Julia relaxed and enjoying some of what Cape Town has to offer

Julia at Camps Bay with Lion's Head in the background

Since my last entry, it’s been relatively relaxed and just going about normal life in South Africa for me. I got to experience one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen, Camp’s Bay. The sand is so soft, without a single rock or shell. The water was numbingly cold, but thankfully I’m not much of a swimmer anyways. I also went to Old Biscuit Mill, which is a foodie’s paradise. They also have stands for various local designers and I got my official Cape Town souvenir- a ring with Table Mountain carved out. I was really excited about finding this because I love rings and I wanted something unique to take back with me to remember this amazing place. It’s also perfect because I literally see Table Mountain everyday since the view is accessible from the house and the top of our street.

Other than little things like that, I’ve mainly been focusing on my internship. Last Thursday I went to EduDrama’s performance of Reclaiming the P Word. The show was powerful, inspired, and humorous. It was exclusive just to black and coloured women because their stories are usually told by men or white people. The show was a series of stories real women in South Africa have experienced.  They focused around ideas of sexual abuse, gender-based violence, and sexism and the reclaiming of their sexuality. What was really cool about seeing the show was that some of the women in the show are people I’ve gotten to know really well over the past month and spend three days a week with. I managed to get a poster and have a few of the women sign it for me. What a typical tourist, huh?

           

Becca, Ashlyn, and Jillian join Julia and friends at the performance of "Reclaiming the P Word" at UWC

 Last night in Marita’s class we watched a video (Codes of Gender) on how the media enforces gender norms and portrays women as passive, childish, indifferent, and off-balance through their various positions. They also portray men as aggressive, confident, and powerful. By watching this I got the inspiration for a documentary that could also act as my activist project. My question is how would you pose in an advertisement for a can of Coke?  I would be interested to see the different ways in which men and women pose and also the differences between races, class, and sexual orientation.  I would video tape their pose and ask each person why they would pose the way they did. I would encourage the use of props and imagination. For example, if they imagine someone else in the pose with them or their hair a certain way, they could just tell me. I would analyze the differences and make conclusions based off those differences. I want to see how much media influences people in terms of displaying gender. Do we really live by the binary and pick up subtle positions portrayed in the media to mean certain things about our gender? Will girls use limp, delicate hands? Will men put their one hand in their pocket and grip the Coke in their other hand depicting confidence?  Once the documentary is done I plan to use the Gender Equity Unit’s facility to do a showing of it. I hope that by showing this I can educate people on how gender really is learned and let them know that they have a choice in how they present themselves. I expect that people from the LGBTQ community may defy the gender norms in their presentation of the Coke, and will therefore, prove that there is a choice in how people presents themselves.  I’d also like to go into how the advertising actually oppresses women in a way by implying that women are dependent and passive. I am actually really passionate about this, something that I don’t feel about many things. I still have to work out details and the structure of the video, but I’m excited to start interviewing people and see the results.

Dani's time in Cape Town just keeps getting better

The week after our home stay has been filled with much excitement.  At Maitland Cottage Hospital, we have been getting into the swing of things, and getting to know a lot of the patients better.  We are going to begin an art class for the patients, which I am thrilled to start.  Since many of the children at the hospital are staying for a long period of time, I believe that using their creativity and making colorful artwork to hang around their beds will help these children stay positive.  

These next two weeks are very special for me, as some of my family from overseas (London and Australia) is in Cape Town for the next two weeks, so I will get to spend some time with them.  Having this family around is so comforting and it is wonderful to see my younger cousins and see how much they have grown up since the last time I saw them!

Onna & Dani on Table Mountain

Finally, this past weekend Maria, Emily L, Molly, Onna, Christina and I hiked to the top of Table Mountain.  We started from the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and made our way to the top of the Mountain via Skeleton Gorge.  The hike to the top was very tough and took us almost four hours, but I was so proud of us for accomplishing this feat.  The view from the top of the mountain was absolutely breathtaking.  We walked all across the top of the Mountain, and got to see all of Cape Town from 3558 feet above the ground.  We took the cable car back to the bottom and then ate a very big meal back in Rondebosch.  This experience made me reflect on my time here in Cape Town so far.  I am so lucky to be living in this beautiful country, and wish that everybody had the chance to experience all of this for themselves, because words and pictures cannot even begin to describe how amazing this place is.  It has been such an amazing journey so far, and exploring Cape Town only gets more exciting with time.

Onna's homestay created some of her most memorable experiences

I arrived in Ocean View with nerves, questions and excitement and left with over 10 new members of my South African family. My incredible and memorable homestay has taught me a lot about the concept of community and finding hope in all places. I was welcomed with open arms to the Bowman residence on Thursday evening and quickly hit it off with conversation about our lives and views on politics. My first impressions of Ocean View were that it is extremely diverse—economically, age & gender wise. While we were walking around on the community tour, there were many different types of people outside conversing with one another- both young and old. Some people shouted out to us, probably because the majority of us were 17 white people carrying large duffle bags, some rolling suitcases. But so many people were extremely welcoming. I never felt in danger for a second, in fact Chantel couldn’t walk 10 minutes without stopping to hug and say hello to a person walking along the street, which made me feel extremely comfortable. From the start of the trip I was absolutely charmed with how people would call older figures “auntie”. I think its so comforting and endearing- I’ve always adored the concept of turning friends into family.

Thursday night we took ballroom dancing lessons- which was so much fun. I was so impressed with the children-they were all incredible dancers never missing a beat. You could tell how much they loved it when they would try to teach us the right steps- we weren’t the fastest learners. I was surprised to hear one of the girls in the dance class tell me, “We love this because it keeps us away from all of the other bad stuff that’s around.” It was so honest. A part of me was sad because I know they will never experience the life of never locking doors or walking home from the neighbors house alone at night like I grew up with. However that feeling of sadness quickly turned into hope when I realized that although growing up with that lifestyle would be nice for them, they didn’t need it. These children were exploding with the most contagious spirit.

On Saturday we spent the day going to our new siblings (Caitlin- 11 and Darren-13) sporting events- track & cricket. We all laid in the grass and my host mother talked to us a lot about what Ocean View means to her. I assumed that growing up in a township there would be painful and unforgettable memories that might cause someone to leave and never return. But our host mom decided to come back when she was 19 after leaving for 10 years. She told us that the community here was too good to pass up. She told me, “We could leave this place if we wanted to; to be closer to work and schools, but it is just so comforting that we can have most of our family in one place, looking after one another, helping our kids to grow and become the people they want to be.”

That Saturday night our host family hosted a big braii (South African barbecue with the BEST food- they even made us special vegetarian options!) with their family, Chantel (the homestay director) and her family. Over 30 people- adults and kids included came together for a night of laughter, dancing, dominoes and rich conversation. I introduced the girls on how to make string bracelets- something my friends and I were enthralled with at barbecues at home when we were younger. They were immediately drawn to the idea and before I knew it bracelets were everywhere. We had so much fun- even the boys and adults were eager to learn how to make their own. We turned such a simple activity into a nightlong extravaganza. It doesn’t take much to have fun.

Sunday came too fast, John & I didn’t want to leave. It was so refreshing to have a weekend away with a family with so much love to give. I have never felt so welcomed by total strangers before. My host family created some of the most memorable experiences that I’ve had so far in Cape Town and I’m already planning my visit back.  

Bernie's great week

This past week has been an amazing time at my internship at Sarah Fox. We were able to sit in on the board meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday and hear about what the doctors, nurses, therapists, and nutritionists have to say. I was a little nervous at first to go in on the meetings but everyone was so nice and welcoming and willing to explain things when they got confusing for us. Having gone into the meetings this past week has really made me feel like a part of their family. The meetings are so interesting and insightful. The meeting on Tuesday talks about the kids in the Domain Ward and the Robertson Ward. Those wards are the ones for the babies and the older kids. We talk about a couple of kids from each of the wards and talk about everything from how they are clinically to their social life. On Wednesdays we talk about kids from the palliative care, which is all about the ward that focuses on the kids who have more serious illnesses. This ward is hard to talk about because a lot of them have cerebral palsy and illnesses along those lines and they can't be cured, so their illness is getting worse not better and there is no way to make it better. I felt very fortunate to be able to attend those meetings and I will be looking forward to attending them from here on out and I can’t wait to learn more!

Another thing that happened this week was getting to talk to Abongile about the activist project I am going to be doing. Bongi is in charge of a soccer team in Khayelitsha and Maria and I are going to be helping the team out! It was really awesome getting to talk to Bongi about the activist project because he is just so passionate about being apart of the soccer team and being apart of the boys lives that he coaches. Its inspiring to see him so passionate because it gets me excited to work with him and be apart of such a wonderful program that the kids love. Maria and I are going to go to practice on Thursday and we are very excited to meet the kids and to play soccer with them! Stay tuned to hear more about the experience with the FireFighters Football Club! (that’s the soccer teams name)

Abongile with the kids from one of the FireFighters Football teams.

Emily filled with gratitute

This past week has seem pretty jam packed for me. The first few days of the week were spent in the hustle and bustle of Tafelsig Clinic, where my internship placement is now. I can’t express enough how much I’m learning here! The best part about it is I’m really starting to see how my tough science courses from back at UConn really do apply in real life situations, and how cool is that? It’s also completely confirming for me that medical is the field I belong in. There’s no better feeling than the feeling that you’re helping someone in need.

Today was a particularly spectacular day because I can finally say I reached the top of the one and only Table Mountain!! There are little words I have to describe the beauty I saw all around me in the three and a half hours it took to reach the summit. My body is EXHAUSTED but my soul is practically on fire! I’m feeling especially grateful for my health today. It’s so easy to be in a place like Cape Town and instantly feel grateful for all you have, especially working at Tafelsig and seeing people suffer in poverty and illness. I hope I can continue to grow in my gratitude and be able to bring it all home with me!

Emily on top of Table Mountain with Lion's Head, Signal Hill, and Table Bay in background.