June 17, District 6/Langa Tour

Monday morning we woke up early and were picked up at the house by our tour guide, Sally. We all piled into the van and made our way to District 6. We drove past an area where all of the houses were painted with vibrant colors. Theses houses were known as the slave homes. They were so beautiful and the streets were full of color. These were some of the first images that I saw on Google before coming to Cape Town, so I was excited to see them in person.

After stopping to see the colorful houses we headed to the District 6 museum. As we arrived at the museum I was surprised to see that District 6 was in the city (downtown area). I was expecting it to be in the middle of no where or by the townships. To give you a quick background on the District 6, it was an area in the downtown region where many colored (mixed race) people lived. The government designated it as a white area and told all of the colored people that they had 24 hours to evacuate from their homes. After all of the colored people were evacuated they destroyed and tore down the neighborhoods. The people were forced to move to the outskirt settlements and leave everything behind. The people created this museum as a rememberance of the area they lived in. The museum was beautiful and in an old church. It had pictures and items that were donated by the people who previously lived in these neighborhoods. The man who gave us the tour was a former citizen and told us many stories about the area. They were all very interesting but also very sad. After walking around the museum for awhile we went outside and got a tour of the District 6 area. They showed us the areas where homes and buildings used to be. Now it is just empty land with little remains of the buildings. In one of the fields there was a giant palm tree that they named the remembrance tree. It was most definitely an amazing experience and I learned so much while on the tour.

Map of District 6

Street signs from District 6

After we left District 6 we headed to Langa, the oldest township in Cape Town. We arrived at the community center at the entrance of Langa. That is where we met our tour guide which was one of the residents of Langa. He first brought us through the community center and introduced us to all of the projects that were there. The projects were designed to get the people and children out of the "dangers" in the community and give them something to focus on. The projects ranged from pottery and artwork to music and dancing. I bought several things for family and friends there especially since it was all so unique and beautiful. We left the community center and headed for the neighborhoods and housing. As soon as we stepped out of the bus all of the children ran up to us and were grabbing our hands. It was nice to feel so welcomed and loved by all of the kids. We got to walk around with the children and get an outside view of the homes. Then we got to go into one of the "homes". It was like one big house with a lot a bedrooms. These bedrooms were then turned into the homes and the living room was the common area for all of the people. You had to be in the home by 8:30 before theu closed and locked the door for the night. I guess this was a preventative measure to reduce crime. The bedrooms, or houses, had several beds to a room. The one we got to see had three small beds, a stove, all of the kitchens supplys, clothes, and there wasn't even glass over the window to keep them warm, just bars to protect them. It made me horrbily sad that people lived in these conditions. The saddest part was that these were actually nice and the squatter camps were ten times worse. We also got to see a home that was a bit nicer and had rooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen/living room. It was all extremely eye-opening.

Community Center

Pottery project

 

Later on we went to another part of the township to watch the children dance. All of the children in the neighborhood came out to either participate in the dancing or watch the dancing with us. The dancing was amazing. The boys did some sort of stomp routine with rubber boots on. The girls danced to drums. The vibe was extremely fun and all of the kids were having a blast. After they showed us their dances, they asked if we wanted to learn one. Allison, Jenny, and I (the brave ones) went up on the stage and got to learn one of the stomp routines. This was honestly one of the best things I have done since I have been here, especially since it gave me an insight into the art culture.

Below I have included some videos of the dancing. I hope you enjoy!!!!

 

 

We all then got back into the bus and drove through the township to a restaurant where we were eating a late lunch. The restaurant was in a home and when we walked in I was honestly shocked. It was absolutely beautiful! African art on the walls, white table cloths, wood floors, and much more. It was nothing like I expected it to be. We were fortunate enough to meet Sally's family (husband, son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter Zola) and the foreign exchange students that were staying with her family. We first got to listen to some marimba music while we waited for the food to be set out. Finally we got to eat. The food was all homemade and absolutely delicious. I honestly can't really tell you what any of it was because I can't remember the African names. I do remember the name of the dessert though (malva pudding) because it was absolutely delicious. Malva Pudding is basically a sponge cake with a caramel sauce that has soaked into it and then it is placed in custard. Oh my Lord, it was my favorite sweet treat so far and I'm definitely making it when I get home. After dinner we got to learn how to do some African dancing, how to play the marimba instruments, and watch a play. It was so much fun and I hope I can go back before I go home. They made me, and I'm sure everyone else, feel like family. It was a wonderful experience and a true highlight of this trip!!!

xoxo,

Alexandra.

June 15-16, Fish Hoek and Long Street

Saturday we decided to sleep in and get a late start. Boyd made us girls breakfast: cheesy eggs, sausage, and toast. It was great to have breakfast made, because I don't even eat a breakfast like that at college. It made me really miss my family because they always make the BEST breakfast. We then decided that we were going to go to Fish Hoek for the day. We thought the best way to get there would be the train because a taxi would be too expensive. When we went to the train station, which is not even a ten minute walk from our house, I was expecting to pay around R100 for a return ticket. We got return tickets for R24 each, that's about $2.40. SO CHEAP! I honestly was shocked and decided I was going to be taking the train everywhere from now on. We got on the train and it looked almost like the rapids in Cleveland, but not as many seats. It was an interesting experience and I loved being able to see all of the different areas that the train passed. As we started to get closer to Fish Hoek the train began riding right along the coast. The view was absolutely spectacular and the beaches were beautiful!!! The sand was perfectly white and the water was so blue. There were a lot of people out surfing since it was such a nice day.

Jenny and I on the train

As we arrived in Fish Hoek we got off the train and headed for the beach. My first time seeing the Indian Ocean was perfect. The water was so blue, the sand was white, and the mountains with houses up the side was the cherry on top. It was everything I imagined it to be and more. The water of course was cold, but not nearly as cold as I expected it to be. We walked around and looked for shells, and watched snails wiggle their way into the sand. After hanging out at the beach for awhile we walked to one of the oceanfront restaurants and sat outside to eat. I just got something simple to eat that day (chicken sandwich) since I wasn't feeling too adventurous. We then decided that we were going to walk to Boyd's family friends' house. He told us that it was quite a walk, but I honestly was excited for it since I haven't exercised much. It ended up taking us quite a long time to walk their, but it was worth it. The Hudsons were so sweet and welcoming to us all and provided us with biscuits and tea. We talked about our adventures so far and what we were still looking forward to doing. After a long day, Erin Hudson and her boyfriend drove us back to the train station and we made our way home.

  

 

Sunday, we woke up and once again Boyd decided to make us all breakfast, but with Jenny's help. The pancakes were huge and absolutely delicious. After breakfast we relaxed for awhile and then did pilates, since Allison is an instructor. Chris and Matt finallly arrived home from their weekend on Table Mountain. After they freshened up and everyone got ready, we all went down to Long Street. We made the mistake of going on a Sunday, and forgot that everything was closed (also because Youth Day was Monday so most people took Sunday off as well). We went into the few shops that were open and I got a beautiful scarf. We then decided to get dinner and found a restaurant called The Diplomatic Bar and Restaurant. This time I chose to be adventurous. I got boerewor (sausage soaked in a warm tomato salsa) for an appetizer and lamb curry for dinner. The lamb curry was not the best of choice. I'm not really a lamb person, but I figured I would try it since it's popular in South Africa. The day was somewhat wasted, but we learned a valuable lesson: don't go shopping on Sundays.

xoxo,

Alexandra

June 14, Saartjie Baartman and Girl's Night

Friday finally rolled around and I was lucky enough to go to one of the other NGOs for the day. I decided to join Allison and Jenny for the day at Saartjie Baartman Centre for Women and Children. The day was already starting out good when I was able to go into work a little later than I normally do. When we got to the center we went into one of the rooms and I was able to meet some of the other interns that are working with Jenny and Allison. After realizing that we had nothing to do for the rest of the day, we decided to eat our leftover Chinese from the night before and watch Despicable Me with some of the boys. The boys were so cute and lovable but I was slightly afraid after hearing the stories Jenny had told me about getting peed on and the other intern getting pooped on (ew). Most of the staff was leaving early, so they told us we could leave around 12:30. It was nice to have a shortened day, and being at the center was a good experience. Our driver picked us up from work and decided to take the three of us to the University area. We went to this little cafe for lunch (even Jenny and I already ate) and smoothies. The smoothie that I got was super delicious and hydrating. We were fortunate enough to meet our driver's daughter who is a year younger than I am. She was super nice and the coolest thing about her is that she is going to school to be an opera singer. I've never heard of anyone doing anything like that before. She told us girls that she would take us out one night and show us a good time. I'm definitely holding her to that!

Later that evening we (the girls) decided we wanted to go do something, but we didn't really know what since it isn't too safe for women to be out at night without any men. We thought we could just walk to Station Road in Obs (Observatory) and get some dinner at Pancho's. We got all dressed up and did our hair and makeup. I did all of the other girls' makeup too, which was a lot of fun. We walked to Pancho's and all of the restaurants on the way looked empty so I was worried Pancho's would be too. I was completely wrong! It was absolutely packed and they actually have two seating times for Fridays so we only had about an hour to eat, which was plenty of enough time for me since I was starving.

We first ordered some strawberry margaritas. They were delicious and not too strong either which was perfect for me since I don't really ever drink. I've never seen anyone use sugar instead of salt around the rim of the glass though, so that was something new for me. We also ordered some chips and salsa (they don't bring them out for free like they do at the Mexican restaurants back home). We discovered that all of the food in the restaurant is homemade and the chips and salsa were so good, so I had high expectations for the main course. I went simple and ordered the D.I.Y. tacos. I made a GREAT decision. They gave me shredded beef which was soaked in some type of barbecue sauce and provided me with two salsas, avo as the call it (guacamole), sour cream, and all of the other expected toppings for tacos. I'm so happy I made the decision to get that and we have decided that we are going to have girls' night on Thursdays at Pancho's for the rest of the time we are here.

xoxo,

Alexandra

June 10-13, Advancement Academy and work week

Sorry about the late posts, but it's been a hectic week. I decided that I'm going to write about all of my work days in one post since I don't really do enough during the week other than work.

This past Monday we had class and walked around Observatory for awhile. After that I went to bed, knowing that I had two really big and long days ahead of me. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Boyd and I were participating in or NGO's Advancement Academy. It was a long two days but I learned so many things. On Tuesday, we arrived and heard some opening speeches. Afterward we participated in a masterclass on leadership in non-profits. Although I was not the CEO or director of a non-profit, I still was able to participate and learn a lot about leadership. I realized that most of the things I learned could be applied to anything in life, and I'm hoping that someday when I have a real job, that I could apply what I learned and be a leader myself. Throughout the day we attended several other speeches and of course, had amazing food. It was nice to have food provided for a day, that way I didn't have to go out and spend more money. During the academy, I met Sandra Ambrose. I was fortunate enough to hear Sandra's story and how she started her own non-profit. Sandra told me about her son and how he has a disability: this then became her inspiration when starting the NGO, The Disabled Children's Action Group (DICAG). Not only does Sandra's organization help children who are disabled, but they also offer advice and support for the families of the disabled child.

If you would like to see more on Sandra's organization, click below:
DICAG

The went by so fast and by the end I was exhausted and preparing for another long day. Wednesday was a little shorter than the first day, and the masterclass I attended was M&E, or Monitoring and Evaluation. It was definitely different than I expected it to be, but the "teacher" of the class (Dugan Fraser) was quite vibrant and had a lot of energy, which made the class extremely interesting. I learned a lot about non-profits, and honestly after that class I could probably start my own if I wanted to. The day came to an end, as well as the academy. I gained a lot of knowledge and made a lot of connections. I'm extremely happy that I got to participate in the Advancement Academy.

Thursday went by fast since it was just another day of work. I did not go out at all for most of the week because I was extremely tired for working and such. My weeks, most likely, will not be very exciting from here on out, but I'll definitely include all exciting things that I do.

xoxo,

Alexandra

June 9, Robben Island and Waterfront

I'm just going to warn my readers that this is going to be a pretty long post. It's hard to talk about Robben Island without going into the details and stories. It may get somewhat graphic, but I'm only describing the truth of what happened on the island.

Sunday morning we woke fairly early, around 7 am, so we could get to the harbor on time to catch the ferry to Robben Island. As we arrived to the harbor we walked over the the "entrance way" to Robben Island (where the ferry picked us up). We boarded the ferry and made our way to the island. Of course I started to feel sea sick while we were on the ferry, so I went to the outside part and let the fresh air hit my face. It made me feel a little better. On our way to the island we saw penguins, seals, and dolphins. No sharks though, sadly. As we reached the island I started to gain a feel of excitement but sadness at the same time. We walked to our bus that was going to take us on the first part of our tour, the driving tour. We made stops at all of the significant parts of the island. One of them was the limestone quarry, where Nelson Mandela was forced to work. Most of the men who worked there eventually became blind or had problems with their eyes because they had nothing to cover their eyes, which allowed the limestone to get in them. Nelson Mandela has sensitive eyes and has destroyed tear ducts, which restricted people from using flash photography around him. We also stopped at the smallest prison on the island, which was built to house one man. Robert Sobukwe, former leader of the PAC, was placed in a single man prison because the guards thought that Robert was good an provoking and instigating, and they were afraid he would influence the other prisoners. He died in his fifties.

Robert Sobukwe's prison

After seeing many sites on the island, we stopped for a quick break. We were able to get a perfect view of table mountain. The waves were crashing onto the rocks just below us and the the water was SO BLUE! It was beautiful, and what a shame that these prisoners kept on the island never got to see this beautiful water and view while in the prison.

 

Jenny and I

After going on the driving tour, we went into the maximum security prison, which is where Nelson Mandela was kept. The man who led our tour was actually one of the former prisoners in the maximum security prison on the island. The first room we went into was the first stop for most prisoners. There used to be bunk beds in rows across the entire room. That's where the prisoners spent most of their time, and later they were moved to single cells. The first set of single cells we came to had single pieces of paper hanging on the walls. On the paper was a story about one of the prisoners who stayed in that cell. The story I read was quite sad. The man, or boy I should say, was very young when he was sentenced to Robben Island. Part of his job at the prison was to fill a wheelbarrow with rocks and push it to the dump zone. The boy wasn't quite strong enough and could not push the wheelbarrow. The guards laughed at him and decided to punish him. They dug a pit in the ground and told him to get in it. they buried him up to his neck in dirt and sand. Only his head was sticking out of the ground. They then made the other men urinate on him. This helpless man was buried and could not move while these men tortured him. They then unburied him and put him in the wheelbarrow. They then sodomized him. I felt so sad and disgusted after reading this story. I didn't understand why such horrible things had to happen to people who were there because they were political prisoners, not criminals. Hearing these stories makes you truly appreciate the life that you have been given.

 

Former prisoner/tour guide

 

Throughout the next parts of the tour we got to see the courtyards and much more. The final part of the tour was Nelson Mandela's cell. I pushed my way up front so I would be able to get a good picture of it. It was so small. The bed was on the floor and there was barely anything in the rest of the cell. It amazes me still that this man lived in that tiny cell for so many years, and when he was finally released he had no anger toward the men who kept him there. You would have to be a wonderful person to forgive the men who tortured so many of the people in that prison.

Nelson Mandela's cell

Although the tour was very depressing, which in a sense it is meant to be; on the other hand, it was a great story, because in the end the men were released and it was like a story of triumph. For the last 10 minutes or so on the island we walked over to the penguin boardwalk. I got to see some super cute African Penguins which made my day less sad. On our way back to the mainland I got splashed by lots of sea water, mainly because the waves were kind of big. This British couple went to the front of the boat (near where we were sitting) and pretended to be Jack and Rose from The Titanic, where they stand on the edge of the boat with their arms out. It was super cute so I felt like I needed to mention it.

Penguin Boardwalk

Hard to see, but it's an African penguin

For the rest of our day we stayed at the harbor. We ate at a very American restaurant that had steak and burgers. We then decided to go shopping, yayyyy! We went to this store called The African Trading Post. They had some amazing stuff in this store. Everything in the store was made in Africa, and they had a whole section upstairs of huge statues and bowls and such that weren't even for sale. Everything was beautifully crafted and a lot was made out of ebony. I found some amazing things for my friends and family in this store. I'm extremely happy with my purchases to say the least. After that we went to a craft and wellness market. I thought it was kind of strange that they put crafts and wellness in the same place. A lot of the shops were really cool and most of the stuff was handmade. There was this one shop that had mosaic things like plates, bowls, crosses, and much more all made out of crushed ostrich egg. They were absolutely beautiful and the money went to the single mothers that made them. I thought it was an interesting business concept. Another thing that I saw there, that seems to be very popular down here, was carved ostrich eggs that are made into lights. They are soooo pretty, and if I can I definitely want to buy one to bring home.  After the market we headed over to the big ferris wheel by Waterfront Mall and listened to some live music that was being played there. Jenny and I ended up buying the CD. I let her keep it though since all I really wanted was the music on my computer (I don't really use CDs anymore). It was a marimba band, so the music was very cheerful and upbeat. All of my other roommates joined us a little later and we went and got ice cream, then watched the band some more.

After a long eventful day, full of a lot of different emotions, we headed home. I went to bed fairly early that night since the day wore me out. The week was about to begin so I definitely needed the rest.

xoxo,

Alexandra

June 8, Imhoff Farm

I'm sorry that I've been a little delayed with my blog posts. It's been hard to find time to write. The past few days have been crazy, so I'm now finally getting time to relax and just write about the past weekend. Thank you for being patient with me.

Saturday morning we all woke up and were struggling to decide what we were going to do. We knew there was so much we wanted to see but the weather was crappy and most of the things we wanted to do were outside. I made a list of all of the things I wanted to do before I leave and chose one off the list for Saturday. I decided on Imhoff Farm, which is a tiny area with little unique shops and restaurants that overlooked the moutains and ocean in the distance. There were some animals there and a lot of dirt so I guess that's why it's called a farm. We called the taxi to take us out there and on our way we had some beautiful views. There was one road that went up the side of the mountain. For the first time I honestly felt like I was going to have a panick attack as we climbed the mountain. It literally looked like we were going to go over the edge, and it was a straight drop to the bottom. I knew that I've always been afraid of heights, but this was the first time that I honestly felt very scared (maybe it was because I wasn't driving). After we got into the mountains we turned around a big curve and out of no where a pretty little rainbow popped up over a town. It was picturesque to say the least. The rainbow was right in between two mountains over a small city with the ocean in the background. It almost sounds unreal, but trust me it was as real as it gets.

If you look closely in the center, you can see the rainbow.


We finally reached Imhoff Farm. When we got there it was exactly what I expected. All of the stores were really unique and had a lot of local made products. I don't want to say too much about the stores though, because I got some things for my family there and I want them to be surprised. I did go into their main store though and bought myself some hot sauce. It's called "Black Mamba" and it comes from Swaziland. It sounded pretty interesting to me. For those of you who don't know me as well, I have a huge obsession with hot sauce and I've been finding some really cool kinds all over the place. (To my family...you better expect me to come home with a lot of it.) We went to dinner at this little restaurant called Blue Water Cafe. I got a pizza that had chorizo, pepperdews, peppers, and asparagus on it. For the millionth time, it was delicious! I feel like I'm getting repetetive when it comes to the food, but honestly I can't stop talking about how good it is.

After the farm we went home for a semi-relaxing night. It was a good, fun-filled day to say the least, but we needed to go to bed early for our busy Sunday that we had ahead of us.

xoxo,

Alexandra

June 7, Rose Memorial

Friday we woke up, went to work, and did the usual. At lunch, Boyd and I went to The Deli, which is where we went the first day of work for lunch. When I say that the food has gotten better each day that I have been here, I truly mean it. I got a chicken pie and it came with three different types of salad. The chicken pie was just like a pot pie but extremely fresh and filled with all kinds of vegetables. After work, our driver picked us up and decided to take us with him to go get everyone else. This would be my first time out in the townships. As we drove to pick up Jenny and Allison I got a feel of what the townships looked like from the outside. Kids were running everywhere and people were selling stuff in the middle and sides of the road. The homes were TINY and it was almost unbelievable that a whole huge family could live in them. There was trash everywhere and you could tell it just wasn't the ideal living situation by any means. We picked up the girls from their NGO and went on our way to pick up the other boys, Chris and Matt. Their NGO was in the middle of a township, so we got to drive through the township to pick them up. It was a different world inside. The houses were pilled on top of eachother with no yards and only dirt for the kids to play in. All of the people were so excited to see us, especially the women and children. They all waved and were extremely kind. It made me sad that such wonderful people have to live in such a horrible area.

After Chris and Matt arrived, we left and went on our way to get Jasmine. Her work was closer to our house so it was in a nicer area. After getting Jasmine, we dropped our stuff off and headed up the mountain a little to see the University and Rose Memorial. The University was absolutely beautiful! It reminded me of something I would see in the Mediterranean. The roofs were red and the buildings had large columns and red and green ivy growning on the walls. The view from the University was beautiful since it overlooked the city. It was so amazing that I honestly contemplated why I wasn't going there (I love UK way too much).

We headed up the mountain a little more and came to a park with paths that led all the way up to the top of the mountain. We walked over toward this big building and as we walked around the corner we came to the front of Rose Memorial. OH MY GOD! It was breathtaking. I will try to explain what I saw the best way I can but it's almost impossible, and pictures don't even do it justice. As you walk down the huge stone steps there are statues on either side of you. You are looking forward and see the amazing city. On one side is the Indian Ocean, and on the other, the Atlantic Ocean. There are mountains behind you and mountains far in the distance in front of you. The sky was as blue as could be. There was someone paragliding in the distance. It was picturesque and serenity. I have heard many people say that they think this Earth is Hell. Let me tell you, after looking at that I could never believe that theory. Whether you believe in God or not, this Earth is too beautiful to be anything other than a Heaven. I will forever have that image in my head and I hope that each one of you will someday be able to go stand at the edge of Rose Memorial and see what I saw.

After Rose Memorial our driver, Waldon, took us to a private club. The club was amazing of course, but I felt a little out of place in my jeans and sweater. We went to the bar and got some wine, then went back out to the courtyard to talk for awhile. Once it started to get dark we went into the restaurant for dinner. It's quite funny how the food seemed to be expensive for people who live in Cape Town, but a steak or burger was about R70-R80 which is like $7-$8, and delicious. Dinner left us exhausted and ready for a good nights sleep. We watched a few movies and went to bed, ready for our next day and to see what it would bring us.

xoxo,

Alexandra