shocking. We unknowingly went to one of both and then found out that they literally hand out fliers to either white people or black people depending on the night. It was just strange because as Americans we all just wanted to dance regardless of who else would be there!!!! Just a shock at the cultural differences and the "post" apartheid world. We had a TON of work cut out for us that week too, so Katie Ann and I pretty much camped out at this one coffee shop. I think we spent around 4 hours a day there...The weather there was the best we've had. It was sunny and warm which is strange because Grahamstown is supposed to be the coldest place in the country. Anyway, my favorite show that we saw was probably #Untitled it was a very post modern show that didn't really have a plot but was expressing fear and trauma and grief and violence through different movements and stories and sounds and languages. At least half of the show was in Afrikaans so that made it even harder to follow, but from the beginning you knew that it was an exploration on the loss of control. It worked really well. It's pretty hard to describe I guess :)
On our way out of Grahamstown we stopped at a resort and had a safari!! It was the nicest place we've stayed and it was really relaxing. I'm not really into animals, but it was still pretty amazing to be so close to elephants and lions. We were literally 2 yards away from a young male lion at one point and he was just staring us down! There are some funny stories from the safari that I'll have to share later :) The next day our group went and saw snakes and lion cubs, but I stayed back at the resort and lounged around. It was really nice weather and I just took some time to read and write and reflect on the last month and what's left to come!
The bus ride back to Cape Town was an absolute beast. I have never been so ready to get off a bus. We watched terrible movies and people got impatient and I definitely was cranky. But now it's over and we're here!!!!!!!!!! Getting back here was a breath of fresh air. The first night back we met up with some of the Irish from our week at habitat and I was so so overjoyed to see them. Then the next day we finished our school work!!!!!!!!!!! (IT"S OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!) and hopped on a train to this quaint fishing town on the coast. It was really beautiful and exactly what we needed. We ate and walked around, saw fish being caught, saw seals...the whole coastal experience. We also escaped some terrible rain in Cape Town so that was nice. The weather in Cape Town is letting me down...I fear I will never be dry. One of the Irish boys was making fun of me and asking if I shower with my clothes on...
Tomorrow the SPU crew goes home...it's all very strange. I will definitely miss having everyone around, but it will also be nice to not be controlled by a group. I seriously had so much fun with everyone though and am excited to go back to Seattle and have sweet reunions :)
Grant and I checked out the place we'll be living in. It's gorgeous. It's in this fun neighborhood that has all kinds of colored buildings and great architecture. It's all wood and there's roof access so what more could you want right? Also, the boys we're living with have planned a week long road trip, so that should be fun :) We're supposed to be staying at one of their friends houses on a river in the country, so that sounds quite quaint. For the next week Grant and I are going to be tagging along with the second team of Irish people and building a second house in the same township we were in before. I'm pretty excited about this! I get to work with my same leader who I got along with really well so that will be great! I'll also get to go back and see Williem and his house :) I'm really impressed with the way things have been falling into place. I can only hope that it will continue to go so well :)
Again I'm sorry for not posting for so long...Sorry if anyone was worried (Mark...PS I can't seem to email you...it keeps bouncing...)
OH! One major disaster!!! I lost my wallet in Grahamstown!!!! Luckily there wasn't much money in it, but cancelling the card kind of stressed me out. I've worked it out though so everything is fine. I feel like something like that was bound to happen and it was good that it did when I still had adults around to help me figure out how to handle it.
hmmm...I guess that's pretty much it for now. I miss everyone, but am so so glad to be staying here for the rest of the summer. I can't even imagine going home right now. I wouldn't be ready at all. I love this experience so much and can't wait to come back and share my experiences and what I've learned.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Grahamstown Festival
Life is so good.
I am loving this festival. I kind of crack myself up because regardless of wheather the pieces are good or not I just love them. I love the atmosphere and the energy. So far the most amazing things have been a movie called "Triomf" (don't be misled by the title...it's rather Ironic) and the Modern dance version of Romeo and Juliet we saw today. It's difficult to go into too much detail here...Basically Triomf was traumatic and heartbreaking while enlightening (it was a metaphor for a incestual family and apartheid...). Exciting thing was we were the first real audience! and the director was there! I'm a sucker...
Anyway this was brief, but I'll post more later. Now we have to go watch the Euro Finals!!!!!!!!!!!
I am loving this festival. I kind of crack myself up because regardless of wheather the pieces are good or not I just love them. I love the atmosphere and the energy. So far the most amazing things have been a movie called "Triomf" (don't be misled by the title...it's rather Ironic) and the Modern dance version of Romeo and Juliet we saw today. It's difficult to go into too much detail here...Basically Triomf was traumatic and heartbreaking while enlightening (it was a metaphor for a incestual family and apartheid...). Exciting thing was we were the first real audience! and the director was there! I'm a sucker...
Anyway this was brief, but I'll post more later. Now we have to go watch the Euro Finals!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
A South African Mash Up
Addendum: here in South Africa everything seems to be a mash up. There's so much diversity. Also just in stores you can buy a phone and socks and food...just mash ups...So in that spirit here is my post :-D
Well, we finished our house!!!!!! My team was wonderful and much of the credit goes to Bon-Bon our builder. He was amazing! The house is beautiful and worth every ounce of effort we poured into it.
I can't remember what I wrote in the last post, but our group couldn't stay for the last day which was the dedication. I was really sad about that because that's when we give our home owner the keys and everything. Williem (our homeowner) also wanted me to print out pictures for him, but there was no place to do that so I had to send him a message instead of seeing him face to face. I felt like I was definitely letting him down...It's ok though because I think that I'll be able to visit him again in the month after the study abroad trip. John, my team leader, will be returning with another group of Irish students and he said that he'd pick me up in Cape Town and take me to see our house again. Hopefully we'll make that happen :-D
Leaving Stellenbosch was very strange. I think I was ready, but it just felt sad to leave all of our friends that we had made and who had been such a big part of our life for a week. It was also sad since the rest of the group had another day and night together. Ah well, I guess everything must come to an end.
We did get a GREAT sending away party though...Kareoke?!?!?! how much more up my ally can it get?!?!?! My team sang "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion, which was HILLARIOUS. My favorite performance was definitely Grant and Mark (an Irish boy) singing Whitney Houston together "I Wanna Dance"...It was wonderful and I have videos. Then we all hit our fave hang out the "Brazen Head" and I finished my challenge so my name will be on the wall!!!!! (Also something I'm excited to go back and see when I visit Stellenbosch again) Then we all went out to Mystic Boer this really strange "scene" bar and danced until 3am. It was really special that everyone stayed out with us since they all had to go back to the houses and do more work the next day. It definitely expressed the connection that we had with one another. Luckily for us the next day we had a 6 hour bus ride, so we all got plenty of nap time to catch up a little from an exhausting week.
Now we're in Plattenberg Bay which is a beautiful beach town. It really reminds me of Carmel or Monteray so that's fun. We'll only be here until tomorrow and then we're off to Grahmstown!!!!!!! I'm mostly really excited about this! It'll be interesting to see what theater and dance are like on the other side of the world. I've heard only good things from local South Africans. It's funny because so far everything that I've expected the elements of this trip to be like have been completely wrong, so who really knows what this next phase will look like.
Today I watched 13-ish of my teammates jump from the tallest bungy place in the WORLD! That was pretty cool. I didn't do it myself...I figured I wouldn't be regretful and I'm not so that's good.
What else...The homework is ramping up again which I'm not excited for...Kind of in a procrastinating place right now. I just feel mentally drained...so I'm not sure of the quality I'm going to produce. I did get back the papers I wrote in Cape Town and those went really well, so that's nice to know, relieves a little pressure.
Every once in a while I just get this overwhelming sense of happiness about being here. It feels so great to be fulfilling this desire to go out into the world and meet people and serve people and learn about people. I was talking to one girl and she said she loves travelling and meeting people from other cultures because she remembers and learns about how much we all have in common. It's a pretty phenomenal thing that I can come half way around the world and have some of the conversations and interactions with people that I have had. It renews a great sense of love for humanity and hope for the world. At the same time I am a little confused when I have these experiences because I think of how much injustice is undergone by people just because they're presumed to be different. It seems to me if someone took one hour to ask that person about their hopes and dreams and values that they would learn that they too want similar things...how does anyone overlook that? At times when I am feeling so much love it's hard to understand how so much hate and pain can exist. It seems far easier to extend love than hatred...
Well, we finished our house!!!!!! My team was wonderful and much of the credit goes to Bon-Bon our builder. He was amazing! The house is beautiful and worth every ounce of effort we poured into it.
I can't remember what I wrote in the last post, but our group couldn't stay for the last day which was the dedication. I was really sad about that because that's when we give our home owner the keys and everything. Williem (our homeowner) also wanted me to print out pictures for him, but there was no place to do that so I had to send him a message instead of seeing him face to face. I felt like I was definitely letting him down...It's ok though because I think that I'll be able to visit him again in the month after the study abroad trip. John, my team leader, will be returning with another group of Irish students and he said that he'd pick me up in Cape Town and take me to see our house again. Hopefully we'll make that happen :-D
Leaving Stellenbosch was very strange. I think I was ready, but it just felt sad to leave all of our friends that we had made and who had been such a big part of our life for a week. It was also sad since the rest of the group had another day and night together. Ah well, I guess everything must come to an end.
We did get a GREAT sending away party though...Kareoke?!?!?! how much more up my ally can it get?!?!?! My team sang "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion, which was HILLARIOUS. My favorite performance was definitely Grant and Mark (an Irish boy) singing Whitney Houston together "I Wanna Dance"...It was wonderful and I have videos. Then we all hit our fave hang out the "Brazen Head" and I finished my challenge so my name will be on the wall!!!!! (Also something I'm excited to go back and see when I visit Stellenbosch again) Then we all went out to Mystic Boer this really strange "scene" bar and danced until 3am. It was really special that everyone stayed out with us since they all had to go back to the houses and do more work the next day. It definitely expressed the connection that we had with one another. Luckily for us the next day we had a 6 hour bus ride, so we all got plenty of nap time to catch up a little from an exhausting week.
Now we're in Plattenberg Bay which is a beautiful beach town. It really reminds me of Carmel or Monteray so that's fun. We'll only be here until tomorrow and then we're off to Grahmstown!!!!!!! I'm mostly really excited about this! It'll be interesting to see what theater and dance are like on the other side of the world. I've heard only good things from local South Africans. It's funny because so far everything that I've expected the elements of this trip to be like have been completely wrong, so who really knows what this next phase will look like.
Today I watched 13-ish of my teammates jump from the tallest bungy place in the WORLD! That was pretty cool. I didn't do it myself...I figured I wouldn't be regretful and I'm not so that's good.
What else...The homework is ramping up again which I'm not excited for...Kind of in a procrastinating place right now. I just feel mentally drained...so I'm not sure of the quality I'm going to produce. I did get back the papers I wrote in Cape Town and those went really well, so that's nice to know, relieves a little pressure.
Every once in a while I just get this overwhelming sense of happiness about being here. It feels so great to be fulfilling this desire to go out into the world and meet people and serve people and learn about people. I was talking to one girl and she said she loves travelling and meeting people from other cultures because she remembers and learns about how much we all have in common. It's a pretty phenomenal thing that I can come half way around the world and have some of the conversations and interactions with people that I have had. It renews a great sense of love for humanity and hope for the world. At the same time I am a little confused when I have these experiences because I think of how much injustice is undergone by people just because they're presumed to be different. It seems to me if someone took one hour to ask that person about their hopes and dreams and values that they would learn that they too want similar things...how does anyone overlook that? At times when I am feeling so much love it's hard to understand how so much hate and pain can exist. It seems far easier to extend love than hatred...
Friday, June 20, 2008
Buildin!
I'm here in Stellenbosch, South Africa right now on a miserably rainy afternoon. Seriously, the weather has been awful here.
Stellenbosch is kind of a strange place. The evidence of colonization is unbelievable. Everything is white washed and dutch looking. It's very eerie and I don't particularly like it. The university we're staying at actually still makes their students learn and speak Afrikaaners which as a white Afrikaaner put it last night is connontated with heavy oppression. I enjoyed Cape Town much more for its seeming diversity and integration, but that's just a first impression I guess. The students from here are really amazing and don't fit the stereotype at all, so maybe they just need to change up the colors of the buildings and I'd like it better. It IS known throughout the world for it's amazing wines...some of the oldest vineyards in the WORLD, so I'm hoping to go wine tasting on Sunday.
We started building our habitat houses yesterday!!!!! It's nothing like the houses I've built before...they're entirely cement and cinder blocks. That means most of the job is mixing "dagga" which is cement....a back breaking job and moving cinder blocks. There are community builders that actually do the work of laying down the bricks and everything so we pretty much do the things to assist them with their job. My whole body aches! It's REALLY fun though. Unfortunatley because of the bad weather the days have been cut in half...it's pretty annoying. Many of you know what it feels like to be discouraged about not doing as much as was expected and I'm worried that's where we'll end up.
My team is great. We've got a mix of South African University students, Irish and Americans and we all get along well which I just am thankful for. Our leader, John, is great...he is good about delegating and making sure everyone is working on something so that's nice. He's also just a lot of fun.
Our homeowner is Williem who is 22. I was SHOCKED to discover this. That is not that much older than me! He has at least 2 children and no wife and he works as a policeman in the township. We've talked to him about his job and he says he doesn't like the violence of it. He was talking about how pulling the trigger of a gun is the worst thing anyone can do because when you shoot you shoot to kill. I don't know if he's had any personal experience with this, but I'm sure he comes in close contact with a lot of violence. His ideal job would be a business man. Something that didn't have anything to do with violence he said. His best friend is his television...?! which is silly. He's really a great guy though and I'm so excited to be giving him a house that he can live in for the rest of his long life!
Mfeleni is the township we're in and habitat had done a LOT of work in it. THere are paved roads and a good amount of habitat houses. It's fun because they're really brightly colored and festive and seem to liven up the community. I feel safe there...whcich I don't know about. I don't know if that's false security or what. Anyway, I'm REALLY enjoying the time there!
This week has been particularly fun because habitat organizes groups of international students and a big group of them are Irish. They are a blast. It was funny because they were actually at the hostle we were in, but we were all so busy with homework that we were REALLY anti-social. Now we're shown them that we're fun loving Americans :-D I'm learning some Irish slang....which is fun. Also! a group of them have lived in Portland, OR before going on an exchange program! so they are really great to talk to and get to know. A lot of them have expressed wanting to live there again someday, so that'd be awesome. Grant and I actually may end up hanging out with a few of them in our extended stay, maybe road tripping up the coast. True to form their speech patterns and accent are rubbing off on me alittle bit. I'll be curious to see if it's noticable when I come home...
Anyway, I'm just having a blast here this week. Not really sleeping enough (at all), but really soaking up the experience.
I love you all!
Stellenbosch is kind of a strange place. The evidence of colonization is unbelievable. Everything is white washed and dutch looking. It's very eerie and I don't particularly like it. The university we're staying at actually still makes their students learn and speak Afrikaaners which as a white Afrikaaner put it last night is connontated with heavy oppression. I enjoyed Cape Town much more for its seeming diversity and integration, but that's just a first impression I guess. The students from here are really amazing and don't fit the stereotype at all, so maybe they just need to change up the colors of the buildings and I'd like it better. It IS known throughout the world for it's amazing wines...some of the oldest vineyards in the WORLD, so I'm hoping to go wine tasting on Sunday.
We started building our habitat houses yesterday!!!!! It's nothing like the houses I've built before...they're entirely cement and cinder blocks. That means most of the job is mixing "dagga" which is cement....a back breaking job and moving cinder blocks. There are community builders that actually do the work of laying down the bricks and everything so we pretty much do the things to assist them with their job. My whole body aches! It's REALLY fun though. Unfortunatley because of the bad weather the days have been cut in half...it's pretty annoying. Many of you know what it feels like to be discouraged about not doing as much as was expected and I'm worried that's where we'll end up.
My team is great. We've got a mix of South African University students, Irish and Americans and we all get along well which I just am thankful for. Our leader, John, is great...he is good about delegating and making sure everyone is working on something so that's nice. He's also just a lot of fun.
Our homeowner is Williem who is 22. I was SHOCKED to discover this. That is not that much older than me! He has at least 2 children and no wife and he works as a policeman in the township. We've talked to him about his job and he says he doesn't like the violence of it. He was talking about how pulling the trigger of a gun is the worst thing anyone can do because when you shoot you shoot to kill. I don't know if he's had any personal experience with this, but I'm sure he comes in close contact with a lot of violence. His ideal job would be a business man. Something that didn't have anything to do with violence he said. His best friend is his television...?! which is silly. He's really a great guy though and I'm so excited to be giving him a house that he can live in for the rest of his long life!
Mfeleni is the township we're in and habitat had done a LOT of work in it. THere are paved roads and a good amount of habitat houses. It's fun because they're really brightly colored and festive and seem to liven up the community. I feel safe there...whcich I don't know about. I don't know if that's false security or what. Anyway, I'm REALLY enjoying the time there!
This week has been particularly fun because habitat organizes groups of international students and a big group of them are Irish. They are a blast. It was funny because they were actually at the hostle we were in, but we were all so busy with homework that we were REALLY anti-social. Now we're shown them that we're fun loving Americans :-D I'm learning some Irish slang....which is fun. Also! a group of them have lived in Portland, OR before going on an exchange program! so they are really great to talk to and get to know. A lot of them have expressed wanting to live there again someday, so that'd be awesome. Grant and I actually may end up hanging out with a few of them in our extended stay, maybe road tripping up the coast. True to form their speech patterns and accent are rubbing off on me alittle bit. I'll be curious to see if it's noticable when I come home...
Anyway, I'm just having a blast here this week. Not really sleeping enough (at all), but really soaking up the experience.
I love you all!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Fly By Post
Hey,
Just a quick shout out! Still alive here in South Africa.
Right now I'm feeling pretty tired. Tomorrow is our last day in Cape Town and we've had a couple really big days of homework. One more paper due tomorrow and then we get a little break. Kind of. Then we're off to habitat, which will be exhausting on a whole other level. I really am looking forward to it though.
We visited our first township yesterday. We went into an orphanage and played with the kids for a few hours. It was really hard because I knew that it wasn't any sort of sustainable connection with these kids, and it seemed unfair. I guess it was a good first glimpse at what's in store though. Mostly I'm really excited for Habitat because we'll get to have a solid time intentionally connecting with one family in one township. It seems more fair to everyone that way.
I guess something I'm struggling with right now is how my mind interacts with home while I'm abroad. Honestly it's so strange to think of everyone going about their lives while I'm here. I love to hear from people and get a tangible connection because otherwise it just doesn't feel like it even exists. Also, one of our class mates joined us a little late and brought us some bad news about a student from home, and that just made it even more clear how disorienting it is being abroad. Big things are happening all the time everywhere. It's strange though, maybe it makes me realize how ego centric I am at home. I have my whole world so contained and neat at home and only have to think about things far away when I want to. Here I am living "things far away" and my world can't be neat and contained.
That said, I miss every one and hope that you're all well and good.
Just a quick shout out! Still alive here in South Africa.
Right now I'm feeling pretty tired. Tomorrow is our last day in Cape Town and we've had a couple really big days of homework. One more paper due tomorrow and then we get a little break. Kind of. Then we're off to habitat, which will be exhausting on a whole other level. I really am looking forward to it though.
We visited our first township yesterday. We went into an orphanage and played with the kids for a few hours. It was really hard because I knew that it wasn't any sort of sustainable connection with these kids, and it seemed unfair. I guess it was a good first glimpse at what's in store though. Mostly I'm really excited for Habitat because we'll get to have a solid time intentionally connecting with one family in one township. It seems more fair to everyone that way.
I guess something I'm struggling with right now is how my mind interacts with home while I'm abroad. Honestly it's so strange to think of everyone going about their lives while I'm here. I love to hear from people and get a tangible connection because otherwise it just doesn't feel like it even exists. Also, one of our class mates joined us a little late and brought us some bad news about a student from home, and that just made it even more clear how disorienting it is being abroad. Big things are happening all the time everywhere. It's strange though, maybe it makes me realize how ego centric I am at home. I have my whole world so contained and neat at home and only have to think about things far away when I want to. Here I am living "things far away" and my world can't be neat and contained.
That said, I miss every one and hope that you're all well and good.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
So, I guess I'm not that into blogging.
No, but really, we have had a jam packed schedule!
The plane ride went really well. On the second flight (19 hours) I completely lost track of time which I think worked out to be a good thing. I probably slept for around half that flight. Also, I as sitting next to this girl who had never been on an airplane before!!! Can you believe she chose a 20 hour flight for her first one? I would want a warm-up experience I think!
The first day we got here we didn't do much. Just got the the hostel and pretty much went to bed. It's an extremely nice place we're staying in, really close to the heart of Cape Town, so that's fun. I'm loving the hostel culture. People are so laid back and everyone seems so adventurous! A huge group of people left this morning for a 6 week safari through Africa! It seems so daring!
Our first real day here we went to a holocaust museum which was really interesting and as usual harrowing. It was a different experience seeing the museum through a South African lens that has such a similar history. While there was no extermination there was still radical racism here and the similarities are too close for comfort.
That same day we also went to the art museum (Yay!) which was really neat. There was a crazy architect on display and a really interesting photographer. Their permanent collection was my favorite though. A complete mash up of different artists from Dutch to British to South African...all in the same room. The juxtaposition was kind of incredible. We also had a class IN the museum!!!! that was pretty great.
Yesterday we went to the District 6 museum after our Robben Island tour was cancelled. District 6 was a neighborhood that was wiped out during Apartheid. Literally the whole neighborhood was demolished. This was in 1966 so there are still a lot of survivors and they have donated their experiences and stories to this museum. We had one tour guide who was actually from District 6 and he was such a sweet man. The way he talked about the place made it sound so beautiful and good. My favorite part was when he was talking about praying in the Synagogue with his Jewish friends even though he was Muslim. He said it didn't matter what religion they were, they were all people. During Apartheid every different race was sequestered to their own "homeland" (ring any bells?) and so this integration was ripped apart. It seems like this is the embodiment of how I imagine the world functioning in the most idealistic world and the fact that it was torn apart is really hard to understand.
Last night we went out on the town! We met Capetonians from pretty much every walk of life you can come from in Cape Town. Without having to ask any leading questions people were bringing up what it was like to live under Apartheid and how they think their country has progressed (or not), the challenges they face in the future and how they live their lives. I am excited to have more of these conversations. One group of people that we ended up hanging out with the whole night was quite the diverse crowd. 2 original Capetonians, one white, one colored. One white Botswanan, One French woman and one man from the Congo. They all work together in Cape Town and are a motley crew that we just fit right in with.
Today was a delight. We went to the southern most point (Cape of Good Hope) and that was beautiful. We pretty much climbed out butts off though! Probably one of my favorite parts here was sitting on this rock and I said hello to an Asian tourist. Next thing I know all of them are wanting to talk and they're ALL taking pictures of me on this rock. Then each had to get in the pic with me. It was pretty hilarious. It makes me laugh to think of where those pictures will end up. We picniked on a beach which was being racked by a wind storm, so that was fun. Then on our bus ride out a baboon literally CHARGED our bus. There had been all these signs all day to watch out for these CRAZY baboons, but we didn't see any, then on the way out Segall whips around and yells "BABOON" and everyone jumps up and yells. It was pretty awesome. Will wanted to throw a banana at it...?! Then we stopped to see some Penguins. In the parking lot there was this a cappella group singing and you will never believe what they were singing....Paul Simon's "Homeless". I was actually crying I was so excited. (Brady if you're reading this, I have a video of it...) Talk about amazing. Then we saw the penguins which were actually pretty cute and fun to narrate fun stories about. (There were a few forever friends Laur.)
Well...I need to go do some school work (Def my least fav part of the trip, regardless of how interesting and powerful the literature is). I miss you all and love you tons! Keep posted for another update!
No, but really, we have had a jam packed schedule!
The plane ride went really well. On the second flight (19 hours) I completely lost track of time which I think worked out to be a good thing. I probably slept for around half that flight. Also, I as sitting next to this girl who had never been on an airplane before!!! Can you believe she chose a 20 hour flight for her first one? I would want a warm-up experience I think!
The first day we got here we didn't do much. Just got the the hostel and pretty much went to bed. It's an extremely nice place we're staying in, really close to the heart of Cape Town, so that's fun. I'm loving the hostel culture. People are so laid back and everyone seems so adventurous! A huge group of people left this morning for a 6 week safari through Africa! It seems so daring!
Our first real day here we went to a holocaust museum which was really interesting and as usual harrowing. It was a different experience seeing the museum through a South African lens that has such a similar history. While there was no extermination there was still radical racism here and the similarities are too close for comfort.
That same day we also went to the art museum (Yay!) which was really neat. There was a crazy architect on display and a really interesting photographer. Their permanent collection was my favorite though. A complete mash up of different artists from Dutch to British to South African...all in the same room. The juxtaposition was kind of incredible. We also had a class IN the museum!!!! that was pretty great.
Yesterday we went to the District 6 museum after our Robben Island tour was cancelled. District 6 was a neighborhood that was wiped out during Apartheid. Literally the whole neighborhood was demolished. This was in 1966 so there are still a lot of survivors and they have donated their experiences and stories to this museum. We had one tour guide who was actually from District 6 and he was such a sweet man. The way he talked about the place made it sound so beautiful and good. My favorite part was when he was talking about praying in the Synagogue with his Jewish friends even though he was Muslim. He said it didn't matter what religion they were, they were all people. During Apartheid every different race was sequestered to their own "homeland" (ring any bells?) and so this integration was ripped apart. It seems like this is the embodiment of how I imagine the world functioning in the most idealistic world and the fact that it was torn apart is really hard to understand.
Last night we went out on the town! We met Capetonians from pretty much every walk of life you can come from in Cape Town. Without having to ask any leading questions people were bringing up what it was like to live under Apartheid and how they think their country has progressed (or not), the challenges they face in the future and how they live their lives. I am excited to have more of these conversations. One group of people that we ended up hanging out with the whole night was quite the diverse crowd. 2 original Capetonians, one white, one colored. One white Botswanan, One French woman and one man from the Congo. They all work together in Cape Town and are a motley crew that we just fit right in with.
Today was a delight. We went to the southern most point (Cape of Good Hope) and that was beautiful. We pretty much climbed out butts off though! Probably one of my favorite parts here was sitting on this rock and I said hello to an Asian tourist. Next thing I know all of them are wanting to talk and they're ALL taking pictures of me on this rock. Then each had to get in the pic with me. It was pretty hilarious. It makes me laugh to think of where those pictures will end up. We picniked on a beach which was being racked by a wind storm, so that was fun. Then on our bus ride out a baboon literally CHARGED our bus. There had been all these signs all day to watch out for these CRAZY baboons, but we didn't see any, then on the way out Segall whips around and yells "BABOON" and everyone jumps up and yells. It was pretty awesome. Will wanted to throw a banana at it...?! Then we stopped to see some Penguins. In the parking lot there was this a cappella group singing and you will never believe what they were singing....Paul Simon's "Homeless". I was actually crying I was so excited. (Brady if you're reading this, I have a video of it...) Talk about amazing. Then we saw the penguins which were actually pretty cute and fun to narrate fun stories about. (There were a few forever friends Laur.)
Well...I need to go do some school work (Def my least fav part of the trip, regardless of how interesting and powerful the literature is). I miss you all and love you tons! Keep posted for another update!
Monday, June 9, 2008
On the Eve
It is the eve of departure.
This week has been legitimately out of control. Until last night I had a feeling of running around like a beheaded chicken.
In the last week I've been to Portland and back, finished finals, started summer quarter, hung out with Grant's high school friends, hung out with Mark (my dad), Scrambled to get everything I needed for the trip, packed and repacked and Finally got to Seattle yesterday. The first hour in Seattle was out of control. We got to a place to stash our stuff and no one was home, so we hid it in the space between the basement and the lawn and then went to the library. Which was closed on a Sunday (duh). So we needed a place to write our papers. Called everyone alive in Seattle and finally found a place (thanks Evan). Picked up Kendall on the way and miraculously made it to Dr. Segall's house on time.
Walking into that house was overwhelming at first. There was a lot of energy and anticipation and it really overwhelmed me. Eventually we got into a group and started talking about our first novel (Age of Iron) and really got settled. Finally this sudden calm came over me and I was able to just take a breath. All of a sudden I relaxed and realized that this is happening! I never thought I would get to this place. I never thought I would get to this place before I got there. I'm so thankful for the whirlwind to slow down. A more adequate description would probably be that it's the eye of the storm.
I'm not trying to anticipate what's to come. I'm living in this moment of peace.
5 hours until we leave for the airport! 25 hours on the plane! So basically in a little over 30 hours I will be stepping foot in South Africa!
Wish us luck :-D
Monday, June 2, 2008
One Week
So, there's one week to go before we take off for South Africa!!!
As I prepare for finals I find myself distracted by all of the preparation and excitement leading up to this trip. It's surely going to be a whirlwind of a week.
Just incase I haven't told you personally here's the plan for the summer:
June 11-ish: leave for South Africa
Month 1: Study Abroad. This is a program through SPU. There will be 14-ish students on the trip and we'll be spending time in Cape Town studying, building houses and learning about the history of the country. Then we go off to an African theater festival for a week and then a week of sightseeing and fun!
Month 2.5: After the group leaves I will be staying in South Africa for another month and a half. A friend (Grant) and I will be meeting up with people we've contacted over the year in Cape Town and Pretoria. We're looking forward to meeting some great people and getting connected with the work they're doing in South Africa. Some of that might be working with the homeless in Cape Town, hanging out in an orphanage, meeting university students, learning about the townships and just really immersing ourselves in the South African culture and experience.
So there's the rough itinerary...I'll be back to Seattle on August 22nd and back in the Bay shortly there after.
Like I said in my opener thing, I'll be close to the internet at most times, so please feel free to email me updates and keep in touch. I'd love to hear how your summers are going :-D
Much Love.
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