The Delights of Cape Town

Molo (greetings in Xhosa),

My second blog has finally arrived. I thought it would be enjoyable to document the highlights of the past few weeks.

As described in my first blog, I am living in a house with 20 other international students. The majority are either from Norway or the U.S. While this was initially a bit disappointing, the house has come to feel like home. My room mate and several other students share similar values as myself which has been very rewarding . Since school has started, home has become a sanctuary for quite, reflection and sleep though I do enjoy occasional movies and dinners with housemates!

One of the more exciting discoveries since my arrival is experiencing the farmers market. Here, the market I attend is called the Green Market, where quality food including fresh breads, fruits, smoothies and more are served. During my first visit, I was almost overwhelmed by the food variety. However, more fascinating to me was the economic disparity I experienced during my second visit. I took a taxi the first time. This time I took the train with some friends and walked a few blocks to the market. Along the walk, I saw barefoot children, trash lining the street and old stray dogs and people looking tired and burnt by the sun and physical labor. Within a block, I walked through the gate into the market. Soon I was surrounded by White South Africans and international travelers like myself. This experience forced me to realize how closely divided this city is. While Cape Town still has a middle class and does not try to hide its poor, unprivileged population, it is eye opening to pass run down houses and poor families as I approach a market that offers so much bounty. I therefore continue to greatly appreciate my meals and fall in love with preparing and eating good. I do my best to always be thankful to the farmers and earth that make my meal possible.

A more challenging and laborious experience, was signing up for classes at UCT. While the UC Berkeley system is all electronic, at UCT, signing up for classes is a several step process. Lines, signatures, walking and more lines just begin to describe the experience. For each class you need a signature from the head of department. You then meet your student advisor and have them sign for it and continue to the process by bringing that signed sheet to your department building. While most faculty were very willing to sign my paper given my academic record and status as a study abroad student, I had some interesting interactions with some less willing souls who went out of there way to question me and request I show my transcript. Well I finally settled for some interesting classes including Xhosa the one of 11 official languages in South Africa. I hope to learn some greetings like the one I used to address you. Learning Xhosa will enable simple interaction with youth and family in the townships where I volunteer.

Two exciting adventures included a 6 hour hike up Devil’s Peak, a majestic mountain that towers behind UCT. The hike was awesome. Me, and a group of 14 other students with a guide, hiked through dirt, grass lands and literally ended up rock climbing. The experience was awesome offering amazing views of Cape Town, challenging hiking trails and exposure to the terrain.

My trip to Robben Island was very educational. Well known as the island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 21 of his 27 years in confinement, the guide showed my group around the island highlighting the importance of different features including where the prisoners worked and lived, providing a snapshot of their experiences. It is hard to fathom living in a prison and working daily under heat not knowing when you will if ever, be freed. The highlight of my visit was seeing Mandela’s prison cell. While the cell looked similar to the other 20 or so along the hallway, this space marked the composition of his famous book “Long Walk to Freedom.” A fascinating component of this tour was hearing about the history of the island. While it is known best as a prison where Mandela spent over two decades, it also housed the insane and sick people through the 18-19th century. As a tourist, the island also offered some pretty awesome views of Table Mountain and Lions Head, two famous mountain ranges that define the geographic makeup of the magnificent city.

The last incredible experience I want to share was going to a church service in Guguletu Township. While I am still working on finding the Ntonga Music School which resides in this township, being part of the service and singing to South African music surrounded by women, men and children living within and outside the township was awesome. Church service at this newly build Christian Church, Khanyisa, is very inclusive of youth and families encouraging singing and dancing followed by a service where we discussed different religious concepts and beliefs with those sitting in close proximity. While I do not affiliate myself with a specific religion, this opportunity really highlighted the musical, community oriented vibrancy I continue to find within townships.

Well as always, hope to hear from you and thank you for reading!