An experience all my own

So far in the past 8 days that I have been in South Africa, I have woken up early nearly every day and set out on some exciting adventure, whether it was to a fascinating site in Cape Town or to UWC. While I have thoroughly enjoyed myself through most of it, I have to say that today was the day that I liked the most, the day that I finally returned to feeling like me, but a better me: me on a new continent.

This morning a whole group went out to brunch at a café I will surely have to try in the future. However, I decided to sleep in, until 11am, which was absolutely wonderful and much needed. When I finally arose, my housemates were preparing to go to the aquarium in Cape Town, which I also politely declined. I may or may not get back there in the next few months but even so I was not interested in leaving the house or spending that money today. So, I proceeded to sit outside in the beautiful sunshine, work on my tan and catch up on some readings for class, followed by a glorious cold shower, after which I made myself a nice lunch. To top off my personal day, I attended a 5pm yoga class at a wonderful yoga studio down the street, and splurged on a three-month membership!

Finally, for the first time here in South Africa, I feel like myself. I may not have had the most exciting day but it was a beautiful and very enjoyable one for me personally. Living with 20 other people and being in one of the most beautiful cities in the world with so much to do creates a lot of pressure to get out there, to go places and do things, to make the most out of these five months. While I am more than willing to have a great time and experience all this city has to offer 5 days out the week, I am still going to take 2 (at least!) when I do whatever is that I want to do. I have to remember, and am trying to remember, that this experience is my own. I cannot compare it to those who have been part of this program before me, nor to those that I share a house or a room with now. I have come to Cape Town, South Africa for my own reasons and to fulfill my own passions and dreams. I need only to live up to my own expectations and achieve my own happiness. And that is precisely what I plan to do. 

The first day of school all over again

So today was my first day of classes at UWC, and it felt very similar to the first day of Kindergarten. I had no idea what to do or where to go and I knew absolutely no one on campus. Three out of twenty-one of us had class this morning, so we were few in numbers and really nervous about our first day! Registration and timetables for classing are extremely confusing, not to mention the number of times I have already witnessed them being blatantly inaccurate. It makes things tough for an exchange student. While the other two girls unfortunately discovered that the class they registered for is actually next semester, I had pretty good luck with my first class. I even had time before my 12pm class to wait in the hour-long line for a student ID card.  People were pretty friendly and obviously picked up pretty quickly from my accent that I was not from SA. However, even being the only international student in the room quite often and the only white student most of the time, I felt quite welcomed. I didn’t really feel out of place or treated differently at all. Many students knew one another and were embracing friends they hadn’t seen in a while with hugs and kisses, but besides that many first year students were in the same boat as me, not knowing exactly what to do.

When I finally made it to class at noon, I was really exhausted from the morning. I wish I had been able to be more alert because even the first class was really interesting! The class is a History course called Colonial and Post-Colonial African History, or something along those lines. I am really excited to explore more about the history of this continent and build on what I studied last semester in Cultures of Africa, as well as learn about the crises throughout Africa that I have only heard of in the media, but have never studied. The professor seemed great. He is Italian, and his accent was sometimes hard to understand, but I will get the hang of it. He also talked a lot about the class this semester and it is really confusing because words like tutorial, exam, and essay, mean much different things here than they mean in the states. Tutorial is like a practical or a lab apparently, it is an optional class taught by a “tutor”, who I assume is like a TA, and that is where we hand in assignments and receive “marks”. So even though it says “optional”, it seems required to pass the class. Hopefully I will understand that concept better after I have been through one tutorial.

So all in all it was a good day. I still haven’t found the places on campus to register my laptop so I can get wifi, and I still haven’t found a place on campus, nor in South Africa, where I can get a good iced coffee, which I am going to desperately need if I have to be up at 6:30am every day for school or service! I also have yet to make a friend at UWC, but I tried very hard to talk to all the students there, and they seemed friendly but I still haven’t made that connection. Hopefully I can also become involved in some extracurricular activities and meet people that way. Being in third year classes, it seems like many students already have their groups of friends and therefore sit near them, but hopefully I can find some students willing to let a foreign girl into their group!

Lastly, UWC is a beautiful campus. I will try to remember to bring a camera and take some pictures next time I am there on Wednesday. As you will see in the photos, it is the busiest campus I have EVER seen. I am used to a school with less than 4,000 students and although I am unaware of how many students UWC actually has, I can say it is A LOT. There are students everywhere at every time of day. Every surface, chair, sidewalk, room, is occupied at all times. It feels alive and vibrant with so many young people chatting and laughing, heading to class or just hanging around. I must have asked ten different people for directions throughout the course of the day. They were nice and willing to help and the good thing is there is always someone near by to ask!!

Some beautiful sites of Cape Town

Here are some shots from this week from all over Cape Town!

On Monday we were at the Waterfront, where I took the picture above. We also went back yesterday, where we got the ferry to Robben Island, the site of the prison that held Nelson Mandela and many others. Below is a picture of Mandela's cell.

This next picture was also taken on Robben Island, with the view of Table Mountain in the background!

This morning the whole group hiked to the top of Table Mountain this morning. Unfortunately I couldn't join them for the hike, but I did take the cable car to the top of the mountain to meet them. Thats the next two pictures!

Hope you like them! Will try to do more updating soon!

 

Inspired by Judy Mayotte

Yesterday afternoon a woman named Judy Mayotte came to our house for lunch. She is the woman responsible for starting this program through Marquette University that has brought 21 of us students here to study and to serve. After listening to her for a little over an hour, it was very obvious that she is one of the most inspiring and incredible people I will ever meet. I couldn’t even begin to tell you all of the unbelievable things she has done, but here’s just one example: Judy worked with refugees and in refugee policy in several conflicts in Africa. She lost her leg when working in the war zone in Sudan. Today she is in a wheelchair, as you see in the picture. Since losing her leg and being unable to continue work in conflict areas because she cannot run, she has taken up many other projects and at the age of 75 is still very involved in the efforts to prevent wars by promoting peace. She is also on the board of the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre and though she lives back in the states, she is in South Africa right now for her 75^th birthday party, which 80 people (including the Tutu family) attended in SA! I could go on all day and I could have listened to her story forever. The point is: she is awesome. She is resilient and strong and so down to earth and humble! She had absolutely no problem keeping a room of twenty-one 21-year-olds entertained for a few hours with her stories and her humor. 

Judy was also so motivational in her advice to us. She admitted that she was prepared for the world she faced as a young adult but that she is not prepared for the world that we face. However, she expressed her faith and confidence that our generation is ready to face it. It is definitely a daunting thing, coming to South Africa and seeing problems first hand. We heard a speaker at UWC tell us a few days ago how the issues in South Africa represent nearly all the major issues that are occurring globally today. Knowing that our generation is going to have to be the ones to handle said issues is a scary thing, but having someone like Judy express faith in us and share such a positive perspective makes me want to live up to those expectations even more.  She shared with our stories of former students in this program who have truly made a difference in South Africa and in the entire continent. Though many of us are here to enrich our own lives and can only hope to have a positive impact, it is that much more rewarding knowing that we too can leave something positive here.

Without Judy, I wouldn’t have this opportunity to be here in South Africa having the most amazing experience of my life. So I just want to thank her for creating such an incredible program and experience for us students and for being an inspiration and a true hero and advocate for the continent of Africa. 

Seriously, Google her. She's fascinating. 

South African Cuisine

Everyone seems to want to know what we’ve been eating. So, may not be what you expected, but here are the meals I’ve eaten this week:

Pizza.

Chinese Food.

Lunch at an Italian Bistro.

Veggie Burgers.

Cheerios.

Cheese sandwich.

Barbecue.

Egg and cheese on a croissant.

Rice and veggies.

Salad.

Pretty much sounds like exactly what I eat in the states! Honestly the only thing that I have come across that is a traditional and unique South African dish is the ostrich meat served at the barbecue at Steve and Lori’s last night. Obviously, being a vegetarian, I did not partake, but some others who tried it claim that it tastes similar to breakfast sausage, and it is also shaped the same way. Other than that, the food is good and very similar to at home. Meat is obviously very common in every meal, but I haven’t had a very hard time avoiding it so far. Apparently there are some real African restaurants that we will have to try over the next few weeks. I am not sure they will have anything unique besides meats though so that should be interesting. I’m still hoping to find some exotic fruits. I know that had some last time I was here but we are only located near two small grocery stores and no large or even full sized ones, but hopefully I can find some soon!

Pictures of the Kimberely House

Promised photos in my last post but it didn't happen. Here they are!!

Out front of one side of our hous. Thats my bedroom window on the left!!

View down our street! Kimberely Road!

Our beautiful kitchen!!

Kitchen table! Notice the awesome ceiling!

Home Sweet Home!

So it is now day four that we have been living in the Kimberley house, and finally I am starting to feel at home and acclimated. Last night was the first night I had slept since Sunday, and it was a much needed 9 hours! Now that I have successfully slept the night I feel so much better and I think I am finally on African time!! Below are a bunch of pictures of our house. I haven't really been taking my camera out with me other times because I hate looking like a tourist and I bring the smallest amount possible as not to lose anything. We are going to Roben Island this weekend so I will certainly take it there and other tourist sites and share those pictures !

So the last few days are honestly blending together but I'll try to highlight the best parts. Yesterday we went to UWC (University of the Western Cape) for Orientation and to register for classes. Unfortunately, after two nights without sleep, I had trouble staying awake through orientation and I skipped the campus tour to take a nap. However, the parts of campus that I did see were absolutely beautiful, the history of the school was fascinating, and all the administrators were so kind and welcoming. It is a place that I am so excited to be a part of, and although I'm sure University of Cape Town, where most international students attend, is a great university, I truly believe we are going to have such a rich immersion experience at UWC. That is part of the reason I wanted this program so badly and I am so happy to see that my expectations so far have been met, and actually transcended.

Basically what we learned at orientation is that UWC has a very rich history and was extremely involved in the ending of the apartheid in 1994. Here in South Africa there are white South Africans, coloureds (mixed race to put it simply, but its not that simple) and black South Africans. Though I believe UWC was at one time an all coloured school, it opened its doors to students of any ethnic background/race in the years before the apartheid regime was overthrown to begin to practice what it preached. It was also known for student protests and was described by administrators as far left...which I think is awesome. There are 50 international students in the University, including the 21 in our program, and not even all of us are white. We are the minority on campus to say the least. I even heard (but did not personally witness) that some UWC students would punch one another and say "white girl" when they saw one of us, just like we play the "punch-buggy" game when you see a VW bug. I guess some could take offense to that, but honestly I like it. I am so happy to be among the few white students at our university, to have the opportunity to experience that, as well as make friends and expose the other students there to an American, hopefully breaking the stereotype in some ways. I think it is going to be really great. All I will say about registration is that it is halfway finished. I'm trying not to even think or worry about it so we'll see what happens!

Today we were supposed to go to my service site, the Amy Biehl Foundation, but the schedule constantly changes last minute and we did not go. Other students went to their sites and apparently Amy Biehl Foundation will be somewhere we all go together, perhaps tomorrow? I am anxious to see it but I also enjoy the free time! Today was spent walking around town. I got a very cute flowy print skirt that was handmade here in Observatory (the Cape Town suburb we live in), textile and all! It was probably my favorite store so far, and I plan to go back and maybe have a dress or another skirt made for me once I decide what fabric I want. The skirt cost R120, which is $15. Not bad for some authentic African pieces that really are beautiful. I plan to come home with a lot! We also went to a thrift store with a lot of cool things, I got a few pieces to organize my room and also bought a mirror for my room, which I really needed. It all came to $2.50. You really can't beat these prices!

I will try not to write much more because I could go on forever and ever. I am absolutely in love with Observatory, or Obz for short. The main street has some awesome bars where we have already made friends with the bartenders, shops just like the textile one and thrift store I just mentioned, as well as really adorable cafes! We have all already become addicted to one called Coco Chachi, but there are so many more I am dying to try. I already know my way around, which is huge for me who always gets lost! Everything is really close to our house, we live in such a great location, and we walk absolutely everywhere. During the day it is actually perfectly fine to walk alone, for instance today I headed home when we were all out shopping because my legs were getting tired. It was two blocks, but at night it is better to have at least three people with you, just to be safe.

Tonight we are headed to Steve and Lori's house for a Braii (barbecue)! Steve is a professor at Marquette University who is here this semester with his wife Lori and three children. He is our academic director while we are here and is also doing research of his own involving South Africa. His two daughters are in high school here and his son in middle school. He and his wife are both really nice and I am so impressed that they moved their family here for this experience! Its just such an awesome thing and its really comforting having an american family experience SA with us.

Let me end by saying that I am so happy. It was definitely tough not sleeping for two nights in a row and the jet lag was getting to me, plus I might have been a little homesick. But I have put a collage or pictures up above my bed and already this place is starting to feel like home, for the next five months at least! I wouldn't trade this for the world. Walking down the street I am in awe of the beauty of Cape Town and how much has to offer and experience. I honestly am not doing it justice no matter how much I write, so I'll stop there!

Peace & love!

This is Africa

 I wrote this Monday Jan 24, 2012 but haven’t had solid internet so am just posting now. Will update again soon!

I’m here!!!! After a long trip, filled with turbulence and delays, a 2 hour layover that turned into being a little less than a sprint, and feeling very ill for the second 12 hour flight, not to mention the whole first day, I am finally settling in.

I am still very jet-lagged. We didn’t get in until about 12:30 am on Sunday night/Monday morning, which was tough, especially because it was so exciting to check out our amazing new house and get all settled in. Most of us ended up staying up and unpacking so we could be set to go in the morning, which turned into staying up until 4am and being up early because we still haven’t adjusted to the time change! As I write this it is actually 3am now, and though I was incredibly exhausted all day, I was awoken by some strange noise outside that will not stop and now I’m wide awake! Awful! So I thought I’d take the time to write this.

Today, like I said, we were up pretty early. Melikaya, our program director over here in SA came over this morning and set us up with cell phones (yay!), although the wifi internet in the house and home phone are still being worked out. Fortunately we managed to figure out a way to pay for a certain amount of credits with our credit cards and we can get on. It seemed like a bargain at first but it gets used up pretty quickly!

Anyway, back to today. The group (only 13 while we wait for others to arrive) went out in Cape Town today with our drivers Pearnel and Anele. The original plan was to go to the District 6 Museum, but it just so happened to close at 2pm on Mondays and we walked up at about 2:10. So instead we went to the Slave Lodge, which is a museum about the history or slavery in Africa and Asia.  After that we went to the Waterfront, which was one of my favorite places last time we were in Cape Town. We were even right next to the hotel we stayed in on our last visit! I think that’s when it finally hit me, “I’m back!!” I’ve waited two years for this, and so far SA hasn’t disappointed at all!

The weather is absolutely gorgeous. The first day it was so sunny and hot but it would randomly rain really really hard, sun still shining and all. Since then however, it has been clear skies. Very hot but I’m not complaining! The one thing is that there is no air conditioning anywhere, not in the house or in stores or in the university. Its just something else we have to adjust to, and honestly after sun down it cools off enough not to be an issue at night.

So that was not a complete description of the first day, nor the past few! However, in light of a little sleeping problem (I can’t sleep, I have now been awake for over 48 hours and still can’t fall asleep) I am going to focus on getting to bed tonight and write over the next few days.

Other than that major jet-lag and minor set back, I have so many wonderful things to share. I plan to upload some photos of my house soon so stay tuned! 

See ya later U.S.A.!

I can't believe how long I have waited for this. I started planning for a semester abroad in South Africa two years and seven days ago, the day after I returned home from my first trip to SA. But even before that, for who knows how long, I had been talking and dreaming about it. And now, here I am, in the airport waiting to board my flight, waiting like I have been for the past few years, to begin what I believe will be the experience of a lifetime.

I found it quite ironic that the day I leave for South Africa turned out to be one of the few days this winter that Jersey actually saw snow. As if mother nature, or anyone else, was going to stop me from leaving! Fortunately we made it up to Newark airport no problem, with much time to spare, and fortunately I managed to turn into the dragon lady only about an hour before we left. (My apologies to those who witnessed my wrath, but I was personally impressed with my ability to hold it off for that long!) Yesterday I was actually pretty calm, although I did weigh my suitcases a total of 20 times, but of course the stress and nerves did catch up with me today as we were leaving, and the tears finally starting flowing as I reached the gate and realized I had to leave my parents there. My mom keeps saying she is going to pretend I'm at Fairfield. I wonder if that means Fairfield is going to be receiving a package a week for the next 20 weeks! I would tell my father to do the same, but he cries even when I leave for Fairfield, so there's really no way around it. I just hate it when they have been the ones who I have taken my stress out on all day but then once I have to leave them, I just wish they could come with me. I wish I had been able to express that what manifested itself as being rude, disrespectful, and annoyed all day had really been me wondering "What the hell am I going to do without my parents for five months?"

Finally I was able to say goodbye, and though I will miss my parents like crazy and vice versa, I know that I have so much to look forward to and to experience, and that they understand that too.  I have successfully gone through security and am now sitting at my gate waiting to board. Flight leaves in one hour. I'll arrive in Amsterdam about 8 hours later, 7:25am on Sunday, their time, and then in Cape Town at 10:30pm Sunday, around 3:30pm in Jersey! Will try to keep this updated and be in touch upon my arrival. I know many are awaiting news of my safe arrival! For that I thank you, love you all, and I miss everyone already!

The Amy Biehl Foundation Trust (3 days!)

This morning I woke up to an email telling me that I have been placed at the Amy Biehl Foundation as my service site this semester. I have heard only wonderful things about this site, it has been recommended to me by other students who have been in the program before and I find the history and mission of this foundation to be incredibly inspiring.

For those who are unfamiliar with Amy Biehl's story, she was an American woman working in South Africa during the end of the apartheid. In 1993 she was tragically killed in an act of political violence by four young men. The four men applied for amnesty through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and were released, but not before facing, and being forgiven by both of Amy's parents. This foundation was set up by her parents to continue her work in South Africa, "Weaving a Barrier Against Violence". The Foundation has many different projects. I believe I will be working with the Youth Reading Role Models Program, where I will be working with children, helping them develop reading skills, self-confidence and character. I won't have any other details until I arrive and get started but it is so much more real now to have an idea of what I'll be doing a few days a week for the next five months!

On that note, I cannot believe I will be leaving in only three days! I am so incredibly excited and also really really nauseous right now! It's not so much going to South Africa that freaks me out, but 5 months just sounds SO long. However, I am confident that not too long from now I'll wish I had even more time there.

Thanks to everyone who has shown their love and support as well as generosity as I prepare for my adventures! I really appreciate it and I am so fortunate to have the love and support of so many of you here at home, and I will take it with me, wherever I am in the world.

My Visa has arrived!! 8 days until departure

I couldn’t sleep last night.  I had a million thoughts running through my head, along with that Gotye song “Somebody That I Used to Know”. I always know when I’m really stressed because I can never turn off the song in my head, even when I want to sleep. So I just laid there and listened and thought about all of the things that I will be experiencing over the next 5 months, all of the things I have to do to prepare in the next week, all of the people I have to see before I go, all of the items I have to fit into ONE suitcase (let's be real, I'll probably pay for a second one)! The list goes on…and its no wonder I couldn’t sleep.

I guess I did finally doze off, and when I woke up this morning and began my day there was a ring at the doorbell. My Visa was delivered!!!! As I read the words printed on that tiny little sticker on my passport “permitted for five months of study in the Republic of South Africa” I suddenly remembered what I have been working so hard for, what I have spent endless nights stressing about, what I will be preparing for all week: my dream. South Africa. It is real, it is happening; I have made it happen, and it is going to be FANTASTIC. 

Why South Africa? (15 days until departure)

Hello everyone!

Welcome to my blog, where you can follow my adventures in South Africa over the next 5 and a half months!

15 days from today I will be boarding a plane in Newark, New Jersey, headed for Amsterdam. Once in Amsterdam, I will be meeting up with the other 20 students in my program and flying to our final destination in Cape Town, South Africa, where we will live until June!

In the months leading up to this trip, I have been asked several times why I have decided to study in South Africa, when there are plenty of other options, some that would be considered safer, some that would allow me to travel Europe and some places, unlike South Africa, that I have never been to before. Well, I'll tell you why...

Yes, I have in fact been to South Africa. In January of 2010 my family and I spent three amazing weeks traveling the country led by our dear friends, the Wainwright family. It was perhaps the most amazing experience of my life.  But I wanted more. Three weeks was just enough time to visit all the major attractions and beautiful sites in South Africa, to go on a Safari, to stand on top of Table Mountain, to visit a lion park, to see Cape Point, and to spend quality time with friends and family. However, it was not enough to really understand the dynamics of a country recovering from the apartheid that had existed less than twenty years prior. It was not enough time to meet and speak with South Africans of the many different ethnic groups that exist within the country.  I felt that I wasn't doing justice to the people and the country of South Africa, or to my own view of the world, if I took those three weeks as the only picture of South Africa worth seeing.

And so, in 15 days I will return to live with 20 other students in Cape Town, to study at the University of the Western Cape, to perform service in Western Cape communities, to expand my research and understanding on the issues in South Africa since the end of the apartheid, and most of all, to see the other side(s) of South Africa.

I know there are plenty of people, my parents included, who are as excited for me as they are concerned for my safety. I want to thank you for your concern, and assure you that I have no misconceptions about what I am getting myself into. This semester, I am sure, will prove to be challenging in more ways than one, and I know that it will require me to practice caution that has not exactly been necessary throughout the past five semesters at Fairfield. I am, however, prepared for the challenge, and I want to thank everyone, my parents especially, for their support in this and in all my endeavors. Please have no doubt that you have prepared me well for this experience. I hope I have made you proud and that I will continue to do so by following my heart and my dreams.

Again, thanks for your support and for following my blog! I will miss my friends and family terribly over the next few months but South Africa--I can't wait to see you again!