Lianna on being home

Since being home, I’ve really been missing life back in Cape Town.  No longer do I get to look up each day at Table Mountain, no longer do I get to wake up in a house of 17 of my friends, and no longer do I get to see some of the most heartbreaking, yet inspiring things I have ever seen in my life, on a day to day basis. Like Siobhan said, writing this last blog post makes me feel like our trip is finally over, there is not much left of our adventure, only attempting to share it with the people closets to us, which I have found to be very difficult.   Even when I have enough time to explain what I was doing, and the things that took place, I know that I’m failing at describing it accurately.  Perhaps we’ll get a little better as time goes on – the people who did last years symposium seemed to have to down pretty well, but for now it remains difficult to put everything into sentences.

I’m extremely grateful for my time there, the internship of my dreams may not have panned out according to plan, we never did get to go shark cage diving, and I never made it to the top of devils peak (got a little lost) but I guess that shows the benefits of being flexible adaptable and spontaneous (I’m not sure how long that phrase will be stuck in my head). Overall my experience was absolutely amazing, and life changing, and what better way to put that into perspective than returning to my small hometown right away.  Not much changed since I was gone, but looking at it from a whole new perspective, I can appreciate just how quaint and nice it is to live in this small town in rural Connecticut, and while its been a nice vacation back to my old life, staying here has got me antsy for my future.  Now that I have seen part of the world, and been exposed to a whole new culture, I can’t imagine not continuing on in this journey.  Also, learning what I have this past semester, I have been more directed in what I ultimately want to do in life, and with this new knowledge, it seems strange to have a normal summer before starting out on this career.

Lianna's last week

Time in Cape Town is coming to a close, and I still can’t wrap my head around how we’ve managed to spend over 3 months here.  While I can see the change that our time here has sparked in myself and others, I still am unable to comprehend how the time seems to be passing so quickly.  We have learned so much, and changed as people, and I’m pretty sure none of us want to go home.

This last week we’re planning on doing our favorite things one last time – one last trip to Chai-yo, one last hike up Lions Head, one more Darty, and one last trip to the Old Biscuit Mill.  But this week also entails some of the things that we’ve been putting off- Easter Baazar for a meal, getting a tattoo for some, and shark cage diving for a select few of us! Our funds are low, but we’re all trying to make these last couple days in Cape Town just as great as, or even better than the rest, which is a challenge in itself.  And while there are still things on my list of things to do that I did not get to accomplish, I know that I’ll make it back here one day, to enjoy Cape Town once again with friends or family.  Once you’ve been here, I feel like it’s hard to say you wouldn’t come back. 

Lianna wanting to apply realizations gained here

I can’t help but noticed that a lot of the posting’s lately have been about different people visiting townships.  I feel that we’re finally getting comfortable enough here, and settling in enough to head into these areas, and that we all are really eager share our experiences, in addition to learn more about the culture here.  It’s a strange experience getting to the townships.  This past weekend I went into both Crossroads and Khayelitsha, each time people didn’t believe us.  We had people asking “Are you sure you want to go there?” and worrying that we were in the wrong place.  It took a bit of convincing, but finally we were able to get across that yes, we knew what we were doing.  After getting to them, and finding the people we aimed to see and the places we intended to go, we were introduced to different people, and particularly in Khayelitsha, people thanked us for coming.  While it was nice being hugged and thanked for going there, it just seemed so odd to me that all I was being thanked for was visiting some friends, the fact that people asked to take photos with us was flattering but at the same time uncomfortable, you can’t help but think it shouldn’t be this way, we shouldn’t be praised for trying to learn about a culture and a population of people, especially when everyone seems to know a lot about our culture.  The woman we visited in Khayelitsha told us that the photo her husband took with us was brought to his work, where everyone was jealous and mad that they weren’t informed that we were coming.  Being treated as if we were celebrities is a really strange feeling, and I wish it weren’t such a big deal for white people to be seen hanging out in a township.

Through work we head into schools in the township, and while a lot of teachers have no idea who I am, they assume that I am here to help and kindly point me to the bathroom or classroom that I’m having trouble finding, no questions asked.  Another thing that I found odd is one of my coworkers admitted that when they see a white person in the townships, they just assume that person is a foreigner, and that white South Africans do not come to the townships.  While this isn’t 100% true – a lot of my coworkers are white South Africans working in the townships, a guy I work with my age admits that his friends express concern for his safety, and even question his reasons for volunteering in Philippe. We’ve been talking in class about using your privilege to improve inequalities, and this would make it seem that that isn’t really the case here in South Africa.  And while it’s easy to point fingers and to blame South Africans for not helping themselves, you could say the same thing about people in the US.  So many of us have never gone into Hartford to help out, or even Willimantic, which is right down the road from Uconn. Also, a lot of the time, when people do volunteer, they tend to go far away- not to say that that isn’t helping, I’m just trying to point out that our home still needs a lot of work too.  It is just sad that sometimes we are so oblivious to the sad, terrible things that go on in our backyard, and through this program, I think that a lot of us are learning that we can’t ignore the problems, no matter where they are.  And while it may only be 23 Uconn students who are coming to this realization, hopefully when we return we can work in our community, and make some type of difference, even if it is small.

Lianna recalling the excursion and preparing to take home memories

Excursion gave me plenty of opportunities to appreciate a whole new part of this country.  Flying into Joburg was such an exciting experience, and I knew I was going to love it.  While I may have missed the Cape Town weather and the back drop of Table Mountain each time I looked around, it was nice to be able to see new sights and meet new people, in a new part of the country.  When I first signed up for this trip I had no idea that Joburg and Cape Town were so far apart, not only distance wise (I suppose I have no one to blame for my lack of knowledge of geographical skills other than myself), but also in attitudes.  At work the week prior to leaving, people were trying to give Brenna and I advice on what to expect out of Joburg.  I heard comparisons to New York and LA, and that there, people were always on the move, always go go go, which as we all know, is not quite the attitude in Cape Town.  The little bit I did of walking around in Joburg, without being on our great big tour bus, did give me the impression of a more busy city.  In addition, the big mall, Nelson Mandela Square, was very American-like.  A Nike store, Hagen-das, Swatch, and even a Mac (resale) store!   It was surreal, but enjoyable, sipping on an ice coffee and checking my email on the Mac store computer, just like home.

The hotel we stayed in was easily the nicest hotel I have ever been in, the beds were so comfy that each morning I was tempted to sleep past my alarm.  The continental breakfast was more of a buffet, with a person making omelets for you (just like Uconn!) and it was so great getting to eat nuts again (a luxury I have yet to splurge on).  Our days were filled with activities’, the most interesting for me being the Hector Peterson museum.  These two museums were two of the best museums I have ever been in, both filled with information and interesting stories. Although I wish we had had more time in the apartheid museum, I still was able to learn so much, especially with the exhibit on Nelson Mandela that we got to walk through.  The Hector Pieterson museum was something completely new to me, because I hadn’t heard much about him prior to excursion week.  Hector Pieterson was a boy who was killed during the Soweto uprising when he was 13.  Students were attempting to protest the enforcement of the language Afrikaans and English in their school. It was a really depressing, moving and at the same time inspiring museum, for me the hardest part was the photo outside of the museum, of a boy carrying Hector Petersons body.  On one of the benches was a quote from that boy’s mother, about how carrying his body back was just a natural thing, that if he hadn’t the community would have shunned him.  It was really hard for me to read.

From Joburg was just a short ride (7 hours one way) to Kruger National Park, we were finally headed out on safari, or should I say, the bush (I was told by someone at work that Safari must be an American word, because no true South Africans ever say that).  The ride was beautiful, and as much as I wanted to sleep, I couldn’t help but stare out the window seeing all the beautiful sites, and for the first time in my life a horizon! Previously, growing up in New England, there have always been mountains, trees, and hills blocking my view of the flat horizon, and this bus ride was the first peek I had at one! It probably doesn’t sound that exciting, but for me, it was! From there we got to move into these adorable little thatched roof huts, take a dip in the pool, and head out on our first safari!  Between the 2 drives and the bush walk, we saw a lion, elephants, hippos, rhinos, giant spiders, and ever a cheetah!  It was all really cool- my favorite part obviously being the gigantic lion that strolled right past our truck.

Now that excursion is over, I am once again freaking out about how little time we have left here.  I remember thinking in January that once excursion was over we’d have such little time left! And while I am so thankful for all the experiences I have already had, I can’t help but wish we had even more time to travel around, see new things, meet new people and return to some of the places we’ve already been and loved. It’s getting to that time where I’m wondering if I’ll even get to do all the things I wanted to do, big things and small, and hoping that somehow I’ll get to come back here again and share with other people all the things I have done and learned.  I can’t help but be jealous of Martia, who not only has gotten to return here for several springs, but has gotten to show some of her friends and family just how amazing this place can be.  Hopefully one day I can return here and see all of these things that I love so much, but if I don’t I will always have the memories (in the form of about 700 photos) and all the things I have learned to remind me of my time here.

Lianna recognizing how quickly time is slipping by

Another amazing week has come and gone, and I really can’t believe how quickly time is slipping by.

This past weekend, we had a truly lovely weekend.  Staring on Thursday night, we made a picnic dinner (fried rice for me Siobhan and Meaghan, perhaps not the most appropriate picnic food) and set off to hike Lions head.  After catching a minibus into town, and then another to the base of the mountain, we started our climb.  It wasn't a bad hike, about an hour, and it offered my favorite view yet.  As we watched the sun sink into the ocean from the top, you could turn around and watch the (almost) full moon rising over the city, and the lights of the buildings slowly turning on.  So amazing.  After a bit of hanging out and a lot of photos, we headed back down, this time in the dark.  Friday we went into Bo-Kaap, the Muslim part of the city.  We had lunch with an amazing view, a visit to a museum, and a fair amount of just creeping on streets, looking at the brightly colored houses. After a bit we all got hot and headed to Long Street for some food and refreshments. In my search for coffee I ran into a kid we've met out a couple times - it continues to amazeme at how small this city actually is. After that we headed out to dinner at fat cactus, and then prepared for a night at the electro dance club Assembly.  Loud crazy techno music isn't normally my scene, but competing on who could dance the most ridiculous kept us occupied for most of the night. Saturday I woke up the crack of dawn - 7 am, and headed to the Mowbray train station to meet Brenna.  We were headed out on a hike with a group of kids that some of our coworkers work with.  We took the train to Fishhouk, a little past our normal beach, and met up with the van.  We hiked up to these old World War two Radar stations and buildings and the view was fantastic, you could see the teal ocean and the mountain range beyond.

We ended our hike at the beach, where all the kids got to play in the water while I caught some rays (a bit chilly, plus I forgot my suit).  That night we went out to a free concert on Cliffton beach, where our history teacher’s wife was performing (apparantly shes pretty famous).  I was expecting a small crowd but a great night, and was shocked by a packed beach.  Apparently it was a big deal, and it was so amazing. The sunset over the water as we listened, danced and sang along to the music.  From the beach you could see the lights of people hiking down Lions head, the same thing we had done two nights before. After the concert ended, we fought the wind and went out to dinner and then to check out the Camps Bay area – I’d say we were a little underdressed.  Sunday was filled with French toast (for me and Meaghan) and homework (for everyone else), but we pulled ourselves together to go to Kirstenbosch for another concert.  At the entrance we got 5 free tickets from some kind strangers, and then discounted ones from a scalper.

(Although that should probably tell you how good of a musician this man was).  We had a picnic and listened, and while it wasn't the best music it was defiantly relaxing, and for 17R a person, it was a pretty cheap night.

When you're lying down in the gardens, listening to the music and gazing up at Table Mountain, it’s hard to comprehend the poverty that exists here. In a place that is so beautiful, there are so many problems. At the concert the announcer asked us to SMS (aka text) to vote to establish Table Mountain as the eighth wonder of the world.  Apparantly there is some type on contest.  However, last week I was reading on The Onion - a satiracal news site, an article making the claim that the gap between the rich and poor has now been claimed as the eigth wonder of the world. The joke went on, "describing the global wealth divide as the ‘most colossal and enduring of mankind's creations,’”  and “The vast chasm of wealth, which stretches across most of the inhabited world, attracts millions of stunned observers each year, many of whom have found its immensity too overwhelming even to contemplate. By far the largest man-made structure on Earth, it is readily visible from locations as far-flung as Eastern Europe, China, Africa, and Brazil, as well as all 50 U.S. states,"  there is even a quote from a person from Jo'burg.  I am a huge fan of The Onion, but I feel like this one is really worth praising. Here I am in the most unequal place in the world, and each day I look out my window at a potential eight wonder of the world.  It is hard to wrap your head around.

That’s the hardest part about this program.  Here we are, having the time of our lives one minute, enjoying the culture, experiencing new things, living in this gorgeous house in a lovely neighborhood, and then the next second you’re driving by the townships, suddenly very aware of the extreme poverty here.  This is the most vibrant, amazing place I had ever been, with beautiful beaches, mountains and buildings, and ten minutes away people are living in shacks with no running water, no health care, and not enough to eat.  Not to mention that these people don’t get the chance to ever experience half of the things that this city has to offer.  It makes me so aware of just how very privileged I am, not only in my daily life at home, but also here, where I can one day wake up and hike up the mountain, explore a new part of town, try surfing, or go to a concert.   

Lianna having fun

This weekend was packed full of very fun things.  On Saturday we woke up early and went to the old biscuit mill, a place that I had heard about from one of my coworkers as a place that I would enjoy immensely.  Eating a ton of food, and finally enjoying some local beverages, it was a fantastic time.  From there we moved on to the gay pride parade, which we walked in and enjoyed a lot, there were so may different things to look at there, and it was so fun.  From there we went into town and then to a restaurant, and then we went to the crumping show – one of my favorite things seeing since visiting Cape Town, from there we went to an open mic rap show night at the purple turtle, but were depressed at the lack of good artist, so we headed back to loch road.  Sunday we woke up and headed out to Mazoli’s, a place that is famous for its braiis, and a place that I enjoyed immensely.  All afternoon we danced and ate, and hung out with some of the people from our human rights weekend.  After that we went to Kirstenbocsh again, and danced the night away at a goldfish concert.  I had such an amazing weekend, it was so hard to handle.  We had so much to do and it was so much fun.  I just love how many different types of activities that Cape Town has to offer, its overwhelming, but in the best way.

Lianna on this place feeling like home

After sitting down yesterday and writing up a list of all the things that we want to get done in Cape Town, it is easy to see how quickly our time here is going to pass.  We have already been here a month, and before we know it we’ll be headed back to the US.  But that’s not really something I want to think about right now.  I’d rather focus on all the fun that I’ve been having, and just how amazing this opportunity is. 

On my walk to work this morning I was thinking about that.  How awesome and amazing it is that I got to come here.  On a global perspective, I feel so lucky and privileged that I have this opportunity to see the world, when there are so many people who never have the opportunity to leave their country, or even get much past their hometown.  I feel particularly lucky because I made it my personal goal to see as much of the world as I can.  My mother has never left the continent, and the only time my Dad has was training for and fighting in the Vietnam War.  The only one of my four siblings to get off the continent is my brother, who went to Japan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq through the Marine Corp, so the experience of living in another country is pretty unique for me.  Often I think about my time here and how badly I want to come back, already, and even though I want to see everywhere, I have a feeling that I will try to come back here.  There is just something amazing about it here, and it doesn’t hurt that there are so many different aspects to Cape Town.  As a group we have learned that there is an endless amount to do here, for so many different interests.  It’s a great combination of the beach, a city and nature, hiking is one of my favorite pastimes, and there is plenty of that here!

One thing that surprised me a lot about Cape Town is just how small it really is.  Not area wise, or population wise, but how often you run into people here.  I’m not even going to pretend I know a lot of locals here, but whether it’s running into some of my coworkers at the beach, running into the same group of Americans everywhere we go, or bumping into my boss on Long Street, it never ceases to surprise me when I see someone I know, especially the one time we were recognized hiking up Table Mountain.  It’s a nice feeling; it helps make this place feel more like a home, and less like a place that I have come for a visit. 

Lianna finally settled in

Taylor, Tom, Kate, Lianna

It has been 3 weeks since we’ve been here, and this place is starting to feel more and more like home.  Little things like remembering which way to look when crossing th street, which way to turn the shower knobs in the shower (scalding hot or freezing cold still gets me sometimes) or remembering to bring our own bags to the grocery store, make me really happy.  I think we are finally settled in. 

This past week we started our internships, well, most of us, and everyone seems very happy about there.  My internship is in Observatory, a really cool little town with cute stores, think North Hampton, only in Africa, and because I bring my lunch, walking about it on my lunch break is really nice.  Also the biggest plus is my work is right next to coca cha chi, a small chain place that I’m pretty sure sells the only ice coffee on this continent.  When I brought one into my office one of my co-workers was so confused that my coffee had ice in it, he actually didn’t know what it was.

At my internship, there wasn’t a lot for me to for me and Brenna to do, so for about 5 to six hours each day we browsed the internet for environmental articles and issues in South Africa.  We’re told its up to us to design the curriculum for the afterschool environmental program, and after talking to Shelia, the woman in charge of our program, we realized that it was going to be less of environmental information, and more biology and nature walks.  We had just assumed that these kids would have a general appreciation of nature, but Shelia informed us that they never really had that opportunity.  We got to go into the schools on Monday and Wednesday afternoon, and that was really cool, We got to listen to some of the kids practicing the marimbas after school, as I myself am not a very accomplished musician, I couldn’t help but clap, for which I got strange looks, because they were just practicing.  Next week we start at one of the schools, I’d like to name it but it will probably take me to March to learn how to spell or pronounce it, but it’s in the township Philippi.  Hopefully my internship picks up a little more this week, I’m not sure how much more I can handle of being sent to the computers for 5 hours with the only directions being “Perhaps you have some email to check”.

After having my voice for about a week, I managed to loose it again, singing loudly on a cab ride, trying to keep ourselves awake and motivated.  They say you live and learn, but when it comes to saving my voice I never learn.   It’s especially hard to keep it here, when I’m always excited, always talking, and laughing with the ridiculous group of people I live with.  

Lianna on the amazing orientation week

After arriving in Cape Town it’s easy to see that the tales were not exaggerated, and trying to describe how beautiful and cool it is here is going to be hard, but I’ll give it a shot.  Orientation week has been really amazing.  The first couple of days here I spent staring with my mouth open at Table Mountain, partly because it is so beautiful and partly because I couldn’t really talk the first couple of days – I tend to loose my voice out of excitement.

There were so many amazing things that we got to experience this first week, the most moving for me was going to church in the townships.  All week we have been exhausted, trying to catch up on sleep from the flight, having busy, packed days, and staying up late just getting to know each other is a dangerous combination.  But during the Church service I didn’t think about how tired I was. All I could do was smile and tear up, watching the pure spirit and joy of the people as they danced and sang their hearts out.  I hope I never forget sitting in that church, and being able to see the joy on everyone’s faces. 

Another one of my favorite experiences so far has been going to the taxi rank for the first time.  We went in groups of two up to the platform and weren’t allowed to tell each other what it was like, which just helped build excitement.  Going up there was the first time it really hit me that I was in Africa, it was just such a unique experience that I really enjoyed.

Lianna--her mind is made up

I am a very indecisive person. Menus at restaurants overwhelm me, I applied to 12 colleges, and the cereal display in the dining halls leaves me stumped. I can never make up my mind. When I went to the study abroad fair for the first time, I walked out with a backpack full of pamphlets and papers from countries all over the globe, the thought of choosing where to go drained me. After catching the end of the symposium and hearing some of the people talk about their Cape Town experience last year, my mind was made up, I was going to Cape Town. The fact that I had a clear preference made the application process that much more important to me, I needed to go to Cape Town. The internship, the culture, and the people are what make this program so different. I feel like anyone could go somewhere in Europe and have a great time studying abroad, but it takes a particular kind of person to want to go to Cape Town. Now that we’ve all been accepted, I am so excited to go, I want to hike table mountain, I want to swim at the beach, I want to see the penguins waddling around on the sand. I can’t wait to spend nearly 4 months across the world with people who seem to care about change as much as I do, Cape Town, here we come.