I'm getting so predictable...

So I have noticed (thanks Sheenz) that my blogs are getting a little predictable. How much can one person complain about vuvuzelas? (Until July 11 - the end of the World Cup - at least)

But, I've decided to accept and embrace repitition, and today I am going back to my second predictable theme - cute children.

We spent this Saturday afternoon at another great braai (AKA bbq) in the township of Nyanga where we basically hung out on the street and played with the kids. Sunday was one of the first weekend days with perfect weather since I've been here, so I went to the beach with a few of my roommates. It was a perfect example of the contrast that is Cape Town. An afternoon in a township, followed by a day on the beach in Camp's Bay, which is essentially equivalent to a resort vacation.

By the way - taking in a Camp's Bay sunset is something I suggest everyone add to their bucket list. :)


Little girl now - "PICK ME UP PICK ME UP!"
Little girl 5 minutes later - Delivered home fast asleep on my shoulder. Too cute.



Kids love Gerald. This is apparently what being in the Singapore army will do for you. ;)


Mark getting attacked.

Baby + car + beer = interesting picture...

V is for...

3 things that never get old:

1. K'naan - Waving Flag. Even though I hear it every single day here, it never gets less awesome.
2. Shakira - Waka Waka. See above. Except, instead of just maintaining its awesomeness, it actually increases daily. The 3 people using it as a ringtone on my 10 minute train ride this morning will back me up.

And, most importantly..

3. Protesting vuvuzelas. It's four thirty. I have been listening to them outside my office for approximately 2 hours now. As a result, this made me particularly happy... :)

Samora Machel

Samora Machel is a township just outside of Cape Town. I had the chance to go there to participate in a workshop that Sonke was holding with school children (grades 5-7) at Samora Michel Primary School. The minibus driver was quite convinced that we were going to have to use our fighting skills during our visit. Direct quote: “Do you know how to disarm a man? I’m dropping you off at the robot outside because I do NOT drive in Samora Machel.” Was he serious, or trying to scare us? I may never know... However, it turned out to be a really interesting day. This is the first time I have really spent with children here in a “structured” environment, and the kids really impressed me!

These kids were incredibly well behaved – quiet, attentive, and really listened when they were spoken to. They were very enthusiastic and wanted to learn, despite the fact that they are currently on a month long break from school so that they can take in the World Cup. They all are able to speak multiple languages, which is something that I can’t even do even though I was brought up with countless opportunities that most of these kids will never have. I think what impressed me the most was the amount of knowledge that these kids have about their community and the issues within it.

When we brought up the topic of xenophobia, these young kids already knew all about it. Their opinions about it were surprising – they didn’t understand it and seemed to view it as some strange adult thinking. They were quite adamant that we are all human beings, and if children from other African communities were to come to their school, they would be more than happy to welcome them and play with them as they would each other. What’s more, they actually identified the same reasons for xenophobia in the community as some adults we worked with: Locals are often jealous and feel insecure when refugees/asylum seekers have business success in South Africa, which leads to increased xenophobic attacks. I am quite certain that in grade 5, I would have had no idea what the social problems in my community were, not to mention the cause of it.

BUT, on a much lighter note, spending a day with a bunch of kids always guarantees one thing – the world’s most adorable photos.

This is Africa?

One of the things I love about living in Cape Town is that it can take you to the greatest variety of places that you can imagine.

This week, that meant a couple of days at the office. It also meant taking in a winter night market at the Old Biscuit Mill..



Spending the day with over 15000 soccer fans cheering on Bafana Bafana, singing, dancing, and learning the diski dance for a world record attempt...



Saying goodbye to an amazing new friend and roommate...



Going to a World Refugee Day Conference at the faculty of law at UCT, sponsored by the UNHCR and featuring the former ANC Youth League President and current Deputy Minister of Home Affairs...



Lounging in swanky bars right off the beach in Camp’s Bay...



Browsing through designer stores and chilling with Nelson Mandela at the V&A Waterfront...



Dancing in a club 32 floors above the streets... (check out the moves on the guy in the background)



Visiting a vineyard, restaurant and cheetah sanctuary in the wine region...





And of course, checking out the highest scoring World Cup game of the tournament so far at Greenpoint Stadium – where the vuvuzelas, by the way, were somehow only a fraction of the volume that they have been out on the streets of Cape Town. Think about that next time you watch a game. ;)



Just another week in the Mother City.

Death by vuvuzela

World Cup fever has hit Cape Town HARD, which only means one thing - 24/7 vuvuzelas! I honestly can't tell if they are actually always being played, or if my ears are just so shattered that I hear them whether they are around or not. Whether in the city centre outside my office, or in the suburbs, waking me up in the morning, they are nearly inescapable.

Aside from that though, the city is actually on fire. We watched the first match, featuring Bafana Bafana of course, at the Fan Fest in Cape Town with 15,000 other fans. The energy is electric! After the game, which ended in a tie, the streets were filled with people drinking, dancing, cheering and just generally having an amazing time. I have never seen anything quite like it!

Saturday, Dez, her friend Kashmir, our roommate Justin and myself rented a car and drove down to Cape Point - the most southern point in Africa. It was a beautiful trip - cute little seaside towns, beaches, baboons, a national park, and of course, PENGUINS! It was an amazing escape from the city, if only for a few hours.

That evening, we went to watch the USA v. England game at a pub in the Waterfront area. It was another taste of insanity. Completely packed, with approximately one table of US fans and the rest supporting England. It made me realize that everywhere I go in the next month is likely to be an experience. ;) After the game, we went to a club called Hemisphere, on the 32 floor of a building downtown. It was super swanky and the view was amazing.

Sunday, I went to a township party that takes place every week at a place called Mazoli's Meat in Gugulethu (I may have butchered ALL of the spelling here). We watched the game, and at half time, a giant dance party just randomly broke out in the tent we were in. This is possibly my favourite thing about South Africa - there apparently is NEVER a bad time for music and dancing. :)

RIP Wallet

My amazing traveling luck has finally run out. After visiting nearly two dozen countries in my life over weeks and months without incident, Cape Town has defeated me within a month. We were wandering the streets at my first World Cup event, and I felt someone pulling on my bag. Unfortunately, by the time I pulled it bag, he had managed to open it, grab my wallet (which I stupidly had EVERYTHING in) and take off. Luckily, I had only $40 or so with me and I have some great friends here who can cover me until my new cards arrive. Still, I am a little sad at my loss. Not because of the physical aspect, but because I have to admit that Cape Town has won. ;)

I did expect some level of crime here in Cape Town, but I didn't really expect it to touch my life the way that it has. Over this first month, I have come to realize that Cape Town is never a place I could live for a long period of time. This isn't because it isn't beautiful - it is one of the most picturesque cities I have ever stayed in. There is so much to do here, and the people I have met are all so warm and so lively. The reason I couldn't live in Cape Town is because I would never be able to settle somewhere where you never really feel completely safe.

I am living in a southern suburb of the city called Observatory. It is kind of a hip, student filled area with a lot of bars, restaurants and young people. Unfortunately, Obz has the reputation of being a bit of a tough and dangerous place. Though this seems to have been curbed a lot in recent years, all of the houses have high walls and gates around the property. Our loft has two security doors just to get into the building, not to mention the lock on our apartment and on each of our rooms. We also have 24 hour security. Also, walking after dark is really not an option. It is winter here, and the sun goes down at 6PM. After that, unless you are walking in a large group or taking a cab right outside the gate, going out is not really an option.

There have also been some pretty sketchy occurrences here. Another girl who was here on the same internship program as Dez and I was shot in the face with a pellet gun while she was running. No one saw anything, and it is kind of assumed that it was an unfortunate accident resulting from some kids playing in the area. Still though, she has lost all vision in one eye and had to return home after only a week in Cape Town. A bartender from the hostel I stayed at the first night I was here was stabbed to death several blocks away while trying to collect money owing on a bar tab. Another house which is filled with interns about 10 blocks from where I live has had about 4 attempted break ins in the past month, despite the walls around the property and the metal gates on the doors and windows. Thankfully, all of the attempts have been unsuccessful.

The most shocking example of the violence in South Africa which I have experienced is the assault of one of my colleagues by a train station security guard this week. She is a refugee here in South Africa, and this attack apparently had xenophobic motives. After noticing that she was a foreigner with a first class train pass, the man started verbally abusing her, and telling her that after the World Cup, South Africa is going to see a return of the xenophobic violence experienced here in 2008, and that all refugees and foreigners from other African countries are going to be chased out. Following this, the security guard attacked her. Thankfully, she is ok. She is still waiting for doctor's reports and x-ray results, but it could have been a lot worse. She seems to be quite shaken up by the incident, and to me it seems like a sign of terrible things to come. There have been whispers about an uprising that will take place a month from now to chase out the foreigners. It has even been reported in some papers and online. Yet, it doesn't seem like anyone is really preparing or taking serious steps to stop it before it gets started.

Despite all of this, I haven't really felt personally threatened during my time here. I am not scared to walk to the train station and take the train to work on my own in the morning. Wandering the city on my lunch hour doesn't seem hazardous in the least. It seems as though for the most part, the people I know here feel the same. It's weird how you can be shaken by these types of events and yet not really fear for your own safety.

Red Card Campaign and Vuvuzelas

Today marked the start of my experience of World Cup 2010. The South African government announced that today at noon, everyone in Cape Town was to bring out their vuvuzelas (big plastic trumpets) and make as much noise as possible for five minutes. The city responded in full force. It was truly amazing. Kat and I happened to be caught in the midst of it because luckily we were running an hour late to leave on our work trip. The energy was incredible. There were hundreds of people out making as much noise as they could. We tried to participate with our own vuvuzelas. Kat had much more success than I did. Apparently, it's a talent. It was a great taste of what's to come though. I am actually really excited for a sporting event... who would have thought!

We headed to Atlantis about an hour later. Atlantis is a township north of Cape Town along the west coast of South Africa. Sonke is launching a new campaign called the Red Card Campaign which is basically a campaign against child sexual exploitation. Today, we initially went door to door through the township. It was really interesting to get to see the homes - they are basically all one room with entire families living in them. After we did that for about half an hour, people gathered in the main square and there was an education campaign/dance party. It was really powerful, despite the fact that most of it was in Xhosa. There is a man at my work who is also a preacher, and he is the most engaging speaker. It was a really great afternoon.

I expected townships to be scary, and they really are not (during the day with a large number of local people watching my back). The people there are so eager to talk to you and so excited to have their pictures taken. They are so kind and so warm. All in all, a great day.

So I took my first ride in the back of a South African police car...

Today was interesting, to say the least... :)

A bunch of Sonke staff headed out to Kraaifontein to partake in a training session with the police. We got off the train and had no idea where the police station was. Luckily for us, a police truck just happened to be driving by and were more than happy to lock us up in the back and take us there. I think I may have been the happiest person ever to sit in that exact seat.

I wasn't sure what the day was meant to entail, but whatever I was expecting was definitely not what I got. The day was kind of a gender equality/sexual awareness training day for the police by Sonke staff. I did realize that the way of thinking here is different from what I am used to, yet today was still a little surprising for me.

People don't really seem to have much of an idea of what "gender equality" even means, or what it is meant to mean. Men here are quite "macho" and are socialized to see themselves as the protectors and not to help out with anything related to their families because it just is not their place. Affirmative action is accepted her in terms of race, but people don't seem to see it as a reasonable or even a necessary option in relation to gender. One woman compared the way she looks at her husband to the way she looks at God. Another woman compared men to dogs and said that women are at fault if their husbands cheat because they are not "keeping the dog fed."

We also discussed the recent statement/policy of the police commisioner here - shoot to kill. This brought up a really interesting debate from people on both sides. It also brought up a lot of discussion about South African society in general - "the language we know in this country is violence." We talked about how it is normalized here, and how people continue to use violence because it has proven to be an effective way of being heard in this country.

The last part of the session was a kind of "sex ed" session that was roughly equivalent to what we are taught in Canada in about grade 6. It was shocking to me that this is something that needs to be taught to middle aged adults.

Tomorrow, we are off to Atlantis to launch the new Sonke Red Card Campaign. Definitely not a dull week.

Mountains, caves, wine...

It’s been another great week in Cape Town. Last weekend, I visited Kalk Bay with a group of interns and we hiked up to the Boomslang Caves. The hike was beautiful – Kalk Bay is incredibly picturesque. If I happen to get another sunny weekend here I will definitely have to head back. The cave was an experience as well. The entrance to the cave was ridiculously small. We basically had to crawl on our knees and forearms and pull our bags beside us for about 60 feet before we could stand. That part was definitely an exercise in deep breathing and focus, especially when we stopped with about 20 people in front of me and ten people behind me while we were crawling. There was literally no escape. I have clearly inherited claustrophobia (thanks Mom). Luckily though, I managed to survive and get through the rest of the cave. It was filled with bats and little streams and ponds everywhere. Definitely worth the climb (in retrospect).

We also went clubbing that evening to a place called Hectic on Hope Street. It’s amazing how hipsters everywhere look and dance the same... :)

Saturday, my flatmates and I went to the Old Biscuit Mill, the most amazing food and local goods market EVER. It’s beautiful. It is my goal to go there for breakfast every Saturday while I am in Cape Town. After that, we went and checked out the local crafts markets. Everything is beautiful, but it is almost uncomfortable to go through because they have a way of guilting you here. “I will give you a good price, because I need money to get home.” “Why don’t you want to support me?” “I am giving you a good price, only because I really need to make this sale today.” Luckily Manal is the haggling queen, so she made sure I didn’t become too much of a sucker.

We got a new intern at Sonke (Kat!) which has been fun. We have been going on random lunch adventures everyday in downtown Cape Town. Always a good time. I went to Home Affairs again this week, and it wasn’t quite as upsetting. I can’t decide whether it was actually less crowded and stressed or if I am already just less affected because I knew what to expect.

Friday I went wine tasting in Constantia with a group of interns. The first vineyard we went to was a bit more formal and touristy. We toured the entire place and got a little lesson about how the wine is made before we got to sample five different South African wines. They had a lawn outside which they used for baboon feeding, and there were at least a dozen baboons just hanging out there when we came. I don’t think random baboon sightings are something I will ever get used to. The second vineyard was less formal, and we just sat out on a patio with a beautiful view and sampled wine for the rest of the afternoon. Not a bad way to spend a Friday.

Saturday, after the required visit to the Biscuit Mill, Desiree, Brett, Lauren and I hiked up Table Mountain. It was a sunny, clear day and perfect for the climb. It was quite a trek but the view of all of Cape Town from the top was well worth it.

This morning, Kat, Dez and I visited Robben Island. Aside from the freezing weather, it was very interesting. Our first tour guide was a fairly high placed member of the PAC during the apartheid, and the man who lead us through the prison wing was imprisoned on Robben Island for 11 years after being convicted of sabotage/treason. He had blown up some sort of tanker during the apartheid. Definitely makes for a unique experience. We saw Nelson Mandela’s cell, which was unbelievably small. I have been reading his book, Long Walk to Freedom, so it was amazing to actually get to be there and see exactly where he was and look at everything that he described. The boat ride there made it quite obvious just how isolating it would be to be sent there and how impossible it would be to escape.

I also saw my first penguins of the trip. Big day!

We spent a little bit of time V&A Waterfront afterward. If I ever feel especially homesick, I know where to go. It seems just like North America. It doesn’t seem like “Africa” in the least. Absolutely bizarre.