No mountain is too high, no stone is too small....

No mountain is too high, no stone is too small….

                Well, here I am again beginning to write but not really knowing where to start. I will start by saying that each day is a new adventure and a new opportunity to fully cherish in this wild adventure that has become my life. I still cannot even fathom that I have lived on three continents in one year and been to nine countries. I cannot figure out how I became so fortunate but I am so very grateful. I am learning more than even I am aware. One small fun thing that happens here is that when I walk around Langa (which has not happened too often) little kids are running all over the streets playing. Also, a lot of them will scream “umlungu! Umlungu!” as soon as they see me. “Umlungu” means “white person” in Xhosa. It took me by surprise at first but now I think it is cute and a little funny.

                This past week has been great. I have fallen into a routine and being the person I am, I love it. There has been something great and reassuring about being in a routine. As I mentioned before, I get picked up from my house each day at seven in the morning and am taken to the classroom in a part of Cape Town called Rondebosch. There we have Xhosa (more to come later), have guest lecturers and we have begun to discuss the ISP (Independent Study Project) that will happen in April. I have pretty much become accustom to Rondebosch and have found “my places” that I enjoy eating at and finding the things I need. It is comforting to know my way around and to feel comfortable in an area. Not to worry though I am still being very careful and very aware of my surroundings.

                We are brought back to our homes in Langa between 5:30 and 6:00. From then I may do a little homework or just talk with my host sister. Then as a family, we have dinner….I mean we all eat at the same time in different areas. My host sister and I eat in the kitchen at the counter/bar area, my host brother eats at the edge of the counter on the other side of the kitchen and then my host mom and grandma eat in the living room in front of the TV. My host sister reminisce about the days happening s and whatever else we can think of, I am really enjoying spending time with her and getting to know her. Then after dinner my host sister washes the dishes and I dry them and put them away. Then Zizi (host sister) makes tea for my host mom and host grandma. The rest of the evening usually includes a little TV, a little homework and bed by 10:00 pm. It is like clockwork and I love it. My host family is so relaxed and low key, it has been wonderful to stay here.

                As far as school is concerned Xhosa is going well , I feel like I am learning more and more but still am anxious for the rural homestay (first week of March) in which the family will only speak Xhosa and no English. I am sure that when I am in that situation and I will be forced to speak it all day every day I will learn a lot of things very quickly. We are learning Xhosa from a white guy. Let me tell you that this is VERY unusual. It is rare that you would even find a white person that speaks Xhosa even a little much less one who is teaching other white people the language. Interesting but very cool at the same time.

                Culturally there have been moments that I will never forget. For example, I was in a café and just finished skyping with my wonderful wonderful family and ended up having a conversation with a white South African woman. We chit chatted about coffee and then about the program I was doing, but then I mentioned that I am living in Langa. She was shocked and did not even know what to say. Her face looked like I told her I was going to grow wings and fly back home to Colorado. I could not help but smile. I felt she was really ignorant about Langa but also it was a great eye opener about how what an incredibly strange and well…awesome thing we are doing. There is so much cultural insight I and others in the program are gaining but living her in Langa.

On Wednesday, we had some time off in the afternoon so a few of us went to a market in Cape Town. It was fun to venture off away from class and to see another part of Cape Town. The market was so much fun. But, I have discovered I am not good at bartering and I am not good at ignoring people when they push me to buy something. I feel like I did pretty well and did not buy too much but still it is so hard to be so blunt with people.  I really enjoyed the afternoon out and feel like I will return there again at least once or twice before I leave. Markets are so much fun.

                Thursday, we had the opportunity to go and observe in different schools throughout Cape Town. I was really happy when I was placed in a primary (elementary/middle) school in Langa.  The school was fairly poor by American standards but all in all it is one of the best schools in Langa. I love volunteering in schools and it was so great to be back in that environment. I know that I stood out but it was okay, the kids were very nice and I know it was strange for them to have this white girl sitting in their classroom. It was hard for me to simply sit and observe. I really wanted to be more involved and felt weird just sitting in the classroom.  I was placed with an 8^th grade math and science teacher. I loved being in a math classroom. The students were very well behaved and they had the neatest handwriting; I was really impressed. All in all I loved the school day and seeing what schools are like in Langa. I am fairly confident this will not be the last time I go to a school in Cape Town.

                I wanted to mention how I have noticed how blunt South Africa is in general. Let me explain that a little. They are very blunt about race you are white, you are black, you are Indian and so on. In other words this notion of political correctness that we have in America does not exist here. It is hard to get used to but they tell it like it is and that is the way it is. So when I refer to someone as white or black, for better or worse, that is just the way people refer to others here. Something that I don’t believe you would find in America.

                I have one more week in Langa. As I have mentioned I am really enjoying my stay in Langa. However, I can feel myself and others in the group becoming anxious or antsy for our next adventure. I will be moving around constantly in March and I think I am just getting really excited for that. Tomorrow (Saturday), we have our excursion to Robben Island and then the beach. I am really excited to go to Robben Island, I have heard it is very powerful and very intense but I am excited to gain insight on that part of South African history.  Also spending the afternoon at the beach will not be such a bad deal either.

South Africa has brought many new challenges and joys thus far and I have only just begun. I hope that everyone is well. I am sorry about the lack of pictures I will try to take more this week. Sometimes I just do not feel right about taking pictures of some things. The pictures below are not great but just to give you a glimpse at what I am doing and where I am living.

Miss you all and hope you are well!

Sala Kakuhle,

Keely

Th place in Langa where they cook the sheeps heads...the white think on the table is a sheep head...No I have not had one...yet

A street in Langa...clearly I took this out the window..sorry

No my house in Langa, but a house in Langa...typical to see lots of bars on houses and windows and gates.

a playground in Langa

A building near Green Market Square

Don't think twice, It's All Right...

Don’t think twice, It’s All Right….

One thing that I have already learned about this semester is that things are always going to be changing. The first week was very long and very busy. By the time Saturday came around I felt like I had been here forever. However, for the semester things will not stay the same for very long.

                Saturday was the big day in which I moved into my first homestay. In the morning a big group of us hiked Lions Head, a mountain in Cape Town. I was so excited to do some sort of physical activity. It was a pretty good hike, it was a lot of fun and it was good to be outside in the beautiful weather. We then had a couple of hours to shower, pack and eat lunch before being picked up to go to meet our homestay families. I remember the whole morning before we met our families all people could talk about was how nervous they were. All people could talk about was the homestay. I was indeed nervous to meet them but I feel like I was not as nervous as everyone else. I was very excited to move to a place where I would have my own space and also to get into a routine. During orientation week the group was together every minute of every day. I literally felt that I never had time to myself. I was ready to have some consistency in my life again.

                I feel like I should describe Langa. Langa is a township in Cape Town and townships are places that were set apart for the black people to live during the apartheid and before. Still today the townships are where the majority of black people live. There are places within the township where people are living in shacks and there are also places where there are small homes. When we told people we were living in Langa we got very mixed emotions from people. However, I have heard nothing but great things from people about their time in Langa and from the people who are leading our program.

                The ride to Langa was filled with nerves covered in silence. No one really knew what to say, some people were excited and some people, like myself, did not know what to think. As we pulled up to each of our houses and watched each person get dropped off our nerves began to be tamed. I came to my house and the lady I am staying with came out and gave me a big hug and then all my nerves were gone. The home I am staying in is small but very home like. I know you all are curious so, it has running water and electricity and all of that good stuff. I live with the lady and her 23 year old daughter who is in her last year of school. She is so nice and I have spent a lot of time with her. She is very smart and likes to talk.  Also in the household is the 86 year old mother and a 28 year old son who has some learning disabilities and does not speak English.  I am told that I am about the fifteenth or sixteenth student to stay with this family. They are an experienced homestay family. J Saturday night was not nearly as awkward as I thought it would be. We also had macaroni and cheese for dinner. I was shocked. It was good but I still never expected to have macaroni and cheese for dinner.  Sunday we literally did nothing but hang out. It was nice to have a relaxing day. I woke up and got ready about nine and they all asked, “why are you up so early?” and said “ you are dressed and ready to go, are you going somewhere?” I enjoyed my first few days here and am so grateful for them letting me into their home.  

                This week consisted of a fairly regular routine each day, I am so grateful for that routine. Each day we are picked up from our homes in Langa at seven in the morning. That’s right seven. We then have a little time for internet and tea and then we have Xhosa class for about an hour and a half. Xhosa is going really well. I am learning a lot and everything makes sense in the classroom. The problem comes when trying to speak to a Xhosa person. I get very flustered and forget everything. I am hoping that changes soon. We then have a break then a lecturer comes in to discuss various issues and parts surrounding South Africa and Cape Town. The lectures are interesting and it has been good for me to be in an environment outside of the math world. It is really interesting to see and hear how people who think differently process issues. I am not sure that makes sense, I apologize.  The afternoons vary. Most afternoons I spend some time at the gym I joined here (which is the hottest gym I have ever been in; they should call it a work out sauna). We have various activities in the afternoon.

                This week has been so very long. Time seems to move so slowly. I am enjoying my time and everything I am doing but I am ready for things to pick up. I am saying that in a way that does not imply I am wishing time away.

                I had no idea how alive the history of South Africa is; there is still a lot of hurt from its past and still so much segregation. Arguably, not many things have changed since the end of the apartheid seventeen years ago. Don’t get me wrong the country has made big advancements but there is a lot of healing and work to be done after three hundred and fifty years of racial tension and violence.

I am already learning a lot about myself and about this country.  I am excited for time to keep moving and for continuing in new adventures.

Sala Kakuhle (Stay well in Xhosa)

Keely

All of the following pictures are from the hike on Lions Head. No pictures of Langa...yet:)

You gotta stand for something or you will fall for anything....

You gotta stand for something or you will fall for anything…

I have to be honest and say that the first few days in South Africa have been a lot harder than I anticipated. I really feel that I was leaving for this trip snuck up on me and I was totally unprepared mentally. I am also feeling a little unsettled. Each day is getting better especially as I am getting to know the girls and one guy better.

Saturday we took a trip to a place near Johannesburg called Soweto. Soweto is a township that has now grown to a population of over 3.5 million people. As we were driving though you would never guess that many people lived there. I still cannot comprehend that many people living in the place we saw. We mostly drove around in the bus but we got out for lunch. We ate lunch at a buffet place. I was not overly impressed with the food. It was not bad just not my favorite food. I also had a cold coke, which was delicious as always. The restaurant was next door to Tutu’s old house and just down the road from Nelson Mandela’s house. After lunch we went to see Mandela’s house and to the Hector Peterson Museum. Hector Peterson was the youngest student shot in an uprising in 1976. Seeing the museum was just the beginning of learning the tragic history of South Africa.

Sunday we woke up and first went to the Apartheid Museum. The Museum was a lot of information about South Africa before, during and after the Apartheid Regime. I have to admit that I did not know much about the apartheid in South Africa. The museum was a lot of information to take in at once, especially on only a little amount of sleep.  It was good to learn about the country I am living in. If any of you have ever been to the Holocaust Museum, it was a little bit like that. We then went to Market Street for lunch. This was my first experience really eating out at typical restaurant.  It was really enjoyable. The food was good but the service was slow, typical and just like Europe. After lunch we went to a performance on Market Street. It was really cool to see a theatre performance here. There were definitely cultural jokes that no one in our program understood. Overall a good day. Monday was a day full of orientation and a lecture of the history of South Africa at Wits University in Johannesburg.

Tuesday, what an exciting day!  We had a casual morning with an orientation session and then departed for Cape Town. Finally, Cape Town. I enjoyed seeing Johannesburg and liked learning about the city but was so glad to make the trek to Cape Town. We took a two hour flight to get here; flying as a group of twenty- seven was a whole new experience.  Cape Town is beautiful. I always heard it was pretty but seeing it for real is a whole new experience. I have not even really seen the city but I already like it. We are staying in a lodge that is built around old trains. The rooms are in the train, kind of small but also very cool. 

Wednesday we had the opportunity to explore the city of Cape Town. It is so beautiful. We had an assignment that required us to explore different parts of the city and navigate around. I had my first experience in a cab. The cabs are like a version of a fifteen passenger van and they drive on the side of the road and just honk and scream where they are going. When we got in the first one they were blasting Bob Marley. I loved it and I am sure Chad would have as well.  At night we had dinner down on the waterfront and took a farris wheel ride over the city. What a great day. I have now seen the World Cup stadiums in both Johannesburg and Cape Town. It was so cool to see them. They are really abandoned now. I am curious to know if there is any future plan for them.  Cape Town is interesting because it can feel very much like a European city or even like San Francisco but also there are parts that are still so poverty stricken. This country has a rich history that is very much alive. It is easy to see the effects of the apartheid and how some things have not changed but on the other hand it has made drastic improvements. Very interesting.

Today, I guess the biggest news is that I found out about my first home stay family. The first home stay will be in Langa; which is a township in Cape Town that is a Xhosa speaking area. My family is a woman who is an ex-teacher and now works for the City of Cape Town Municipality. She lives with her 26 and 22 year old daughters and her 86 year old mother. I am very excited to meet them. The first home stay (one of four) will be for three weeks (23 nights) and is the longest one. During this month I will be taking classes and living with this family. I am eager and nervous for it to begin.

Also today we had our first Xhosa class. Xhosa is one of the eleven official languages of South Africa. I guess what makes Xhosa a little different is that it has three different clicks that are a part of the language. I actually really enjoyed the first class. The language is phonetic which is so nice. I am really excited to learn it and hopefully gain a good knowledge, especially seeing that our second home stay is in home where they only speak Xhosa.

IT has been one long and hard week but it has also been great. I have already experienced so many cultural differences and emotions. I am excited for the rest of the journey to get going. I know that it has been very cold at home but I am happy to report that it has been so hot here! It would be perfect if it was ten degrees cooler, but I cannot really complain.

Sharp,

Keely

Sea Point

Table Mountain

Cape Town

More of Cape Town

Johannesburg

Johannesburg Towers

Johannesburg

Mandela House in Soweto

Mandela House

Soweto

Soweto

Hecort Peterson