Heading Home

Hi Everyone!

Another BEAUTIFUL day here on the southern tip of Africa. I just finished writing my final paper! It was really difficult to do because I have to sit in this internet cafe and there is WAY to much stuff distracting me. I think it turned out pretty good, despite the topic being really difficult. I can't believe I leave tomorrow. It seems so unreal!

Well its so beautiful out today. Me and some of the girls in my group went shopping! We went to this African jewelery store and this music shop on Long Street (Kinda like Mill Ave in Tempe). I picked up some gifts then we went out to Green Market Square. Its this little square right in the middle of the city where people set up stands. They have all kinds of cool little souveniors! I must say im quite impressed with my bargining skills. It was a really good time. Then we went out to Waterfront which is a really cool shopping mall right by the port. I of course, bought more stuff. If it wasnt for this awesome exchange rate I would be dirt poor if not in debt by now. Well tonight we are all going to Rick's with Teri and Gordon. Rick's is a Morrocan Restaurant that is delicious! A guy in our group turns 21 tonight at midnight so we will probably head out to some bars or clubs to celebrate after dinner.

Well we head out tomorrow! Our flight leaves around 6:30, we head into the night to Dakar in Senegal for a short refuel, then across the atlantic to atlanta! Ill be getting home around noon in Phoenix on Wednesday! Cant wait to see you all and tell you all about it :) Part of me is ready come home, but the other part doesnt want to leave this beautiful place with all of these amazing people.

Back to Hillcrest

Hey all!

Sorry for the lack of posts! Im out of Khayelitsha now and back at Hillcrest in Cape Town!

We spent the past few days at this place called "Olifantsbos" or "Elephants Place". Its located on the Cape of Good Hope! Which is the most southern tip of Africa. It was so beautiful! You can see the Atlantic and Indian Ocean colliding. The waves were so strong because of the storms that have rolled through, and the wind was so powerful! We went to this secluded beach and played in the water! The water is warmer than the temp outside. Its been quite chilly the past few days here, but im soaking it all in before I come back to Phoenix!

We have 5 more days in Cape Town. We jsut got our final paper prompt; Theorizing: the de-evolution of humanity into the shadows of perpetration, the fall from grace. I hope to have it done by Sunday so I can enjoy my last two days shopping and hiking! I leave on Tuesday at 6:30 and arrive back home on Wednesday at noon. Cant wait to see you all!

Peace and Love!

Journal Entry for school

WHATS UPP?!

Its cold and rainy here, I love it! Well I just typed up a journal entry for my internship credit about my feelings while heading into Khayelitsha. So I wrote this a few weeks back, hope you all enjoy! Love and miss you all.

Sunday July 5th
It’s a beautiful, overcast day here on the southern tip of Africa. I find myself staring out of a car window barely being able to hold back from shaking. I feel a flow of tears forming in my eyes. I question myself for the reason in participating in this program, whether I am emotionally and physically ready for this. I’m on my way twenty minutes west of the beautiful coastline where I have spent my last ten days, to a place with a reputation of violence and anger. How did I get here? Why am I stepping so far out of my comfort zone to the point of trembling? I’m headed to Khayelitsha, a black township on the outskirts of Cape Town where I will be staying with a family for the next two weeks. My mind wonders with uncertainties and insecurities I had no idea I had prior to this car ride. I can’t help but question my inner knowledge and strength as I take this car ride into this strange, impoverished South African township.
As we are driving into Khayelitsha, the roads are so full with trash and debris that we must take another route. We discover that there had been a protest on this street the previous day, where the residents of this area were demanding more government funding for the development of their town. My eyes wonder up and down the roads as the tin shacks and sheds are become countless and overwhelming. It smells of exhaust and trash, and it seemed as if there were hundreds of people filling the sidewalks and paths, screaming and laughing. My feelings of fright and sadness escalate, and I find myself feeling comforted by my classmates and their composure.
Our car turns down a road in a section of Khayelitsha known as Herare. This is an area of the township that has received some government funding since the ending of the apartheid, so most of the houses have electricity and running water. Children are running across the streets and playing with a makeshift jump rope, I feel like I’m in the middle of a movie. Our van pulls up to a house on the corner. The house is small and a bright shade of pink – complete with a garage. I step out of the car and my feet rest on the dirt. I feel a sense of security rush through my skin. There was something calming about this ground, despite the kind of atrocities that occurred here during the years of oppression. I approach my new home with my roommate and we are welcomed by a group of 20 or more waiting for us in the garage, all smiling with open arms. We introduce ourselves to one another and share laughter at our inabilities to pronounce the others names.
The eldest daughter in my new family, Bultha, shows us our room. The house is small, but beautiful. The floors feel cold and sandy. There are 3 bedrooms and 1 bath for this family of 6. The ceiling is missing, and the frame of the roof is visible when sitting in a chair in the living room. Our room is small with a large bed and mirror. Bultha is proud to announce this was her room, and taught us how to open the blue multicolored curtains. I can’t help but take a mental note of the bars across every window. The house has no water gyser, so in order to bathe we must use a water heater. With no heat or cooling system, my family gathers around a little heater in the evenings to eat dinner and watch their favorite soap operas.
This is home for the next two weeks. The first week will be spent working a “cresh” in the community. The second week, we will be heading downtown to learn more about the Truth and Reconciliation Committee and how the nation has begun to heal into a democracy. I plan to continue to open all my senses to this new place, and learn to love and embrace all the different parts of South Africa.

Khayelitsha

Hellooooo from 12,000 miles away!

This past week has been really life changing. Right now its 8 p.m., and i'm sitting around a heater with my new khayelitsha family watching a jackie chan movie. its been pouring all weekend, and really cold! south africa looks mystical when it rains. this thick fog develops and rests ontop of the moutains, and it is one of the most beautiful things i have ever seen. im taking lots of pictures! sorry for the lack of updates, ill fill you in on this past week in the township.

monday through friday i was working with thomas (another kid in my group) at a "cresh" is the TR section of khayelitisha. A cresh aka an educare is a preschool/day care center in khayelitsha. they are run by community individuals for families who have to go into town to work. paying for their services is optional, and most of the time the women who watch the kids are not paid. the children are sick, and the school is unstructured. we brought in crayons, and a majority of the students didnt know what to do with them. when we took pictures, the kids would all rush to see themselves. the TR section is the poorest in khayletisha, and has yet to seen any governmental fudning following the apartheid. it was scary walking to work. people stare, its the most unconfortable feeling i have ever experienced. most people are shocked that we are staying here. we are breaking barriers and social norms that people just dont do in south africa. white people dont go into townships. I was talking to a man and he told me 90% of the white population has never ever driven through. they have a rough and tough reputation with the outsiders, but the people here are the kindest people you could ever imagine. i dont even know how many times people have stopped and said welcome, and thank you for coming. its amazing the kind of community the people have here, and the sense of family. they speak xhosa, a click language, so i really have no idea what anyone is saying. most people do speak english, but im starting to pick up on basic words that can get me through.

i have adjusted a lot better than i thought i would. although having difficulty sleeping, everything is wonderful. we dont have running hot water, so you have to use water heaters. no heating unit, so blankets and a little electrical heater. no light switches, just one that controls the whole house. the walls are thin, and there is one bathroom for the 7 people staying here. the children all sleep in the same bed, and everyone takes turns serving dinner and cleaning. my momma is amazing. mommas here are the nicest people. if im walking down the street and feel unconfortable or lost, i just have to find the nearest momma. they call us their babies! I went to a friends house and my momma said if I was 3 minutes late getting home, no dinner for me! haha im having a wonderful time. and learning so much!

tomorrow we are starting school. instead of university of cape town, teri and gordon got us a lecture room at the castle in downtown cape town. its one of the oldest structed surviving the colonization of the dutch and british. the castle was built by the first dutch settlers when cape town was a post for saliors to restock supplies on a trading route. lots of history!

well im gonna head out. hope all is well back in the states! love and miss you all, ill try and write sometime this week to let you know how classes are coming along!

-Kaitlin

Township Tomorrow!

Hello!! Happy 4th of July to everyone!

What a great week this has been. I don't have very much time right now, but I just wanted to let everyone know that the group and I are heading out to Khayelitsha tomorrow, so I won't have internet access until I make my way back into Cape Town this upcoming weekend. I'm sure i'll have a lot of stories for everyone! Everyone have a great fourth, and stay out of trouble! Love and miss you all :)

Cheers!

Its already been a week?!

Hello Everyone! Greetings from Cape Town!

Well a 30 hour flight, a million time zones, and two seasons later, and I am finally here! Actually, I have been here about a week now. The flight was absolutly insane. We were served dinner, breakfast, and lunch! Thats when you know its a long flight. No personal TVs, so to put it frankily, I let the sleeping pills take over. Im happy to say I didnt suffer one bit from jet lag, even though I was ready for it! I have had absolutly no trouble sleeping, and have enjoyed every minute spent here so far. Ill give you guys some information on what weve been doing.

First day, we did a scavenger hunt around Cape Town called "The Plunge". It was the craziest, scairest, most awkward thing I have ever done in my life. Me, Rainey, and Thomas walked into downtown Cape Town after only being there one night, and had a list of 10 places we had to find our way to. Including St. Georges (beautiful) Camps bay (more beautiful) and Khay. (the township ill be moving into on sunday) We had to take the public transportation called "combis" to all these places. Not only were we the ONLY white people, but they are small mini vans that more than 15 people squeeze into. I got sat on, stepped on, pushed up against the window. It was crazy. But I got to learn so much about the culture just from riding in those combis, and listening to the people around me. We made it home safetly, and exhasusted.

We are staying in Hillcrest, which is a little bed and breakfast right outside of downtown, its beautiful! We have an amazing view of the city and table mountain. Our group has already been through some intense bonding, and I feel like I have known these 14 kids forever. Without each other, I dont think any of us would be able to be successful in this program.

Well this past week has been intense. We have spent it mainly seeing landmarks, and learning about the history of Cape Town. We have been learning about the dutch and british colonization, the afrikaaners dominance, and the oppression of the black community. Not only have we learned, but we have witnessed. The divide between races here in South Africa is like none other in the world. Ten minutes inland you find extreme poverty, children roaming the streets begging for rand (the SA currency), people living in homes that can barely stand. Then, travel ten mintues to the shore, and you see the rich of the rich. People sipping on cappachinos and petting their dogs. Its crazy to be an insider looking in on this. How do they do it? How can the Afrikaaners live their lives knowing the brokeness of the people living ten minutes away. Cape Town is a beautiful place. You can find the beauty in the mansions that stretch across the shoreline, and the beauty that lies in the spirit of the black communities who cling to nothing, but each other.

We jsut have spent the last three days at a place called Travellers Rest. It is a small secluded place, we stayed in converted slave homes. It is here that we saw Rock Art. Art made by the San people thousands and thousands of years ago. This art was some of the most amazing pieces of art I have seen in my entire life. Some of the art was so faded, will other pieces looked like they had been done yesterday. Although its so simple, it gives you a whole different sense of presence. Travellers Rest was one of the most peaceful places I have ever been. I took a lot of pictures, and ill make sure to post them once I figure out how to!

Well its 6 oclock now, my beer is running empty and im getting hungry! ill speak with you all soon!

8 days before take-off

I simply cannot believe it. 8 days before I leave, and I cannot wait. I'm starting to fill up with crazy emotions. I'm nervous, excited, scared, and afraid to leave behind what I know here. I have never stepped out of my comfort zone like what Im about to do. Traveling to a place half way around the world, with people I barely know, and completely unaware of what Im going to encounter. The only thing Im bringing is my knowledge. Knowledge I have gained from my natural human instincts, to knowledge I have gained in the classroom, and most importantly my life experiences. I have been through so much in the 20 years I have been alive, and I cannot wait to leave everything behind for 5 weeks to put myself in someone else's shoes. Im going to learn and be submerged from head to toe in a new culture, language, and spirit. Im so thankful to have the chance to do such an amazing thing with my life. Im going to share a short message Gordon (one of our mentors) shared with us all a few weeks back. 

"Dear ASU students, 

In four short weeks you will be walking on the soil of South Africa. I look forward to being a part of your learning journey in my home country. Teri told me that you all read through one of my short stories, Skin. I hope the experience was not too traumatising. I tend to come to ideas and life at an angle. Colours, shapes, smells, stories, nuance. These are some of the tools that help me understand my surroundings and the larger push and pull of our world. Perhaps during your time here you will find South Africa comes to you through more than your rational process—you might begin to absorb our story through your nose, ears, skin, eyes, spirit. We make for a pretty darned good classroom if you are able to come to us with many senses open at the same time. 

Two weeks ago Teri and I hosted High School students from Khayelitsha for a three day retreat in the mountains a few hours north of Cape Town. The setting was a large working farm where rock art from thousands of years ago has been discovered on dozens of cliff walls and inside a number of caves. These marks were left by the San peoples, some of the original Africans who became extinct from the press of modernity. 

The youth and staff stayed in former slave/worker houses. We cooked our food on open fires, hiked along trails to find numerous paintings, waded through a wide river that crashes through the canyon, took in the generous sky and cold nights. Everything about the weekend was poetic. 

This farm is called Traveller’s Rest (you will visit it) and in a strange commentary, it now holds the markings of a nomadic people who no longer exist. Their voice has been extinguished. The question of “voice” is not an academic exercise. It really is a matter of life and death. The black South African high school kids, formerly oppressed by the white colonial system of Apartheid, brushed their breath across etchings and ochre paintings just inches from their noses. A way of life forever destroyed by the logic of development, the rational process of taming the savage world. These kids know the story all too well. 

I think when one loses reverence for the earth one loses life’s compass. I’m sure of that. The moment we cheapen the miracle of life we begin to descend into a dangerous terrain where that which breathes can be disregarded with a simple wave of the hand: build the bridge there, relocate those natives, empty this valley of elephants and snakes and leopards, erect a shopping mall here. 

It was instructive for me to personally reflect upon the idea of ‘development’ as I watched those kids on the retreat. For hundreds of years their forbearers were forced to live as slaves to the Dutch, then the British, then finally the white South Africans. Now, free for only 15 years, they have the right, and for some the means, to pursue the life of modern convenience, modern comfort, modern dreams. These teenagers, like any other “normal” kids in the world, dream of fast cars, large houses, fashionable clothes, electronic toys. But at what price? What gets silenced as we tear up yet another part of the earth to mimic the notion of progressive development? Who gets trampled as we climb our way into enlightened living? 

I don’t pretend to think these are easy questions. But we do have to struggle with the loss of ancient moorings, the loss of reverence for the song of a sugar bird, the loss of wonder for the smell of a field of fynbos flowers exploding across the plateau where the First People used to sit naked around fires for generation after generation, for thousands of years, living inside the rhythm of nature’s cycles, nature’s provision. In a few short hundred years the human family has lost all of that history and wisdom to the logic of concrete, steel and plastic. 

I hope that during your time with us in South Africa you will enjoy being a wide-eyed learner who takes in numerous streams of stimuli—expansive sunsets, debilitating poverty, welcoming families, complex smells, flesh, blood, rain, contrasting beliefs, clashing values, commun al living. Wonder can lead to pause and invite a lovely, creative, life-giving opportunity to grow."

His words are so powerful, and that message really got my blood pumping. Im actually going to do this! It hasnt hit me yet, but I know it will once I get to the airport. Im going to be flooded with all kinds of emotions, and I cant wait to feel that. Well, I just signed up for a Photobucket so ill upload some pictures while in Cape Town to share with everyone, and Ill talk with you all very soon! 

Peace and Love