Alright. So it’s only day four, and I feel like I could write multiple books- this is not an exaggeration- about each day so far. I’ve been putting off updating because I don’t have the time to write as much as I’d like- and I’m STILL going to bed between 1-3am every night because I’m writing, or because I’m doing homework… and talking with new friends until midnight. In this post, I’m going to give an mostly overview of what’s been going down. I’ll fill in the rest on Saturday when I don’t have a schedule to adhere to (apart from a rugby game- go Stormers!). Each thing we’ve done and seen has affected me in such a way that I’d much rather give a simple overview here, then sit and talk with whoever is interested when I get back. 

That being said, please, please leave me comments or send me an e-mail if you want to know more about anything while I’m here. I’d be more than happy to write about whatever you want to know. I promise you, I won’t be working hard to try to find things to say- only, maybe, the time to say them.

Monday 5/14

-Class. We have class every morning from 9-11 in a beach house (the home of the owner of our apartment building) that is about an eight minute walk down a path by the river that towards our apartment, into the ocean. It’s a beautiful walk- we get to see all of the city and Table Mountain (one of the 10 Natural Wonders of the World!) from afar in the morning sun.
What we did that day- created my Cape Town Bucket List:
  Give tie dye bracelets to kids I work with during service week. I don’t know yet if I’ll be allowed to do this- I’ll have to talk to the staff about it- but I would really like to cut up one of the several tie dye t-shirts I brought with me and braid them into simple bracelets for the kids I work with. I got the idea while thinking about an experience my best friend had at camp last summer: they did an exercise where they gave something they loved, something that meant a lot to them, to another person in the group; my best friend gave up all of her 20+ friendship bracelets she had collected from camp, friends, and personal creation over several years. I really liked this for a few reasons. I thought it was an incredibly selfless and loving act, but also, the fact that they were bracelets to be worn seemed really powerful to me because it is a constant reminder of the person who gave it to you and the story or message behind it. My tie dyes are special to me in that they are my go-to comfort item of clothing, and the ones I brought, I’ve made over the years with many close friends. Being so colorful and bright (because I’m a champ at making them), I think they could be nice reminders of positivity and the experiences we’ll share together.
  Visit Stellanbasch, a nearby college town known for some great wine
  Befriend Stella, the sweet, shy dog at the beach house we have our classes in.
  Hike Lion’s Head, a peak at Table Mountain, at sunrise
  Surf. I’ve never done it before, and where better to learn than in the home of Shark Week? (A message to my Kell Percussion Alumni- TS4L)
  Yoga at sunrise on the beach outside our apartment
  Create a secret handshake with a local kid, either during service week or at the Amy Biehl Center (I’ll explain this later on!)
  Learn something from a local (Already worked on this- I’ll also explain this later on)
  Learn some bits of local languages (Afrikaans, Xhosa)

-City tour with a Cape Town local tour guide, Jerry.
   The main point (I’ll write more about this & the museums Saturday): The rich residential/shopping districts in the city and around the mountain/harbor look like near replicas of Beverly Hills. Directly outside the airport, maybe 10 miles away, is the most devastating poverty I’ve ever seen, in person or picture. There is no capacity for justification in my mind or my heart for how one can exist so closely in proximity to the other.

-Visit District 6 Museum
   The main point: In 1966- when movements for racial equality and civil rights were finally coming to fruition in the United States- the apartheid government of Cape Town forcibly removed all citizens from their homes in District 6, a formerly peaceful and culturally thriving community, because the government wanted the “prime real estate”. Their homes were later demolished. Their community was completely destroyed, and a residential area for whites only was established.
-Visit The Slave Lodge, a museum in the building- the 2^nd oldest in South Africa- that once housed all of the slaves in Cape Town during the Dutch colonial period.
   The main point: History is a heartbreaking lens through which to view the world.

Tuesday 5/15

-Class:
   “The Mindful Traveler” Article. The main point: “Ugly Americanism”.

   History of South Africa- Dutch and British colonialism, diamond and gold mining, the apartheid, communism v. nationalism, political warfare, post-apartheid recovery…

   Diversity Panel of people who lived in the apartheid: Jacques, a white lawyer of British descent (opposed to Dutch- this is another issue altogether); Abu, a short black man with a fedora and a beautiful singing voice; Linda, a half-Chinese, half-white author; Katie, an elderly, soft-voiced woman with a passion for her family and education, and a tangible, pained hatred for the apartheid. The latter three all lived in District 6.

Wednesday 5/16

-Class:
   A Walk In The Night (the fictional novel we're reading) discussion. I'll write more about this once I've caught up on my reading. The discussion- over apartheid, brutalities of oppression and dehumanization, and so on- was definitely informative and inspiring, but I don't think it'd be "right" to talk about it here without first really reading it myself.

   Critical Thinking, journaling, service learning, wellness wheel, academic v. reflective writing, blah blah...

   Amy Biehl Foundation, guest speaker Kevin Chaplin. I literally cannot even begin to talk about this until Saturday. I think it may have inspired what I want to do with the rest of my life.

-Hiked Table Mountain

    à At the summit, met (while he was sitting playing marimba for passerby) Yongama- in a brief overview: 23 years old, marimba player, from Cape Town, climbs mountain several times a week with his marimba to raise money to return to school- forced to drop out one year before graduation, doesn’t mind people taking pictures because it will make him famous, called me his "manager".
      “I want to be a musician because I am good at it, and it is a way to survive."
      "You must get an education. You cannot survive without it. It is the only way."
      “I think it is a gift from God. He couldn’t give me a way to finish school, but he gave me this wonderful gift for music.”
    à The father in a family of Indian tourists asked to take his picture with me while I was sitting speaking with Yongama. It made me VERY uncomfortable, especially because I couldn’t tell what they were saying about me, and I’m almost sure- though I truly want to believe the best in strangers, and people in general- that they were making fun of me for being American, or for the crazy colors I was wearing (neon green running shorts and, of course, a purple tie dye). It made me feel like I was a commodity, like I was an object, or an animal in a zoo. More importantly, it made me think: is this what locals feel like when tourists ask for their picture? Or, even worse, snap it without asking, as if they were separated by a sheet of glass in an exhibition?

Thursday (today) 5/17

-Class: ethical leadership; effecting social change (very cool ideas- will discuss in the future, I'm sure); using our results from a Strengths Quest online test:
     à My most intense 5 themes were, according to the test: developer, learner, strategic, intellection, ideation.
-Visited the Gugulethu Township. We rode around a block or two to see some significant places (that I'll disclose in my next post) of section 3 of the township. (Section 2 is very dangerous, and has daily killings due to gang violence.) We also visited the Amy Biehl after school program at the Siyazingisa Primary School.  I really want to reserve my discussing this for Saturday.

   The main point: When we drove into the township, I was genuinely- for the first time in this entire process- scared for my life. This was because of the few significant sites we passed by (this will make more sense in time!), and also the fact that we parked 20 feet away from an abandoned concrete building displaying graffiti with messages reading "Drugs, guns, and alcohol were created by whites to kill black youth", "Black Power", and several violent phrases geared towards whites. By the end of the day, I was crying from hearing the kids sing, dance, and play music. The last thing I experienced at the program was a little girl, half my height, clinging on to me in a hug, after picking me out of the crowd to dance with her.

Saturday I plan to write more about Monday’s city tour and the museums, Tuesday’s article “The Mindful Traveler” and discussion panel, my new friend Yongama, Kevin Chaplin and the Amy Biehl Foundation, and my experience at the Siyazingisa Primary School/Amy Biehl program today.

For the third night in a row, I'm up until nearly 3 o'clock writing and feel I haven't accomplished saying anything, compared to the whole of what I'd like to. As I said earlier, I'd love to answer any questions you may have. I leave you with a few quotes to think about in absence of my own.

"Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding." -Albert Einstein

"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word." -Martin Luther King, Jr.
"If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." -Mother Theresa

This idea may be a little bit hippie-like, but could you- dear reader (and, by the way, congratulations on making it through this monster of a play-by-play)- consider trying something for me? Please, think about peace- within yourself and in interactions with others- in your actions tomorrow. Consciously commit to it for 24 hours. Be mindful of your thoughts and your attitude in regard to concepts of what "peace" is. If not for yourself, then as a sort of spiritual care package for me. If you decide to do this, and have any interesting thoughts or experiences with it, I'd sincerely love to hear about it. If not, that's okay. I'd love to hear from you anyway. A week away from home is just enough to notice the ache forming in my heart from not seeing so many faces I love. I'll be home exactly one month from tomorrow. Time flies...
-M