Yesterday a group of 4 of us had the opportunity to experience the views of a 60 years old couple that had been married for 39 years and had close to 30 grandchildren. We first heard from the man who was a leader of a mosque in Delft. We were there to work in the soup kitchen for a couple of hours, but instead, we were schooled with knowledge about life, relationships and the Islamic faith in a township in Cape Town South Africa.
The man started his informal lecture with historic information about his family's ownership of land. His great grandfather was of European descent and owned a significant amount of land. Through the years during the Apartheid Regime, his family land was taken because his family was now mixed blood and "colored". He later explained that during post apartheid, he was able to repurchase some of the land that his family once owned. This is now where the mosque and soup kitchen stands. He plans to use other parts of the land to build and orphanage. He said that there are a lot of orphans out there and they need a place to be safe and taken care of.
The man also initially approach us with an explanation of how there are different kinds of Muslims. It almost seemed as if there was an attempt to convince us as Americans that all Muslims are not bad and that we probably have misconceptions of who they really are. He explained that are extremist and fanatics that do bad things in this world, but he is a Sunni Muslim and they are very peaceful in their practices in life. He talked about the use of prayer and the commitment to do good for all of mankind. He also talked about how people of other faiths were welcomed to use their mosque for prayer. We were able to see some of this peacefulness and kindness through the work he was doing for the community through the soup kitchen and the way we were welcomed into his home.
He invited us to his home which was only a couple blocks away from the mosque. We did not even realize we were going to his home until we got there. We went into the house and he informed his wife that they had company. Our group later talked about it and felt there were some clearly identified gender roles. This was indicated by the expectation that this woman who was clearly tired and was not expecting us was supposed to get up and entertain us based on Muslim custom. Auntie Pradu, a stout woman that does not show her 60 years of age, came out of the back area of the house to greet us. She made sure that we all were provided with a beverage and then she began to speak with us. She asked us all where we were from, our ages and what we were studying in school. She paid us all complements on our appearances and then shared with us knowledge about her take on life.
She talked about her relationship with her husband of 39 years and the importance of communication and understanding. She also spoke about the value of family and living in a way that promotes responsibility and care for each other. She also talked about the importance of living space and provided a comparison of small spaces that the shanties provide and how the home that they now live in used to be much smaller. They found it important to build a larger space so that as she said "the spirit and individuals in the home have room to grow". She talked about being self reliant and the different ways that she was able to work to make money for her family. She is a very skilled cook and this is the skill she used to help make money for the family.
Their home was not very big, but was nicely kept and there were nice things and nice furniture in it. They employed a cleaning lady that helped to provide a living for that woman. Auntie Pradu talked about the importance of education and how she has helped to financially support her children through school. She said that she is actually still taking courses herself. She believes that education helps to develop the community. She said we must exercise our mind or we are dead. She also emphasized the point that they felt that they did not need to have a lot of things, but just the things that they need. We thought this to mean that there was no need to acquire more than you need to be comfortable.
Clearly with a sense of obligation to family and community, we had the opportunity to meet a 10 day old baby that Auntie Pradu had brought home from the hospital to raise because the mother is strung out on drugs. She welcomes the mother to come and see the baby, but said that the mother has only been to see the baby 2 brief times in the 10 days. She spoke of the practice in their family and community to take in orphans because they feel that someone has to take care of these children; "We must do things because we care about human life". She also attributed all of the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to helping her stay young.
Before we left their home, Auntie Pradu said that she wanted to cook for us and asked how many students were there with us. She then told us that she would cook lunch for all 25 of us the very next day. We then said our goodbyes and headed back to the soup kitchen. We felt very welcomed in their home and amazed but appreciative of her offer to feed us.
Our group met up again with Auntie Pradu's husband and he shared a little more information with us. He talked about the condition of our hearts being viewed by our creator and that this is where the goodness of all of us exists. He said that we should do good, be good and good will come back to us, but not in a way that we should be looking for it to come back. This is what his faith teaches.
"Good manners supersede knowledge". This was a quote from the man meaning that anyone can be kind to his/her fellow man/women. You don't have to have tons of schooling or money or status to be good, caring and sharing to your neighbor. We all believed that this is what we understand to be Ubuntu - we are who we are because of each other. If we do good to others we are doing good to ourselves.
We were all a little taken back when the man shared some of his views about apartheid and how well it worked to keep order in the communities therefore providing safety. He explained how aspects of the communities have deteriorated because of drugs and alcohol. He talked about the profound affect this has on children, families, ability to work, and the overall condition of the community.
Lastly he talked about the importance of forgiveness and in our lives. Even though it was a lengthy lesson filled with lots of information and a rather strong religious overtone, we found the sharing of his knowledge to be refreshing, enlightening and full of optimism.
Recently in Kristin Benish Category
Today was not a day I necessarily expected, but regardless, I have learned so much about things I never thought I'd learn about in South Africa. Today I have realized the power of voice, and even more, the pure raw information and different viewpoints and outlooks from simply opening up one's ears and listening. I think it is just human nature to be able to voice one's opinion and make your voice be heard, but shutting up and taking it all in is most worth our while. I may regret saying this years down the line and may someday completely think differently, but I have learned more here from the individuals I've listened to than any time spent in a classroom taking notes on lectures or doing homework. People are fascinating, and as cliched or corny as that sounds, every person (and that does not just mean traveling thousands of miles to SA to meet random people) has a story, and from that you can open your eyes and truly believe that there is a HUGE world out there and there is SO much we don't know. That open-mindedness is not always easy, since most of us our content in the ways we live or simply don't care enough dig deeper and feel how others are feeling. I always considered myself a good listener, but today definitely tested my patience and ability to perceive the information given to me.
Today at MaT we were split into groups to finish up the weeding in the garden, cut vegetables for the soup kitchen, and go to another soup kitchen in the township to help out. I was one of 6 who walked down the road a bit to the other kitchen. Here we were greeted by a few men and took a look around the place. Inside was a decent sized kitchen, a small daycare that just opened today, and little did I know until arrival, a mosque. A man (I'm awful with names) introduced himself and quickly asked where we came from. I don't know whether he continued talking about the Islamic faith, history of South Africa, and the way he lives his life because we were American and the past we've had that seemingly conflicts with extremist Muslims, or if he just wanted to talk, but either way I was definitely in for a treat and a new aspect on Apartheid and positivity within the practice of Islam. The three others I was with and myself were going to blog on the experience together because we all had to take in so much information, but it didn't happen tonight so possibly look for that post in a few days. I won't go into detail now, but he was one passionate, caring, interesting man and I am so incredibly lucky to be able to listen. One thing that really stuck out to me was when he was when he was talking about being comfortable. He said to only do what is expected of you because if you go above and beyond you'll never be satisfied. This comment made me think a lot, because in our American culture more is kind of always better, and it kind of ties in with the greediness we see in America day after day. I've always thought of overachieving as being beneficial, but I understood this way of thinking because it leaves more time and effort for things in life that matter. Even though this man taught me so much more, I'll try to wrap it up. The hospitality of this family was evident when being invited into him and his families home where grandchildren were running all over the place. He said it was custom to invite us over for food, so his wife is cooking us, all 25 of our group, an entire meal tomorrow. That kind of thought and giving is beautiful, but was definitely not expected. One more thing! His wife has had seven kids and the oldest I believe is in his upper thirties, but she just took in a child who is 10 days old and was born to a mother on meth. If that doesn't tell you the type of person she is and they are as a family, then I don't know what does.
My second experience today outside the Muslim community to listen was with Nate's friend Mark who I was drawn to because of his just...how do I put this...his life in general. He was just fascinating. Until then, we didn't really get the white male perspective of growing up during the apartheid, and his ability to be influenced by wonderful people has changed his outlook on life and continue changing other peoples' lives in the future.
I'll just leave you tonight by saying give the people around you every day a chance to talk and just listen.
Love and miss you Mom, Dad, Bin, and Audie :)
Today we were granted a free day so me and 4 other students decided to go shark cage diving. After seeing youtube videos on this place, I was very hesitant, but all and all, I'm still alive!! We left our place around 9:30 to take a two hour drive to the great white shark capital of Africa. After a small orientation type thing, we were off to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. The workers explained to us that they are "eco-friendly" and marine biologists, and they do research on the sharks as we're trying to see them up close. They explained it is not in any way detrimental to the sharks (which was good to hear since a member of our group decided to worry me and say it was harmful...). It is also not the great white shark season and I was worried that we wouldn't see any out there, but I was quite wrong. After waiting for our turn, I started getting antsy because no sharks were coming and I decided to cool off in the water. A staff member said it was okay, so I climbed into the cage by myself with only half my wet suit on and took a little dip. 2 minutes later, I was surrounded by three workers saying "close the top, close the top, there's a shark!!" I freaked out, had enough time to get my wetsuit all the way up, and there indeed, in a matter of seconds swam a great white shark. It was real scary once you're in the cage...but I am soo happy I did it. We met some pretty sweet people along the way too. And after getting off the boat I realized my skin was awfully painful. I have NEVER been this sunburned in my life. I feel like a lobster and look like one too. 15 sunblock does not protect against the African sun...and I'm just hoping this goes away REALLY soon. Ouch.
It was a great day off! And mom, I'm not missing any fingers.
Peace & Love from Cape Town.
Today started at MaAfrika painting and gardening was on the agenda. We also brought music from home to share with the kids since they taught us the dance that they were working on the previous day. But first we had to do the real work, we split up into groups and had more work cut out for us than we thought. Gardening was a challenge and most of us don't do much of that work at home. Some of the areas meant for weeding were entirely filled and nothing was being grown there, so it was great to clear some space for potential vegetables to be grown. The vegetables are used at the soup kitchens in which are located around Delft for the community. Although we didn't finish all of the weeding because of the EXTREMELY hot sun, it looks so much better than before. The painting was being done in the kitchen, they wanted it painted a bright yellow and we added the idea of the kids putting their hand prints on one of the walls to add a personal touch. While some of us kept painting the rest went out to teach the kids a dance. We taught them the Cupid Shuffle and they loved it, they got right in and it didn't take long for them to get the hang of it. After that we just played more of our music for them to dance to. Hours went by so fast because everyone was up and dancing around with the kids. It was the perfect way to end the day of work at the center.
Later that afternoon we had class that was centered around forgiveness, this was such a difficult concept to grasp when using it in context with apartheid. We watched a documentary about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in which survivors of apartheid could go and tell their story as well as confront their perpetrators about family members that lost their lives. Perpetrators were also their given the chance to tell the truth about what they did to receive amnesty. Desmond Tutu led the proceedings because it was his belief that by hearing the stories there was a chance to heal the nation. What was extremely hard to wrap our minds around was the fact that actual people brutally killed others during this time and showed little remorse. Our conversation after related our own lives to the concept of forgiveness and how hard it actually is to forgive. Many mixed emotions that arose during the conversation ranging from anger, hatred, sorrow, but at the same time a sense of hope. The fact that South Africans have come so far from the hell that they went through during apartheid in 15 yrs is astonishing. Forgiveness is something that we will all need to work into our lives, in the words of Desmond Tutu "Without forgiveness there is really no future" and thats the message South Africans are teaching us.
I've been debating writing this entry for most of the night because the last two days have been some of the most difficult days of my entire life, and I don't know if I can put it into words. I feel a lot of what we've been seeing is only believable if you are here. Being here makes all the problems about HIV and townships around the Cape Town area seem real, blunt, and in your face, and that's entirely in a good, eye-opening way, but it is so incredibly difficult to deal with.
Going to a township, Mandela Park, was the first experience our entire group had in a neighborhood built of metal, scraps of wood, and pieces of basically anything found to block the rain or sun from coming in. It was very emotionally hard walking through the gravel streets of this neighborhood as we were stared at by the locals who probably were wondering what the hell we were doing there. It gave me an uneasy feeling because thoughts of disrespect for the townships' people and embarrassment on my part for just going to observe this place when I have so much back home made it difficult to continue walking. The experience of seeing the townships didn't really slap me in the face until we drove to MaAfrika Tikkun in Delft, where we will be doing our service learning every morning. On the drive, I just stared out the window. I was truly speechless of what I saw. Miles after miles, there were metal shacks continuing far past my eye could see. It seemed to be never ending. Piles of garbage lined the streets with random horses planting their faces in it, and still yet, the metal shacks seemed to not stop. I just can't believe that people can drive past these neighborhoods every day and not do something about it to help. It's mind-boggling to go from Camps Bay where their is a gorgeous resort and shopping area along the beach that is surrounded by multi-million dollar houses, then see the true SA of endless metal shacks and barbed wire fences. I can't even begin to describe what it looked like or what I was thinking on that 20 minute drive.
Excitement overcame me as our first morning at MaAfika began, and we were greeted by children ballroom dancing in a quaint roofed area. MaAfrika Tikkun is an organization in which brings people of the Delft township together and provides a safe place for children throughout the year. Although that is a very lame description of the organization since they do SO much more than that, I want to tell you that the people working there are truly heroes. I very much thought the day was going to be spent at the central MaAfrika Tikkun buildings, but the staff members wanted to show us more of their town and other things they do during the week.
We were taken to government housing in the township and they were all made of metal as well. When getting out of our vans, I did not know what we would be doing and a staff member began to explain the at home care they do throughout the township to people who are dealing with disease. She asked us if we would like to see her patients, and without really thinking, I grabbed a mask and I was suddenly standing in front of a man, laying on a bed who was very sick of tuberculosis and HIV. He probably weighs less than 100 pounds and the best way to picture this is like the horrifying pictures of people during the Holocaust when they were not fed. You could see every bone in his body. The staff member began explaining that he refuses to go to the hospital and take his meds and she believes its because he doesn't think it is that bad.
Not only was that difficult, but we were next driven to the only hospital in Delft to take a tour. I could talk for hours about this hospital because it was so...wow. Literally, the hospital was jam packed with people needed to see a doctor. There was hardly an room to walk in the place, it was FULL. We were explained that this hospital now has reached its full capacity of doctors and nurses and still there is just an overload of people needing care and absolutely no more space in the building. It would have to take an entire day to get in to see a doctor. The truth is, people here, 1 out of every 6, have HIV/AIDS which means in order to get the medicine and care they need, they need to see a doctor often and it is almost impossible to do so. Like I said, I could continue talking, but I can't put the words together. It was so hard to see.
I now believe the only thing that could get me out of this strong mixture of emotions was exactly what we partook in after the hospital tour...and that was the joy, innocence, and happiness of children. I had a chance to jump rope, laugh, talk of American celebrities, and future dreams with African children. They are truly beautiful and fascinating, and it is so amazing that a place like Ma T provides this safe environment where they can just be kids. I am so excited to be working at this organization for the next week because this is one place that brings hope to the struggling South Africa.
Amanda has given a great summary of everything we did today, so I'm not going to give you another recap of that. All I do know is that in this trip, my brain has constantly been filled with question after question, and endless information. Although this has led to a lack of sleep the past few nights because I can't turn my brain off for a few hours, I am trying to ingest every moment and every small detail of Cape Town. After today and visiting the District Six museum, I feel a closeness with this country because I am beginning to understand the Apartheid more in depth and what the people of SA had to deal with and still have to deal with today. Hearing first hand from people who lived here during that time really begins to make it feel real and not just something we heard on the history channel or read in a textbook. I have continuously thought in my head, and although it is a simple question, it cannot be answered: How can people be so cruel? Our tour guide at the museum said that entirely there are no divisions between people of different skin colors because we are people of one race, and that is being a human being. Many of the things he and many people in our small group discussion brought up were small concepts, yet I couldn't full grasp it until someone just upfront said it. I don't know if that makes sense but it was one of those moments like "wow, I wish I would have thought of that because that entirely makes sense". I had a lot of those moments today, and have plenty of quotes from our tour guides lingering throughout my head.
I know I have said this before, but people (meaning me basically and me assuming you think the same) don't know how extremely beautiful this city is. Everyday I see a new kind of tree that resembles something from a fairytale animated film, or a huge plant that I never thought gorgeous colorful flowers would grow from. And then I see a parade of enthusiastic people dressed in all sorts of colors, and receive a simple smile from a woman on the street who has a baby strapped to her back. This country is full of beauty.
I absolutely love little art and craft fairs, so I was especially excited to see some homemade African art at the Green Market Square. Although I've realized how pushy some sellers can be when debating whether to purchase something, I'm pretty dang good and arguing my way into getting an item at a lower price. I literally wanted to by everything there, but I would need to buy a whole other suitcase in order to do that and I'd enjoy eating these next two weeks. One of the guys selling items today was very friendly and right away asked if I live in Germany. I have never once been assumed that I came from somewhere because of my appearance before, and it was interesting to me. Yes, I do have blonde hair and blue eyes, and I am part German, but I kind of enjoyed that in this country it isn't a negative thing to be asked about where we come from. And I know this may seem like a pity thing, but I am white and race or assumptions about where I come from or how I appear has never has come up in my short 18 years of life.
Quickly changing the subject and wrapping up, the word hope has become prevalent in my definition of the new post-apartheid South Africa. This country is full of it, and hope is something we all need to have for our futures and to better our world.
Tomorrow is a new day, and we will be experiences our first township firsthand in SA. I am both nervous and excited for this since this too, is a major part of this city. 
Last night will forever be remembered as the best birthday ever. Not only did we get to celebrate in the streets of Cape Town, I got to hear the entire group of amazing people joining me on this journey sing "happy birthday" to me when the clock struck midnight in the middle of Long Street. Let's just say it was pretty awesome.
I've really begun to love this place. This country is filled with incredible people, and if you are willing to go out of your comfort zone to make conversation, they're willing and happy to talk. We took a double-decker bus yesterday and although it felt awfully touristy, it was great to see and hear a little bit more of the history behind the places we drove passed. A man sat in front of me with his family and he kindly asked where I was from (even though I'm quite sure most people assume long before they know that we are indeed from America). It was his first time bringing his two boys to Cape Town, and he was originally from Johannesburg, but now lives in West Virginia. He was eager to find out what we were doing here and give his input on what to see and do before we left. Me, being the curious person I am and not trying to be rude by asking too much, asked him why he left South Africa. He moved to America because of the apartheid beginning and concluded by saying it was a perfect time to do so. He was one white man who did not believe that what was happening was okay, and us alike, was a social justice fighter. I didn't want to ask too much, but he made my brain go crazy with thoughts. To think, to actually be there while that was happening, and to actually live day to day in a country where the minority conquered the majority and had control of everything. On the bus too, I was surrounded by people of color, and quite frankly there was not many white people walking around downtown. To think that during the apartheid blacks could not step foot downtown without getting arrested is mind-boggling. It is so hard for me to imagine and hard for me to picture South Africa without seeing the great amount of diversity.
One major step for me was seeing everyone out on the town last night, and realizing how incredible far this country has come in 15 years. I was around people who did not have the same skin color as me, and we were dancing, singing, and giving each other hugs bringing in the New Year. What an amazing thing.
I also just want to mention Camps Bay beach. I'm in love with water, but this beach was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I always thought the aqua and turquoise colored ocean was fake until I saw this beach. Talk about natural beauty.
There is so much I want to do here and we only have 2 weeks left! Gosh has time flown by already. Our scheduled class actually starts tomorrow and I'm very much looking forward to that. Within our group, I can learn so much as well.
Happy New Year America!! Wishing you all the best from Cape Town :)
Seven of us were just on top of the table fearing the lovely cockroach that ran across the room. We're still in search for that little bugger...kind of worried it might appear in my bed with me tonight. Anyway, today I tip-toed into the Indian Ocean for the first time and the water was freezing. I never actually thought I'd have the chance to step foot in that ocean, but I am so lucky to get the opportunity through this program. The day was great, and we had the time to just relax and see a bit more of Cape Town. We took the train into Muizenberg, and we were greeted on the train by a street band consisting of four men playing a saxophone, banjo, and 2 guitars. It was nice to hear something other than American music and something so real that these men were passionate about. I really enjoyed that small piece of South Africa. When we got to the beach, I was amazed by the vibrant, different colored small changing houses that ran the shores of the ocean. They're so darn cute! And not to mention it was close to 80 degrees today which always puts a HUGE smile on my face, especially in December. Don't get me wrong though, it got awfully chilly in shorts and a tank top when waiting for the train back to our houses at 7pm, but it definitely beats the 20+ inches of snow and negative degree weather back home. One thing I've learned is that the drivers in mini cabs are not actually whistling at us, they just want our business. For how many cars are on the road, they sure know how to make a lot of noise. Recently, our group is "trying to look less American" as Charles from InterStudy puts it. We tend to stick together, which is a good thing, but you can imagine how touristy we look walking down the street or into the store 24 strong. We are all trying to find our way around this place, and it's hard to just venture off in a city, let alone a completely different continent. I'm confident that in the next 3 weeks this place will become somewhat of a second home. I'm excited for the upcoming days and to get more involved in our course topics through the classes, and to also see the part of South Africa we haven't seen yet-- the poverty stricken neighborhoods and the children who have dealt with so much already. I know I can learn a ton from the people in this group too, and I can't wait to take it all in.
Waking up today was definitely not the easiest. We got into Cape Town last night at around midnight and my body doesn't exactly know how to deal with the time change and the lack of sleep I got the last 24 hours. I have never been this happy to have two feet on the ground! After a 8 hour flight to Amsterdam, 4 hour wait for our connecting flight, and 12 hour flight to Cape Town, we have finally arrived. The longest flight I've ever been on before this was hmm...5 hours to San Diego and I thought that was bad!?!? Let's just say I'm extremely happy to be here and so happy to be able to sleep in a bed! We were greeted at the airport by Chris, Sebe, and Charles from InterStudy and some familiar faces from back at the U. The InterStudy staff has already been so helpful and they are such nice, friendly people. We all loaded into vans and it was funny to see the steering wheel on the right side of the car. The first song played on the radio was Phil Collins' "True Colors" (I thought that was kind of funny...South Africans listen to Phil Collins??). I guess it's true to say we are probably a lot more similar than I thought...or they've just been a bit Americanized. Although we did arrive here at dark and haven't been able to see much, I was able to see barbed wire and thick, steel fences that are padlocked around many of the houses and that includes the houses we're staying at. It is a different world here, and especially different when coming from a small town where you wouldn't necessarily have to lock your doors at night if you didn't want to. All I know is that there is a lot to learn and a whole lot more to see here, and I am extremely excited to experience it all. I never imagined that the winter of my freshman year would be spent in South Africa, and I can't even begin to say how incredibly thankful I am for this trip and everyone who spent a great deal of time putting it together.
You'll be hearing a lot more from me in the next three weeks :)
