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!