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:)