Emily K on the science all around us in Cape Town

I work for an organization called Reach the World which shares my experiences studying abroad with middle school students back home in the US. The classroom that I liaise with is in Queens, New York and I participate in video conferences with the students and write articles about my experiences. In a recent article I was asked to explain some of the science around me in Cape Town which prompted me to think about what an interesting place Cape Town is scientifically and I wanted to share some of this in a blog post as well!

Science is all around us and being in a different place makes me especially aware of it. My favorite example of recognizing science around me concerns the ocean. At home I live on an island which is entirely surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. In Cape Town the cape has water around three sides; on one side is the Atlantic Ocean and on the other side currents from the Indian Ocean flow. The ocean is full of science-biology, chemistry, and physics.

What I think is most interesting about the ocean is that science can be found at a very small and very large level. The other day I was at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town and they had an exhibit where you could look through a microscope to view samples of ocean water. Some samples contained phytoplankton which live at the surface of the ocean and absorb energy from the sun. The next sample contained zooplankton which are slightly larger and they receive energy by eating the phytoplankton. The last sample we viewed contained krill which are a large type of zooplankton that look like tiny shrimp under the microscope.

Krill are some of the world’s smallest animals but they feed some of the world’s largest. The aquarium employee at the exhibit then showed us a piece of baleen. It stood taller than me and was made of a hard black material; it was wide at the top and then became gradually thinner towards the bottom. Along the sides were thin wiry hairs that krill become stuck in. Baleen belongs to whales like the Humpback or the Wright Whale. I saw one piece of what lines the mouths of whales where our teeth would be. They do not use their baleen as teeth but as giant filters. When a baleen whale swoops through the ocean water rushes through the baleen and the krill become entangled in the hairs of the baleen. This is how the whale gets the nutrients that it needs to support its massive body.

Looking closely at a sample of ocean water reveals that much of what we think is just water is actually alive! Because we are looking at living organisms this is the study of biology. If we were to look at the chemical makeup of the water and what allows organisms to live in it we would be studying the chemistry of the water. Now we have looked at the ocean microscopically but if we look macroscopically, referring the comprehensive ocean system, we can learn different things.

The gravitational pull of the moon determines the tides which along with currents keep the oceans churning and sustainable for life. South Africa has a unique current situation as it sits between two oceans; the Atlantic and the Indian. The Atlantic currents flow on one side of the cape bringing cold water and cold water sea animals and vegetation along with them while the Indian Ocean currents flow on the other side bringing warm tropical water and animals and plants of that ecosystem.

It is a strange phenomenon that on one side of the peninsula you could find completely different marine life than the other. The Indian Ocean hosts more tropical fish and sea creatures more adapted to warmer temperatures while the Atlantic side holds sea creatures that are more comfortable in colder conditions.  Currents occur for a variety of reasons one, similar to tides, is gravity but temperature and density, how much of a liquid occupies a certain area, also play an important role. Temperature plays a big factor with these currents because of the stark change that comes where these two different oceans collide.

Emily K's safari experiences

I have been fortunate to have seen a lot of phenomenal wildlife in the past few weeks, below are some stories from my safari experiences so far. Some stories are from a private game reserve a few hours outside of Cape Town where some of my visitors went and other stories are from magnificent Kruger National Park in the Mpumalanga province. Additionally there is some information about the weather and climate in Johannesburg. Our excursion was filled with important historical sites and pure natural beauty so this blog will focus on the natural elements and I will dedicate a separate blog post to my experiences at the museums, memorials, and cultural sites we visited in Johannesburg as well as my impressions of the city.

The weather in Johannesburg is much different than in Cape Town. Johannesburg is located in the northeast section of the country and is isolated from any coastline. The mornings this week were cool and during the day it could get very hot especially standing in the sun. Most days when we were there the sky opened up letting loose fitful afternoon rain showers that drenched the streets and left a lingering cold. One night there was a thunderstorm that lasted for a few hours sending vibrant streaks of lightening across the sky. In Mpumalanga, where we were for safari near the border of Mozambique and Zimbabwe, the weather was much more consistent and stayed overcast for the entirety of the two days we spent there.

This was quite the week for animals! Safari proved to be an amazing experience. In South Africa there are five animals known as “The Big Five” which every safari goer tries to see and I am happy to report that we managed to view all five; though some only briefly. The Big Five consists of the lion, the leopard, the buffalo, the elephant, and the rhinoceros. We came across the leopard, the most elusive or hard to find of the five, at night along one of the safari paths marking its territory by scratching a tree. The two lionesses we saw were accompanied by a litter of six cubs pouncing and playing while their mother looked on well aware of our presence. In addition to the Big Five we saw zebras, antelope, an animal related to the antelope called a Kudu, a white tailed mongoose, a few chameleons, a crocodile, an eagle, and several other exotic birds. It was very exciting to see these animals in their natural habitat and I was very grateful that we saw so much!

One of the coolest occurrences on safari was when we saw an elephant and two rhinos interact at Aquila private game reserve. We started out by following the elephant down a path that opened up into an open area where two rhinos were standing and minding their own business. Elephants are very expressive creatures and I am not joking when I tell you that it turned and gave our safari car a mischievous glance before proceeding to tease the rhinos. The elephant would wrap its trunk around the horn of one of the rhinos and the rhino in turn, most definitely annoyed, would shuffle backwards and threaten to charge the elephant. This did not seem to bother the elephant at all who continued provoking the rhinos for what appeared to be, and what was confirmed by our safari guide to be, to his own amusement. This led up to a tense moment where both rhinos charged at the elephant eventually causing the smug elephant to head off, having had its dose of entertainment for the day. 

On safari “game drives” happen at night and early in the morning when you are most likely to see the animals. On our nighttime game drive we were speeding along in pursuit of some lions when the driver stopped abruptly, or without notice, and put the van into reverse. We stopped by a tall leafy tree but no one had any idea why. People seated in the outermost seats carry spotlights to try and find animals in the dark and they were waving the spotlights in search of whatever animal we had stopped for. Our safari driver chastised us, or teased us, for not being able to find what he saw and eventually after having sufficiently made the tourists feel like tourists he pointed to where a tiny chameleon was situated in the tree. Driving in the dark, with no street lights, at sixty miles per hour our safari guide managed to spot a four inch long chameleon perched high in a tree. Our safari vehicle was thoroughly impressed and then concluded that the chameleon, who is known for changing its color to blend in with its surroundings, was not a very good chameleon.

Emily K on budgeting in South Africa

Many people ask me how I was able to afford to come on a trip so amazing as this and participate in all of the wondrous activities Cape Town has to offer. It has been a combination of a lot of things that allowed me to come on this trip in the first place and that allows me to sustain being here!

I think that taking advantage of opportunities that college offers is extremely important. When I applied for college, I knew that I wanted studying abroad to be part of my experience. I also knew that there would be significant costs involved if I wanted to make my goal of studying abroad a reality. Knowing this, I took special care to make sure that I sought out, or found, every financial option to ensure my trip could happen.

I did this in a few different ways. First, I saved my own money from my summer job and my job at school. This was very important because even if I did win scholarship money additional money would be necessary for me to have to spend on the trip on things like groceries and activities that would allow me to make the most of my experience. While at my university I tried to find work that was relevant to my field and enhance my college and study abroad experience while gaining funds that I needed for studying abroad.

In addition to working, I looked for scholarship opportunities available to me as a student at the University of Connecticut. I found that our study abroad office offered a Global Citizenship scholarship that I could apply for when I submitted my study abroad application through the completion of an essay on global citizenship. I also found that my major, Human Rights, offered funding for students completing their internship and I would be completing an internship while studying abroad. I was very excited to win both of these scholarships and they significantly offset the cost of studying abroad.

Lastly, I looked for scholarships to study abroad available to all university students. I found a program called the Gilman Scholarship given out by the United States Government for students who have financial need and would like to study abroad. I applied for this scholarship and went to the study abroad office for advice on writing my essays and the Gilman application process. This award helped tremendously with the cost of studying abroad and not only provided me with funding but important connections to a community of current recipients and alumni who studied abroad as well as connecting me with programs like Reach the World to help me get the most out of my study abroad experience.

Now that I am abroad, I know that I need to be responsible with the funds I have with me. In order to accomplish this I came up with a budget before I left that I try to adhere to. This budget allocated money for certain things each week; it allows for money to cover transportation costs, groceries, and some money for activities. I also made a list of things I wanted to do in Cape Town outside of my program and set aside a special fund from my summer job so that I can have these experiences. I keep track of all of my expenses in a notebook so I can see where all my money is going and to make sure that I am maximizing my experience through the best possible use of the money I have with me.

Emily K challenged assumptions while meeting incredible people

Last weekend we headed to Goedgedacht Olive Farm in a rural part of the Western Cape to take part in Human Rights Training Weekend with our fellow UConn students as well as 26 counterparts from all around South Africa, Tanzania, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. We all piled into four small buses to journey from Africa Unite’s offices in the heart of Cape Town to the rural farmland a couple hours outside the city. Our journey took a bit longer than expected after some navigational difficulties but we were entranced by the scenic farm landscapes lining the road to our destination and were excited by the landscape of the farm we would be residing on when we arrived.

First we participated in an activity to meet everyone attending the human rights training by simple introductions and the diversity of the group was really incredible and interesting too that the students who were not from our university found us diverse through the different states we came from and we all eagerly exchanged information about our respective homes. We were then introduced to our roommates; my roommate was Bula from Swaziland who told me about her interest in coming to the human rights training as a result of her involvement in an organization that focuses on empowering young women and is part of the largest youth movement in her country.

After that we were treated to a delicious dinner, one that would be characteristic of the rest of our meals on the trip. At dinner we were able to further connect with our new friends followed by a more formal introductory activity at our first session where we laid out terms of work and were all able to express what we hoped to gain and what we offered to the group for the training weekend.

That night there were clouds but every so often the clouds would acquiesce to an incredible night sky filled with more stars than I have ever seen. I could see the entire Milky Way stretched out in ways I’ve only seen in pictures before. If you walked up the hill which the farm was situated on it felt as though you were seated in a giant planetarium and if you jumped off the hill you might be able to swim in the sea of stars.

The next day we engaged in many thought provoking activities my favorite of which was an exercise where we divided into different countries and talked about our hypothetical colonization of a new planet. Going to this new planet was out of necessity because earth was no longer inhabitable; but that was not the only caveat.  Five countries had already landed on the new inhabitable planet and two countries, one of which was the one I was a part of, were situated on fertile land and the others on infertile land. Our task was to determine if the two countries left on earth were allowed to come join us on the new planet and what rules we would all be subjected to on the new planet.

Our country decided that we would let the two countries come join us on the new planet under certain conditions which we specified.  Other countries came up with different plans for what the newcomers were to expect if they came to their respective countries on the new planet. At the end of the exercise we were all reminded that no one really had the “right” to lay claim this planet in the first place and the rules and defensive nature by which we were approaching the newcomers are based on what we know from our own institutions. We could have changed things on the new planet and ensured equality for everyone but we were too caught up in our own interests and fell back on what we knew.

This exercise was a powerful one because it showed us how pervasive social institutions are in our thinking. I know that when I was completing the exercise with my country I was thinking about diplomacy between countries in our world and the compromises that needed to be struck while protecting our own interests. In order to think beyond the mind frames given to us by society we need to realize that they exist and also that alternatives do exist that mediate equality instead of conflict.

The following day after another delicious meal we participated in another activity where we were pretending to be asylum seekers in a new country. We were all given forms with questions in languages with which we were unfamiliar and asked to fill them out. We could sort of make out certain words and some other students limited knowledge of the languages on the sheet helped us along a little, but even when we thought we had figured it out some students were denied asylum arbitrarily by Ntombi who acted as the asylum officer.

This exercise showed us some very important things. Firstly, how difficult it is for those seeking asylum in countries far away from home to fill out forms that will potentially save their lives and how confusing it must be when you are denied asylum despite your efforts. The other main thing that we learned was how highly we held an authority figure. No one asked for a form in English; we all just did what Ntombi said. We could have all decided that we wouldn’t fill out the forms and see where that form of protest would have led us but we continued to try unwaveringly until our facilitator Vincent called what we did into question.

Overall the weekend was an excellent experience it allowed me to call a lot of my assumptions into question and to meet some incredible people from all over Africa! 

Emily receiving her Human Rights Training Certifican from Ntombi.

Emily K already making plans to return to Ocean View

Homestay weekend was an enriching weekend where we were able to engage directly in a local community and take part in daily life there. On Thursday evening when we arrived we were taken around the community by Chantel, our very sweet and enthusiastic guide, who gave us insight into the history and geography of the community. Ocean View is a community formed during the apartheid era after the Group Areas Act deemed certain places “whites only” and then forcibly removed the current inhabitant moving them to far away and far less desirable locations. When removed from their home, often with very little, notice people were grouped according to race in different communities where the apartheid government decided it would be acceptable for them to live. They were taken out of their own communities and forces to start anew in a new place with new people. My host mother for the weekend, Auntie Netta, for example was given a week’s notice to leave the beautiful beach town of Noordhoek for Ocean View and she and her ten brothers and sisters were forced to live in accommodations much smaller than their original home and completely inadequate for a family of their size.

After learning a bit about the background of the community we headed to Auntie Bernie’s where all 26 of us were treated to a delicious meal traditional to the Coloured people of South Africa. This cuisine draws influence from Cape Malay and Indian culture as well as traditional African cuisine. The highlight of the meal was definitely a delicious custard dessert with fresh watermelon. After dinner we were brought to meet our new families for the weekend. Jen and I met Auntie Netta, perhaps the kindest woman you could ever meet. She welcomed us wholeheartedly into her home and we exchanged stories over tea about her life and ours. 

 The next day was Valentine’s Day and we headed to the crèche, a care center for young children, bright and early where we were paired with a partner child for the day whom we would watch as we distributed valentines to the community. My partner child and I both colored in big purple hearts adorned with puffy stickers and took lots of pictures together before heading out to pass out our valentines. We walked along the sidewalks and handed out our cards before convening together at the park for a sing along. Next we headed to Imhoff farm where we visited the petting zoo. There was a whole assortment of animals up for petting and others who quickly scurried away from the forty some people impinging on their habitat. The kids got a chance to hold bunnies, pet goats, and run swiftly from overly friendly chickens. After lunch it was a sad goodbye to all of our partner children and other new friends as we headed back to our host families homes.

That night we attended a talent show at Ocean View High School in honor of Valentine’s Day after a delicious home-cooked meal from Auntie Netta. The talent show consisted of different singing and dancing acts as well as an entire pageant where students modeled. After our long day playing with the kids and watching the talent show we slept well in our new room in Ocean View.

The next day we were able to sleep in and then piled in the cab of a truck with Aunti Netta’s daughter’s family, also hosting some of our UConn friends, to a birthday part in Blackheath. The drive was long but along a very scenic route along the water from Fish Hoek to Muizenberg eventually passing Khayelitsha. At the party we were treated to more food than we could account for and after continually being offered sweets our stomachs were quite full. We met a really nice couple who we ended up talking with for most of the night about cultural difference, similarities, and our experiences so far in Cape Town.

The following day it was a very sad goodbye to Auntie Netta as we boarded the bus to take us back home. She welcomed us into her home, gave up her bedroom, and cooked delicious food for perfect strangers and we already have plans to go back. These were connections just made in one weekend so I cannot imagine what it would have been like if we stayed longer! 

Emily K on the Commission of Inquiry

I still have a few days of orientation left to cover to be up to date with that but I really would like to discuss my internship in this blog post as it has been an exciting past couple of weeks at Treatment Action Campaign! TAC, as it is commonly known, is an organization expert in community mobilization around issues that directly impact the Khayelitsha community and the greater South African community. At the moment they are at the beginning of a precedent setting police commission on police ineffectiveness and public safety in Khayelitsha (Commission of Inquiry). Organizing this commission has been years in the making and two appeals by the South African Police Services threatened to not have it come to fruition but though commitment to the safety of the community NGOs operating in surrounding areas came together to turn this into a reality. These NGOs of which TAC is one now have the opportunity to essentially put the police on trial for their lack of response and poor relationship with the community. This is a huge victory not only for the 1 million residents of the greater Khayelitsha area but for South Africa as a whole because now if a community has a grievance they have a method by which to approach the offending parties and get their voices heard. The objective of the commission is not to blame specific police officers but to campaign for systematic change that will ensure safety of the community.

We have heard incredible testimony from people from all different sectors who have experienced firsthand what police ineffectiveness can cause. The most powerful testimony we heard so far was on the first day we attended the commission where the medical center director of Simelela, a comprehensive rape center in Khayelitsha hospital, spoke to the horrific things that she encounters on a day to day basis when police do not carry out their duties correctly. She recalled several heart wrenching experiences. She recalled survivors are often re-victimized when they see their perpetrator roaming the streets when they have not been informed of the status of their case; these women have no idea that the perpetrator has been released and are not only forced to confront this danger once more but have no relevant information as to why the release occurred. Another instance told to the commission was a specific instance where fourteen rape kits were found tossed on the side of the road rendering the evidence unusable and denying justice to the women who were involved.

The most disturbing incident recalled was concerning the case of a serial rapist of young girls. The doctor testifying recalled that she had noticed a pattern with a series of violent rapes of young girls. Upon reporting this to the police she was told that there was no pattern and her allegations were not taken seriously. It was not until twenty one girls under the age of nine were raped and after one death as a result that the perpetrator responsible was apprehended and taken off the street. She said that if these were little white girls whom this was happening to, this would never have happened and these allegations would have been taken seriously. This was our first insight to the frightening world of ineffective policing and what happens when the relationship between the community and the police disintegrates.

We have now heard testimony from numerous witnesses testifying to lack of police effectiveness regarding incomplete investigations, delays and absenteeism leading to questioning of the cause of death of deceased persons, ambulance and police relations that can result in late responses to critical patients, and NGOs who are trying to help fix this system and the challenges that they have faced. In my next post I would like to further discuss individual testimonies and speak about weekend adventures we have embarked on so far.

Emily K looking forward to continuing the adventure

The second part of orientation went by in such a way that our experience seemed to pass so quickly but the depth of the things we did made it seem like we’ve been in South Africa for a very long time. Part two of our orientation adventure included hiking, sight-seeing, jazz music, and a little bit of everything in between.

On Saturday we headed around the peninsula and were astounded by staggering coastline where mountains lead right into vibrant ocean below. The day started at Maiden’s Cove where the backdrop is “The Twelve Apostles” an impressive chain of mountains overlooking Camp’s Bay. There is said to be twelve separate peaks, but after much debate we only counted eleven.

Next stop was Hout Bay where amidst the seaside marketplace we saw a man feed a sea lion a fish from his mouth. To fully view Hout Bay you need to drive up Chapman’s Peak which overlooks the splendor of the bay below and makes miniature the fishing boats dotting the harbor.

The pinnacle of the day was the trip to Cape Point the Southernmost tip of the African Continent and despite the “Two Oceans” restaurant’s claim to fame the Atlantic and the Indian oceans meet further to the east at Cape Agulhas. The cliffs of Cape Point slope steeply into the ocean and succulent fynbos covers the land in shades of purples and green. We did not encounter any of the infamous baboons known for sandwich thievery among other mischievous deeds. As you hike out to the point the cliffs wind down and narrow to a lookout point where you can stare into the horizon that melts away in someplace you can’t be sure of.

 Emily K at Cape Point with housemates:

left to right: Ava, Savannah, Jen, Emily W, Katrina, Jenna, Lauren, Allie, Emily K

Next we stopped at the penguin colony that lives at Boulder’s Beach. At first you walk in and you see one little penguin, then two, then a couple more but when you come to the beach you appreciate the term colony because there is an assortment of penguins sleeping, swimming, and waddling about. These are endangered African penguins commonly referred to as “Jackass” penguins but they seemed like pretty friendly penguins to me. The penguins almost seem out of place with palm trees swaying by the warm Indian Ocean waters, though if I were a penguin I think I would much prefer South Africa to Antarctica.

Sunday morning we woke up and then we woke up. The twenty six of us piled sleepily into the bus after our first foray onto Long Street the night before but upon entering the Sivuyile Baptist Church in Gugulethu our sleepiness was swept aside in favor of a much more powerful experience. We were welcomed into the church by everyone that we met and upon sitting down the women seated in front of us passed us a Xhosa song book and continued to find the songs for us and help us follow along.  What followed were a few hours of the most joyful singing, dancing, and thankful prayer that I have ever encountered. My version of church is seated near the back counting ceiling tiles and reluctantly half singing, my favorite part about church was always the “peace be with you” exchange because I could actually move around and talk to people. At Sivuyile I was in constant interaction with people and it was awesome; you feed off the energy of those around you and though I lack the rhythm or the pitch to sing along to the car radio here everyone was so enthusiastically participating and welcoming that you wanted to be a part of it, you wanted to feel a part of those around you.

After church we enjoyed a lovely meal prepared for us by Vernon’s mother and sister at their lovely home in Bridgetown. From there the music didn’t stop as we packed a picnic lunch and headed to Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens where Johnny Clegg treated us to an evening of music. I would say Johnny Clegg is kind of like South African Phil Collins, in sound anyways, his music was a little more folky and in his younger years he wrote songs against the apartheid regime. We had a very nice picnic somewhere way in the back but even though we couldn’t see the stage there was enough beautiful scenery between Table Mountain and the gardens to keep us more than happy.

The second half of week two was filled with very powerful experiences and certainly has enough information to fill another blog post, but overall South Africa is amazing and I cannot wait to continue on the adventure. 

Emily's first impressions

Emily K (in middle) compares pictures with Lauren and Allie at Chapman's Peak

The sunshine is streaming through the window, Table Mountain beckons from just beyond our doorstep, and there is a beautiful breeze! Cape Town is one of those places that makes you forget your eighteen hour journey and jet lag and instead fills you with contentment. Contentment to be in one of the most beautiful places with the kindest of people! 

First, here is how the flight actually went; I have been telling people that it can be interpreted using a shortened version of the 5 stages of grief. It begins with denial- "This actually won't be that bad, they give us snacks and these seats are pretty comfortable, and we can legally order wine." Then around hour 7 anger sets in: "I am not getting off this plane ever, why did I come so far away, what cruel person designed seats with not one comfortable positions." And finally, acceptance: "Only two hours to go, this wasn't so bad, look out the window, we're almost there!"

That was the flight from JFK to Johannesburg and after hours of uncomfortable shifting and half watching movies we touched down about a half an hour late. The lateness prompted some sprinting across the airport only to be confronted with a staggering customs line snaking around several railings and seemingly at a standstill. After we communicated that our flight was meant to leave in five minutes we were able to jump the line and get through quickly. Unfortunately, baggage claim defeated us, the carousel was dizzying as we watched the same four bags circle and circle for forty five minutes ultimately resulting in our missing the connecting flight to Cape Town. 

The flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town must have been the quickest two hours of my life, after a nearly sleepless previous flight exhaustion was not easy to overcome and I collapsed the second we sat down. Then you wake up and look out the window and see the mountains rippling up from the earth eventually leading to the most beautiful mountain of all: Table Mountain! The panorama is staggering, there's Table Bay, There's Lion's Head, Signal Hill! I was all at once overwhelmed by the beauty of the city I had the privilege to call home for six weeks before, and four months now.

We wasted no time at all once we arrived in Cape Town, after a low key first night with some Thai food it seemed that jet lag would have to be cast aside in favor of exciting adventures. During our first day we became acclimated with Rondebosch a charming suburb of the city of Cape Town which we would call home for the next four months. Exploring Main Road we discovered restaurants, shopping centers, and three dollar bottles of wine making us all confident that we would be quite comfortable during our stay. Returning home a few of us jumped in the swimming pool of our backyard which lavish tropical foliage trimmed so safe to say at this point with the eighty degree sunshine and the brick lined patio I wondered how we were so fortunate to enter this portal from the polar vortex to paradise.

That night we were treated to our first experience in the city at a soccer game with South Africa’s team versus Mali. The South Africans are adoringly called “Bafana” (Meaning boys in Xhosa) and we were all just as excited as the South African fans when Bafana scored their first goal and just as achingly confounded when the ball slipped through a player’s legs missing an open shot on goal. The game ended in a tie and unfortunately a following loss put South Africa out of the African tournament.

The following day we became acquainted with our new place of study: The University of Cape Town. Nestled on the sloping back of Table Mountain the university presides over the surrounding suburbs with esteem and grace. As our bus climbed the mountain the outskirts of the city splayed out below us and we encountered the ivy covered Dutch style buildings that made me feel as though we had joined the Ivy League. Each building was just as picturesque as the next and as I climbed from lower to middle to upper campus I was continually astounded by new views and beautiful places that made me think that studying might not be that bad here. After some unflattering student ID photos and a brief respite into the world of fast wireless we departed for the American consulate for one of our most memorable of the innumerable safety briefings.

Cape Town really is a safe place, as long as you act like a reasonable human being you are not going to have an issue, however the American consulate would have us believe that anyplace that is not crawling with tourists is a desolate wasteland of violence and crime and even made some startling suggestions about using public transport and to be weary of throwing yourself off Table Mountain, because I genuinely don’t think there would be another way to fall off. After warning of the snows of Table Mountain, where it never snows, they advocated for shark cage diving. So essentially we aren’t meant to take the train but here’s to hoping the Great White’s won’t gnaw through our cage.

That night everyone had a lovely time at Blue Chip Jazz restaurant where a group of young musicians entertained us with songs we know and love while we ate dinner and eventually took over the dance floor. Each of us got a turn in the middle of the dancing circle and I think it’s safe to say that everyone had a great night.

On Friday we visited the District 6 Museum. District 6 was home to a diverse community in Cape Town before its demolition and forced removal of its inhabitants under the cruel Group Areas Act enacted by the apartheid government. Not only was it home to so many people but to people we know. The director of our program in South Africa Vernon Rose grew up in District 6 as did Joe our incredible tour guide who shared with us his history in conjunction with that of the district. My host mother the last time I was in South Africa also lived with District 6 and all of these people living in racial harmony, in a place where they could commute easily to the city, and with an extensive sense of community, were forced from their homes and sent to regions far outside the city oftentimes separated from those they knew and loved. This was one of our first introductions to the brutality of the apartheid regime and the more time you spend in Cape Town the more you realize that exclusion is stark, and apparent, and deliberate, and is so achingly visible even twenty years after the first democratic elections were held.

In the next blog post I will tell you all about week two with trips to Cape Point, Boulder’s Beach, the Slave Lodge tour, jazz at the Mahogany Room, wine tasting, Robben Island, concerts, and church. We’ve been in Cape Town closing in on two weeks now but it feels as though we’ve been here much longer and I cannot wait to see what this next week will bring!

Best wishes,

Emily