Monday, October 27, 2008

"what does it say about your life when everyday is the best day of your life?"

My roomate asked me this question at about 9 in the morning when we spontaneously decided to take off our clothes and jump into the Indian Ocean off the Wild Coast in Eastern Cape, South Africa. We were playing in the water and I looked out at the waves and felt how nice the water felt against my skin and saw how the sun glittered against the clear blue and said "This is the best day of my life!" Alex then looks over at me and says, "What does it say about your life when everyday is the best day of your life?" I thought back and realized that I make that same exlamation (This is the best day of my life!) very often here, almost everyday. Days just get better and better, so yes, everyday is the best day of my life. What does that say about my life? Than I am extremely blessed.

As usual I havent blogged in forever, and I doubt if anyone even reads these things anymore. Mpho always jokes to me and says "out of sight, out of mind". I complain about how my roomates talk to thier families all the time and their parents call them almost everyday and stuff and she says that everyone has probably just forgotten about me; out of sight, out of mind. but its just a joke. Im different than my roomates anyways. Im very independent and even when I'm in the states I dont talk to or see my family much. Im pretty used to it actually. Its good because I think thats why I dont get homesick or get really upset because I miss my family so much or anything like a lot of my roomates do. Being away is just something that im used to. Even before I left for school I was never really home. Im always on the run somewhere. Thats just my personality. And I dont really know where I would get homesick for. I dont really know where "home" for me is. I dont really think about "home" as a place because I've moved around so much. I think of Atlanta as home because I spent most of my life that I remember there, but I think of home more as a feeling. I guess "home" for me is the feeling I get when I'm around my family and I havent seen them in a while. I feel at "home" when mommy does motherly things for me like cook and stuff when Ive been away at school for a long time. I feel at "home" when I listen to Kiara and Kaprisha argue when I go to my dad's. I feel at "home" when my YEA friends and I are all chillin somewhere laughing at like 3 in the morning. I feel at "home" when Tasha, Danielle, Laurita and I are actually all in the same space for once and Tasha is yelling and cursing everybody out lol, and we're all telling stories and talking about the past. All these things happen in Atlanta so I guess Atlanta is home. Its familiar. I have memories there. Home is a place that I have memories from long long ago I guess. I guess thats why I dont feel at home in philly even though I live there. I think of philly as a place where I live temporarily until I go back home or elsewhere...... but the wierd thing is I feel so "at home" here in Cape Town.

I just got back from a crazy road trip to the Transkei on Saturday. Three of my roomates and I drove across the Souther part of the country to the Wild Coast. There is a place in the Wild Coast called Bulungula. That was our final destination. It took over 16 hours to get there! I usually hate long road trips like that, but I actually really enjoyed this one. There was so much to look at. We drove through every kind of enviornment you can ever think of. I took lots of pics. We drove through mountainous regions, plateau, jungle, desert, etc etc. I couldnt sleep much on the trip because I couldnt stop looking out of the window. I didnt want to miss anything! Cape Townians call the area of the Eastern Cape we drove through the "homelands". Imnot positive, but I'm pretty sure its because that is where the Xhosa people (the prodominat black culture in Cape Town) originated. I think the "homelands" is a perfect name for it because if we've decided that home is a place where you have memories from long long ago, then the homeland is definately that, home land. In Bulungula particularly, people live the way they lived long ago. The land is completely unspoilt. The people have not been too strongly corrupted by western culture. It was like living on a huge African farm. Number one, there were animals EVERYWHERE, but ill get back to that in a min. Number two, the people live completely off the land. There are no cars or tvs or anything like that. There are no paved roads or stores. There are just huts, the river, the animals, the ocean, the forest, and the people.There was very little electricity. We lit everything by candle light. The people of the village cook over a fire. They didnt have stoves or microwaves or anything. I did a lot of peeing in the bush. The lodge we stayed in actually had toilets, probably because they know tourists come through a lot. But, to get to the toilets you had to walk outside no matter how dark it was or how many ANIMALS followed you there, and pee. The toilets also didnt flush. I forget what they call these kind of toilets, but you pee in the front section and poop in the back. If you poop yu take two cups of soil and put it over your deposit and close the lid... the end.

There was also a hut that had showers in it at the lodge we were staying in. The people of the village dont have bathrooms so they obviously dont have showers. It took me a while to understand this, but people: toilets and showers are a luxury, not a neccessity. The showers in the bathing hut were what they called rocket showers. They had running water (also a luxury, not a neccessity) but you had to pour parrafin into this little compartment in the pipe and then put a little piece of toilet paper on top. You then light the toilet paper on fire and its starts a small fire in the pipe which warms the water for your shower. That gives you about 7 minutes of hot water so showering was done very quickly!

Now, for the most important aspect of this trip. Let me just say that I expected this trip to be just that, a light hearted, fun filled trip. I didnt expect anything deep or anything. BUT this was much more that a trip... it was an experience and a life lesson! Ican not even begin to explain to you how much I grew from this experience. Anyone that knows me knows how afraid of animals I am and how it has followed me for as long as I remember. I have been getting a lot better though since Ive been here. BUT, PEOPLE THERE WERE ANIMALS EVERYWHERE!! All kinds of animals! In order to walk from our hut to the hut with the bathrooms I would usually encounter horse, goat, lots and lots of cows and usually a dog or two. I mean, not far away from me either. They wuld be right outside of our hut, like a lot of times only a few feet away from me. And they are free roaming animals. Its not like there was an owner to tell them to come away from you or anything, they were just there. And they are hurd animals so it wasnt just a goat and a cow. It wasy like 5 goats and 5 cows. The dogs, especially this one, just follow you. They dont have owners so they just see a person and follow. I cant really explain this animal thing n words. Im gunna have to find a way to post pictures on here, but Im telling you.... they were everywhere. It was ssssoooooo scary. But, it was exactly what I needed. Ive finally reached a place where I can feel scared, but breathe, center myself, and control my reaction the thing that is causing me fear. I did a lot of that this week!! The old me would have just stayed in my hut all week and cry. But the new me was way different!! I not only pet a horse, but I rode one!! I rode a horse on the beach and through the village. I pet a dog and took walks with plent of them following right at our feet. I pet a cat (cats are my least favorite for those of you who dont know). I walked to and from the places through herds of cows and goats. I ate lunch out on a mat where within about 10 feet of us there were about 5 dogs, 2 roosters, a bunch of chickens and chicks, and cows eating grass in the area a little further away. Its one of those situations where while its happening it you want to disappear, but once you look back on the situation you are so glad you did it. I worked so hard everyday to face my fear and learn to overcome it. I know my fear of animals seems trivial to most people, but its a huge thing for me and something Ive been trying to overcome for years. So, being able to say I did all those things is a huge milestone for me. Im so proud of myself! Its a little sad because Ive always though that if I just faced the fear and let whatever happens happen, then it would go away and I wouldnt ever be afraid of animals ever again. But, the truth is I think that everytime I see an animal Im always going to feel that fear rise inside me. The thing that I have to work on is how to control it. Im going to feel afraid. I just cannot let the fear take control and consume me. I have to stay in control. I have to just breathe and stay in control. So, that was a huge lesson learned and I am so greatful for that experience!

We did a lot of cool activities while we were there too. We spent a few hours with this woman named Nulisile. She took us through a day in the life of a woman in the village. She put stone on our faces to protect our skin from the sun and wraped our hair. We then we went down to the river and filled buckets with water. We carried the water back on out heads. It was so hard. The hardest part was trying to balance the water while walking up hill. Bulungula is full of gorgeous green hills. Once we finally got the water back to the hut we spent a little time making mud bricks for a new hut they are building. Then we went into the garden and picked spinach. Oh, and she gave us each a little lettuce to taste. It was kind of wierd because she just ripped it straight out of the ground and put it in her mouth and told us to do the same. But, my goodness, this lettuce was so delicious. I didnt know that lettuce could be delicious. I didnt know it could taste like anything! It tasted so fresh and crisp! Anyways, so we picked spinach then took it inside and washed it with some of the water we had goten from the river. We also had to grind maize... ive never felt more american than that moment lol! it was so hard!!! The corn was flying everywhere and I kept slamming the rock down onto my pinky fingers. The mama kept saying its easy its easy, but i was struuuuuglin!! After that we walked down to this forest and the the Mama turned into the hulk!! lol, i promise! She told us to fetch some wood for the fire. So we started picking up sticks off the ground, then all of a sudden, I turn around and see her ripping a little tree in half with her bare hands!!! She was breaking these huge logs and ripping these huge branches of the trees! I was in shock. I just stood there in amazement. I mean, one minute she is snapping a log in half with her knee, the next she is looking back at me with the most tender loving smile a mother can give. These women are absolutely remarkable. By the way, heres a random little bit of info. Here, when you refer to an woman older than you, old enough to be you your mother you call her mama. You call older men papa, girls your age or close to your age sisi (sister) and guys your age or close to you age bhuti (brother). It's the whole "it takes a village to raise a child" thing and also relates to the whole idea of ubuntu. Its like a sign of care and respect. Now that I think about it i never hear people refer to white people as mama or any of those. I think its because the whole family idea comes from the fact that we all come from the same ancestry. I dunno, but basically that is why we called Nolisile Mama instead of her real name or Ms. Nolisile or any of that. Anyways, so after she finished ripping tres apart and we finished picking up little twigs off the ground we went to the front of the forest. She ripped little pieces of bark off of this little green tree and used that as rope. We rapped the sticks into bundles wih the rope and carried the bundles back to the hut on our heads.
When we came back from the forest we washed the spinach in a bin with the water we got from the river. Then she got a little black pot and put the spinach, some water, some of the maize we ground, sugar, and salt. We went to the back of the house and into this little minature hut where the cooking is done. We started a fire with the sticks we had picked from the forest and cooked the meal for about ten minutes. It turned out to be delicious! The mama was cute. She set up a little table for us with chairs for all of us to eat at. At first she was trying to make sure we ate as much as we wanted before serving her real famly, probably because we paid for this little activity. But, we insisted that the other people be seved as well. The kids were so happy and smiled as they stuffed their faces. One little girl, I cant remember her name, but she was my favorite, was so excited. She was so beautiful and kept hugging me and smiling at me. I wished I could speak her language so badly. She looked like she was about 6 years old. She had a really low harcut like lots of girls here, a little boy cut. She was realy skinny and had on a little skirt and a sweater with holes on the shoulders. I love her so much and wish I could of taken her home with me.
So, that was the "Woman Power" activity. The other activities we did were horseback riding and an herbalist tour. All the activities were ran by the people of the village. Thats a big part of why we went there. Instead of continuing to invest our money into rich white-ran business we decided to go to bulungula because all of the money we spent goes directly to the lesser privilaged people of the commmunity.
Horseback riding was absolutely terrifying. There were a few moment when I looked out at the ocean and the landscape and just enjoyed the scenery. But, for most of the two hour ride I was either terrified of falling off, frustrated that my horse wouldnt listen to me, or freaked out by all the horses I was surrounded by. But, I have to say I am very happy that I did it. I did it and I survived. There was no need to be afraid.
The last activity that where did was the tour of the forest with the herbalist. The herbalist is highly respected in the community. It is believed that he spirits speak to him and guide him to the certain plants that he uses for medicine. Most of the medicine is bark from trees. He gave us a lot of free medicine. We got medicine for luck, love, shoulder pain, leg pain, protection, gas, toothaches, hiccups and more. Mom, I dont know if you will think this is wierd but as a souvineer I got you some medicine from the forest. Learning about all the medicines and about how the spirits work was really cool, but it was also really nice just to walk through the forest. I dont think ive ever done that before. It was so peacful. I liked it a lot.
Did I mention that in order to get to Bulungula we had to drive down a dirt road filled with pot holes and huge rocks in the foggy, rainy, pitch black night? Well, we did.
So, that was my road trip experience in a nutshell. That is definately one week of my life that I will never forget. We got back to Cape Town on Saturday and I was so shocked at how happy I was to be home. It's crazy how much I love Cape Town. It just feels like home. I always knew I loved South Africa, but I didnt truely discover my love for the city of Cape Town until I left it for a week. I love this city so much!
The night we got back we all went out to Long Street and had a really crazy night. I cant believe Ive never explained long street on here. Long Street is literally a long street full of awesome clubs and bars. Ou favorite club to go to on Long Street is Jo'burg. Saturday night Alex and I started a a club called Mercury then met everyone else on long street at a bar called The Waiting Room. Then of course, we finished at Jo'burg. It was a lot of fun.
We still had our rental car (whom we named Uncle Al) the next day so we drove to Camps Bay to the beach. Its a gorgeous beach. Camps Bay is a high end part of town that we hadnt really been to yet, so we allowed ourselves to splurge and had lunh at a nice restaurant over looking the beach. I had rissoto with prawns, mussles, and hake. It was so delicious. That night we ate at a restaurant called Beluga because they had a R99 sushi special and half price cocktails. Me, Jamal, Alex, and Olga went.
Well, that was my week! It was very eventful. Today I am staying in and studying for my drama exam on Thursday. Mpho comes home today to. She went back to Limpopo for a few days because her uncle passed away. She left on Saturday and will be back today. Im excited because I havent seen her in like a week and a half. Also, MY BIRHDAY IS THIS WEEKEND!!! Im so excited! only 5 more days! I think this birthday is going to be really fun. Im having this huge birthday bash at this club called Cybar in Rodebosch. One of my friends, Vuyoo, booked the VIP area for me and 30 guests. It will be really nice because I will get to celebrate my birthday and have a last big night with all of my friends before i have to head back to the states and be a responsible adult again. Saturday is my party, but Sunday is my actual birthday. So, on Sunday my roomies have something planned for me. They wont tell me what it is, but Im sure it is probably something fun.
i cant believe we leave in three weeks. Its really unbelievable. Im doing my best not to worry and Im actually doing a really good job. Usually by now I would be having panic attacks from stress. But, Im going home with no money, with no place to live when I get there and no money to get a new place, no money to buy plane tickets to visit my family and friends, but hey, Im going back with a great experience and I wouldnt take it back for the world.
Im suppossed to go to Namibia on the 8th. I really really really want to go. It suppossed to be absolutely beautiful there. They have the biggest sand dunes in the world. But, Im really running out of money so I dont know if Ill be able to afford it. So! If my lovely family wants to give me a birthdya present please give me money so I can go to Namibia. The rand is at 11.3 to the dollar so I really only need like $200 more dollars. Thatll be enough to buy my bus ticket plus have some extra to spend.
I feel like the next time I blog will probably be right before I leave for home judging by my track record. So until then, Cheers! See you in a few wekks!

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Over half way done

Its funny because I havent blogged in so long that it seems so unfamiliar! It feels wierd! Anyways, I really regret neglecting writing for so long because ssssooooooooooooooooooooo much has happened since I last blogged. I feel like a completely different person. I cant even just write about the things Ive been doing because ive done so much it would take me centuries to write about it. Also, at this point I think its probably more important for me to write about how things are affecting me than to give a run down of everything Ive been doing.
I feel like a completely different person. I am SO PROUD of myself. This experience is halfway over and it has just hit me that I did it! I really did. I came all the way to South Africa! Even when i was filling out all the applications and stuff I never could have imagined how much of an impact this experience would have on me. Saying I have grown would be an understatement. I have changed. I have developed. I can say that I am now a more compassionate person. I am now a more understanding person. I am now more aware of the entire world. I know how big the world is, and i am not afraid to go after it. I am no longer enslaved by fear. I have lived my life afraid of so many different things. I wont go too far in depth because I know my family reads this and i dont want to make anyone uncomfortable, but I have literally been enslaved by fear. Its funny because people always look at me as the brave, outgoing one which i am. But before this experience I was pertrified of being alone, petrified of death, petrified of God, petrified of being abandoned or neglected by people I love, terribly fearful of animals and the unknown, afraid of love and its consequences, afraid of hights, afraid of failing, afraid of embarrasment, afraid of men, afraid of rape, afraid of rejection, just AFRAID... of so much. I never realized it until I arrived here and to confront all those fears. And, oh, I cannot tell you how much more free I feel.
I can honestly say that I am happy here. I am truely happy. I love and I am loved. Not even just by people, but by life and the enviornment. The ocean, mountains and I are now best friends. I actually have time for myself here! I'm not always at one of my many jobs. I can think about myself. That sounds selfish, but its not. Its actually very healthy. At home I never think about wheather or not I am hungry because im too busy serving food to guests at my tables because they are hungry. At home I never think about wheather or not I have my school work done because im too busy worrying about wheather or not my kids need help with theirs. There have been so many times where a friend calls or comes over for help with relationship problems or any kind of problem and im trying to help while meanwhile im dying inside and just wish I had someone to talk to. For the past few years I have really been neglecting myself. I got way too caught up in the hussle and bussle of life and forgot how to breathe. And let me tell you, having this time to breathe has really saved my soul. I have my spirit back. I have myself back. its great! One thing about not only South Africans, but Africans period is that they dont rush through life. We Americans sometimes behave as though life will run away from us if we dont dash after it all the time. That's so untrue. It is okay to enjoy life. Who wants to wake up one day at 70 and say where did my life go? you rushed it away!
Dont get me wrong, school has been keeping me very busy so I dont just lay around and do nothing all the time. Im usually doing homework or rehearsing. But, my point is that I remember what its like to consider myself. If someone asks me to come over for dinner, I can! I dont have to think, "well, I dont know if I will be able to get my shift covered at the resaturant. And, if I do get my shift covered I should't go over for dinner because I need to plan a field trip for the kids on friday while reading the play I have a test on the next day". And i also dont have anyone looking down on for enjoying myself. As everyone knows, i am such a worry wart and stressed all the time. Here i have learned that that is so unnecessary. When I get back I REFUSE to go back to the way I was living. I was killing myself. Even if I go broke, at least ill be broke, happy and healthy instead of rich, stressed, and in a hospital somewhere.
Anyways, so yes. I feel very happy here. I also feel very human here. Ive had the BEST conversations of my life here. Ive had conversations with people that u just cant have back home. There's a famous african concept called Ubuntu. For those of you who arent familiar with it, it basically means 'I am because you are'. Its hard to explain, but basically it teaches you to recognize and respect the humanity in others. It plays out the most for me in the way people greet each other. At home, if you are at a pharmacy looking for the bandaids you would just stop and say, "excuse me. where are the bandaids?". Here, you stop and you say hello, how are you. Then they tell you how they are and visa virsa. You give a proper greeting and then you can say "may you please show me where the bandaids are". It goes back to not rushing through life and taking time to talk to people and show them you care even if you dont know them. In most black south african cultures if you speak to someone you call them sisi (sister) if they are your age or ma (mother) if they are your elder. There is such a sense of family and respect and love for others even in the language and the way you greet a person. I think that especially in places like Philly and NY we are missing that. Now dont get me wrong. This place is not all smiles and hugs. This is the rape capital of the world and crime is outrageous, but still, ubuntu is much more alive here than any other place ive been.
Its crazy because I miss my friends and family so much and stuff, but I have been dreading going home so badly. I have had like 3 hardcore nightmares about it. But I must not dread it. I must just go home and tell everyone the truth: in order for me to stay sane I can not work so much. And I have to tell my bosses: I appreciate my jobs, but I need less hours. I have to find an apartment with lower rent and if I run out of money not be afraid to ask people. And all the situaitons besides work that are stressing me out, I must just alleviate them.

So, I must write about what happened to me Wednesday night. Wednesay was heritage day so me, Mpho, and some friends went to a place called Mzoli's in Gugaletu. Gugaletu is a township outside of cape town and Mzoli's is famous for their braai meat. A braai is basically a bbq or cook out. So, they are basically famous for their bbqed meat. Anyways, so we went to Mzolis's and had absolutely delicious braai meat in celebration of heritage day. Long story short, it turned out to be one of the scariest nights ever! we had so much at Mzoli's but it was dark by the time we left and we had no way of getting home. So we had to hitchhike. South Africans do it all the time, but for me it was so scary. It was scary for both Mpho and I. Vee, one of her male freinds was with us, but still. So we got into the car. There were two men, one driving and one in the passenger seat. Of course they spoke Xhosa so i couldnt understand anything they were saying so that made me even more scared. I looked over at Mpho and she was taking all her valuables out of her bag and hiding them in her jacket. I look out the window and it was pitch black outside. All I could think is.. Oh my God, they are going to tak us to a dark open field somehwere and rape us. I was going through what I would do in my mind and preparing myself. It was so scary. The whole rest of the journey home which also included a crowded taxi ride and a mugging 5 feet away from me, I was so tense. I also had to pee ssssssssooooooooo bad. I came to terms with the fact that I was just going to pee right there on the seat of the taxi. But, luckily by some miracle from God, I made it both to the bathroom and home safely.

In other knews, I started my coaching for my exam pieces last week. Its going really well. My tutor for my monlogue and scene is Mwenya. She is really nice and doesnt make me feel stifled. She approaches it more like we are a team and treats my input as though it is valid.
Mpho and I are scene partners. We have the most... um... interesting way of rehearsing ever. Last weekend we rehearsed while sitting out on the patio and soaking in the sun and drinking coke. The next day we memorized our lines while laying out on Muizenberg beach. Tomorrow we plan on rehearsing while enjoying the view from Rhodes Memorial.... yeah, its nice. Its really easy for us to be partners because we're together all the time anyways. I feel good about our scene. Its coming along nicely. We just have to be careful with mixing business and pleasure.

There's so much more to say, but im really tired of writing. i'll blog again soon.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

the blog i never finished.... september vac

So, this week was September vac, basically what we know as spring break. We had a total of 10 days off. Today was the ninth. That 9 days FLEW by. I really wish we had just one more week. I feel like I was so busy the whole time I barely had anytime to just rest and enjoy myself. But, enough complaining because these past nine days have been very busy, but also very fun. I didnt get too upset about having to miss the Botswana trip because I knew that I needed to stay here and do what my heart was leading me to do anyways... help people. Everyday I walk out of my front door and the first thing I see is people sleeping on the streets. I walk to school and see the women coming into the suburbs from the townships to work as domestic workers to try and feed their families. I finally get to school and hear my friends stories of where they come from and what living in poverty is really like. I finally come home, open up my computer or look at the paper on the kitchen table and there's always a new story of impoverished people and the AIDS crisis or the crisis in Zim or some other horrifying thing happening right under my nose. So, i decided to help do somethong about it. During school I tend to get very busy. The theatre program here is no joke. Its so much work. So, I can usually only do volunteer work on Saturdays. But, during this vac I took advantage of my free time. I volunterred at two places. The first place is the TAC (treatment action campaign). It is an orginization that deals with the HIV/AIDS crisis in Khayalitsha. Khayalitsha is a township outside of Cape Town. It is the second largest township in South Africa after Soweto. So, I volunteered there on Tuesday. On Wednesday I volunteered at a day care center called Khumbalani day care center also in Khyalitsha. They take care of young children who are infected/affected by HIV/AIDS.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Settled In

Hello everyone!
I feel like havent written on here in a very long time, but I have been very busy. Some of the highlights of what I've been doing are going to listen to poetry, going to a lot of rehearsals, I went on a retreat in the mountains this weekend, our show opened yesterday and it was great, i've finished up with all my classes, and so much more. so.....

First of all, I have really been working on my sesotho and I am almost at the point where I can have a conversation which is really cool! Mpho says certain phrases to me and I actually understand! Its so much easier for me to understand sesotho than to speak it because a lot of the sounds are so unfamilar so are difficult to make. My palate just isnt shaped to produce those sounds. But, the more I work on it the easier it gets.

Last week Kevin took us to the TAC (Treatment Action Campaign) for class. The TAC is located in Khayelitsha which is the second largest township in South Africa (Soweto is the first). We found out after we left that the reason there was so much loud music outside during our class is because the store right below us was being robbed at gun point. When we came out we saw the police and our teacher told us what happened. For some reason this did not have that big of an effect on me. Its wierd because everyone knows how dramatic I am, but for some reason everyone else was much more affected than I was. To be honest the only reason I am even mentioning it is so I can remember that it happened when I read over this years form now. I really hope that I am not becoming numb to the crime and violence like many Cape Townians. I just refuse to live my life in fear. I know that this is a very dangerous place, but if I was completely careful all the time I would never leave my house! Crime is a part of life here and in order to carry on a normal life you just have to accept it.

I have realy began to settle in these past couple weeks. I now feel very much like I live here. I feel more like a local than a tourist. I finally know how to how to get wherever I need to go, Im good with the public transportation, I understand the lingo necessary to communicate with the locals. I am no longer intimidated by the language barriers. I pretty much can understand what people are trying to say without having to say "i only speak english". Its better this way because when people say things I can respond with a short word or phrase without having to say anything that reveals my accent. Its just safer that way so that they dont take advantage of me because Im not fom here.But even besides that I can go to the grocery store and know exactly what to but. Things dont look so foreign anymore. Speaking of groceries, my diet has completely changed since Ive been here. Fruits and vegetables are a huge portion of my diet. I also eat a lot of pasta. I eat chicken on occasion and have eatten calamari quite a few times when ive been out to dinner. (ive already talked about how great the calamari is here in my first blog, so i wont go back into that). But thats pretty much it. I can definately say I lead an over all healthier lifestyle here than I do at home.
Because I dont have to work while im here I have a lot more time to do things that i never have time to do at home. I finally finished Iyandla Vanzant's In the Meantime which Ive been woring on finishing for close to nine months now. I have also now started the workbook Living Through the Meantime. I have been going to church consistantly. For the first time in years I dont have to work on Sundays so I can actually go to church! And not only that, but I can be involved i church activities. I did a habitat for humanities project with my church 2 weeks ago. We built a foundation for a house for a family in a township called Mfuleni. We are going to finish building the house the week of Sept 8th. I really enjoyed that experience. It was nice to work with the people that live in the township on building the foundation. I also love children, so it was nice to get to be around the kids. Most of them couldnt speak english, only xhosa, but it was still good to watch them play and spend time around them.
I've also gotten back into poetry and spoken word. I havent started writting again yet, but I've been going to a lot of spoken word events. I forgot how much I love it. Last wednesday my roomates jamal, susie, and alex came to a little place called cafe sophia with me. This girl name poetry that I know from school was performing so she invited me to come. It was so nice. We had to pay 200 rand for a table (thats only about 25 dollars), but it came with samplers of all the good food on the menu and a bottle of nice red wine. All of the performers were great. I left there feeling so inspired and satisfied. I am making that my new Wednesday night ritual.
The next day was Thursday and we had our dress rehearsal for TIE. TIE stands for theatre in education. For my drama class we had to get into groups and create a play based on an issue school kids face... ours was intolerance and discrimination. We had about 3 or 4 weeks to create and rehearse the play. This week is performance week. Each group has 3 performances. We go into schools in and around cape town and perform our shows for the students.Believe it or not this has been one of my favorite things Ive done here. The creating/rehearsing process was strenuous, but actually performing and seeing how much the kids are affected afterwards is so rewarding! Our show is actually making a difference in peoples lives and changing childrens minds about things. It feels so good to be able to say that I am a part of something like this. Its crazy because I am doing this for a class, but i mean, i get to help children and influence their lives through theatre.... thats like a dream come true for me. i love it! it really is such an amazing experience and the kids are so grateful.

Friday our program coordinators took us all on a retreat to Montagu. It was awesome! such a contrast to cape town. Its a really quiet mountainous town in the counrty. Its really clean and quaint and absolutely beautiful! the whole time you are just surrounded by this huge beautiful mountains and the clearest blue sky. It even smells different there. The sky is so clear at night that the stars seam close enough to touch. It was really a nice little get away. But, the thing I loved best about montagu was the FOOD! the food was so frikkin good!! Food in south africa tastes better than at home period. its just tastes fresher and everything has more flavour, but in montgu it was like exceptional! The first night we ate a the restaurant in the lodge we were staying in. We had a butternut and carrot soup to start. The main course was some sort of chicken on a stick on a bed of pasta in a creamy white sauce. dessert was chocolate mousse! There are lots of wine vinyards in montagu so we also drank two of the local wines with our dinner. Not only was it delicious and amazing, but it was FREE!!!! all that for F R E E!!! and not only that but our program coordinators also paid for our lunch and dinner the next day!
Anyways, so we arrived on Friday. The lodge was so cute and comfy. We ate that delicious dinner downstairs then all the students went out to a bar. We found the only bar in the quiet town of montagu and went for drinks. We havent all hung out together since the first week we arrived so it was nice to all go out together and have a good time. The next day was saturday. we woke up and everyone, including the coordinators (andrea and kevin are their names) went on a tractor ride up a mountain!! I have encountered traveling up and down so many mountains in south africa. i think its a metaphore for my life. but anyways, we rode this HUGE tractor up this mountain. It was so beautiful. The thing that was different about this mountain was that its in a huge mountain range so as we traveled up we could see deep low beatiful valleys and also other mountains towering on each side. The plants were crazy up there. you have to see pictures of all the unique vegetation. they also grow apples, peaches, and pears in that region so I got to eat an apple on the ride back down. It tasted like someone had infused it with sugar. it wwas the best apple ive ever tasted. now dont get me wrong i eat A LOT of fruit here and its all so delicious, but THIS apple was just incredible. When we got down to the bottom of the mountain they had this traditional cook out thing for us, i forgot what its called, but i know it starts with a p. anyways, we had stuff like fresh baked bread and fresh pressed jams, lamb, chicken, lamb curry, fresh veggies, mala pudding etc. It was all delicious! After that we all went home, watched a little bit of the ruby game and then took a nap. One last thing about food.... after we woke up from our naps Andrea and Kevin took us all out to dinner. Now, I not a big red meat eater, but number one this meal was free and number two SA is known for having awesome meat. So, i ordered a sirloin steak with chips(fries) and veggies. This steak was the bomb!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I couldnt even speak after the first bite because it was just so tender and juicy and full of flavour. That steak has convinced me that I need to eat more red meat while Im here. It was just soooo gooodd!!!
Anyways after dinner we went to the hot springs. it was pretty cold so we didnt stay for long. then we went home and went to bed.
Sunday was our last day in montagu. I slept in because I could. I never really get to do that at home because I always have school work to do or my house mates wake me up with all their noise. We then got ready to leave. One of the girls in the program is named Samantha. It was her birthday on Sunday so on our way home from montagu we stopped at this wine vinyard and had lunch and wine. We sat outside and it was really nice because the landscape surrounding us was so beautiful. It was a little chilly though. The food was all pretty good. There was this mince(ground beef) curry dish that was really good. For dessert we had malva pudding which is this delicious traditional south african dessert. Its one of my favorites! and then we had teo bottles of the local wine made right on there on the vinyard. They were very good. Because the wine industry in south africa is so huge, we've had the oppurtunity to do a lot of tastings and learn a lot about it. Its a lot different from in the states. People drink wine here just like they drink tea.
So we returned home that evening I went to church and then to rehearsal and then passed out sleeping. My friend Siphu slept over because we had to be up at 6:50 pm the next morning for our performance, so she just slep here since I live closer to the venue.
So.... yeah. thats pretty much what ive been up to lately. Im doin really well. A lot of my roomates are starting to miss their families and stuff a lot, but I go 2 months without seeing my family all the time so this isnt that hard for me. I do miss the shelter a lot. I miss the kids. Im not used to being away from them. This past week my family (Courtnie especially), Hannah, my kids, Nevada, my bests (T,D,&L), my YEA friends and Ani have all been on my mind a lot. I miss all of those people so much. But besides that I am doing great!! I have to stop writing now so I can go to bed. Im waking up and going to see Mpho's show in the morning. So, goodnight all!

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

One Month Mark

I know it' been forever since I blogged. Its not that I havent wanted to its just that our internet hasnt been working. There's a phrase people always say here. It's "TIA". It means "this is Africa". Whenever you want to complain about slow internet or no hot water or no heat or air conditioner in buildings or any other luxuries we dont have here people always say "oh well, TIA". So,I haven had the internet for over a week but, "TIA" so I cant complain lol.



Anyways, the last week has been very dense and I'm sure that I have for gotten most of what I've done, but I'm going to attempt to remember. So... two weeks ago was my roomate Alex's 20th birthday. So, after school on Friday we all came home and got all dressed up and went to a club in Camps Bay called Karma. It was a very high in place but Alex's "boyfreind" took care of us. There was a R50 cover charge, but we got in for free. Her birthday was actually on Saturday, so at midnight at the club we Reme' (her "boyfriend") bought a bottle of Moet Champagne (which costs over R1000) and we did a champagne toast. It was a really fun night, and the only thing we had to pay for was cabs to and from the club. We all just danced and had a great time. After that all the rommates and these two guys named Glen and Bjorn came back to the house. Glen and Bjorn are our good friends. They go to UCT (university of cape town) with us and come from Namibia. We always have a blast with them. When we got home I passed out because I was so exhausted, but everyone else stayed up and played King's Cup. Aparently Glen and Bjorn left around 6am. The next day was the day of Alex's actual birthday. We didnt do much during the day because that was right when everyone was getting sick. The flu is going around campus really bad right now so three of my roomates were sick. But, that night we had a birthday party for Alex at our house. Well, first we took her out to dinner and when we got home to start the party the electricity was out! People were here for the party and we had no lights!! You see, here in South Africa almost everything is "pay as you go", even electricity. So you buy a pre-paid electricity card for like R200 and when it runs out your lights just go off..... we didnt know that. We are used to the American system. So, for the first half of our party we had no lights and were using candles lol. TIA!!! But, eventually Nicole went to the gas station and bought an electricity card so we had lights again. That was a VERY adventurous night lol!! I have a best friend a school here, her name is Mpho. She slept over that night for the first time and we just talked for hours. We've been like two peas in a pod ever since. She's actually laying in my bed memorizing lines right now as I write this. She slept over again last night. I was feeling a little down so she came over to help me feel better last night. She goes to UCT, but she's from Limpopo. That is a province in Northern South Africa. She went to high school in Johannesburg at a really prestigious all girls school then came down to Cape Town for University. We are very similar because Limpopo is a little farther from UCT than Atlanta is from UARTS, so we both are used to being away from our parents and families for long amounts of time. Like me, she usually just stays at school for breaks and is very independent.

There are 11 official languages in South Africa. Mpho speaks about five!!!! I know that sounds outrageous, but all black people here speak multiple languages. Its crazy!! Anyways, she is teaching me her mother tongue which is Sesotho (commomly known as "soo too"). Its SSOOOO hard. There sre so many crazy sounds that my mouth just isnt used to making. You have to engage your entire mouth, EVERY articulator to speak this language. There are all these crazy sounds you have to make with your tongue and throat. Hopefully when I get home I can teach you guys some. The class that I was going to take to teach me Xhosa didn't fit into my schedule so I am so grateful to Mpho for teaching me this language. I think its also better to learn this way because I learn conversational dialogue instead of intellectual vocabulary that I probaby will never use. Because of apartheid (for all you YEA peeps- the black people here say I pronounce "apartheid too pretty. Its an an ugly word. Its also Afrikaans so its deep and in your throat. I cant realy write it the way its pronounced, but its sort of like "aparrr-tet"). Anyways, because of aparteid languang and race are HUGE issues here. The white Afrikaners are so proud of their language and culture that they want to speak Afrikaans to everyone and expect us to understand... I can 't speak any Afrikaans except for a few neccessary words but when people say things I dont understand I just nod and smile lol... especially my teachers. When they get really angry or really happy they usually start saying things in Afrikaans. Then there are the coloureds. They also speak Afrikaans but they have a much different accent. (for those of you who dont know, coloured here basically means not black and not white. They are black people who have some white blood in them. They usually look like "light skinned" people. Once you have a little white blood in you you move up in classes from just ordinary black to "coloured"). Then you have the black people who speak sssssssoooooooo many different languages. They usually speak their mother tongue which is what they speak at home and a couple other Bantu languages. Of course all black people speak english because everyone speaks english, and then most blacks can understand if not speak Afrikaans...... Okay all that was just me trying to generalize so you guys set the feel of how things basically are. These are just generalizations, of course there are many exceptions. Some coloureds dont speak Afrikaans, some blacks can only speak two languages, there are some only english speaking whites etc....
So, yes, race and language are a gigantic part of South African culture.

Moving on... So, the party was saturday night and then on Sunday we pretty much all stayed in and did homework. I went to a new Church that night. I liked it a lot. Its very accepting and casual (you can wear whatever). The sermons are easy to understand. Like most churches, I dont agree with all of their beliefs, but we all believe in the same God, So I like it. I went back again last week and plan to continue to attend. Actually, tomorrow morning I am going with a group of people from the church to build the foundation of a home in a black township near by. I have to be at the church at 8 am :( But, it will definately be worth it.

The rest of the week went well. I saw a really good play reading called "Speak Truth To Power" which moved me a lot. Classes went pretty well. I am taking three classes at UCT. The first one is called Learning Through Drama and Theatre. Its a pretty cool class. It required a lot of work though. We these groups that we are in and we had a month to creat a 40 minute show and then we have to take the show to different schools and perform it for kids. Thats a big part of our marks. Then we have exams and research projects. Im also taking a movement class that I really love. Its ssssoooooooo hard!! but, I like a challenge. My teacher is very hard on me and if I dont stay focused I get very discouraged, but its god for me. I am happy that Im being pushed. The third class Im taking is a voice class. I HATE IT. I dont agree with anything the teacher teaches. It goes against everthing I've learned and believe to be true. She's an awful teacher and talks way too much. The class I am taking outside of school is called Contemporary Issues in South Africa. In some ways its great because I am very aware of everything thats going on here, and get to go to amazing places and meet amazing people. In some ways I dont like it because a lot of the stuff is very political and too hard for me to understand.
So that was the week! On Friday I got out of rehearsal at 11 am and had no other classes!! It was great because I just came home, went grocery shopping, took a shower and then my roomates and I went into town. We had dessert at this really good pastry cafe. We got an assortment of different stuff and then shared. Everything was so good and it was really nice out so we ate outside . After that we walked down to long street and shopped. Nobody bought anything, but we just looked around in different shops and stuff. It was really cool. We then went to dinner at a really cool Ethiopean restaurant. I had the lamb. It was really good. I, of course, got really emotional at the table because I was just looking around at this beautiful restaurant and looking out the window at beautifu Cape Town and looking at all my new friends at the table and I just felt so happy. I dont see why God would choose me to blessed with such a wonderful experience. It is still sometimes hard for me to believe that I am here. It still seems to good to be true at times. Anyways, after dinner a few of us went to see a play at school, then we went home. I did some reading then went to bed.
NOW FOR THE BIG NEWS.... SATURDAY!!! ONE OF MY FAVORITE DAYS HERE SO FAR!! You guys wont believe this, but Saturday I hiked to the tip top of Lion's Head mountain. Please google lion's head and see what im talking about. It was soo scary I was shaking so badly. I was crying so much. I was so afraid. What made it worse is that there is an easy path and a "use at your own risk" path... my roomates made us take the "use at your own risk" path. We had to rock climb and pull ourselves up with chains and climb latters and get all muddy and gross. Its like nothing I've ever done before Im afraid of heights so I cant even explain to you how scary this was. So many times we were so close to cliffs that hung off the gigantic mountain. The entire time I was climbing I was using climbing this mountain as a meaphore for getting over mountains in my life. I learned that there is no such thing as moving a mountain. The only way to get to the top is to face it, breathe, and climb over it. It is definately not easy, but there will always be someone there to lend you a helping hand. When it gets hard and you feel like you cant go any further you just have to breathe and keep going. Allow yourself to cry. Allow yourself to feel afraid. Just dont look down and keep pushing... I cant ever remember feeling as good as I felt when I got to the top. I finally let myself look down and my eyes filled with tears. I started to sob tears of joy. There is no way I can explain how beautiful the view is from up top. The ocean looks massive and you can see way out. You see all the hills and mountains. You see Camps Bay and all these other beautiful areas. You see Robben Island. Its just incredible. More than the scene, its the feeling you get when you stand up there. Its very spiritual. When you are that high up and have already excerted that much energy and emotion you just feel open and vulnerable. and then you look out and this over powering feeling of love and light and joy and gratefulness and everything good hits you like a ton of bricks. It sounds wierd, but its true. God's presence is so strong up there. After sitting and sobbing on a rock for a while I got up and went back to my roomates who were sitting a on a rock a little further away. There was a loose dog coming in my direction. I felt no fear. It was so wierd. My roomates all came rushing over tryong to protect me from the dog but I told them it was okay. They were so happy for me. I felt so much good that there was no room for fear or any other bad energy. We sat up there for a while and ate some snacks. I felt invensible for the rest day!!!

After the hike I went in did some volunteer work in a coloured township called Ravensmead. We were helping them put together a show for the Out of the Box Theatre Festival. This was a very interesting experience. I had fun teaching the kids drama, but the rest of the experience was quite.... unique. It was hard becaue there was such a language barrier. In a coloured township it is very difficult to get people to speak to you in english. They all can speak english but prefer to speak afrikaans because that is their mother tongue. We also bought in a few kids from a black township to be a part of the show and they all spoke Xhosa. So, every now and then people would say and english phrase or two, but for the most part I was completely lost because I didnt speak the languages. Also, was with a friend who grew up in this township so I went into a few of the little houses. It was kind of scary because all of the men where piss drunk and trying to touch me, I couldnt understand anything they were saying, there is a lot of crime in this area and I was carrying a backpack which automatically made me a target, there were animals running all around, and I of course I was the only non-african. So, it was definatley an experience but I can say I am happy that I did it. The trek home was very dangerous and I am so thankful that nothing happened to us. Believe it or not, I am goin to back tomorrow.... just because I care so much about everyone, including the underprivelaged, having access to theatre and the arts. I think it would be great for these kids to get the chance to put on their own show in a theatre festival.

Sorry this is so long , but Im trying to fit almost two weeks into one blog. So, yes , that was Satrday. Sunday I went to church, then Susie, Jamal, and I went to Muzinberg beach. It was a little chilly, but still vey nice. The beach is awesome. It was a windy day so there were lots of surfers. We took the train there. It was our first time on the train. It was actually pretty easy. It was a little hard to find the station, but once we found it we got there pretty smoothly. When we first got there the ticket lady started talking to me in Xhosa. Usually if people see me and I dont say anything so they cant here my accent they assume I am Xhosa and speak to me in Xhosa. This is because most blacks in Cape Town are Xhosa. This is like the land of the Xhosas. ANd even blacks thst come from other provinces can usuall speak enough Xhosa to do simple things like speak to a ticket lady. But, it was cool because Susie has been taking a Xhosa class so she could communicate with the lady!! The woman was so impressed that this white girl was speaking Xhosa lol!! But, then se started speaking to us in english and she was very nice and helpful. So we got to the beach, did some homework on the beach and just laid out for a while (in the middle of winter mind you) and then came home. We ate dinner ate home because the week before I spent R400 on groceries!!! Then around 7 we went to a little restaurant called Cafe Sophia because it was their jazz night. So we listen to a little South African jazz and had a couple drinks. Then we came home and went to bed!
So thats what ive been up to lately. I dont really feel like writing much more because this took me forever, but there just a couple other things I need to say. First off, I am being very careful not to just do really dangerous things without thinking about how my family would feel about it, but there are certain things that I just feel I have to do. At first I was just going to not tell my family so you woudnt worry but that is not smart in case somethin happens. I need you all to know that I am considering traveling to Zimbabwe with my church for a mission trip. I am very very aware of how dangerous it is, but I feel very strongly about the situation and really want to help. There is security going on the trip too, and I feel like I will be fine. I have not made a definate decision because I have to decide if I am prepared to face danger like that. But, I do know that I feel called to go on this trip as well as to do all that I can here in Cape Town to help the people of Zimbabwe. I am very open to hearing how you guys feel about me going, but in the end my decision will be based on the outcome of the conversations between God and I.
Secondly, my scholarship money came in, so I am fine financially now!!! My schol bill was once again lowered so I only ended up having to pay $2,000 for the semester!!
Thirdly, I never want to come. I'm kidding lol. I want to come home but not for a long time. Im supposed to go back on the 15th of November, but I think Im going to try to stay an extra 2 weeks if I dont run out of money before then.
Fourthly, LAURITA IS COMING TO VISIT ME HERE!! Im so excited. Her mom is sending her here to visit me as a graduation present. She'll be here in October.
And lastly, contact me people!!! either my email, or comments on here, or whatever!! im starting to feel neglected!!!
Love you all. bye :)

Monday, August 4, 2008

Reality Check

So, I am writing from a very heavy place tonight. Its 1:30 am here. I have to wake up in 6 hours and I cant sleep. I have so much on my mind. As amazing as it is living in South Africa its also very difficult too. There is so much going on politically here. I dont know how much exposure the States is getting to the crisis in Zimbabwe and the Xenophobic attacks that happened here in South Africa, but these issues are huge here. People have been fleeing their countries especially Zim for safety. I mean Mugabe and his government are really just killing people. The stories of torture and rape and all kind of violence is unbelieveable. So, these people flee to South Africa for safety and are being burned alive and attacked my locals in the townships. My God, it is so sad. So, "refugee camps" have been set up around Jo'burg and Cape Town etc. for these people because they have been chased out of the townships and all their property and belongings were stolen. I went to a discussion the other day where some refugees spoke about their experiences and its been heavy on my mind ever since. I feel so helpless. I signed up to try and do some volunteer work at ther refugee camps but I feel like what I really need to do is go and talk to Mugabe himself. I know that sounds irrational, and it is, but I mean, we are all human. And at the core of all human kind is love. There's got to be a way to free that man from fear and jealousy and greed which is what is driving him to do all these awful things and speak to him in love. Robert Mugabe just like everyone else needs to be loved! You see, when people do things even as awful as massive genocides like he is doing hate is no the answer. Hate fosters hate. If we resond to hateful behavior with hate we will just create more hate. The only way to free and heal Zimbabwe is through love. No I am not a politician or an expert or anything, but this is what I know to be true. Everyone, the whole world needs to learn to operate in love. Awful things like whats happening here now wouldnt be if we could just do that. I've got to do something to help. It's not right, or loving, for me to reside in this beautiful country and just allow all of these awful things happen to innocent people around me. I just pray that God bless Zimbabwe and somehow these people are freed.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

drinking a cup of tea cont...

change the world with my favor. God is good.

Drinking a cup of tea

Today was my second day of school, and as usual I came home stressing, worrying and complaining. I completely forgot where I was and what I am doing and just bummed around the house too groggy to do any of the homework that was making me feel so bummed. Now, a few hours later I just sat at my desk with a cup of tea to begin some of my reading. I made myself a cup of rooibos and honeybush tea. I put a smidge of honey and just a tiny bit of sugar in. The first sip melted away all of my anxiety. Mmhh. It tastes so fresh. I am in Africa! The most beautiful continent in the world. Why would I waste any of my time huffing and puffing. Yes, my course load is very heavy. But thats great. Im studying theatre, the thing I love, at one of the best schools in the world! And.... the killer is I DONT HAVE TO WORK! I havent had to work a job since the day I got here and im surviving! As I sit here over my tea I am just so thankful for being accepted into this great drama department that no study abroad student has EVER been accepted into at this amazing school, thankful for my talents that God has so graciously blessed me with, thankful for my extremely comfortable living situaition, thankful for the gorgeous lanscape I see everyday, thankful for all the amazing friends I've made already, EXTREMELY thankful for the finances I was blessed with so that I can not only come here but live here for 5 months and not work, and thankful for all the people that love me back at home. I am an extremely fortunate person and determined to

Friday, July 18, 2008

for mommy lol

Hello everyone!

It makes me so happy that people actually read my blog! I know there is a way to send out e-mail notifications when I post new things but I have yet to figure that out. anyway....
The past few days have been really good! The thing I am most excited about is school. My school, University of Cape Town, is ranked number 200 for best Universities in the world!! (Harvard's number one of course) But it is gigantic. We have FOUR CAMPUSES! Lower campus, middle campus, upper campus, and hiddign campus. There are people from all over the world that go there. There are obviously a lot of South Africans. But I've also met so many Zimbabwains, Namibians, Botwanians, Kenyans, Egyptians, and much more. Its a big international school so there also lots of people from Europe, Asia, and all those places. Walking through campus you hear so many different languages its so cool. Also, the most common language besides english that you hear is Xhosa which is known to Americans and "the click language". Im taking a class to learn to speak it once school starts, which is on Monday! I cant believe it! But walking through campus is like walking in a completely different world. Everything is so different than what Im used to, especially the enviornment. I usually take what I see when I walk down the streets for granted in the States, but here that is absolutly imposible. If you stand on the wain stairs of upper campus and look down you see all of cape town, the mountains and the ocean. It is such an amazing feeling. There are some places here (like on those steps, or out near the ocean, or on the slopes of the mountain i live on) where you look out and and its so beautiful that it brings tears to your eyes. You just feel so close to God, and I just start to feel so fortunate. Speaking of fortunate I went out to one of the townships I will be volunteering in yesterday. Im not going to spell this right, but its called "Khayletshi". Its the largest black township in the western cape. It was a very humbling experience. The houses are made of garbage and plastic and tires and whatever other mateial the people can find. There is no running water or indoor bathooms. These people live in conditions we could never survive in, but when the kids saw the bus coming they ran and chased after us with huge smiles on their faces. When we got out they just wanted to touch us. They wanted so badly to just touch an american. Being there with those children for the first time is definately something I will never forget. I will be tutoring children there twice a week starting in 2 weeks.
Just so everyone knows........ the next time you see me i will have:

1. ridden an ostrich
2. cage dove with great white sharks
3. bungee jumped from the highest bungee jumping point in the world
and
4. Hiked Devils Peak

Mom,
Dont worry I will be fine :)

Im facing a lot of fears while i'm here. I've already grown and changed so much.

Monday, July 14, 2008

1st entry

For those of you who don't know, I made it here safely. I am currently in Cape Town, South Africa! The most BEAUTIFUL place in the world. I live right off of table mountain. Right out my back door is gorgeous mountains and open land spread with beautiful trees and other plants. The sky is bluer and clearer than you can ever imaine. I live near like 20 million thousand beaches. The water is perfectly clear blue. Its whale season. I've seen two!! Its winter here which means around the 50s at night and 60s during the day. There really is just no way I can explain how amazing this place is. I thought I'd be living in dorms, but I dont. I live in a suburb called Mowbray. I live in a nice little house with 6 other people. There are six girls and only one boy lol. We each get our own room which is sweeeeet! I cool cus its like a little sorority house. Our kitchen has two fridges and two stoves. We have two bathrooms..... so its a very comfortable living, and all my roomates are really cool.

The first day I got here we went on a bus tour of Cape Town. I got to see it in all its splendour for the first time. Its ssssssssooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo different from the last time I was here. The world cup is here in 2010, so they are really building the place up and making it look nice. It's very urbanized. However, there is still a very disinct difference between the city and its suburbs and the townships. Of course they aren't doing anything to help build up the townships :/ but the tourism industry has grown immensly.



After the bus tour we went to "Africa Cafe" Its a really nice traditional African restaurant. We ate food from all over Africa: the Congo, Mozambique, South Africa, Egypt, Zimbabwe, allllll over. It was soooo good! Then after that we went to a bar in this little area called "O bz" that all the students hang in. It was fun. There were too many Americans there for me, but of course I just went to the front and mingled with the locals. Crime is such a huge problem here. it really sucks. You have to be on guard at all times. You cant go anywhere alone. You cant carry anything with value and no matter how careful you are you will definately at one point or another be mugged. Of course the guys are also very aggresive when they are drunk. They love Black American women and they are very persistant. You have to be very firm in telling them no.

The next day was Arcadia's orientation, so we sat around a table and listened to people talk for forvever. That was sooo boring. But while we were there we got to eat lunch at this really nice restaurant. The mountains and beautiful landscape surrounded us as we ate. We ate outside because the weather was nice. They specialized in calamari so I ordered calamari and rice. It was BANGIN!!! The calamari are huge! They are like four times the size here that they are in the states and absolutely delicious. They arent chewy or wierd texured. They are just... ugh! indescribable!

After orientation we went to the couple thats kinda watchin over us's house for what they call a "brie". Its sorta like a bbq. People have them a lot here. There is no bbq sauce involved, but they make food outside on the grill and some inside on the stove then everyone enjoys it together inside. Its a good time. We just came home after that . Drank some wine and hung out for a while, then went to bed.

Sorry guys this is long, but i havent gotten to write so im catching y'all up lol.
Long story short..... the next day went to the waterfront for breakfast. I got reallu upset there because of some political stuff.... its a long story, but basically governmental apartheid is over, BUT ECONOMIC APARTHEID IS ALIVE AND THRIVING!!! Tourists and a lot of white south africans still treat black south africans like dirt. They treat them as though either they dont see them or they are very inferior. It makes me so angry. I hate putting my money into these touristy places that employ black south africans to do labor for no money. Enough of that cus i could go on forever....
I met a lot of cool locals that day, so that was good.

Now for the important part: I hiked down a HUGE mountain today!!!!!!!!!! It was soo scary, but I faced my fear and I did it! It felt so good! ill post pictures! God, it was so beautiful. We were at the cape of good hope. Then we visited a secondary school in oceanview that i MUST go back to. The kids performed for us and I loved it. Now im home. SICK :(
i have a cold, so am stuck in the house. It kinda sucks.
Im also sick of writing now, so thanks for reading and I'll write more soon :)