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

Emily L on an emotional roller coaster

The past week has proven to be quite the emotional roller coaster for me. Most of this stemmed from my work at my internship, which is in Mitchell’s Plain. Mitchell’s Plain is a very large township, and the clinic is constantly packed with people from all over the area. While at work this past week, I was unfortunately faced with dealing with a patient who had just been diagnosed with HIV. I knew that the prevalence of HIV/AIDS was high in South Africa, and the topic seems to be talked about everywhere here. However, this was my first time I was forced to see the disease in real life, in a living being. The woman seemed very confused and sad, and it honestly broke my heart while I was referring her to the counselor. It’s crazy how common this disease is all around me right now. Yesterday in class, one of Vernon’s friends came as a guest speaker. He is a highly educated man, and a traditional healer. I was hooked on every word he was saying since I’ve always been very interested in the idea of natural, herbal remedies. Dr. Guma spoke to us about the differences between how Western medicine approaches issues like HIV/AIDS as compared to traditional medicine. Thinking about these different methods of treating sick people caught my interest because traditional medicine has been effective for centuries. It seemed that Western medicine has often stemmed from these treatment methods that Africans have been using for generations.

Another new experience I was lucky enough to have this week at internship was working in the pediatric side of the clinic. As a big baby lover, I knew working in here would be great. Working on this side of the clinic, however, brought the poverty of the area right in front of me. There was no ignoring it. Seeing some of the kids in dirty clothes and some unwashed, it was definitely an eye opener. It’s so easy to forget the fact that while there are beautiful views here in Cape Town, there is also so much poverty. Many of the parents of the young children had to be educated while in their appointments so that they’re able to give their children proper care. The lack of education is prevalent, and when explaining things they must be broken down into the simplest terms. This is all just something I took for granted, and I’m happy to be reminded once again how valuable my education and environment back at home really are.

Becca on appreicating community and feeling fully accepted

During the homestay weekend, I only got a taste of how important the word community is here in Cape Town.  But it isn’t just in Ocean View where I have seen this huge sense of community in so many other facets while living here in Cape Town. At the clinic, there have been a couple of patients who have died, not because they were sick or anything, but just due to the violence that is very present in the townships here. There was this one patient that was very kind to all the staff at Tafelsig and even made food for the staff every once in a while and unfortunately she was murdered. Most of the staff was so upset when they found out that she died, even a couple of the nurses that I personally work with were crying. It surprises me that even though there is so much violence in the townships instead of people just protecting themselves separating themselves from people, they come together. They offer each other support and kindness during the ups and the downs in everyone’s life, really showing what a true community is.

I guess I didn’t fully realize this until I returned to Ocean View again. It was really nice returning there and just being able to hang out and play with all the kids. They were just so willing to come up to me, so eager to either play with me or have them read them a story.  It seems whether I am working in the clinic or helping out in Ocean View, everyone is so open to welcoming me in their community and I know that has not always been the case when it comes to people in the United States. Back home, it comes to some of the groups that I have interacted with in the past, I have to act a particular way, but I was never able to fully be myself because I knew that I was going to be judged. But here, I can totally be myself without any fear of being judge too harshly for just being me. It is a really nice change to actually feel accepted.  

Ashlyn, Jillian, Julia, Becca, Chantel, Taylor L, Taylor P, Caitlin and kids from Ocean View

Becca's many reasons to be amazed

It is amazing that even after being here for almost two and a half months, I am still exploring so much about Cape Town. From the amazing worlds under the ocean with amazing kelp forests and creatures around every corner, Cape Town offer just an amazing amount of natural beauty that I never would have imagined could have existed. But there is also all the townships which is nothing but sand and minimal greenery with these people in all these communities struggling to live in this chaotic city on a day to day basis, even after all this time here in Cape Town the two contrasts are still startling to me. In the clinic, things are going pretty well, but even in the clinic you see the despair that people have. Most of the people there just want to have people acknowledge them and for someone to listen, especially when it concerns some illness that they have. But with so many people to take care of in the clinic, especially on the non-appointment/ emergency side where everyone is dealing with some illness in some shape and form. It is hard to keep myself in a happy and chipper mood with all the patients when so many of them are cranky and complaining that things are not going their way.  Take today for example, one of the doctors was sick so there were not any doctors, just nurse practitioners like Sister Castle to attend to the patients. And when the patients heard about this, so many people started complaining and whining even though Sister Castle is very knowledgeable and helpful when it comes to any medical problem one can have. But all the staff are so amazing at talking to all the patients and making sure that they are given the attention that they are needed, so even though the clinic doesn’t have the best resources, the really do maximize what resources they do have and use it very wisely.    

Onna's extending her stay and learning through listening

It’s official…. I’m extending my trip here in Cape Town!!! I will be staying an extra 10 days after the program to attend AfrikaBurn (a week long community festival in the Karoo desert with participants who come together to create art, music and meaningful interactions) and to also relax before my visa expires (eeeeek, still in denial about that....). I am overflowing with excitement at this opportunity to stay longer. I’ve said this before, but things can get pretty hectic here at times trying to soak in and make the most of each experience here. It will definitely be nice to have some extra relaxation time to reflect on this transformational experience.

I’m realizing that I have become more of a listener since arriving here. Usually I am quite the talker… I was always the one who got ‘socializes during class time’ on report cards. But now I find myself stepping back to listen closer to each conversation that I have while here. With many taxi rides I’m learning about the extremely difficult times of the people who fled from Zimbabwe because of the economic crisis. I’m learning about the ongoing discrimination here and the problems that vary from individual to individual. I’m listening more because each conversation is bringing me to a broader sense of this country and more broadly, our world.

However with listening, talking becomes more difficult. It gets uncomfortable when we sit around at our Monday meetings and the staff asks me what I did this weekend. Either I went scuba diving, skydiving, or danced my butt off at a Kirstenbosch concert. I know that many of my coworkers will not have the chance to experience these things in their own city; many haven’t even been to the top of Table Mountain. This gap of opportunity is something that my coworkers aren’t ashamed of expressing, but often times I am left feeling guilty. It’s interesting to observe that people here are fine with admitting what they do not have, while in the U.S. we try to hide what we think are 'faults' as much as possible.

 

Onna's flying high

Cailtin confronting privilege in the face of such inequality

Caitlin & friends enjoy a day of sandboarding

Recently we've been doing a lot of fun things on the weekends, such as skydiving, sand boarding, hikes, and shopping. While it has been really fun (and exhausting!) I always feel a little uncomfortable telling people at my internship about these things on Monday mornings when they ask me how my weekend was. I'm well aware that most people in Cape Town can't afford to spend money on these kinds of leisure activities. Even hiking requires money for transportation, and we usually take cabs. I know that on the weekends I'm experiencing a very different side of Cape Town than the people I work with. It can be a weird transition to go from a work mindset to a vacation mindset in the same week! I've been trying not to feel too guilty because I still want to enjoy my time here while I learn. However, sometimes the difference in privilege and the unfairness of it hits me all at once, and it can be a paralyzing feeling. It's also weird to think that I never really worried too much about this stuff at home- I knew I had privilege and that inequality existed, but it wasn't constantly in my head and outside my window every day. That's why I'm excited to complete my documentary for my activist project and bring it back to show people in the US. I think it's important for other people to experience these same realizations and start thinking about themselves in a global context. Even though I won't be able to give people back home the full experience of being here, if I can give them a taste of what it's like and get them thinking about it, then I will have succeeded. 

The sandy "streets" of Khayelitsha near where Caitlin interns at Treatment Action Campaign.

Jillian had a awesome homestay experience

This past weekend was the home stay at Ocean View which was an awesome experience. I was very nervous beforehand because I didn’t know what to expect or the circumstances I’d be living in. Right when I walked into their house I was greeted with open arms and my nerves fell away. On the first night we went ballroom dancing with some of the kids of the community which was a great way to start the weekend. It was really fun to interact with the kids and do something completely new to me. The second day was spent at a daycare doing activities with the children. They were all so adorable and excited to be with us, but it made me think about what they go home to at the end of the day. It was hard to spend a day with the kids just to leave them to their lives after. I also thought about the fact that my host family was considered well off because they have a toilet and shower. The community is filled with poverty but at the same time, there are kids constantly running around and playing together and you can see how close the community is. I loved talking to my host family and learning about their lives and how much Ocean View has grown as a community. It was really eye-opening to see a different part of Cape Town and I definitely have a broader perspective.