Classes, Volunteering, Mini-busses, Travel Plans.

Molweni! Ninjani? Ndiphilile enkosi. (= 'Hello, how are you all? I'm fine thank you' in Xhosa. Aaaand thats about the extent of my Xhosa knowledge).

I can’t believe it’s been over a month since my last post. Time sure flies when you’re having the time of your life/ the only time you’re in your room is when you’re there to sleep or do homework. I have no idea where to start with this update, and since I don’t really have the time to write and well-organized and eloquent entry (I’m supposed to be doing homework right now), this is going to be a somewhat scattered and stream-of-thought-esque addition, so forgive me. See, a run-on sentence already. This is going to be rough.
Let’s see, where did I leave off? Oh right, UCT. Well it’s been a month classes (already? Holy moly) and the work is starting to pile up just a bit. I had my first paper due in my Medical Anthropology class last week and another one is due on Thursday for my African Studies class. I still feel like I’m on vacation here so I find it very difficult to get into work-mode but everything is getting done, maybe just not with as much intensity. It’s sort of nice to not be so obsessive over my schoolwork. Who knew I could have a life AND still do OK in school? Wow, my life is sad. Haha. I am enjoying all of my classes. My Med Anth class is still very interesting and I look forward to my lectures. Xhosa is getting progressively harder because we are starting to learn grammer and more vocabulary but I still enjoy class. The lecturer is really spunky and funny and I like her class a lot. My African Studies class (Race, Culture and Identity in Post-apartheid South Africa) is not really what I expected but it’s still pretty cool. African dance has been my favorite class so far—I really like the people in it and the class itself is incredible. Lately we’ve had a whole chorus of drummers (4 or 5) instead of just one to accompany the class and it has really helped to bring the energy of the class way up! Even when I’m exhausted I still can’t help but dance to the beat.
On Wednesdays I have been volunteering at the LEAP School, which is a high school for kids living in townships. Most of the kids come from poor and broken families where domestic violence is a frequent occurrence. LEAP is a specialized high school to teach the kids skills in science, math, and life skills. All of the students wear uniforms to school. Every Tuesday when I’m there they have a Community meeting where all of the students get together with the teachers and discuss topics like domestic violence, attitudes towards girls by guys and vice versa, and keeping the school, their homes, and their lives clean. On Thursdays they have Life Orientation class which guides them in finding their strengths and weaknesses, communication skills, etc.
I have been assigned to be the mentor for a group for five girls all in grade ten, Nqabisa, Vuyo, Nadia, Lucy, and Athi. They’re all 15. I have no idea what I can say to five 15-year-olds that can help them but this is a learning process for me as well as them. Luckily, the girls are very outgoing and fun and we are having a fun time together so far. They are all Xhosa-speaking so sometimes its hard because they talk in Xhosa amongst themselves and only speak in English when they’re talking directly to me, however they’ve agreed to help me with my Xhosa-speaking haha. I’ve only come to LEAP twice to see them so far, but I am going to be increasing my hours there are going for 2 hours each on Tuesday and Friday. This weekend we went to the mall together and enjoyed ourselves walking around and then getting lunch where we had a mini photo-shoot. I’m posting pictures ASAP! I’m unsure about what my role is exactly as their mentor but for now I think the best way to go about things is to gain their trust and be their friend first. Then hopefully we can start talking about more serious issues that they might have questions or want to talk about.
One crazy and unique thing about Cape Town are the taxis, affectionately know as mini-busses. These are large vans that drive up and down Main Rd with guys hanging halfway out the window shouting pedestrian they pass if they want to get in. I wake up, do work, and fall asleep to the sounds of cars whizzing by and men yelling “CAPE TOWN?” or “WYNBERG?”, but their accents are funny so it sounds like “CYYAPE TEEYOWN?” or “WYYBUURRGH?” hahaha. Many drivers are really aggressive/rude and will actually get out of the car and follow everyone on the street asking if they want to go somewhere. It’s funny at first but it gets pretty annoying. Yesterday when the LEAP girls and I wanted to go to the mall we had 3 different cab driving surrounding us trying us to get into their taxi, grabbing our arms and actually pulling us toward their taxis. I got so irritated that I actually shoved one away from me and was like “DON’T touch me.” He was all like ‘I’m sorry lady, I won’t touch you again, come to my taxi, yada yada yada” Those guys are crazy. Once you get into a mini-bus that’s an experience in itself. You’re usually squeezed into the back next to strangers, house music pounding in your ears while watching the van you are in zooming at very unsafe speeds between traffic haha. But getting around by mini-bus is just a part of living in Cape Town, plus it’s cheap (R5 no matter where you’re going. R5=5 cents. Again, can I say, holler!).
Cape Town is growing on me. I’m starting to feel at home here and the thought of going home is killing me. However, I occasionally get homesick so I am looking forward to next month when Mom, Maren, and Grandma Non come to visit me!! I can’t wait to see them and show them around this crazy city and introduce them to my friends.
In two weeks is a mid-semester break and I have just finalized my travel plans! I will be traveling with Sarah and Rachael, another CIEE student, up the Garden Route on the Baz Bus which is a very reasonably priced bus line designed for backpackers and young travelers. The Garden Route goes from Cape Town along to coast all the way up to Durban and there are at least 20 towns along the way where you can stop and spend a night. We bought a 7-day hop-on hop-off pass (for $119 dollars. Holler! I love the exchange rate) on the Baz Bus which will drop us off and pick us up a right in front of our hostels. We’ve heard great things about the Baz Bus, especially that it is very reliable. Another cool thing about the Baz Bus is that it only has 20-seats and since you spend a considerable amount of time in that bus you get a chance to meet and get to know the other travelers. So we will be on the Baz Bus along the Garden Route from Friday April 3 til April 7 (Wed) when we will be arriving in Durban! We are spending a day or two in Durban which is apparently a REALLY cool city, plus Sarah’s friend has family there, there is another ‘Berg student studying there this semester, and I will hopefully get to see Jess, Alison’s Italy roommate who is doing a program in Durban this semester as well! After Durban we are flying up to Zambia to see Victoria Falls, one of the 7 wonders of the world! We will be in Zambia for a few days so in addition to the falls we are going to be exploring the area around Vic Falls, taking an elephant-back safari (woot woot!), and museum-going. I am very much looking forward to the trip!

There’s so much more to say but why don’t you guys start with that haha. I will REALLY try to update again soon with more details about what I’ve actually been doing on a more daily basis. I will try to include anecdotes and things like that. But in the meantime, start with that and take a look at my pictures which should be up sometime this week. I miss everyone very much!

Love, Mel