Langa and Robbin Island

Saturday February 23^rd, was a busy day full of excursions! Martin started making rounds at 8:30am and brought Becky, Liora, Jenna, Myaisha, Carol, Sarah, Sharkey, and I to the Langa Pass Museum on Washington Street, right down the road from my house. The rest of our classmates were already waiting for us as we were the last to arrive, so we all headed inside for our guided tour of the museum with Alfred, the museum’s caretaker and Alida’s uncle. Alfred was a really informative tour guide, telling us all about the formation of Langa and the township’s role in the apartheid struggle. My favorite quote by Alfred is “In Langa, my next-door-neighbor’s business is my business and my neighbor down-the-block’s business is my business.” In the two weeks I’ve lived in Langa I’ve found this statement to be absolutely true. People in my host community genuinely care about one another and are always willing to give each other a helping hand. As one of the few white residents in the township, I’ve especially found that my neighbors always look out for me and make sure I return home safely to my family. Last Sunday for example, I had to get off of the taxi by myself after our beach trip to Camps Bay and walk from the corner to my house alone (not a very far walk, but one that I’m not supposed to take alone). One of the women who got off at my stop with me asked me if I would be alright walking by myself or if I wanted her to walk with me. The woman and I were complete strangers, yet she was willing to go out of her way to make sure that I made it safely home. That’s genuine kindness if I’ve ever seen it.

After spending an hour in the pass museum with Alfred, our group met up with two new tour guides, a brother and sister, for a walking tour of the township. Our first stop was the youth center, also on Washington Street. Here we talked to a local artist about the pottery workshop and then went to the music room and had a 10-minute drumming lesson/jam session which was SO FUN! I’m not a musically-inclined person but I had a blast beating away on the drums and singing a Xhosa song with the rest of my classmates. After the youth center, the next stop on our tour was to a local bar to try some home-brewed beer. I was a little sketched out at first when our tour guide led us down an alley and into a poorly lit, empty wooden shack. Our guide then explained where we were and how beer is made in Langa before the beer-maker poured beer from one of the drums of beer in the corner of the room and into a bucket on the floor. We then passed the bucket around the room, either kneeling on the floor or squatting (the tradition way to drink beer) as we poured the contents of the bucket into our mouths. The beer was really good and it was fun to watch my classmates attempt to maneuver the bucket in order to take a drink. It was especially comical to watch our program director, Stewart, drink from the bucket with his two year old daughter strapped to his back! Once everyone had had enough to drink, we headed out to continue our tour. We went to the hostels which used to house only men but now house families who don’t have their own houses in the middle of the township and the Joe Slovo shanty community on the outskirts of Langa. I had a hard time at these places because I felt like I was invading the privacy of people who don’t have much, if any, privacy to begin with. I very much felt like a voyeur. At both these places our group was very popular with the children who live in these areas of the township. These kids have no problem running up to you, grabbing your hand, and walking with you or asking for sweets. We honestly looked like the Pied Piper because our group attracted children to us and continued to grow street by street. Children in the township are fascinated by us and shout “White people! White people!” in Xhosa whenever we pass by. If asked to describe my time in South Africa thus far, I would definitely say that I tend to cause a scene wherever I go! I guess that’s what happens when you’re a white girl living in a black township, in a country where whites are a minority.

street puppy!

Youth Center

drumming with my girl Lara!

playing dominoes street-side

sheep head, anyone? I had this for dinner one night... minus the fur and blood

street puppy!

My little buddy is the boy on the left with a backpack. We held hands for ten minutes without saying a word to each other. It was precious.

After our tour of Langa we piled into the vans and headed off to the waterfront to catch the ferry to Robbin Island. One of the cool parts of going to Robbin Island was that we each got to bring a member of our host family to share the experience with us. I brought my makhulu, Yoli, and Kelin brought her mama, Mimi, who is Yoli’s younger sister. Yoli was born in Cape Town and in her 61 years had never been to Robbin Island so I was excited that she was able to come with me. After our 25-30 minute ferry ride to the island, we met up with a former prisoner who gave us a private tour of the prison facilities. Our tour guide was really informative and I was moved that he was willing to tell us about his experiences as a prisoner. Honestly I’m surprised that he’s even willing to come back to Robbin Island after all he went through physically, mentally, and emotionally. I admire his courage immensely; I don’t think I could ever be that selfless and brave. Aside from hearing about our guide’s firsthand experience, my favorite part of his tour was that we actually got to stand inside Nelson Mandela’s cell! The cell is usually not open to the public but our guide unlocked the door so we could go in and take pictures. Unfortunately my camera battery died when we arrived on the island, but I got a picture with my friend Lara on her camera in the cell. After our guided tour through the facilities we took a bus tour of the island to see where the prison wardens and their families lived and the lighthouse. While we were driving I saw a penguin out the bus window! That was definitely the highlight of that segment of the tour for me!

On the ferry ride back to Cape Town Lara made friends with some of the crew members and let us on the deck even though it was full (we may or may not have traded half a giant cookie in order to do this…). Honestly I have never felt more alive than I did on the ferry deck with the wind blowing so hard that I had to hold onto the rail in order to stay standing and the view of Cape Town surrounded on all sides by the mountains on the horizon before me. As we watched the mountains grow bigger and the ferry come closer and closer to the harbor, Lara and I both agreed that we could not have picked a better place to spend the semester!

Lara and I in Nelson Mandela's prison cell at Robbin Island

Camps Bay

On Sunday, February 17^th I spent the day at the beach in Camps Bay. About twelve people from my program had spent the night in the area so my friends Lara, Ashley, Kelin, Allie, and I decided to meet up with them and spend the day at the ocean. Allie was going out to breakfast with a family friend and catching a ride with her to the beach so Lara, Ashley, Kelin, and I met up at the taxi rink around 9am to catch a taxi to town and then transfer to a taxi heading to Camps Bay. The taxi ride to Camps Bay was beautiful! We took a route that hugged the mountain so we were able to watch our descent down the mountainside to the white beach and sparkling ocean waters below. Over the past three weeks I’ve often found myself breathless, overwhelmed by the scenery around me; I definitely experienced this on our taxi ride!

When we reached our stop, the four of us got out and ran into Pick-n-Pay to grab some snacks and water before heading across the street to the beach. Lara and I decided to get a spot to ourselves that was close to the bathroom, while Kelin and Ashley migrated further down the beach to meet up with the bigger group. While we were setting up camp, Lara made a joke about getting ice cream from the vendors who weave through the crowds of sunbathers every time one passed by. This suggestion was hysterical because vendors passed by us about every two minutes! Talk about a lot of ice cream we would have to eat! After half an hour of sunbathing Lara and I were groaning, pretending that our stomachs were full of ice cream, and shouting “NO MORE ICE CREAM!” every time a vendor walked by. About the same time we decided to take a break from sunbathing to go explore the rocks at the far end of the beach. The two of us spent over an hour climbing over the rocks and through the tide pools, before deciding to get out of the blistering heat for a while and grab some lunch. Since we were in a tourist area we had to pay about 50-60R more for lunch than we usually do, but the salads and cocktails we got were worth the extra money even if the service we received was subpar. After lunch we stopped at a shop so I could buy some postcards before heading back and moving our belongings further down the beach to join the rest of the group. We spent the rest of the afternoon sunbathing and enjoying the company of our friends before packing up and heading back home for dinner at our respective houses. All in all it was a great Sunday, even if I got a little burned. I certainly wouldn’t trade my sunburn for the cold, snowy winter weather back home!

Lara and I on the rocks at Camps Bay

New Friend

This weekend my tata's five year old daughter came to stay with us. She was really shy at first and ran away from me whenever I tried to talk to her (I found out later that she speaks Afrikaans, which is why she wasn't responding to my questions in English or Xhosa!), but eventually she warmed up to me and we became the best of friends! She's very quick and picked up some English as the weekend went on. Her favorite game was turning the tv on and saying "it's on!" and then turning it off and saying "it's off!" We also played beauty parlor for a little while Sunday night. She really enjoyed brushing my hair and putting her own hair clips in my hair.

Even though we didn't share a common language, my little friend and I had a great time playing together this weekend. It just goes to show that you don't need to speak the same language in order to interact and get along with others.

funny face!

Old Biscuit Mill Market and Other Saturday Adventures

This Saturday marked our first full week living in Langa and our second week in South Africa! After a week of classes and excursions to the District Six museum and the Slave Lodge, we were all looking forward to having the weekend free to relax and explore Cape Town on our own. During our lunch break Friday afternoon a group of us made plans to meet up at the mini bus station at 10 am on Saturday morning and go to the Old Biscuit Mill market in Woodstock. Afterwards one group would split off and go to the beach at Camps Bay and another smaller group would head back to Langa.

We didn't end up leaving Langa until 10:30 am on Saturday which was my fault, but luckily my friends were kind enough to wait for me so I didn't have to travel alone. Since there were fourteen of us we were able to get an entire minibus to ourselves for 140R (10R each). Our driver had a little trouble finding the market, but we eventually made it there thanks to some quick thinking by Liora who got the attention of a pedestrian and a traffic cop so we could get directions. After arriving at the market and paying the driver, I realized that a plausible reason as to why he didn't know the market’s location was because the patrons were white tourists and middle to upper-middle class locals. This was clear from both the appearance of the patrons themselves and the prices of the goods for sale. Even though it wasn't exactly what I had expected, I still had a lot of fun exploring!

The market consisted of a large tented-area to the right of the entrance that held food and beverage vendors. These vendors offered literally every type of food you can imagine and everything looked delicious! And every vendor had free samples! Note to self: don’t eat breakfast right before coming to the market next time. Even though I was full, it was really hot so I treated myself to two natural fruit pops: watermelon + mint and mango. Both were really good and hit the spot, but I liked the watermelon + mint the best. After exploring the food tent, Allie and I headed toward the other end of the market to see what else we could find. Some vendors had their goods displayed in open stalls while other businesses had their own shops. While wandering along the second story of one of the shop buildings Allie, Emily, Liora, and I stumbled upon a store filled scarves for 99 or 129R – a bargain! All of the scarves were beautiful and I wanted all of them, but I managed to pick out one. Emily, Allie, and Liora did the same, plus Emily found a really cool bracelet. I’m definitely going to have to go back to buy another scarf (or two or three) before I leave!

After wandering around the market for a couple of hours, Allie and I split off from the rest of the group to head to town. There was a cab waiting right at the entrance to the market so we jumped in and headed to the train station because to explore the outdoor market across the street from the station’s entrance. This other market was the polar opposite of Old Biscuit Mill. Almost all the vendors and patrons were black and the goods were much different, though certainly more affordable. Allie and I wandered around for a bit but couldn't find a bag in Allie’s price range, so we decided to head back to Langa. On the way to the mini bus station, we decided on a whim to get out of the heat and go inside an underground mall. We ended up wandering into a clothing store which had really cute, reasonably priced clothing. Allie and I both found dresses we liked and decided to try them on in the changing room. There were two employees managing the area and they told us to grab any of the stalls. Allie and I both fell in love with our dresses (I might never take mine off again; it’s so comfy and cute!) and decided to purchase them. As we were leaving the changing area, the one of the employees turned to us and said, “Goodbye! We love America!” Allie was quicker than I and responded, “Thanks! We love South Africa!” It was quite a comical situation, made even more hysterical by the fact that Allie and I found a pair of toddler-sized shorts with the USA flag painted on the front while we were waiting in line. I guess Jet and its employees really do love America!

Satisfied with our purchases, Allie and I headed to the mini bus station and got a ride back to Langa. We didn't know where our taxi was so we asked a woman near the front of the station. This again put us in another comical situation as the woman began shouting, “They’re going to Langa! They’re going to Langa! Where’s the Langa bus!” Us two white girls always cause a scene wherever we go. Luckily a very nice woman was headed in the same direction as our bus so she walked us to where we needed to go. She asked us where we were from and told us that she works for a cruise line so she’s been to Miami before. It’s funny how many people I've met since arriving in SA who have been to the US, though no one knows where Vermont is (I’m not surprised – there are people in New England who don’t even know where VT is…). We thanked the woman for her help and climbed into a waiting taxi that was already pretty full. I’m obsessed with mini buses. They’re really cheap and loud and packed full of people. I've always loved people-watching and mini buses always provide me with an interesting crowd to observe. Also the drivers blast American music. Today’s drive played some Sean Kingston and Soulja Boi. Once we arrived in Langa, Allie and I got off at her street and her mama was nice enough to give me a ride home since I’m not allowed to walk around the township by myself for safety reasons.

All in all it was a great Saturday full of friends, good food, and exploring!

the food tent

Waiting for Allie's wrap

Allie and I at the Old Biscuit Mill Market

NOTE: A “cab” refers to a taxi and a “taxi” refers to a mini bus, which is a 20+ passenger van.

The White Girls Are Lucky

On Saturday, February 9^th we began our homestays in Langa, a black township outside of Town. It was pouring that morning so we couldn't go to the beach like we had originally planned, and instead we ended up going to our classroom in Rondebosch and eating lunch at the restaurant beneath our classroom before heading to Langa around 2pm. While we were eating Tabesa surprised us with letters from our host mamas! My letter was short but sweet. In the letter my mama welcomed me to the family and told me that they had given me the name “Lilitha” which means sun ray in Xhosa because my family knew that I was coming with brightness and light. Anyone who knows me knows that I was balling my eyes out reading this letter (Hi Tay). I was so moved that a group of people who only know me through a letter already loved me and wanted me to be a part of their family! After weeks of anxiety about whether or not my homestay family would like me, my nervousness melt away and became replaced with excitement!

Langa is a big township and all twenty-seven of us are living in different parts, so Tabesa split us up into three groups to make pick-ups and drop-offs easier for our drivers. My group consists of Becky, Liora, Jenna, Myaisha, Carol, Juan, Sarah, Sharkey, and I and our driver Martin. After gathering our belongings from the various taxis and SIT office we piled into Martin’s taxi and set off for Langa!

Funny story about arriving in Langa – I actually got dropped off at the wrong house Saturday afternoon. After leaving Becky, Liora, Jenna, and Juan with their host families, Martin announced that I was next. Butterflies filled my stomach. We pulled up to a brown house on a corner where there were two girls and an older woman waiting by the curb. Mama hugged me and grabbed me bag, pulling me toward the door. As we approached the door I noticed that there was a big number eight on the wall. Panic immediately filled my stomach. I was supposed to be at dropped off at number six, not number eight! I let the woman drag me into the house before politely telling her that I thought I was at the wrong house. She then proceeded to pull out a picture of Sharkey, her real host daughter, and compare our faces. At about the same time Martin realized that he had made a mistake and started yelling for me to come back outside. Mama helped me bring my bags back to the taxi and gave me a hug, saying she would invite me over soon before dragging Sharkey and her suitcases inside. We almost had another drop-off mistake with Myaisha almost getting dropped off at my house but luckily Martin realized his mistake before Myaisha’s bags were out of the taxi. I pulled my suitcases out of the taxi for the second and final time, waved goodbye to my friends and walked into my new home for the next 23 days with Mama Yoli who was waiting for me at the front gate.

Mama Yoli (my grandmother) showed me to my room where we dropped off my bags before leading me to the back of the house to meet my mama, sisi, and the baby. Mama greeted me warmly and welcomed me to her home, then sent me off to unpack my bags. The unpacking process didn’t take long as a) I don’t have that much stuff and b) I needed to do laundry pretty badly at this point, so after depositing my belongings on the dresser and hanging up some dresses I made my way out of the safety of my room to socialize with my family. While I was in the kitchen with mama who was cooking fat cakes (the South African equivalent of fried bread dough) my tata came home with his friends. The first thing he said to me was “you have pets?” I was thrown off guard and stammered that I have a pet dog named Luke at home. “And?” he asked, “You said you had two pets. That’s only one.” Que awkward moment when you realize your homestay dad is referencing the letter you wrote introducing yourself and you can’t remember your (deceased) pet rabbit’s name… (Sorry Allison). I finally managed to come up with Junior’s name after a long pause and explained that he passed away over the summer which is why I couldn't come up with his name. “Rabbits aren’t pets,” my tata replied,* before his friends jumped in and started asking me questions about life in the US. After chatting for a few minutes Mama Yoli informed me that I would be accompanying her to a party and that we would be picking up her sister Mimi and Kelin, one of the girls in my program, on the way. That was fast! I had only been in Langa for a little over an hour and I was headed off to a party!

The party was being held at Mama Yoli and Mimi’s sister’s house. When we arrived the house was already full of people, but Kelin and I managed to find a space on a bench in the living room with the rest of the women. At first I felt a little awkward because everyone was speaking in Xhosa and at that point I only knew how to say a few words, but I realized after a while that no one expected to me to know any Xhosa or even participate in the conversation so I spent most of the time taking in my surroundings and observing the people around me. It was quite entertaining to say the least and I found myself enjoying the party, even though I was only a bystander. At one point our hostess switched from Xhosa to English and addressed the party, “Today is a good day. Rain brings good fortunate and it brought these two white ladies to us. These pure white girls are lucky! They are lucky! Go out and buy Powerball tickets and you will all be winners!” Stewart and Tabesa had told us that rain was considered to be a good sign in this culture and that our hosts would probably comment upon the fact that our arrival coincided with rain, but I didn’t quite expect this sort of response! All of the party-goers laughed and laughed and then resumed chatting with each other in Xhosa.

After a few hours Tata returned with the car and brought us all home. Mama made dinner for me as I hadn’t eaten anything at the party and invited me to watch TV with her in her bedroom while she took care of the baby. My tiny sisi is about 16 days old and the sweetest little thing, though she can be quite vocal when she’s hungry and at bath time. After spending some time with Mama and baby I was sent to my room to get some much needed sleep.

On Sunday morning I got up early as Mama and Mama Yoli had arranged for me to go to church with one of Mama Yoli’s friends’ daughters and Myaisha, another girl in my program. Nande, Myaisha, and I, along with two of Nande’s friends headed to the Methodist Church in Rosebank, a nearby town. I had never been to a Methodist church service before and boy was it long – three hours to be exact! The time went by quickly however, and I really enjoyed the service. The pastor was white which I found extremely interesting since 99% of his congregation is black, and the service itself was in English while the singing was in Xhosa. The service was very lively and there was lots of dancing among the youth group members. One of the crowd’s favorite dance moves was what my Pontigny 226 girls and I fondly refer to as “the Mayshit” (hey Mary), which made me laugh so hard! All in all I had a very enjoyable time, though I was glad when the service finally ended.

Almost as soon as I walked in the door I heard people shouting my name from outside the front gate. Mama shooed me outside to find out who it was, and to my surprise I found my friend Lara with her sisi and a friend looking for me! After chatting for a few minutes we decided to walk down the street to Juan’s house to check up on him and say hi (you did say stop by anytime, Juan!). After being informed by one of Juan’s bhutis that he was at Ryan’s house, we set off across Langa to find our friends. On the way there we actually ran into Juan, Ryan, and Kelsey Rae with their siblings! We decided to merge our two groups and set out to find more of our friends. We spent about two hours exploring Langa and picking up our classmates and their siblings from all over the township, and it was one of the most enjoyable afternoons I've ever had! As we walked kids playing in and along the street would stop and stare at our rag-tag group. The brave children ran up and interacted with us. One little girl ran up beside me and grabbed hold of my wrist as I passed by and walked with me for a few paces before letting go and running away giggling. Another little boy gave me the thumbs up as I passed, which I returned. Next time I go for a walk I need to remember to take the small party favors I brought so I can make some more friends! When the sun got too hot to bear, we all headed back to our respective houses around Langa. When I got back Mama gave me a plate of food and sent me to my room to rest because she wanted to watch a documentary with me at 8:20pm and didn't want me to fall asleep. My mama already knows me so well! That night we watched “Miracle Rising in South Africa” on the History Channel which was about the democracy movement in South Africa from Nelson Mandela’s release from prison to his election to the presidency in 1994. The show had a star studded cast, including both of the Clintons, Oprah, Bono, and Peter Garbriel to name a few. It was a very informative program and allowed me to fill in some gaps about post-apartheid South Africa. It also gave me the opportunity to bond with my mama by hearing about the democracy movement in SA from her point of view. Experiential learning at its finest, am I right?

I’ve been living in Langa for six days now and am really enjoying the experience! If the past few days are any prediction of the future, I will (hopefully) pass my Xhosa course thanks to Mama’s diligent coaching and leave South Africa addicted to soap operas (Isidingo and Generations, to be exact).

* This comment has also been agreed upon by Lara’s sisi who had the same reaction as my Tata when I was recounting this story

Keep Calm and Carry On

Wednesday, February 6th was our first full day in Cape Town! We're staying at the "Check Inn" in Greenport through Saturday morning, which is right across the street from Cape Town Stadium. The Red Hot Chili Peppers actually played a show there Tuesday night! Pretty cool, eh? 

Cape Town Stadium

We were supposed to be picked up at 8:30am to be taken to SIT's office in Rondebosch, but in classic Africa fashion two of our taxi drivers were 30 minutes late - oops! Luckily we weren't officially beginning classes, just continuing orientation so we weren't on a time crunch. SIT's offices, which include our classroom and library, are located on a quiet street in Rondebosch right across from the train station. There's a mall with a grocery store and pharmacy (called a "chemist") nearby, along with our bank, laundromat, and several restaurants. We get a stipend into our bank account each week to pay for our lunches and an hour and a half lunch break each day, so I'll definitely be checking out the local eateries throughout the course of the semester! When we first arrived Maggie, the office manager, gave us a tour around the office before our second day of Xhosa lessons with Tabisa. I'm still a little nervous about learning Xhosa because I haven't gotten the clicks down yet, but I'm trying to be patient with myself and remember that everyone else is new at this too. 
Afterwards we were split into groups and sent around Cape Town to perform certain tasks. In order to accomplish these tasks we needed to talk to the locals and utilize all forms of public transportation: the train, bus, and mini buses, known as "taxis". My group was made up of Liyah, Sesen, and myself and our task was to pick up Liyah's lost luggage from the airport. We were instructed to take the train to Cape Town, then take the "My Citi Bus" to and from the airport, and then a taxi back to Rodenbosch. From the start things didn't go quite as planned. First, the train wasn't leaving until 12:35 so we had to wait 45 minutes before we could start our task. Then once we got to town, no one knew how to get to the bus station (we later found out that this is because most of the people we talked to, i.e. people of color, don't use My Citi Bus because it's new, expensive, and has a very limited route, among other reasons). Once we got to the airport, we then had to wait for Liyah to talk to security and fill out paperwork to get her lost bag. By the time we got out of the airport it was 14:35pm and we definitely weren't going to make it back to the classroom by 15:00pm. By this point I was very frustrated and anxious which put me into a pretty foul and unsociable mood. I longed for the simplicity of the CCTA buses in Burlington, which made me miss home a lot. 
My group's luck improved a bit when we got back to town as we had a couple of very nice locals help us find the taxi station and locate the right taxi to take. This is where the fun begins... a taxi is a 16-person van that carries people around the city for a very cheap price (6-8R). Our taxi, like all the others, was packed with about 20 people so we were all forced to sit on top of one another. Combine this with 50 Cent and techno music blasting from the speakers as we weaved in and out of traffic, narrowly avoiding other cars and pedestrians made for a very interesting ride! The taxi stops along the road to let people in and out, while the driver and money-collector are constantly yelling or whistling out the window, trying to attract customers. I was the only white person in the taxi and caused quite a scene when the driver passed our stop as I didn't think he was going to let us out! I was told to "chillax" while the driver swung across a lane of traffic and stopped at the curve. Needless to say, I had quite the experience with public transportation in Cape Town.
After running around the city all day, I was feeling pretty burnt out and quite a bit homesick. I was able to pull myself together however, with a little help from my friends. After our de-briefing, our taxis took us back to the hotel and a bunch of us decided to go running. Lara, Sharkey, Allie, and I made up the walk/jog group and we had a blast running to the beach and meeting some friendly pups along the way! My personal favorite was Ruff, a three-month old puppy, who licked our faces in greeting. That one puppy kiss definitely put me in a much, much better mood! When we got back to the hotel, we all showered and then headed out to get a bite to eat. We had a good experience at one of the restaurants down the road Tuesday night so we decided to go back again. It was a great decision because drinks were 50% off and our waiter, Job, helped us practice our Xhosa! He taught us different phrases to use at restaurants and wrote down all the clicks so we could practice. What a great guy! 

Becky, Allie, Ashley, me, Lara, and Kelin out to eat at our favorite spot in Greenport, down the street from our hotel!

On Wednesday I learned the importance of "keeping calm and carrying on". While I had many frustrations with transportation and communication, I discovered that you can't let these feelings control you or you won't be able to succeed in completing the task at hand. I also learned that while everyday abroad might not be perfect or go as planned, you can always learn from your experiences and find some good in every day.

New Friends

Here's a picture of the group outside the Constitutional Court (stolen from Lara)

Orientation in Johannesburg

Friday February 1 – After an 11 hour plane ride I finally arrived in Johannesburg, South Africa! It was so exhilarating to step off the plane and onto the tarmac and African soil for the first time. After months of progressively colder weather in Vermont, the warm air and sun felt amazing on my skin. Understandably I was very disappointed that I had to go inside away from the sun and wait in line to go through immigration. The line was long, but once I got to the counter I was through in a matter of minutes. The official just took a quick look at my visa, scanned my photo, and stamped and signed my passport. I got off really easy compared to other people in my group! After Allie and Sarah made it through immigration we all collected our bags and trooped off to terminal A to meet the rest of the group. Thirteen of the twenty-seven of us had early morning flights so we all hung out while we waited for our ride to the backpackers’ lodge where we would be staying until Tuesday. Our ride was thirty minutes late (classic Africa) and didn't have enough room for all of us so we had to make two trips. The car also didn't have enough seats so I rode in the trunk with three other girls.

Once we got to the lodge we were assigned rooms and given the opportunity to shower, change, and relax while we waited for our program directors, Stewart and Tabisa, and the rest of the group to arrive after 5pm. I have honestly never been happier to see a shower in my life. After 48+ hours of travelling in the same clothes, that shower was a godsend. Did I mention that it’s in the high 70’s/low 80’s right now in South Africa? I changed into shorts, a tank, and Birkenstocks and spent the afternoon laying in the sun and getting to know some of the other girls in my program. I got a wicked sunburn on my left arm because I was too lazy to dig out the sunscreen from the bottom of my bag. After sunbathing/napping we all went inside and played Scrabble and Mafia while we waited for dinner. When the rest of the group finally arrived around 8pm, we chowed-down on some delicious white rice, beef + vegetable stew, rolls, and watermelon – yum! Nothing tastes as good as watermelon after a long lazy day in the sun. Even though we were all jet-lagged and ready for bed after dinner, Stewart gathered us together for a quick meeting to handout our orientation schedule and readings. We got assigned a 25-page reading for Sunday (shortest assignment I’ve ever been given!) and sent to bed.

Saturday February 2 – Saturday was our first day of orientation in Johannesburg! After showers and breakfast we all headed outside to do get-to-know-each-other activities and go over basic program/trip information. Our group is so diverse! There are 25 girls and two guys from universities all over the US. We have people who were born in Bermuda, Colombia, Ethiopia, England, and Mexico and a professional cyclist (Juan even brought his bike with him so he can train in SA!). Everyone is so cool and I already feel like I've known them my whole life! My favorite activity that we did was called “hopes, fears, and expectations”. For this exercise we broke up into small groups to talk about and write down our hopes, fears, and expectations, and then after about twenty minutes we all came together and each group shared what they had talked about. After our mini presentations, Stewart explained how to change our fears into hopes and our hopes into goals. For example:

We fear that Stewart will not let us call him Simba (his nickname). ->

We hope that Stewart will let us call him Simba before the end of the program. ->

We will be on “Simba-level” with Stewart by the end of the program!

Stewart also explained to us the danger of having expectations. When you have expectations only two things can happen: you will either end up happy or disappointed. It is better therefore, to set goals for yourself because then you’re putting your life and happiness in your own hands and not someone else’s. Not only did I love the message behind this activity, but I also found it comforting to know that the other people in my program had the same hopes and fears (now goals) as me.

After a quick lunch we headed out into the city of Johannesburg for the first time to go to the Apartheid museum. Some quick observations about driving in Joburg (and possibly SA in general):

- You drive on the left side of the road

- It's okay to let your passangers sit in the back of your pick-up truck

- It’s perfectly fine for a 32-person bus to reverse on the highway if the driver misses the correct exit

- Feel free to ignore stop signs if no one else is around or run through a red light if you just barely missed the yellow light and the cars with the green light haven't started moving yet

Basically if you’re going to drive in Joburg, you better be confident in your driving skills and a good defensive driver!!!

When we arrived at the Apartheid museum we were each given a ticket and then allowed to walk around on our own for a couple of hours. The museum was intense and took a toll on my emotions, but I really enjoyed it. After reading Nelson Mandela’s autobiography, which is basically the story of apartheid from his point of view, it was cool to put faces to names and see different artifacts and videos from the apartheid era.

Entrance to the museum - everyone is randomly assigned a race and must enter through their race's door. I was classified as a "non-white"

After the museum we headed back to the lodge for dinner. South Africa was playing in the semi-finals of the African World Cup (soccer), so a bunch of people got together in the living room to watch the game. I was pretty burnt out so I decided to retire to my room instead. Unfortunately SA lost in overtime to Mali, wah.

Sunday February 3 -  Day two of orientation was jam-packed with activities! First we went to the constitutional court where we had a lecture on SA’s constitution and learned about the court in general. SA has one of the most progressive constitutions in the world and seeks to make sure its citizens’ rights are well protected. One of the cool things that I learned was that all legislation must first pass through the court to make sure it’s constitutional. If the court deems any of the legislation unconstitutional, then it’s back to the drawing board! Even the president is subject to the court! I really admire SA’s constitution and think that other countries, especially the US, could learn a lot from it. After we had walked around the court a bit, we got back on the bus and headed to SOWETO, which stands for Southwest Township, for lunch. We went to Orlando West and ate a buffet lunch on the street where both Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu lived. We had some time after lunch before our next activity so we got to go to Mandela's old house and take a tour! Out tour guide was hilarious and very informative. He kept us very entertained - I definitely recommend going to see him and the Mandela house is you're in Joburg and have the opportunity!
After our tour we trooped back on the bus and drove to the Market Theater to see the play "Mies Julie". A basic synopsis of the play is that a white woman and her black farmhand fall in lover during apartheid, though the play is much more complicated than that. It was very dark and not at all what I expected, but I did enjoy it. The actors did an incredible job and the intimate theater setting (about 80 tiered bench seats facing a small stage) really made the play that much more powerful. I walked away with a very different understanding of apartheid than I had from my readings and the apartheid museum.
The play was followed by dinner at an Italian restaurant in Sandton and then a train ride back to our lodge. We had to walk from the station to the lodge in a light rain, but I still enjoyed the walk. The rain just made our adventure that more exciting!

Stewart pointing out the Constitutional Court - it says "Constitutional Court" in all 11 national languages on the front of the building

All 27 basic human rights are carved into the front doors of the court

The Constitutional Court!

Nelson Mandela's address

Monday February 4 - Monday was our last full day in Johannesburg. We got up really early for breakfast and to catch our bus at 7:30am (!) so we wouldn't get stuck in rush-hour traffic and miss our tour at the Origins Centre at Witswaterand University. The Origins Centre was really cool and we had another awesome tour guide named Brian who likes the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The museum focuses on the history of modern humankind, which originated in Africa, and is definitely a must-see for anyone interested in archaeology and African culture. After our two-hour tour we were given free time for lunch before heading to Liliesleaf Farm. For those of you who don't know, Liliesleaf Farm was the secret meeting place of prominent ANC and MK leaders during apartheid after the organizations were banned. Unfortunately the farm was discovered and raided by the police which resulted in lifetime prison sentences for almost all those involved. The farm is beautiful but it was very hot, so it wasn't quite as enjoyable as some of the other historical sites we went too. Nonetheless, it was still cool to have the opportunity to see yet another place that had such an impact on South African history. After a quick bite to eat post-museum, we headed back to Shoestrings to pack and prepare for our departure to Cape Town the next morning!!!

The Origins Centre at Wits University

Our tour guide Brian at the Origins Centre

No escaping Greek!!! (Kidding Mrs. Professor)

Shoestrings

Here's some pictures I snapped of the lodge we stayed at in Johannesburg:

I also spotted this van in the yard next door:

I (finally) have (reliable) wifi through Saturday morning so look out for a blog post about orientation soon!