toilet water flushes counter-clockwise in South Africa!

That's right...I've seen it with my own eyes! The water does flush the opposite direction here than it does in the United States....very thrilling. Anyway, I just have a short blog today (probabaly). We started the day with a lecture from Steve, an amazing guy who grew up in exile and traveled many parts of the world furthering his education in political science, public administration, cultural economics of South Africa and China, and probably a few other things that I can't remember because he had so many! It was interesting to hear him talk about his life growing up in exile, all the traveling he has done, and the places where he felt the most culture shock. He also gave us some great advice about our trip to the townships next week such as always greeting people when you approach them, and only taking pictures of people with their permission. He also said that kids LOVE getting their picture taken, so I am looking forward to having fun with that.

After the lecture we all went out to lunch at an African restaurant near the waterfront. The food wasn't that great, and it seemed like just about everyone agreed. It may be that most of us are not used to the way things are cooked and the seasonings they use, but we all left pretty hungry after that.

In the afternoon we took a boat to Robben Island to tour the maximum security prison that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned in during Apartheid. The boat ride was 45 minutes long and Stella threw up which always sucks. It's no fun to feel sick when you're on a trip! Once we got the island the tour seemed really quick and I wished we would have been shown more of the prison and learned more about the way it was run and more history of it. Overall it was pretty neat. 

That's all I really have to say for today, but expect a nice blog for tomorrow because we are all waking up at 4:30 in the morning to go on an African Safari! I'm really excited about that!

Oh, if you want to check out my instructor, Aaron's, blog, I posted the link on the right had side of the page. He has pictures posted too as well as links to the rest of my classmates' blogs!

when it rains in Cape Town, it rains sideways

Today was incredible. We spent the whole day checking out the area of Cape Point which includes the Cape of Good Hope - the farthest south and west you can get in Africa. We had a van tour that started in Cape Town showing us all of the major sights in the city. Then we drove to the coast and got to see the amazing sights of both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans...I got to stand in both of them today! First we took a boat ride to see where the wild seals live. The ride started out great, but then it started pouring out of no where and we all got soaked (second picture) - and then Maryam got seasick and threw up, but overall it was a cool experience. After that, we stopped at a part of the Indian Ocean where wild penguins live (see picture above) - they came right up to people! On our way to the Cape of Good Hope National Park we saw both wild baboons and ostriches just a few feet away from our van! The best part of the day was hiking around the Cape of Good Hope. We did get hit by some intense rain which made it both miserable and incredible at the same time. We were so high up on the cliffs and we were climbing on some pretty scary rocks, but the experience was unforgettable. We were all soaked from head to toe (again), but we all agreed that it was worth it. The beaches we saw today had really soft white sand that was a nice change from the lakes in Minnesota. I can't really explain the sights we saw today because they were so unreal. The mountains, cliffs, the coast, the clouds, the ocean...there really aren't words to describe it and I tried to take as many pictures as possible, but nothing is like being there physically. So we're all home now, showered and warm, and all anyone can talk about was the sights we saw today.  Sorry the text is all crazy with the pictures...I can't seem to fix that yet, haha.

On a completely different note.....

           Yesterday we had a discussion about what we, personally, wanted to get out of this trip. We had been learning a lot about HIV/AIDS and how it is not something we can just come in and fix, and it is not something that we can change over night. We are here to learn about HIV/AIDS and provide more of a service than a solution. It was nice to hear the other students' perspectives and it allowed me to reevaluate what I really do want to get out of this trip. So far we have been involving ourselves in a lot of tourists activities, but we are reminded during our class time and even during our personal discussions that we are here for so much more than that. Yesterday while we were exploring the town after checking out the museum we walked past a court house with a lot of refugees, police personal, and other people being arrested. TJ told me last night (after I had already written my blog for yesterday) that he and Jesse were yelled at by one of the prisoners in the back of the police truck to "go home" while they pounded on the side. They may not have known what country they TJ and Jesse were from, but they were upset that they were there. TJ and I discussed how unfair it is to judge someone based on what other people have done (stereotyping in general) and it expanded our discussion to how it goes both ways. No one really knows what another person is like just because they may share the same culture as someone else with their own beliefs or actions. Our discussion ended the way most discussions of that nature do - it's a never-ending circle. It is also a coincidence that we had also had a full day of lectures about Apartheid and how people were discriminated against and forced to leave their land. A minority of white people forcing out a larger population of black people -  allied by the Americans at the time. TJ and I talked about how since we are American, we are tied in with other political issues associated with Americans rather than just students studying abroad in Cape Town. 

It makes us all think about how people may feel about Americans now that we are in their country. I don't know a lot about politics, nor am I that interested in it, but it becomes real when you see things like that with your own eyes. I hope that when we are exposed to the township life it enlightens me further so I can not only understand another culture's lifestyle, but also gain perspective on their ideas of my own culture. I know the refugee incident and the townships are very different scenarios, but it is the beginning of a greater understanding in my mind. Sorry about the whirl-wind of thoughts, but sometimes I write in a stream on consciousness and it probably makes a lot more sense in my head...none the less, I share it with you.

When they say to look both ways, they mean it

This morning started out with a lecture on the history and politics of South Africa. Our lecturer, Zwelethu Jolobe, is an instructor at UCT for comparative politics. He was really interesting to listen to and really knew a lot about the history of South Africa - he knew dates and details of events right off the top of his head. I found it pretty interesting to listen to the history portion of Apartheid and where the country stands as of now, but the politics were hard to follow. I don't know enough about politics in the first place, so trying to follow a political discussion today regarding the U.S. and South Africa was tough! He was very charismatic and interesting none the less. 

For lunch we checked out the food court at UCT, and I have to say I am not a fan of African cuisine so far...that is, until I had the chicken at Nandos tonight for dinner (Nandos isn't exactly African food, but it good!). I guess the spices and the way they prepare things don't appeal to me all that much. This makes me a little nervous for the homestay we're going to be going on soon. 

After lunch we went to the District Six Museum to learn more about the history of apartheid on a more personal level with people's actual stories and photographs. The man giving us the tour had a lot of interesting things to say, but to be honest, I was getting a little sleepy when he talked for so long, but I do appreciate what he had to say for the most part! One thing I thought was interesting that he mentioned was that during apartheid, white people and black people were so separated that at the post office only a white person served a white person and only a black person served a black person. I figured that was the case for the most part, but then he mentioned that if a person of one race was severely injured they would have to wait for doctor of their own race to treat them, even if there was someone of the opposite race already there. Hearing that really brought the reality to the situation in my mind. Working in heath care, something like race segregation for the care of another human life seems absurd. 

History is great to know while visiting another country and culture because it makes you more aware of the things that are going on today and why things are the way they are. After a long day of lectures about history, it was nice to walk around town and see the culture first hand as well. We walked to a market where the locals were selling things that they have made, which was sold based on bargaining. I always feel weird asking someone for a lower price than what they are offering because for some, it may be their only income. I learned quickly that bargaining is going to happen whether I like it or not, otherwise I would be taken advantage of by other vendors if they knew I was paying full price for things...so I played the game.

Finally, after a long day and a lot of walking we all went to dinner at Nandos for some amazing chicken. I always like winding down the day as a large group because we all talk about what we did that day and get to know each other a little more. When dinner is over, we all kind of do our own thing, which is nice because we all relax in different ways. 

The photo above is just an idea of what the city looks like that we walked through today. The title of this blog is "when they say to look both ways, they mean it" because when we first got here the Interstudy staff made a big point of saying that we MUST look both ways before crossing the street and to always stay in the crosswalk. There is no Minnesota nice here, the cars will run you down if you are in the way. This seemed like common sense at first to look both ways, but now we are all realizing that you have to keep looking both ways even while crossing because cars and busses come out of no where and people drive on the opposite side of the road than we're used to so we have to be really conscious pedestrians. 

Random things that have happen:

1. Brian tackled Cole in his sleep and screaming while doing so in the middle of the night... hilarious.

2. Laurie almost got hit by a bus when she, Aaron, and I were walking together - scary, but lesson learned.

3. Both of our houses managed to blow a fuse last night, but we were able to fix that... eventually.

4. Our van driver today was cut off by another van and he got really upset about that so he drove frantically on the shoulder of the road to catch up and scream at the other driver and cut him off too. The other van looked really similar to the one we were in, and after our driver cut him off (on the freeway) by coming at him from the shoulder, a police officer pulled the the other van over instead of the one we were in...we think he got the two vans mixed up because they look so alike because our driver was defiantly more in the wrong when he retaliated. People all drive pretty nuts around here - I'm glad I'm not driving!

More First Day Photos

Here are some more photos of our first day in Cape Town.

1. The house I am staying at.

2. The room Trisha and I share

3. Some dancers we saw by the ocean

4. Table mountain viewed from the University of Cape Town

5. The first and second year residence halls for University students and the rugby field.

First day

We finally got to our houses (two of them right across the street from each other) pretty late in the evening on Monday so there really wasn't much to see initially -  just unpacking and relaxing from the REALLY long flight. I had a hard time falling asleep on the plane because the chairs didn't recline much so I was exhausted when we finally arrived. After a good nights sleep we woke up to the most amazing view (see picture to the left). That picture was taken in the street between our two houses - it's devil's peak to the famous table mountain that we will be checking out sometime soon. 

For our first day we met some of the people here through the Interstudy program in Cape Town that will be assisting us through our stay; they were really nice and gave great advice for places we should check out and places we should avoid. We got a tour of the campus, which was beautiful, and we checked out some of the shops around where we are staying so we would know where to get just abo

ut anything we could ever need. For lunch, the Interstudy staff took us out to eat at this gorgeous restaurant with an amazing ocean view where we all had fun drinks and awesome food (See pictures to the right). The drink I am enjoying in the photo is called a strawberry jam jar - yummy. The picture below that is the view we had from the restaurant of the Atlantic oceanToday was considered a day to ease into the overall experience.

My initial reactions to Cape Town and things I noticed are:

1. The weather seems the same as it was in Minnesota when

 I left except the air seems crisper and a little windier.

2. People drive on the left side of the road (their steering wheels are on the opposite side too) 

and they all drive really fast and don't always use a blinker when changing lanes. We were told that we REALLY need to look both ways before crossing the street because they drivers are so crazy here.

3. I am a little nervous about spending money because it's not always easy to convert to American dollars in my head and people at the airport literally asked for tips (even when we already had given them some money).

4. The signs have more pictures than words to make things seem more simple to understand.

5. A lot of people have a British accent.

6. Americans are easy to pick out here because we wear tennis shoes and talk loud (that's what Aaron says and I can see how that is true, haha).

7. I have become more aware of the valuables I have with me (e

ither that I am carrying or that I have locked up at the house) because we are told that crime happens opportunistically when people are careless so I have to hold my things close and lock our house up tight as well as hiding things inside the house too. We have bars on the door and windows to keep things safe.

Finally, I am noticing that everyone on this trip gets along really well and I think as the time progresses here we will grow really close. Below is a photo of me and my roomie Trisha.

pre-departure

Hey everyone! Thanks for checking out my blog for my study abroad trip to South Africa through the University of Minnesota! I just thought I'd write a little something before I leave. The picture to the left here is some of the fun people I'm going with! This Applebee's get-together is the first time most of us met! We're going to study cross cultural leadership and the AIDS pandemic in Cape Town and the townships near there. I'm pretty excited and nervous about this trip. I'm stepping way out of my comfort zone, which I think, is exactly what I need. This trip will be a life-changing experience that I will never forget, and I hope it opens up my eyes a little more to the world around me. I'm not really sure what to expect at this point, but I am willing to be open-minded. My personal goal while I am over there is to push myself. I want to be a part of as much as possible and leave without any regrets. If I can't make a difference in someone's life there, I hope to at least improve it - even if it is just for a day. I am bringing a suitcase full of donated medical supplies and clothing that I hope will positively impact those who really need it. Finally, I am looking forward to buying some things directly from the people who make them in order to support them financially, and bring home some great souvenirs! My next entry will be from South Africa instead of my living room, so I hope to keep you interested!