Dana wondering how to act on all she's learned

It’s finally getting down to the wire! Luckily I have an extra week in South Africa to spend with my family, but going home is still all too close for comfort. Although I’m sad, I would say that the emotion that I was rather surprised to feel is nervous. I put my finger on exactly why I feel nervous, but I think it has a bit to do with the fact that I don’t know what to expect when I return home. I’m scared that although I feel so passionate about changing the countless thing’s I’ve learned that are wrong with not only South Africa or the US, but the world, that I’ll remain idol. Here and now, it seems close to impossible to think that this would happen, but I have a small pit in my stomach when I try to speculate what it is I will do with everything I’ve gotten out of being here when I return home.

I know everyone is harboring the feeling of frustration with the uncertainty of exactly what it is we can do to combat things like racism, sexism, ageism, and other “isms,” but I’ve been noticeably more affected by this feeling within the past week. I think it is most likely because I am slowly approaching my return home, into the environment that I so easily lived for so long oblivious to the extent that these institutions have affected humanity. The saying is so true that what you don’t know won’t hurt you, and that it’s almost easier not knowing because then you don’t have to care. I’m nervous that because I know what it’s like to live in my town, surrounded by upper-middle class, white, educated people and enjoy the feeling of being free of analyzing exactly how my town got that way, that I will so easily fall back into the cycle of being inactive and oblivious. I’m nervous that because the inequalities of institutions such as racism are not as in my face as they are here, that I will slowly lose the passion and concern that are currently making me want to do anything I can to make it right. I’m just nervous that I won’t do anything.

It may seem like an easy solution to just say that I won’t let that happen, but if I’ve learned anything here, it’s that the passion behind the work is what leads to the successes of active people. I’m nervous that I’ll lose the passion I have today.

Another root of my anxiousness is that I do not know what to expect when speaking with friends and family. I realize that most will not be as psyched to hear about my experience here as I would like them to be, simply because they didn’t live it themselves and cannot fully grasp the impact that some of the things I’ve experienced have had on me. My only hope is that I can get across enough of the ideas that I’ve learned without sounding as if I know everything there is to know about the world and the people in it.

Therefore, as anxious as I am about what will come of my amazing experiences here in South Africa, I am excited to see what I will do with them. Without tooting my own horn, I think as long as I act on them, I can do a whole lot. And for that, I can’t wait!

Dana on Huskymania--they're #1

Although most of these blog entries have been pretty heavy (understandably considering the harsh realities that we are all becoming aware of), but one of the highlights of the past few weeks was definitely the UConn men’s basketball team becoming national champions!! Yes, even half way around the world, huskies have pride! On last Monday night (in reality it was 3:30 a.m. here on Tuesday), 16 of us woke up groggily and bleary-eyed to watch the UConn men play Butler in the finals. Let me tell you, that was not an easy task!!

Some of us at Loch Rd. had tried to watch the previous tournament games a number of different ways. They tried streaming video online, but with the iffy and comparatively slower internet connection here, that wasn’t very successful. They tried video skyping with someone from home to watch the game. They even tried having Happy Landings, a sports bar, stay open extra late to watch a game on their tv. However, the only successful attempt was to listen to it over an online radio station. BUT, we weren’t convinced that we had tried everything come Monday when we made it to the final game!! So, we borrowed Marita’s 3g internet stick to hopefully stream it faster and more effectively.

At 3:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning as we shuffled into the common room, we came to find that the 3g stick was also mostly a fail. Although the video would work for spurts of time, it would freeze too often to get a good feel for what was going on in the game. We finally gave in to listening to the game over the radio and periodically checking the video.

At 5:46 a.m. with internships in only about two and a half hours, all 16 of us celebrated the win with a group picture doing the signature husky hand sign.  I sent the picture into the Daily Campus, the UConn paper asking if they would post our picture and story to show students that huskies have pride no matter where they are in the world. Low and behold, the next day I received an email from the daily campus editor in chief with a link to the online PDF with our picture on it! Here is the link for those who are interested:


 HYPERLINK http://issuu.com/dailycampus/docs/dc4.6.11/12



If that doesn’t work, go to  HYPERLINK "http://dailycampus.com" \t "_blank" dailycampus.com and go to the PDFs section and load the paper from April 6th - page 12. However here is the picture we sent in. We were all really excited to finally make the daily campus without even being on campus!! And, as tired as we all were the next day, it was exciting to be able to be a part of UConn while still having the amazing experiences we are while here in South Africa. GO UCONN!!

Julian, Tom, Terri, Joe, Taylor, Susie, Meaghan, Sharielle, Kate, Lianna, Siobhan, Dana, Anna, Kayla, Logan, Emily

Dana thankful to continue a UConn project at Thandokhulu High

As an activist project, Kate and I are restarting the art program at Thandokhulu high school in Mowbray, where Julian, Taylor, and Marie are interning. Last year three women who studied abroad from UConn started the art program. From what we heard from them, the students really liked the program and enjoyed just having time to spend doing something they enjoy with brand new art materials, all for them. Unfortunately, once they left, the art program fizzled out because there was no one to take over managing the program. So, Kate and I decided it would be nice for the students to restart the program. It runs every Friday immediately after school. It was a bit difficult to start up considering the schedule of the school and the busy staff, but we finally got it going. We’ve done it a few times and it has been so much fun! Surprisingly, there are more boys that usually show up than girls, but about 25 kids normally attend. They were so excited to use the brand new markers and colored pencils we bought for them last week to make fortune tellers. After they were done with that, they asked to just draw. Little did we know, they are amazing artists! They were drawing cartoons and their names in graffiti type writing better than some art students! We bring our computers so they can listen to music while they are working which creates a really fun environment. Last week, after most of the other students left, there were only a few boys left and we all danced to Michael Jackson. Not only are they great artists, but awesome dancers as well!!

 Students from Thandokhulu Secondary Art Project

So far we’ve done pretty simple projects with limited supplies just to make sure we had enough for the students that would show up. However, I am very excited for next week when we will be making tie-dye t-shirts with the kids. We had asked them if they would rather use clay or make tie-dye, and much to our surprise they all very enthusiastically said clay. Because this sounded odd to us, we asked if they knew what tie-dye was and most didn’t. So, after we explained and showed them a picture, they all hurriedly changed their minds to tie-dye over clay. We think it’s going to be something really exciting for them because I doubt any of them have done tie-dye before.

How are we funding all of this you may ask? Well, we owe a HUGE thank you to Brittany Florio, a student who came on the UConn Cape Town study abroad last year and ran the art program at Thandokhulu. She had raised $2000 American dollars for the art club and sent it all over to us to use for the students. This is more than we could have ever asked for. We’re sure that there will be left over to donate to Thandokhulu as well for their much needed text book fund. So, thank you Brittany for everything you’re doing for the kids at Thandokhulu, and Kate and I!

Dana contemplating how humans treat other humans

Kate & Dana walking across Walter Sisulu Freedom Square, Kliptown, Soweto

Where to start! Excursion was absolutely amazing!!!! If I were to talk about everything this blog would turn into an essay, so instead I’m just going to mention one big highlight of the trip; the Apartheid Museum.

Apartheid Museum

Apartheid reined in South Africa for 49 years yet in only about two hours in a museum I was moved to tears by the horrible way humans treat each other in times of desperation. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. Humans are set apart from other animals in their ability to think and love according to psychology, biology, sociology, and all the other -ologies. However, I don’t think we can be defined by our ability to love if the worst in us comes out at the first sign of trouble. We see it everywhere in the past but in the present as well. Immediately after 9/11, Sikhs in the United States were targeted as terrorists simply because they wear turbans as a part of their religion despite the fact that the perpetrators of 9/11 were not Sikh. Even today, people still have the lingering attitude of “turban = terror.” In desperation to find a reason why and find a culprit of who would bomb the twin towers, the US as a whole took the turban and turned it into a target, no matter who the person is under the turban. Innocent and patriotic American Sikhs were beaten, threatened, and even killed because of this frantic desperation for an answer.

With the situation in Japan, after the initial emotional devastation of the tsunami, looting of houses and businesses became the focus of many news articles instead of sympathy for those who have lost loved ones. When people became desperate, they relied on thieving from the houses and businesses of people in their own community. I remember reading a quote from a young Japanese man who mentioned that many people shoved elderly people aside during the tsunami in pure selfishness. In desperation to take whatever they could get, the Japanese people completely ignored morals, ethics, and the law.

Apartheid began as a way to keep black and white life separate in order to continue to push the white political agenda while barring blacks from participation in government. For years there was only peaceful protesting on the side of anti-apartheid groups. After continuous and extreme violence on the side of apartheid officials, desperation of no other way to fight back caused anti-apartheid groups like the ANC and PAC to turn violent. Out of desperation to remain human, anti-apartheid groups had to stoop to the level of their apartheid counterparts. Conversely, apartheid officials literally eliminated anyone who stood in the way of their goal of a white-run society. Out of desperation to remain in control, apartheid supporters dehumanized black people and desensitized their people to see black people as targets instead of humans.

My non-fiction book, A Human Being Died That Night, is about a member of the Truth and Reconciliation Committee’s prison interview with Eugene de Kock, an apartheid general nicknamed “Prime Evil.” The book goes through an explanation of the human condition in terms of apartheid and de Kock who murdered hundreds of anti-apartheid leaders as well as innocent civilians in efforts to preserve apartheid. De Kock, despite spending the rest of his life in prison, expresses true remorse with no explanations or excuses; he is truly sorry, and some people have forgiven him. So, although I previously thought that humans should not be defined by how well they can love, I’ve learned that this is precisely what allowed the hundreds of apartheid victims to forgive the very perpetrators that killed their husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, and children. Therefore, I’ve decided that the humanity should be defined by how well we can love instead of how well we hate. 

Dana discovers krumping--and is very impressed!

This is definitely going to sound extremely cheesy, but it’s one of those things that I just have to admit to being a huge geek about; the krumping/ break dancing showcase we went to this Saturday night was AMAZING! Krumping, for those who don’t know what it is, is a type of dancing that is characterized by exaggerated movements of the legs, arms, feet, chest, etc to a beat. Some people might find it similar to break dancing, but it is a bit more aggressive and robotic in movement. We heard about this showcase from Vernon’s son, Tiro, who is part of a krump group called RFK. A bunch of us went to this showcase not really knowing what to expect and I left with a new dream; to be a break dancer (just kidding – I would never be able to move that way). During the show my mouth was dropped wide open the entire time and one act even made me cry because it was so amazing. The best part about it was seeing people my age doing something so incredible. My sister was a part of a drama studio when I was younger and I used to go to a lot of the plays there. This showcase reminded me a lot of how I felt when I would go to those plays – absolutely astonished at the talent that people have. What amazes me even more about it is that although I am decent at sports, I never got into things like acting or dancing, so seeing these talents in kids my age is so inspiring. I feel like sometimes people get so wrapped up in what they’re interested in or what they do that they forget about what other people have to offer. For example, if my sister weren’t in those plays, I probably never would have seen a single one. However, I loved them and miss being able to go see them on a regular basis. I’m sure I’ve missed a lot of talent because I was wrapped up in playing and watching sports when I could have been experiencing all types of dancing, singing, acting, and other talents. However, now that I realize this, I plan to take full advantage of these types of talent shares.

 Krumping

Anyway, this break dance showcase was something I had never seen before and honestly was like something straight off the television, only better. (Here comes the cheesy lines again) If I were Vernon or any other parent of a performer who was in that showcase, I would be so proud of my kid. The performers danced with such passion and talent that I was even proud of them and I don’t even know their names! Overall, that was the highlight of my weekend by far (the gay pride parade and going to Old Biscuit Mill for the first time being very, very close seconds – I’m sure it’s obvious that there aren’t many problems finding things to be excited about here in Cape Town) and I hope to see more where that came from before I leave, and when I get home!

Dana re-evaluating what really matters

About a week ago, Katherine and I were invited to our boss’s (Stan) mother’s house for lunch. It was a celebration for the four year anniversary of his heart transplant; absolutely amazing! His two sons were there along with his mother, two sisters, their families, and a few close friends. Before we started to eat, Stan made a short speech to thank everyone for being there for him throughout the past few years, especially his sons who were with him in the hospital every step of the way. Although I tried to hide it out of embarrassment, I couldn’t help but tear up a bit during his speech because it’s so beautiful that even after four years of such a serious and dangerous operation it can be celebrated with friends and family who went through it all with him instead of mourned or taken for granted. Four years ago Stan had a heart transplant after waiting 8 months for a heart. All he knows is that it came from a 20 year old; he likes to say that although he’s old, he’s young at heart. For him, I suppose he truly is. This is what I really admire about Stan. An event in his life changed him, and now he’s really living instead of just going through the motions. He’s giving back to his community through Operation HOPE every single day while truly believing in what he’s doing. He’s raising two successful sons, he participates in the transplant Olympic games (taking a trip to Sweden in a few months for nationals!) and although he works hard, he takes time to relax and enjoy small pleasures.

 Dana with her supervisor Stan from Operation Hope

One thing I’ve learned here is that people take their time to relax. Whether it is through teatime, vacation, or just taking time at night to sit and talk with family, overall people like to enjoy their time, money, and company much more than Americans. What I’ve come to find is that money seems to be more valuable to people here because of what it can give you rather than in America where it seems that people make money just to have and show it off rather than enjoy it. This has definitely changed my perspective on what to work towards in my career.  Instead of working simply for money, I want to be the kind of person who works towards a physical goal where money is a reward for what I am achieving instead of the actual goal itself. To look at Stan who is such a successful person enjoying his (second) chance at life makes me truly happy and makes me re-evaluate what matters in life.

Dana's work at Operation HOPE

Since my last blog post, myself as well as my co-educators (as Marita would say!) have started our internships. Therefore I figured I would tell all the followers back at home a bit about my internship. I'm at an organization called Operation HOPE which is actually based out of California. It started a few years after the Rodney King trials in 1992 where the police were found not guilty of severely beating Rodney King when he was pulled over for drunk driving. People were upset with the court system and the racism that was linked to the trials and riots began. These riots were by and large found in the black communities where people’s sense of dignity was being challenged by the law. A business man named John Hope Bryant realized that these riots weren’t simply the reaction to the non-guilty verdict of the policemen, but a reaction to the loss of self respect and self worth within the black community especially. He took big name bankers on a bus tour of the “black areas” in LA to show them that if these people could somehow own their house or car, or anything for that matter, it would help them to lead a more dignified life. He encouraged these bankers to invest in these communities to help the people regain their dignity. As a personal response to his newfound ideas, he started Operation HOPE.

The reason this organization spread to ZA is because at the time of the Rodney King case, many black and coloured South Africans felt that they were in a similar situation as well as the fact that it made global news. South Africa has a problem with saving money. Of all countries it has the largest disparity between rich and poor, and it is extremely evident even when just driving from one end of a street to another. You can be in Camps Bay where hollywood actors and actresses buy beach houses and drive about 15 minutes and be in vast townships with millions of people living in wood and tin shacks. A big reason for this disparity is that money management isn't a huge part of the curriculum as well as the fact that most kids come from extreme poverty and don't have a great role model to look up to.

 Students at Phakama High School in Philippi at their Monday morning assembly

What Operation HOPE does is they go into schools, primary, middle, and high schools and teach 6 different modules which come together as a crash course in financial literacy. The first module is on dignity because the biggest problem is that people believe that because they are born poor they must die poor too. Additionally race is a huge issue here still so black and coloured students don't think they can break the cycle they were born into. So, the first module, Dignity, is basically to instill hope in the fact that they don't need to be poor, and the only thing stopping them is themselves.

The next modules are the Basics of Banking -  this explains to students where money comes from (Mint and Reserve Bank) and how banks work. Then Cheques and Savings - this explains what debit and credit cards are, the difference between the two, as well as how to write checks. Next comes The Power of Credit - explaining that loans and credit are necessary, but there is a difference between good and bad credit. Fifth is investments - this shows students a bit about the stock market to introduce them to it and give them options in investing.

The last module is entrepreneurship. This isn't a module in the US simply because the unemployment rate is only about 9% nationally. In South Africa it's about 40% and in certain areas it can be as high as 70%. This module teaches students that a viable option after they pass high school is being an entrepreneur to create their own job instead of relying on the nearly impossible job market.

The  grade 9's at Phakama doing a worksheet during one of my classes

My internship is unique from most here in the sense that myself and Katherine work with only one man, Stanley Henkeman. He is the extent of Operation HOPE in the western cape of ZA. We don't really work in an office since we mostly just go into the schools to teach, and there really isn't a set time schedule considering every day is different. We've only been working with him for about two weeks, but I can already tell how extremely intelligent he is. It's amazing the work he's put into Operation HOPE as well as all of the other things he's involved in. He's had a heart transplant and is going to Switzerland in a few months to compete in the Transplant Olympic Games as a sprinter. He's ridiculously kind and brings us to try different South African cuisines most days instead of us bringing our own lunch (a very special treat!). I’ve learned so much by just talking with him or picking up on things that we drive past. Just recently I taught my first classes and working with the students is amazing. It’s frustrating in the sense that there are almost 50 students to one classroom being taught in a language that isn’t there mother tongue. However, seeing that they are truly listening and taking in what you're saying gives me a sense of accomplishment different than ever before. 

Dana burning and learning

Orientation is finally coming to an end and although part of me wants to get into a routine again, I know I’m going to miss having time to just spend hanging out with my amazing housemates at some amazing places! On Friday we went to Clifton beach, which had some of the softest, whitest, cleanest sand I’ve ever seen! Although most of us came back with a sunburn despite using SPF 55 sunscreen, it was worth it to walk down the beach and see the clear (and freezing!) water smashing against the rock groups on the shore.

On Saturday night we attended an annual minstrel event that is held in Cape Town. I had never heard of this before, but it’s a holiday with a lot of history. At the time of slavery in Cape Town, the slaves worked all day long on New Years Day serving their masters but were given January 2^nd off to rest. This is the day they would celebrate the New Year with music and dancing and bright colors, which is now commemorated by a public holiday in the Western Cape. The annual show I’m writing about is a celebration where several different minstrel groups perform for a crowd while competing against each other for the title that year; friendly competition though. There were so many people watching the amazing instrumental music and dancing, whether part of a minstrel group or just for the experience. It was especially exciting for us because our bus driver, Faiek, is part of a minstrel group and personally invited us to come watch them perform!

While there, I decided to get something to eat. It must have been clear that I didn’t know what I was eating because a boy who was part of one of the minstrel groups came over to me to explain that it was traditional Cape Malay food and told me exactly what was in it. He continued to explain the tradition of the minstrel and the reasoning behind the costumes and face paint as well as asking me about our stay here so far. It felt great to be welcomed into such a cultural event despite the fact none of us knew of the holiday beforehand. This type of friendliness is something that is very unique to Cape Town. People are very open and just want to talk to you no matter what you end up talking about. It’s a comforting feeling to be welcomed in when at times it can be awkward and uncomfortable being so obviously American.

Tomorrow is the start of our internships and I’m more nervous now than I was getting on the plane here! I’m not sure what to expect or what I’m going to see, but I know no matter what it is I’ll be doing, I’m going to love doing it. 

Dana beginning to feel at home

Today was the first day in South Africa I did something I consider normal, everyday, or common; I went for a run. I came out of the Loch Rd. house through the gates, walked down our street to the Rondebosch Commons, and circled the commons one and a half times before realizing that I wasn’t standing out for being in a group of 23 Americans, whistled at by a passing minibus taxi for a ride, experiencing an amazing cultural aspect or landmark, or even hearing “Welcome to Cape Town!”  After being here for about a week, Cape Town finally felt normal and real. It felt like I was blending into the scenery with the other native South Africans on their daily runs. Although it feels odd to say, it felt like Cape Town was my home too.  The feeling was absolutely incredible.

So far in my semester here in Cape Town, I’ve done things I’ve never done before in my life. I can now say I have: been on a plane for 15 hours, lived in a house with 16 other people, taken a ride in a minibus taxi with true Capetonians, seen poverty that is so shocking it doesn’t seem real or even possible, experienced summer in the middle of January, been in the minority (as far as race) almost everywhere I go, seen a World Cup stadium, been to an island where hundreds of political activists were held under horrifying conditions solely due to their politics, eaten antelope meat, been a student at a University other than UConn (University of Cape Town!!), and seen first hand the work of several amazing people working to ease the problems of South Africa despite facing intense opposition. The positive aspect of that last point is that myself, as well as the 22 other students here will be joining those amazing people to change what little part of South Africa we can while South Africa changes us. I can’t wait!

Dana seeking joy in the simple things

If only it could be January! I absolutely cannot wait to go to Cape Town next semester! When I first found out that I was going to South Africa, it didn't really seem real, and it still hasn't 100% set in, but I am constantly getting more and more excited to go. I can't even say what I'm looking forward to the most because it's basically everything. However, if I had to pick one thing, I would have to say the internship. Although it will be one of the more serious parts of the trip, I'm looking forward to meeting the youth of South Africa. When my sister came back from Cape Town with pictures, every picture of the children was cuter than the one before. Although it sounds odd, I can't wait for my heart to break every time I see a little South African child. Seeing those pictures made me want to meet them and really be there to share in the joy they have. Despite the conditions they live in every single day, (which we saw a bit in Testing Hope on Sunday) such a simple thing as getting their picture taken is the highlight of their day. I hope some of this "joy in the simple things" will rub off on me for times when I take for granted everything I have. So I guess what I am most looking forward to is hopefully to be the source of joy in at least one South African child's day.

I believe part of the reason people live the way they do has to do with luck; if they are lucky to be brought into the world in a good environment, they are a step ahead. I was lucky enough to be brought into a strong and loving family but also a family that had the means to not only buy enough food, clothing, and material things, but to pay for an education that will provide me with amazing opportunities. I realize that in most cases, I take all of this for granted, and obviously never really know what it would be like to have to work tremendously hard to achieve something as simple to me as eating three meals a day. Therefore, my hope is that in living in South Africa for a semester will help me to really understand and appreciate the privilege that I have been given, mostly by pure luck, as well as the lack of privilege many people of the world must fight through every minute of every day. I think for most of us going to South Africa, the culture shock we experience won't only be shocking because it is so dramatically different, but also because we have never REALLY known how lucky we truly are.

Although, I could go on much longer talking about my excitement on being accepted to study abroad in South Africa, I'll save it for when I'm actually there experiencing it!!