Siobhan facing the realities of re-entry

I’ve been putting off writing this blog post because it means Cape Town is really over. As great as it has been to see my family and friends, I really miss South Africa. I miss having something to keep me occupied every day, I miss my housemates who I’ve grown so close to I can’t even believe it, I miss seeing Table Mountain when I wake up every morning, and most of all I miss never feeling lonely.

We talked about how hard it was going to be at home, how hard it was going to be to share our experiences with people, but I guess I was holding on to the hope that my friends would be different and they would understand. I feel as though Cape Town happened in another universe, especially because I came home and everything is exactly the same. I’ve changed, but nothing else has. I feel like a different person, I feel like I have different interests and values and dreams, but everything here is the same. I’m worried that I’m losing my memories of Cape Town already, that it’s already starting to feel like a dream or something, and so I’m going to hold them inside, stop trying to explain things that have no words, and thank God that I have my former housemates to support me.

This summer is going to be different, to say the least, but I look forward developing new coping mechanisms as I settle back into my routine of work, going o the beach, and working again. Don’t get me wrong, I love my friends and family more than anything, but this is definitely harder than I thought it was going to be.

Siobhan learning she can do more than she believed possible

This weekend we went to Plettenberg Bay, home of the famous bungy jump, the very bungy jump that I swore I would never jump off of. I hate the idea of bungy jumping. Hanging upside down over a rocky ravine where at any second I could fall to my death? No, thank you. However, fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, my roommates would have none of that. They kindly informed me that I would be jumping whether I wanted to or not, because I would regret it so much if I didn’t. I’m proud to say that they convinced me and that somehow I found the courage to throw myself off of a bridge 216 meters above the ground. I was the last to go of our group an watching 18 of my brave roommates go before me made me realize that I wouldn’t want to share this experience with anyone else. From Katherine making the first jump (of the day!), simply shaking her head as if she couldn’t believe it was happening, to the few who burst into tears at the view (you know who you are) to Joe who looked like he was going to die of whiplash f\because of his less than graceful jump, watching them made me realize that I can do it. And it did, jumping off much like a child who can’t swim jumps off a diving board, knees bent, falling forward with hands pressed over the eyes. Refined, just like me. Oh, and the song that was playing as I plunged to what I was convinced was a certain death? “I got a feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas: “I got a feeling, that tonight’s gonna be a good night”. Yes, yes it is.

Right now I am sitting at my computer trying to finish a presentation for work. It is a tradition at Africa Unite for the interns to make a presentation when they are leaving talking about what they learned during their time here. I don’t even know where to begin. I’ve done more work here and held more responsibility than I ever had before. I’ve learned how to take minutes in meetings even when I have no idea what people are saying, organized a weekend long workshop nearly single-handedly, participated in mediation meetings to try to prevent xenophobia, volunteered in at a daycare center in Nyanga with the most amazing children in the world, and been unbelievably inspired by the people who work at Africa Unite. I’m not sure how I’m going to say all that I need to say in this presentation because there is so much that happened. All I know is that one of the main reasons this internship taught me so much is because it was in South Africa. I love doing things at a different pace, a different style, and most importantly, in a way that is filled with respect. Every project that I worked on was done in a way so that all parties were satisfied. Africa Unite does not work by riding in on their high horse, waving a magic wand, “fixing” people. Africa Unite works from a grassroots level, empowering people in the community to do what they deem is necessary to better themselves. As a total control freak, that was something that definitely took some getting used to, but I love how Africa Unite has taught me to listen to people and encourage them to solve things on their own, being more of a support system. Wish me luck on condensing that random stream on consciousness into a power point presentation!   

Siobhan's visit to Khayelitsha

The past few weeks I have felt extremely close to my roommates. I knew coming here that a big part of this experience would be the relationships that I form with the people I live with, but it really feels like we are a big family. We get annoyed with each other, we move on, and then we do something ridiculous and spontaneous. My favorite part about living with so many people is how much we laugh. This trip has been made even better because of the people that I have come to know and love.

 This weekend, for example, we decided to have a “ladies night” and all go out together, and it was honestly my favorite night since being here. The next day, eight of us went into Khayelitsha to visit someone who works at Beautiful Gate, where three of the girls I live with work. This again was a hilarious experience as minibus after minibus stopped to ask us where we were going. When we would answer, they would all say “Are you sure? Are you sure you want to go to Khayelitsha?”

 The Khayelitsha bus wasn’t even going to stop for us, and the driver, as well as all of the passengers on board, seemed extremely confused when we got on the bus. As usual, the other people riding the bus were extremely friendly and helped us figure out where to get off.  Spending time in Khayelitsha was wonderful experience because everyone was so friendly and excited to talk to us. When we were leaving, everyone hugged us and thanked us for coming, saying how much it meant to them that we were there. It made me sad that the majority of white people in South Africa will never set foot in Khayelitsha, and there is no reason it has to be that way. There is not only an income gap in South Africa, there is a serious community gap, and the united Rainbow Nation is still not as united as it should be.

Sioibhan's exciting week

I definitely cannot adequately describe how excursion was because it was definitely one of the most exciting weeks I’ve had here. I’ll focus on one of the most exciting things, the fact that I WAS 5 FEET AWAY FROM A LION!!!  

And I saw a giraffe, a leopard, a herd of elephants, impala, kudu, and the biggest spider I’ve ever seen. It was a real safari! We did a sunset ride, a sunrise ride (and let me tell you, I look excellent at 4.30am) and an afternoon walk where we try to approach to animals (mostly unsuccessful but still awesome).

  

While at Kruger we stayed in these awesome three person huts that were round and had straw roofs with big black ceiling beams and a front porch with a table and a little fridge.  On our last night in Kruger there was the most epic thunder storm I’ve ever seen. It sounded like there was a mountain being blown up directly outside our window. The lightning was constant, like nothing I’ve ever seen before and it was so bright that it looked like it was daylight outside. Lianna, Meaghan (my lovely hut-mates), and I just lay (or cowered, it we are being perfectly honest) in bed, listening to the rain and hoping that the walls didn’t crash down on top of us.

We arrived home last night in a classic Loch Rd fashion, to a house that has somehow short circuited so that pool house has electricity, the fridge and stove work, and the light in the common room works. All other rooms, outlets, etc do not have electricity. Showering in a pitch black bathroom is something else I can add to my list of skills perfected in Africa, along with crossing the road and bartering. We made pasta in a completely dark kitchen last night, gathered around a computer for light and then ate directly out of the pot (to conserve water of course, not because we are at all lazy). No electricity? No problem.

Siobhan being adaptable and confirming laughter is universal

I can’t believe that our time here is halfway gone! It seriously feels as if we just got here. I refuse to even process the thought of going home yet, however, so I’m going to move on.

South Africa is definitely making me more adaptable. Last Thursday my computer decided it was time to crash, so I’ve been without a computer since then and am currently sitting in an internet cafe using a computer with a keyboard so worn that there are no longer letters on the keys. Typing is proving to be very interesting...It’s hard now having basically zero contact with anyone from home but I’m staying busy. Extremely busy.  

On Thursday I went to volunteer with an after school program in Nyanga because last week I had a slight freak-out because I was sick of sitting in an office and wanted to actually get to talk to people. I had been to this center multiple times with work and I was so excited because the kids remembered me, including the girl who told me I had a “bad tongue” because I was so terrible at speaking Xhosa. It was so fun to play with the kids because I had forgotten how easily amused children could be. For the first half hour Leanne (who came with me this week) and I basically just ran around in circles with them, trying to avoid being tackled to the ground once it was established that my arms were now too tired to pick them up and swing them around anymore. We taught them different American songs (they were big fans of Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes) and how to do the Macarena, which was actually hilarious because I taught it to them saying the moves out loud (hand, hand, flip, flip, head, head, etc) and when they were doing it by themselves they were doing all of the motions correctly but mixing up the body parts, saying chest when they had their hands on their head and waist when they were touching their chests. One of the things that made me the happiest was that despite the fact that very few of them could speak English (and the ones that could decided it would be funny to pretend that they didn’t) I was still able to communicate with them and have fun. I really love that you don’t need words all the time, and that as cliché as it sounds, laughter is universal.

I had been feeling very overwhelmed this last week but volunteering on Thursdays and Fridays has really helped to keep my focused and has overall been a great stress reliever. Next week I’ve decided I’m going to teach them the YMCA, wish me luck!  

Siobhan on her unbelievably busy/adventurous week.

This past week has been unbelievably busy and packed with a million different activities. I’m very excited about how my week went because my activist project is finally coming together, and on Friday I was able to start my volunteering for the first time. For the past few weeks I have been trying to organize the shipment of 375 pounds of soccer equipment (cleats, socks, shorts, etc) to an organization called Olive Leaf Foundation that runs a soccer club for orphans in the townships. On Friday I finally made it into the office to talk about the shipping logistics (South Africa actually has INSANE requirements and everything takes forever) and I think it is finally moving forward! After the meeting, I was able to actually go and volunteer with the boys soccer team. The entire program sounds wonderful; on Thursdays and Fridays they have soccer practice, on Saturdays they have games, and on Sundays they all go to church together. The aim of the program is to keep these vulnerable children off the street and involved in structured activities so they don’t feel the need to turn to drugs or gangs.

Playing soccer with the boys, ranging in ages 7 to 14 was so much fun. It was definitely something I had never experienced before, playing in a sandy parking lot thing that was covered in rocks and trash, with goals made out of wooden sticks, but it really was so much fun, despite the fact that those kids ran absolute circles around me. Having neat footwork on a rocky field is no easy thing, let me tell you. Also, the kids had very limited to no English, which made talking to them hard, but I’m hoping that after a few more weeks of volunteering I will be able to develop real relationships with them.

On Saturday I climbed Lion’s Head for the third time, this time for work. All of the newly trained Human Rights Peer Educators were invited on the hike as a bonding event.  29 people actually showed up, which is far more than I thought would come, and it made me really happy that so many people came to the event I worked so hard to plan. The hike went really well overall, despite the heat and the amount of people who thought it was suitable to climb in jeans and flip flops. Most of these students had never hiked before, and I was so happy that I got to share that experience with them. I had my own small issue on the way down when I tripped and rolled my ankle. It was extremely painful so I let everyone go ahead of me so I could hobble down in peace without holding anyone up. However, because the ankle was so sore from the first fall, I managed to roll it a second time, at which point I just sat down in the middle of the trail and cried because it hurt so much. Then, much to my amusement, a group of boy scouts (called Royal Rangers here) show up behind me, and the next thing I know they have all taken off their ties/scarves and are tying them together, making me some sort of stretched to CARRY ME DOWN THE MOUNTAIN. It was at this point that I pulled myself together, because there was NO WAY that a bunch of 60 pound 8 year olds were going to carry me down. That is even more embarrassing than being helicopter lifted off the mountain. They were very disappointed that they weren’t able to carry the crippled white lady down Lion’s Head, but I was absolutely adamant that I would rather crawl down than be carried. All in all, I made it down to where everyone was waiting patiently for me, and left without any further incidents, THANK GOD. 

Siobhan seeing it again with new eyes

On Thursday night we climbed Lion’s Head to watch the sunset into the ocean (something that I had never seen before, living on the East Coast) and it was definitely my favorite thing that I have done since being here. The sun was just this burning orange ball that you could look straight at as it sank into the ocean, leaving the sky a gorgeous pink and purple painting in its wake. It was incredible because on one side, all you could see was the ocean, and then you turned around and saw the moon getting brighter and brighter as the sky got darker, hanging over the city that was slowly lighting up. I really can’t even describe it in words, but it was definitely the most beautiful thing that I’ve ever seen.

My family is here visiting me and it has been so much fun taking them around and showing them everything. For once I know where I am going! It’s been amazing because even though I’ve only been here a month, I have apparently gotten used to how stunningly pretty it is here, which I hate to admit. I realized this as we drove up and down the roads that I have traveled daily, and my sister insisted on having the car pulled over so we could get out and look and take pictures. I hate the fact that this has become a common sight for me, and so I am thankful that I have my family here to remind me just how lucky I am.

I’ve also been reminded about the inequalities in Cape Town as I show them places such as the waterfront, with its elaborate hotels and BMWs parked outside. It is so hard to come to terms with the fact that there is a multi-billion dollar hotel only 30 minutes away from some of the worst poverty I have ever seen. I can’t accept the fact that this is the reality of this country, and it’s hard to appreciate the beautiful architecture when I know that only 20 miles away people are living in shacks made out of tin. I’m realizing as I write this that the same exact thing occurs in the U.S. (just look at New Haven: on one side you have Yale, while on the other you have streets that you can’t walk on at night) and yet it took me coming to a completely different place to fully realize the injustice of this. I can only hope that I can keep this mindset when I get home, and work to change these injustices.  

Siobhan's climbing mountains-- literally and figuratively

Cape Town is starting to feel a bit more real now that we’ve started to settle into our routines. It no longer feels like a vacation, it feels like our home since we’ve started classes and out internships and we know how to get around and have a general sense of where we are at all times. I started my internship last week and I am so so happy with it, I can't even explain how Vernon (our internship coordinator, one of our professors, and overall one of my top 5 favorite people I've ever met) found EXACTLY what I want to do with my life. I’m working at Africa Unite with another UConn student, Sharielle, who is just as excited as I am about our placement. Africa Unite is an organization that works mainly to prevent xenophobia attacks in Cape Town (which has become a serious problem in the last 3-4 years) by promoting awareness, unity, and overall human rights. They have a bunch of amazing programs, including a Human Rights Ambassador Program where they train youth in human rights, and then send them into their own communities to train other people. Africa Unite is very dedicated to ensuring that people help their own communities and take responsibility for changing what they believe needs to be changed.

 I am excited for work and yet slightly apprehensive because we are jumping right in to everything and are being given many responsibilities right off the bat. I like this because it is forcing me out of my comfort zone but it’s still a bit nerve-wracking! For example, the first day we were there, only an hour into our day, I was asked to take minutes on a mediation meeting between Somalian business owners and South African business owners because there have been many attacks on Somalian businesses because their prices tend to be lower and many South African shops are being run out of business. I had never taken minutes for anything before and it was difficult for me to understand everyone’s accents (and everyone in South Africa talks at a normal volume as opposed to the screaming that we do in America; honestly I always thought I had good hearing but I cannot hear anyone here!), but I managed to do what I think was a good job. I've also been involved in planning a youth forum to encourage young people to vote and I sat through a meeting in which all the activities that Africa Unite is doing for the next year was outlined and a budget was set. I am learning so much about what I want to do when I am older. I thought the mediation meeting was so fascinating, and that is basically what I want to do. I am also discovering that I hate budget meetings, but obviously that is part of every job in any field, and so I am glad that I am learning and experiencing all of these different things at my job. I can’t wait to see everything else that I do this semester.

Siobhan climbing Table Mountain

We climbed Table Mountain yesterday and it was the most invigorating thing I've done since being here. I can't really put into words how I felt as I looked down from the mountain, at all of Capetown, the ocean, and the cliff faces surrounding us, but I felt happiness on a whole new level. I felt alive and invincible, which is probably not the best feeling to have on top of a mountain, but still. It was also one of the most challenging things I’ve every done, and I am so proud of all of us making it up and down that mountain. Another highlight of the day was when we finally made it to the summit and everyone was just jumping up and down yelling “WE DID IT, WE DID IT!”  I love that I can now look out my window, see Table Mountain, and say, I CLIMBED THAT! I can’t wait for all of the other adventures we'll be going on this semester.  "I’M IN AFRICA!!!” (I will never, ever get tired of saying that)

Siobhan may never go home!

Terri, Kate, Siobhan, Dana, Leanne

 My first impression of South Africa was that it is actually AFRICA. I know that sounds weird but the air honestly even smells different, almost spicy. The buildings are all made of stone and painted pastel colors, with deep-set widows and decorative molding. It actually reminds me so much of Ireland (again, sound so weird) and if it weren't for the sunshine I could have sworn I was in a Dublin suburb. The way the houses look, the beautiful scenery, and the fact that the cars drive on the left side of the road make it feel just like a summer in Ireland. I think this has kinda given me an advantage here because I don't have as much to adapt to. Having a pay as you so cell phone, needing to go to internet cafes to go on Facebook; none of this is new to me. I think this is a good thing. But obviously there are also a million things I need to get used to, the most difficult being the need to always be aware of what's going on. So different from UConn, where I feel so safe and  never even think about safety. Here, you have to lock every door and window, walk in groups, etc.

I think one of the funniest and most different experiences I've had thus far was riding the minibus taxis. Minibus taxis are white vans with a driver and a designated screamer who hangs out the window yelling "WHERE ARE YOU GOING??? GET IN THE VAN!!!" and you pay like 5 rand (which is less than a dollar in the U.S.) and the van makes all these stops and you get off whenever you need to. I mean one of the first things we learn as children is NEVER GET IN A WHITE VAN WITH A STRANGE MAN. And yet, in Cape Town, if a man tells you to get in the van, you get in the van. So on our practice run we learned:

1.  In a van that seats 7 comfortably and 9 uncomfortably, at least 15 will be squeezed in the van.
2.  You will then drive at least 70 miles an hour down a small road full of pedestrians (no joke) swerving like a maniac.
3.  There seems to be some sort of competition between drivers to pick up the most people so they legitimately swerve in front of each other and cut each other up and practically run over the people they are trying to pick up before the other van can. It is beyond terrifying
4.   I don’t know if this is only true for the van I was in, but either the guy has NO IDEA how to drive a stick shift or his transmission is wrecked because the entire time I thought the van was going to blow up 
5. Also, house music is a huge deal here and the van was absolutely blasting techno and it was hilarious and I feel like my commute to work is going to be one of my favorite parts of the day.

Overall, this past week has been the most fun I've ever had. Not only that, but it's made me think about so much, most importantly how unfair it is that I get to stay in a beautiful house with a pool while millions of people are forced to live in tin shacks in the townships. As sad as it makes me to see that, I know I am going to learn so much here and hopefully be able to be sympathetic and maybe even empathetic on a whole new level. I guess what I'm trying to say is I LOVE SOUTH AFRICA AND I'M NEVER COMING HOME.

Siobhan shares her enthusiasm

My reaction to finding out I was going to South Africa:

Saying that I was ecstatic when I found out I was accepted into the program would be an extreme understatement. I had been uncontrollably excited about the trip since the minute I had decided to apply, and at that point I wanted to go so badly that the thought of being waitlisted, as cliché as it sounds, would have totally broken my heart. I am so happy to be going because I feel like I’m finally going to be pushed out of my comfort zone, do things and go places I never had before, and hopefully make some sort of difference, no matter how small.

One of the things that I am most excited about is starting an internship. I’ve never had an office job before; the only job experience I have is in the restaurant/bar business, and so I am very excited to be working in a job that will hopefully prepare me for my future career. I am so happy that I am taking part in something that I would never be able to do otherwise, and I can’t wait to see what the trip has in store for me!