Back In Miny-Apple-Us

As of now...its all still so surreal...in a place where I used to be so comfortable with my surroundings I now find myself questioning things and missing everything about South Africa. It blows my mind to think that I just spent 3 weeks in Cape Town and it has already came and gone. Through my time there I can honestly say I have met some of the most amazing people of my life and some of the biggest leaders of our lifetime! I can not say thanks enough to the rest of the group for being amazing people and really making my experience a lot of what it was. My biggest struggle now has been what to do next. I know we have a few plans in motion but its an everyday struggle to wake up and realize that now its my turn...

Before we left Aaron told us that it will be tough to explain what we did...because frankly there are no words to explain it all. I am really struggling with that right now. How do you explain this trip when someone asks "So how was South Africa?" As of now the response is simple....dumb question! With time it will become easier to articulate what specifically has impacted me the most but I have no patience right now for simple minded, courtesy conversation.

I plan on keeping this blog up and updating ya'll on different things that we will be doing to continue this trip. I also have a feeling that a round 2 may be in the horizon for a bunch of us and that is one of the most exciting things ever!

So for now....thank you again. Thank you to everyone that helped me get there. Thank you to everyone that accompanied me there. Thank you to everyone who made my time there better than I could have ever dreamed of. Thank you to everyone that opened my eyes/my mind/my heart while I was there. Thank you to everyone who will actually listen to my story. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

One Love Always,
TJ

What an amazing experience with the most amazing people

Just over an hour from now we will be heading to the airport to fly back home...I cant even explain how fast these past 3 weeks have gone. Yet again I am left speechless by everything here...the people, our experience, and just the warmth and love we have all felt...it really is home away from home and this will NOT be my last trip to South Africa. I guess I am really having a hard time expressing how im feeling because it is all so bitter sweet and words cant describe it. Last night was my birthday and our braai so we had a lot of people over that have really made this experience everything and then some. I struggled to express my thanks and im sure it will come within the next few weeks so I will be sure to send some emails out but now im afraid. Afraid that when I go home people wont understand that this was more than a trip....a vacation as some would say. The things we did and the things we saw cant be explained with blogs or pictures or even talking about them...the only way to understand is to be here and experience it yourself. So as a far well blog I just want to say thanks to everyone...everyone I have met here in SA that has made this all more than I could have ever dreamed....everyone that supported me into getting here in the first place...everyone that will listen unconditionally at home and understand that I may not be able to explain it...and thats okay! So thanks again and see ya in Minneapolis in about 36 hours....

One Love Always,
TJ

Wine, Sharks, Bartering, Crows….final week…time of my life

So since I have really been struggling with coming up with words to explain last week this week is going to get put into one big blog…sorry!

So Saturday was our day to the wine lands to become wine connoisseurs! I think we were all excited for free wine and a big history lesson about South Africa! I have always wanted to know more about wine in general and hey why not in South Africa! Per usual…the scenery was amazing (pictures will come later) and it was an amazing time! We all learned a lot about wines and more importantly about wines of South Africa. We went to 2 places for wine tasting and history. The first place was my favorite…mainly because of Victor our wine man! He was just a jolly man who knew his wine and was always cracking jokes. It was really fun and interesting but I had other things on my mind as well. WE WERE GOING SHARK DIVING THE NEXT DAY!

I couldn’t have been more excited for shark diving and really no matter how much I talk this up you all HAVE to see our video because words really don’t do this justice! There were 7 of us that went and got picked up bright and early at 530am Sunday morning. I was upset at first that we had to miss church but it was so worth it! We had a 2 hour ride to the coast before some breakfast and the boat ride out to shark alley! This is the place that all the shark documentaries are filmed for any big nature show/channel! My nerves were strung by the time we finally got there after a 45 minute boat ride. We ended up about 80km away from the most southern tip of Africa and in the general vicinity where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet! Our set up included: 1 wet suit, 1 weight belt, 1 pair of goggles, and 1 3-meter shark proof-esc cage! All I can really say is the wet suits were extremely tight but wow did they keep you warm in the water! Instead of trying to explain how big these sharks were ill try and put up some pictures either now or when I get back to the states and maybe even some videos I took while in the cage under the water! The basic set up was 5-6 people in the cage and then you have like a foot of the cake above the water for your head and you would grab some air and then duck down and watch the sharks. All I can really say is that I could have EASILY grabbed one a few times! Also, one of the sharks definitely grabbed a hold of a corner of our cage and shook and wow….3 feet away from a shark with a mouth wide open full of jagged teeth….crazy!...really though just ask and say “It’s da big one, its da big one!”

Another big part of this week was dropping Rand grand at green market square which is a big flea market kind of. I was really excited to work on my bartering skills but after a little bit I started to feel bad. I was dropping the price and therefore these people are making less, especially when it was a difference of like 40 rand…or 5 bucks. I ended up getting a bunch of really cool things at the market but I can’t really say yet because some are gifts but all in all it was a good time. Even more than buying things I really just enjoyed the small talk with the sellers. I kept introducing myself as HHP’s cousin. HHP aka Hip Hop Pantsula is a big rapper in South Africa. So far I’ve been told by about 10-15 people that I could be his cousin or something…only thing is…he’s black and I’m white…no biggie though! But we would really have like 10-15 minute conversations with these people and they were always hilarious to me because they would try and sell you literally anything. I am a college student….do I REALLY need a table cloth with the big 5 from Africa on it!? I really don’t think so! Oh and I almost forgot! I went to a Counting Crows concert on Tuesday! Random huh? Well some of the people on the trip are huge fans and I am a fan of live music so hey…why not! It ended up being at the largest casino in the western cape of South Africa and wow this place was like going to vegas….complete with a ice skating rink in it! We ended up getting there pretty early so we got front row right on the rail! Again, everybody in South Africa has been really welcoming! We met a bunch of people around us and they were all really fun minus making fun of us for being American…in a nice joking way. The one thing I have not liked about here is that NO ONE DANCES! Literally it doesn’t matter what type of music it is, but nobody dances so we all kind of stood out even more but hey…its South Africa right? Well…the concert was amazing and just another thing I can cross off the to do in life list…concert in another country. After the concert we were waiting for our ride back home so I decided to throw some rand on some table games. All the black jack tables were all 50 rand minimum and weren’t really open so I played roulette for the first time in my life. I was pretty pumped because it was a real wheel and ball! I ended up winning 200 rand betting quads with either 10 or 20 rand! I realize I won like 30 USD but still…it was really fun!

All in all I have had a hard time with this week because always in the back of my mind I’m thinking about Guguletu and everything I saw there. It really has been a struggle to enjoy the experience, yet to never forget the people that taught me the most on this trip!

I will most likely make another entry either tonight after the braai or tomorrow before we leave for the airport….we’ll see!

Oh also…its my 21st birthday….and im in South Africa…what more can you ask for…so again…thank you to everyone that has helped me get to this point I really cant thank you all enough!

One Love Always,
TJ

Words don’t explain it…welcome to where I was, where I am, and where I will forever be Part 4

Oh the Rainbow After School Program…what can really be said. This is such an amazing program to help the kids in the community and I absolutely love everything it does. I really had a great time with all of the kids and it really solidified my passion for kids. I could tell story after countless story of my experiences but a few come to mind right away. First…fractions! Who would have thought I would have to be doing those again!? One day I was working with the 4th graders on math and they were working with fractions and obviously the pie analogy came up. I also have a greater appreciation for teachers after this day because wow I don’t think I have repeated myself so much in my life! For the most part I was working with 3 kids. One was a really quick learner, one tried really hard, and one just tried to copy and not learn. This was super frustrating for me because the kids were just okay with it.

One of the funniest experiences on this trip has been playing heads up 7 up once some of the kids were done with their homework. They were all so anxious to learn a new game even though I don’t think they really followed what was going on. So as we started playing it started good….3 people picking and then only 3 people would stand up…perfect. However, soon followed 3 people picking and 5 people standing up, or 7 or 9! At one point I was getting picked every time yet nobody was saying the picked me. Here to find out one of the other kids sitting next to me was picking me after I put my head down! They were absolutely hilarious!

I really loved to hang out with all of the kids in Gugs because there were all so welcoming and loved to see us. I felt like some of the older people had speculation because I’m sure they have seen people come in before and do nothing, yet the kids were always smiles. I’ll try and put up some pictures to show all the love because again…theme of this experience…words don’t do it justice.

Words don’t explain it…welcome to where I was, where I am, and where I will forever be Part 3

While we were in Guguletu we did a good amount of serving the community. For every bit of serving we did I feel like we could have spent an entire day if not an entire week on it. The two big service projects we did were helping a woman named Pricilla with lunch and bringing toys for the kids and helping to clean up at a school for disabled kids (which is one of its kind in Guguletu and serves all of the other townships as well). Pricilla has a truly amazing story. When we met her my first impression was an older woman who has seen many things and she was simply tired. She was heading up a house hold of 11 children with only 4 being her own. She had taken in the other 7 who were impacted by AIDS and no longer had parents. Again, until you meet this woman I really can’t do her story justice. This service project really came out of no where. Edwin confronted Aaron about doing something and they came up with going over there and bringing some of the supplies we all brought and to make lunch for her and all of the children. After we were done I could really tell that it at least made their day. The ability for us to come in for a few hours and help out for one day really made me want to do that everyday.

Then we also did some things around Tembelthu (spelling?) such as cleaning up the basketball court, doing arts and crafts with some of the kids, cleaning up the preschool area and such. Through our entire time in Cape Town I have never seen people so happy to see us. When we first got there all of the kids were all over the place and just ecstatic. They had a little assembly to introduce us all and then their choir sang some songs. They were AMAZING! There was one girl in the front that really grabbed my attention because she had the most amazing smile and was a great singer. At this point I really had to try and hold it together. It was hard for me to see people with the biggest smiles on their faces even through all the struggle they’ve gone through to get where they are today. They amaze me. Nate, Brian, and I all went out side to clean up their basketball court. It amazed me that people could even play on it before. There wasn’t a single square foot of court that didn’t have glass or debris on it. We swept all the glass up off the court and bagged it to throw away. It was kind of a weird feeling as we were doing this because I was talking to Seiphemo as we were cleaning and really....I didn’t need to come 8000 miles around the world to do this. I could do this in Minneapolis, in Rochester, pretty much anywhere but I think it took a situation like that to really open my eyes and make me have that realization.

Another random thing we did which was not a service project by any means was to go visit some refugees who have been struggling with the xenophobic attacks in South Africa. We went and met with a handful that have been staying in a church just out side of Cape Town. These people also amazed me, much like everyone else I’ve met here. They were so happy just to see us and to see that we cared. As the group talked to some of the older people I met a new little friend. I don’t know her name, but I do know that she was amazing. She couldn’t have been more than 4 or 5 but she was one of the cutest kids I’ve ever seen.

One Love Always

Words don’t explain it…welcome to where I was, where I am, and where I will forever be Part 2

Going into having our host family situation I was pretty excited yet nervous of not knowing how it would go! After Jesse and I found out we had 2 host moms I was quite excited! What’s better than 1 mom…2! On our way over to Bomvu’s house I really tried to keep an open mind. As we past shack after shack I mentally prepared myself for the most different situation, however we then crossed the bridge over the highway…welcome to Montana. As we pulled up to her house I was kicking myself for even thinking it may be bad. Her house was beautiful. We had everything any home would have plus we even had a TV in our room. Although we all had different housing experiences I really think ours was the best. I really wish I had more time to just sit and talk with my host moms but everybody was usually really tired by the end of the day. She had a very unique perspective on education because she had been teaching for 30 years! Although I had 2 host moms I feel like I had a huge extended host family. All three nights of home stays we would all get together, host parents and our entire group for a big dinner and dancing! The food was always amazing but I’ll talk about that in a bit. Everybody was so warm and welcoming all of the time. I felt like I had a giant host family that was more than just my host moms. I was really appreciative of their ability to be open with all of us and to deal with all of our horrible dancing! They also had to deal with our horrible clicking in Xhosa and all of us trying to learn the chicken dance. All in all I really learned a lot from my home stay experience. There are so many more things I would love to say but they aren’t really things I can explain in words. I have never met such warm people in my life and truly do miss them. If I had my choice I would stay in the townships for our entire trip simply for the sense of community and the genuine love I felt.
One Love Always

Words don’t explain it…welcome to where I was, where I am, and where I will forever be Part 1

So now that you have a VERY general outlook on how I’ve been feeling since we got back I should probably tell you what we did while we were in Guguletu and all around the community! Instead of breaking the week down day by day I think ill break it down into sections…lectures, host families, service projects, Rainbow after school program, the kids, and food…and then hopefully tie it all back together talking about passion, ubuntu, and the genuine love I felt in Gugs.

As a part of this week we had a wide array of lectures that came to speak to us about a variety of different issues within the community and South Africa. Although there were a handful of lecturer’s there were two that really grabbed my personal attention. First, we met Nombeko. She was a woman with hands down the best outlook on life. This woman was fierce, she was open, and most of all she was passionate. We soon found out that she became HIV positive after she was raped. There are no words in this world that can truly describe this woman. After listening to her story and how she looks at life one can only hope to be as strong as she is. Throughout all of our lectures many things came up about HIV/AIDS and the stigma and ideas behind it in the community and I thought Nombeko brought out an interesting idea that really didn’t cross my mind before. I had assumed that HIV was an everyday issue within the townships. However, she explained even thought HIV/AIDS is associated with only black South African’s there is still a disconnect in that it could be you. She said there is the idea that it should be someone else and not you. I guess I understand where this could come from, yet in a place where HIV is so prevalent I thought there would be more concern. One of the biggest things I got from listening to her speak was that people need to have the ability to look past HIV and move on. They need to realize it is not instant death!

That idea leads into our lecture from Zethu Xapile. I had no idea about the health care structure in South Africa prior to talking with her and it was a very eye opening lecture. The biggest thing that I did not know was that people can get ARV’s (anti retroviral medication) free of charge from the government supported health care facilities. Thus, HIV is not instant death! However, we soon found out that this is only the case for level 4 HIV patients…ie they have progressed as far as possible. The ideology behind this is really out of line for me. Why dump medications on people that are so far down when others could take them at earlier stages and live much longer. Zethu explained that there is a problem with people taking them and they really want to have people wait as long as possible to take them. She explained how people would take them, feel better, and then get off them and get sick again; thus building resistance. This becomes a problem in South Africa because there are only two lines of ARV’s and people can become resistant to both and at that point are in big trouble. Whereas in the states there are more lines of ARV’s so the chance of resistance to all of the drugs is quite rare. I don’t remember who was telling us about Tik but this kind of falls into the whole ARV talk. So in the townships drugs are a big problem and lately kids have been doing Tik. Tik is a concoction of ARV’s and any other drugs the users can get together. It is then put in a light bulb and smoked. This really infuriated me. It blows my mind that people steal ARV’s from people who need them to use them for drugs. Some people wait 9 months to get their ARV’s and now they are getting stolen. This really blew my mind. All in all I really enjoyed hearing from all of our speakers. They all brought really unique points of view about South Africa and AIDS/HIV and I really loved all the passion they brought. I have really learned a lot from all of them and really appreciate their ability to open up to us.

Originally I really didn’t know how I would like the speakers, yet this really wouldn’t have been the same experience with out them. They really helped tie a lot of loose ends on this trip together for me.

One Love Always

A true eye opener

As of right now I am very contradictory in a lot of ways. Tonight is our first night back to Mowbray near UCT campus from Guguletu, the township we spent this past week in. On one hand I really want to go out and hang out with the group, yet on the other hand I feel almost guilty. I would love nothing more than to make the 10 minute ride to Guguletu and go hang out with some of the most amazing people I have ever met! I feel a responsibility to everyone I have met and to everything I have experienced. I feel responsible to share their stories, my thoughts, and everything that really made this experience what it was.

So when I started this blog last night I really felt like I wasn’t prepared to really share my experiences. I really believe it hadn’t all really set in yet and I still don’t think I can do anything justice. However, after last night I believe I really started to realize how much of a life changing experience this has all been so far. Last night, Friday, we ended up going down to Long Street to go to a few bars and hang out. I was really up for anything but by the end of the night I was really frustrated with all that this trip has encompassed. I was frustrated with my group, with the people in South Africa, and just the general policies of this place that I am/was in love with. We hadn’t been out of Guguletu for 8 hours and people are already complaining/arguing about the dumbest things in this world. When our group was trying to find a bar we liked I knew there were people just trying to find food for the night. I truly felt embarrassed to be a part of a group that had forgotten our experiences in a few hours. Here is where my struggle has really come in to play. I know that I can’t stop and contemplate everything in my life and base it around other people, however I know that this trip will definitely make me change my outlook on life. Throughout my whole life I feel like I have always had a strong understanding of money. I attribute this solely to my dad. He has always been extremely hard working and always picks up every penny. That is something that I have really tried to keep up throughout my life, but after going to Guguletu and interacting with the people I really believe it has deepened my understanding even more. All in all, last night was the time that it all kind of made it full circle and really hit me. In a place where collectively we spent enough money to feed a family in one of the townships for a week, a month, or a year, I have never felt such a struggle between personal satisfaction and community unity. I know that I shouldn’t feel like I have to sacrifice one for the other, yet this is something I am trying to work on.

Smiles All Around the Township...but Only Circles of Emotions in Mind

Today was a day I was excited to see unfold. I really tried to come in with no expectations but that is never the case. I expected to see poverty, I expected to see resilience, and I expected barriers. Today was so much more than those three things. Today we started off with lectures, well not lectures, but talks with Edwin, Reverend Spiwo, and Kenneth Nkwenkwe Lukoko. All three of these men have had a big impact in the community and all had a personal struggle to get where there are today. I believe Edwin’s greatest challenge was his personal struggle to be different and his struggle to be himself. He talked quite a bit on his mixed heritage of having a white, wealthy mom and a poor Jamaican dad. One thing he brought up that absolutely blew my mind was the pencil test. In order to tell if someone was a native South African people would use Xhosa, different phrases, and finally the pencil test. The pencil test was if you stuck a pencil through someone’s hair and it stayed they were black, if not, they were colored. I think Edwin had a real struggle with this because of his mixed back ground. He spoke of how his children were even very different from him and he would have to prove that they were his children because people would not believe him. He is a very strong, positive person.

Next was Dr. Reverend Spiwo Xaphile. Reverend Spiwo was a very passionate man. He was all about the community and leadership and I was very excited to hear his perspective on leadership especially within the community and township of Guguletu. He spoke of the history of JL Zwane and how he had watched it go from something to nothing. He was completely behind leading by example. He said he had learned to ask for forgiveness from the church rather than ask for permission because otherwise things would not be done in the community. We talked a lot about how people were culturally conditioned to what they are dealing with and how success is not something people wanted in a way. He gave us one story of a woman who wanted to start selling electricity but she did not want people to think she was rich. If people think you are successful people become afraid for their lives. That was something I am not used to at all! I believe almost too much pressure is put on a certain success here in the states, yet here success is looked as bad because you are moving on and up. Which leads into how people are used to poor and poor is all they know so it is such a barrier to get through.

“If you walk with dwarfs you will become a dwarf. If you walk with giants you will become a giant. We are trying to make giants out of dwarfs.” This quote from Spiwo had a strong impact on me and I thought it really summed up leadership and friends. You are who you surround yourself by. Whether or not that is good or bad is up to you but it is all in your hands.

Another quote that really took us all back from Spiwo was when he said, “The greatest challenge is that a black person does not belong with the white. You have to prove yourself.” This really took us all back I believe. I thought it was a very powerful statement. A lot of people took it as more of a fact rather than focusing on the challenge portion. I really believe that he meant it as an awakening and pointing to where we sit now, not where it will always be. Personally I thought it was weird because I at least feel that I need to prove myself to everyone in some way. Here in South Africa I feel like I need to prove myself as an American. We came here with such a stigma behind saying you are American and I feel like we need to prove ourselves and trump the many skewed perceptions. I would really like to spend more time talking with Spiwo and Edwin together because they both did come from the same poor, rural background. I really loved how passionate of people they were and their willingness to do anything for the community. These two men were very inspirational and like all of our lecturer’s to this point they make me want to be a more passionate person.

Our final lecturer was Kenneth Nkwenkwe Lukoko from the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation which was formed from the TRC after apartheid was finished. This NGO focuses on healing communities that were separated because of apartheid and all the damage that was done that was not physical. I really enjoyed hearing all of the progress being made between the townships that had been separated into colored and black and all of the communication that has been going on. I feel like the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation should have been created along side the TRC because of all the good it does do. This was really needed in South Africa after apartheid because people were so quick to solve problems with anger and not to talk them out.

After our speakers we went and saw Seiyaya (sp?) a singing and dance group that does plays around AIDS/HIV in the community and high schools. They were absolutely amazing! They were getting ready to leave for the states for a big tour so we only got a glimpse but at that I was blown away! They are coming to Minneapolis July 1st-6th and I know a bunch of us are going so I am really excited! I really enjoyed talking to them all!
Oh…lunch today was AMAZING! It was like thanksgiving dinner and absolutely wonderful! I just felt that needed to be shared!

After lunch we headed out for our tour of Guguletu. I really had no expectations. As we went down the streets kids would wave at us and smile, people would give us thumbs up, and frankly I felt completely weird. As I look around I see houses that are smaller than my single bed room at home.

I had a real struggle today going on the tour and not really knowing how to react. I didn’t want to be sad because what right do I have to be sad at what they have? I felt excited to be able to share their lives and stories with you all in order to educate and share the experience, yet that really doesn’t do the situation justice. These people have great resilience and it is very admirable. We stopped at one girls home to see what a shack house entails. She was 17 and in 12th grade. She lived in this two room shack with her younger brother who was 9. Both of her parents had passed many years back and she was in charge of raising him and taking care of herself. At this point I tried to put my 17 year old shoes on again and think about my life. Again, what right do I have. This portion of my blog will end there because frankly I need more time to think, digest, and really understand today. Tomorrow we start our home stays so I am sure I will be able to elaborate more in a few days but today was eye opening and humbling to say the least.

Once we got back to JL Zwane we were introduced to the Rainbow after school program that is run at the community center. They provide the students with an outlet to help with school everyday after class. I had been waiting for these kids all day long! After talking to one of the original teachers for when the program was started a few years ago I found out that the teachers in school are really doing a poor job with teaching and that there are many barriers in the systems right now. The availability to quality education is drastically skewed depending on where you are. As soon as I could I jumped in and started helping the kids. I started off helping a few boys with some math problems. They were very typical 2nd grade boys! They always were getting off topic and doing everything to get away from the homework but finally I got them to work out their problems. I then went and helped some 3rd graders work on their English. These students were very smart and just needed the extra little help and I really can’t wait to go back and keep helping throughout this week!

Today’s blog was kind of all over the place and I am sorry for that but it was a hard day to digest emotionally. I leave for my home stay in about 5 hours and am really excited! I won’t be able to blog until Friday I am guessing!

Until then,
Cheers

Sunday Service, Host Mom, and my first trip to Guguletu

Sunday we were scheduled to have a free day to kind of relax and get prepared for our week in the township but we had the opportunity to go to JL Zwane community center (where we will be doing almost all of our things in Guguletu) and attend a spiritual service and we all jumped all over this opportunity! I was really excited and really had no idea what to expect! All we really knew was that the community is very close, the service is in Xhosa, and we would be meeting our host family! As leadership minor students at the U of M we have all heard many things about the JL Zwane community center and all the work that Kevin Winge and many other people from Minneapolis have done for it. I was really excited/nervous to get this portion of our experience going! The first thing I noticed was how close Guguletu was to our place in Mowbray near UCT campus. It was like a 20 min van ride away and within that time I feel like we had moved from a 1st world country to a 3rd world country in a blink of an eye. Once we got to JL Zwane I was very impressed by the building and everything that made up the community center. We were welcomed with open arms and with nothing but love. As we stood around waiting to meet our families a man came up to me and said, "You must be TJ, I know you're TJ." I was extremely taken back! Who was this man and how did he know who I was!? I soon found out this was Edwin. Edwin plays a large role in the community center and has had a lot to do with the logistics and everything to do with our trip and connection to JL Zwane. We then all got into a big circle and slowly found out our host families. All of our host moms/dads are members of the congregation and were all extremely welcoming to all of us! Here is my host mom Thembie with Jesse and I!

We soon found out that her sister Bomvu would also be acting as our second mom when Thembie was staying out of town. They are both teachers and Thembie teaches outside of Guguletu on some days. They were both great women and I am really excited to get to know them better. After we met our host mom's we went in for the church service. For this we were told that we would be staying with our host families and of course Thembie sits in the second row of the church! However, Nate and Aaron's host mom Nelly was one of the lead singers for the church so they had to sit on stage in front of the whole congregation! I thought the service was an amazing experience and it really was a good transition from our first week in Cape Town to now our more in your face experiences in Guguletu. I had a blast trying to sing in Xhosa, key word trying. All in all it was a great first experience in the township and I would really like to go again next Sunday!

For the rest of the day a few people went to the beach, a few to the mall, a few to a movie, but I decided to stay back at the houses for the afternoon to get some much needed alone time from the group and get a few things done around the house. I really truly do love every single person on this trip but I think we are all getting to the point where we just need some breaks because for the most part we have been spending every waking hour with each other! All in all I am really excited to get in and serve the people in Guguletu and the community within JL Zwane.

Cheers

Wait...this is AFRICA

Being a college student I can run on pretty little sleep. I may see 4:30am a time or two but rarely is it because I am getting up that early! Saturday I was up bright and early…but not very perky to say the least! I was really excited to go on our safari! I guess when I think of a safari I pictured hot, amazing animals, and a good time. Well for our safari we hit 2 of the 3…it was SOOOO cold! We had roughly a 3 hour bus ride to the Inverdoorn Game Reserve which was northwest of Cape Town which is a very arid area. I was lucky enough to remember to grab a blanket on the way out the door and really it was quite the life saver! It was cold to say the least on the bus but the amazing mountains and surrounds were enough to keep my mind off the cold. Once we finally got to the reserve it was cloudy and foggy and quite cold. A bonfire was started and we all huddled around…yup we’re from Minnesota and can handle the cold…but really…Africa and cold should NOT be in the same sentence together! By the time we were ready to leave for the safari the sun was out and it was starting to warm up. All in all we saw lions, cheetahs, white rhinos, giraffes, water buffalo, kudo, black wildebeest, and the animal of South Africa, the springbuck! It was amazing! At one point we were able to get out of the truck and walk with giraffes….AMAZING! I feel like this would not have been the same without Grant our guide and all of these bushes with thorns that we had to dodge because they looked like they would tear you apart!

On our way back to camp there were two male giraffes that were fighting! It was really weird to see because they would touch butts and swing their heads at each other and try and strike. Grant said this could go on for hours! I took a video of it and will try and upload it if its possible!

All in all it was completely amazing…the animals, the scenery, the experience…simple enough! Once we got back a few of us decided to go quad biking…yup 4-wheeling in South Africa! Nate, Erin, Aaron and I sprung the 240 rand, about $30 to go for a ride with Grant! It was amazing! On the way back we had to go through some water and of course I hit the water and what happens…my quad dies! We were almost back to the camp but that would happen to me! I ended up having to get a ride back with another one of the rangers but it was all worth it!

Once we got back to our house we were in a rush to get ready because we were going out to dinner at an African Restaurant called Marco’s. I was pretty excited because frankly the food and I have really just not been too close. I have officially given up on hamburger here because that is NEVER what it is! I was going to put myself out there at Marco’s and I feel like I really accomplished that! Maryam and I decided to share food and I’m so glad I did! Otherwise I don’t think I would have fallen in love with calamari! It was amazing! I also had some sheep stomach and some ostrich! Sheep stomach….not a fan…and ostrich had a strong resemblance to steak so that was pretty good! Also, 6 of us ordered the specialty beer which was a beer brewed in Gugulethu, the township we are staying in this coming week! We did not know that it comes in one big round tub almost….kind of shaped like a pumpkin…and you have to pass it around. I was intrigued to say the least. It had a very putrid stench and was milky green in color but hey its South Africa, you have to give it a shot! It wasn’t as bad as it looked and smelled but was not something I would be enjoying the rest of the night either! All in all Marco’s was amazing food and a great overall experience. They had band playing as well which I thought was really good that along with the bands from the Assembly really made me want to listen to African music even more! Officially, if I join an African band I get to play the cow bell! That is another thing; the bands are quite large and have crazy instruments! I love it!

After Marco’s we all decided to head out for a night on Long Street! All in all it was a very interesting time! I had an amazing time, however the racial issues in this town/country still blow my mind! I felt quite safe the entire night even though we had one cell phone stolen, and almost another phone and a camera! That can happen anywhere but I feel like I need to be more aware here!

I keep finding myself picking up an accent as well! It’s not that I try to, most of the time, but it just makes me laugh! I’m sure I sound like a total fool but hey its all in fun!

Cheers

History now has a new meaning

Waking up Friday morning I was very excited to get the day underway! We first were going up to upper campus for a lecture with Steven again. There are really no words that describe this man. He began to give us a brief background on his life and I was completely amazed. His dad was a part of the ANC (African National Congress) and when it was banned in South Africa he was exiled from the country. Steve grew up all around the world and he made it out to be a pretty normal life style, however I found it far from ordinary. He told us how his house had been bombed twice, how he was constantly on the move, could speak 10 languages fluently, and how he has had his hand in just about everything. This man is full of knowledge and experiences that I would love to dig into. He told us how he and some of his friends had started a hostel called backpackers and all of the organizations he is a part of as well. He has gone to school at UC-Berkley and is now going to get his PhD in Geneva, Switzerland here in the near future focusing on China and South Africa and how conflict and resources are interrelated. After the lecture Jesse, Nate, and I went over to talk to Steve a little more and since it was Nate’s birthday we were in search of something to do for the night. He told us of a local band that was playing and said we should meet him there. More to come in a bit.
We then went down to Victoria Wharf to grab some food and head to Robben Island. After the Cape Point experience A few of us decided to buy some rain gear. I am pretty sure we were partially sponsored by Cape Storm with all of the gear we had on!

I have also finally decided I do not appreciate the rocking of boats on the water and definitely get sea sick so the 45 min ride to the island was NOT a pleasant one! Once there began our tour with a man who had been a prisoner at Robben Island for 7 years for bombing a government building. He was a very interesting man and I wish I could have had a one to one with him. We heard many things the prison in general and a lot about Nelson Mandela and his stay at Robben Island. Below is a picture of his cell.

Besides the history of the island and prison my favorite part was the absolutely gorgeous view of Cape Town and Table Mountain!

That night a few of us decided to go out for Nate’s birthday and meet up with Steve at the Assembly for the local band. Once we got there it was hectic! There was a 90 rand cover…roughly $13 for a concert…wow! All I can really say is that I am in love with everything that is South Africa! The music was absolutely amazing and the people were extremely friendly. I loved the wide array of different people represented there. There were young, old, male, female, white, black, short, tall and really everything in between. As my first real experience with South African night life it really left my dying for some more!

I want to end on a quote from Steve’s lecture earlier Friday. He said, “We need to take over for our parents because they messed up.” This was really in regards to AIDS/HIV and apartheid and how we now need to step up and be a generation of doing!

Cheers

Grand Rand to Wet Rand..Welcome to the Roller Coaster that is South Africa

Before we left for this trip we were told that we would have a roller coaster of emotions and after a few days we would indeed crash. Well....Thursday was that day for me! I was really excited for Thursday because we were heading out to the Cape of Good Hope...ie the South-Western most point in Africa! To begin the day I was not feeling very well but hey...its South Africa so I told myself to suck it up and go with it! So for the trip I decided to not bring a rain jacket because with my ideology it would simply be a bad omen and it would obviously rain if I brought a jacket...well Thursday I really don't think it mattered if you had 10 jackets you were going to get WET! We started out taking a boat out to see the seals in Hout Bay. The drive to the harbor was beautiful. Once we boarded the boat it was quite breathe taking with the harbor and the mountains surrounding us but off in the distance it looked like it may rain. I think we were all feeling pretty excited for the little tour but literally about 5 minutes after departing it started to rain. Slowly at first, but then harder and harder until it was a complete downpour. When it first started we all decided to stay out and try and weather the storm because we ARE from Minnesota and we can handle a little water! Needless to say, we stayed out a little too long. After a few minutes out in the rain we all decided to concede to the weather and go inside on the boat. If you could have only been inside watching this group of 17 people run to the side of the boat in the pouring rain/huge waves only to find out you needed to go to the other side you may have died laughing. By the time we got inside we soaked! I was pretty bummed thinking that it may rain all day and for the fact that I was wet and cold on a bus. We then headed off to see the penguins at Simon's Town! These were some of the cutest penguins ever! I think Elisa and I just about DIED laughing as we watched one try and walk down a hill and completely face plant in the sand..but really as she jumped up and down laughing so hard my cheeks and stomach HURT from laughing at that penguin.

We then headed out to the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve to go to Cape Point. By this time the weather was amazing again. The sun was out with a slight breeze from the ocean and I have no idea how it would have been any better! On our way there we got a little lecture that if we saw baboons to stay away because they are mean and will take food, jump in cars, and pretty much just cause a ruckus! Well, soon there after we ran into a parliament of baboons (a group of them) crossing the road. They were pretty tough looking animals and frankly I wouldn’t want to get into a scuffle with a baboon anytime soon!Once we were parked a majority of the group decided to walk down the path to Cape Point right away and not go to the light houses. On our way there was an absolutely amazing beach…(the picture is on the right.) We all decided to trek down the steps to this beach for a little while. It was absolutely mind blowing and I have never seen anything like it before in my life. We took a bunch of pictures and just hung out in/around the water…so amazing and I think we were all glad that it was amazing out and not raining. In the distance we saw some dark clouds but I never thought they would get to us or at least before we had to leave. HA…I don’t think I could have ever been so wrong. By the time we hiked back up to the top of the stairs off the beach I knew that we were about to get soaked AGAIN today! Literally 10 steps on the path past the beach the water started pouring.

You could see the water pouring on the ocean…the picture isn’t blurry that is just how hard the water was coming down! Also, in South Africa the rain doesn’t come down vertically, it definitely comes down horizontally! Needless to say by the time we reached the actual Cape Point I was COMPLETELY soaked….there was NOTHING on me that was dry. I was really nervous my cell phone wasn’t going to work but everything turned out fine. Once I reached the top of Cape Point it all became worth it! That was hands down one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life. Knowing the closest land is Antarctica I kept trying to picture myself on a map and how far away I had been only a few days prior, simply amazing. This really all wouldn’t have been the same though without the people I was with. My favorite part about it all was that nobody complained and just sucked it up and went with it…its all an experience is my philosophy. After everybody had started to head down I was left with Jesse, Elisa, and Hilary on the top of Cape Point. It was then I could truly appreciate the beauty of this place and the people I am surrounded by. Everybody is unique and amazing all at the same time. I really could not picture this trip without the other 17 people I am able to share it with. After that day I had a greater appreciation for friendship, resilience, and the ever changing face of South Africa. For me the weather that day really related to the country as a whole. Everything can go from horrible to beautiful in a matter of minutes, and the opposite even quicker.

GO YOUR HOME

Today was a very eye opening day for me. I feel like it could be summed up in one word…ignorance…more to this in a bit. To give our day in a very general nut shell…first we learned about South Africa history from Steve and Zwelethu, got lunch at the student center, and went down to district 6 near downtown Cape Town for the District 6 Museum and for a little exploring on our own. The idea of ignorance to me has always been the neglect of an opportunity to learn or to take advantage of something that you may take for granted. Today during our lecture on South Africa history I have never felt so ignorant in the presence of someone who is not trying to belittle me. After talking about South Africa we shifted more toward things that are happening now and US politics and such. Steve and Zwelethu knew more about US politics than most of us! I really felt disgusted with myself that I didn’t even know what seemed to be common knowledge to them about my own country, and at the same time I knew almost nothing about theirs. I think this is just something I am going to have to work on and get more used to during this trip but has become one of my must do’s for future visits. I was extremely ready to start our more standard class portion of this may session. This is really a 24/7 program in my eyes…I am always learning either about myself or someone else and I have already been able to see my point of view and perception change.
In the afternoon we went down to the District 6 museum.

In a nut shell…this was a place in Cape Town that was the residence to many colored people that came from all around the world to create a very diverse, culturally sensitive, and very accepting area. District 6 was comprised of some very valuable land so the government decided to kick all of the people off and move them many kilometers away. They then destroyed their houses to ensure they wouldn’t be able to come back. The District 6 museum focused on the history of the events and the changes through District 6. I thoroughly enjoyed learning within this museum because of the significance this had in Cape Town.

We then had some time to go off on our own and explore Cape Town! I was really excited to go do a little shopping and just do some people watching to see something that is different from what I am used to. Jesse and I started off looking for a few electronic necessities that we still didn’t have but then ended up just wondering through the markets and a mall in downtown Cape Town. I think we definitely stood out and were different but I really didn’t feel like we were targeted or treated any different…initially that is. One of my favorite parts of this was getting to work on my bartering skills! Since all of the guys in our group are pretty darn amazing we decided to add to that and get all the girls some flowers just because we can. I was pretty excited to buy some flowers at the market and I think we found our perfect seller as well! The lady we went to was a short, stocky lady with a huge smile and a very warm personality. She was quite sassy and I totally ate it up! We ended up agreeing on 50 rand for 17 flowers…3 bucks USD…can’t really complain. I definitely got a few looks carrying all these orange roses around the mall and market but it really didn’t seem that out of the ordinary. After looking at a few more shops we started to head back to get picked up to go back to Mowbray. While Jesse and I were walking back a police truck carrying a bunch of prisoners in the back drove by. As they were driving one of them yelled, “Go Your Home.” This took me back….was that aimed at us? What have we done? I was more offended than afraid but it still made me a little more nervous and aware of my surroundings. As we neared the corner of our pick up I noticed a bunch of police cars, ambulances, and these large police trucks. We were near the court building which was also connected to a building that provides shelter for people without any. When we pulled up to the museum a few hours earlier I noticed all of these people waiting outside of this building but had no idea why until later. As we approached our corner we were told we could not go down the block and had to take a slight detour. As we were standing a block away from what was happening another large police truck with people in the back drove by and the prisoners began banging on the truck and yelling at us and everybody around. At this point I think we all got a little nervous. We soon found out these were people who are too afraid to go to their homes because of all the xenophobia in South Africa right now. As of what happened I still have no idea…but this was hands down my biggest eye opening moment in Cape Town.

First day: Words dont do this place justice

After taking a few steps out our front door and looking to your right you see devils peak...part of table mountain...as of now I really cant complain about anything! Today we had our little orientation with UCT campus and interstudy. I was really excited to see what UCT campus was all about and all it had to offer. All I can say is people who complain about the U campus being too big or too much walking....stay away from UCT! It was quite a bit of walking...there was a lower campus, a middle campus, and of course and upper campus! It is all at the base of table mountain so you have to go up, up, up! Diane and Agith met us at our houses and started our little walk up to campus. I guess I really had no expectations for campus...but it was absolutly amazing..and very beautiful. Another thing that UCT and UMN have in common is campus connector=Jammie...we'll see how tomorrow goes because we have to get to upper campus by our selves to our lecture room by 9am. I think I will be taking the Jammies quite a bit because seriously...walking these hills everyday cant be good for your health :) When we were on our way up campus there were tennis courts with these basketball looking hoops with no nets...weird huh? We soon found out this was for net ball....no dribbling, lots of passing...and something about girls in skirts...I think a few of us might check it out! Once we got up to our interstudy orientation it was already official...im in love with UCT campus and cape town in general and will be making a return visit in the near future! Throughout our orientation I really began to appreciate what interstudy has done to help us get where we are with this program. I have always known there has been a lot of work put into the program and its development but they are amazing people with a true passion. After orientation I was ready to just go...do something..anything...we kept going up campus to upper campus and once we finally got there I felt a sense of accomplishment...it was a LONG way up! We saw a little bit of the classroom setting and saw the interstudy office before we headed off for our tour of the area around UCT campus. On our way down it was very beautiful...lots of flowers...lots of different trees and such...quite jealous. Today was very nice and sunny but I really dont want to picture all of these hills when its even a little wet our let alone pouring rain! Once we got off campus Agith and Diane showed us a few places to eat and drink and just a few local tips. I can really appreciate all the little words of advice and always find myself giving them when friends/family come to UMN campus and are looking for help. After that we went down to V&A waterfront for an absolutly amazing lunch at Primi Wharf! We were told previously that this was more of a tourist portion of cape town and I couldnt have explained it better myself. The mall was stocked full of upper class stores with price tags higher than what this experience is costing...but back to lunch! From our table we looked out onto the ocean and it was beautiful...like everything else in cape town. This place had amazing food and just as good of drinks! To even speak of this place doesnt do any of it justice so please ask...ie jam jar! After lunch we all decided to stay at the waterfront for a few extra hours to do some shopping and just walk around and see whats going on. I decided to walk the boardwalk and take a few pictures and really just take in my surroundings and really...again...amazing! Sorry if I say everything is amazing but it really is! Jesse, Brian, and I decided to head up toward the new soccer stadium for the world cup..which is going to be pretty sweet and take some pictures of the sunset and then walk down the beach. All in all it was an amazing day and this was a very short summary and cant do it all justice. I am running out of battery life so it will most likely be continued later but as always,

Cheers

Flying...many miles from anything familiar

First and most important...we are all here...and safe...and all of our luggage came...well except for Kate but she came from Vietnam...so for the most part..it all went well! Really..the flight wasnt nearly as bad as it sounded. Oour flight to JFK was quite quick...I think most if not all of us slept for atleast part of it. Once we got into JFK we had roughly 7 hours to burn and again...it really wasnt so bad...15 other amazing people...its pretty easy to burn some time! This was really the point where it all started to set it...well kind of...mabye one of many time that the experience has become more real...also while sitting at JFK we met Chad..oh Chad..he was a college student from Michigan that was going to Cape Town to do mission work with a church for a little over 2 months...he knew no body there and was flying alone so we kind of adopted him into our group since we should have about 20 hours of flight time with him! I was was really impressed with his ability to go to a place where he knows nobody or really what he was doing and be fine with it! The flight from JFK to Dakar and then Dakar to Johannesburg was a very long flight but we did have our own touch screen TV's in the seats and I think we were fed 3 times or something rediculous so it went pretty well...or as well as a flight that long could possibly go! I slept almost the entire way to Dakar so my plan was to try and stay awake for the second half of the flight to try and get on SA time....but of COURSE the lights went off and there was no way I was going to be able to stay up for 8 hours in the dark. Next...our Jberg-Cape Town connect...to quote Aaron..we need to "HAUL ASS" to get our luggage, through customs, check our bags and then back through security in order to make our Cape Town fligh an hour and a half after we arrived into Johannesburg. I think we were all quite nervous about getting through everything and making sure we made our flight but as usual...it was all okay and we made our flight! However, in Johannesburg airport there is alot of construction going on....thus its very confusing to find where to go! So these 2 men aka the porters helped us find our way and with our luggage...in the end I think they made quite a taking off the "dumb americans"....roughly $50 american for each of them! Atleast we got that done right away! Finally...Jberg to cape town...quick and easy...and of course we got another meal :) Once we all got off in cape town, collected our luggage, we were all soooo ready to get home...shower and clean up! Kate, Aaron, Nikki, Sephimo, Ouma, Diane, and Agith all met us for intros and to take us to our houses we'll be staying in...by the time I finally got off the plane I was just ready to get home..un pack and finally crash...but first we had to get there. Of course we all had a crazy amount of luggage so we packed it all into a trailer and into one of our vans and then tried to pack people where ever we could...most people went in another van...a few went with Aaron and a few went with Sephimo but I ended up riding with one of the drivers in the van with our luggage...he was quite a funny guy and a great first person to have a convo with in cape town.....first impression of housing...amazing...our houses were right across the street from each other so that was/is really nice since we are all right near each other! The first night interstudy got us all pizza and pop and we really just showerd (first and most important), ate, unpacked and hung out. Jesse and I went out and played a little frisbee in the street because it was soooo nice out...its "winter" here but its still 60-70degrees out...nice huh? Then a few more people came out and we all just sat on the ground and realized how surreal this all was still...we were in Africa...thousands of miles away from home...unreal

And so it begins...

In my last hours left in Minneapolis for a few weeks I constantly find myself thinking about what I must have forgotten or some small detail that has obviously slipped my mind..but in reality I think I have run through everything about 38 times...really. I am done packing, I know how I am getting to the airport...FINALLY..and it has all really came together quite nicely. After waiting for this more and more I am getting to the point where I am just ready to leave now...no more hype...no more worrying...lets just go. To top it off all of the things that have been happening in SA...mostly Johannesburg....have really just made me want to suck it up and get going. I know everything will be fine and if you have followed the stories at all you know that our trip will be fine but its just another thing to add to the already full plate of emotions I'm dealing with. As I sit here now(12:50am)...it is all kind of surreal...in 2 hours I'm going to go get breakfast with Cole at Perkins...then off to the airport with Brian and Cole..a SLIGHT stay at JFK aka 7 hour layover...then to Dakar, Senegal...Johannesburg, South Africa...and finally Cape Town! All in all I am finally ready to do this...wish me luck :)

It still hasn't set in..or wait..IM GOING TO SOUTH AFRICA

Its official...in 5 days I will be in Cape Town, South Africa for a trip that will open my eyes, my heart, and my life. Through all of our pre-departure meetings and small group get together's the realization that I will actually be going hadn't really hit me. For me I feel like I have seen this May session trip evolve from an idea, to a dream, to finally a reality. I can still recall the day back in my first leadership class at the U of M with Aaron and Nikki when they pitched their idea for this trip to see if people would be interested. I am still as excited today as I was when I first heard of this opportunity...maybe a little bit more nervous now though? For me there have really been a plethora of people that have made this amazing opportunity a legitimate reality. I simply can not thank my friends and family enough for all of the love and support I have received to embark on this trip. I also have to thank everybody that will be going on this trip with me because without them it really wouldn't happen and I don't think it would be the same if I didn't have people to share this experience with. Finally, this would all not be possible without Aaron and Nikki and all the hard work they have put in developing the program, making connections, and doing EVERYTHING they do.

As of now I am simply ready to go! I am NOT packed, I don't know how I am getting to the airport yet, and frankly I am fine with it because I know it will all work out...it always does right? I remember when we had our first pre-departure meeting and at that time I really didn't know what I was nervous about. I was excited for everything..new country, new culture, new people..and now I finally realized this is exactly what I am nervous for as well. I like to think I step out of my box on a regular basis, however, this LEAP really has the opportunity to make a huge impact on me...and I really think it will!

So this will be my blog, my connection, my thoughts, my emotions, my frustrations, and my realization of a place so different than mine....