Friday
Breakfast was great as usual and they had fruit smoothies that morning so that was delicious. We had to be up early because we needed to head on the road to a couple places after a 2 hour class session. The class session went really well. I was surprised at how well the discussion flowed for that amount of time so I was impressed with everything we all brought to the table.
After class we packed up the car and headed to a township of Cape Town called Langa. Townships are where you see all the poorest people living together in a community with varying degrees of housing and utilities. The poverty was really surprising because until I saw it up close it was nothing like I've ever seen except for possibly the footage on tv after natural disasters. We get really far into discussion during our class sessions but it is too complicated to get into on a blog. In Langa, it was the first township ever, and the closest one outside of Cape Town so they seem to get tourists and they had a visitor's center where we stopped and they took us in and showed us some of the things they do and crafts they have. My favorite part was when they had neighborhood kids come in and play songs for us. I always enjoy music and these young kids were really into singing and playing for us so when they encouraged us to get up and dance, we all did.
After the performance we headed down a couple blocks to a youth center called Love Life where they have different activities there such as computers, debate teams, motivational workshops, they put on plays, they have a dj booth, playstation and game tables to keep kids 12-17 off the streets away from drugs, alcohol and inform them about HIV/AIDS. They also have a clinic with a nurse in case they need it. It was very interesting to see that it was run by 19 and 20 year olds who get paid to help out with these teens from the townships. Outside there were different sports areas and things for people to have gatherings.
When the tour of the Youth Center was over, we went back into the van and drove to another section of Langa where it was not as tourist ready as when first entering off the highway where the visitor and youth centers were.
From Langa we drove to Khayelitsha which is another township that is much bigger than Langa. We were a bit hungry so as soon as we got to the center of the township we stopped at this whole block filled with food stands. They had sausage and pork. It was really interesting to get out of the vans and interact with the people there because they didn't have any tourist stuff for us to do there so we had discussions about the differences in that and what we thought their impressions might have been of us being there. After we got the food, we ate in the car and drove up and down the streets waving at the little kids and sticking our hands out the windows and hi-fiving them. As one of our group members pointed out, it felt disrespectful like we were on safari and I did feel bad just driving around looking at these peoples homes but as we discussed, it was something that was necessary for us to do.
After Khayelitsha we drove to Stellenbosch which is the famous wine route. I fell asleep for about 20 minutes in the car on the way but it was about 45 minutes away from Khayelitsha. We arrived at this vineyard where the rooms were really nice and it had wireless, we were taken aback that we got to stay in those type of accomodations after having just witnessed what some people have to live in everyday. (The hotel in Cape Town was very nice but the room was very small and it was different) The place in Stellenbosch was really awesome. We relaxed and I skyped with a few people that night. We had dinner at the vineyard and we got free wine. (My first and only alcohol on the trip! We are allowed since the age is 18 but PSU won't pay for it so we would have to pay for it ourselves.) Dinner was regular steak, potatoes, and veggies since the vineyard was owned by a couple that was 1/2 American 1/2 German. We also got dessert which was not unlike flan. That night I skyped with more of you but we also had a 30 some paged double columned article to read and reflect on for our discussion the next day which is why I didn't finish all of my blog posts up to that point.
END DAY 3
I think this is where I will leave off for tonight...I will get to yesterday and today and any other days I have not written about the next time I am able!
Sunday, January 24, 2010
On to the next day
On to Thursday. So, same breakfast as before except at 7:30am.
We were supposed to have a Dr. from Cape Town come talk to us but he had some emergencies or something so he didn't get there while we waited for him from 8-9:30. Finally, at 9:30 we left for Boulders which is part of South Africa's equivalent to our National Parks. It is where the Jackass Penguins or African Penguins were located and have no fear I got many o' cute pictures. We were there for about 45 minutes and it was a little over an hour away from Cape Town. After the penguins we continued our drive to Cape Point which was close to 2 and 1/2 hours away from Cape Town. By the way, the penguins looked to me like the ones from Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel in Oahu, Hawaii. I don't know if those of you who stayed at the Roach Motel would remember that though!
Shout out to Tia Elissa:
On the rest of the drive to Cape Point it was a lovely view of the ocean but as we got closer to the Park, babboons were everywhere in the streets. We quickly shut our windows. There are signs everywhere with warnings, especially emphasizing not to feed them...they are a bit different than seagulls at Ocean City. The adult males make very nasty noises and they are attracted to food so we got our fair share of pictures and continued on. The car behind us was a mini cooper convertible with the top down...we didn't stick around to see what happened to them! We have seen several babboons on our drives since that occasion so I guess you weren't lyin'!
Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope were really nice, I have many scenic pictures. We ate sandwiches for lunch out of our vans at the stopping place and continued on back into Cape Town because we had an appointment at UCT (University of Cape Town) to speak with a colleague of our professor who teaches there. His name was Maano but I don't remember his last name. He volunteered his time and gave us a lesson on apartheid geography and how the land is and was used during and post (not much difference). Another worthwhile discussion.
That night we drove to the harbor and had dinner on the top deck at a Thai place. I had spicy cashew chicken and we shared again so I tried a variety of chicken dishes.
We went to the mall again to settle our internet stuff and went back to the hotel again. We had to pack to be ready to leave the next day so we did that and wrote a paper that was due the next morning for our first class session.
END DAY 2
We were supposed to have a Dr. from Cape Town come talk to us but he had some emergencies or something so he didn't get there while we waited for him from 8-9:30. Finally, at 9:30 we left for Boulders which is part of South Africa's equivalent to our National Parks. It is where the Jackass Penguins or African Penguins were located and have no fear I got many o' cute pictures. We were there for about 45 minutes and it was a little over an hour away from Cape Town. After the penguins we continued our drive to Cape Point which was close to 2 and 1/2 hours away from Cape Town. By the way, the penguins looked to me like the ones from Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel in Oahu, Hawaii. I don't know if those of you who stayed at the Roach Motel would remember that though!
Shout out to Tia Elissa:
On the rest of the drive to Cape Point it was a lovely view of the ocean but as we got closer to the Park, babboons were everywhere in the streets. We quickly shut our windows. There are signs everywhere with warnings, especially emphasizing not to feed them...they are a bit different than seagulls at Ocean City. The adult males make very nasty noises and they are attracted to food so we got our fair share of pictures and continued on. The car behind us was a mini cooper convertible with the top down...we didn't stick around to see what happened to them! We have seen several babboons on our drives since that occasion so I guess you weren't lyin'!
Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope were really nice, I have many scenic pictures. We ate sandwiches for lunch out of our vans at the stopping place and continued on back into Cape Town because we had an appointment at UCT (University of Cape Town) to speak with a colleague of our professor who teaches there. His name was Maano but I don't remember his last name. He volunteered his time and gave us a lesson on apartheid geography and how the land is and was used during and post (not much difference). Another worthwhile discussion.
That night we drove to the harbor and had dinner on the top deck at a Thai place. I had spicy cashew chicken and we shared again so I tried a variety of chicken dishes.
We went to the mall again to settle our internet stuff and went back to the hotel again. We had to pack to be ready to leave the next day so we did that and wrote a paper that was due the next morning for our first class session.
END DAY 2
Updates
I heard that there is an outcry for more blog entries. Let me give some excuses first, then I will get into the good stuff.
I can only get on the internet every so often and this is only the second time I have been at a hotel with wireless because the wireless modem I have takes forever. I have also not been here a week and am already up to 2 papers handed in (one Friday, one Monday). As you can see, I am a busy gal! Plus, I have to check my email and facebook!!
I will start with Wednesday morning.
We got up and had breakfast by 9am at our hotel which was called Signal Hill (I wanna say Lodge) which was on top of a hill overlooking Cape Town and the harbor. It was a beautiful view and the breakfast was delicious. They had cereal, yogurt, granola, muffins, toast, variety of fruit, cheese and crackers, juices, coffee, tea, and eggs made to order. Who is laughing now?! (We stayed at this hotel from Tuesday night through Friday morning).
We walked down the really large hill for about 1/2 hour to the harbor where we caught the 11am tour to Robben Island. By the way, the hills here are reminiscent of San Francisco--VERY STEEP! (Walking back up to the hotel twice in that day was not fun).
I really enjoyed the tour at Robben Island. It was a 30 minute ferry to the island, then we got on a bus and drove around it. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about every aspect of Robben Island, not just the prison. He also knew a lot about other countries and their relationship with South Africa. He asked everyone on the bus to tell their nationality so he could keep everyone interested and incorporate us into the tour. It turned out that he has met Nelson Mandela many times and he has taken him around the island when Mandela has come back for reunions with the political prisoners who were there during his 18 years there. Our tour guide was the one that gives the tours to dignitaries so some of his guests include: First Lady Hillary Clinton (in our guide's words, Bill was busy at the Whitehouse so he couldn't attend), Senator Barack Obama, Bill Cosby, etc. Quick facts: Nelson Mandela returned to Robben Island 14 times after he was released from prison there. Five years ago he said that was the last time he would ever go back and it is the last time he was there. He spent a total of 27 years in prison: 18 Robben Island, 2 somewhere else, 7 somewhere else. I could go on about the other uses of the island but I will save some for when I return home because it is too long-winded already.
At the end of the bus tour we are transferred from the tour guide to a former political prisoner. The man who took us around was named Sparks and he was in prison for 7 years at Robben Island. He showed us where he stayed in the F block, and of course Nelson Mandela's cell B7.
After the tour we had a quick lunch of pizza and went into the mall on the harbor to try and set up our internet plans. They are very expensive and it was hard to communicate exactly what we wanted since South Africa's system is so different so it took a long time to get that set up but now Lexi and I share a modem.
At 5pm we met with a friend of our professor who does HIV/AIDS research in South Africa so that was a very eye-opening discussion. After that we went to dinner with him to a game restaurant called Mama Africa. We had a great time at the restaurant. I ordered prawn curry because I like to play it safe with my stomach when I am adjusting to food in a new country. A couple of other people ordered the sample platters so we tried each others and I tried crocodile, ostrich, kudu, and springbok...DELICIOUS! The walk back up the hill was fun and then we hung out in our rooms and on the grass outside until bed time.
END DAY 1
Leave comments if you want to know more about something or if you think I may have left out an important part. I am working on getting pictures up but they are not even working with wireless so I doubt they will work at all on the trip. They seem to be too big to upload so you will have to wait until I get back for those unless something miraculous happens! Sorry about my spelling/grammar/punctuation...it is late here!
I can only get on the internet every so often and this is only the second time I have been at a hotel with wireless because the wireless modem I have takes forever. I have also not been here a week and am already up to 2 papers handed in (one Friday, one Monday). As you can see, I am a busy gal! Plus, I have to check my email and facebook!!
I will start with Wednesday morning.
We got up and had breakfast by 9am at our hotel which was called Signal Hill (I wanna say Lodge) which was on top of a hill overlooking Cape Town and the harbor. It was a beautiful view and the breakfast was delicious. They had cereal, yogurt, granola, muffins, toast, variety of fruit, cheese and crackers, juices, coffee, tea, and eggs made to order. Who is laughing now?! (We stayed at this hotel from Tuesday night through Friday morning).
We walked down the really large hill for about 1/2 hour to the harbor where we caught the 11am tour to Robben Island. By the way, the hills here are reminiscent of San Francisco--VERY STEEP! (Walking back up to the hotel twice in that day was not fun).
I really enjoyed the tour at Robben Island. It was a 30 minute ferry to the island, then we got on a bus and drove around it. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about every aspect of Robben Island, not just the prison. He also knew a lot about other countries and their relationship with South Africa. He asked everyone on the bus to tell their nationality so he could keep everyone interested and incorporate us into the tour. It turned out that he has met Nelson Mandela many times and he has taken him around the island when Mandela has come back for reunions with the political prisoners who were there during his 18 years there. Our tour guide was the one that gives the tours to dignitaries so some of his guests include: First Lady Hillary Clinton (in our guide's words, Bill was busy at the Whitehouse so he couldn't attend), Senator Barack Obama, Bill Cosby, etc. Quick facts: Nelson Mandela returned to Robben Island 14 times after he was released from prison there. Five years ago he said that was the last time he would ever go back and it is the last time he was there. He spent a total of 27 years in prison: 18 Robben Island, 2 somewhere else, 7 somewhere else. I could go on about the other uses of the island but I will save some for when I return home because it is too long-winded already.
At the end of the bus tour we are transferred from the tour guide to a former political prisoner. The man who took us around was named Sparks and he was in prison for 7 years at Robben Island. He showed us where he stayed in the F block, and of course Nelson Mandela's cell B7.
After the tour we had a quick lunch of pizza and went into the mall on the harbor to try and set up our internet plans. They are very expensive and it was hard to communicate exactly what we wanted since South Africa's system is so different so it took a long time to get that set up but now Lexi and I share a modem.
At 5pm we met with a friend of our professor who does HIV/AIDS research in South Africa so that was a very eye-opening discussion. After that we went to dinner with him to a game restaurant called Mama Africa. We had a great time at the restaurant. I ordered prawn curry because I like to play it safe with my stomach when I am adjusting to food in a new country. A couple of other people ordered the sample platters so we tried each others and I tried crocodile, ostrich, kudu, and springbok...DELICIOUS! The walk back up the hill was fun and then we hung out in our rooms and on the grass outside until bed time.
END DAY 1
Leave comments if you want to know more about something or if you think I may have left out an important part. I am working on getting pictures up but they are not even working with wireless so I doubt they will work at all on the trip. They seem to be too big to upload so you will have to wait until I get back for those unless something miraculous happens! Sorry about my spelling/grammar/punctuation...it is late here!
Friday, January 22, 2010
Well whaddya you know? I'm alive after all!
Let me start out this post by saying that I arrived safely in South Africa! I got here Tuesday night at 11pm (4pm eastern time) by way of Philadelphia; D.C.; Dakar, Senegal; and Joburg, South Africa (that's Johannesburg for all the peeps behind the times) until finally arriving in Cape Town after a 1/2 hr flight, 6 hr 55 min flight, 8 hr 5 min flight, 2 hr flight, a couple layovers and one refueling. The listing out of all the places and hours is just for dramatic effect because I adjusted to the time well, slept well on the planes, ate well on the planes and am able to get up on time at 6:30-7am each morning for 8am breakfast.
I will write several posts tonight chronicling my last few days since I have not had access to the internet until now which will be explained in the newer posts.
All I have to say for now about posts after tonight is to go by the motto no news is good news if you are worried about me, if any of you even are worried. I will be in a remote location from Monday until the end of March so it will be hard to keep anything more than a biweekly update on this blog, if that even happens due to the limited coverage on my internet access plan. My priority contacts have my information on skype so if you are curious that I have not been updating for a while, just call them up or shoot them a poison email to obtain the 411.
P.S. I know you will do this anyway because my next couple of posts will be very detailed but I want you to have my permission, so feel free to skip around. This is part of an assignment so I want to make sure I get every part of my tangible experiences down and I know it will get boring at some parts.
I will write several posts tonight chronicling my last few days since I have not had access to the internet until now which will be explained in the newer posts.
All I have to say for now about posts after tonight is to go by the motto no news is good news if you are worried about me, if any of you even are worried. I will be in a remote location from Monday until the end of March so it will be hard to keep anything more than a biweekly update on this blog, if that even happens due to the limited coverage on my internet access plan. My priority contacts have my information on skype so if you are curious that I have not been updating for a while, just call them up or shoot them a poison email to obtain the 411.
P.S. I know you will do this anyway because my next couple of posts will be very detailed but I want you to have my permission, so feel free to skip around. This is part of an assignment so I want to make sure I get every part of my tangible experiences down and I know it will get boring at some parts.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
t-17 hours til the journey begins
I don't really know anything about blogging or journaling, but since this is mandatory I am required to give it a try!
I have wanted to go to South Africa for a little less than 4 years. It sounds silly now, but the things that made me want to go to South Africa were the World Cup, episodes of ANTM when they went to Robben Island, and wildlife. When I learned the World Cup 2010 was going to be held in South Africa, I told my family I would get there some way and they all laughed. I guess now I can say I told ya so, but as I keep being reminded, they are the ones bankrolling my trip so no need to say more.
The next time I post I will either be in Cape Town or at Dwesa-Cwebe.
Hopefully all you internet creepers will be able to keep track of my adventures!
I have wanted to go to South Africa for a little less than 4 years. It sounds silly now, but the things that made me want to go to South Africa were the World Cup, episodes of ANTM when they went to Robben Island, and wildlife. When I learned the World Cup 2010 was going to be held in South Africa, I told my family I would get there some way and they all laughed. I guess now I can say I told ya so, but as I keep being reminded, they are the ones bankrolling my trip so no need to say more.
The next time I post I will either be in Cape Town or at Dwesa-Cwebe.
Hopefully all you internet creepers will be able to keep track of my adventures!
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