University of Western Cape

Throughout my time in Cape Town, I will be enrolled in 4 classes at UWC. These classes include Gender and Development, Theories of Social Transformation, Leaders in Grassroots Organizations, and Theology of Peace and Reconciliation. UWC has a long history associated with the anti apartheid movement. Many of the most influential resistors during the apartheid era later became professors at UWC. This allowed the students the opportunity to oppose apartheid intellectually instead of violently. 

UWC is one of two major campuses in Cape Town. The other is called University of Cape Town. This university tends to cater to the majority of international students as well as wealthy white South Africans. UWC on the other hand, is predominately black. Consequently I am placed in the minority racial group. This is a new experience for me and has been quite enlightening thus far. It has pushed me outside my comfort zone and forced me to take risks both inside and outside the classroom. 

Monday was my first day of classes at UWC and it is fair to say, I feel like a freshman all over again. Not only was my backpack stuffed to complete capacity but I was also equipped with a map of the campus, which I kept handy at all times. Along with a bit of guidance from fellow students, I made it to my first lecture hall on time… Or so I thought. In the US, we are very accustom to schedules, following them religiously. This is not the case in Africa; schedules are subject to change without notification. Despite what my schedule told me to do, I ended up walking in to my first lecture over an hour late. Whoops

But as our driver, Pearnel, always says…"O well, this is Africa." Guess I better get used to it. And i couldn't be more excited to do just that.  

Table Mountain and Robben Island

The first weekend in Cape Town was a busy one. On Saturday, we had the opportunity to venture down to the waterfront and take a ferry to Robben Island. Located here is the notorious prison in which Nelson Mandela spent 18 years of his life. Interestingly enough, the kennels for the prison's guard dogs were larger than the cells assigned to the prisoners. In addition to being denied socks, shoes, and even bread, prisoners were also denied the opportunity to see their own children.

I had expected the tour of this prison to be painfully sad. However, South Africans are firm in their belief that Robben Island is not meant to serve as a reminder of previous oppression, but rather it serves to commemorate the resistance movement as well as the strength and bravery of the human spirit with which that movement was associated. South African hope and pride is very inspiring and I am blessed to have had the chance to visit a site that is representative of such great perseverance. 

The following day, we awoke early with the goal of hiking to the top of Table Mountain. Despite the temptation of riding the cable car to the top, we began the strenuous climb a little after 6 in the morning. With the temperature already reaching the mid 80s, we were thankful to have the shade of the mountain to offer a bit of relief. We reached the top in 2 hours and were amazed by the view. To one side, you could see the ocean, all the way to Robben Island. At the base of the hill sprawled downtown Cape Town. On the opposite side lie numerous townships and suburbs. And farther in the distance, we could see the rest of the mountain range. The view was absolutely breath taking. Hopefully, the above photo will give you an idea as its beauty.

As far as the hike back down the mountain side, I only fell 3 times…not too bad if I do say so myself! Although, I think I may have slightly overexerted myself. Currently, I am so sore that going up and down stairs is nearly an impossible task. But it was worth it :)

Take care and miss you all.

An unexpected roommate...

Unfortunately, we seem to have a slight infestation...

During my second night in the Kimberly house, my roommate and I had just turned off the lights and laid down for bed. After a few minutes of chatting, I felt a weird thump on my chest. Thinking that I had just imagined it, we carried on with our conversation. A few seconds after, I felt something brush along my neck. Instantly I hopped out of bed and lunged for the light switch. As the room was illuminated, I prayed that it had just been my hair sweeping across my neck. But to my horror, it was not. 

Instead, on my pillow I found a giant cockroach. Needless to say, the entire house was awaken by our screams. The cockroach fled from my bed to Christine's bed, into our closet, up the wall, through our drawers...it was traumatizing. Thankfully, my roommate and hero, Christine, eventually caught the cockroach.

Sadly, that wasn't the only one. Since that pleasant incident, we have found at least a dozen more. And I'm sure there will be more to come. 

Sweet dreams from the Kimberly House....

Needless to say, the trip to Cape Town did take an unexpected turn. Due to a missing pilot, our flight to Detroit was delayed long enough that we would also have missed our flight to Amsterdam and Cape Town. After 3 hours at the check in counter, a new itinerary was devised. In the evening, we would travel to New York and then catch a red-eye to Amsterdam. There, we would spend the night until our flight to Paris that next morning. In Paris, we had an 8 hour lay over and consequently, we were able to take the train into the city to see the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. 

After our mini European vacation, we finally boarded the 12 hour flight to Cape Town. Arriving earlier this morning, I was happy to see sunshine and even happier to see the weather was 80 degrees!  Today was spent settling into the Kimberly House along with my 20 other housemates. Tomorrow we will be heading to the University of Western Cape to register for classes. Wish me luck!

Final Countdown!!

I would first like to start off by thanking everyone that came out to wish me luck this past weekend. I appreciated the opportunity to get to see you all before I depart this Saturday.

As usual, I will save all of my packing for Friday night...good thing I work well under pressure. Then, I will be dragging myself out the door in the early hours Saturday morning and heading out for Chicago. (Hopefully this flight experience will go more smoothly than a recent trip I took with my Mother when we mysteriously ended up on a fight to Boston instead of Orlando.)

The expected itinerary will take me to Detroit, Amsterdam, and finally (after 33 hours of navigating through international airports) Capetown, South Africa. Hopefully I will be able to avoid any unintended detours this time.

As I get ready to leave and say my final goodbyes, I am reminded how much my family and friends mean to me. I hope this blog will offer us a way to stay connected.

Enjoy the snow and cold, everyone!