cape town was absolutely gorgeous, with the brightest palette of greens and blues and a mix of faces to match. as much as it was talked up by professor's as another travel seminar, it certainly was just the opposite. on the first day, we "learned a whole bunch" by traveling to the cape of good hope, where its said the waters of the indian ocean and the atlantic meet. i could not believe how blue the water was, it was a shade i had prior only seen in pictures (and this was way better!) i of course could not wait to get my paws in the water. lets just say i have now been pantless in the indian and atlantic. any takers for round 3?
as if the cape adventures weren't enough (new york city 8000 miles and run ins with savvy / hungry baboons) we were able to have our first penguin sightings. they really are quite darling and i am pretty sure i took a more than necessary amount of pictures. i really felt like a tourist.
monday was a museum hopping day, we visited a slave lodge from way into yesteryear and learned alot about district six during apartheid. the slave lodge hit close to home because it is very likely americans in colonial times were trafficking people who lived in the very walls i was standing. i was very frustrated to learn of a neighborhood that peacefully housed people of many different cultures (not including whites of course) that was later taken over by said whites to establish a more separatist living society. hence district 6. nothing has been built on this area since the day they demolished it. it is interesting to compare the apartheid struggle in south africa to namibia's; south africa's not only affected blacks and coloureds (mixed) but also indians and the jewish population.
monday was liberation day/ world aids day - it was a very unique experience being in a country that is so intertwined with aids that it is nearly inescapable. it suddenly became a reality that many of the people i pass on the streets definitely know someone who is afflicted if they are not afflicted themselves. we participated in aids awareness promotion activities like getting tested (i'm negative, whew) and an aids day march.
tuesday was an amazing day - we took a ferry to visit robben island, a place that political enemies were sent during the apartheid days. we had heard men speak of their experiences there back in johannesburg week 1, and to finally see it in person was good closure. we even saw nelson mandela's jail cell. the island was alot bigger than i thought it would be (i was thinking alcatraz or azkaban style) but on the flipside, it was just far enough from the land that you could never survive a swim but close enough to wear you could still see it - normal life going on. it must have been torture! the ferry ride back was nice and jerky and made us all a bit green in the face, but i just love being on the sea. we ate a meal of fish and chips at a standard/ sketchy fish bar just off the shore. it was perfect. and so delicious.
on wednesday we ventured into the settlements and visited a self-help weaving project called "philani." we were able to meet with the women who created such beautiful tapestries and weaveries and they were so delightful, singing as they worked and showing us their toothless grins (its a cultural thing, strange i know). we also ate lunch at a bed and breakfast created by a woman who was formerly impoverished who decided to do something about it. very cool! (and delicious)
because we had had a lack of exposure to GLBT issues in africa we visited an initiative called the "triangle project" on wednesday. it is interesting to note that south africa is the only country in the whole of the continent that legalized same sex marriage. regardless, it is frowned upon culturally and people who identify as GLBT's are oftentimes subject to cruel harassment. later, my friends and i went to the beach. it was salty and sandy and wonderful. i even think i saw a shark :) i could not get enough of the big waves (even though they were nearly freezing!)
thursday was the most academic-focused day. :) and by that, i mean, we went to a winery in the north of cape town to taste test wines and enjoy the beautiful countrysides. i have never tried wine tasting before (probably because i am not a big fan of wine..) but it was really fun. it was neat to see the brewery and the vines and the grapes and the like. i of course felt the need to buy 3 bottles. thanks africa.
on our last school day we went to an aids day awareness function, complete with music and dancers and testimonies and tears and hand holding and red ribbons. we walked through the streets of manenberg awkwardly (per usual) and enjoyed the company of south africans. that night we had our last group dinner at "mama africa" and toasted to a semester of times- not always good but certainly not always bad. a semester of experiences that we will carry with us permanently. and then we did some traditional african dancing with the band (my shimmy-ing was no where near up to par).
the final full day in africa was a free day for students. a few of my friends and i decided to scale the infamous table mountain in the center of cape town. let me tell you - it was TOUGH. 1 hour into it and not even halfway up the mountain i was regretting my decision to not take the cable car up. but alas, God is good, He gave us strength and we eventually made it. and what an incredible feeling that was- complete with an incredible view!
another cape town bonus was the easing into "culture shock" for the states. cape town was very developed and very internationalized; we ate food from a different culture every night! indian, mediterranean, mexican, milk shakes, you name it- we ate it. almost every night we hung out at an irish pub called "dubliners" - it was a blast. free dancing, free live rock music, and oftentimes free drinks. ;)
it really felt like a vacation.
updates on my first week home to come soon. for the record, its good to be back.
