Garden Route Road Trip!

On Tuesday morning, as I was going to the office with my fellow volunteers, one them asked me if I was keen on going on a roadtrip. How could I ever turn down a road trip? The idea was to go to Plettneberg Bay and Mossel Bay along the Garden Route (the N2). Our adventures were to include a trip to a game reserve with a tour on horseback and a tour at an elephant sanctuary, and possible hike. I immediately acquiesced to the adventure and began preparing myself for our adventure.
On Friday afternoon, we departed the office slightly after noon. Our vehicle of choice for the trip was a Honda with room for 6 people. After packing the car and making a stop at the local pic-n-pay for our lunch and driving snacks, the adventure to our Mossel Bay hostel began. The weather was glorious, and the drive had magnificent views. The car creeped up the mountains surrounding Cape Town. Once reaching the summit, it was possible to see all of Cape Town and the surrounding suburbs. The view was spectacular. I thought of how tiny the city appeared in the valley in comparison to the gargantuan size of the mountains. Our trip included a stop to take pictures of the lush mountain valleys filled with yellow rape seed flowers (I think these fields were rape seed- but they could have been something completely different). I am presently trying to finish reading Les Miserables, so this adventure gave me adequate time to read and now I am less than 100 pages from being finished with a book I started reading over a year and a half ago.
Our first official stop was in the village of Swellendam. Here we stopped for bathrooms and treats for some people. This village was typical small village with absolutely nothing to see- so we ended up changing drivers and continuing on our adventure. We arrived in Mossel Bay just before sunset. The hostel of choice was that made out of an old sleeper trains. This hostel is incredible (Santos Express) and I would highly recommend this hostel to anyone traveling along the garden route. We slept in doubles and I shared a room with the darling Heloise. After depositing belongings and claiming beds in the sleeper cabins, a sunset walk on the beach commenced. The beach, on the Indian Ocean, was lovely. I ended up getting very wet feet at this beach while I tried to embrace the ocean. I did not mind having wet feet especially since I was in such a wonderful place.
Our night continued with dinner and other merriment including the game of asshole- which I previously had not encountered. If you are not familiar with this game, it is a card game that is often used to create an inebriated state, however, we did not purely participate in this game for this reason. I don't drink- but enjoyed playing and ended up winning the presidency 3 times- which was great considering that the first two rounds resulted in my earning the spot of asshole and vice asshole. After our final game, some of us decided to walk on the beach before heading into our comfortable train home. The bar/hostel dog is a small dog who Sarah named Skippy. The walk on the beach involved this loveable dog and his wonderful personality. I enjoyed seeing the stars and walking along the beach at a late hour without having to worry too much about predators lurking in the bushes ready to attack me. I was frigid that evening, so I slept with my winter parka on- Heloise thought I was a little crazy, but at least I was warm. In the morning, we ate a lovely continental breakfast and said goodbye to our hostel that provided us with shelter for one evening. We departed for the Rhino Lodge Game Park and the views only became more beautiful as we continued along the garden route. Fortunately, arrival was perfectly timed. The location for our tour commenced in a building that reminds me of my aunt Vannesa's house. It is filled with African sculptures, skins, sticks, and metals. The effect is one to create a home feeling while visiting the game reserve. Our guide prepared horses for all of us. My horse was named Bless and he is the dominant male. He was nice and friendly, although, at the end of our tour my bum was quite sore. The park included white rhinos, impala (rooibok), springbok, hippos, crocodiles, waterbok, wildebeest, lions, and plains zebra. The lions were taken from a zoo so they never learned how to hunt properly, and the reserve gave them more room to roam. The horses were well behaved and the stories to describe the behaviors of the wildlife were great fun to hear. I enjoyed the perspective of being out with the wildlife while among them on horses. I don't find the experience to be authentic, or natural, but I did enjoy it.
On our way to our next adventure, lunch was purchased at a lovely cafe called the peppermill. The owners were bohemian and the food was incredibly fresh. I had a kipper pate, which was scrumptious while others had falafel, ostrich, or regular hamburgers. After the natural lunch, I encountered one of the saddest things I have yet encountered in Africa regarding wildlife. We visited an elephant sanctuary that was meant to house elephants that would have otherwise been culled during one the periods of elephant overpopulation in Kruger. The elephants in the park were retrieved from Chinese merchants who were planning on using the elephants in circuses. Elephants are incredibly bright and gifted animals. I was hoping to go to a large reserve with hundreds of elephants who were allowed to roam freely throughout the land, however, I was greatly disappointed to learn that this park was far different. The park only houses 6 elephants. After a brief introduction into elephant anatomy, the group of avid tourists was introduced to 3 of the elephants. Each of the tourists had the opportunity to walk with the elephants- the elephant sticks its trunk in the right hand of an acquiescing visitor. The elephant drips mucous onto the hand, although the feeling is quite unique. At the conclusion of the 3-5 minute walk with the elephant, the visitor has the opportunity to feed the elephant some sweet potatoes.
After walking the elephants into a nice location in the woods, the elephant performed tricks. I found this portion of the program disheartening because the reason why these elephants were placed in this sanctuary was to give them the opportunity to evade the hardships of the circus- and this was as much of a circus as a formal one. It was nice that visitors could pet the elephant- which is incredibly hairy, feel the tail- which hair feels like wire, and look into the mouth of the elephant.
Once the elephants were done with the abuse by humans, they were paraded back out into the open field where visitors gave the elephants more sweet potatoes. People who had paid the elephant guides 500 Rand could ride the elephants. This was almost too much for me. Fortunately, I didn't fall for this trap. The people who partook of this additional luxury trotted around the small field for about 5 minutes. Eventually, our guide released us from this torment and horror, asking us to visit the curio shop before leaving- which I avoided instead to sit outside in the sunshine to drink some nice juice.
After departing the wretched elephant park, our group made its way to our next hostel in Plattenberg Bay. The hostel had a huge fire and braaiing area. In this hostel, all 6 of us shared one large room. Heloise, Ryan, and I ventured for nice hike to the ocean while the others rested on our first night. The trail to the ocean was treacherous, but we made it just in time for sunset. I was amazed at the strength of the currents and the force of the waves pummeling the seashore. Our return included a walk through the very touristy city center that was quite dead at 6pm on a Saturday night, and scoping out of the local grocery stores.
For dinner we had a braai at the hostel. I had squash while everyone else had some nice boerwurst. The night ended with a fun version of pictionary (even with a description card asking for a drawing of the heathrow airport) and the paper game. I took a much desired shower and all headed to bed. Sanford snored throughout the night, but I am obviously immune to it because I awoke this morning and did not complain about the unpleasantness of snoring.
In the morning, I read while everyone else slept. Our hostel was filled with people from England on a surfing tour- in the morning they were all gone because they were doing a sunrise surf. After a nice breakfast in the hammocks, we left for the beach. At the beach, Heloise, Ryan, and I jumped in the glorious ocean for a quick swim. The water was cool and clear. I felt so cleansed, and after leaving the water, I didn't feel nasty like I sometimes do after swimming in the ocean. As we changed and dried off, we spotted a whale. The whale was close to the shore and showed its tail several times. It was magnificent. I have never seen a whale, and watching it blow water and surface and resurface beneath from the ocean was something that I don't know how often I will have the opportunity to repeat. The members of an English rugby team also watched on with our group. While we were watching the majestic beauty of this creature, an annoying tour group in a boat was trying to launch itself into the ocean. It took over 30 minutes for the group to be placed correctly in the water. A baki was flooded in the process and 2 tractors had to be employed to correctly position the boat. Although incredibly irritating, it was nice to have something else to observe while we watched the whale.
Once leaving Plattenberg Bay, our adventure continued in Knysna. This village is overly touristy and sterile. A Sunday morning craft market was the epitome of this sad reality. All of the goods were overpriced and not of a high quality. Perhaps, the turn out was low because of the rain... The area where the craft market was held had two african drummers to inspire the african spirit in an area that could have been Hilton Head or Florida. The main goal in attending this area was to consume oysters. I had my first introduction with raw oysters- and they were delicious, but I don't think that they are truly an aphrodisiac. As the journey continued, I began driving. The first stop was another craft market. The goods were the same as you would find in any craft market in South Africa with much of the work coming from Northern African countries such as the Congo.
I don't know if my passengers liked my driving, but I stopped several times for views that were spectacular. We again were lucky to see a whale swimming around in the ocean at one of the lookout points. I drove for a great distance and enjoyed passing numerous people while my passengers slept deeply. Rain came down intermittently, and a gorgeous rainbow was formed. I tried to stop so that our group could take pictures, but this was futile, because just I was trying to stop, the rainbow dissolved. At the end of my driving experience, the search for the next petrol station became of great interest of the group. The landscape is fantastic, but with no towns around we became fearful that the amount of petrol left in the vehicle would not suffice to bring us to the city. Luckily we were able to locate one so that the car could be recharged and the passengers could relieve themselves. The rest of the trip was uneventful. I showed Heloise how to make a paper crane and she showed me how to make pretty paper boxes. We arrived back in Cape Town close to 7, which gave me enough time to go shopping for groceries and unpack.... until next time

Meat and Prison

Although I typically try to distance myself from meat, this Saturday I joined a group outing to Mzoli's. Mzoli's, located in the township of Gugulethu, is a rather "magical" place. Piles of meat are refrigerated in a brightly painted cinderblock structure. All of the meat is common meat, such as steak, chicken, or sausage. I have never seen so much meat in one location. One orders choice raw pieces, which are then placed in gigantic enamel bowls to be brought out to the braai (if uninformed braai means bbq in SA) located behind the storefront. Workers cook the meat over blazing fires, carefully adding the special sauces that evidently make the meat divine. I was fascinated by the whole process from ordering to the final pot of meat . It took a total of about 45 minutes, which was perfect for those who went off to purchase choice beverages. Supposedly, the house wine is quite delectable.
In addition to being an absolutely gorgeous day, Saturday happened to be the day that Manchester United played the Kaizer Chiefs. A large television screen was placed directly outside of the restaurant so all customers could comfortably eat copious amounts of meat and white bread, drink beers and wines of choice, and watch a fantastic match. We stayed until the Kaizer Chiefs made their first goal, and then departed after spending almost 4 hours enjoying the atmosphere of the place.
While visiting Mzoli's, a small group of us went on a walk in the township. It was lovely to walk with the small children who all had pleasant things to say as they asked for 5 rand or other petty amounts of change. During our walk, we encountered two homes where funeral dinner parties were being held. It was disheartening that in a 4 or 5 block radius, 2 funerals were being held on this particular day. I can't imagine how families are able to afford the costs of funerals if they are so ubiquitous. On Saturday evening, I attended another braai- which was delectable as well- especially since it offered vegetarian fare, and I was the only partial American in attendance.
Sunday happened to be absolutely glorious as well. I left Obz in the morning to do shopping before my 13:00 adventure to Robben Island. I had read in one of my touristy books that Green Market Square was closed on Sundays. Much to my surprise and delight, several vendors were set up in the square. Green Market Square is located in the city center approximately 1 block from Long Street, the most well traveled street in Cape Town. As I was there, I bargained with a number of vendors and bought many things, all of which I am quite happy to own or give away as gifts. I ran out of cash quickly, so one of the vendors was kind enough to show me to the closest atm- of course, for the purchase of a beautiful necklace. I left with a bag full for the waterfront.
When I purchased my ticket for Robben Island by phone on Friday, there was absolutely no direction on where I was supposed to go to pick up my ticket. I guess it is assumed that you know what you are doing when you schedule such a trip. Fortunately, my friends of the Yale delegation knew where I should go to procure my ticket. I used a confirmation number for the first time in my life to identify my ticket and subsequently board the ferry for Robben Island. As we boarded the ferry, a photographer snapped photos of each group. The photos were then offered on our return voyage for 20 rand. We wanted to be outside for the trip to Robben Island, but the top deck was filled rapidly with school groups and people from all over the world. Kerry, in her great wisdom, brought anti-sea-sickness medication so that none of us would fall ill to the bumpy waters surrounding Cape Town.
Our trip was unremarkable other than the large African American woman who I thought looked like a transvestite. I wasn't sure if she had been a man at one point because of the facial hair and the general shape of her face. Only after a woman in her mid 20s called her mom, did I realize that she had probably always been a woman, with perhaps masculine features. My fellow travelers slept as the boat took off. After sitting on the boat for 10 minutes, I was happy not to be outside because the winds looked cold and harsh.
Upon disembarkment, the people on the boats were herded onto large commercial buses. I don't understand why we can't walk around the island, but nonetheless, the story continues. Our guide was named Johnny and he was a master at numerous languages, which I found admirable. He drove the bus and stopped at all of the important sites around the island to give us a brief history of how Robben Island shaped the history of South Africa. The island has been a prison, leper colony, and now a museum. The staff of the museum can live on the island in nice little houses, although, whenever there is bad weather, departure from the island is inhibited, so some, like our guide, have chosen to inhabit the mainland. I saw an ostrich, and the horrible rabbit population on the island. I hope that they don't iradicate the springbok and other boki for the sake of the rabbits that have infested the island like lice.
Robben Island has most recently served as a home to political prisoners and hard core criminals. Nelson Mandela served a large portion of his term on Robben Island, where only 5 prisoners have ever escaped and all of them escaped only in the 1600s. The prison tour is conducted by ex-political prisoners. Our prisoner was 17 when he was thrown into Robben Island to serve his 5 year term. He was a student activist who opposed Bantu education. I found him to be intelligent and well-versed on all issues. He thinks critically about the world, and addressed many of the issues that I find in South Africa. I only wish that other South Africans would listen to people like him because his insights are priceless. He spoke of the importance of forgiveness and how the Afrikaaners have also faced many hardships. Our group contained many students from Brazil, who were obviously in their middle teens. These youth were obnoxious on our bus tour, answering phones, and talking when silence was necessary. The tour guide worked expertly with the students to separate them and capture their attention. One student asked what apartheid was- although shocking that someone visiting South Africa would not know what apartheid was, I was happy to hear the question. It is only through education like this that apartheid and other corrupt systems similar to apartheid will be prevented. Our guide spoke of the inhuman manner in which he was treated and how information was extracted from him. It is always incredibly difficult for me to fathom how one human could treat another human with such indignity and hatred. I guess it is conditioned, but it doesn't make any of it easier. The opportunity to interact with people who have experienced the claws of hatred is unique and something I will cherish forever. We saw the cell of Nelson Mandela, which as our tour guide indicated, was a click-click camera moment. Even though touristy, his room was shocking. He was given a tin can for a bathroom and a mat to sleep on. He is 6 ft tall, but his room wasn't long enough for him to spread out. Additionally, he was forced to work in the limestone mine, where many people lost their eyesight, or became more susceptible to bacteria such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, and bronchitis. Nelson had tb, but with treatment overcame the illness. Humanity is cruel, but I think there may be ways to bring about change so love is shown. We are all of the same fabric, we all share the same goals and hopes at the core, we only want to live in a manner that is happy and productive, yet we find minute differences to separate ourselves, and make ourselves distinct from other people. Similarities and differences should be embraced so that a "rainbow nation" like South Africa can exist in a state of peace and happiness, not fear and hatred.

Night Hike

The previous post illustrates my deep love for hiking. This post will only affirm this passion. On Thursday night, I thought I was going to have a quiet, uneventful night, however, just after I finished perusing through graduate school topics, Sanford called to say that they had vegetarian lasagna and that I needed to come test it. So, I left not thinking too much about anything other than getting a tasty piece of lasagna. The moon was out as we left and the stars even in the suburbs were quite visible. As we were munching on our lasagna, Ryan and Nina began talking of their moonlight hike to Lion's Head. I had already climbed Lion's Head twice by this point, but when they offered a trip by moonlight, I couldn't resist. I rushed home with my escort (Ryan) and changed into warmer hiking clothes and proper footware. I have climbed Lion's Head in chucks, but I wouldn't recommend it.
We arrived at Lion's Head around 10pm. The stars were brightly shining and the view of the city was magnificent. Our car was the only car in the parking lot, which was slightly disheartening. I was afraid that my group would be frightened by the possibility of mugging, so they wouldn't want to venture into the great unknown. Fortunately, we reached a consensus and left for our adventure. The view only became better as we climbed. The warm ocean breezes made Lion's Head warmer than my flat. As we reached some of the look out points, the city looked like it was a large mass of flickering candles. The only sign we could read from the top of the mountain was for Absa, one of the biggest banks in South Africa. we climbed to the top and upon reaching the top, found no other adventurers. The view was magnificent. I felt like I was on top of the world. The stars were all around, the moon was so bright that a flashlight was completely unnecessary, gargantuan table mountain overlooked us, and the ocean warmed us with its balmy winds. I don't know of any place in the world where there is such a feeling. I am so overwhelmed each time I stand on the top of Lion's Head. It is hard to believe that I could be here, and that this all must be some kind of dream.
Our trip down was safe, although Sanford did turn on a flashlight, which scared me immensely. I think I was about to dive under a rock or spray someone with pepper spray. Fortunately, he turned it off quickly before drawing too much attention to ourselves. We returned to Obz around 12:30 am. I felt tired, but also an exhilarating sense of being alive. I am only granted the opportunity to live once, so I must take full advantage to experience all that is wonderful, even if it means losing a few hours of sleep and getting a few bruises.

Hiking- its what I do

(note the above picture is taken on the Skeleton Gorge Trail on the Camps Bay side)
Since I arrived in Cape Town, I have gone hiking almost every weekend. Yes, this is a little bit excessive, but it has been fabulous. This weekend I managed to squeeze in two hikes, one to Lion's Head and the other to Skeleton Gorge. I throughly enjoyed both of these endeavors. I had previously climbed Lion's Head (which I actually think looks more like a Gorilla's Head) on a rather cloudy day. The repeat hike occurred on a breathtaking clear sunny day, so I appreciated actually seeing views of the city rather than clouds, although the previous hike was magical. The hike to the top of Lion's Head usually only takes an hour, which Heloise and I completed in this time range, while the rest of our group took much longer. Once arriving to the top of the mountain, we waited for 30 minutes for the others. I enjoyed staying on the top for such a long period of time, but I didn't know where the rest of my group had ventured off. After occupying the top of Lion's Head for over an hour, it was time to descend. It was already 5, so that meant that the sun would soon set. I rushed with some of the others to see the sunset at a lower level, overlooking the sea. The sunset was spectacular, but half of our group was not with us. We waited over 30 minutes before the others caught up. At this point, it was dark, and we still had a considerable distance to complete before we would be done with the trail. The trail is semi-steep and parts of it are littered with rocks of all sizes. There have been several muggings on the mountain in the past few weeks, so I was less than thrilled to be traveling down in these conditions. Luckily, our group failed to encounter any of these charming people or run into any rock associated fatalities.
Today a group of us met early in the morning at Newlands Forest to hike Table Mountain. The group was made up of South Africans and then other volunteers from my organization, SAEP. We took the Skeleton Gorge path that departs out of Kirstenbosch Gardens. The trail is quite taxing with numerous stairs and ascends over 730m. The trail climbs through a waterfall, has numerous mossy ladders and many breathtaking views. We passed by two reservoirs (or dams) on the top of the mountain. The hike up was worth all of the pain. The hike down was steep and breathtaking. We hiked down on the Camps bay side of the table and were in the presence of the 12 apostles and the ocean the entire time. The shades of blue are utterly amazing on a sunny day. The ocean and sky differ in intensity and patterns. Each step on the trail led to some new view that no matter how I tried, I was unable to capture the moment with the camera. I wish I could trap the feelings and view that I experienced at each new bend in the pathway with some kind of device. Heloise said it best, she wishes her eye was a camera so she could save the moment just as we see it. Upon completing our decent down the mountain, we walked to Camps Bay and went to Sinnful for ice cream. (I highly recommend the honey comb ice cream) The ice cream shop is right on the beach and has a roof overlooking the ocean. We enjoyed our ice cream while watching the ocean hoping that a flipper or other whale part would emerge from the bright blue waters (we did happen to see a whale before we made it to the ice cream shop and I think many of us were hoping that the whales would reappear). Our trip back was intersting, because we left the cars in Newlands Forest, but were on the other side of the mountain at the end of our hike. Danielle's boyfriend, Thorsten haggled with some taxi drivers, and managed to get us a taxi back to the forest for 130 rand for 11 people. The minibus taxi had red plush seats and the steering wheel was adorned with a garish red cover. The driver sped quickly away to bring us to desired destination. Along the way we saw a girl who had been walking her dog as we headed down into Camps Bay. The dog, after 1.5 hrs or so was completely exhausted, and was sitting in the dirt completely sprawled out. Heloise and Isabel thought he was ugly while I found his shape quite attractive. Our journey ended with our saying good bye to the taxi driver who was flabbergasted when we told him we had hiked from the point he dropped us off to where he had picked us up.
And I only hope for more of these weekends, however, I only have 2 weekends left in Cape Town... so I must come back soon to complete all of the hikes that my legs have not yet carried me; new and revisited spots of joy in Cape Town.

Taxi anyone?

This is a post I have been thinking about for quite some time now, however, I felt like I couldn't accurately write about the experience until I had actually participated in the mini-bus taxi ritual. Today, I wanted to go to the city center and intended on taking the train, however, as I rushed to the station, the train to Cape Town pulled in and I was still 2 blocks away without a ticket, so I knew there was no way I would be able to board. I didn't want to wait an hour for the next train, so I took a taxi. Here is the basic handbook for taxis in South Africa.
Background: In Cape Town, cheap transport is provided by two forms: trains and the mini-bus taxi. The taxi is normally an old VW Combi (era late nineties or before unless you are really lucky) that is crammed full with as many people as possible. The taxi outfit consists of a driver and a fare collector/advertiser.
Fares: The fare from Obz, where I live, to Cape Town center is about 5 rand (75 cents in USD)- the same as the train- but I can catch a taxi at any moment during the day or night and get a ride to the city.
How to catch a taxi: This is normally done effortlessly. The advertiser screams out the window "Wynberg, Claremont" or "Kaapstad" and the driver honks the horn. When a person makes eye contact with the advertiser or some kind of hand signal, the taxi driver slams to a halt and the passenger is picked up, even if there appears to be no space for the person. The fare is collected and the individual tells the driver where they want to stop along the main road. At each stop the advertiser gets out of the taxi and runs up and down the sidewalk saying, in my case, "Lady do you want Wynberg/Claremont", to which I nod my head no. If you want to get on, the advertiser will assist in helping you find a place and carry your bags to the taxi finding a spot where your belongings will not get crushed.
Dangers: The only drawback of this form of transport, other than the sardine effect, is the safety factor. The drivers don't adhere to traffic laws. They drive too fast, in turn lanes, turn off randomly to pick up passengers, and carry far more people than what the vehicle was intended for carrying. I have seen at least 2 accidents (actually witnessed them occurring) with taxis.
FAQ: Would I recommend taking a mini-bus taxi?
Now that I have actually taken one, I don't find them as scary. They are slower than the train and are less sketchy, but I think I would recommend this form of transport if you need something quick and cheap. It is definitely better than walking in crime ridden neighborhoods and will get you to your desired location in mostly one piece.

Winter School

So after weeks of preparation and too much chemistry and physics, winter school began on Monday morning. I didn't have all of the copies I wanted or needed, but I only hoped that the students for the one class would survive without the massive amount of paper. Everything was set. I began my first period class with 2 students. I don't know where the 55 other students were, but obviously they were not enthused about waking up and coming to school for 4 hours. Despite this, I began my lecture on genetics and on the central dogma. Yes, Ms. Huey's central dogma from AP Bio remains a core part of my understanding of genetics, so it becomes what I teach to other adventuring souls. This lecture wasn't terrible nor were my following two. I entered my 4th hour class slightly overwhelmed and covered in chalk dust. I began my lesson that was all over the place. The chemistry teacher told me that the students from this class were very weak and didn't know very much, so I thought it would be most beneficial if I started with the basics. Some of the learners complained to the gap year interns that I should be teaching them exam questions rather than basic chemistry. My response was without this knowledge how do you ever expect for me to teach you organic chemistry or harder aspects of normal chemistry? I left slightly depressed- fortunately I had track workouts in the evening which made up for the bad school day.
The following days have been interesting. Some of my students are super bright and I only hope that they continue on with science at the university level. Other students are not so bright and only know how to copy work from others or sit and look pretty. I have one group in my organic chemistry class that is full of well made up girls, but they don't know anything and I don't think they care if they know anything. One of the saddest things for me this week was explaining Nagasaki and Hiroshima to a group of 17 year olds. Not only do the kids not know what an atomic bomb was or what a nuclear power plant is, they don't even know where Japan is. I know that I shouldn't be concerned with history lessons, but when they are applicable to science, I think that events in the past that are so monumental such as WWII or atomic bombings should be common knowledge. On the days following this lecture, I asked my dear students how many centimeters were in a meter. This question took the learners several minutes to answer and one of the answers was 1000cm are in 1 meter. I wanted to cry in agony. I don't know what some of these kids have been doing in all of their classes since high school began, but obviously whatever it is, it is not learning.
Today went well other than the kids in my 9 am class that only shows up at 9:30. They had forgotten everything I had taught them and were confused with the most basic questions. I wasn't sure what I should do, so I continued on with the lesson in hopes that they would understand a portion of what I was trying to say. It wasn't the most pleasant thing for me to do. I feel terrible for teachers who have to explain the same concept multiple times before their learners grasp the core idea. I don't know what kids like this will be able to do with their lives because they are unable to read English with proficiency, unable to think critically, and unable or not willing to put the work in to obtain a higher level of knowledge.
As the closing for this day, I had a lovely lunch with Heloise and Pauline. It was raining and quite cold, so I went for a run, and contacted one of the dear high school chemistry teachers. I was supposed to teach his learners for the entirity of winter break, but now he tells me that his students want to go back to the Eastern cape an d that they won't need my assistance next week. I felt terrible at first for spending so much time on basic concepts, but I think in the long run this will be more applicable to them and give them the basic underlying knowledge that they will require to be sucessful at anything they choose to do.
Tomorrow is the last day of winter school. I will be glad when it is over- especially since I am teaching 3 different subjects- organic chemistry, basic chemistry, and genetics. My only hope is that my teaching has assisted at least one of the learners here and has helped them to understand some concept with a bit more clarity. I have always had a great respect for teachers and this week has only caused my respect to grow exponentially. Teachers put up with unruly students, students who don't want to learn, students who don't understand the long term consequences of their actions, and long after hours with planning and grading. I don't know if I will ever enter the teaching field, but I do hope that my efforts will be long lasting and perhaps be beneficial to other people. I have been given so much that everyone else deserves to have a portion of what I have been granted as far as my education goes- although I think there are multiple ways I can disseminate this knowledge without being a school teacher.

Really old post- but the internet was down for a week...........

Weekend Adventures

Friday night the rain finally cleared for a few minutes, enough for me to go running. I was prevented from running on Thursday because the rain was incredibly cold and was coming down with torrential force. It felt beautiful to hit the pavement again, although the time out hadn’t been that long. A rainbow emerged as I was running, only making everything more spectacular. Kanamemee- one of my flat mates- ask me about her if you want more details- she is an interesting person was preparing to leave to go back home to Mauritius while my other flat mate, Sharon, let earlier in the afternoon with her mom. Winter holidays are 3 weeks and all of the universities finished on Friday. My lovely landlord invited us down for hot chocolate and chocolate tea, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed. Of course the conversation dragged on forever before I was able to return to my humble abode. My abode is not really that humble, rather exorbitant in comparison to anything that I have previously occupied as a student. I think I use the term humble because it is still a student flat and we have problems with our six legged pheromone emitting friend- the black ant. I think I may be allergic to them, but I am not certain.

Asanda, the film expert at SAEP lent me several AIDS films. I learned a great deal about South African film and AIDS through the films (It’s My Life, Guilty, The Moment, and Big Balls). The films speak to the human effect of AIDS and that none of us is really free from it. It is so easy to ignore the problem and to think our actions have little effect upon outcomes in the future, but the sad reality is that each and every thing has consequences that may be irreversible.

I signed up for two hikes on Saturday- One to van Riebeck Park and the other to Simon’s Town. Despite my overplanning, both hikes were canceled due to fears of rain. My hopes were slightly crushed because I was also without internet at the time. The rugby match tickets were only available online- and because of no internet= no tickets to Italy vs. SA. (It would later rain in sheets at the same time as the game, at which time I was grateful to not have gone to the game because I would have probably changed colors). I spent the day with my landlord as weird as that is. I read a book about blood groups and what foods are better for certain blood groups. It was an incredibly interesting book and I think that it has some validity. I had a nice lunch as well and then we went shopping. I got a nice summer shirt for only R10 or about $1.25. It will be great for Holland and the rest of the summer. South African stores have just as much as European and American stores, if not more. After shopping, we made our way out to Wooley Point. My landlord and I walked along the gorgeous pathway to Camps Bay. The views of the sea were spectacular. It was a bit overcast, but there were few people around, and I loved every moment. The houses on the ocean are relatively affordable, and I think that someday this is where I want to live. Right on the ocean looking at Lions Head, Signal Hill, Table Mountain, two beautiful oceans, and sunsets that you cannot describe. We made it to Camps Bay just as the sun set. My landlord is quite kind and made me a fantastic dinner- then I finally heard from my fellow volunteers. They said they were going to watch the Holland vs. Russia game. Of course I was completely excited about going, so watched the first part of the game at my landlords home, and then met up with everyone else at the American’s House (the volunteers from the Clinton School – Sanford, Ryan, and Sarah). I arrived and they were having breakfast- how lovely- it was nice. We rushed off and made it in time to the see the second half of the game. The game was fast paced and the Dutch were not playing like they had in the previous games of Euro Cup 2008. I don’t know if it was due to the death of the son of one of the players or just because they were tired. They went into double overtime, and the Russians ended up winning the game unfortunately. The Russians played better so they deserved to win, but it was still quite depressing because the Dutch were playing so well in this tournament. The Russian coach is also Dutch and is a little bit chunky. He looks like he enjoys his vodka. The Dutch coach looks very athletic and serious- both are excellent coaches.

Today I woke up early as usual despite the removal of both of my flat mates. I watched another of the AIDS films and prepared to go to Lions Head. The weather was supposed to be gorgeous today, but as it ended up, the morning was incredibly overcast and it was raining. I only hoped that things would get better. I got more airtime for my phone and met up with the Heloise and Pauline. We finally got everything organized around 11:15. We decided to go into the city and then hopefully the weather would clear up. Ryan and the Dutch flat mate of Heloise and Pauline came along as well. Sanford and Sarah decided to stay at home. I was excited for our adventures. Pauline and the Dutch girl went to the National Gallery, which I visited last Sunday. I wanted to see something different, so ventured off to the museum of South Africa with Ryan and Heloise. This museum was incredible and we probably only made our way through about a quarter of the museum before it got to be to much. The shark display was very informative- I learned about the sensitivity of sharks and that Southern Africa is home to a wealth of species. I had no idea that the shark population was so diverse here. Sharks are very sensitive to many different stimuli and have the unique ability to detect tiny changes in their environment. They are able to detect changes in electrochemical signals- fascinating! The displays of ancient South African tribes were fascinating. I found the jewelry and clothing amazing. Several rock paintings were taken from the natural locations and were placed in the museum. The rock paintings were all made out of blood and a mixture of the soils found in SA. The Eland is a very important animal in SA, especially in the Cape regions and other Southern regions. The eland is believed to be a magical creature and has many superstitious qualities. The use of shading and coloration on the rock created pieces that inspire thoughts of watching the ancient bushman chasing the Eland down the veld in search of a new meal. After our adventures to the museum, the weather cleared beautifully. The sun came out and white clouds slowly drifted across the horizon. As a group, it was decided we would tackle Lion’s Head. I was excited to go on a hike to such a beautiful place. Lunch was consumed and we began our trip to the mountain.

Cape Town is a city that unites national parks and city life in one unique piece. I don’t think it is possible to find another city in the world that is so unique and beautiful. The towering mountains make skyscrapers look like children’s building blocks. The view from the road going to Lion’s Head is tortutous, yet highly recommended. Once emerging from the car, the city was in perfect view. As an avid tourist, I took numerous pictures, all to record the immense beauty that I was experiencing. The climb up Lion’s peak was incredible. The clouds surrounded the peak, often leaving me with the impression that I was in an airplane that was free of recycled air, crying babies, and crushed legs. The hike wasn’t terrible, but was not the easiest hike I have encountered in my life. I enjoyed the route up, climbing massive boulders, watching water trickle from red rock walls, watching as the scenery changed every moment as I climbed further and further up this magnificent creation. At one point, there was the option of going up with chains and hand bars or taking an alternative pathway. Pauline, Eva, and I chose the non-chain pathway while Heloise and Ryan chose the chain pathway. The chains reduced their total climbing by about 5 minutes. We reached the top of the mountain and I was amazed. The clouds bordered the sides, giving you the feeling like I was some kind of bird observing all below me. I enjoyed the feeling immensely. There was time to relax and mediate on life- something so perfect. We reenacted titanic on the rocks and all was wonderful. Eventually we left the mountain peak, descending carefully through the rocky passes. I don’t know if I fully comprehend my being here. I think the beauty surrounding me is sometimes too difficult for my mind to comprehend.

After the hike, hunger and exhaustion were felt by all. Heloise volunteered to make creamy pasta with mushrooms. It was a wonderful meal, after which we all departed to go watch football (futbol) or just to relax. It was truly an amazing day.

A note of irony- South Africa is no longer a country inflicted with the system of apartheid, however, there are numerous statutes to Botha and Cecil Rhodes all over the city of Cape Town. I don’t quite understand why the statues of two highly infamous figures can remain. These individuals inflicted unknown pains upon millions of people living in Southern Africa, and they are honored with large statues in central locations. When will South Africa honor those who have changed things in a real way, in a way that is positive for all groups, not just a single racial group?

24 June 2008 Tuesday

Today is Sebastian’s 20^th birthday. I feel like we are all getting so old, but that is what life is about, getting old and learning new things, and then dying, and hopefully have contributed to humanity in some kind of positive way. The rain has cleared for several days, and today was gorgeous. Walking to work was gratifying because the sun was out, the air was warm, and the wind was gone. The normal mundane walk was transformed into something powerful and amazing. Upon reaching the office, I began working on my daily tasks. Danielle and Shep decided to go out to Zisukhanyo HS in the morning because they were not receiving the answers they needed for Winter School. I joined them because I was having a very difficult time getting in contact with the physical science teacher and needed to ask her in which areas her learners needed help. Most of our meetings fail to answer all of the questions we have, but today’s meeting was different. The principal at Zisu finally agreed to allow the students from Phillipi HS to come to Zisu for the winter school. This simplifies my life because we originally thought that there was a possibility that the learners from Phillipi would not be able to join the learners from Zisu. This would mean that the groups would be separated from one another and I would have to go in between both schools as the day progressed. Fortunately, I only have to teach 4 hrs. every day for a week, 3 different lessons for 4 classes. I only hope that I am able to cope with the stress and get everything together before the winter school starts. I think it will be a wonderful thing for all of the learners to have extra help in the areas that they struggle. I finally found Ms. Lande, who gave me an incredible amount of information. I have to learn capicator science so that I can run a practical with the learners. I also have to obtain supplies to run the lab. Hopefully I can find all of the necessary equipment so that I can get the lab together.

After our meeting, we returned to the office, I started reading the textbook, and found that it is an awful book. The book is filled typographical and grammatical errors. Many of the sentences are unclear or completely impossible to understand. I have never seen a published book that was so poor. At 3:15, Heloise, Pauline, Ryan, Sanford, and I left the office for Checkers to get snacks for our sunset trip to Signal Hill. We picked up Sarah at the ECD office and made our way to Signal Hill. The day was perfect for observing the sunset. It was possible to see many kilometers out into the sea today- something that I don’t get to see very often in the winter time. The sunset was incredible. The colours and the ocean, city, and beauty of Table Mountain are all too much to describe. Eva came along and brought delicious bread. The picnic was yummy and such- cheese, excellent bread, cucumbers, chips, humus and the world was wonderful. The patterns in the sea were fascinating to watch with Table Mountain in the background. The trip down the mountain was also overwhelming. The city lights in the darkness with the shapes the mountains in the twilight were immensely beautiful.

I returned home and made my bed. I have little red spots all over my legs and back, and I only get them at night so I decided to wash my sheets today. I used hot water, lots of soap, and put the things that couldn’t be washed in the sunlight. I hope this kills whatever little creatures are biting me. And my internet is still down. Hopefully it returns to full functionality soon!