Brett on the pattern of life that is emerging

So, on life. Here’s my blog. We have now been in Cape Town a month and a half. The idiosyncrasies are beginning to sift themselves out and a pattern of life is emerging.  We had Marita’s class this evening and last weekend we went to Plettenberg. The honeymoon portion of the trip is over, and the realities of the situation, of my colleagues, and my expectations are becoming more visible. But I prefer whole grain bread to white bread, so while I am adjusting to the grittiness of my situation, I appreciate it with a wholesome quality more than taste alone provides. To hike Cape Point as opposed to looking at it from the window of a bus goes beyond the beauty to the gravity of the environment.

Schoolwork is not very fun, and seems like a hindrance to the wealth of experiences that we have and could have more of, as well as an insult to my own desire to learn, but my frustration with formal education goes far beyond this trip, and compared to a traditional education this trip is far more liberal and progressive. It just seems that I have gotten a taste of a truly liberal education, and now I no longer want to be, or at least pay to be, in school. Maybe if I find what I want to study, then I will have a better time, but for now I’m still struggling with motivation, and justifiably so.

Our days are just packed, I must say, with full days of work and class and events of different sorts. I’m a bit tired at present, and backed up on laundry, as I haven’t done it in the past two weeks. Food, I cannot complain about, as I take time for food first, both eating out often, and affordably so, as well as experimenting with cooking. On my way home today from work I stopped and got a styrofoam bowl of rice and curry, a good sized portion for $3. Here, I feel like the price that I pay for food is worth the quality and the quantity. As far as cooking goes, I have become a little less enthused, as of lately, since I got both a guitar and more homework assignments.

The refugee center took a turn for the better today, as we had a long staff meeting in which we discussed a better strategy for dealing with the number of refugees and variety of their problems. Instead of listening to the refugees and trying to problem solve on the spot, as we have been doing (I gave a man food stamps on Tuesday after he explained to me how he lost his job and wife just had a baby), we decided, as a center that we would simply gain information during the initial interviews, and then talk about them with our colleagues before calling them back. This way, it takes the pressure off of us to come up with solutions on the spot, as many cases are difficult to assess. We also brainstormed the idea of creating email addresses for the refugees, which may lessen the number of refugees in the office on a regular basis if they can simply email a question instead of having to come in. They can access computers at internet café’s throughout the city. An email address can also assist them with job application and networking in the city. So, I think that the center will slowly become more efficient than it has been.

Other than that, I have been so busy, and yet I feel like I could be doing so much more. Three months is a very short time, I am coming to find out. I do miss my family at home, and yet, the longer I am here, I am beginning to grow roots in the African soil as well. But, this is not my home, although it is quite interesting to experience.