Dianita en Sudáfrica

Desmond Tutu (Photo)

2009-12-08T09:17:00.002+02:00

Our last day in Cape Town!

Last Day with Christelians

2009-11-27T00:59:00.000+02:00

As I begin to write this in the Christel House staff room, I realize that this week may have been my favorite at my internship. It's also my last week, so I really feel as though I'm going out with a bang.

Monday and Tuesday were uber productive on the musical theatre front. Kaitlin and Andrew Finn helped with auditions for Annie Jr. by screening all the auditionees for musical ear and singing ability. While I wrangled the kids and made sure they filled out their evaluation forms, K and AF sat in a room, equipped with a piano, and judged the students on their talent (which is nearly impossible given that every one of them deserved Andrew's "CUTE AS A BUTTON" award).

Wednesday was great because we went around with Ms. Eunice to the different communities the students are from. We visited Q Town, Manenberg, Langa, and some other neighborhoods. In Manenberg, one of the mothers of a Christel House learner gave us pineapple soda, scarves, and shirts! It was insanely generous. She told us a story about the honor of having the first home Christel De Haan ever visited and how the community came together to welcome her. Later we visited other homes of students we actually knew, and got to brag about them to their parents, which is always awesome. In another house, a woman sounded disappointed that we would not be going to work on Monday because she was making delicious baked treats for Eid. That part was a tad depressing... her cooking will be missed. Alexis and I drove around with Eboni's friends, Tiffany and Marve, who are both hilarious slash thuper friendly, which was fun. We even got to ride in a school bus at one point, but that's another story for another blog.

On Tuesday, Alexis did a modeling workshop with the learners trying to prepare a runway show for World AIDS Day. Here we see one student strutting her stuff in the uniform.

Alexis put on some music and showed her runway personality. She sauntered down the makeshift catwalk with a learner, then had to take the spotlight at the end. It's the price of being fabulous.

Whilst this fun was going on, I was trying to get the kids to focus on their audition forms. They had to fill in their name, grade, age, sex, character(s) interested in, and song name. Some took a good half hour to decide on that last one, but it's all good. "Boom Boom Pow" is a good Broadway standard.

While waiting for some learners to audition, the kids waiting took pictures. Here is their self-proclaimed "High School Musical" shot. You know how I so love jumping photos...

Another form of entertainment for the day was the hair salon, at which I was the main client. They tried to braid my hair but it was too difficult to handle. Either way, FUN!

The kids, especially the Grade 5's, are so sweet! They never hesitate to show affection and just surround you in a huge hug.

Here are some more Grade 5's who I adore. To my left are two of the most outgoing learners, who had me cracking up with their impressions of Americans and their ridiculously good Spanish songs (which I mentioned on the Christel House blog). I think Ines, to my right, might eventually be on South Africa's Got Talent. Watch out for her.

Today we were ambushed in the music room by the Grade 5B's (I am telling you, they do NOT quit). They told us a bajillion times they were going to miss us, almost made us cry, and showered us with their kindness.

As a goodbye, the resident Beyonce sang Alexis one last rendition of "Halo." It was beautiful.

The entire day made Alexis feel very pensive, which lead to what she calls her "Michelle Obama look," pictured above. Get ready to see this plastered on a campaign poster near you.

Today they also had free HIV testing in the cafetorium! It was awesome! These are some Grade 3's that randomly walked in front of my lens and HAD to pose. They are such naturals in front of the camera.

There were some red candles lit and red ribbons around the table.

For the day, they converted the cafeteria/auditorium into a clinic and awareness venue.

After the high schoolers ate lunch, we decided to model some more. Here is Martha (left), me, and her friend, who abandoned me on the whole modeling front. I should have known the effort would be futile. Martha is the resident playwright of Christel House, who is going to end up writing the most intensely hilarious and dramatic scripts for South African theatre and television. Don't be surprised if you see her name on a Playbill.

Some of the 8th grade boys wanted to take pictures with us, which was sweet. We obliged. They LOVE photos.

Today was full of joy and pure awesome-ness. We definitely went out of CHSA with a bang.

Thomas and Josiah's Excellent Adventure (+CD&DI 4eva)

2009-11-22T11:57:00.000+02:00

Edit: I wrote this last week but failed to publish until this week... sue me. Kidding. I just hate to disappoint the fans.

I spent this last weekend (with 3 weeks to go as of yesterday) on a sweet road trip with three friends from the house... it ended up being my FAVORITE WEEKEND SO FAR.

Allow me to explain: I had already been on the Garden Route, to the same destination (Storms River), and I had already bungee jumped. Bungee is not the only thing to do near Storms River, however, since they have MONKEY LAND right nearby. For a few weeks now, Josiah and I had been perfecting our imitations of monkeys (amongst other animals), so I was more than compelled to visit a sanctuary full of these little creatures. It turns out that the small species we saw squeaked more than hooted or yelled, butwhateveritwasstillgreat... minor detail.

As our car pulled away from the curb, the farewell committee did a fabulous job of dismissing us from Hillcrest. There may or may not have been tears. Or screams of joy as we rolled out of Brownlow Rd....

Caroline is pretending to hide how absolutely nervous we were about Thomas and Josiah driving. Slash she was trying not to scream every time I dug my nails into her arm/leg out of terror. At least she looked fabulous. PS: She is three missed showers and a pair of Chacos away from being a hippie. Check out the scarf.

Here we see Mr. Irvin paying attention 110% to the road. Determination 09.

I've passed this graffiti numerous times, but I never realized it read "Third World Beauty." Might have to try to get a better shot of it...

Pictured here is the Golden Arrow, which is the Cape Town city bus, whose motto is The Bus for Us. Pretty cute. It's cheaper than a minibus taxi --- tell your friends.

I fell in love with this sign (I may be biased, as an O+ Red Cross giver): "STOP THE BLOODY EXCUSES! Give life. Donate blood. For more information, SMS "BLOOD" to..."

Along the N2 exiting the city you see shacks (though the city tries to obscure them). We thought these were double-decker, but eventually decided they were just on a hill. They need to remedy the housing issue before the World Cup, though there's talk of just covering them up.

This guy trying to sell giant soccer balls (a hot commodity here, I've noticed) had on a University of Florida Gators sweatshirt! Shout out to Gainesville.

Caroline decided to whip out this winner around lunchtime. BBQ chicken "ideal for lunch boxes!" Life is sweet.

I naively thought this trip would bring me peace from my www.freetetris.org addiction, but how wrong I was. The blocks fell before my eyes perfectly...

South Africa has some insanely good graffiti artists. Here we see dogs hanging poolside. One is at the bar. It was great.

"Bahhhhh." Farmlands flank you on either side, so we saw lots of sheep.

Push it to the limit. Having the speedometer in kilometers per hour made Josiah a tad too excited.

The sunset from the car was glorious. Then we noticed another bright object in the darkening sky...

GAS FLARE!!! I'm guessing there was a gasoline processing plant around here. Basically they were flaring natural gas and the giant fire was so cool. It was hard to get a decent photo of it. We drove on past this spectacle, through small towns (such as "Wilderness"... yes, that's the name of the town) and ended up at Tube n Axe Backpackers Lodge (which you may remember from Garden Route Part I) in Storms River Village.

Early Saturday morning we made the journey to the promised land MONKEY LAND! Immediately upon arrival we were greeted with these squirrel monkeys who wooed us with their squeaks and features. How can you say no to a face like that?!

Soon we realized these crazy kids were EVERYWHERE. It was fun to just step into an enclosed forest and be surrounded by them. Almost as fun as it would be to have a pet ape and a pet dog and the pet ape can walk the dog, but they both belong to you. Thank Caroline for that gem.

This precious gray monkey sort of reminded me of a wise grandfather, or Yoda... can't decide. Anyway, he looked quite angelic bathed in sunlight.

I believe this is the white gibbon, which was crossing the path ahead of us. Why did the white gibbon cross the road?
Sorry, I had to.

I liked this photo of a yellow squirrel monkey looking up into the sun. I bet she/he is thinking about life and things like it. Or APPLE APPLE BANANA HUMAN!!! ROCK. BURGER.

I forgot the name of this species (what's new) because it creeped me out too much. It needs to calm it down with that death stare.

What did the snail say on the back of the tortoise? "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" --Josiah

Soon we came to find out that these cute brown ones (don't ask me to name the species, good sirs and madams) were the spawn of Satan himself. Stay tuned.

I couldn't get a good picture of this one, but it was really furry and half white, half black. I actually had a chance to get a close-up, but this was when it was peeing on the roof of the entrance to the sanctuary. I had to protect its' dignity.

This black lemur reminded me more of a dog than a monkey. Oh evolution.

Lemur then decided to hop the fence over to the food table, which was a good call. It looks so human-like it freaks me out every time.

You get a sense of their personalities in this one. Food makes them tranquil. Until they get the taste of human blood, which Thomas believed to have already happened given later events.

The white gibbon decided to show off a bit on the limbs of this tree. How relaxed and joyful. Oh, to be a monkey on my own land...

Thomas and this one got down. The bromance was flourishing and there was nothing that could stop it. That or the monkey wanted human blood. Choose your own adventure.

This one had to have its tail amputated because of an accident (otherwise it would be trailing behind). It's got to be a severe blow in the balance area. At least it could run like the wind, as seen in this action shot.

There was a random bog in the middle of Monkey Land. Just FYI.

Then all conception of what was once cute and not cute was destroyed before my eyes when I saw this baby on the back of its mother. It took all the willpower I had left not to touch it/put it on my back/adopt it.

See what I mean? It's torture.

The lemur baby tail was the best because it was this little striped column that would sway in the air as it walked. Here mama is taking care of her young one. A Kodak moment if ever there was one.

Contradicting his own guidelines, the guide decided to get dangerously close to a lemur. This was also near one of the food towers, which may or may not have been a misstep.

Inspired by the guide, Thomas made me get dangerously close as well. Here is me with two lemurs. Check out how the one stage right is sitting (on the left, for you theatre muggles). Close-up follows.

We decided this was the grumpy Thomas of lemurs. Too hilarious.

The Storms River area has many a suspension bridge. I believe I have traversed the majority of these. They are all about some high-altitude shortcuts.

Making our way out of the main area of the park, the monkeys were crawling on the wooden fence all around us.

Our friend here was looking away so I decided to get dangerously close and snap this one. Isn't the hand so human-like?

Here is a little-known fact: the restaurant at Monkey Land is entirely OUTDOORS. Right up against the sanctuary (inside it, really).

Soon we were being attacked from all sides (seriously... including from above) for our home-made burgers and chips fries.

Sign reads "PLEASE KEEP THE DOOR CLOSED ON ACCOUNT OF THE MONKEYS." How very true. If only they didn't have the taste of human blood...

They monkeys gave us a good farewell. This one is just chilling on its elbow, which is adorable.

Here is the suspension bridge in Tsitisikama National Park. I may already have a similar photo from earlier.

We sat by some rocks that contrasted really nicely with the water below.

I then found this perfectly egg-shaped rock. Maybe there was T-Rex DNA inside!!!

The boys decided to ponder life and things like it (not unlike the monkeys) on the rocks.

I had to post this for mom. Look at the first warning.

Puts things into perspective.

Thomas was feeling good, feeling fine as he was harnessed in for bungee jumping. And by that I mean he had a headache.

Here is Josiggity (Josiah) hanging out.

The view of the souvenir shop from the Bungy Restaurant/Bar viewing area.

Last but certainly not least, here is Thomas taking his dive. Quite amazing, eh?!

I had more to say but forgot since I got tired from adding so many darn captions. I will try to post some more before I leave, since there are only TWO WEEKS left tomorrow! Ahhhhhh!!!

¿Que pasa, Christel House?

2009-11-12T11:45:00.001+02:00

Starting today and going into next week, the learners at Christel House will be writing exams...

DUN, DUN, DUN!

They are being tested in Afrikaans, Xhosa, English (Comprehension, Language, Spelling, and Dictation), Mental Maths, Mathematics, Social Science (History and Geography), and Natural Science --- according to the schedule on the wall I just copied. Mostly the atmosphere has been hectic, as educators are preparing the tests and learners are studying their brains out. They still get the scheduled intervals, however, and get dismissed early (around 2pm instead of 4pm or 5pm). Most of the children come from townships such as Langa, Manenberg, and Delft, so it's probably nice to get home a bit earlier and cut the wait for the commute short. Alexis and I have pretty much just been offering help whenever possible --- stapling papers, sorting, etc --- but mostly we've just been reading for our research papers... or for pleasure, as is the case with Atonement for me.

There are approximately four weeks left and I am pretty much incredulous about it! Finally I narrowed down topics for my research papers (Educational Theatre in South Africa and South-South Relations in Angola) thanks to Mama Lee, so now I just have to write, write, write! 30 pages to be exact. I'll try not to procrastinate then collapse from clinical exhaustion. Luckily I have a few days on the tail end of the trip when my semester will be completely over and I can just cry about how much I will miss Cape Town as I roam the streets. If there are any gift requests state them now or forever hold your peace! (Like if you've always wanted a beaded elephant, for example.) Hopefully I'll get to go to the craft markets in town sometime.

Yesterday I went around with the Flip Video camcorder from Christel House and filmed a walking tour of the school with the aid of some rambunctious 5th graders. Most of it consisted of insane wind from the stormy weather, dancing, and shouting. A highlight was when some of the high schoolers did their American Valley Girl accents and hammed it up for a few minutes. If I get around to editing the footage I will post a video.

My favorite new word is lekker, which in Afrikaans means nice, used to the same extent that Americans say "awesome!" So let's hope the weather is lekker this weekend, man. Dankie and hasta luego.

PS: Wish the learners good luck! The first CHSA Matrics are writing their exams. Class of 2009, wooooo!

What's the word?

2009-11-04T11:59:00.003+02:00

Johannesburg!

Now we're back to the daily grind after being on holiday (vacation) in Joburg last week. Many a mall was seen, we visited the SOuthWEsternTOwnship (Soweto, made famous in District 9), went on a tour of the Kruger National Park (i.e. SAFARI!), and generally tried to relax from the stresses of schoool/work. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss Cape Town terribly --- the Big Apple of SA doesn't have the unbelievable backdrop of Table Mountain with the ocean so nearby. Added to that was the gloomy weather we endured all week. We were mostly indoors, though, or driving around in the van. Probably the most memorable experiences were exploring the pan-African markets and the museums. There was also one day in Tshwane (the place formerly known as Pretoria) during which the clouds moved aside and gave us Carolina blue skies. It made the pictures of the Union Buildings (like the White House or Pentagon, I guess) especially stunning. We also visited beautiful Freedom Park (which was not so free because security can detain you if you are not within a short distance of your guide), a heritage site honoring democracy and (of course) freedom.

To break up the monotony of photos, I will also be including videos (!!) in this post. Hope you all enjoy them!

First, here is a video I made on a parent workshop by Trees 4 Schools that Christel House hosted a few weeks ago. It's quite long, but I would recommend watching the first few minutes.

Second, I have this awesome video starring Sarah, Josiah, and Caroline as they demo the crazy digital Minority-Report-style directory at the Sandton City Mall.

Finally, here is a slideshow of the pictures I took. I decided not to upload them through Blogger because there are about 100 of them, but if you want to see them individually I can provide the link to my Picasa Web Albums.

As you can see, we saw 4 of the Big 5 on our safari. Every time I saw an animal I would take 8934834 pictures of it, fearing it would be the only sighting. This was disproved with the elephants, zebra, and giraffes who made sure to bid us farewell near the road. Maybe if I come back one day I will be able to see more cats... namely the lion.

The day we got back from our excursion we celebrated one of the most popular Chapel Hillian (and American) holidays: HALLOWEEN! After a bajillion different theme ideas, we decided to dress up as each other. If I get a hold of some photos, I will post them here. It was hilarious beyond belief.

This is our last month in South Africa, and I'm already feeling depressed! I'll keep you all updated on the continued adventures.

Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KAITLIN! WELCOME TO CAPE TOWN, ANDREW!

Diwali (Festival of Lights), Gardens and Beach

2009-10-20T19:58:00.002+02:00

This past weekend I finally got to go to Kirstenbosch Gardens, which was one of the only things I was still hoping to see in Cape Town. Come to think of it, it was generally a weekend of firsts. Saturday morning, I joined one of my house-mates on a journey through Manenberg (an township many students from Christel House are from) to the Rylands (not sure if that's spelled correctly) for Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. We arrived towards the end of the temple's celebration and listened to prayer service bhajans (like Christmas carols, says Anuja). The women and girls had the most stunningly beautiful saris I had ever seen with my own eyes.

They had a big WELCOME sign over the entrance to the main room of the temple, which was full of vibrant color and lights. The little girl in the photo above had the most adorable smile and was running around exploring after the singing.

On the way from Rylands to Kirstenbosch, we passed this graffiti that I always forgot to take a picture of which reads "Faith Wealz" in a Coca Cola font.

After grabbing some DELICIOUS thick crust pizzas at Scooters, we began our tour of the garden. They have sculptures throughout one part of the garden which fit in perfectly with the surrounding scenery.

There were ducks everywhere and the grass reminded us of the UNC-CH quad in Spring. We lay in it for a good while.

Then we saw this foot sculpture which reminded us of a Tar Heel!!! It was quite beautiful actually, what with the faces and the detail on the hand.

The scenery reminded me of the tropics. I loved the bright flowers and green diversity.

"Traditional Farmer" by Dudzai Chiswamba. "The rewards of my work are many and I am happy to be strong enough to produce food for my children." -- Text on Plaque

This sculpture, and another nestled near the trunk of a leafy tree, integrated perfectly into the landscape. I loved the mix of smooth and rough textures, dark and light, living and inanimate.

One passage seemed to lead to Narnia (not unlike our bathroom). Molly makes for a great forest nymph, no?
The light was sparkling through the branches... magically!

For a second it seemed as though the boardwalk had lead us to marshes. We scouted the land for hippos, but there were none. Way to get our hopes up, Kirstenbosch.

Running through part of the garden was a... stream? Is that what this would be? Leave me a comment if I'm mistaken. Anyway, it was nice to hear the soothing sounds of agua (aka eau for you Francophones).

Quite a comically named plant. Plaque reads: "Mother-in-law's tongue is used to treat haemorrhoids, ulcers, intestinal worms, and diorrhoea." Spelled exactly that way. Crazy Dutch/Safrican people.

Little places looked like parcels from a field of flowers you would want to faint into. These reminded me of yellow pollen/cotton balls that a shrunken Alice in Wonderland would take a nap on.

Near another one of these flower gardens Anuja posed, her dress blowing in the wind. Glorious!

The winds carried news of our friends' arrival. We made sure to be super sneaky in observing their every move to ensure they did not discover our secret (awesome) bench location.

Soon enough, though, we were found! Andrew leapt out of Kirsten's bosch (means bush... get it?) and accosted us. He has few people skills.

Then ~~Harry Potter~~ Thomas showed us the thweet thword he found, which was promptly christened "Madiba." Don't ask.

As Josiah wrote in his blog, "Time to save money and pack 12 folks into the beach bound taxi." Yep, we tried to fit all the garden kids (about 8) into a taxi. Not unlike a minibus. You know, the usual. We've fit more...

That night, we went to see PARTLY GOD at the ArtsCape theatre, which was a stunning performance. The artists took so many risks, the music was haunting/beautiful, and it was a dance-heavy show (which I loved). All of the performers were truly athletic, unafraid to push the limits. Very Pilobolus-like. At one point, a net was dropped down across center stage from left to right, held taut by two of the dancers. Apparently it was done by Jazzart Dance Theatre. Here is the description from a flier:
"Partly God offers a dreamscape of poetry, music and dance. The narrative is seen through the spirit of a boy soldier who befriends a young man who is searching for his father. Their relationship is co-dependant and delicate and the boy finally offers a path to enlightenment. Empathy then allows for transcendence which in turn offers a state of grace, thus supporting the notion that we are all - partly god."
Quite dramatic, I know.

We ended the weekend with a full day on the BEACH! Camps Bay was insanely windy, to the point where the wind sent millions of sand grains airborne to sting your skin like needles, but overall it was pleasant. Anne Marie and I did a polar plunge into the water (which is on the arctic current, mind you) and promptly walked our numb legs back out (and by our I mean my, since Anne Marie's Bostonian self was not fazed by the temperature). Mostly we laid on the grass by the sidewalk and took in the view of Lion's Head (above).

In case I haven't said it enough... I want to live here forever!

The Guguletu Gourd

2009-10-13T11:46:00.001+02:00

Someone in the manor mentioned the other day that we have less than two weeks until our excursion to Johannesburg/Pretoria/Kruger National Park and that Saturday marked the halfway point of our program. Time is flying!

One of the things we had been putting off was eating dinner at Mama Africa, which is a well-known restaurant where you can have entrees of traditional African food, which I guess includes pap and game meats (springbok, ostrich, etc). Soon we heard that there was a better place, though, called Marco's African Place, which serves the same (or better) "authentic" African experience for a lower price (we think). On Friday night, we set off towards the Waterfront for our 7pm reservation at the restaurant. I find that I am quite obsessed with flowers here, so I yanked some from the side of the road and gave one each to Josiah and Sarah.

This picture captures Thomas, Josiah, and Sarah perfectly. Big T is dubious as ever, making a face at Josiah and Sarah, who had put their flowers in their mouths. I think we were all exhausted from the work week and lost a bit of our sanity on the thirty minute walk to Marco's. Thomas kept asking if we were there yet... he was prepared to eat a seagull if necessary.

Behind us, local celebrities Kaitlin and Andrew (both very "powerful," as Josiah will tell you) were enjoying a stroll down the road when the paparazzi struck.

The paparazzi chase was very heated - Andrew remained elusive as ever. Finally, they made it inside the comfort and privacy of the restaurant.

Whilst there, Kaitlin observed Moakles drink out of a giant gourd. What was in the gourd, you ask? Home-brewed beer from the Guguletu township. No worries - it was non-alcoholic. It had a milky look and a bubbly feel. It tasted a bit sour and spicy, though maybe that is not the best description.

Many people ordered the "Pan African Platter," which included warthog, crocodile, and chicken. Most of us also got a side of skdjfkuquisdlfj (something with a click which we forgot how to pronounce almost immediately), which reminded me of refried beans. Above is my plate, with the skdjfkuquisdlfj and grilled kingklip fish. Everything was delicious, though I think our favorite was the warthog.

After dinner, Andrew asked Danielle for a dance to the smooth jazzy sounds of the band. Everyone in the restaurant was real jealous of them, especially since they were the only ones who stood up. People were staring. In a good way...?

Josiah wanted to show us how quickly he could drink his Coca Cola soda by basically suctioning his mouth onto the glass and taking gigantic gulps. Kaitlin decided to show him just how ridiculous it looked. It still doesn't quite capture how awkwardly/hilariously he was doing it, though.

It was great to all be seated at a huge table and enjoy each others' company after being separated all week. The waitress was also awesome and taught us how to pronounce many of the dishes (which we promptly forgot) and gave her personal recommendations for the entrees. She assigned each of us an order number, and I got #8 by chance, which is one of my favorite numbers! (August is the 8th month in the year... go figure.)

As a parting gift, Moakley decided to make Anne Marie feel real awkward in front of the camera. I cannot get these kids to take a normal picture. "Cheese" apparently means make the photographer as uncomfortable as possible.

On Saturday, Eboni, Alexis, Kaitlin and I climbed Lion's Head. It was the first time for the former two and the second time for the latter two. If you recall, the first time I climbed it was a glorious day that ended up depositing two huge clouds right on top as I reached the summit. It was upsetting. Saturday, however, was VERY clear and I thought it would provide way better photos. Get ready to be stunned by the blue of the sky.

Here is a photo of Eboni and Kaitlin having a staring contest towards the beginning of the hike. Already you could see the beach below and the mountains. They are the big sisters of the house and I absolutely adore them. If the world had a Ebokaitli hybrid she would be elected President of the United States, have a global fan base, and be on the cover of Parisian Vogue at the same time. On the bright side though, there are two of them so we get to share their collective greatness.

When it came to the part of the hike where you have to decide whether to take the chains or the "recommended route" (psht), we opted for the chains, of course! Eboni hated Kaitlin and I for a few minutes, but hopefully by now she has forgiven and forgotten. I think I saw the glint of a tear in her eye from fear of the height. We were so proud that she was able to keep calm and successfully get up the rock face. (Not gonna lie --- I was sweating half from the heat and half from worry, too.)

Now that I was at the top and could actually see for more than a few meters around the mountain, I decided to go to the ledge which the first group found and take a jumping photo, of course! Below you can see Table Bay (I believe). The water was unreal. If I had wings I would have leapt off Lion's Head straight into the Atlantic Ocean.

The table cloth was threatening to come closer, but it stayed on and around Table Mountain. It made for a really cool video of the "cloth" slowly creeping over the edge and covering part of the mountain. The southeaster (a strong wind) was raging that day, so I was nearly blown off on the way down. It is usually responsible for sweeping away the smog of the City Bowl. Days of a strong southeaster are incroyable.

When we finally caught up to Alexis (who powered her way to the top... she is beyond human!), we rehydrated and scarfed down the snacks we had packed. Here is Eboni looking normal and Kaitlin... not so much. Same old, same old.

K decided to do some yogic stretching at the top, which culminated in a lion-like pawing. She was really taken by being at the top of Lion's Head.

Obviously, I had to continue taking jumping pictures once my energy levels were back up. You may remember me taking pictures from here the first time I climbed, which ended up completely opaque with mist and cloud. These are much better!

We were deeply concerned this puny chihuahua would end up flying off the mountain since the southeaster was so relentless. I think it was just taking a moment to gaze at our manor in Tamboerskloof.

OF COURSE I had to get some shots of Eboni jumping, too!

Again, the water below looked irresistible. I think even Eboni, who refuses to go into the freezing Atlantic (it's winter/spring after all), was tempted. Just look at the turquoise band! It's beauuuutiful.

The requisite handstand picture had to be taken, of course. I never seem to snap it right when her legs are completely vertical, but surely I'll have plenty of chances to get it right another time.

This gross curious-looking beetle was twitching below us, so Kaitlin made a little grave for it near a flower on a bed of grass. She is so kind to the insect life. Eboni and I can't say the same.

This time I got some really dramatic photos of the descent... I promise it's gradual, though.

You can get a good idea of how steep the steps are and exactly how far up you come.

The path over the roots of this tree is really slippery from wear, so you have to be extra cautious. Hiking in converse doesn't help, either.

Eboni and I decided we would take the "recommended route" back down, since I thought the chains were too hard last time, but we ended up right back at them! It was frustrating, but we went for it anyway.

Cool bird's-eye-view of the ladder. Eboni first started to go down facing away from it, but we coached her through going down backwards. I doubt it would have been catastrophic, but it would have involved some ridiculous maneuvering for sure.

That night, feeling exhausted refreshed from the hike, we went to see Mother to Mother at the Baxter Theatre with Eboni's coworkers. They were really nice, as were the facilities. The play was a one-woman show, which is my favorite casting style, and was based on the life of the mother of one of the people who killed Amy Biehl. It was a very powerful performance.

Yesterday we came home from our first day of work (Mondays... oh joy) and saw a rainbow right outside our house! You can see it going over the apartment building opposite, with a close-up below:

Soon I will post news of the Inter-House Athletic competition at CHSA and reports on how the casting for Annie is going (which is at a stand-still as of now). I feel as though I am really getting acclimated to South African life, finding that I have favorite places to go eat and hang out, and aspects of the city which I will really miss when I leave. I have come to love hearing Xhosa in the background of the staff room, the smell of rooibos tea with milk in the mornings (and a few more times during the course of the day thereafter), the sight of the mountains hugging the city all around, and all the other quirks of South African life.

Robben Island Tour

2009-10-06T17:26:00.000+02:00

Sunday we went to Robben Island (FINALLY, after it was postponed during Orientation Week back in early September). We got on the ferry and had to wait about 10 minutes for three women who were late, even though it's usually a zero-tolerance policy where tardiness is concerned. Shame! Anyway, the ferry was called Sikhululekile, which is Xhosa for (insert deep meaning here... I forgot/can't find it online like I planned on doing... Sorry!). It was a really nice boat, could hold 300 passengers, did not make me seasick (weird), and had a snazzy DVD playing the whole voyage to island. It did, however, make me forget my PB & J sandwich on board in all its glory. Darn! No worries, because it was found later. It shows that people are good at heart and won't steal your delicious snack.

After we did a bus tour of the island with a guide who was wicked funny/charming (memorable quotes include: "I know I am ugly, but I know a lot" and "the sun reflecting off the lime in the quarry can be quite strong - that is how I got this tan*"), we went to F block (I believe) to tour the old prison. Our guide there, who is a former inmate, led us into what would have been sleeping quarters for the prisoners who were not in isolation. He showed us a mat (pictured above) which would have constituted a bed pre-1980s. I remember reading about them in Long Walk to Freedom and shuddering at the thought. Both guides' knowledge was really impressive. It's amazing how much anyone can commit to memory sometimes.
* He is African.

He also showed us a blown-up photo of a prison identity card. In this photo, he is pointing to the rank (A, B, C, etc.). You can also see his ID number, which is 69/64, meaning he was prisoner #69 in the year 1964. Mandela's number was 466/64. They sell metal bracelets with his ID imprinted in the gift shop. It's curious.

We left that area of the prison and made our way for the block where Madiba was imprisoned. We looked through a peephole in a door and saw a rabbit. Josiah took picture of it. Josiah takes pictures of everything. Thomas is only slightly amused.

In the courtyard of B block, the guide showed us some photos (which can also be found in the book) and gave us a history of the struggle on the island.

The courtyard, with Mandela's window (2nd or 3rd down from left). It was a small area of land to spend 18 years on.

Above we see Mollie's lovely locks and Mandela's prison cell. Photos honestly do not capture how small it is. Think walk-in closet in an average home. We doubted whether Thomas, at 6'5", could even lie down to sleep on the floor (maybe diagonally, we decided).

Josiah, causing a ruckus by pushing buttons. Such a trouble-maker.

There were a few guns on the island supplied by Britain. They are not currently used... I think...

After the 3-hour tour, we returned to the ferry for the return voyage. The water was fairly calm and the sun had started to creep out a bit. It made for a sleepy journey back to Cape Town (of which we got a gorgeous view).

Back on land, Sarah and I got way too ecstatic about some SEA LIONS (!!) just chillin' near the docks at the Waterfront. It was an awesome end to an eventful weekend, mostly when they started barking as we came up. I wonder how they got there and if they cared or not. I've decided this is their Sunday siesta place. Very nice.

CRUMP!

2009-10-06T16:48:00.000+02:00

On Saturday, a few of us went to a CRUMP FEST(-ival) in Athlone to see our friend dance and generally improve our knowledge of the Cape Town hip hop scene. Only about an hour into it did I realize the entire event was sponsored by Sprite, explaining the banners plastered everywhere and the cute bboy children with Sprite baseball caps. Oh, and the random cans of Sprite in people's hands. I slowly realized that I was actually in a giant commercial for the beverage.
It all reminded me of when we watched Step Up 2 the Streets on the M television channel with all the dancing. Except we weren't outside/in the rain and there were no trampolines in the club. Which reminds me - the venue was called Club @mospheer. Creative? Yes. Hilarious? Oh yes.

The aforementioned cute Sprite-cap-donning bboys were my favorite. They could do all sorts of legwork and stunts. The one here in the spotlight had on baby converse. Baby converse = adorable. They also made me realize my lack of skillz in the dance department. Thanks a lot, kidz.

Here's a good shot to emphasize my point. The other kid, who had Crocs on, would do handstands for a good 839823 hours without failing. And he would do it perfectly vertical. I can barely "hop the fence" as Kaitlin says in Cartwheeling 101. Embarrassing? Quite.

Now this is just ridiculous. Check out the one still doing a handstand and the other busting a move on his shoulder. The part of me that was insanely jealous of them was also insanely determined to put my future offspring (if I have any) into breaking classes. It's more than a worthwhile investment. I'd put it on par with a university education. (It's alright Mom and Dad, you did what you could.)

The the big bboys hit the floor, and from there it was pure craziness. This guy had some good moves but mostly I just dug his style. I somehow don't think I can pull off dreds and a silver lamé headband. Dubious.

This dude kept making me twitch with discomfort every time he showed off how double-jointed his shoulders were. He would bend back then do this bizarre twirling thing with his legs around his torso. He continued to do this for thirty minutes straight only a few feet from me. It was a strange way to warm up... can't say I've tried it.

Cue lil bboy doing the handstand again. They never quit! It was inspirational. When is the movie of their life coming out?

Notice the big Sprite logo this bboy is doing tricks on. I wanted a free tin of Sprite real badly.

There was a sign under the projector that read "DA CAPE VS DA REST." It makes me want to refer to DA CAPE every time someone asks about my travels.

Speaking of DA CAPE, when we left @mospheer I saw this hot ride that was simultaneously fascinating and hilarious to see on this side of the world. It reads (from the top): "Dr1ft Squad. Cape Flatz Representaz. So you think you can drift? Hell Razor. Buddy club." I wish I was making this up. Good thing I got proof.

Contact with 3rd Ocean - Done!

2009-10-03T14:11:00.000+02:00

Our week off started at the Waterfront. GO BOSTON! We had to take this of Anne Marie and her beloved Bean Town.

They had this really embarrassing mug in the mall that I swear said "Te Quiero Mucho" forever. I immediately thought of Anna and our TKM obsession.

The "kids" decided to get ice cream. And by ice cream I mean frozen yogurt in the style of YoPo back in the Hill. Good times.

This band started playing really funny music. We felt like we were in a silent farce film.

Miami! Just kidding, it's CAPE TOWN.

The next day, we took a 10 hour bus ride to PARADISE. Here is our room in the Tube n Axe hostel. I highly recommend it.

It had a really cute dining room/kitchen next to the rooms that was very open. The mural pictured here was hilarious, and included a cartoon of pretty much every touristy thing you can do at Storms River.

The chairs by the fireplace were way too comfy. And Ralph, our adopted kitty, frequented them, so it was even better. It was the perfect place to relax and enjoy a place less dense than Cape Town.

The view from our bedroom (which had double doors leading outside). I promise I didn't pay much to stay here, but it's ok if you don't believe me. I don't think I would believe me either.

On Wednesday we went to Tsitsikamma National Park, which has a very long suspension bridge over the place where Storms River and the Indian Ocean meet. We saw a seal near the shore and much of the park.

View from the end of the bridge. The waves to our right were gigantic - definitely the biggest I've ever seen. The springtime winds have really picked up on the Cape.

After going across the bridge and deciding we wanted to do some hiking, we saw a sign that said "To Lookout Point." It was further than we expected and involved some brutal steps which brought horrible visions of the Table Mountain hike to mind, but was well worth it. Here is the view from the top of the mountain (opposite of where we had started). What I love most about living here is the beach-side mountains. It's the best of both worlds. Walking around feels like being in a movie or a postcard.

The water was frigid, but we still dipped our legs in. Doesn't this look like a scene from Pirates of the Caribbean or some other film set in paradise? The deserted look also helps --- living here when the area was untouched centuries ago must have been unbelievable. Hopefully I'll be able to come back in summertime!

Blame It On The Altitude

2009-10-03T13:54:00.001+02:00

DISCLAIMER: Do not read if you have a fear of heights, are not into adrenaline-inducing activities, gave birth to me, or care about my sanity.

For some reason, we decided earlier this week that it would be a GREAT idea to go to the world's highest bungee jump off Bloukrans Bridge near Storms River. We took a 10 hour bus ride on the ~~uncomfortable~~ luxurious Translux which left Cape Town before the sun came up on Tuesday. It was a gorgeous drive with the countryside all around, including farms, ostrich farms, and mountains. SAfrica is beautiful outside of Cape Town, too. I know, sounds obvious, but I had to affirm this because I think I must promote tourism/living here as much as possible. Anyway, cut to Wednesday - we wake up at 4am. Then go back to sleep, then wake up and make arrangements to acquire some FACE ADRENALINE. Above is Anne Marie in the van, knowing she is about to take the jump. Don't let the smile fool you. I was quite relaxed since I had virtually made up my mind about not doing it.

At this point, we ~~crapped ourselves~~ got really giddy. The symbol for bungee jumping doesn''t make much sense to me, but we get over things. Also, SAfricans spell bungy like that. I can't decide if I like it, but I'll use it from this point on for authenticity.

Apparently 216 meters (the length of the bungy jump) is about 700 feet. Assuming a story is 10 feet, it's like jumping off a 70 floor building. Again, at this point in the story I am only going onto the bridge and ziplining across it, NOT jumping.

Before you even get onto the bridge, however, they strap you into a harness. Mine was bright yellow and quite snug. They are very legit. At any given moment, at least 3 professionals are attending to you and making sure you're good to go. But they also regard you with total disbelief if you say you won't jump. They find that quite hilarious and foolish, actually. I did not understand why, especially given THIS is what I would be jumping off of:

I promise it's ~~more terrifying than~~ not as bad as it looks. Also, the camera doesn't capture the gorgeous landscape, which consists of two very green mountains with a river running between them. It leads to the Indian Ocean at its mouth, which we visited later in the day (see the post above). Cars drive above the bridge but you can't even tell when you're on it.

Fast-forward to around 10am, when everyone else has gone (including Kaitlin and Anne Marie, who loved the jump) and three British surfers decide they would be devo (devastated) if I did not jump. To the point where they spent a good 20 minutes persuading me that "I would regret it for the rest of my life" and that it was "best thing I'll ever do." I was still really dubious, but then the girls reminded me that we had taken a 10-hour bus ride and at no other time would I get to jump off a bridge towards a river and survive. This photo was taken right before the jump, and it is usually only taken with the guy who finalizes all the safety gear with your harness and shin straps. I couldn't even see where I was jumping because they have a railing about 5 feet back from the edge. To say it was safe would be an understatement. Also, they started playing BEPs "Boom Boom Pow" right before I was to go, which made it GREAT.

I'm surprised the photo isn't completely blurry from how much I was shaking. I think mostly I was just in shock and didn't even fully grasp what was about to happen. Luckily my breathing was steady and I was over my first adrenaline rush from ziplining, which helped.

They take a photo of your feet for evidence. Also, I love that these shoes have done so much. They've hiked Table Mountain and have done the highest bungy in the world. I think I might have to turn them into an art piece one day.

I hobbled over to the edge, holding on for dear life to the two guys helping me. What you don't see is that there are tons of people on the big station they have under the bridge, complete with two bungy cords (though two people never jump at once), two receiving stations for post-jump, a DJ booth, and equipment boxes everywhere. When I jumped there also happened to be three Brits who were freezing and had stayed way past their jump times, my Capetonian BFFLs, and all the others reminding me via scream of what I was about to do. I put my toes over the edge (like Kaitlin, above), bent my knees, heard "3, 2, 1, BUNGY!" and they let go of me...

700 feet straight down.

I refused to let go of the hand of the guy who drops down to pick you up after the jump. And I do not remember what nonsense I was speaking to him. Everyone was right- best. experience. ever.

I think at this point I wanted to go again.

They take a video post-jump which I declined to buy but was way too funny.

We got a picture CD of all our jumps. Here is Anne Marie's take off, which was beyond awesome. Note how I went off standing vertically, and she dove. Eventually you end up going head-first though. It will be the only time in my life that I have flown outside of a plane. Honestly, when I looked over the edge, a huge smile burst onto my face. I saw the river glittering below, the trees all around, and the mountains hugging the periphery. It defies description and is going to be hard to beat. I can't recommend it enough.

I just remembered that FACE ADRENALINE (the bungy company) also gave us some promo photos on the CD. Here are some of them:

Main logo of the company that runs the Bungy. Quite intense, eh?

PROOF. I also have a certificate of my own, which I will definitely be putting on my resume. Intern/World-Record-Bungy-Jumper 09.

A sign we saw on the way to the bridge. This actually scared some people more than the jump.

The walkway out to the bridge. ~~Nervous~~ good times.

Jump-off point above the arch. I would love to meet the person who thought of doing this off Bloukrans.

The catwalk across the bottom of the bridge. This was actually scarier than jumping because it's quite long and you can see right through to the gorge. I ended up looking down the entire way back even though I was trying to will myself against it.

The launch pad! Above you can see the camera that films you before you go, as well as the safety belts which everyone who gets near the railing has to strap into. You only get onto the black part right before you jump.

When you are looking down after jumping, it looks like you are going to fall into the river. The photo doesn't capture how pretty it was, though.

The view when you're hanging out (haha).

Whale! You can see the ocean from a distance.

Is This Love?

2009-10-03T13:18:00.000+02:00

Cape Town is truly wonderful so far. It's a spectacular city, my house-mates are hilarious/ridiculous/awesome, and it makes me want to come back. Perhaps we should schedule a 10 year reunion...

I haven't been too busy over the last few days because Christel House is on what I believe to be their spring break. Last Thursday was Heritage Day, which was spent lounging around the manor for way too long, then going on an impromptu walk to the Gardens and the National Gallery (Art Museum). We saw some live music, soaked up some heritage, and avoided Murder Alley (just kidding, parents and concerned citizens).

"Here I am." Yes, this is my singing/hairstyling/dancing/acrobating(warning: not a word)/eyebrow-plucking roomie, ya'll! Jealous? Duhhhh. She's a chonga 2!! 4 lyf. She can also knot her hair and make it stick out at hilarious angles. All you've ever wanted in a roommate? You'd better believe it!

All of the museums were free, so some of us decided to see the exhibits at the National Gallery. Here is Alexis checking out the photos and models.

The exhibit which was finished since I last visited the museum was on architecture. It explained the tons of wood and loud noises emanating from the room last time.

In another room on children, we saw this very creepy sculpture of a baby's head on a red velvet pillow. Brenna is not feeling warm and fuzzy.

Then at some point the two "buds," Alexis and Josiah, decided to be really awkward (and by the two of them I mean just Josiah). I think we were just feeling loco in the bronze room.

Here we see Anne Marie posing next to a Photoshopped piece of a woman-bull hybrid. Check out the intense stares. I think Anne Marie is more scared than scary, though.

Overall, the holiday was full of good times. It made up for not having Labor Day or other Fall American holidays.

Hard Knock Life

2009-09-19T21:05:00.000+02:00

Tuesday of this week I began my internship with Christel House SAfrica and I'm kinda sorta obsessed with my job(s). I work mostly under the direction of the music teacher, who is very encouraging and joyful in the way only a performer can liven up a room, helping him to produce and cast their junior school (grades 4-7) musical. Which musical exactly?

Annie.

Yes, I have been entrusted with the huge responsibility of finding the perfect Annie amongst all the students. The pressure is intense. I've already been told there is a young hopeful who I may or may not find is perfect for the part, but I have no idea what her name is or what grade she is in. We start auditions in the new term, which begins the first week of October. While preparing for auditions and trying to make a budget (in Rand), I have tried to perfect my use of the school/safrican dialect. Here is what I have come to learn over the last few days (and weeks):

Morning! - From Day 1 at the school, I noticed that no one here really says "Good morning." Just "morning." It is said very cheerfully.

TO LET - Signs bearing these words are found across Cape Town, and they mean "for rent." I definitely thought it was TOILET when I first saw it.

Hire - People don't say "rent a car" or "rent costumes" (as I had asked about for Annie). They say "hire a ___." Very good to know.

Rubbish - As in, ~~garbage can~~ rubbish bin.

Educator - The term used for "teacher."

Learner - The term for "student." It's really interesting that they use these words. I've heard it at both Christel House and the school we visited with Molo Songololo.

Screens - Don't know if this is universal, or just with the Labia movie theatre, but cinemas will say "(Name) Screens 1 and 2."

If I think of more I will update. Today Caroline, Andrew, and I went to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, which is a 40 minute walk from the manor each way. It was a great way to take advantage of our first sunny and (fairly) warm afternoon. Spring is around the corner! We saw a very cute performance involving two kid breakdancers, did tons of window shopping, admired the docked boats, and posed for funny pictures.

I'm very excited about the upcoming weeks because not only will the weather improve and Annie be underway, but another teacher at Christel House asked me to help start a Drama Society (or drama club, as we would say - add that to the vocab list) by giving the members lessons on play-writing, improvisation, actin, directing, costumes, props, etc. I cannot wait! It's exactly what I pictured myself doing, though I will need to channel my educational theatre skills (shout out to Gaby) for it. I'll post photos once I get to know the students better!

In the meantime, here are some shots of the V & A Waterfront:

The kidz modeling on a sculpture of an upside-down ice cream cone. Bizarre? Yes.

Some pretty flowers near a restaurant on the waterfront. I thought they made for great subjects. Oui?

Our home! (From afar.) No, not Chapel Hill... Signal Hill. Why must I always live on/near a hill?

Miami, that way! Only 12,311Km from there. Not TOO bad.

The famous clock tower on the waterfront. Another similarity with Chapel Hill! Ahh!

A water buffalo (?) made ENTIRELY of beads. I'll take ten.

The mall. Looked almost EXACTLY like South Point. I really thought I was in North Carolina for a hot second. But then all the prices were in ZAR (making the price of a shirt R450, for example).

Making our way around the mall, Caroline decided to take a break under a muscular armpit and Andrew tried to get this pretty lady's attention. They were staring at me the WHOLE time.

We had an unexpected end to the day with a visit from Sarah Palin's bridge to nowhere! Oh, the good ol' USA.

Internship Placement FINALIZED

2009-09-14T17:07:00.004+02:00

Perhaps it went without notice, but I have been pretty hushed about discussing my internship placement. I have now worked everything out with the coordinator and the new NGO, so I feel (more) free to disclose everything that has happened.

At the outset of my trip to Cape Town, I was under the impression that I would be working at this thuper creative-looking arts/culture center in Langa Township called Guga S'Thebe. A Google search I did prior to the program got me way to excited about the prospects of working there - should have known something would go wrong...

When I arrived in the airport and our internship coordinator picked us up, I asked what Guga would be like. He said that I would be working under an actor from the area. This made me even more ridiculously excited.

I didn't really bring up the subject further until this past week on Tuesday, when we were to begin our tours of the various internships. We visited the workplaces of all but my roomie's NGO (Molo Songololo - Xhosa for HELLO CATERPILLAR! It's too cute, eh?). The tour included visits to Black Sash, a Red Cross Hospital, Place of Hope (A Shelter for Battered Women), The Cape Argus (newspaper), Izikho Museums/South African Heritage Foundation, Olive Leaf Foundation, Cape Town Refugee Center, Christel House, and Tafelsig Community Health Clinic. Basically at every single location, I was incredibly jealous of everyone's internships, though both health-related locations were tough, since at the first we went through the pediatric burn unit and at the second were taken through the emergency room and TB clinic. I got the impression that everyone's work would be very challenging.

On Wednesday, I came to find out that my internship would actually be in a primary school outside of Kayelitsha, and that my supervisor with Guga S'Thebe was only loosely associated with the center. After the entire group was awed by the performances (including poetry, dance, and singing) at the primary school, we were equally sketched-out by my supervisor. I did not feel I could comfortably complete 3 months with that character.

After much discussion over the weekend, and the possibility being thrown out that my roomie would join me at my internship to ease my discomfort (which would have been ludicrous after we beheld the sight of awesome Molo Songololo on Thursday), the coordinator suggested the possibility of working with Christel House.

Today I stayed at home reading and hanging out with my TA and another student, when about mid-way through I got a call from the coordinator. He said that the internship would work out, and that I would be helping coordinate a musical theatre production at Christel House! It seems like an incredible school with real results, so I can't wait to start there tomorrow. I was so excited that I had to post (again!). Keep in touch and remember to send me your addresses!

Roar!

2009-09-13T17:47:00.000+02:00

Although we have had a stressful week with drama (the bad kind) at the manor, internship tours, and studies, we managed to blow off some steam by... HIKING! Again! While my roommate, TA, and a friend climbed Table Mountain, me and some of the kidz decided to get to the top of Lion's Head in less than 1hr 15 min (the time set by the previous group). It's not really a race, but one of our main forms of entertainment is having unnecessary and uncalled-for contests. SO IT WAS ON.

We had been told that the hike up Lion's Head was a bit treacherous, and it began with edging along the side of the rock after hiking up the trail. I tried to make it look really dramatic, but it was actually quite safe. The more intense part, of which I have no pictures (curses!), was climbing vertically with the aid of a chain up to the top.

On the trail and at the top, we kept seeing these revolting interesting beetles. I think I saw three total. This one was being devoured by some flies. Appetizing, yes?

After only 45 minutes, we arrived at the top of Lion's Head completely out of breath. Then we realized we were IN a cloud. I tried to include the photos that show some of the scenery, though most of the time it looked completely white all around.

The view of the city. A cloud is about to consume us. Clouds are actually quite cold when you pass through them. It made for a bitter victory.

Anne Marie, Brenna, and I on a ledge (sorry Ma and Titi Sylvia) at the top of Lion's Head. I think you can guess what is about to happen...

Great success! Jumping photos are far too fun to pass up. When I show people this I will lie and say I actually sky-dived from a plane and landed gracefully on the sandstone of Lion's Head. Anne Marie looks like she actually did just that.

We then proceeded to continue jumping and taking photos of ourselves. I was able to get some amazing shots of Anne Marie when it was completely clear, but then a cloud came to mist up mine. Lame.

I promise I have a neck. I was pretty giddy at this point - what's new? Also, it was freezing, so don't be fooled by my clothing or jovial expression.

My clearest shot of Table Mountain. The clouds would NOT let up! Also, here you can see the stone steps we took to get to the top. We may or may not be athletes now.

On the way down we passed this stone that I SWEAR says Diana. It was awesome freaky.

Obviously the weather would become glorious ON OUR WAY DOWN. What luck. Here is a shot of one of the ladders we took to get to the top.

At the very least we had a great view of Signal Hill, which is also known as the rump of the lion (we climbed the head, and live on the rump, to the right).

There's the sun! Where were you all afternoon?!

As you can tell, living in this city is spectacular. The views cannot be beat.

The strain from climbing made us want to jump into the still-freezing ocean. Check out the low clouds on the horizon. How I despise them...

On the bright side, I was walking down with Anuja when we saw people wind gliding! If I can, I would love to be able to wind glide over the city. The sky became so beautiful after we left!

As the sun set, we said adios to Lion's Head, because we needed to get ready for Eboni's birthday party. Eboni is the teaching assistant for our course with Mama Lee, and she is also our residence advisor for the trip (a TA/RA if you will). She is intelligent, gorgeous, patient, kind, and we all love her dearly. So much so that we got her a mucking afazing cake from Charly's. See below (she is on the right):

The entire program was invited to her birthday bash by Mama Lee (our professor), who offered her apartment as the venue. We had some DELICIOUS cheesecake, cheese and crackers, and concluded with a ridiculous game of charades. One of the things we had to guess was "Caroline's bicycle" (she is 2nd from the left). Without pointing, or spelling names. Actually impossible.

Overall, the weekend alternated between relaxing and nail-biting, but overall it was great. More to come this week when I start my internship!

3,563 ft - Table Mountain Summit

2009-09-06T12:32:00.002+02:00

Yesterday five friends and I climbed Table Mountain. It was my first time scaling a mountain (I believe - parents, confirm this) and the most strenuous 1.5 hours of my life. But first...

On Thursday, when I wrote about Cape Point, I skipped over our Monday through Wednesday activities, which were visiting the District 6 Museum, going to the SA National Gallery, and completing a "transportation exercise" conjured up by Vernon (our master/expert tour guide).

Day 4 (Monday 8.31):

On Monday we went to the District 6 Museum. We learned the history of the demolished community and explored the various exhibits. Above is a photo of a map laid out on the main floor of the building. Visitors to the museum have labeled spaces where various families lived, making for a very thorough record.

Photos of residents printed on cloth hang around the 2nd floor of the museum. It was small, but it started out as a 2-week exhibit in the 1990s and has been successful ever since - pretty impressive.

One exhibit was all about the barber shops and beauty salons of the 60s in District 6. Here my roomie models one of the hair driers. The middle picture in the row to her left is of our tour guide back then! Got a sweet mushroom (what they call a bowl-cut) going on.

Another exhibit about children, complete with a hop scotch (hope I got that right) game that goes into the display box. These cats are creative. The mural in the background was bathed in light from windows all around... really pretty.

The tower down the middle is made up of salvaged street signs from District 6. Much of the museum was composed of salvaged debris from the demolition.

Day 5 (Tuesday 9.1)- Random Places on Brownlow, Kloof Nek, and Long St.:

This is a photo of the cafe by our manor which I promised to post earlier. They make delicious oven-fired pizza and drinks. Have only been once for fear of spending too much rand.

Here we see the choice nighttime hang-out of the group, Rafiki's. They have a sweet pizza and beer (I mean soda) special and another which involves rump and prawn. Haven't tried either yet, but I have three months... Locals use it as a place to catch rugby games and at night they have dancing. Though some nights it can be relaxed as well. This was snapped on our way

Walking along Long Street, this gem was spotted. The baby shirt reads "I Love Boobies." Those Cape Townians have a sense of humor, eh?

The Carolines and I made our way through Company Gardens to the SA Portrait Gallery. They had a sweet bronze exhibit and really interesting art from South African and UK artists, spanning centuries up to 2008.

OBAMA! A flier from the Argus spotted whilst walking around downtown. Our resident Canadian points.

Day 6 (Wednesday 9.2)- Public Transport Exercise
On Wednesday we were each assigned into teams chosen by Vernon to complete various public transport exercises. Some teams were made to take mini buses from Tamboerskloof or downtown to areas around Cape Town. My team, however, only had to go from the Hiddingh Campus about a 15 min walk from home (where you find fine art, film, media, and drama studies) to Lower campus, then walk down Main Street in Rondebosch to a Woolworth's. There, we were instructed to buy a bag of sour cream potato chips. Simple enough, yet we managed to take a full four hours to do it. On the plus side, our group was Team Zebra (pronounced zeh-brah). If I figure out how to edit them, I will post the videos taken of this ~~catastrophe~~ adventure.

Thursday and Friday we made a trip to Cape Point (which I wrote about earlier) and started classes. The first is a history survey course (for which Mandela's autobiography prepared me more than I expected) and the second is a course on the 21st Century Scramble for Africa, taught my Mama Lee herself. The subject matter is pretty complicated... wish me luck.

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Day 9 (9.5) - Hike up Table Mountain
We began our hike at the doorstep of Hillcrest. The walk to the beginning of the trail at the base of the mountain alone took about 2 hours. We went up Kloof at a steep incline the whole way, still on sidewalk up until this trail near the base which ended up being a 5 minute detour. Finally we reached the main visitor's center at the base and they told us we had to walk another 2km up the road to get to the beginning of the gorge trail. After some false starts, we were off!

Cut to an hour later. I feel like my heart, lungs, and legs are going to explode. The fear of passing out from exhaustion has never been so real. The route we took isn't really a trail - there are no smooth parts of it. Instead, it is like a giant staircase. Imagine having to take stairs two at a time, sometimes on uneven footing, going up hundreds of feet vertically. I was pretty glad we had gone during winter, because I think the hike during the summer would give me heat stroke. About 30 minutes from the summit, we saw some graffiti which captured our sentiments perfectly:

Caroline was a beast. She kept us at a pretty good pace, so that only about an hour and 15 minutes into the hike we were already near the top:

At least it was gorgeous. We had to hike around the side and up the back, so this was taken between the rock formations looking back (see below for reference, too).

Even so close to the summit, many a rest break was taken to avoid collapse. Andrew is a LITTLE too excited. I don't know how I had the strength to push the shutter on my camera. Part of me was also very angry - I hate this hike, I hate my legs, I HATE TABLE MOUNTAIN, so luckily I didn't punch anyone in the face. It did help that another hiked on the way down said "break a leg."

AT THE TOP! I have never been so giddy. Even though the temperature was probably around 40F, I was still in my shorts and shirt, sweating. Then the wind started getting to us and we bundled up.

It was a relief to not see any more rocks to climb above us. Level ground, FINALLY!

Though it was cloudy, the sky was really gorgeous from the top.

Once we went around to the ocean side (Hout Bay I believe), it was even more evident how far we had gone. From sea level to about 3500ft. I'm really glad I went with experienced hikers and they could see how pumped I was to have made it. Maybe some day I'll get to attempt 10,000ft or higher.

This is me being a fool on a bridge across the table top. Again, I was delirious.

Many an epic photo was taken at the top. The Atlantic Ocean sits in the background.

Victory dance by Caroline. In the background you can see the cafe. Yes, there is an eco-friendly restaurant at the top of Table Mountain.

As the sun set, it looked like a painting.

Looking out over Lion's Head peak (also a very hard climb which seems dwarfed by Table Mountain) and the city. Robben Island (where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for three decades) can be seen.

The City Bowl and Table Bay as seen from the summit. It was glorious. Can't say I'd do it again, though. Haha... maybe.

Rotate to the right a bit and you get a great view of Devil's Peak and the Tater Tot Mountains (not their actual name, but can't pronounce or spell it).

A shot of the cable car making its way down the mountain. We took the last one down because hiking down would have been dangerous past sundown.

Victory! The girls in green jump at the top of the mountain. Another take below:

Then it was my turn to take some solo shots:

I was a bit too excited at this point.

As the sun set, we made our way to the cable car.

Goodbye, Table Mountain! It's been a pleasure making your acquaintance.

The cable car comes real close to the rocks. It was awesome!

The team! Walking downhill after hiking was an effort. Our joints were jumbled, making our legs like jello. But we were oh so happy. Look at those faces.

Anne-Marie, looking almost as excited as I am at the prospect of going to Disco Nights. Look at that. Or the Baxter Dance Festival. Good times.

Our victory dinner was at Mexicano. WARNING: Do not go here. As Andrew said, "you can't do Mexican in Africa. You just can't." All the waiters were very emo and they even dared to give us ITALIAN MINTS with the check. The food looked like they had Googled the recipes before serving it. And our check took half an hour to receive. Again, GOOD TIMES!

We were NOT happy campers. Caroline was looking especially homicidal.

We decided that going to Cape to Cuba would have been a much better choice. Check out the front of the building during the day and at night. Complete with Cuban flags on either side and neon. Mexican was a bad choice.

Overall, though, hiking Table Mountain was a great success! Glad I was one of the first 6 from our year to do it.

The Edge of the World...

2009-09-03T20:17:00.000+02:00

Or should I say, the-place-for-which-pictures-do-no-justice.

Though it was incredibly difficult to capture the beauty of Cape Point, I will attempt to do so.

We began our day of travel with Clifton Beach. It was really cloudy and freezing, but still fun. I finally touched the Atlantic in Africa! Having the mountain right in the background with the sand was incredible. Still not quite used to seeing pines and palm trees so near each other. Actually - kind of reminds me of Honduras.

Even when it's cloudy, it makes for great weather-watching. I don't even know if that's a real hobby, but you can definitely have fun just watching the clouds go over the Cape Town mountains. It seems as though they come so close to you (see above).

There was this sandy froth building up along the rocks which was cool enough to make you want to touch it, but just repulsive enough to make you not do it. We climbed along the rocks since they were pretty low, which was fun. I think it'll be a completely different place once summer comes around.

Next, we drove over to Hout Bay (Bay of Wood) to check out the fishermen and stands there. They are notorious for a mean hake and chips (I think I'm getting that right). The people who ordered it got the whole van smelling like heaven. I need to go back.

Mariner's Wharf - Fish Market - Liquor Cove. What a fantastic name. This is said place where one can purchase the fish and chips. It's where the true Cape Townians come for the dish, since it's ridiculously fresh. Mmmm...

Little did we know that our next stop would be HEAVEN - known here as Cape Point. The entire park was constructed from these stones, which was a nice element.

Baboons were running alongside our van when we rolled in. Unfortunately, we did not see them in the park (and turn into the paparazzi... the penguins suffered that fate, read below). I was really hoping one would fall in love with me and I could take it in as my own. Alas, no pets to be had at Cape Point today.

I walked a mere 30 ft. and ALREADY there were amazing views. This is in front of the entrance to the park restaurant. The stone everywhere was real pretty.

This, my friends, is an ACTUAL restaurant. I know, you probably think I photoshopped this. BUT NAY. It is 110% real. So real it made me giddy. And this was only the beginning. The restaurant is called "Two Oceans" because close by, the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet.

UNC is treating us pretty poorly, no? Lunch was so amazing. I had a seafood curry with 'still water' (just bottled water... but you have to say STILL or they give you sparkling... carbonated water just doesn't do it). The restaurant had wraparound windows that gave you a view of the coast seen in the picture above. I probably gaped between bites.

See that monstrosity on the left? It was a huge bottle of wine worth R12,000. Compare it to the still big but normal-looking one on the right. Pretty incredible. How would you even pour it?

Cape Point, South Africa. Sign in background reads: "Baboons are dangerous and attracted by food." Supposedly they have a weakness for ice cream. Should have brought some Ben and Jerry's as a lure...

Mom always used to talk about the "funicular" in Puerto Rico, but I did NOT realize it was also a word used in English. Hello, epiphany. Notice how I am not taking this picture from the funicular/monorail, but instead from the walking path. By the time I got to the top, my legs were in fire and my seafood curry threatening evacuation. It was great, though, I promise.

Nope, I didn't scan a postcard to get this. This is one of the most famous views of Cape Point. I was almost walking backwards to look around the entire time. It is definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

This tower is used to record weather, because according to my friend who knows anything there is worth knowing, it is one point on Earth with some of the cleanest weather. It made sense, because I felt rejuvenated and then some after hiking around.

As you can probably guess, seeing this sign brought me back home (mentally). My roommate pointed out that it was the southernmost point in the world we had ever been. It brought on some intense feelings.

Had to use Caroline to illustrate the height and drama of this landscape. The waves crashing beneath us and the extremity of the cliffs was staggering! I cannot recommend this place highly enough!

There's me! In shadow. You got excited eh? It was amazing that the walking trail went this far around the cliffs and that there were no handrails. Definitely one of those experiences you call home about AFTER the fact (as proof of survival).

Clearly, I was really bored up until this point. NOT. Boulders Beach (the final stop of the day) was also great. My camera battery died, but know that there were penguins in the beach shrubbery everywhere and the aquamarine water was super close. Another gorgeous view. How monotonous. But seriously, this penguin stole my heart. See below for explanation.

How great is that?! Note: I was not zoomed in on my camera. These used to be called Jackass penguins but I believe they are now known as African penguins. I'm not sure exactly where the first name originated, but I think they are glad to be rid of it.

POO-BIN. For all of your dog rubbish needs! Bags offered along the walkway as well. ALSO - people LIVE right on this beach. WITH PENGUINS. Jealous, much? Absolutely.

On my hunt for baby penguins, someone pointed out this little youngster. The furry one hiding behind the cactus-looking leaf. He was shy at first but then popped his adorable face out for a Kodak moment. They were too great.

On its last breath, my camera snapped this gem. I could just hear their little penguin voices saying "Gee, William, wasn't that a lovely walk?" "Why yes, Margaret, the humans were pretty tolerable today. How do you think little Henry is doing?"

Sigh. I need to go back. I'll be the luckiest woman in the world if I can bring my whole family here. And friends. And their friends. Gotta start saving up... it's more than worth it.

School, Vineyards, and Church

2009-09-01T17:53:00.011+02:00

It might be impossible to capture the sights, sounds, and tastes of the last few days but I will attempt to do so. Now.

As you gathered from the video update, our orientation week has been just shy of insane.

Day 1 (Friday 8.28):
We woke up to our glorious view of Table Mountain and Vernon gave us a run-down of all the zany things we would be up to for the next two weeks. It was pretty chilly, but we were soon deceived by this California-like weather – by the afternoon we were sweating up storms. As we were awaiting our transport, I decided to take a look around the blooms of our front yard (if you can call it that) and take photos. Boredom? Nay. Fascination? Absolutely. It should be even more beautiful when spring rolls around.

We then hopped aboard the van and set off for Rondebosch, which is where the University of Cape Town is located. The entire campus is on a hillside, making for a really incredible view and photogenic scenery, but I did not snap any shots of it just yet. We proceeded directly to the School of Law (where our classes will be taught) and were given yet another security briefing by the CPS (campus protection service). They said that if you say “security” or “police” to refer to them, NO ONE will know what you’re talking about. So we all tattooed CPS to our brains. On the bright side, the law school was real pretty:

After seeing UCT and being gazed at by students who all look like they are starring in an Indie film (think dark, bohemian clothing, everywhere), we set off for lunch at Charly’s. All Vernon said about it was “I want to know your comments about it” and “know what you want to order, then run to the counter.” We arrive at this bakery that looks like it’s edible – bright pink paint frosted with white and bubblegum lettering. An inscription on top of the main door says (only for mature audiences) “MUCKING AFAZING.” I had a veggie quiche slice and a very decadent chocolate cake for dessert. Ah, the first of many glorious meals paid for by UNC (aka my tuition, whateverI’moverit). Don’t have any photos of this either, but maybe one day you can come back with me to Cape Town and we’ll have some Charly’s.

Speaking of coming back to Cape Town, at Charly’s we met an alumnus of the program who now lives and works in the city organizing study abroad groups from UConn. He was picking up a cake at the bakery. How awesome is that?! He seemed really cool, and is coming this week to talk to us about his experience. Very excited.

When we were all way too stuffed from lunch to think, we returned to Tamboerskloof (our neighborhood) to make some purchases. For me this consisted of buying 8934 pounds of groceries which should at least last me the next week or two. We bought mostly everything at Woolworth’s, which is a nice grocery store in town that has a good selection of organic/natural products. I even got a reusable orange shopping bag for R7.8 (about a dollar!). Great success. We also just walked around Long Street and got to know the area a bit more (it made me love city life).

The rest of the afternoon was pretty uneventful, until Vernon informed us that instead of dining at Da Gama’s that evening, we would go to Addis on the Cape (I believe that was the name) for Ethiopian cuisine. It was right in downtown Cape Town. At the restaurant, we sat on wicker chairs around these table-like stands that had woven conical covers on top (a picture really would have helped, but Dianita was not thinking at this point). The waiters removed the covers and revealed the plastic table surface with a really interesting design. Basically, they used these holders to put our dinner plates on them, which were actually giant bowls we all shared out of. Dr. Lee (the UNC professor for the trip), said that since she liked it, it must not have been real Ethiopian food (in Ethiopia the food was much “stronger”).

They had us wash our hands with water poured over them and into a bowl, then eat with a spongy white bread that reminded me of very soft pita. It came in rolls, and we were instructed to tear off a piece and use it to grab the different foods on the main bowl. We ordered one of their group specials, so each table got eight different dishes made from chick peas, lentils, lamb, prawns, chicken, beef, tomato, and other ingredients. Needless to say, we were lethargic after all the free food, and almost had to be carted out of the place. Good times on the cape.

Day 2 (Saturday 8.29):
Warning: these details might be fuzzier than the rest because we awoke still fairly tired from the night before. We decided to explore the nightlife on long street, but really only got as far as Rafiki’s. Some friends and I chatted with a South African couple (the woman was a Cape Townian working with autistic children and the man an actor from Jo’burg now studied economics or something) and a Berliner who also spoke Spanish (si, pude practicar un poco – I thought Honduras would be the end of my Latina streak). Even though we did not stay out very late, we were still groggy in the morn.

Anyway, this day we were to go on vineyard tours, which make up a huge part of Cape tourism. We began with a family-owned farm called Altydgedacht in Durbanville, South Africa. Dare you to try to pronounce the name. Our van rolled up to this estate that was reminiscent of a plantation in the South (of the USA, that is), and we were greeted by the owner and his horse-size ridgeback dog (the breed has this line of hair down the back that goes against the grain, making for a Mohawk-like ridge). The winery is surrounded by hills with rows and rows of grapes, as well as a small nature preserve that they are trying to develop.

We arrived freezing to death because we were under the impression that when it is cold in the mornings it gets warm by noon (see Day 1). How terribly wrong we were. Shivering the entire time, the owner gave us a history of the farm, beginning with a cute story about how the Portuguese settlers were the first on the cape, which was not developed until the Dutch East India Company turned it into a stopping point on the way to the East Indies. He neglected to mention the millions of displaced natives, but maybe the wine has blocked out the memory over the years. Moral of his story: the vineyard has been passed down for centuries and the women on the farm have an important role (they kept emphasizing this for some reason). His lil’ speech was followed by a tour of the farm, conducted on an old army truck (a Jeep-looking khaki thing) by the owner’s brother. It was really bumpy and we definitely didn’t fit (especially with the horse dogs squeezed between us), but I enjoyed hanging off the front and getting a look at all the vines (and by looking at the vines I mean conversing with Professor Lee and the owner’s brother).

If my parents were not reading this, I would say that afterward we had a delicious wine tasting, beginning with a Sauvignon Blanc (which DEFINITELY sounded like “Seven-Year Blanc” in an Afrikaaner accent) and including a Pinotage. The bottle to my left describes it as a “full-bodied dry red wine. Plum and raspberry flavours combine with gentle oak overtones, to create a complex wine with soft tannins and a lingering aftertaste. Cellaring potential: 8-10 years.” It’s a wine native to South Africa, because it is a mix of two varieties whose names escape me right now. All of this may or may not have happened.

Following Altydgedacht (it’s taxing to type that, I promise), we took our maybe wino selves over to Spier Estate. Vernon included these on the tour to serve as contrasts. The following description of Spier will likely not do it justice. First: picture Disney World. Second: remind yourself that THIS IS AFRICA. It was completely different from the humble family-owned estate. I was told that there is a resort and other amenities at Spier which I could not even see from the parking lot. Upon entering, we were greeted with a huge lake flanked by picnic tables and children riding ponies (not making this up) and a gorgeous restaurant/store called Moyo. Moyo is… ridiculous. There is a gift shop with goods from all over the continent, and the food boasts the same kind of variety. You can sit in tree houses overlooking the estate or in these tented lounge areas or in the main dining area, which has a stage on which African singing and dancing is performed. A gentle woman goes about painting everyone’s faces with a simple white design. It was outrageous. The food was amazing, but I did not try the wine. Vernon insisted that I have try this cakey pudding dessert with custard on top that is very South African, and by that point I wanted to explode. Everything felt unreal. Again, I failed to take many pictures of the heavenly place, but I bet we’ll return. Definitely an unexpected place for lunch.

While trying to walk off the 80 pounds of food rolling around our bellies, we headed over to the cheetah reserve compound to check out the rehabilitation efforts of Spier.

One thing led to another, and since I was not thinking very clearly after all the food, I thought it would be brilliant to pay the US$12 fee to touch a cheetah. Yes, I touched a cheetah. I went with two other ladies from the group. We were told to use firm strokes and keep our fingers together. Apparently one of us tickled Hemmingway (our cheetah’s name) because he reared his head around and growled menacingly. Luckily, we had all perfected the stance the trainers told us to use, because we sprang up instantly. Yeah, we were pro’s. We kept petting him for a bit longer and did a little photoshoot. Towards the end we felt kind of guilty for bothering Hemmingway, since he seemed tired of all these humans stroking his left side.

While waiting for the entire group to meet up by the parking lot of Spier, we had some good times with Dr. Lee. Some good jokes may or may not have been told. Basically, we ended the day as BFFs (best friends forever). See photo for proof:

That evening we returned to Tamboerskloof and dined at the café down Brownload road (same one our guesthouse is on). For reference, below is a photo of our guesthouse during the day, taken yesterday (thanks to Caroline for modeling).

I had a salmon, cream cheese, tomato, and lettuce sandwich with home-brewed ginger beer. It was delicious. We also became friends with the woman who took our order at the counter, and the over-eager bus boy who explained everything to us (including how long the pizza takes to make and how if we ordered more it would take longer… apparently American intelligence is grossly misjudged). Overall, it was great. Must post photos of it soon.

Day 3 (Sunday 8.30):
We awoke on the day of rest thuper pumped. Why, you ask? Because today we were to visit a township for the first time. The orientation packet read “Depart for Guguletu for Township Faith Experience,” but even that and Vernon’s brief description did nothing to prepare us. We drove for quite some time outside of the city, and knew when we had crossed into Guguletu. It was tightly packed and there were people everywhere. We drove up to a small building with a queue of people outside waiting to go in, and immediately panicked about not being able to all fit in the church. No worries, though. Apparently we had arrived just in time, since we just took our seats with the rest of the crowd. Upon entering mid-song, we were greeted with the vocal power and spirituality of the Sivuyile National Baptist Church. The service was entirely in Xhosa, peppered with English and the occasional reference to us by the pastors. They were welcoming and very kind to us. A little boy blew a kiss at me, and it pretty much made my day. Most of the congregation was older women, making for beautiful singing. Two women donned cushion-like hand instruments for percussion, while another held a metal instrument that was similar to a cowbell. Whenever one of the percussionists would bring their hands together, it shook my soul. Yes, it was that deep.

They gave us lunch after the service, which was SO nice – and delicious. We had grilled chicken, this spinach dish that tasted like mashed potatoes (friggen amazing), sweet carrots, and yellow rice. Each of us went around and introduced ourselves to the elders of the church and they asked us to help with some of their HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns. It seemed that they were surprised by how diverse our interests are.

Around the townships there was some really great graffiti art. Por ejemplo:

While in Guguletu we also saw a commemorative sculpture with the names of seven ANC Youth members who were murdered by the police for their political resistance efforts (only 5/7 seen in photo):

Later we climbed up a lookout hill and Vernon told us more about the townships surrounding it (such as Khayelitsha, where one woman from our group will be interning). There was also an area of cleared land which was preserved by the government for the Xhosa men to continue their right of passage ceremonies (which includes going for days without water and slowly being introduced back into society, as Parks, our driver, explained).

Finally, at the end of that day, Dr. Lee INSISTED that we try Nando's. It's basically a fast-food place like Chipotle but instead with Portuguese-style grilled chicken that is flavored with their special "peri peri" chile sauce. It was quite delicious.

Updates about the rest of the days up to today to come! Thank you for making it this far. Leave a comment/message and I'll send a postcard.

This is Africa

2009-08-29T22:39:00.004+02:00

Cheetah Encounter

Arrival to South Africa

2009-08-29T03:04:00.002+02:00

Wednesday was the day that MIA Delta decided to test if it could process HUNDREDS of passengers with two attendants, (likely) knowing that their flights were to board in an hour. Once the public started to realize this, the chaos of the ENTIRE terminal was managed by a hopeless employee. I was so fortunate to be chosen for this experiment in patience, organization, and survival. I tried to keep it cool, but I did start to panic a bit when my bags were being checked in with thirty minutes to departure (the usual boarding time). On top of that, I cursed myself for not weighing my bag when it turned out to be 15 pounds overweight (a charge of US$150.00 – cue shouting expletives loudly). I transferred some to my camping pack, and it was all good. I hauled my butt over to security, which had one person processing all the people who just yelled at Delta for not proceeding quickly enough and being understaffed. They (finally) opened another line, and I was able to get through with about 10 minutes to spare (or so I thought. There was a slight hold-up when they confiscated the mini Swiss Army knife I had forgotten in my bag, but I could not care less what they did with it.)

SPRINTING to my gate, I arrived breathless and handed the attendant my ticket, only to hear “your plane has left.” Said attendant, after taking note of my homicidal facial expression, swiped my boarding pass and opened the doors of the gate. I ran down the hallway and flew/fell 20 ft. onto the tarmac. Just kidding. I hollered “HOLD THE PLANE” way too dramatically (that part actually happened) and went to my seat.
(Note: a man arrived behind me wearing socks, shoes in hand. I may or may not have saved us both. He’ll thank me later.)

Points of interest on the approximately 24 hours in the air/airports:

+ almost missing a flight for the first time in my life

+ receiving peanut-flavored salt as my snack on the plane (see image for reference)

+ watching “17 Again” on the Dakar flight and not being mildly impressed with Zac Effron

+ journaling at 10:00pm US time, making it 3:47am, unable to sleep (cue colossal jet-lag)

+ crossing the Atlantic Ocean

+ dawn over the ocean (photos above)

+ having my first meal in Cape Town consist of a bean burger with goat cheese and avocado

+ waking up to my view of Table Mountain (photo coming soon)