Allie's final reflections on her Cape Town Experiences

How can I sum up Cape Town in a final blog post? It is a city full of opposing forces. There is beauty and darkness, mountains and oceans, towers and shacks, light and dark skin, locals and foreigners, rich and poor, hope and sorrow. But to love something is to love everything about it, including the dark side. I have found every aspect of Cape Town fascinating, intriguing, and very special. We are very lucky to have experienced every part of the city, and for that I am very grateful and truly appreciate the city so much more for it. One of the reasons I am sad our departure is so soon is because I will miss the amazing people I’ve met here. The Sisters at Tafelsig Clinic are the kindest and most selfless people I know and I am honored and blessed to have been able to work alongside them and learn from them.

           

A quick side-note about Sister Castle, the nurse we work most closely with; she brought us to her cake decorating teacher’s house so that we would be able to decorate Easter eggs because we are so far away from home. It was such a fun trip and her teacher is one of the most patient and kind people in the world for teaching our group anything artistic. This truly touched me because Sister Castle went above and beyond her role as our supervisor to make us feel at home and have fun both in and outside of work. This is found nowhere in her job description, but that is just the type of person she is, like so many others in Cape Town.

           

With our departure date rapidly approaching I’ll miss the city dearly and fully intend to return for some length of time. I’ll miss the beautiful downtown. I’ll never forget the amazing meals we have tried, some strange and some normal, but all delicious (especially the sushi!). I’ll really miss living in a crazy house with 19 people that were strangers, but I now love. Looking back I can’t even be all that mad about the continuous pile of dirty dishes. I will very much miss the stunning backdrop of Table Mountain, and the easy access to all sort of fun activities. But these things are not what truly made my experience.

The parts of Cape Town I cherish the most are the simple interactions that I have everyday with the kindest and most inspiring people in the world. These sound like grandiose statements, but they are one hundred percent true. It is almost impossible to put into writing, or vocalize, but there is no better feeling then being adopted and loved by a group of people so far away from home. No crazy adrenaline rush, or amazing meal could ever compare to this. Because of these people Cape Town became my home in these past three and half months.

Allie's adventures

Cape Town has provided me with a lot of amazing opportunities and experiences that I never would have had if not for coming here. With our time coming to end here I have been taking more advantage of these particular activities. It started with learning how to kite surf in Langebaan (unfortunately the lesson is in two sections and you don't get to go on the water until the second one but we learned how to fly the kites). Then I continued the kite sports with going paragliding which was amazing. It was the kind of thing that looking back on was ridiculous (not in a dangerous way) because you literally run off a mountain. The coaches tell you to sprint and that is what fills the kite with air. And then all of a sudden you are sitting in the air and gliding over the city and then the ocean.

Later that same day I went to Muizenburg to learn how to surf. With Katrina and Emily W we walked into the rental shop just like we knew what we were doing while they were planning on teaching me how to surf with only one lesson themselves. Now this sounds like it could end disastrously, but it went surprisingly well! The first wave I caught I didn't stand but balanced on my knees riding it. I don't think I'll ever forget the feeling of pride in myself for being out there and trying something new and already starting to succeed. I eventually made it to my feet after a couple of tries and had a great hour surfing, catching a fantastic final wave of the day and floating in satisfied and tired.

Sarah, Emily W & Allie at Kruger

Johannesburg was amazing learning about a rich history and having a unique perspective from a different city. Kruger was also one of my favorite parts of being in South Africa because I have never been able to see actual wild animals like that in my life. Going to the zoo and seeing an elephant is not nearly the same thing as seeing that beautiful creature and knowing it has complete freedom to go wherever and so whatever it wants. All of the animals where incredible but the elephants where my favorite  because you can see that they are intelligent and powerful creatures. It is no wonder that in so many cultures they stand for strength, unity, power and intelligence. It truly made me wonder how anybody could kill these animals for only one part of them, and at that to sell to a greedy consumerist society. This sentiment made me very upset after seeing wild elephants. During lunch there was an elephant also eating across the river from the restaurant eating also. We names him Marvin and watched for a long time just being able to see what an elephant does with his time and it NEVER got boring. He eventually waddled back to the forest, satisfied from lunch. One of the best moments was leaving the compound and it was finally sunny. A huge heard of elephants where grazing in the early morning sun and they looked so amazing. It was the best goodbye I could have hoped for from Kruger.

We didn't get a break after Kruger, we went straight into out work week and then on Friday at 2:45 in the morning left to go to Plettenburg Bay. We started at Cango wildlife reserve. It was not at all like seeing animals in the wild, but we got to see things like crocodiles and lions a lot closer. We watched white baby tigers play, fight and then cuddle in typical sibling fashion. We ended the tour and I was the first to go and have a close encounter with three year old cheetahs Minnie and Mia. It was cool being able to pet and be that close to animals you see your whole life on shows like National Geographic and you never think you'll see them that close in your life. After that we explained Cango Caves which were fascinating I have never seen a cave that huge in my life, and it made for amazing pictures. Then the real highlight of the day happened when we got to the ostrich farm. A few of us got to ride an ostrich. They are ridiculous animals and if you think they look funny running they feel even more hilarious, that is until you gave plant off of it and it trots off satisfied in its work. We made it to our hostel later to see the sunset on the beach and hang out by the fire and have a sing-along by the water.

The next day we woke up to see an amazing sunrise over the beach and my elephant experience was expanded as we made our way to the first elephant sanctuary of the day. We got to ride elephants around a field and three went at a time and held each other's tails. It may have been the cutest thing I have ever witnessed in my life. Their skin is a lot tough then I could have ever imagined and their faces even more amazing up close. You can tell looking at an elephants face they know exactly what they are observing and they even hold a little smile on their mouths. We went to the second sanctuary where we got to feed and interact with their elephants and I never wanted to leave. Their trunks grabbed food right out of hands with the agility of a human hand with thumbs. They even position themselves in photogenic positions like Hollywood stars. If I questioned elephants as being my favorite animal before, there is no doubt anymore. We went to our second hostel after getting those who bungee jumped which looked horrifying, but they loved it. The second hostel was even cooler than the first one it had a massive covered fire pit with couches set up around it. It more of a community feeling and we were able to make more international friends with a shares love of traveling South Africa. The next day we took off for black river tubing. It was more relaxing than anything but the experience was so cool and the river was the most beautiful I have ever seen. While the majority of it was by no means an adrenaline rush we got to jump off a cliff eight meters high and the guides were very much pranksters that flipped our tubes whenever they had the chance.

Experiencing all of these wild things has taught me a lot about myself. I know now how to seize every opportunity that comes my way. I tend to get anxiety about potentially risky experiences, with no real reason behind these worries. Africa, and embracing everything about it, has truly taught me how to look at new experiences and dive into them with only positive feelings and only reasonable worries and precautions. This has probably been one of the most powerful and drastic changes in myself that I see so far. And while I'm learning I'm having the time of my life!

The Development of an Activist Project

As those who have previously followed the UConn in Cape Town Class Blog know, student-interns participating in this program are required to complete an activist project for my class.  I've been continually impressed and inspired by students' ability to identify an issue and then create a project to help address a need they discover.  These undertakings provide students an opportunity to share their time, energy and talents within the communities that have taught them so much as well as to discover their own individual and collective potential to make a difference. The assignment is broadly defined as:

Identify an issue

Decide what you will do

Commit a minimum of 24 hours to this work. 

Collaborate with one or more other students on projects.

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Previously students have constructed and implemented an amazing array of successful projects.  One of the organizations with which students have worked is the Firefighters Football Club which was established in 1998 in Khayelitsha, the largest black township in Cape Town with a population of close to 800,000 people.  The football club is located in Mandela Park and has 5 youth teams: under 11, 13, 15, 17, and 19, as well as one senior team.  Firefighters FC athletes are leaders on and off the field. Participating players meet after school for peer education sessions. They work on everything from homework help, to presentation skills, to college preparation. Firefighters Football Club is about character building, about raising young men who will be positive role models for the next generation and will strive to make a positive impact in their communities. 

Over the years students have worked this club to: help with their tournaments; develop and write up their strategic plan; collect slightly used soccer cleats from family and friends; work with the coaches; and set up their website <http://firefightersfc.com/Firefighters_Football_Club/Home.html>

This year 5 students (Allie, Emily W, Jenna, Katrina, & Morgan) are working with players on life skills and tutoring as well as raising funds to buy water jugs for the teams and water bottles for individual players.  You can read more about their project below and anyone who would like to support their efforts may do so at their GoFundMe site:  http://www.gofundme.com/7qtgp4 

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In our semester studying abroad here in Cape Town, South Africa, 5 of us students have started volunteering at the Firefighters Football Club, a local boys' soccer club in Khayelitsha, one of the poorest townships in Cape Town. The club is located in an area consumed by poverty with minimal sports and recreational infrastructure. Because of this, children are highly vulnerable to gangsterism and drug use. The club was created as a way to begin to address these issues within the community and provide them with a safe and fun alternative while learning vauable life lessons through their coaches and teammates.

After spending the last few weeks getting to know the boys and watching their practices, we noticed something was missing. Even after hours of running in the hot sun there was not one water break, not one kid had a water bottle, and at the end of practice they eagerly guzzled down what little water we'd brought with us. After talking with Bongi, the team's coach, we realized what a huge difference providing water coolers and a water bottle for each of the players would make. Our goal in our remaining time with Firefighters is to continue to get to know, play with, and tutor the players as well as raise money to provide them with the water bottles and coolers. We also plan on helping out at the Firefighters tournament by giving the kids support, as barely any of their parents come, as well as provide water and food seeing that it is an all day event. 

Despite having close to nothing, these kids' hard work and dedication has inspired us. We hope to use whatever money we raise towards getting new equipment, gear, and improving their fields. Any small amount will make a huge difference and the kids and coaches will be so grateful. Go Firefighters!

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One of the wonderful things about social media is how many people can be reached simply by sharing information with facebook friends.  If you find this to be a worthwhile cause perhaps you could share it with your facbook friends along with a personal message as was done by my daughter-in law Betsy, who has been to Cape Town and had the pleasure of personally meeting Bongi and the Firefighters:

Anongile Qasana and his firefighter's football club are what grassroots change is all about. He inspires youth to change themselves and their community, all while having fun. I know some of my fellow soccer parent friends can connect to watching kids play soccer and grow in confidence, and many of my social justice friends might be inspired to get the word out.  http://www.gofundme.com/7qtgp4 

Or as by Dan who participated in this program in 2012 and did his activist project as well as spenting countless additional hours working with Firefighters:

Anyone who has heard me talk about Cape Town knows how influential Bongi and his soccer club, the Firefighters Football Club, were to me. This year's study abroad students have continued working with the team and are working to raise funds to buy the athletes water bottles. Yes, something as simple as water bottles are a commodity in the township the boys are from.  If you were ever an athlete and know what it's like to play in the hot summer sun, consider supporting their initiative. http://www.gofundme.com/7qtgp4 

Allie discovering similarities among differences

Allie receives her Africa Unite Human Rights Training Certificate

It’s unbelievable that we have already been here over seven weeks. Previous to my departure, people continually asked me if my upcoming experience felt real yet and my answer was always that it wouldn’t feel real until I was in Cape Town. Well now here I am feeling at home in this city 10,000 miles away from where I grew up, living my day to day life with incredible experiences every day and it still doesn’t feel real. Being in Cape Town may just always feel like a vivid dream that I will always want to fall into a deep sleep to get back to. I continually look around at my surrounds and I am unable to believe that this is real life.

Staying at Goedgedacht Olive Farm for Human Rights weekend was no exception. Not only was it breathtakingly gorgeous, but also meeting people from countries I may never have an opportunity to meet otherwise was unforgettable. Never in my life would I have guessed I would be spending a weekend with people from 5 different countries, among us 10 different languages and some hilarious cultural differences. I was especially struck my how quickly the people from African countries treated us as if we were all old best friends of theirs. I will never cease to be taken aback by kindness and warmth found in South Africa from the people who live here, and evidently from all over the continent the same attitude applies.

 

Ava, Allie & Manuela with two new friends

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was when we had an extended discussion of our opinions on abortion and the death penalty. I was especially interested because they are such hot topics for debate in the U.S. but every argument that was made this past weekend was some formation of an argument that I have heard before. This may sound like it was therefore pointless, but it was fascinating to me that topics such as these could be so universally debated. Two people from across the world with completely different backgrounds could have the exact same opinion on matters of abortion, while a different type of debate could have such a huge culture divide. I love experiencing different cultures and differing opinions, but it was refreshing to have a discussion that was so universal.