Brittany's first post

I distinctly remember feeling overwhelmed with fatigue, excitement, and nerves on the 15 hour flight from New York to Johannesburg.  From the sky, New England had a dull coloration of white and brown.  As we approached the African continent I was instantly energized by the green fertile land below.  It appeared to be a continent with so much possibility and history, and both have proven true.

I have embarked on a journey with the possibility of gut wrenching experiences, lifelong international friendships, personal growth and ideological development.  I have embraced the chance to dive into new languages, foods, customs, social problems and solutions.  The possibilities feel endless.

I love the continual opportunities for human connection here.  The people of Cape Town are thankful and optimistic.  Language has not been a barrier for me.  In fact, I am learning to speak Xhosa quite easily.  It is a beautiful and unique language.  Black South Africans are often very surprised when I speak Xhosa, and ask “so you have been here for a while?”  What a wonderful compliment.

I have also learned to never underestimate the power of non verbal communication.  You don’t need words to make someone feel welcome or uncomfortable.  You don’t need words to make someone smile.  You don’t need words to teach a lesson.  Thoughts are often impossible to predict but emotions are a universal language.

My favorite places in Cape Town are the mountains.  It was extremely rewarding to summit Lion’s Head and Table Mountain.  The clouds are cold and moist when they touch your skin.  Life feels balanced and centered while on top of the sturdy mountain ranges.  The world below looks vast but peaceful.  Altitude rejuvenates my inner being.  I come back after each hike more appreciative of how capable and strong my body is.

President Jacob Zuma is not liked by most people I meet.  He is the center of many jokes.  He was harshly criticized a year ago for sleeping with an HIV positive women and showering immediately after intercourse thinking that would prevent HIV transmission.  He is also ridiculed for having 3 wives, a divorce, a current engagement, and a new 4 month pregnant partner out of wedlock.  One of the radical black feminists at my internship calls him “dirty old man.”

My internship is with Gender Equity Unit (GEU) at the University of the Western Cape.  GEU has received the national human rights and democracy award for gender equality in 2007.  GEU is the only organization in the country for gender equity at a higher education institute.  I learn more about the struggle of South African women each day.  As my GEU advisor would say, “women are still fighting our own apartheid.”

When I look back on the last 3 weeks I recall having the greatest emotional response to Robben Island.  As an activist who is willing to seek arrest, I found myself wondering, “how far would I go to create social change.”  Then I realized that the political prisoners at Robben Island had no choice but to escalate their tactics against one of the most violent white patriarchal governments in history.   I was outraged that the political prisoners met such violent resistance while fighting for their basic human needs and rights.  I was also outraged that the trip to Robben Island was merely a light hearted tourist attraction for most.  On the boat ride back I overhead conversations about shopping for clothes or buying a new yacht.  My brain was focused on genocides, massacres, and ethnic cleansing taking place right now all over the world!  I wanted to scream, “Who cares about your yacht, people are dying!”  

We all have the power to stop these injustices from happening.  I refuse to let Palestine become another museum like Robben Island where tourists can revisit the atrocities of our past rather than face the atrocities at present.

Cape Town has a history of struggle and pain.  The communities here will never forget that, but they don’t dwell on it either.  They have been able to forgive when no apology was given, which has been hard for me to understand.

It is no surprise that I see Cape Town as a place of endless possibilities.  As a white and wealthy person I have access to more money, more resources and therefore more possibilities.  I would not be on this trip if it were not for those unearned advantages.   The unearned privilege I have due to my race and class is something I think about daily.  What does it mean to be a volunteer in South Africa?  How do I help the people here?  My role is to be a tourist at times but more importantly to listen and learn with a critical and open mind.  

As Lilla Watson, an aboriginal woman in Australia stressed, “If you have come to help me, you are wasting our time.  If you have come here because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”

Leah's first blog entry

Hi everyone! 

I’m reading Waiting for the Barbarians right now and came across this perfect quote to describe my time in South Africa so far…

“So now it seems my easy years are coming to an end, when I could sleep with a tranquil heart knowing that with a nudge here and a touch there the world would stay steady on its course.”

I wondered the other day if I will ever stop wrestling with these social, political, personal, and philosophical issues that I have been confronted with upon my arrival in Cape Town; if I will ever sleep easy again. I concluded that the answer is probably no – but it is better that way. After only three weeks I feel as though my life and outlook have been irrevocably transformed. I am so incredibly grateful that I have been given this opportunity to expand my mind, push my limits, challenge my comfort zone, and grow so much! I know everyone I live with is so sick of hearing this story, but my revelations really all started with the minibuses…

We had our minibus taxi exercise in the first or second week (the days continue to blend together…). Minibus taxis are a form of transportation – they’re actually privately owned but they function like public transportation. They are these vans (sometimes with interesting names like “Sexy Lady” or “Dream Catcher” but those are the ones that do not comply with government regulations…). Basically, Ben took us to the train station, pointed in the direction of the minibuses, and sent us on our missions. Brett and I were to find the minibus taxi to Wynberg and the cost of a ride. We walked up the stairs that Ben had guided us toward expecting to see a terminal with a time board but instead we were suddenly thrust into some kind of bizarre/flea market. Almost immediately, Brett and I were completely lost and had to ask a security guard for directions. He gestured to the left but some man next to him offered to take us to the minibuses. For whatever reason, we followed this man. As he took us through this market, all I felt was overwhelming discomfort. I felt completely lost and all I could hear were the clicks of Xhosa. I had never been more aware of the color of my skin in my life. I just wanted to crawl out of my skin and try to blend in, but we so obviously stuck out. I was picturing the worst but to my surprise, our personal tour guide ended up taking us to the right place (and did not scam us in any way). Then the minibus taxi driver told us the price without jacking it up even though we were obviously foreigners. These people were so honest and willing to help, yet I had felt uncomfortable and nervous. Why? I have been turning this question over in my head ever since. I know that I was not just nervous because I was unfamiliar with the city. When I studied in Granada, I was amongst Spanish speakers in a totally new culture, but they were white. I never felt the discomfort in Spain that I felt in Cape Town. I have decided that this minibus experience perfectly demonstrates the racism that is so alive in our social institutions, media, and American life. I never considered myself a racist. I have had friends who were not white. But being thrown into this situation, I felt so uneasy because I have been taught to feel uneasy. I have been taught to be unconsciously racist. We all have!  From the perspective of the laws to the “bad guys” in the media, there is racism woven into the fabric of our society.

Since my minibus taxi experience, I have felt so much more comfortable in this city and with myself! I am proud to know that I have challenged my comfort level, recognized the racism that I have grown up with, and moved past it. I do not know if you can ever ignore the fact that you are in the racial minority, but I have definitely become more comfortable with it. Now I am totally shocked when I see other white people on minibus taxis (though it is extremely infrequent). I had always thought that I understood the concept of racism and white privilege, but theories and ideas only really make sense once you live them. Race never seemed like a big deal to me and I had always prided myself on not noticing the color of skin. But everything changes once you are in the minority. Then race is impossible to ignore. 

Michelle's first post

After reading all of my classmates’ entries, it is almost hard to find someplace to start. All of the students here have had such deeply felt emotions and thoughts that it is hard to follow!

I guess I will start with my internship experience so far. I am an anthropology major with a minor in women’s studies, so in coming to South Africa I was really looking to work with a women’s organization and more specifically with issues of women’s health. I was very excited to be placed at a non-profit called Sonke Gender Justice Forum, which works with young men and boys to stop violence against women. Last week we visited everyone’s internship, and my place of work was slotted to be visited last. However, Vernon informed me in the morning that something had happened and we simply wouldn’t visit that day. I was optimistic, and was sure that I could find the place come the next Monday morning.

Over the weekend, however, things at Sonke fell through, for one reason or another, and it was time to find me a new internship. Vernon, with all his thoughtfulness and wisdom said to me, “Michelle, I have some propositions for you.” I was slightly nervous about changing my internship, and listened to Vernon’s propositions. I could have gone to the Gender Equity Unity with Brittany, worked at the Place of Hope, a domestic violence shelter, or, a third and intriguing option, Gender DynamiX. Gender DynamiX is the only transgender rights and advocacy group in all of Africa. Although most of my studies focus around women’s issues, I was eager and slightly nervous to work at a place with issues unfamiliar to me.

After talking to Ben, our RA, I had decided that GDX was the place for me. We really evaluated what I was looking for in my time here, and the answer was simply to learn. If my goal is to learn, and specifically to learn about oppression, then there is no better place to learn than at an organization that helps the most oppressed, stigmatized population in the country. Homophobia is a whole other animal here than in the States. Here it is acceptable for political leaders and reporters alike to use openly homophobic and hate-inciting language.

Since starting, I have had, if I may say so myself, one of the most unique internship experiences. The wonderful people at GDX are not only battling race and class issues like most non-white South Africans, but they also must face the world while being discriminated against because of their sexual and/or gender identity. I have been thrown into a world where gender is truly a spectrum, not on paper in my women’s studies textbooks, but in real life. It has given me a lot to think about with my own gender identity, and how I classify myself as a woman, and interestingly, how society deems me to be a woman. It has also given me a lot to think about in terms of my role as an ally to the LGBTI movement. My first few days I felt a little on the outside of conversations, not quite feeling that I belonged at GDX, being the only person who is not LGBTI. When I talked to Brittany about my insecurities she reminded me that no matter how long the acronym for LGBTI(QQOA…etc.) there is always an A at the end for Ally.

In other news about gender, here at the house, we talk of our bodies openly, and much to the chagrin of the two men, conversations about ovulation and synched cycles is normal breakfast chatter. I have never lived in a house with so many women, and it is an empowering and freeing feeling. We sit for hours talking about love, men, women, our sexual identities and society. In tradition with my favorite book, The Red Tent, we are even thinking of hosting a party with the new moon. I have learned almost as much about gender from my wonderfully open and honest housemates as I have at my internship.  

Kayley's First Post

Pamela & Kayley at Boulders Beach

Before I left for Cape Town I wrote down a few quotes in my journal that would be inspiring in case I ever needed a pep talk.  When I looked back over them I was amazed at how helpful they were. One in particular hit home, “ The first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself…Great peace makers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.” ~Nelson Mandela What Nelson Mandela said is completely true, as much as I want to help South Africa there are things inside of me that need to grow and change in order for me to have any impact at all. That is why people come here with the idea of “helping” and “changing South Africa” but go home feeling transformed by South Africa.

My changing process started the moment I stepped off the plane but the event that had the most impact on me was the Baptist church. Our second day, Sunday in Cape Town we went to Guguletu (one of the townships) and attended Church. I felt so out of place. First, I am not religious at all and second I just couldn’t even begin to imagine what these people have been through. I felt like I didn’t have a right to be there. I accidently bumped into the mama next to me she turned, grabbed my arms and smiled at me then continued to sing and dance. I started to cry.  I don’t even know why I was crying. Later as I reviewed the day I realized why I was so hysterical, not only did I feel the love and community of the people around me but also everything clicked. These people had everything taken from them, their homes, their family, and their freedom.  Although their government took everything from them and forced them to live in segregated townships, they didn’t take their pride and their strong love for the community and each other. At home the government never took away my rights or made me relocate my home but I have yet to feel the love and compassion in my community. That Sunday I can truly say I felt ubuntu.

At the beginning of our orientation we were taken to all of the beautiful places in Cape Town. We relaxed and viewed Cape Town from a tourists perspective. As the week went on and we became more comfortable Vernon, Parks and Marita began to show us the history and realities these people faced and continue to face. At the end of the orientation week I no longer wanted to be a tourist, it was time to start helping. I think we all could see that although South Africa is absolutely gorgeous there is still so much pain and suffering here that needs healing.

The start of my internship was a bit rough but as it went on everything sort of worked out. I am really impressed with the Professor Rodes or “Prof” as we are told to call him. While shadowing him in the burn unit he was talking about the problems with modern medicine. He mentioned that it is too revolved around money, that technology is becoming too advanced for people to handle and how doctors are becoming too far disconnected from their patients. He said the most important part of medicine is compassion. He asked one med student “How many mitochondria do you cut through during surgery?” The med student replied “millions?” Prof said “BILLIONS, but who cares”. At then end of the day if you don’t know or are not compassionate for your patient you’re screwed. His honesty is also really refreshing, while doing the rounds he told his med students not to pat themselves on the back because you may keep a child alive or heal their burn but you don’t heal their heart or self-esteem. The matter of fact is that even after the hospital these kids will still suffer, especially when their skin is discolored or scarred or if they can’t walk again. The first way to help and heal someone is to be completely honest about the situation they are in and about to face.

One thing that continues to amaze me is the people I am living with. Living in a house and sharing our experiences, the good and bad, bring us so close. Putting aside everything I have learned from Cape Town itself, I have learned so much from the people in this house. Listening to everyone’s views on the world and life in general are amazing. I’ve never really been confronted about my opinions so hearing the other side to many of the things I was so sure about is completely refreshing. We are a team. With all of our internships we have the basic fields covered; education, media, gender equity, refugees, human rights and healthcare. It scares me to think that if we all never decided to study abroad our paths may have never been crossed, and if they did we may not have even known it. To think that I would never have gotten to know these people seems unreal. I would not replace anyone in this house.

It’s amazing to me how two weeks feels like a years worth of experiences. I came here with strong opinions of the world and myself. Right now I can say that there are so many things that I never knew, so many things that I thought I knew, and so many things to learn.  The things I worried about and thought excessively about in the states are so trivial compared to the realities here.  

Brett's First Blog Entry

Brett at Genadendal, oldest mission in South Africa

Hello to everyone in the states, I send my best regards, I hope life is treating you fairly. 

I am chilling in a spare room in our house right now, we are getting ready to go out with Vernon to a rural community for a field trip today. He is a half an hour late, and I am taking advantage of the time, but that is the story of South Africa, half an hour late and relaxed about it.  He didn’t tell us many details about the trip today, but I am looking forward to moving beyond the bustling metropolis that is Cape Town, and the crowded townships that surround it. I go on runs from time to time, up to a place on table mountain called Rhodes memorial, a monument similar to the Lincoln Memorial, but recognizing a man who played a large role in the exploitation of blacks for the mining industry, but also a large contributor to the University of Cape Town. When I sit on the memorial I can see out maybe ten or fifteen miles. I can see the commons, a large grass field, 1.6 mile around, which I walk through to get to downtown Rondebosch, I can see the roads with the small cars busily going to and from, and two large water towers in the distance. In between these landmarks are dwellings, of people, in all directions, as far as the eye can see. Closer to the mountain and university, the houses are larger, more suburban, two stories, and as my eyes look of into the distance, as the houses blur into the indistinguishable haze, I know lie the townships, Khayelitsha, Guguletu and others.

Well, Vernon arrived, and I stopped writing for the day, so now, it is the next morning. What was I saying. Well, yesterday, what I was getting at was that there seemed like there were so many people in and around Cape Town, and simply not enough space or natural resources for them all to sustain themselves. But, after driving into ‘the country’ I’m not sure the problem is that there isn’t enough land. There is land, it’s just that the people don’t own it, and don’t have the means to buy it. Also, the land doesn’t look very fertile, unless it is irrigated. The unemployment rate in this country is very, very high, so I have been looking to bridge the gap, in my mind, wondering first, if it was because of a large population, or secondly, not enough natural resources. It seems like the problem is one common to the history books, the difference between the proportion of land owned by the richer versus the poorer. Little land, and little education about the land.  I am working with refugees, who face terrible xenophobia as they look for jobs and try to establish themselves here. But, I feel that, as I help the refugees find jobs, how can I ignore the people who were born in and around here, who cannot find jobs.

I am enjoying learning about these dilemmas, and seeing the reality of them in my internship and day to day life. I am finding the world to be quite real here, as real as hunger pains in the stomach, and fear in a refugees eyes as they struggle to explain a dilemma to me in a language they brokenly speak. In the midst of this world, where staying alive, and healthy, is enough, I am beginning to find my place. 

But, one strange thing I have noticed coming to South Africa is the love affair the people have with America. From here, America is the land of milk and honey, the promised land, where rich people drive around fancy cars and party and listen to pop music. In the spirit of the great Gatsby, the American dream is alive and real, here, far enough from the green lights to distinguish what the green lights actually are, merely a neon sign on a store that reads, ‘open’, so that one can come and buy and spend money. And so, instead of a recognition of life in a small scale, and appreciation for beauty and community on a local level, there seems, at least economically, not to be the self-reliance and community cohesiveness that I expected, but rather a longing towards the American mystique. The relationship between The United States and South Africa is not that of a Parent investing in their child’s future, but rather the treatment of an older sibling to a younger sibling, one looking up to the other and the other picking on the first. Yes, the citizens of the United States may be importing businesses, and therefore jobs, but they are also by and large exporting the profits.

These are some of the problems that are beginning to emerge in my visual field as I spend time here. It seems the world, at large is quite immature, and as I grow older, this is the world I am inheriting. For now, I am still a student.

Half of the time studying abroad, I have been hiking, going to nice restaurants, relaxing in the pool at our house, and hanging out with all the good people on this trip. The other half of the time I have been working through the real issues I talked about above, in my mind, and in person. It is a nice balance, one that at some point I will have to reconcile the discrepancies. But, for now, I am enjoying both sides thoroughly.  

Brett enjoys  Chapmans Peak view: 21 January 2010

Katherine's First Post

Katherine at Moyo

I have definitely been enjoying my stay in Cape Town, South Africa.  While all the security talks we were given did make me nervous about maneuvering around the city, I am quickly becoming accustomed to Cape Town.  Not to fear parents, to get into our house (which is very nice and spacious) you need to use at least three keys.  If your child is one of the six of us who lives in the pool house, we received an extra key or two to make our way through the house and then to the backyard to our bedrooms.  The gate on the front door took most of us several days to master because it is tricky to unlock.  Rachel, however, was a pro from the start.  I stood at the front door gate for twenty minutes one day before I could get it unlocked.

While we were told by one of our security briefers that riding the minibus taxis is not safe, I find it to be one of the most entertaining parts of my week when I ride them to get to and from downtown for my internship at Black Sash.  A minibus taxi is basically a large white van that supposedly seats about 15 people but during the busier hours of the day the minibuses tend to stuff more people in.  There are two minibus “employees” (I guess that is what they should be called); the driver and the wingman.  The drivers squeeze in and out of the tiniest spaces in traffic and manage to come away unscathed.  The wingman sits in the passenger area of the van and is usually screaming and whistling out the window at passersby.  His job is to recruit as many people to hop on the van as possible.  I have learned that they will do anything to get you on the bus and get your money, including tell you they’re going somewhere and then once you are on and the van is moving you realize that the bus is not going directly where you are going!  This happened to me on the first afternoon of my internship.  While at first I was nervous and wasn’t sure what to do, the fellow commuters on the bus were quite helpful and steered me in the right direction. I had to get off at an area called Mowbray and switch to a minibus headed toward the Red Cross Hospital.  Since that first day I have toughened up and learned how to better negotiate my way onto the correct minibus home.  The minibuses play older American pop and rap music and sometimes the wingman even sings along.  Most of the people who ride the minibuses are commuting to work from the surrounding suburbs.  It takes about thirty minutes to get into downtown Cape Town via minibus because they stop several times to let people on and off before reaching the city.

In addition, there are a few funny subtle differences I have noticed over the past three weeks.  If you ask for directions and someone tells you to go down to the next robot and take a right, they are not crazy.  A robot is a street light and while I had been told this ahead of time I was still surprised to hear such a funny term used by people.  When greeting someone in the U.S., we are used to saying “Hi, how are you?”  Yet here most people say, “Howzit?”  I have been trying to remember to say this instead of the previous greeting so that I can begin to blend in a little better.  The most confusing difference here is that they drive on the opposite side of the road.  Attempting to cross the road when I go for a jog or walking to the grocery store is quite a dilemma.  I look both ways several times because it is not easy to break the habit of looking for traffic the way I do at home!  My favorite difference is of course the animals.  We have seen ostriches, baboons, weird birds, cheetahs, and penguins.  I am both very scared and extremely intrigued by the baboons.  They are very accustomed to people and will come up and snatch your food away from you.  Sadly we have not gotten close enough to any to have that type of interaction with them.  They also lay around on and near the roads.  I want to bring a little baby baboon home, but I don’t think my parents would appreciate that…

Katherine at Chapmans Peak

Meredith's First Post

Meredith looking down on Cape Town

Twenty days. Enough time to learn to cook. Enough time to make solid friendships. Enough time to feel at home.  Enough time to realize who you are.  Enough time to realize who you want to be.  Enough time to begin feeling your life changing. Twenty days.  The amount of time we have been in South Africa so far.  I never would have thought that half of a month could be this impacting on my life.

It is absolutely impossible to pick one word to describe the past few weeks because they have been filled with a broad spectrum of emotions: excitement, frustration, astonishment, satisfaction, helplessness, hopefulness, and happiness just to name a few.

Though all of these emotions reflect what I have naturally felt since we have arrived in Cape Town on the fifteenth of January, one emotion specifically I have not been able to get out of my mind.  Happiness. What exactly is happiness? I have given this question a lot of thought these past few weeks.  What I have established is that happiness is just a very simple emotion.  Just like any other emotion, it comes and goes as it pleases in you depending on the situation you are in.  A child who looks under a glistening Christmas tree at the presents they are about to receive is happiness.  It is an emotion that is great at the time, but what happens after the presents are opened and Christmas is over?  The feeling of happiness is gone.  Happiness is a temporary, superficial emotion that comes from external situations.  How in anyway can that satisfy anyone’s life?  It is the void that cannot be filled.

Being here in Africa has really helped show me a distinction between happiness and joy.  I made this differentiation after we went to a Baptist Church service in Guguletu.  Before the service, we had the opportunity to drive through a few of the townships.  What I saw was shocking.  Families living in tin shacks that were crammed together on the side of the road, trash everywhere and wild dogs running loose.  This is definitely the hardest thing that I have ever seen in my entire life.  Knowing that they were placed there not by choice but by force made me furious and incredibly disconnected to what is truly going on in the world.  This first impression made me extremely nervous about traveling

into the township the next day for the church service.  In the church though, what I saw wasn’t poverty or even bitterness; what I saw was love, faith, and most of all joy.  They could have very easily spent

there time dwelling on the past and having anger build up inside of them.  Anger is just an emotion though; it comes and goes just as happiness does. The people of the church were not angry because they have consistent joy in there hearts.  They were all just so thankful for their lives and for their families. The amount of forgiveness they have towards the way they were poorly treated is unfathomable.  The joy that I saw in the hearts of those in that church service shined through.  I know for a fact that they are wealthier then any of us could ever be.  Every material possession they owned was stripped away but it really shows that the wealth in your heart is far greater than any mansion could ever be.

I feel like everywhere I go this same message is continuously pounded into my head.  We had the opportunity to start our internships a few days ago and what I have seen has been nothing but pure joy.  My internship takes place at Christel House, a school with the strong dedication to help children break the cycle of poverty they are immersed in.  The school does such wonderful things for these children by giving them a full education, meals and even digs down to the roots of poverty by educating the parents.  For my internship specifically, I have the pleasure of working with Grade R, or kindergarteners.  I really was not sure what to expect with these children especially because I knew I would be the minority in the classroom.  As I entered the classroom, all of my nervousness completely vanished.  Without even knowing me for more than five minutes, they welcomed me into their home away from home with huge smiles and hugs.  What I have learned the past few days at Christel House is that these kids have so much love and joy in there hearts that is just bursting out of there little bodies.  These kids need to give and receive love in order to feel joy and at Christel House the teachers truly make that possible each and every day.  Today the children squealed with laughter as they hugged me so hard that I ended up on the ground and I could just feel the joy radiating off of them.  The fact that the kids want to be in school as opposed to doing anything else was joy in itself.  I know as a child the last thing I wanted to do was be in school, I would rather be doing almost anything else.  These children want to learn and it is amazing how there lives will change.  They will break the cycle of poverty.

Even reflecting on the group of twelve of us living on Loch Road that decided to embark upon this journey reflects joy and dedication.  The fact that we are a mixture of very distinctive people who can come together for a common cause is so wonderful.  Though throughout the semester I’m sure we will all have our disputes and debates, we are all united by a cause because we have joy in our hearts for this place that we can now call home.

Table Bay from Lion's Head

Adam's first blog entry

My experience is South Africa so far has been amazing. In my first few days here I was jet lagged and felt as if I was walking around in some sort of surreal dream world. I listened to people talk, I smelled the smells, and tasted the food yet none of it registered. Then after a few naps and a good nights rest I started to awaken a bit. The clouds drifted away revealing Table Mountain in all of its grandeur and all of a sudden the people and places became real.

I walked down Main Street in Rondebosch at first a bit startled by the mini-bus taxi hawkers leaning out the windows shouting the names of places like Wynberg and Belleville. Then after riding on these crowded mini-bus taxis a couple of times it started to become the norm. After becoming a little more acclimated to my surroundings I became more able to take in all of activities that were packed into orientation week.

I started to get the flavor of the real South Africa by visiting places like Swingers, Greenmarket Square, and the University of Cape Town. I started to discover a vibrant culture in places like Long Street and a Baptist Church, but soon saw Cape Town’s underbelly in the townships and the faces of the beggars on the streets. It was then that I realized that South Africa still has a long way to go.

I became more informed about South Africa’s history by visiting the Slave Lodge and the District 6 Museum. Robben Island proved to be an emotional test for some, but I tried to take it for what it was: a sad and unfortunate history. I attempted to focus more on South Africa’s future and not dwell on its past.

The warmth and hospitality that I have received from Vernon, Marita and Ben made me feel truly comfortable from the time I stepped out of the airport. Everyday I have learned or discovered something new. It is because of this that I know my experience in South Africa will be a life changing one.

Sarah's 1st blog entry

Sarah on Signal Hill

I’m not sure if this still makes sense, but I don’t think it will ever hit me that I’m here.  I have come to learn more from meeting different people and getting to know them than I ever have in a classroom. 

We did have our first class a couple of day ago, but the notes I was taking sent chills up my spine, as simple statistics became faces I knew, people I’ve met.  As I listened to Vincent lecture on the protests in Soweto, my mind immediately went to our tour guide at Robben Island. This man marched along side his classmates who were no older than me only to see his pregnant girlfriend get shot through the face by police.  The deaths among those oppressed by a ruthless and malicious government are no longer a statistic to me; they are as real as the people I have met every day.  I can picture this man in his mid-twenties spending bleak nights in Yemen or Angola resisting persecution and oppression in the only way he could: violent desperation.  And now, in 2010, this same man can shake my hand outside the maximum security barbed wire fences that used to detain him and so many others.                                                                                                             

      

Benjamin, former political prisoner, current Robben Island tour guide.   

What has impressed me most about this country is those who were cruelly oppressed for so long are so incredibly forgiving and thankful for how far they’ve come.  I’ve heard those who lived for decades in the tin and packing crate allotted to them for creating a home tell me that they still have to pinch themselves when they can stay out as late as they want, when they can walk through the front door of their favorite restaurant, when they can travel wherever they please without a passbook.  This hope and optimism is something I will admire and hope to aspire to for the rest of my life.

 That being said, one of the things that surprises me the most is an intangible effect of the apartheid regime.  While the poverty and social class of those most affected is something I could have predicted, the brainwashing involved in such an evil system has caught me off guard.  The physical separation and classification of apartheid has left so many feeling they belong in some places and don’t in others.  It has left those who once found pride in their African heritage confused, simply because their hair falls when one wraps a pencil around it or their skin is a shade lighter than their neighbor’s.  When I really stopped to think about it, I found this exists everywhere, though maybe not as blatant on account of such obvious divide and conquer techniques imposed by the apartheid government.  People get so concerned as to where they belong, that they don’t realize they can “belong” any where.        

I went out to a bar with a few friends that, as far as I could see, had never seen three white girls walk in for a drink.  While the experience initially left me feeling jittery, I began to feel as if I had rebelled in my own little way.  Not that anyone really had a problem with us being there, I just felt as if I had crossed a line, bridged a gap so to speak.  I think people would feel connected to more people and on a greater level if they stopped worrying about where they belong.  This assumption, however, is based on very little since 99% of the people I have met have been more welcoming than I ever would have imagined.

I feel as if one of my main goals for the next few months (as of now) is to “belong” in this country.  It is hard not to walk through the townships and feel some sense of accountability, some feelings anger towards myself for having everything handed to me simply because I was born in a certain part of the country with light skin.  I remember leaving Robben Island, in all of its beauty and horror, wanting to track down our tour guide and ask him, “What do you want me to do?”  It is no secret that just by having the money to stay here for three or four months puts me in an extremely privileged class of people.  Now my main concern is what can I do with that?  I am not a tourist.  But what is my role?  How do I belong to a nation of people? 

Pamela's first blog entry

Molo! (Hello)

Howzit?

I’ve been in South Africa for two weeks now, and these past weeks have been the most amazing! On January 16th we landed at Johannesburg Airport after a 13 hour long airplane ride and then we took another 2 hour airplane ride to Cape Town. I was exhausted but as soon as I landed in Cape Town and saw the beautiful view of table mountain top, I forgot all about my exhaustion and the fact that I had been on a plane for the past fifteen hours. So far we have been meeting so many people and it seems to me that the more I meet people the friendlier they are, this is such a welcoming and friendly nation. The people , the culture and the scenery are beautiful!

On our first week in Cape Town we have been doing a lot of touristy activities and getting to know our neighborhood.

-We’ve eaten Ethiopian and traditional South African dishes that were

very good and different from what I’m used to but it was very delicious! It was a wonderful experience.

- We visited the University of Cape Town (UCT) where we will be taking our classes for the next 3 months… it is such a large and beautiful campus.

- We went to the Kirstenbosh Botanical Garden were I saw the most beautiful garden with all kinds of plants and trees , and there I had a very beautiful view of Table Mountain.

-We also been visiting museums … we went to the Slave Lodge where our host Lucy Campbell gave us a tour. The Slave Lodge is where slaves were held to be sold in Cape Town . Lucy gave us a detailed tour it was very powerful because she said a few things that really touch me such as “ Ten years ago, I didn’t know where I was from. Ask me today . I am from everywhere . I am from Africa!”. That’s where I started to understand the past of this country where people were separated because of the color of their skin , some didn’t know where they came from but now they know.

-In the same day we also visited the District six museum where Mr. Joe Schaffers gave us a tour and made me understand in depth the apartheid laws where in the district 6 the people classified as “colored” or “black” were taken away from their homes and put in townships. Mr. Schaffer said “ Not until we bleed different colors do we have a different race. Until then we are one race… Humans” that sentence made me realize that race doesn’t really matter it’s the person that we are that matters.

-The next day we departed for Robben Island where I had the chance to seethe jail cell of Nelson Mandela and the other prisoners who fought for this country. There again we had an amazing tour guide, he used to be a political prisoner at that prison, he told us his story and made me realize there is so much more to learn about the motivation of these people to liberate this country that people on the outside don’t know, it was a very painful experience for these people living under apartheid laws.

- I also got to visit the National Baptist Church in Gugulettu which is one of the townships, where I experienced profound faith. Even though I did not understand most of what the people were saying because they were speaking in Xhosa. Through their singing I could feel their strength, faith and pain . I came to the conclusion that language is never a barrier , even though I did not understand what they were saying but we

did connect on the spiritual level. We visited some of the township where I saw extreme poverty, I saw worse poverty before but then again that’s where I realized how fortunate some us are and most of the time don’t even realize it.

- We went to Cape Point where I had the most beautiful view of both the Atlantic and Indian ocean. I felt like I was on top of the world. In that same day I had the chance to observe Ostriches, Baboons, Zebras, Cheetahs, and penguins in the wild. That was such a beautiful day.

The second week we spent visiting the different internships we will be working at. I had the chance to visit Christel house where I met the kids from grade R. I was very happy to meet them and I have the chance to help them write the number one. Most of these children came from impoverished backgrounds and predominantly speak Xhosa , they were very welcoming and happy. I was very happy and excited to meet them. I cannot wait to start my internship on Monday where I get to help and become closer to these kids and hopefully I will be able to help make a difference in their lives.

Coming to South Africa was one of the best decisions that I made . This journey will be a learning and growing experience for me. I will be learning many different things both personally and academically. I am very thankful for this opportunity and I will make the best out of it.

Thandhokulu ! (much love)

Erica's first blog entry

Erica with two grade R learners from Christel House School

Monwani (pronounced mole-way-nee, meaning hello to a group of people)—

Landing in Cape Town was truly one of the most surreal experiences of my entire life. After a 15 hour plane ride to Jo’burg and a 2 hour plane ride to Cape Town, I thought that my exhaustion would override my excitement—but I was wrong. While the plane landed, I looked out the window at the incredible mountains and clear blue water and I sighed a breath of relief. It was instantaneous—the minute we arrived in Africa, I could feel myself breathing differently, I could feel my body relax, I could already feel a change within myself—I felt like I was home. When we arrived at the house and took a walk through the commons, I could not stop looking at Table Mountain. Seeing something so vast and so powerful amazed me every time I looked at it—was it its massive size? Its shape? I couldn’t figure out what it was that I was feeling—I just knew that it is impossible not to look at Table Mountain and feel the air escape my lungs as I gasped to comprehend the reality of the beauty that is Cape Town.

One of our first nights out to dinner as a group, Marita began to explain her tattoo to several of us—the word “ubuntu” runs across her wrist, which in Xhosa means: “I am because we are” or rather the concept of compassion for all humanity, and above the word there is an outline of Table Mountain. While I had obviously seen her tattoo before, and even had heard her explain it before, this was the first time I really began to understand what her tattoo meant. She explained to us that when she came to Cape Town, she found home. She found strength. She found peace. She said that when she looked at Table Mountain it symbolized this country and it’s people and their incredible resilience. In so many words she told us: “This mountain has been here for millions of years, its weathered incredible things and it still stands so beautiful and so strong. The people that have lived here have suffered incredible pain—through colonialism, war, violence, apartheid, imprisonment, racism—but they’re still so strong. They still stand like the mountain, resilient to everything that has made them suffer, and they continue on.” I thought that was so beautiful. The mountains here shock me, awe me, amaze me every time I look at them. But now, as I begin to realize the truth of what Marita told us at dinner, I will never look at the mountains the same—Table Mountain is this country, it is these people. It has been 10 days, and I want to cry for the beauty I have seen, not just in the landscapes but also in the people we have met and in the friends I am making. I feel like we are infants and we are soaking in so many new things and we just want to cry for it all—cry for the good and sob for the bad. I know that when we start our internships these feelings I’m having will be even stronger, but I am so ready. I have fallen in love with it here and it has only been 10 days.

When we visited the Slave Lodge and District 6, I began to understand the resilience of the South African people even more. The Slave Lodge is where slaves were held in Cape Town to be sold, raped, beaten, and killed and District 6 is an area in South Africa where 60,000 "classified colors" and blacks were taken from their homes and put into townships under the apartheid government. Our tour guides were more than tour guides--they were incredible, incredible people. The man at District 6 actually lived at District 6 before he and his family were forcefully removed and taken to the townships. Talking to Lucy and Joe made me realize how recent apartheid is in South Africa, and what that will mean for me as white person visiting their country.

Lucy at the Slave Lodge said a few really beautiful and powerful things:
"10 years ago I didn't know where I was from. Ask me where I'm from today. Go ahead, ask me. I am from everywhere. I am Africa."
"We are all mixed. We are all each other"
"From human wrongs to human rights"
At District 6, Joe said some really powerful things as well:
"They didn't use guns to remove us from our homes, but instead they psychologically convinced us that we were less of a person than they were, and that the townships were where we belonged"
"Not until we bleed different colors do we have a different race. Until then we are all one race--humans"
"We are the only species with ornaments on the sides of our heads instead of ears. We do not listen."
"The destruction of the homes in District 6 can only be called ethnic cleansing. It was the break down of everything that is black and the build up of everything that is white."
"The signs from apartheid all say "white persons" and "non-whites, Indians, coloreds, etc." The word "persons" was dropped after every race but white in order to psychologically beat it into our heads that we were less than people."

After really being moved by everything Joe said, I began to explore the museum and observe some of the poetry that was on the floor of the museum. This was a poem was on one of the tiles at the museum:

"Where the rainbow ends
There's going to be a place, brother
Where the world can sing all sorts of songs
And we're going to sing together, brother
You and I, though you're white and I'm not.
It's going to be a sad song, brother
Because we do not know the tune
And it's a difficult tune to learn
But we can learn, brother, you and I
there's no such tune as a black tune
There's only music, brother.
And it's music we're going to sing
Where the rainbow ends."
-Richard Rioe

Leah said the other day: “I feel as though everything I thought I knew about myself and my beliefs is up for evaluation”. I thought that was really telling of how we all feel here in Cape Town—we recognize that there is still so much for us to learn and comprehend and that, for many of us, that involves reevaluating our former selves (i.e. the self that was before we came to Cape Town just 10 days ago). Coming to South Africa has been an incredibly eye opening experience because for the first time I am really comprehending what it means to be a minority and what the term "white privilege" represents. What does my skin color indicate, especially here in South Africa? Money? Power? Privilege? The word apartheid echoes in the soul of this place and its people--suffering and healing, pain and recovery, injustice and justice. I knew this experience would change my life, but it is these people we are meeting and talking with that are changing me the most. How do you describe white privilege and really understand what it means? Come to South Africa. Hear their history. Listen to the people. My soul aches. When I walk the streets here it is not even that I am a minority that makes me feel so deeply. Instead, it is what my skin color means and represents here in South Africa--that here, I feel as though I carry shame for my skin color more than anywhere else. I know that shame is not a progressive emotion, but I cannot help but feel that way when I hear about the oppressive white regime that attempted to break the souls of the South African people. I am beginning to understand how difficult forgiveness really is and how strong a nation has to be to really, REALLY move past racism--to move past a government that not only turned blacks against whites, but turned "blacks against blacks", by not only giving privilege to "whites over classified coloreds and blacks" but also privilege to "classified coloreds" over "blacks". There are racial tensions among South Africans that are so deeply rooted. Recently at the museum, Lucy (a so-called “classified colored” person) and Abongile (a black Xhosa speaking South African from the largest township in Cape Town) had an extremely touching moment when she said to him, "You are my brother. We are not colored or black. It is time we move past this." She put her hand next to his and said, "See, look at our colors, they are not all that different after all".

Abongile with kids from one of the soccer teams he coaches in Khayelitsha.

Forgiveness is a struggle. Racism, all over the world, has yet to be overcome. Here in South Africa the journey has really just begun—to have a progressive constitution is one thing, but to make the laws a social reality is another.

When we went to the National Baptist Church in Guguletu, a black township here in South Africa, the reverend talked about this journey that all humans—in particular those who are suffering or less fortunate—are struggling through. He mentioned that sometimes we have to crawl to get where we want—that the journey is not easy—but that we must keep going. As the people listened, they began to sing and shout with joy in their beautiful language, and even though I didn’t understand exactly what they were saying, I could FEEL what they were saying. I could feel their strength, their spirit, their faith, and their resilience. This embodies the soul and the spirit of the South African people who have struggled through so much, but continue to be resilient.

Coming to South Africa was one of the best decisions I have made in my entire life. Everyone has been endearingly making fun of me because every so often in the middle of a really good conversation or while we all sit outside underneath the beautiful South African night sky, I sigh and say: “I’m so happy!” Whenever anyone feels that rush now, they say: “I’m in an Erica mood!” I can’t explain how good that made me feel. Even though we are all experiencing extremely emotional things, I feel so happy and so blessed that I was given the opportunity to come here and to learn and grow as a woman. I know that when I start my internship I am expected to be the teacher—but I also know that I have so much to learn from my students and from the amazingly beautiful people I encounter here in Cape Town. I know I am here to teach, but I also know that I am here to learn.

Our professor, Vernon Rose, said to us on our first night here: “There is a wave in Cape Town—ride it.” I know those words really spoke to a number of us and we will continue to follow his advice and continue to learn every single day we spend in this beautiful country.

Amandala awethu. Power to the people.

Erica petting a cheeta at Moyo.

Settling In

The students arrived nearly two weeks ago and have just completed the most amazing introduction to the place they will call home until 2 May. Over the next 13 weeks they will chronicle their time here by submitting entries to this blog regarding their internships, classes, activist projects, and extra curricula activities. Most would agree they have already been transformed by their time here .... and, from past experience, I imagine the best is yet to come!

Internship Placements 2010

University of Connecticut

Cape Town Study Abroad 2010

Internship Placements

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Rachel

Major: Allied Health: Major

Interning at Red Cross Hospital: Red Cross Hospital is the largest Pediatric Health Facility on the African Continent. She will have an opportunity to work with Prof. Rode, the Emeritus Head of Surgery as well as the Nutrition Department at the hospital. She will also be able to accompany Prof. Rode to community health facilities.

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Katherine

Major: English/Human Rights

Interning at Black Sash: Black Sash is one of the foremost Human Rights organizations in South Africa and has a long history of resisting Apartheid. She will be working on a particular human rights issue in the organization’s provincial office.

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Leah

Major: Political Science

Interning at Thandokulu Senior Secondary School: Thandokulu is a high school consisting of Xhosa speaking children coming mainly from Khayelitsha, the biggest black township in Cape Town. She will be teaching English and will be working with the Head of that department

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Michelle

Major: Anthropology/Women’s Studies

Interning at Gender Dynamix: Gender DynamiX is a Human Rights organisation promoting freedom of expression of gender identity and advocating for the rights of Transgender, Transexual and Gender Non-Conforming people. Gender DynamiX is committed to provide resources, information and support to trans folk, their partners, family, employers and the public.

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Brittany

Major: Agriculture/ Natural Resources/

Women’s Studies Minor

Interning at the University of the Western Cape Gender Equity Unit: The organization is one of the leading advocates for gender justice in South Africa. It is very active in the area of prevention of violence against women, addressing particularly the attitudes of men. She will have an opportunity to help plan and conduct workshops to this effect.

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Kayley

Major: Allied Health

Interning at Red Cross Hospital: Red Cross Hospital is the largest Pediatric Health Facility on the African Continent. You will have an opportunity to work with Prof. Rode, the Emeritus Head of Surgery as well as the Nutrition Department at the hospital. She will also be able to accompany Prof. Rode to community health facilities.

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Meredith

Major: Human Development

Interning at Christel House School: The school focuses on children from extremely impoverished areas around the City of Cape Town. In this respect the school has become a model in its work with children who ordinarily would not have a fighting chance in life. She will be working with teachers in the pre-school/ kindergarden department.

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Brett

Major: Cognitive Science

Interning at Cape Town Refugee Centre: The Centre is integrally involved with the plight of refugees coming mainly from Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Somalia. Foreign nationals have become one of the most stigmatized and harassed as the poor fight for scarce resources. He will work on a particular issue affecting refugees.

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Adam

Major: Political Science and Journalism

Interning at Black Sash: Black Sash is one of the foremost Human Rights organizations in South Africa and has a long history of resisting Apartheid. He will be working with a member of the staff in the national office where he will be helping them with a particular human rights policy issue.

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Pamela

Major: Sociology and International Relations

Interning at Christel House School: The school focuses on children from extremely impoverished areas around the City of Cape Town. In this respect the school has become a model in its work with children who ordinarily would not have a fighting chance in life. She will be working with teachers in the pre-school/ kindergarden department. Learn more about click here Christel House.

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Sarah

Major: English

Interning at the Cape Argus Newspaper: The paper is part of the Independent Newspaper Group and has the widest evening circulation in the city. She may have the opportunity to work with the political editor or reporter.

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Erica

Major: English and Pre-Teaching

Interning at Thandokulu High: Thandokulu is a high school consisting of Xhosa speaking children coming mainly from Khayelitsha, the biggest black township in Cape Town. She will be teaching English and working with the Head of that department.

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