¿Que pasa, Christel House?

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?

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

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

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.