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 20th 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!
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