Nate said this experience would be intense -- and he was right. The past few weeks have exposed us to the human condition from Camp's Bay to Delft Township but has also led to a different way of looking at class as a community. Here are just a few of the lessons that we have learned along the way.
So... my computer is "on the fritz" and the hard drive may be broken so my tech communication has been minimal. That aside, the past few days have been great and the past few weeks have been refreshing, eye opening, and just down right awesome (sorry to sound like a 13 year old).
Yesterday some of us enjoyed the great American college pastime of talking at a coffee shop. It was a beautiful thing to sit with Kirstin and Cassy and realize that about month ago I didn't really know either of them and now we have shared this great experience and from that friendships have been formed. I had this same feeling/reflection sitting around the campfire listening to people sing and drum. We may not be "besties" for life but we will never forget our time spent here and the conversations, and that will always connect us. I will stop before I get to sound to much like Dawson's Creek but it has been a beautiful experience.
These past view days have been heavy. What we have encountered in Cape Town is real, everything from the coast line and massive houses to the train , townships, and clinics and even more real are the people. The individuals who have gone through and are still working through the issues of South Africa have faces and names.
The District 6 Museum is a place for people to remember and give tribute to the people of a district that was thriving and vibrant and then destroyed because of greed and racism. It is important to educate yourself about events and you hope to learn from them. I left feeling heartbroken but to hear our tour guide (a former resident of District 6) talk about fighting for issues of social justice and relating what he has learned from his experience to current issues gave hope because has he found a way to live in the after math and also helps provide a lens for people learning about District 6 and apartheid.
New Years had a 4th of July feeling to me, I kind of expected to see fireworks and maybe smell grilling. We went to buy some groceries about a mile away at the Pick N Pay and decided to take the minibus back. It was a cool experience and it was really cheap, R5, 5 Rand which is equivalent to 75 cents. Today we have our first official recitation on the middle campus at the University, woot!
Running through the airport
Running downstairs in KFC
Running at the train station (BTW maybe a little dangerous)
Not going to lie, this sign has kind of confused me, seriously why is he running?
After a six hour flight to Amsterdam and a 12 hour flight to Cape Town...we made it! We are still waiting for some members of our group and hopefully they can join us soon.
Things I have learned in the past 24 hours
1. Weekend after Christmas travel is insane. It took about an hour and some change just to check in without the security portion.
2. If you arrive at Schiphol (Amsterdam Airport) at 6 am you will see grown people passed out on mushroom shaped furniture all over the airport.
3. There is a limit to how many times you can watch the movies; Charlie St.Cloud, Going the Distance, and Eat, Pray,Love on a 12 hour flight.
