Recently in Brittany Anderson Category

Brittany Anderson
10 January 2012
Title: cable car.

This afternoon, we rode the cable car to the top of Table Mountain, or Trafelberg.  Zama and Chris were with us and it was Zama's birthday! This was her first trip to the top of Table Mountain and she'd lived in Cape Town her whole life.  This was my second trip and that really put things in perspective for me; I'd done all of these Cape Town things in my two weeks here that people who actually live in Cape Town rarely do. When we got to the top of the mountain, we took some group shots. The Bean and I had a few outfit changes to do as we had to take our Morris Photo Contest Shot. I think we'll definitely win, (at least, I hope).  Then we hit up the café as we were super hungry and the Bean and I got pizza and a bottle of champagne. Loved it.  We then pranced around the top of the mountain, taking photos and enjoying our afternoon off.

Brittany Anderson

10 January 2012
Title: service and learning.

 

This morning we began, as we often do, at Afrika Tikkun.  We split into two groups and headed into Delft and Blekkesdorp to do patient visits.  JLB, the Bean, Shira, Ky, Daisy, Jessica, Marika, Alexa, Shauna and I chose to stay in Delft.  We first went with a  nurse who works at Afrika Tikkun to visit one of her clients.  As we arrived at the house, she was explaining to us that the family she works with has a 21 year old son, two older sons, and a younger daughter and son.  The 21-year-old suffers from both mental and physical handicaps and is confined to a bed at this point.  He also suffered from epilepsy, but hasn't had a seizure for two months.  As she went to ask the family if it was okay that we came to visit, most of us were nervous.  The nurse returned and ushered us inside.  The mother was so welcoming and we were shown to a small bedroom off of the living room. 
Her son was just laying there, so skinny.  None of us had expected this.  But, when the mother grabbed his hand, he lit up.  The nurse and the mother explained to us that a social worker had tried to take him and place him in a home, but she couldn't give him up.  He was her son, she could care for him in the proper way and give him all the love and attention that he needs.  She gives him physio (physical therapy) everyday and the nurse attends three times a week.  The nurse gave the family her phone number, so she can come and relieve the mother at any point--even in the middle of the night.  At one point, the nurse had asked the mother if we could take photos. This is when we became uncomfortable.  This is something our group has struggled with continuously throughout our time spent in the townships.  Some of us feel as though taking photos of the conditions in the townships is like taking photos of zoo animals.  110% of the time, according to Anthea, people will allow you to take photos of them, of their homes, families.  These people want you to remember them, in the least in a photo.  But this situation felt different. It was so close, so real. No one else wanted to take photos, but the nurse had already asked the mother.  Not taking a photo of her son, home, family would be perceived as rude.  So, I took one of the most uncomfortable photos of my life adnd the mother made a comment to her son about how sexy we looked in our shorts.  I then asked if it would be possible to take a photo of the mother with her three children, the child with the handicaps as well as the two younger siblings that were playing with their brother while we were there.  It was one of the most touching moments of my life.  Another thing I really struggled with was that the mother had said that he had been waiting for a new buggy (wheelchair) for two months because his old buggy was ten years old.  She can't even bring him to the hospital by herself, so she needs to call a transport for the both of them every time he goes into physio or for an appointment. A few things from this visit really have resonated with me:
1. The love of the mother for her son.  Watching the son know the difference between the touch of my hand versus his mothers, and his face light up when his mother held his hand was just amazing. There's no other word for it.
2. It was really hard for me not to take money and go try and buy a new buggy for him.  I know that we had talked about making promises and how not being able to fulfill those promises has the ability to be mire harmful than if we had not come at all.         
3. I was also reminded of IHS (Indian Health Service) back home.  Indian people can go into IHS and get "free" healthcare.  It is definitely not private health care by any means, where you are treated quickly and the facilities are state of the art.  Delft Community Health Center actually reminded me of IHS and I'm not sure why it took me this long to realize it.
The next patient we visited was a HIV positive woman.  While we were waiting for her to agree to talk to us, one of the women she lived with came out and hugged each of us and wished us a happy new year.  Instead of going into her home, the woman came out to speak to us with a beautiful baby on her hip.  Everyone was paying attention to the baby and saying how cute she was in awkward silences.  We learned that she had been on ARV's for the past five years.  She found out she was HIV positive when she had TB twelve years ago.  I can't imagine this. One thing I was very mindful of while hearing her story is that life isn't all doom and gloom in the townships.  This woman may be living with HIV and has had TB, but it isn't a death sentence. She still is fully functioning, able to live a full life despite disease.  Some days are worse than others, but she's still here. Thank God she's still here.

Brittany Anderson
9 January 2012
Title: forgiveness.

In class, we talked about forgiveness. Its so strange how such a vague concept can be so powerful. I found a quote earlier this week after our first talking circle by an unknown author, "The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. The first to forget is the happiest." While I believe the first two are true on a personal and social level, I don't necessary think that forgetting makes one happy.  I think that taking this quote and applying it to South Africa and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, especially the portion about forgiving and apologizing, rings true.  While I love living in the US, I think that a lot has been lost by our "amnesia" of the past; things, such as health care, that South Africa is succeeding at that are considered basic needs are lacking in populations within US. I think that South Africa's ability to say "Look, we as a nation fucked up, but we can only move forward from here," has really helped the nation heal and the formation of the TRC played a huge role in that.

 

The ideals behind the TRC, as I see it, are hugely rooted in Ubuntu. I am me because of you. South Africa wouldn't be able to continue to be a nation post-apartheid if its people hadn't embraced the Ubuntu belief.  The idea that one person influences, or is influenced, by everyone else is phenomenal.  The fact that this concept can be held throughout the apartheid system is even more amazing.  So, as I said, I think the TRC as a concept is rooted in Ubuntu, but when put into practice, it was taken advantage of. 

When people like the brigadier, whose name was not important, applied for amnesty for 40+ cases put before the TRC, I think something like TRC can't even help. He even admitted he wasn't sorry. He was doing his job. His job got put before his morals and his values and can't apologize for that. It doesn't make sense to me why he would be able to even apply for amnesty...Okay, well I can see why he would be able to apply for it, but realistically, I'm wondering, did he really think that he would be granted amnesty on all of the cases? I was appalled...but then I found the above quote later that day that got me thinking about the brigadier, and others from the video. Where would South African people be with the concept of Ubuntu if these people (mainly men) were not granted the same rights that others were? Lost.

Brittany Anderson
9 January 2012

Title: honoring the past.

Back to Afrika Tikkun!  This morning was filled with children: smiling children, crying children, and yawning children.  We visited an Islamic Day Care Center in Delft today.  When we arrived, there was one woman watching over about 7 kids. All of us travelled together today so there were about 3 of us to each child.  Since it was a Monday, I was having a case of the Mondays.  On the way to the daycare, a small group of us were singing Disney songs, trying to prepare for the energy required to entertain kids.  However, I had a buzzkill when I arrived;  I was no longer in the mood to play with children.

I started thinking about my time in Isithembiso Abandoned Babies' Home in St. George's Park, PE.  I miss those babys more than anything. I was wondering if any of the beautiful children I had worked with had the opportunity to go to a daycare like this or if they had been adopted or even were still alive.  Some of the babies at Isithembiso were HIV positive, although we didn't want, or need to know which.  I've been pondering the idea of giving my children middle names of the children I worked with. They all had beautiful names and I want to honor them in a meaningful way.

Brittany Anderson
8 January 2012

Title: a look into the past.

We began our morning with Zama leading us around UCT and showing us around. The school is the largest in Southern Africa and has beautiful historical buildings, and a Master's in International Relations...I'm thinking about it.

Nazim and Aaron brought us to the Waterfront in the vans and we were allowed to run loose.  JLB, the Bean, Kasey, Courtney, NJ and I stopped at the Mugg and Bean for a quick bite to eat.  My mission was to check out the Birk store and see how expensive they are because I'd been borrowing Matt's and I definitely want a pair.  They're so Morris and so expensive.  

 

The whole group met up at 12:30 to board the boat for Robben Island, the island where Nelson Mandela served 18 of his 27 years as a political prisoner.  This is my third trip to the island. At Robben Island, the tour consists of a portion in a bus that shows you the overall history of the island, including the impact WWII had on the island, leper's graveyards, churches and Robert Sobukwe's cell and the walking portion inside the prison, which shows you either D or E block, which held the everyday people of the struggle and B block, where the leaders of the movement were detained, including Madiba.(talk about a run-on sentence) Normally, I find the portion inside the prison th be the more interesting part, but this time, I really enjoyed the bus tour.  Our tour guide, whose name is now lost in my mind, asked where he had visitors from.  A number of us were from the States, but others were from Canada, Australia, Germany and England, to name a few.  With that information, he provided us with how each of these countries had impacted the island, which was very cool. 

 

I also think part of why I really enjoyed the bus tour more is because the times I had been at the island before, I had the same tour guide for the walking tour.  I felt a sadness rushing over me as I realized that he was not going to be sharing his experience with my friends. He was a huge part of why I had enjoyed my previous tours so much.  However, our tour guide this time was still great.  He was a prisoner in D block, which had never seen before, so that was cool. 

The boat ride back to the Waterfront was a motion sickness nightmare.  Most of us weren't feeling well after returning to shore after the ride, but also realized we hadn't eaten since 10h30. Kasey, Paige, Courtney, the Bean and I decided to grab some food at the Waterfront before heading back home. We had some delicious pasta and drinks, coupled with good conversation.  We missed James, Emma and Mark's visit, which was terribly sad, but I'm sure that they had 20 others swarmed around them the whole time.

Brittany Anderson
7 January 2012

Title:  a trip into the wild.

This morning, we took a long drive with Lisa and Louise from African Trax into the Groote Karoo to Aquila Wildlife Reserve.  Freesia, Cyndi, Shira, Paige, Courtney, Kasey, Bean and I were welcomed with a glass of champagne and roaring 4x4 Jeeps ready to take us into the reserve.  We went beyond the fences and immediately saw some buffalo right across the fence from the pool.   People were so close to this massive animal that could just crush them within a second. We then moved on to see wildebeests and ostriches.

 

 I had a flashback to Oudtshoorn 2009 when I was facing the issue of riding an ostrich...or not. Ultimately I had decided to ride the stupid bird and the joggies had to literally shove me up on to it. I then tried to fall off but they made me hold on! It was so uncomfortable. I hated the feelings of the feathers on my legs.  Enough reminiscing.  

 

 We moved on into the enclosure for the king of the jungle, the lion! I've never understood this nickname because lions don't really live in the jungle.  Anyway, one of the girls with us is very passionate about lions.  IT was absolutely magical to be able to be a part of planning to help her achieve her dreams of seeing a lion.  When we first went into the lion enclosure, our tour guide had made no promises that we would see any lions, but assured us that there were seven lions within the fenced border, two male and five female.  Within the first few minutes, we were able to spot the first female which brought excitement to the whole group.  We ended up seeing all of the lions and coming very close to both a male and a female.  On our way out of the lion enclosure, we passed another jeep, which was full of students from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management. Small World!

 

We stopped for a break and the drivers popped champagne for us while others took photos and relieved themselves in the bush.  For Courtney's birthday, we took the opportunity to celebrate and sing to her and others joined in with their birthday songs in French, Portugese, Hebrew, Spanish and English.  We finished out the safari with rhinos, hippos, zebras, more ostriches and springbok.

 

  Upon arrival back at the main house, we were greeted with a buffet lunch consisting of stew, chicken, braai bread and potatoes and Greek salad with bread pudding for dessert. Most of us put our costumes (swim suits) on to take a dip in the infinity pool, which was gorgeous, with the exception of men in speedos. Old men in speedos. Imagine an infinity pool with a swim-up bar, mountains in the distance and safari animals roaming on the other side of a fence. So cool.  Shira was teaching all of the girls how to flip their hair back and once people figured out how to do it, Freesia's camera never stopped.

On the way home, we were driving through the mountains and Lisa had pointed out some baboons! They were so close to the van we were in!  Unlike the baboons at Cape Point, these are still afraid of humans, so they won't climb into your vans. There was even a baboon carrying a baby on its back!

We got back from the safari, finished our journals and Shira, Paige, Bean, Courtney, Kelly, Kasey, Shauna and I got ready to go out for Courtney's birthday! We went to Sgt. Pepper's on Long St. and the Bean was all about the men. We ordered some delicious pizza and had long islands and jag bombs to celebrate. But we were ready to dance, so we hit up Joburg to bust a move. Bean, Kasey and I weren't really feeling it so we stepped outside for some fresh air and we ran into the Carlson kids! So random. We hit up the Dubliner with them and got to learn about their adventures in Cape Town and their program.  But it was early to bed for us because we had a full day of sightseeing in the morning!

Brittany Anderson
14 January 2012
Title:  PTFO.

So long South Africa. I've tried all the tactics to stay: losing my passport, going to the hospital, attempting to find a husband. None of them have worked.

I'm sitting here on the couch in our living room. Packed. Not ready to go.

Reality is pulling at my heartstrings. I could literally stay here and do Nate Whittaker Bootcamp for the rest of my life. It's so weird that we've only been here for three weeks.; I've only known these people for three weeks. Being here with 25 strangers hiking in the mountains, building community, serving the people of Delft has made me really look at my character and assess what I really want to do in my life.  Coming back to South Africa is a must.  I, like Nate, feel as though this is my second home.  Its weird how comfortable it is.  Things change, the people are different, but the feelings that come rushing back are all the same.  I feel more like myself here.  Maybe that's because one of my most formative years was spent here.

I've been avoiding this, because it's an admission that we're going back, but I really want to say thank you to my classmates for all they've taught me. Through the interactions we've had on the mountain, in the city and in the township, I've learned a lot about leadership, community and myself. I also want to thank Nate for his extensive work on this program and hope that he continues to share his passion for people and social justice with students. And of course, Sarah.  She has been a vibrant addition to our class, with her spunky attitude and loving sense of compassion. I can't imagine what our trip would have been without either of these two.

I also want to thank Kristin, Nate's girlfriend. I'm sure that Nate spent many hours outside of work formulating the skeletons and meat of this program, not to mention the three weeks that he's been here.  Obviously, I want to thank Anthea and Liz for being so bright and welcoming into Afrika Tikkun.  Our experience would have been incomplete without the two of them sharing their stories and their work with us.  Mark, Emma and James have been an absolute inspiration to all 26 of us Americans with twang.  Chris Kotze, I could thank but we never took a bestie open sandwich pic, so...My friends and family back home, I appreciate you but come to South Africa to visit me.

South Africa, I cannot thank you enough. See you soon.

Miigwech indanaa manidoo wabaminigoog noongom. 

Brittany Anderson
6 January 2012
Title:  Feeling family

On Friday, we went back to Afrika Tikkun and broke into three groups.  I was in a smaller group that headed to do a home visit further away.  We went to visit a granny whose daughter had passed away and she was taking care of her daughter's four children.  Kelly, Ky, Hana and I showed up and granny warmly welcomed us into her home.  We had brought a puzzle, a lot of face paint and a ball.  The children, ages 13, 7, 5 and 3 were really shy at first, so we cracked out the puzzle and got the ball rollin'.  Granny was asked to babysit three more children and we ended up having more kids to play with.  All of the kids wanted face paint, including one of the older children who really didn't interact with us. It was a great feeling to be able to be around a sense of family again.

Going into this house with the granny really reminded me of being home on the rez with my own gramma.  She is one of the strongest women I know; she has been doing foster care for as long as I can remember and within the past year, she has taken on the task of raising my three cousins, all under the age of 14.   It is hard to watch my gramma revert to acting as mother to my cousins, but knowing that they are safe and healthy is worth it. 

Brittany Anderson

5 January 2012

Title: Undeserving

 

So, more about Nate Whittaker Boot Camp.  
We leave our houses at 8h30.

We get to Afrika Tikkun at 9h00.

We volunteer until 13h00.

We have class at 15h00.

We leave class at 17h00.

We have Talking Circles at 20h00.

 

It's not bad. It's just intense after coming from the mountains with no regiment or regard for time. 

 

So, Afrika Tikkun. What an absolutely phenomenal place! We work with Anthea, who is similar to Aggie, the housemother at Isithembiso. It appears that she and Liz, along with Michaela, are the inspirational glue that holds this place together.  Obviously, I'm sure there are others, but these are just the ladies we are working specifically with.

 

On our first day there, we did some orientation and got familiar with some of their programs. They have computer and art rooms for kids. They have women that work in the kitchen and make one hot meal for anyone within the township. For free. They also have a social work system. They deliver meals.  They do house visits and set up family plans. Everything they do leaves me speechless. Today, on our first real day of service at Afrika Tikkun, Anthea told us that they needed help with the garden. Now, I'm not a real rough and tumble, dirt under my nails kinda gal, but I've been to an indigenous farming conference, so I get the idea. 

 

The Bean and I headed off in one direction and just started pulling weeds. As I was pulling out these evasive plants, I was just noticing the amazing root structures that they had. Between the ball of thorns and snails that I had to encounter, I really started enjoying myself. I'll admit it; I think that having an actual garden someday could be more than just a fantasy.

While the weeding was physically taxing (I was getting sun blisters), it was nothing compared to the emotionally taxing second part of our morning.  We left the safe space of Afrika Tikkun and headed to Delft Community Health Centre. There we had a tour guide, who everyone has taken to calling "The Sister That Showed Us Around." She was such an inspiring woman! She has three children and works 13 hour days, 7 days a week. Her phone is always on, at church, while she's asleep, I'm sure even in the bath.  She doesn't do it for the pay, or the benefits (if there are any), she does it out of her passion for the people. She was telling us stories of the youth with STI's that she sees; they don't come in until there are warts covering their genitals, until it is literally the worst that it can get.

Her stories tug at your heartstrings, each and every one of us touched by the words of this angel among us. 

 

She then brought us on a tour. We saw everything: the resuscitation room (the er, essentially), the HIV care sector, the TB hall, the ante-natal care, the pediatrics...but most of all, we got to see the people.  As we walked the crowded corridors, it was hard to look people in the face. It was hard; who were we to have the gift of opportunity to be able to walk these halls and see the reality behind the statistics? I don't deserve to see the line of babies that need vaccinations to be able to grow into healthy adults, or the adults that are sitting and waiting for their 12 minutes to pass after they've taken the HIV test to find the results. Why do I get to see this?

Why was I the one who was fortunate enough to be the only one in the ER on New Year's Eve? I was so humbled by this experience.  There are no words to describe to look in people's eyes at the health centre. Although some are sitting in queues longer than I have ever had to wait in the hospital or clinic, these people still manage to be the most beautiful assortment of people I have ever seen.  This is their reality.  They have to wait in these queues and lay on mattresses on the floor. This is hard for us Americans to cope with, but life in the townships isn't all doom and gloom. Life happens there. Beautiful, happy, vibrant life. Passion for life and exuberance I first experienced when I visited my friend Zianda in the Red District of PE.

While visiting the Delft Community Health Centre may have been emotionally difficult, it is also uplifting.  The fact that anyone in Delft can hop in a taxi and head down to the clinic and receive care for free is amazing.  South Africa is doing many things right that the US is missing and health care is one of them.  In fact, this morning, Rick Santorum said "People die in America because people die in America. And people make poor decisions with respect to their health and their healthcare. And they don't go to the emergency room or they don't go to the doctor when they need to," he said. "And it's not the fault of the government for not providing some sort of universal benefit.  Mr. Santorum, how would you expect unemployed people without health care to go to the emergency room? And who do you expect to pay for that.

America, we've got some lessons to learn.

xoxo,

b

(Here is the link to the article written about Rick Santorum and his beliefs on health care: http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/santorum-no-one-has-ever-died-because-they-didnt-have-health-care/politics/2011/12/06/31304)

Brittany Anderson
3 January 2012

Title: familiar places, unfamiliar spaces

Since Educo, we've been experiencing Nate Whittaker Boot Camp, and its been great. We got back on New Year's Eve and didn't waste time hitting up the mall at V&A Waterfront in search of accessories for the celebration.  But, I didn't end up buying anything, which could have been a sign for my evening.  I ended up going to Long Street with the rest of the group, but after a while, I wasn't feeling well. And it wasn't like I was sick from drinking the water or sick from being in a car, it was a pain I knew all too well: my friend kidney stone had returned. We haven't seen each other since August, but it made sense; I had been in the mountains, doing vigorous activity with little care about my hydration and I sweat a lot.

 

Two of my friends brought me home while I was crying in pain in the backseat of the cab.  Luckily, one of my friends, Kasey, who I happen to live with, had had a kidney stone before. She stayed cool and calm and collected and there's no way I could ever repay her for being with me. Nate ended up driving us to the hospital and sitting with me  and Kasey after getting an IV and morphine and anti-nausea medication.  I was the only one in the ER so I had like three nurses around me, rubbing my back and holding my hand, calling me lovey.  Evidently at one point, the nurse had touched my back and I had thought it was Nate.

When we were getting ready to leave to hospital, Nate, Kasey and I were the victims of crime. That sounds so intense. Really, we walked out, Nate tried to start the car and lo and behold, the battery was missing.  At 5 am, you really take the mundane things like car batteries for granted.  Since then, the car and the battery have been replaced and the three of us made it home safely.

When I first visited Cape Town with Papa Shahz, he brought us to District Six Museum to learn about forced removal in South Africa. Great minds do think alike because I found myself there for a second time.  This time, though, Nate brought us to the sites our tour guide had talked about, the Tech College, the flattened space where hundreds, if not thousands of homes used to stand, now hundreds of homeless people spend their days. The location is considered a World Heritage Site, but is littered with glass and well, litter. Third world South Africa located right in the heart of the First World Cape Town.

 

We hit the ground running and headed off to St. George's Crypt, which was phenomenal. Although, I don't remember a huge amount of the information provided for us there due to my medication, I remember being in awe of how religion motivates people.

Another familiar place was the Eastern Food Market. I remember eating there when I was in Cape Town for spring break. Its sort of a bizarre bazaar for food with everything ranging from shwarma, which was delicious, to chicken fried rice.

We then hit up my second love in the world, Mr. Price. Of course I got some clothes and two pairs of shoes, but it's so cheap, who could resist?!

xoxo,

b

Brittany Anderson

1 January 2012

Title: Comfort in Rocks.

After dinner at the Obz Café, we went to Long Street. A group of us girls went to get milkshakes at the Royal Eatery.  We headed home and packed up for bush camp.  We met Mark from Educo Africa at our houses and headed up into the mountains of the Western Cape. On the most frightening ride of my life, we drove a good three hours, passing ostriches and listening to Matt and Scott's woes with women.  When we first arrived, we picked houses, grabbed sleeping bags, unpacked the vans and explored our new area. Logistical stuff.  As we were given a tour, I thought to myself, this is a total hippie compound, Morris people would be at home here. They use only biodegradable soap, they have a biodigester they use, I'm pretty sure they compost, they recycle everything. Just...very Morris. From that moment on, I knew that I would be comfortable here.  From hiking, to watching the sunrise, to watching the sunset, to swimming in a little hole in the middle of the mountains in Africa, everything blew my mind how willing I was to participate.  If someone at home tried to get me to hike in the mountains or swim in a natural pool, I wouldn't think twice about saying no.  

I just want to take this time to say a few words about Mark and his family.  His kids, Emma (11) and James  (7), spent a good chunk of the time on the mountain with us.  They live in Cape Town and go to a Waldorf School, which is more like an arts school. We were so lucky for them to have the ability to spend some of their holiday off of school with us.  They live with very little media influence; they don't have a tv or a computer.  Its amazing to me how intelligent they are, and I'm telling you its not just the accents. I very much so envy their lifestyle. Without the influence of tv or computer, and being able to escape with their parents to the mountains, I can just imagine how close their family is.

 

After interacting with both Mark and his wife, as well as Emma and James, I really began to miss the members of my family that aren't here with me in Africa.  While I will always talk about how fortunate I am to have the Bean here with me, I cannot express in words how much I long sometimes to be in Disney World with my parents and little sisters. It's so strange how homesick I was when I first came here; a freshman, moving out on my own to Africa. I was always talking (or complaining about one thing or another) to my parents at St Cloud, but I lost all of that ability here. I, for once, had to rely on myself.  It was an eye-opening experience.


xoxo,

b

Brittany Anderson

28 December 2011

Title: Home.

 

I have so many feelings.

I love being back in South Africa. I love being able to get a Hunter's Dry and go to Pick N Pay. I love getting a Steers Cone for R3.50.  Buying Airtime. Buying internet. Buying electricity. 
Everything feels so much more natural and comes so easy to me here.

 

My room has the only skylight in the house. it's pretty neat. I thought I'd miss having a roommate because I often get lonely in my own room at school, but I'm finding that I hang out in the living room with Kasey, Shira and Andrea a lot. I can walk outside and see Lion's Head Mountain from the road. The beauty of the nature here astounds me sometimes. 

 

I keep thinking about the last time I was here. Obviously not in the same places, but similar. I miss PE a lot, but I'm partial to Cape Town. Living at Osborne is more independent than Annie's and we have a lot more space. I remember being one of the youngest in the group last time. One who was inexperienced with drinking and 36 hours of airports and driving on the other side of the road. Now its almost the opposite; I'm one of the veterans, helping people with what they should get for groceries, doing conversions in my head for rand, working the plug ins. I know I've only been here for less than 24 hours, but I'm considering not coming back. I was scared for this.

 

I woke up a little early and walked around Mowbray with Andrea, Shira, Scott, Carla, Daisy and Angela. We discovered that there are a lot of hair places around here. We found essential things like the indian restaurant and the laundry place. When we got back, we had a little time to hang out and at 11:30 we had orientation at the bed and breakfast next door.  I sat in the sun so i could work on my base. After the 2.5 hour orientation, we were all starving. it was perfect that interstudy had planned a braai for us. There was chicken skewers, which kelly loved, boerwoers, and lamb steaks. it was alll so good. I've missed braais. We then packed up 3 minibusses and headed for UCT's upper campus. There were absolutely gorgeous views. 

They then took us to PIck n Pay where we grocery shopped for food for when we return from our three day retreat. I picked up some candy, juice, naartjie sparkling water, pasta, still water, and vitasnacks! The bean and I finished shopping early so we ran across the street to Steers. We got Steers Cones, which are the absolute best ice cream in the whole wide world. It was like I was 19 again. Then some of us were hanging out in the kombi and Shira was teaching us all about keeping kosher. Legit stuff. She also doesn't like when you say jizz, like in excitment. Something I like to say....hnmmm. When we got back, we unloaded groceries and thennnnnn...we headed off to the liquor store. Bean and I got some a brutal fruit party pack, hunters dry, castle and champagne. everything i love in life. Now, we're just hanging out waiting to go out for Hana's 21st in Obz.

I just wanted to leave y'all with a little something that warms my heart and is calling me back to South Africa. There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.
-Nelson Mandela

xoxo,
b

Brittany Anderson
Title: Returning.

886 days have passed since I stepped onto the plane at the Port Elizabeth International Airport, leaving what I considered to be my newfound home. Since June 27, 2009, I have been searching for opportunities to return to South Africa. There are so many reasons for me to want to go back, and this opportunity fits almost every aspect of my wants. While in the Rainbow Nation, I had the opportunity to take a Community Service Learning course at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. Through this course, I was required to volunteer 4 hours a week at Isithembiso Abandoned Babies' Home. Most weeks, however, I would end up spending time beyond what was required with the children, helping the housemother clean, bathe and feed them. These babies became my second family. I knew that when, not if, I returned to South Africa, I would need to volunteer my time and talents. Through my volunteer experiences in the US and South Africa, I have learned that working with people, rather than imposing upon them, provides people with power. With that being said, I am very excited to participate in the community service portion of this seminar. I also have designed my own major in Postcolonial Indigenous Human Rights in the US and Global Contexts, which emphasizes both the US and South Africa. The coursework specifically relates to this major. I also feel as though much of my yearning to return to South Africa comes from a need to return to a place where I felt most like myself. On my first trip, I was barely 19 and my experiences in South Africa have hugely shaped who I am today. So, even though I know I'm not going with the same people or even to the same place, I feel like going back to South Africa will be reconfirm this feeling that I have that I need to move there permanently.

So, I'm going to make a list of my expectations and hopes for myself. because a paragraph would just feel utterly redundant.

1. Feel comfortable in the culture
2. Share my knowledge and experiences from my previous time in South Africa with those who haven't been there.
3. Buy lots of cool art that I didn' buy last time at the market.
4. Drink delicious wine.
5. Experience the nightlife.
6. Gain invaluable connections to both the people who live in the volunteer with and the people I travel with.

xoxo,
b.
(Just kidding. I've been watching waaaayy too much gossip girl.)