Wordless Wednesday
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District 6
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After we explored Robbin Island, we ventured back into Cape Town and to the District 6 Museum. In short, District 6 is a former inner-city area in Cape Town where 60,000 residents were forced to leave during the 1970s due to Apartheid. You can read more here. But it’s so much more than that. The museum was amazing and so sad. There were many testimonials from residents who had grown up in District 6, photos, toys, other artifacts (from barber shops, etc), benches, signs, newspaper articles, and even some modern touches. It’s just one more eye opening place that I can’t fully describe in words. I hope these photos help.
The map on the floor was of District 6 and had names of who lived where
They also had a bunch of street signs (this happens to be a main street in downtown Charleston, too!)
People had written testimonials and these were then embroidered in order to be kept forever
My friends Lindsey and Quinn reading up on some District 6 history
Tags: AIFS, Cape Town, District 6, photography
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I’m leaving on a jet plane
12
27
09
I started this before I left South Africa and am now finishing up after being home, so it might be a bit confusing, but enjoy it.
Alright, I know I still have many things to update you on about my study abroad trip (including the District 6 museum, shark cage diving, Garden Route, our safari, a music festival and more), but I’m leaving on Friday night and I wanted to make sure I posted my feelings about my whole trip before I came home and everything got away from me.
I don’t even really know how to put this all down into words. I’m a terrible writer, but I hope because this is coming from the bottom of my heart that it will come out sounding somewhat okay.
What was I expecting when I decided to apply to study in South Africa? Quite frankly, I have no idea. I didn’t know much about South Africa, other then the general Nelson Mandela news. It was portrayed as a generally dangerous country that should be feared by outsiders and most adults I told were worried for me (let’s not even talk about my parents!). I was definitely excited, but had no idea how amazing this whole experience would turn out to be.
Coming here has been the single greatest experience of my twenty years and might stay number one for a very long time. I learned way more about myself here then I ever thought possible. I made amazing friends that I plan to keep for life and I got to experience things that I would have never done had I stayed in the United States. Life in South Africa is different. I can’t exactly explain in words without you seeing the life here, but let’s just say I will try to never complain about money, school, and little things in life ever again. When people ask me how South Africa is as a country, it’s very difficult to say. Because I lived here for 4.5 months, I got a completely different perspective than a vacationer. South Africa is not somewhere like Europe, or Australia…a country that is westernized like the United States, but with slightly different cultures. South Africa is a new country. It was only made a democracy 15 years ago, thanks to Nelson Mandela and all his hard work, so they are still working on developing themselves. And this is very clear when you travel around the country.
And we can’t forget the segregation and racism that is still abound. I volunteered in places where people were living in SHACKS. One room shacks. One of the girls I volunteered with slept in her kitchen (more like kitchen/bedroom/living room) because there wasn’t another place for her to sleep and she unbelievably didn’t seem phased by it. She even giggled at me when I asked her about it (her reaction was as if someone asked you if there was running water in the United States). I’ve tried to explain the racism by saying that when the United States was “discovered” and the Native Americans were moved out of their lands, the government tried to be “nice” about it…by moving them to reservations (oh and giving them casinos!). In South Africa there was no hiding what the government did. They moved the blacks and coloureds from their lands to NOTHING and then flattened their previous towns for growth in the white community. But there was no covering up what they were doing. They were very open about their opinions on the MAJORITY races in their country and a lot of people still are today.
I know that made it seem like South Africa is completely terrible and black/coloureds are not regarded as real people, but this is not 100% true. There are many successful people that are NOT white, but it’s just crazy to look at the statistics of how many people in South Africa are NOT white and then the poverty of the people who ARE white (slim to none).
How has been to come home? Honestly, I thought there would be more culture shock. But maybe it’s because I came home to a very comfortable place, so it wasn’t all that bad. Of course, there have been lots of realizations. Before living in South Africa, I was never extremely patriotic about living in America. I loved it, yes, but I just didn’t know what else was out there. I grew up in an upper middle class family and have amazing parents. I have always been provided with whatever I need(ed). I would never call myself ignorant, as I knew what was out there, even in my own country, but I had never endured it quite like I did in South Africa. After traveling, I have realized that I LOVE America. Us Americans are so very lucky to live in a country where we have freedoms unlike many places in the world. Yes, South Africans have freedoms, but the culture and life is not the same. It’s so hard to explain to people without everyone having experienced it. One of the best ways to describe my travels is “just being it is 2009 in the United States, doesn’t mean it’s 2009 in South Africa”. The years mean nothing to them. For a lot of people, it’s all about survival on a day to day basis, rather than the next best technology.
I wish I could voice everything better, but this is the best it’s going to get.
Tags: deep things, South Africa, Stellenbosch, study abroad
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Happy Holidays!
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Robben Island - A Photo Montage
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(A few things: [1] Nelson Mandela served 18 of his 27 year prison sentence here, [2] Your tour is led by an ex-political prison inmate, [3] An absolute must-see if you’re in the Western Cape!)
Tags: AIFS Stellenbosch, Nelson Mandela, Robben Island, South Africa
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The Cederberg Mountains
09
22
09
A few weekends ago (okay more than a month ago…I started this post awhile ago!), the AIFS group packed up our vans and made the trek north to the Cederberg Mountains. It was gorgeous and we had a great weekend. They told us “camping”, but it was more like 4 star camping! We all stayed in cabins and had maids (well, Mama H, our coordinator hired some women who needed work, but STILL) who did the dishes and made our beds. Everyone had an absolute blast. We arrived Friday night and had a campfire that night. A traditional braii with boerewors (literally meaning “farmer’s sausage”), salad and Mama H’s special boerewors sauce. The food was delicious and after some chatting around the fire, I went to bed with a full stomach!
Saturday morning, we woke up, ate some muesli, muffins, and yogurt for breakfast and were off on our hike. This hike was not like any normal hike. It was intense, hard, and straining. There were a lot of stairs, made out of rocks and the only way you knew you were on the right path was by following the little stone piles that you would pass every so often. We went through the “cracks”, which required help at most points. The help consisted of people pulling you up through spaces so small my ass got stuck sometimes! The hike lasted 7 hours (5 hours up, 2 hours down approximately) and I was sore for a week afterwards! Once at the top, the view was beautiful. It was fun to explore, hang out, and enjoy the sun. Would I do it again? Probably not…so props to Mike Leslie, Hestea, and all the others that do this hike semester after semester!
Dinner on Saturday night consisted of a potjie (pronounced poi-key) and you can click on the Wikipedia link for more info on. Once again, dinner was to die for. Another fire was made and we stayed up hang out around it. We had a surprise of makeshift South African s’mores. You can’t get graham crackers, regular marshmallows, OR Hershey’s chocolate (Cadbury has the monopoly on that here!) here in South Africa, so we made due with what we could get. They were good, but I can’t wait to get back to some American foods! The stargazing was also so unbelievable that I can’t even use words to describe the amount of stars we saw that weekend. It was like sitting in a planetarium! I wish I could have captured it on film, but that was near impossible (although, I’ll admit I didn’t try very hard).
On Sunday morning, we went wine tasting and then to see some cave paintings. The cave paintings were extremely cool. Some of them were 8,000 years old! Others were names of Apartheid members. Some of the caves were where “secret Apartheid meetings” were held. It was interesting to see that part of history so close up.
Overall, it was an awesome weekend. Bonding with these strangers that I didn’t know existed on July 1st and now best friends with some? So great.
As always, here are some photos. I had a video that my flatmate put together, but that’s a surprise for my friends and family, so it will have to wait a bit!
Double exposure of Quinn, Kat, and Dee
“Mangie”…Angie played Scrabble against Drew and lost the game…
Having way too much fun
Hubbly bubbles (smoking Hookah or “Hubbly” as they call it here) and then blowing bubbles with soap
The mountain we climbed, although it doesn’t look as daunting from below
Where we stopped for lunch - IN the mountain
Snow on the mountain!
I made it to the top!
All the hikers - and almost everyone that’s part of AIFS this semester
Members of Apartheid
Our hand next to a grown man’s hand (from 8,000 years ago). They were the size of a present day 6 year old!
More paintings
Tags: AIFS, cederberg, South Africa
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Kayamandi
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21
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All around Cape Town, there are areas that are named “townships”…these areas are back to back to back shacks mostly hand built by the people who live there. These townships were founded because the apartheid government wouldn’t let blacks (and some coloureds) live in cities and areas where they wanted to. They were relocated to the townships so they were all in one area, so to speak. The townships have communal bathrooms and washing areas that are shared generally between 10-20 homes. It’s depressing that they still exist and the government hasn’t really helped changed them all that much.
Every Thursday, I head out with a group of international students and volunteer in the local primary school. We help eighty 7th grade students with homework, arts and crafts, and worksheets. Snack time and physical activity is also involved. There are a few field trips as well (they visited Parliament in Cape Town a few weeks ago). Deahna and I work with a group of 7-8 boys and it’s really fun. There is a bit of a language barrier, as they speak Xhosa as their first language and aren’t quite fluent in English, but it works out. They are in that extremely awkward stage in life and I love working with them because of all the teasing I can do. Ahhh the middle school days!
Here are some photos — enjoy!
Dee and I with our boys!
Playing outside — the background of the school is gorgeous mountains!
Michael, with his gorgeous smile
Their favorite game is 4-square, which brings me back to elementary school
Everybody loves posing for the camera
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Family and friends visit
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My parents and my mom’s best friend Amy thought it would be a great idea to use me as an excuse come visit me while they had the opportunity to adventure over to South Africa. It was a quick visit (they were here for two weeks, but I camped for a weekend and had classes, etc sometimes), but it was really nice. It actually turned out to be great timing because the first weekend I spent with them, I ended up with the stomach flu all day Sunday. It was an added bonus to have my mommy taking care of me! My parents did a houseswap and the house they stayed in was in Hout Bay, and was absolutely gorgeous. It had multiple decks, a great pool and backyard, and tons of fun chotchkies. It belongs to two wonderful adults, Mike and Adele, who are both photographers and Adele is an educator as well. They went to the US to visit their son and his family. They are even interested in swapping again, so I get to come back in a few years, fingers crossed!
We did a lot of things together, even though we didn’t have much time to spend with each other. We traveled to Cape Agulhas (the southern most point of Africa), pet cheetahs at a local vineyard, relaxed at the house, ate ostrich and lamb that my dad deliciously cooked on the braii, shopped in Cape Town, went to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, and had an incredible meal at an African restaurant. All in all, it was a great visit. It was good to see them and it makes me excited to get home (only a tiny bit though :)) Thanks again for coming guys, I had a blast!
And of course, as always, here are some photos to enjoy!
This creature is called a rock hyrax. It’s about the size of a chihuahua, but looks more like a cross between a guinea pig and beaver. Pretty weird.
Creepy mannequin
My dad was totally enthralled by the cheetah petting!
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An Adventure to Cape Town
08
26
09
Two weekends ago, we packed up our bags, grabbed a reasonable amount of money (enough to enjoy a few drinks during the rugby game), jumped in our friend (and South African lifesaver) John’s car and were off for a weekend adventure to Cape Town. Officially, we live in Stellenbosch, which is 30-45 minutes outside of Cape Town, so the trip was fast and easy.
On the way there, we had to stop at John’s house in Somerset West so he could stuff some clothes in a backpack. This was an unexpectedly nice stop, as we met his parents (he still lives at home and is headed to the United States on 20th August) who are absolutely lovely. They remind me of my parents in a way. His mom talked non-stop, but in a good way and his dad would make funny remarks under his breath from the corner chair. They were absolutely hilarious and I really enjoyed hanging out with them for a bit. They also had a parrot, who I wished I could pet and hold, but apparently he hates women, so that was a no go!
Shortly after John packed his bag up, we were on the road again, on our way to Cape Town. We arrived at Blue Mountain Backpackers, a relatively big hostel (although they are called “backpackers” here, not hostels) on Long Street, the main street where all the bars and clubs are located. We got our own room, even though it was dorm style because there were only 6 of us staying. And at R100 a night (approx. $12.50), it was a steal. The beds were more comfortable that our beds in our apartment on campus!
We quickly dropped our stuff off and headed to Newlands, the home stadium for the Springboks rugby team. The South African rugby team is number one in the world, so it’s slightly a big deal 
We tried to get tickets, but they were sold out and there were too many of us to pick some up off the street, so we headed to a nearby bar, aptly named Springbok Pub and watched the game with rowdy fans. After we won (yay!) there was some live music out back and we headed out there for a few hours. Everyone was excited over the win, so there was much dancing and drinking to be had by all. We met a bunch of people from around the world and everyone was amused that we were American (they usually are…for some reason, they LOVE Americans, especially natives). We left the bar and headed back to a Mexican restaurant around the corner from our backpackers. It was pretty good, but it might have been the alcohol speaking on my behalf. The night ended early and we were all passed out by 11pm. It had been a long day.
We were up and out early the next morning, and after renting another car, ten of us (John and 9 girls!) were off to Cape Point. This was sure to be fun, with a promise of beautiful views, some fynbos (a type of plant indigenous to South Africa) and hopefully wild baboons (which we did end up seeing!!)! It turned out to be a beautiful day and was everything and more. We climbed to the top, where the lighthouse was located and it was absolutely gorgeous. Most of these views are not done justice by words or even photos. I can’t begin to describe the landscapes of South Africa. I can’t wait to explore more of this country and neighboring lands.
On the way home, John took us to a small beach where we saw Jackass (African) penguins in the wild, without any gates or fences holding them in. There weren’t many of them, but it was so cool! I really enjoyed the private view. We were the only one there too, so it was a great experience to end a wonderful weekend.
After a long weekend, Kat and I decided to join Kimmy and Meghan and head home on Sunday night. The rest of the girls (and John) stayed until the next day, but ultimately, I was glad to be back in my own bed. Here are some photos, I hope you enjoy!
More posts coming up: spending time with Mom & Dad, a write up of Kayamandi, and an exciting adventure to the Cederberg Mountains
Newlands Stadium and Springbok fans decked out in green
Kate and Kat in front of a crazy fan’s car - complete with stuffed Springbok!
John, Dee, and Kat enjoing the game
Kat dancing with a Springbok fanatic (yes, that is a Springbok tattooed on his butt)
A view from Cape Point - that water color is natural
Paradise
A wild baboon - these creatures are ferocious
Jackass penguins
These little guys only weigh between 2-5 kg (4.4-11 lb)
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Catching Up
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09
Sorry about the lack of posts — my parents came in last week and I’ve been enjoying some time with them. I have a few posts in the works, including a weekend trip to Cape Town, fun with Mom and Dad and a write up about the volunteer work I’m doing. But, I’m off camping in the Cederburg Mountains for the weekend, so those will all have to wait until next week. Enjoy your weekend!
Here I am at the southern most point on the continent of Africa (where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet)
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