Cape Town: Week 4

This will be my last post from Cape Town. Tomorrow is the start of my weeklong vacation. My mom is flying in tonight so we can travel together. We plan to go to Kruger Park near Johannesburg to do a safari for a week. I am so excited to see her. After everything I have been through in the last two months it will be great to see a familiar face .
The last few weeks have been so amazing. I have experienced such a mix of emotions: excited, enthusiastic, happy, depressed, frustrated, angry, helpless, empowered, and confused. Cape Town is an amazing place with a history of inequality, poverty, reconciliation, change, growth and uncertainty. It isn't a place that is easy to convey in words. I have met some amazing people from extremely diverse backgrounds who are so open to communication and dialogue. At the same time, I have encountered a lot of racism, hate, violence and anger during my time here. These are the things that are hardest to deal with. It is very difficult to encounter poverty, illness (HIV/AIDS, TB), and violence at such a personal level with people who suffer each day. But out of these encounters i have been inspired by people's courage, strength and resilience. Being in Cape Town has opened my eyes to a new world of possibilities where people can rise out of amazing struggles and grow. I hope I can bring the inspiration and hope I have witnessed here with me when I return home.
I am sad to be leaving the Bo-Kaap because I have grown so close to my family. I will miss my host sister so much. I can't image what it will be like to say bye to everyone who I have grown so close to and who have been so supportive of me the past few weeks. I am dreading the good byes but at the same time I am relieved to be starting my vacation. After next week I will be on a plane yet again to go to Buenos Aires. I wonder what adventures await me there.
This is a bittersweet good bye to Cape Town. I have had so many amazing memories: the food, shopping, weather, beaches, mountains, children, friends and family. It will be hard to say bye but I know I will be back again some time. Sorry for being so sappy but I am realizing that the first half of my semester is over. I am starting a new chapter after today. I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog so far. I will try to put up more pictures (especially of the safari) when I return.
Take care!! keep reading!!

Cape Town Photos

sea point, cape town (near the hostel, day 1)






host brother, cousin, mom, dad at the waterfront on our way to robben island




beautiful mountains






u.s. consulate in cape town. I cast my first presidential vote!

Cape Town: Week 3

It is already halfway into the semester. I don't know where the time has gone. I am starting to feel the stress of deadlines. I have so much I have to do by the time I get back in December. I am trying not to let the stress of school work and fellowships distract me from my experiences here. I am really enjoying my homestay and the city as a whole. I just need to manage my time well.
I went to a Sami Yussef concert with my host sister and Corrine last night. It was great. Quite a unique experience. He is a Muslim singer who is world famous for his religious music. The entire stadium (with thousands of people) was full of mostly Muslims. Corrine and I stood out to say the least. He is really talented. I am glad I had a chance to share the experience with my host sister.
Tomorrow is Robben Island. I hope it doesn't rain.

South Africa: Week 1 and 2

Cape Town is amazing! I am living in Langa, a township outside of the city with an amazing family. My roommate is Lexi from Wesleyan. We get along so well with our family. We live with our host mother, father and their grandson, Kangelani. Our parents are retired so they stay at home and run errands all day.
Our classroom is at the community center, Guga Sthebe. People in Langa are very friendly and open to conversation. We are trying to practice our Xhosa but the clicks are very hard for us. Of course, we all stick out a lot but no one really makes us feel uncomfortable. I have been taking really great pictures lately, which i hope to upload soon. I have been really lucky so far because I spent a lot of time with my friends in Cape Town, who I know from Face to Face camp.
Last week we stayed at Seapoint in CT (Cape Town) in a hostel for two nights before moving in to our home stays. During the day I went to the waterfront to go to the shopping mall and enjoy the beautiful scenery. Table Mountain can be seen from practically anywhere in Cape Town. On Sunday, I met up with my friend Orli and she drove me around the mountain. We had lunch at a cute little place off the beach where we had fish and chips. Then we got ice cream and walked around the beach for a while.
On Sunday evening Lexi and I moved into our homestay. We were so tired that we ate a delicious meal and went to be before 9pm. The food here is great-a lot like American Southern food.
From Monday to Friday we had classes, guest lecturers, films, a music and drumming session, and discussions. We have been focusing a lot on South Africa's history of apartheid, racial relations, urbanization, sustainable development, recent xenophobic attacks, and national politics. It is an interesting time to be in SA because of the president just stepped down and the ANC political party is splitting. The currency (Rand) has dropped significantly in the one week we have been here so for Americans it's good but many SA are suffering. I have learned so much about race and politics during the last week-especially outside the classroom. So many people are knowledgeable about politics and willing to engage me in conversation. I have random convos on the street with people about race, poverty and politics. It's pretty amazing.
This weekend, I slept over at Orli's house and celebrated Shabbat with her family. I had time to meet up with friends at night and made our way to Long Street to check out the night life.
On Saturday, Orli and I went to Kirstenbosch botanical garden and had a nice leisurely day. We packed a picnic and took a nap in the sun. Then at night our family threw a braai (BBQ) for our friends and family. The house was full of great food, lots of kids running around, dancing, conversation and laughter. It was so much fun!
Yesterday Lexi and I took our parents to the waterfront to go to Robben Island but unfortunately, we missed the boat. So we rescheduled for next Sunday. We spent the day with our parents, Kangelani (6yrs) and his 2 year old cousin. Lexi and I were exhausted from babysitting!
Today, after class Lexi and I went grocery shopping. We are cooking dinner for our family tonight- pasta and chicken p. I hope it turns out well.
I am missing my friends and family very much! But I am also having a wonderful time here. The weather is great (70 degrees) and the city is just beautiful!!!! I can't wait until my mom comes to visit me during my vacation on October 30th.
I hope everyone is doing well at home. Good luck on midterms to all of you!

As requsted...more photos

The family at the BBQ
Relaxing on the rooftop
Group picture of IHP Students from wedding
Enjoying the view from the top of the mountain.
My neighborhood at sunset.

Meg and I at the farewell dinner party.
Nick, Benito, Me, Kate
Meg, Anjali, Corrine, Abbie in our sarees

Week 4.5: Farewell India

So already it is my last day in Bangalore. I leave with the group at 9pm tonight. We are flying on Emirates to Dubai at 4am and then to Capetown.

I can't believe it's already been a month. I have learned so much, met so many new people and found out so many things about myself in such a short amount of time. As I get ready to leave I am a little overwhelmed by all the things I have to do and all of the thoughts and emotions that rush through me. I am starting to think about my senior thesis and how I will incorporate my abroad experiences into it, which classes I want to register for next semester, fellowships and jobs I want to apply to, essays to write, postcards to send to friends and family, souveneirs to buy, things to pack, people to call in South Africa, etc. My brain feels so cloudy with things I need to worry about in the coming weeks. Hopefully, I will get everything done in time with very little stress.

Enough about my worries. Here are some updates on what I've done for the past week or so.

Last week we went on an overnight field visit to Navadarshanam, an alternative community living outside the city. It is a community of 7 families that have decided to live sustainable lives--growing their own food, producing their own energy through solar, wind and biogas power, building eco friendly homes, and conserving as much as possible. It was an incredible visit. We stayed in beautiful houses in the middle of the forest. We ate delicious organic food and took a morning hike. It was great being able to escape the chaos of the city for a little while.

Also this week we presented our case studies to the class. My group-waste management, focused on what we learned about recycling, segregating waste, how to treat hazardous waste, and government policies addressing the problem. I learned that each day Bangalore produces 3000 tons of garbage! It was very interesting learning about waste management and how urban garbage negatively impacts rural farmlands.

For Politics and Development, my group conducted a debate on approaches to counter-terrorism in India. Given recent bombings and other tragic events, this issue seemed important to discuss. We presented arguments about how the government should respond to the attacks- allocate resources to intelligence and security or tackle some of the roots of the problem ie: marginalized Muslim communities? It was a fascinating topic and I learned a lot about the complexities of national security and political interests.

So overall, it was an academically rigorous and exhausting week. Thankfully, on the weekend I had a chance to relax and unwind. I visited the Bannerghatta National Park and went on a safari where I saw lions, tigers, bears, and more. I rode an elephant too!!! It was amazing to be so close to these animals. Then, the next day our host family threw a bbq party on our roof. We invited the whole family-cousins, aunts, uncles and close friends. It was wonderful- full of Bollywood dancing, delicious food, lots of pictures and laughing. I am really going to miss my host family. I think I was so lucky that I had such a caring, open minded, loving, and funny homestay. I will definitely try to visit them again in the near future. My host parents joke that when I get engaged I have to bring my fiance back to India for their approval. I think it is so sweet of them to say such things because it makes Meg and I feel like their real daughters. I can't imagine what my next host families will be like in South Africa. I guess I will have to wait and see.

Ok, well I guess you will hear from me again when I get to Capetown! Thanks for reading!