Taylor L celebrating Freedom Day on top of Table Mountain

It is hard to believe that this is my last blog post that I will write from Cape Town. At first three and a half months seemed like a long time, but it definitely is not long enough. I know that without a doubt I will be back: hopefully sooner than later!

Although I am not much of a hiker, I was determined to climb Table Mountain during my time here. With my injury and our busy schedule, I was nervous that I would not have the opportunity to do so! However, on Freedom Day, I embarked on the journey. John and I hiked up Platteklip Gorge because we were told it was the easiest way up. I definitely did not find it easy! I was not only surprised by the steepness, but I was also surprised by the people I watched hiking up and down the mountain. When we were going up we saw people running down the mountain! Apparently there is a race to see how many times an individual can run up and down Table Mountain. I found it slightly crazy but praiseworthy that people put their bodies to this test.

I was also shocked to see what people wore as they hiked. I passed by individuals that were hiking barefoot, in short skirts, in long jeans, etc. If I did not have my hiking shoes, I know that I would have rolled my ankles several times over. If I did not wear a tank top, I would have sweat much more than I was. If I did not wear long leggings, I would have scraped myself climbing up all the rocks.

I began to wonder if people wore what they wore because they chose to or if they could not afford the proper attire. It never occurred to me that people would think to hike if they did not have the proper attire. I guess this goes to show how iconic getting to the top of Table Mountain is; people will do just about anything to get to the top. I admire native Capetonians for this because this is something that I would never have thought of doing.

It was pretty remarkable to hike Table Mountain on Freedom Day. Looking down at Cape Town, I began to picture what April 27, 1994 must have looked like down there. I pictured long lines of people waiting to vote. I pictured individuals leaving with huge smiles because it was his or her first time voting.

While standing on the top of Table Mountain, I not only enjoyed looking out at the city and all the other suburbs, but I also liked looking at Robben Island. It was so remarkable to see Robben Island in the distance. Robben Island was once a symbol of oppression but now it is a symbol of individuals’ quest for freedom. By seeing this, I really could not think of a better way to celebrate South Africa’s Freedom Day. I know that on future April 27^th’s I will look at my photos and try to remember the remarkable scenery I saw below me.

Onna thankful for the realization that the adventure doesn't stop here

Life moves too fast when you least want it to. Yes, here I am talking about time once again. I need to stop denying the fact that I will be leaving Loch Road on Thursday morning. I am thrilled that I have the opportunity to extend my trip for 10 days but I can’t help but think that it isn’t enough time.

To put it lightly, I’ve fallen in love with this place. Cape Town has exposed me to new worlds of opportunity. It has reconfirmed my hope in humanity. I have learned that the love you can give and take is limitless. I have learned that action speaks volumes over words. I have learned to look within myself and celebrate the fact that I make mistakes and still have so much to learn. I have learned to think twice about judging another as they might have problems that we can’t even wrap our mind around.

My last week here has been relaxing but enjoyable. On Sunday night Emily L, Julia & I attended a production called Artsemble. Andrea, the social worker at Elonwabeni that we have grown quite close to was one of the MCs for the night and introduced the many different acts; a choir, comedian, dancers, bands, poets and rappers. Each performance was absolutely incredible and reminded me of the incredible capacity of humans. I thought it was impossible, but I have grown to appreciate the world of art even more since coming here.

Last night we grabbed dinner with Andrea one last time. She asked us what the highlight of our trip was… trying to narrow every single experience into one was overwhelming and it made me think about how I am going to emulate this experience to my loved ones when I return. I want them to hear the street music, feel the love of complete strangers, see the light beams above Table Mountain as the sun saluted to us every evening, taste the spice of the curries. I want everyone to feel what I have felt because I have never felt so thankful to be alive.

I’m worried that people won’t understand this transformational experience or the things that I have come to believe in. Andrea understood our concerns about going back and told us that we must keep ourselves busy when we return home for the summer. She told us that it is going to be easy to get lost in the memories of being here. It’ll be easy to sulk and become unmotivated when comparing South Africa to the United States. A place can never be compared to another. She advised that we keep ourselves busy this summer and let the memories continue. She also suggested that when we do long for those memories, that we surround ourselves with people that we shared these memories with. My level of discomfort decreased after she said those words and I remembered that I would have the pleasure of meeting with these 17 incredible individuals that contributed to making this experience the best 4 months of my life.

These thoughts bring me back to a sign outside of one of the food trucks at the music festival that we attended in March. It read: ‘I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then.’ We all have the capacity to fill our minds, hearts and souls with new experiences everyday. The adventure doesn’t stop here. 

Molly looking forward to bringing what she learned home

As my trip is coming to an end I have been catching myself reflecting on my experiences while I have been here and actually picking up journaling a bit. In class this past week we discussed our different experiences by walking to different sides of the room based on our feelings on certain topics. When we were asked if we had trouble with culture shock when we first arrived. I initially walked to the side of not having trouble with culture shock but after thinking about it now I am really do not think I thought about that question fully. I thought back to my first two weeks here during orientation when we traveled around and especially the day that we went to the townships. I remember being in utter disbelief that day of the number of people that were living in informal housing and just the conditions of living. I then continued to drive through the townships every day for my internship and it never became less disheartening. I am glad in a weird way that I have experienced all of this and seen it because now going back home I will never forget it. I think that it will make me more aware of the poverty in the United States as well as making me more motivated to do more to help. I do think I will experience some culture shock going home and not being in this environment anymore but I am excited for all of the new things I am aware of and going to do

Emily L reflecting on how she's become motivated to work for positive social change

To be honest, I have been struggling a bit this past week coming to terms with the approaching departure from Cape Town. I’m not quite sure how I’m going to be able to go back to living the way I did at home because I feel completely changed from these past few months. In class last night, we did a few exercises that required a good amount of self-reflection. My ability to reflect within myself has become so strengthened since coming here, something I’m proud of. One of the questions Marita asked us was whether or not we were going to have a hard time assimilating back into life at home. I immediately knew that my answer would be “yes.” During my time here, I have become such an open minded, positive person. Almost all of that can be attributed to my time working in Tafelsig Clinic and conversing with locals while out and about. I’m going to miss the welcoming spirit of Cape Town and how people are, for the most part, full of light and love.

           

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to be able to spend time in Noordehoek with Onna, Dani, and Dani’s cousins who live there. We spent the evening watching the sunset at Noordehoek Beach, an experience that had a lot more depth to it than I would’ve expected.  Watching the hot pink and vibrant oranges dance across the sky filled me with such a sense of peace. This peace comes at such a troubling time in South Africa. Lately, the xenophobic attacks that have been occurring are all I can think about. Who am I to be feeling such peace in the same land where people are terrified to leave their houses? I’m realizing that these kinds of feelings are going to be a lifelong struggle, and that should motivate me to act against change. 

Dani & Emily L

Taylor L becoming increasingly aware of the gendered expectaions placed on children

In Marita’s class we have learned a lot about gendered expectations and how society influences individuals to think, feel, and act in a certain way. While I have heard about this before, I have never talked about it to such an extent. It is pretty interesting that after these discussions I have become so aware of these supposed gender roles. I have become increasingly aware of these  at my internship and I have tried to combat it.

           

One of the learners I work with loves to play with the kitchen set in the Speech Therapy big room. I encourage him to play and pretend cook after our sessions. I never thought that this might not be acceptable in society’s eyes. Therefore, I was taken back when I witnessed one of his classmates get upset after he tried to play with the kitchen set in the classroom. I confronted the girl and told her that anyone could play with the kitchen set and informed her that she could also play with all the toys. While my statement quieted the girl, I am curious where she got this idea. I surely hope the teacher did not say that only the girls could play with the kitchen set. I do not think this teacher would say that but this young child was so adamant that the boy coming to the kitchen was not allowed.

           

Another instance where I noticed gendered behavior was at lunchtime. One of the boys in the classroom did not want to finish his lunch and a male volunteer turned to the boy and said “come on, don’t you want to be a man.” This statement insinuated that society expects young boys to become strong men and that anything but is not acceptable. This got me thinking about how the volunteer would have responded if the learner were a girl. I think the volunteer would have dismissed it and believed that the girl was full.

It is sad that these ideals are passed on to youth when they are so young. I hope that educators and individuals coming in contact with youth eventually read these articles. We have such a profound influence on the youth and we could prevent the next generation from abiding by the imposed gender roles.

Becca finding similarities between South Africa and the United States

Even though I have been here for three months or so, the similarities in the problems that South Africa and the United States face are just frightening. With the xenophobic attacks that have been occurring in Durban and Johannesburg, I can’t help but to draw similarities to the topic of illegal immigrants in the US. And what is incredibly shocking was that people believe that foreigners are taking all the jobs from citizens and everything. But that is just not true. And at least most of the people that I have talked to are not just jumping on the bandwagon or anything. In fact most people here really respect their foreign neighbors and everything. But still the violence that I have heard about is just so heartbreaking so horrible. The pictures that I have seen on CNN on an attack in Alexandra, a township outside of Johannesburg, are just horrible. 

 But I wish that people in the US would not be so blind to follow that same bandwagon about foreigners in our country. Like all the myths about undocumented immigrants not paying taxes and using all of our social welfare programs are absolute nonsense. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, illegal immigrants pay taxes but don’t use those services that could actually benefit them so they actually give money to the government. And let’s look at the jobs these people usually have. They are the ones that are doing jobs that are usually working jobs that are paying below minimum wage. Yet there is so much hatred because people believe “facts” that are just not true.  Yet people still spread these lies around. And these lies can lead to violence. It is what appears to be happening here in South Africa so how do we prevent these lies from spreading around in the US.

Taylor P looking forward to getting involved once she returns home

This past weekend Taylor L., John and I went on the garden route. It was amazing all of the animals we got to see and the scenic views. We even bungee jumped off the highest commercial bridge in the world! It was an amazing weekend and I think we could all agree that we felt like such tourists. Like Taylor mentioned, we shared a van with two British ladies and a German couple. It was definitely interesting spending a whole weekend with different people rather than being in the house with all of our housemates/friends.

One of my favorite nights was Friday night when we had load shedding at the backpackers place. There was no electricity but we had a huge fire and a bunch of the guests sat around and talked for hours. I didn’t know these people and I could barely make out their faces but it was so easy for us to talk and share our South African experiences. It was almost refreshing to have such open conversation with complete strangers. It just shows how easy it is to find people who you relate to and can learn from.

The weekend consisted of a lot of driving and therefore a lot of time to think and decompress. I think I realized over the weekend just how lucky I am to get to experience all the different sides of South Africa and how although I haven’t taken my trip for granted, I haven’t appreciated it enough. As our trip comes to a close I am starting to think about how I can bring my experiences and changed perspectives back to the states. Up until recently I haven’t been that excited to go home, but I realized this weekend just how much I can do and get involved in once I return back home.

Ashlyn's reflections on Unity

So this is the last post before I return home, which is really strange and doesn’t seem possible. This past week my mom has been here visiting the beautiful city that I’ve come to love. We’ve done quite a lot the past week and even a few things I hadn’t done yet, including going to Cape Point (which provides a beautiful hilltop view of the ocean), and going to a delicious restaurant called Mama Africa’s. On Friday, the two of us went to the Cape Town soccer game in the 2010 World Cup Stadium and we caught up with a bunch of other girls living in the house. I was sitting behind Caitlin, and we were commenting on the vuvuzelas (plastic horns that are used at sporting matches). At the game, various vuvuzela players who didn’t know each other would come together and get a tune going without any prior planning. Caitlin was telling me about a conversation she had with someone else about how such an occurrence would never happen in the United States. During our time here we’ve been discussing the differences in South African and American culture. I find the vuvuzelas a good metaphor for both South African and U.S. society. South Africans know that by banding together they can create something bigger and better than they could do alone, whereas Americans often get too caught up trying to get their own voice bigger and better than everyone else’s.

Ajax vs University of Pretoria (2-0) at Cape Town Stadium

As my time here in Cape Town comes to a close, it comes with a great deal of reflection on what I’ve done and learned here. Overall, I think the most important thing I’ve learned is to think more critically and to keep everyone’s best interests at heart. On the application to come here (which strangely feels like it was a thousand years ago or yesterday depending on the day) we were allowed to write an optional scholarship essay on what it means to be a global citizen. At the time I really had no idea what to write (or what the committee would want to read) and I remember being puzzled because I had never heard the term used before. I like to think I now know what the term means to me (and that it doesn’t matter as much what other people want to read, but what you believe). To me it means that many people throughout the world are only thinking about themselves, and it’s important to question the norm and think what’s best for everyone. To put it in South African terms; Ubuntu.

           

Bernie will bring home lessons learned

This past weekend I went to the beach everyday. Being at the beach is one of my favorite things so I am making sure that before I leave I go as many times as I can. Also I hiked Table Mountain this past Friday and that was an experience. I am not sure what hiking trail we did but all I know is that it was hard but I am so happy I did it. I feel like when you come to Cape Town you have to hike Table Mountain, so after 3 months I can cross that off my list. It’s crazy that there is less than 2 weeks left here in Cape Town. I still feel like I have so much to do with so little time. I’m excited to go home and see my family but I am sad to leave this beautiful place but I am going to make these last 2 weeks the best before I leave!

On another note in Marita’s class we watched a video, America Needs Human Rights, on how America violates them on a daily basis. I never thought much about human rights in America and that is mostly because of the circumstances that I was raised in. However after seeing this video I realized that human rights do get violated everyday, there’s a violation when we see a homeless man in New York but we don’t see it like that. After watching that video I changed my perspective so instead of saying there’s a homeless man, I will see him as a man who is having his rights violated by not being given shelter and food. I wish everyone in America realized that there are people whose rights are being violated right next to them, but they don’t realize it because since their rights aren’t being violated they aren’t worried about someone else’s; that’s how I used to think. However it’s important to think about others whose rights are being violated because we're all connected and should care for each other and want the most for one another. People in America need to realize that America isn’t the best country, that we have even more problems than other countries and its time to do something about it and fix those problems. I am going to take the information learned from this video and use it when I get home and get people to see the truth and how to fix it.

John's enjoying all the things he can afford to do

As we were driving along route 62 and I was on my way to having one of the best weekends I’ve had this semester, I realized how fortunate I was to experience some of the wonderful things South Africa has to offer. This weekend I went on the Garden Route tour and had some amazing encounters with both wildlife and locals. We rode elephants, fed lemurs, heard the story of a 70-year-old store owner, walked with lions and even petted a cheetah. After I came back home I remembered a conversation I had with people in my activist project about the numerous attractions in Cape Town. He told me how many of the people that live in Cape Town haven’t even seen half of it and probably never would. They haven’t hiked Table Mountain, been to Robben Island or even taken the drive out to Cape Point. For us, it is easy to come to places like these and do all of the touristy things simply because that’s our goal is the see and get to know the place and we have the means to do so. People whom are born in townships and don’t have sufficient funds can go their whole life without doing the things Cape Town is known for.  It saddens me to think people can life around such beauty but are not able to experience it because they don’t have enough money for transportation or entrance to some places. At the same time it makes me feel 10x more fortunate to experience Cape Town and I feel like I have to enjoy it for myself and for those who can’t.

Julia's reflections on the week that was

Last week was a little slow at internship, especially on Monday. With Glenton in Johannesburg for training, I’ve been lacking things to do around the Unit. So on Monday, all I really did was read the newspaper. Then the sign language class we usually have every other Monday didn’t happen because the instructor didn’t show up. You would think that I would be really pissed off by the day I had and how unproductive it was, but I really wasn’t because by the end of the day, when the instructor should have been there, volunteers finally started showing up to the GEU. Only two of them were there for sign language and the rest were there just to hang out. Even though I could have left early and gotten home before 7:00 PM, I stayed because I actually wanted to stay- because the people I get to talk to at the GEU and the conversations I get to have are worth far more than getting home early. This wasn’t a particularly interesting conversation, in comparison to others I’ve had here, but it was still worth my time. We were talking about our families, moms, Xhosa, and whatever little things that came up. Somehow these conversations seem more fulfilling though than ones I have at home about the same topics. Maybe it’s because the cultures are different, but honestly, a lot of our experiences are the same. Mothers still get on our nerves (sorry, ma, but I know it’s reciprocal) and at the same time we still love them more than anyone else. There’s still a middle child syndrome in South Africa as there is in the US. These basic things are still the same, so I don’t know why it’s a different calibre of conversation for me.

The rest of the week at the GEU I managed to find things to do, and Pinkie was there both Tuesday and Wednesday, which always makes my days at the GEU better. We actually went to see a fashion show and a dance performance during lunch on Tuesday at the Student Centre, which was pretty fun. Our friend Tristian was actually in the fashion show modelling UWC clothing, so we cheered extra obnoxiously for him. Later Pinkie and I saw pictures of the recent xenophobic attacks going on in South Africa. It’s really hard for me to get a sense of why South Africans are attacking people from other countries especially when those people are from countries that helped South Africans during Apartheid. It makes me think that the saying in the constitution about the land belonging to all those who reside in it is not true at all right now. When discussing the issue with Pinkie, she said that black South Africans think they have privilege after apartheid and that they are entitled and that’s why they are attacking the foreigners. The foreigners in this country work very hard, she said, and they get up early, open shop, and close late and do it again the next day. South Africans, on the other hand, are lazy in her opinion and don’t want to compete with people and so they attack those who are doing well and say they are doing it because they don’t belong in South Africa. I think this makes reasonable sense, but it’s just so hypocritical to me that a country that’s been through so much discrimination is now doing the discriminating.

On Friday I got to see Pinkie perform a poem (unfortunately, mostly in Xhosa) at the UWC’s Got Talent. Instead of going to the soccer game with everyone, which I heard was an awful game anyways, I took a taxi to UWC that night and got to see a whole range of artists perform- singers, poets, dancers, rappers. The show was awesome and I got to see really talented people perform, but the audience was sort of rude and would talk while people were performing. I really do think that the US has better audiences. I’ve never been at an event like that at UConn and had an audience so rude. We may talk in between performances, but not during. Anyways, it was cool to be with the volunteers outside of the unit for once. 

At the end of the night I shared an Uber with Pinkie and got to see where her aunt lives in Mitchell’s Plain. The car didn’t stop directly in front of the house, so Pinkie had him move up five feet to be as close as possible to the gate. I thought this was so weird to see that a South African, with a car with people right by her, was too scared to walk five feet to a gate of a house. Yes it was around 9:30 PM, but we were right there. I don’t think this fear would’ve crossed my mind for a second. I walk into our house from across the street at night and don’t think anything of it- I’d even walk from down the street and probably feel fine. Perhaps I’m taking my safety for granted. We also got to pass through Nyanga on the way to Mitchell’s Plain, and that was very eye opening. Right before we entered the township, the driver locked all the doors. The informal settlements we saw seemed to be even worse to me than ones in Khayelitsha or Mitchell’s Plain or any other township. Maybe it was just the fact that it was extremely dark, but I was definitely concerned knowing that Nyanga is actually one of the most dangerous townships with the highest murder rate. This Uber ride was probably the most interesting I’ve had.

My week got a little weird and frustrating by the end, though. About three weeks ago I ordered a dress and a shirt for Vernon to be made at this African clothing store. We told them that date we would come to pick both up and they said that was fine. So we go Thursday to pick up the shirt and dress and neither were even made. We spent money and time to go into the city and neither was even touched. They said to come in the next day and both would be ready. The next day both were ready, but the dress needed alterations because it wasn’t the exact style I wanted. Now this is when the situation becomes my fault and I take responsibility that my actions were wrong. We kept doing alterations for about three to four hours, but still the dress wasn’t looking like anything I wanted and I knew I wouldn’t wear the dress. I wanted to walk away from the store knowing I would wear what I bought. So I decided to ask them to scrap the dress project and use the same material to make a skirt. They were deeply offended and frustrated with my decision. They were working on this dress all morning into afternoon, and here I am with some sort of entitlement asking them to waste fabric and more time to make me a skirt. I felt like a brat, without a doubt, but I was determined to get something I would love and not feel like I wasted money on. The dress project was just too big and risky of a venture when the fashion culture of the US and South Africa is so different. Even when I showed pictures of the style the dress still did not turn out right. It was frustrating on both ends, and although I think I was more in the wrong, I think the business also did a wrong. I’ve been to that store probably four times for the same thing and then they don’t even make the items we ask for on time. So while they said I wasted their time and fabric (which I totally did), they also wasted my time and money for the number of times I had to go there and try and sort things out. Collectively, we have given them so much business, so I was disappointed in how they sometimes didn’t follow through with orders. So the next day I went in and picked up my skirt. This was the quickest exchange I have ever had in the store- less than five minutes when usually everything takes at least one hour. As I expected, I got the silent treatment when I walked in, but I paid them the price for the skirt and dress combined. The skirt was beautiful and I told them so and apologized for the inconvenience. Honestly though, I know this whole situation was so wrong and I felt so bad about it that it took me hours to fall asleep the night of the incident. I really hate being an inconvenience, but my mom has always told me when buying clothes to only buy something you know you will wear. I’m not pegging this whole thing on my mom, but I like that advice and wanted to make sure I walked away with something I love. Yet I am still trying to justify my actions. Even writing about this makes me so jittery and disappointed in myself.

Jillian still processing all is is learning

My parents came to visit this past week which was a lot of fun and also sparked some interesting conversations. I’ve talked to my parents over the phone about the townships and the experiences I’ve had, but they were never able to quite understand it because they had yet to experience it for themselves. Once they came to visit and after going on the township tour with Vernon, they were able to have a better understanding of it all. It was helpful to discuss it with them and be able to process it more, because I still haven’t finished processing everything that I’ve seen so far and I know I will continue to process it throughout my life. It was also interesting to see my parent’s initial reactions to everything after I’ve been here for so long and had time to take it in. They were shocked at the amount of gang violence that occurs in the townships, such as Manenburg. I never realized how much I’ve actually learned until I was the one educating and teaching my parents. 

Jillian enjoying time with her parents during their recent visit.

Having my parents visit at the end of the trip also made me realize how little time I have left in South Africa. With less than two weeks to go, I feel like I need so much more time here. At the same time, I’m ready to go back home and apply what I’ve learned here and educate my friends. I’ve grown and learned so much and I want to start using everything I’ve learned to educate others and further my education as well. I’m just trying to appreciate my last two weeks and soak it all in so I can have even more amazing stories and memories for when I return home

Ashlyn considers her childhood and that of some children in Cape Town

Some days I have to remind myself that I’m in South Africa, and other days I feel as if I’m in a different world. This Wednesday was one of those days where I felt as if I could have been in Wonderland. Upon boarding the minibus (vans that drive around Cape Town picking people up for cheap) Wednesday morning, to attend my internship, I realized that one of the workers of the minibus was a young boy. This boy couldn’t have been older than 12, yet he was working on a Wednesday rather than sitting in a classroom. When I was his age I was still watching Disney Channel and playing outside at recess. The inequality and hardships in Cape Town sneak up on one without any warning. It makes me deeply upset that many children around the globe aren’t getting formal education and will miss out on many opportunities due to this. However, this motivates me to help make sure that more children don’t go through this in the future.

Following this I arrived safely at my internship, where the organization was welcoming about 6 new interns. My coordinator at Surplus People Project is also overseeing these interns, so I was fortunate enough to be able to sit in on their first meeting. These interns were taken on in order to promote a youth project in their own community with the mission of Surplus People Project in mind. The meeting involved the new interns discussing the issues that are facing youth in  various communities. The most discussed topics were crime/gangsterism, poverty, and lack of role models. I had so many role models growing up that I never had thought of the severe implications of not having them. A good portion of time was used to discuss if the interns should be targeting crime or poverty in their programs. During my time here in Cape Town I’ve seen both great poverty and happiness, and I found it very eye opening to be able to hear from youth my own age discussing very different problems from mine.

 Best,  Ashlyn

Onna's incredible trip to Jo'burg

Our spring break excursion to Johannesburg was a true rollercoaster of emotions. We visited many powerful historic locations such as the Apartheid Museum, the Hector Pieterson Memorial, Constitution Hill and the Sharpeville Exhibition Centre.

I really enjoyed all of these museums because they included many real life anecdotes from people who were directly involved in the many uprisings caused by apartheid. The day that really caught my emotions was when we visited Sharpeville, the place of the massacre on March 21, 1960 where over 69 people were shot dead because of their protest of the passbooks. The memorial was on the exact grounds of where the people who died in massacre fell. There was a podium representing each person, ranging from 12 to 60 years old. After we visited the graveyard, where those bodies peacefully rest. For the majority of my time here and the stories I have heard, apartheid always seemed to be so awful that it was unimaginable that this could have taken place and stole the lives of so many innocent people. However this trip to Sharpeville really solidified the fact that this is all so real. The grief I felt in my bones was something I have never felt before. I felt heavy with pain and sorrow for the families who will have to deal with this pain for the years to come. I returned to the bus and sat in my seat alone, at a loss for words. How can someone have the willpower to shoot one person, let alone 69 harmless people? I was left with such sorrow and it was then that I realized that this was one of the most powerful days for me in South Africa thus far.  

Onna (in red) and classmates listen in horror to story of Sharpeville

Alice recalls the events of the Sharpeville Massacre,  21 March 1960

Onna & Emily L working in garden at Boys & Girls Club

We also spent one of our days in Johannesburg at the Boys & Girls Club in Soweto; the largest township in South Africa. We were greeted by lots of smiling faces and before we could even put our bags down we were being pulled in multiple directions. The first half of the day we spent doing necessary work around the club such as picking up litter, wiping down tables & chairs, fixing up the garden. The second half of the day we were left to play with the young people. Many of the girls flocked to the other girls and asked us to sit down so they could play with our hair. I heard their ‘ooohs’ and ‘wows’ while they took my hair down from my ponytail. They spent most of my time just feeling my hair rather than creating hairstyles. I was confused at first but then realized that it was the smoothness of my hair that amazed them so much. I thought of the shampoo ads that stress on ‘silky smooth locks’ as a means of beauty. This made me curse the power of advertisements and the definition that they create of what is ‘beautiful’. What happened to celebrating yourself? After these thoughts I asked the girls if I could play with their beautiful hair, they look surprised but let out shy smiles. My time at the Boy & Girls club truly made me evaluate my own ideas of beauty and how outside forces have influenced them. I will no longer allow myself to be pressed into thinking that the airbrushed celebrities in magazines are the definition of beauty. Beauty should not be held under one definition.

Although our trip to Joburg was incredible, I was surprised of how excited I was to return to our big ol' home in Cape Town. I missed my walks through the Commons and the constant views of Table Mountain. This place is my happiness. Not looking forward to leaving my new home in less than a month.