Kayla's not quite ready to leave

2011 UConn-Cape Town Co-educators

I still have not come to terms with the fact that we are leaving South Africa to go home a week from today. I honestly thought I would be ready to go home when this time came but I wish I could be here for at least a few more weeks. It is hard because I really want to see my family and friends but I do not want to leave the life I have built here. It has been the most amazing experience and I'm really sad that it is quickly coming to an end. Throughout this 3 and a half months here, the 23 of us students on this program have gotten closer and closer to each other. We all joke about the plane ride here to South Africa when we all just wanted to talk and get to know each other as much as possible. Now, I cant imagine not being friends with every one of them when I go home. We have all grown so much as individuals and have adapted so much of the culture here. We all use as much as the South African lingo as possible and participate in as many of their traditions that we can. We are also talking about how we are going to bring all of these things back to the US with us and spend a lot of time together when we get home. I really can’t say it enough about how much we have all grown together. I really noticed it a lot when we traveled to Plettenberg Bay. We stayed in a hostel where 18 of us stayed in one large room together in bunk beds. Both nights we were there, we stayed up talking and joking around for at least 2 hours before going to sleep. We never seem to get sick of each other and as long as we are together, we have fun doing just about anything. And although I was the only person from our group that did not bungee jump, I still went out on the bridge with them to support and be there for them. EVERYONE was cheering for the person that was jumping and was giving them positive reinforcements the entire time to help them through it. We were all so happy for each other and everyone helped each other to face their fears and take the risk. I also noticed it a lot when we were hiking at one of the places near Plettenberg. We had to climb over these huge rocks and it was definitely a struggle for a few of us. There was no hesitation for anyone in our group to step up and help us get over them. With the constant reassurance from them and trust that we have built between each other, it was easier than I thought to climb over these huge rocks that I would NOT have been able to do on my own.

On the rocks

I think that the trust is also a big thing in our group. We all have built so much trust and understanding of one another and can rely on each other for just about anything. I have to say that I was a little hesitant at first when I knew I would live in a house with 17 people but I think it will be something I am going to miss a lot when I leave. It’s going to take some time to get used to not waking up to all of the loud voices of the pool house people and always having people around at all times. Everyone is ALWAYS there for one another and it is going to be really hard to leave them and not spend as much time together like we are used to. I think I speak for many when I say that this has really become our home. Whenever we travel, we always say that we are excited to go back home, meaning back to Cape Town. Although I do miss my life back home, I will forever miss the life I built here. The experience and knowledge I gained on this trip could not be described in words but is unforgettable and something I will carry with me throughout the rest of my life. I think I could go on forever about everything I love from South Africa and my time spent here. But I will just end with saying that this experience has had a huge impact on my life and I could never forget the knowledge, experiences, and people that I’ve met here.  This country is absolutely beautiful and I already can’t wait to come back in my future! 

Kate, Nokuzola, and Kayla

Kayla and friends loving the Braai

One thing I am definitely going to miss from South Africa is Braai. Braai is a type of food similar to BBQ, but way better in my opinion. It consists of getting some raw meat of choice and grilling it on a charcoal grill in some sort of crate thing. It takes a while for the coal to heat and light up but once it does, the meat can start to cook. The best part of this is the marinade that is put on the meat. It is usually called Braai sauce and is SO GOOD. Each place does it differently and there is really no right way for it to be done.  Another great part about Braais is the actual experience of it. It is commonly an event in which people gather and spend time together. They are meant to be stress free and enjoyable for all. Usually they last a while and include some drinking such as beer and wine. We have had a few Braais at our house and have gone to a few that other people have invited us to. Although they have been different, some things remained the same. There were people there enjoying each other’s company, food and drinks, and a relaxed, stress free atmosphere. I always have such a great time when at a Braai and ALWAYS enjoy the food! It is something I really hope to bring back to the US and enjoy there as well. I am definitely bringing back a big bottle of the Braai Sauce and plan to introduce it with my family and friends.

 Another thing I enjoy about Braai and the meat is how it is eaten. If you go out to a place that serves Braaid meat, people usually eat it with some bread or just by itself. At a popular Braai restaurant called Mzoli’s, they literally just serve meat and you can buy the bread separate before you go. When you get to this place, you go inside and order what meat you want and how much you want. There is so much raw meat it is crazy! But then they weigh it out and put it in a huge bowl and send it back to the grilling area where they Braai it. Their sauce is so good and is definitely the best I have had since being here. Once the meat is done, you bring it to your table and eat it. They do not have plates or napkins or anything else except for that huge bowl of meat. So we usually bring some napkins, a drink, and the bread. Everyone kind of just digs in and eats together. It is different than American culture but it is something we have all grown to love. Braai is very common here and I truly enjoy every time I get to eat Braai’d meet or actually go to a Braai outing. I can’t wait to eat it a few more times before I leave and hopefully bring it back to the US! 

Kayla on her Beautiful Gate experiences

Since it has been over two months that I have been working at my internship, Beautiful Gate Children’s Community Home, I wanted to tell about what has come from it thus far. When I first started working there, it was a little overwhelming to try and remember who everyone was and how to get adjusted to the South African pace (which is a little different than that of the United States). Cape Town has a slower pace and way of living compared to the US. It is more relaxed and not as rushed. There is also this thing called “tea time” where every day at 10, people break to have tea and maybe a small snack. I have to say that I have become very adjusted to having tea time and will definitely miss it when going back to work in the US. I soon learned that getting to know the people I work with at Beautiful Gate was much easier than I expected. Everyone that worked there was SO welcoming to us and all took the time to introduce themselves and try to get to know us. I really felt as though I could go to anyone for questions or for anything else that I may need while working there. Within a week or two, I really felt at home there.

The children were a whole different story. There are about 34 children living at Beautiful Gate with ages ranging from 5 months to 14 years. Most of these children were born with HIV and many of them do not have any family. In the beginning of our time there, it was hard to get to know the children because there was so many of them and it was a little overwhelming. But as the time passed, we started to get to know more and more of the children. I can honestly say that by now, I know the majority of the children and look forward to seeing them every day I am here. The kids are very young but they are so smart and amazing to talk to. When the school aged children get home from school each day, they will come into the medical cottage where Kate and I work just to say hi and give us hugs. Most of them run in to see us and some don’t want to leave. The youngest child there is 5 months and I think that every day when we are there, we go and find him to play with. He is SO CUTE and we really can’t get enough of him. He is also a special child there because of how he became part of the Beautiful Gate community. He was found when he was about 2 days old in some bushes, umbilical cord still attached, not far from where Beautiful Gate was located. It was a miracle that he was still alive and healthy at that. It is hard to believe that someone could have a child and then immediately place him in some bushes, not knowing what will happen to him or if he will even survive.  But I think it’s hard to imagine because I am not living in extreme poverty like so many people in the surrounding community. Some people do not have electricity or running water in their “shacks” and many do not have a bathroom. Living in such extreme conditions, whatever they may be, can drive people to do things that may seem crazy to people who never experienced such things. So as sad as the story is, it is still amazing to see the baby healthy and chubby as ever who gets so much love from everyone who sees him (especially the three of us who intern there). 

Getting to know the kids has been an amazing experience and led to us being able to take 4 of them home with us for a night. We took four of the boys we got close with and they were ages 9, 10, 11, and 14.  They came over on a Friday and stayed until Saturday afternoon. Everyone that we lived with loved to spend time with them as well. The kids were constantly smiling and having a great time with us. They absolutely loved our pool and spent a lot of time swimming in it. We were so sad to see them leave and were already thinking about when we could have them over again. It was nice to take those four boys because none of them have family left and if they do, they either disappear or refuse to take the kids. It is so sad because the kids are absolutely amazing and it’s hard to think that family members don’t want to take them or just disappear so they won’t have to. But it was nice to know that the kids had such a great time because they were begging the “mamas” of their cottages to take them back to our house. It was actually funny because the next week when we got back to work, mostly all of the kids were running up to us saying “Take me! We want to see your house! Can we come too?!” I wish we could just take all of them! 

I really LOVE going into work. I love to see the kids and play with them and I love the staff that works there. There are two women that Kate and I work with in the medical cottage who have both been so great to us. One of the women took us with her to her church and always wants to have us over for lunch or dinner and take us around Cape Town. The other woman had us to her house yesterday and took us to a place where we had a braai and hung out for the day. We have such an awesome time with them and really share some unforgettable memories. Working at Beautiful Gate has introduced me to some really amazing people and experiences. I am going to be really sad to leave but I know I will stay in touch with the two women I mentioned above. I am truly grateful for everything they have done for us and continue to do each day. The whole experience of working there has been unbelievable and I couldn’t have asked for a better placement than Beautiful Gate! 

Kayla's excursion filled with learning and adventure

Kayla and Terri at the Nelson Mandela House

This past week we traveled to Johannesburg for 5 days and then to Kruger National Park for 3 days. The whole trip was an unbelievable experience. Johannesburg was filled with various museums and learning experiences. We went to Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital which is one of the biggest hospitals in the southern hemisphere. This hospital is located in Soweto. It was amazing to hear all of the things that the hospital has done and still continues to do for the community. They have many programs in place to help with HIV/AIDS as well as many other illnesses that the community faces. We also visited Nelson Mandela’s home which was also located in Soweto (the largest township in South Africa). There, we learned about a lot of his family and his past before imprisonment and what happened after he was released. I really enjoyed seeing the place where Mandela spent a large portion of his life.

Some of the museums/sites we visited included the Apartheid Museum, the Hector Pieterson Memorial Site, the Sharpeville Memorial, and Memorial Johannesburg Prison and Constitutional Court. These places were absolutely amazing. The Apartheid Museum was so big and had so much to see that I really think I could have stayed there for days. Before we went in, we were given at random our tickets to enter and on each one, there was a label which said either “white” or “non-white.” And that determined which entrance you were allowed to walk through. I liked how that kind of put things into perspective of how people actually lived and how separate everyone was with people who were not in their race. As much as I loved the museum and all of the learning and videos, it was also really hard at times. It’s hard to believe how people were treated here during apartheid and how it only ended 17 years ago. People who were not white were not treated like humans in any sense and were constantly dealing with abuse and torture. Hearing personal stories and watching videos of how police officers treated people was really disheartening and upsetting. It is amazing to me that these people continued to fight back and resist this oppression to stand up for their rights. And after that long, hard struggle, apartheid ended and they are still on the road to an equal country.  I really loved to hear what black and coloured people did during this struggle and how hopeful they were throughout that time. Many of them fought till their death and put up with unimaginable torture to stand up and fight for equality and resist the oppression of apartheid.

Hector Pieterson was a young boy who was shot to death when protesting with a bunch of other school children for educational rights. The government was oppressing them by forcing the teachers to teach the classes in Afrikaans which made it even harder for the students to learn. During this protest, the police officers were shooting shamelessly into the crowd of kids. Many innocent people were injured and died here who were just standing up for their education so they could learn and have a future.  The Sharpeville Memorial was also hard at times because it was at the police station where the Sharpeville Massacre occurred. 69 people died here and around 180 were injured. The sad thing about this is that the people came unarmed and the police opened fire on them and continued to do so until there was silence. Most of the people who died were shot in the back which shows that they were running away when they were shot and not fighting or resisting. This just goes to show the countless torture and carelessness of anyone who is not white. The Memorial and Johannesburg Prison displayed the conditions that people lived in while in prison and the differences between white and non-white prisoners. I couldn’t believe that even in prison, people were treated so differently. One of the hardest things that I learned while being there is the amount of torture that was put upon people of color. Some people were put in solitary confinement for such long amounts of time, even lasting up until one year. I could not imagine being in an enclosed cell with no lighMOt or anything for that matter for a whole year. I feel like that is one of the worst types of torture because the person is secluded from all life and never knows what time of day it is and how much time is going by and what not. And the thing that bothers me the most is that these people who are locked in this solitary confinement usually didn’t do much of anything wrong. Visiting these places definitely gave a bitter sweet feeling when thinking about what these people went through but then knowing that they did succeed with what they were fighting for.

                                         

Morning Safari at Kruger

The end of the trip was definitely a change of pace. Kruger National Park was awesome! We went on a sunset safari the day we got there and the next morning we went on a sunrise safari. Both were amazing experiences. We saw many animals including giraffes, elephants, impalas, rhinos, hippos, wildebeests, a lion, and more that I do not know the names of. The lion actually walked right by our truck! It was so cool to see these animals in their natural habitat and observe how they live. Some of us also went on a safari walk in the evening which was also a great experience. There were about 10 of us and 2 guides who drove us to a place where we then parked and walked through some of the land. We walked pretty far into the woodsy area and saw a few animals from a distance as well as many different insects. It was really cool because a lot of the time, we could feel the ground vibrating along with hearing in the distance the loud stomping of the elephants or big animals walking around. While walking through, I felt so small amongst everything and it really gave me a different perspective of it all. I really enjoyed the walk although I was pretty scared a lot of the time. I loved being at Kruger. The whole trip was just an amazing experience and it was nice to also learn a lot while having such a great time. But now that we are back, this means that we only have 5 weeks left here so I hope that we will make the most of it! 

                                         

Nicole, Terri & Kayla on a mountain top in Kruger National Park

Kayla on the amazingly helpful people of Khayelitsha

For this blog post, I just wanted to comment on the amazing people that I have met the past 2 times I have been to one of the townships, Khayelitsha. The 1^st time we went, we traveled with our friend Bongi who lives there and he showed us how to take the public bus to get there. I went there with Susie because we work with Amanda and Bongi with some children in an afterschool book club. The ride was about an hour and 15 minutes and it didn’t seem too hard getting there. After the book club was over, we had to take a minibus to the main taxi rink in Khayelitsha and then find the one going to Mowbray and take that one to get home. When we were on the 1^st one, a guy got in and sat in front of us. He turned around and started asking us questions about ourselves and where we were from. We got to talking and he told us how welcomed we were and how everyone there is so grateful to have us. Once we got to the taxi rink, he got out so he could show us where to find our next minibus. He made sure he talked to the guy to assure that the taxi would be going to Mowbray and that it could drop us off where we needed to be. Then he shook our hands and said it was great to meet us and then was on his way. It was amazing to feel that welcomed and to have someone care to go out of their way to make sure we were okay literally just to be nice and not to benefit him.

The next Friday when Susie and I went to go back to the book club, it was our first time taking the Golden Arrow busses by ourselves and we were a bit nervous. Once we got into Khayelitsha, we started paying attention to the stops to recognize where we had to get out. Since Khayelitsha is one of the biggest townships in South Africa, we both felt kind of lost. So Susie asked the woman next to us about the community center we had to be at and we soon realized there were at least three in Khayelitsha. After about 5 minutes, the whole bus was involved in trying to find out where we were going and how they were going to get us there. After a little while, we thought we saw the building and were going to get off but all the women didn’t think it was it. So they were saying, “stay on the bus girls! Don’t get off we don’t want you girls to get lost! It’s not safe to not know where you are, we will help you!” and so Susie and I stayed on the bus and called Bongi who also works there with us. One of the women asked to talk to him and then she figured out where we needed to be. It ended up being the building we thought and they all called to the bus driver to stop and let us out. They all made sure we knew where we were going and waved goodbye until the bus drove away. Susie and I could not believe how genuinely concerned everyone on that bus was with our safety and getting to the right destination. They all cared so much and it was absolutely amazing. 

Kayla's favorite weekend yet

So I think that last weekend was one of my favorite weekends here so far. On Thursday, we hiked up Lions Head Mountain to watch the sunset and moon rise. It was of the most amazing things I had ever seen. On one side of the mountain where the sun was setting, it was the ocean and beach and the sunset behind the water which was absolutely beautiful to watch. Looking off the other side of lions head was the whole city and the moon setting above it. It was incredible to see the city light up as the sky turned dark. I just couldn’t express how happy I was being up there although I'm sure I said it plenty of times. I really just couldn’t be happier that night and was also very satisfied with myself and everyone we went with for making it up the mountain since it was a rather steep hike.

On Friday, I went with Susie and Julian to Khayelitsha to work with Amanda and Bongi in their afterschool book club for middle school to high school aged children. It was a great experience to do activities with the kids and talk to them about what they wanted to do in their future and what they like to do now. It was amazing to hear the things that these kids wanted to do and I truly hope they achieve their dreams in their future. It was great to be able to help them in their life skills which is one step further to achieving that goal. That was one of my favorite things about this book club that Amanda runs; it teaches life skills to the children as well helping to build their confidence with talking and reading. I really enjoyed working with Amanda and Bongi and all of the children, and look forward to going back next Friday to help.

On Saturday, a bunch of us went to the concert on Clifton beach in which Vicky Sampson, our professor Vincent’s wife, was the star of the show. The whole atmosphere of the concert was just great. It was on a gorgeous beach and we were right next to Lions Head and Table Mountain. It started in the evening and lasted a little while after dark. It was amazing to listen to the music and stand up and dance with everyone. When they announced it was the last song, I was just wishing it could go on for a while longer. I really had a great time and enjoyed listening to Vicky’s amazing singing voice. Something else I loved about this concert was being able to see people hiking up and down Lions Head. When it was dark, you could just see specks of light going up and down the exact path we had taken on Thursday. It brought back the great memories and just all around, made me happy. After the concert, we got dinner and went out to some places in Camps Bay right near the water. It was a wonderful night.

This weekend, we are going to a human rights training weekend which we do not know much about. All we know is that there will be 24 of us there (our group) along with 24 South Africans. I am really looking forward to meeting these new people and can’t wait to find out what we will be doing all weekend. Judging by the amazing people I have met here so far, I am sure it will be another unforgettable weekend in South Africa. 

Kayla experiencing time flying by

I am in shock about the fact that we have already been here for a month. The time is flying by! Everything has been going great and I am still as happy as ever. This weekend was great. After classes on Thursday, we planned to go see the opening of parliament in town which I was excited to see after doing my presentation on South African parliament and actually understanding it. But unfortunately, we missed the train we were supposed to take and by the time we got into town, the speech by president Zuma was already over. So we ended up staying in town and spending the rest of our night there which turned out great. On Friday, a bunch of us went to Muzinberg Beach again and I tried out surfing this time. I had so much fun! I was surprised when I was able to stand up and actually do it more than one time although I am still sore from it a few days later. I was skeptical to surf because of the great white sharks that are back and forth from the beach but with a lot of reassurance from my friends, I gave it a try and I am so happy I did.

Saturday, a few of us went to Claremont to do some shopping and then we spent the rest of the evening with each other outside, enjoying the beautiful day. I feel as though we (the people on this trip) get closer and closer every day which is something I love.

Today on Sunday, Meaghan, Kate, and I went with the nurse we work with at Beautiful Gate to her church. She had invited us to go on Monday and we were thrilled with the offer. It was nice because it was a catholic church and the 3 of us girls are catholic. I was very excited to see the similarities and differences between these churches and the way in which people practice. The church was in one of the townships called Nyanga and it is safe to say that we were the only three White people/Americans in the church. The mass was half in English and half in Xhosa but it was easy to follow along because there were many similarities between the churches. I found myself participating without even realizing it because there were parts exactly the same as back home. I was so happy to see that half way around the world, the catholic people practice so similarly and it made the experience truly special. Also, all of the people in the church were very happy to have us there. They shared their song books with us and showed us where we were at all times. During the offering of the peace, many people came up to us to shake our hands and say hello. It was nice to see such a close-knit community and to see the faith and hope that these people have. Towards the end of the mass, they asked us to stand up and introduce ourselves and say where we were from. It was amazing to see how accepting all of the people were and how happy they were to have us there. After the mass was over, many people came and introduced themselves to us personally and wanted to make sure we were enjoying Cape Town and to learn about us and how we were doing. The priest also extended his welcome and told us that we were always welcome and hoped to see us back before we left to go home. I think Meaghan, Kate, and I all agreed that we would love to go back. Being there brought a sense of home to me because of how similar parts of the mass were to mine at home and how welcoming and engaging the people were with us. After such a short time spent in that church, I had already felt a feeling of belonging there. I really loved the experience and plan to go again before I leave.

As I have said before, Cape Town continues to amaze me and I look forward to all the new things we are planning in our next 11 weeks here!

Kayla is eager to experience all Cape Town has to offer

Kayla & Terri at Boulder Beach

Now that it is our third week of our trip, our internships have officially started. My internship is at Beautiful Gate which is an orphanage for children under the age of 14. About 3/4ths of this children have HIV. At Beautiful Gate, I work with the head nurse and spend a lot of time preparing medicines such as ARVs for the children that do have HIV. We prepare all of the meds for morning and night which takes a lot of time because we need to fill up syringes for the children too young to swallow pills. I work there with Meaghan and Kate which is really helpful because I was a lot less nervous going into it than if I was alone. Also at Beautiful gate, the youngest baby is 4 months old. Today when I was holding him, he fell asleep in my arms! I wish I could take him home and never put him down... but unfortunately I had to leave him and go home.  I really love working there and look forward to going back.

Getting settled in here in Cape Town has gotten much easier. I do not feel as worried and concerned when walking around and doing the things I need to do in town. It is nice to finally know the area and feel confident that I will not get lost and know exactly how to get where I need to be. I think all of the security briefings we got had really scared me but after being around the people these past few weeks, I do not feel as scared all the time.

Sunday during the day, we went to a concert at Kirstenbosch Gardens. It was absolutely beautiful! It was right on the bottom of Table Mountain and was one of the most gorgeous places I have ever been. The concert we saw was a singer who is really popular in South Africa and I really loved her music. I can definitely say that I will be back there again sometime soon.

Last week, our classes started at UCT as well as Marita’s class that we hold at our house on Loch Road. UCT’s campus is amazing! It is the most beautiful campus I have ever been at and I do not mind taking classes there because I LOVE to be there. All the classes have gone really well and I really like Vincent’s class because it ties together a lot of the history of SA that I already knew. It really has helped me to understand a lot of what has happened and how that affects where SA is today. It is amazing how much I learned after just one class!

So I would say that so far, South Africa just keeps getting better and better. I really look forward to spending the next three months here and experiencing all that Cape Town has to offer as well as learning as much as possible along the way! 

Kayla's settling in

Susie, Kayla, Terri, Emily

Upon arriving to Cape Town, I was blown away by the amazing scenery and mountains that could be seen from all parts of the city. I had seen it all before in pictures, but it was nothing compared to the real thing. When we got to our house, I immediately became so excited and couldn’t wait to unpack and settle in. The orientation week has been going great. Every day, we do something new and exciting with our group. It was interesting the day that we had to go off with our groups to complete a transportation task because we were on our own and had to figure out what to do without much help. My group was the only one that had to take the Jamie Shuttle which is the shuttle that transports around the University of Cape Town. We walked to lower campus and then took the shuttle into town. It was challenging the 1^st time but everyone was really nice and glad to help us so we finally got into the swing of things. I can’t wait to start classes at the University and be able to utilize some of the great things that it has to offer. I am also really excited to start our internships! Only a week left. I'm sure they’ll be amazing. I am glad that we see everyone else’s internships as well because every internship is unique and special in its own way.

So far, Cape Town has turned out to be everything I imagined it to be and more. Although it has only been a week, I feel like I am getting settled in and becoming more comfortable with everything around us. Our two RA’s Ben and Jessica have been so helpful throughout this process and have definitely made a huge impact on our safety, learning, and enjoyment of Cape Town. I look forward to spending the next 14 weeks here with everyone!  

Kayla's year long anticipation

My first response when I found out that I was accepted into the South Africa study abroad program was pure excitement. I had been looking into the program since October of last year and could not wait to go ever since. I was worried they would not be able to take that many people due to housing reasons so I was anxious about not getting into the program.  But as soon as I heard that they had secured the other house, it started to become a little more real.

I am anticipating getting to know all of the people in the study abroad group and also to learn about Cape Town and South Africa as a whole. I would like to learn about where my internship will be and what it will involve as well as some direction as to where things are located in relation to our house that we live in. I just cannot wait to start packing my stuff and actually get there! But I think that the more I know going in to it, the easier it will be getting settled in.