South African Journeys: Dreams are more than bedtime habits...

April 15, 2011

Dreams are more than bedtime habits….

Alright so I am not sure why but I thought it would be so much easier to focus on school work than it actually is. It is not even that I am not interested in my project, because I am really interested in the topic. I think I have just become much better at playing than studying. I am going to need to get over that really quick because April is now half over and I still have fifty pages of paper and research to do. Oh my. So let me tell you this week how I played around Cape Town…

Saturday, Maddy, Katharine, Andrew and I decided to go to a local rugby game. Now, I know nothing about rugby, but because it is a big sport here we thought it would be a cool and fun thing to do. We were right. It was a blast. We went early to get our tickets and walk around the stadium. There was the South African version of tailgating all around. It was so much fun. We enjoyed having lunch there and just watching all of the crazy rugby fans. The actual game was also very enjoyable, I feel like I learned a lot about the game (but I still don’t really understand it) and it was very interesting to be able to see that culture. We were in the standing section (i.e. the cheap section) but then Andrew paid the guard ten Rand to let us sit in the bleachers in front of the standing section. As it turns out you are supposed to be under seventeen years old to sit there. So the four of us sat in the kiddy section and it was fabulous. If I may just note at how crazy ridiculous rugby is…I wish I was tough enough to play.

Sunday, I spent Sunday lying on the beach reading my book and listening to music. Absolutely wonderful.

Wednesday, Maddy Katharine and I decided it was time that we hike Table Mountain. After spending two and a half months here looking at it, it was time to conquer it . We woke up early and took a taxi to the base and headed up. The trail we took ended up being pretty much just a a giant rock stair case. I have to admit that climbing a mountain via stairs is not really the ideal trail. Staircase aside it was a good hike. As you will see in my pictures it was a cloudy day on the mountain. It is hard to describe but the clouds kind of flow over Table Mountain. Kind of like a river flowing over rocks in a river. It was really cool to be in that. At one point we stopped and turned and watched the clouds move over the mountain covering the face of the mountain like a veil. Like I said, it is hard to put into words but it was something like that. When we made it to the top it was so cloudy we could not see anything. Thus, we did not spend much time up there. When we returned to our apartment we ate some lunch and spent the afternoon lying by the pool. Great day.

So I know you all are really concerned with my project and my lack of work. I will put your mind to rest by telling you I did do some work this week. First, I found an advisor; my meeting with her was extremely helpful in giving me a direction to run with my topic. After the meeting I felt I had a much better grasp on what I need to do. Then on Thursday I had my first interview. My interview was with a minister at a church in Gugulethu. Gugulethu is another township outside of Cape Town. So I headed there and met with the man picking me up. I had the interview with the minister with ease. We spoke for about an hour and I gained a lot of perspective from him. He then insisted I spoke with two other people in his office. My one interview turned into three very helpful interviews, wonderful. It was a very successful day. I suppose I have a start on my project but I still have a tone of research and reading to do. I do not fear I will not get it done, I know I will, it is just a matter of when.

The weather has been fantastic here still. Sunny and warm without being terribly hot. I am glad for this because I heard it was supposed to be rainy in April, crossing my fingers that it will hold out for a little while longer. I have loved laughing and spending time with my roommates and exploring this great city in more depth. In other fantastic news, we have a coffee pot in the apartment and I found quality coffee beans. Put two and two together and I finally have a great, simple, delicious, cup of coffee. I believe it is important to find joy in the simple things in life.

Hopefully next time I will be able to report huge accomplishments on my project. Until then I hope you have all have a terrific week! Miss and love you all! Thank you for sharing this journey with me.

Sala Kakuhle,

Keely

Clouds coming down