Forgive me
Father, for I have sinned: It’s been ___ months since my last blog entry! It’s hard to know where to begin
because so much has happened.
First, some
quick updates:
- The
daycare center construction is mostly complete. We are on track to open the
center in January 2013. The women
who will work there will receive an initial overview of daycare procedures this
month, and a full training in childcare in Q1 of 2013.
- We
are waiting to hear back from a local Lion’s Club about whether or not they are
interested in funding the rehabilitation of Rica’s football (soccer)
field. Keep your fingers crossed.
- The
community development association of Rica (Stichting Planters van Ricanaumoffo
en Omgeving) will receive a USD $3,000 grant from the Crystal City Rotary Club.
This amount will fund over half of a $5,000 project to build a playground for
the children of the village. The
remaining funds ($2,000) will be sought though individual donations. To
contribute, please see the project website at (https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=13-568-002). All
donations are tax deductible (in the U.S.). The Crystal City Rotary Club is a
three-time project partner in Rica, having also funded a water catchment system
for clean drinking water and the construction of the daycare center.
- A
handful of Rica’s residents are seeking financial assistance through the
Low-Income Shelter Housing program (LISP) in order to repair their existing
homes or to build a new one. We
are working together with members of government ministries and local
authorities to ensure that their efforts are successful.
As many people
know, I recently went to South Africa for my friend’s wedding. It’s hard to explain just how beautiful
the country was, but I’ve included a couple highlights from the trip below!
Victoria Wharf (mall & waterfront)
One could do
some serious damage to the ‘ole pocket book here! The mall is fabulous and contained a seemingly unending
supply of upscale clothing chains, coffee shops and specialty food markets
(chocolate, biscotti, pesto, cheese, etc.), as well as a few department stores,
a pharmacy and a grocery store.
The wharf itself, though admittedly very touristy, is lined with a large
assortment of restaurants and cafes, in addition to boutiques, very nice
tourist shops with regional handicrafts and local artists playing live
music.
Also, Victoria
Wharf is where you catch the ferry to Robben Island, the former political
prison where Nelson Mandela, among others, was jailed for many years. The ferry ride provides a beautiful
view of Cape Town but was quite chilly with the wind and sea spray. At Robben Island, our guide (and I
assume all of the others) was a former prisoner. He was very diplomatic in his
description of the prison during his time there and optimistic about the
country’s future. I, however, was absolutely baffled by his explanation of the
different treatment ofprisoners based on their race. For example, blacks were not provided shoes or long pants,
while “coloreds” (i.e. mixed race persons) and Indians were. Their former’s
food rations were considerably lesser than the latter’s, both in terms of
quantity and diversity. Keep in mind that Robben Island was a functioning
prison into the 1990s.
It seems almost surreal that such backward racial discrimination could
have been in practice so recently and so publically.
A Note on the Racial Situation
It’s hard to
talk about South Africa without discussing issues of race and class. Cape Town is indescribably beautiful
and ostentatiously wealthy. Its
impeccable roads would be the envy of all of my friends and family in Michigan
(not kidding, guys). One sees luxury vehicles like BMWs and Mercedes everywhere,
as well as Maseratis and Aston Martons.
Huge mansions with well-manicured lawns line the roads. There isn’t a
scrap of garbage anywhere to be seen downtown. But something doesn’t seem to click: There are white people.
EVERYWHERE.
How is it that a
racial group that makes up less than 10% of the South African
population seems to own all of Cape Town?
Where are the blacks, the coloreds, the Indians? The only place I saw persons of the
non-Caucasian persuasion was in service positions—waiters, drivers, bus stop
attendants, street cleaners, and checkout clerks. Every store appeared to be white-owned. Wherever there was a group of black
construction workers on the highway, there was a white supervisor nearby
overseeing their work.
In stark
contrast to the spacious homes of the city itself were the shantytowns along
the highway. These “townships” are essentially black ghettos, free of running
water or sewage treatment. Though discreetly
hidden behind six-foot high fences, one could still catch a glimpse of the
overcrowded homes cobbled together with scrap metal. The condition of Cape
Town’s “other half” (or majority, as it were) is astonishing. The old social laws were evident even
with deliverymen—whites entered through storefronts, while blacks came through
the back. Apartheid and its
inconceivable pass system may be officially a thing of the past, but its legacy
is ever present.
I think that’s
it’s worth mentioning, too, the more subtle evidence of South Africa’s
turbulent racial history as experienced through my conversations with two
individuals. The first
conversation was with the man who drove Anna, Joel and I to our safari in
Kruger Park. He was a
light-skinned, middle-aged black man.
Among many other questions, we asked him if the tribal languages of
South Africa were similar.
Speaking nine of the eleven official languages of the country, he
assessed that, apart from two, they were very different. We asked him which sport was more
popular in South Africa: soccer or rugby.
He replied that soccer is definitely the favorite among most of the population
because rugby was considered a white man’s sport. Later in the conversation, when we asked very pointed
questions about the country’s racial tensions, he suggested that there is still
a lot of resentment toward the Afrikaans-speaking population and that, among
the former, older persons still treat non-whites as second-class citizens. On the flip side, he noted that among
his children’s friends, a mixed race group, he does not observe any difference
in the way the kids treat each other.
Later in the
trip we asked the same questions of our white guide at the Kruger. Speaking
English, Afrikaanse and a little Zulu, he assessed that the tribal languages
were very similar stating that, “if you understand one, you can more-or-less
understand them all.” When we inquired about the preferred national sport he
replied “rugby,” without hesitation. When I challenged that a black man to whom
we asked the same question posed that rugby was a white man’s game, our guide
became very defensive. He said that if there aren’t blacks and coloreds on a
rugby team it isn’t because they aren’t allowed to play but because they didn’t
play well enough to make the team. It was purely a matter of merit, in his
view. While that may have correct
to an extent, it also revealed his own insulation and blindness to the
preferences of non-whites with regard to sport (and potentially other issues).
On our first
evening at the park we went on a night safari. We used spotlights to identify the eyes of animals since it
would have been very difficult to see them otherwise. When discussing this with our guide over dinner (after the
fact), he pointed out that it would be better if the guides who operated the
night tours put a red screen/filter over the spotlights. For the life of me I cannot remember
the reason for this—I think because many of the animals cannot see red and thus
would not be frightened. No matter the reason, it was the comment that followed
this remark, not the remark itself, that gave a shocking representation of the
subconscious discrimination that is still prevalent among some white South
Africans. Our guide said that he
would suggest the red filter to the other (black) guides but hasn’t because,
“what’s the point in trying to teach someone who’s too ignorant to want to
learn.”
I do not think
that our guide, a very young, educated man who seemed to get on well with his
colleagues, is consciously racist or against an integrated society. He is, on
the other hand, a good example of just how long it takes to purge deeply rooted
social prejudices that we may not even understand ourselves to possess.
Table Mountain
The most famous
landmark in Cape Town, Table Mountain looms behind the city often shrouded in
white clouds that look like fingers as they descend its front face. One day when the wind was not too
strong (cable car rides to the top are frequently suspended due to high winds
and rough weather), a group of us decided to take the trip up Table Mountain.
Within our group there was a contingent that would have preferred to hike it,
as opposed to taking the cable car but, being outnumbered and restricted by our
timetable, the decision was made to take the funicular.
In addition to
breath-taking views of Cape Town, the mountain landscape and the Atlantic and
Indian Oceans, the summit also boast a lovely café and tourist shop. I’ve been all over the world and
service is not equal in all destinations. I must say that South Africans
understand tourism and what it means to give tourists a positive
experience. Every staff member in
the shop greeted visitors, asked them about their trip and if they needed
assistance finding anything. I was genuinely impressed.
While enjoying
our refreshments in the café we bumped into another group of our friends, also
in Cape Town for the wedding. At
this point the “pro-hiking” group, persuaded by the winding rock paths and
comforted that we would no longer have to abandon the “pro-cable car”
contingent, decided to split off from the others and make the trek down.
All of this was
fine and dandy except that, since we had not planned to do any extensive
walking on the mountain, Sanna and I were wearing flip-flops and sandals,
respectively. In the interest of
adventure, we took them off and opted to walk down the mountain barefoot. This
was not the smartest decision either of us has made, but we managed not to see a
single snake on the trip down and avoided injury. In total, the walk took us about an hour and a half. The
trail wasn’t too strenuous and alternates between rocky inclines and relatively
flat gravel patches. I highly recommend walking at least one way to anyone
prospective tourists.
For good views
of Table Mountain from a different perspective, I would also suggest the quick
jaunt to Table View. A few of us rented bikes and rode along the coast to the
tourist town for lunch and a couple snapshots. Table View has an impressive collection of restaurants
(Italian, Cuban, American, Seafood, etc.) and bars. Just over its dunes you can
also watch a hundred-or-so kite surfers catching some wind.
The Vineyards
Stellenbosch is
an area just outside of Cape Town marked with rolling hills and massive oak
trees. It’s here that many of the
country’s famous vineyard call home.
Although famous for its white wines, South Africa also produces a wide
range of reds, including the Pinotage variety with which I was not previously
familiar. Both the bachelorette party and the wedding were held at vineyards
(Neethlingshof and Noitgedacht, respectively) dating back a couple hundred years. Though our group traveled by taxi and bus, I think it would
be excellent to due a cycling tour of the region in order to have the time to
fully appreciate the scenery.
Shark Cage Diving
Since I’ll only
live once, I pushed my paralyzing fear of fish somewhere into the back of my
brain in order to take a swim with Jaws and friends. A handful of companies offer shark diving tours in and around
Gansbaai, about two to three hours from Cape Town. We selected a company called White Shark Adventures because they have continuous airflow (i.e. oxygen supply) in the cage. That means that you don’t have to hold
your breath when you go underwater and can take more time to observe the
sharks.
On the day of
our dive, which began at 4:30 AM with a sleepy ride out to Gansbaai, it was
unfortunately cool and overcast.
The clouds made quite a glare on the surface of the water so it was
tough to see sharks before they came to the surface near the boat. In all we saw three or four sharks,
between 3.5 and 5 meters in length, which is very few, according to the
boatmen. Likewise, they said that
the sharks we did see were quite small but I can assure you that they didn’t
seem in anyway little when they were less than arm’s length away in the cage!
The trip was really an awesome experience, no matter if it was an “off” day and
I would love to go back and do it again.
Geared up in wet-suits
and snorkel masks, we entered the cage in groups of six. I think it goes without saying that the
purpose of the cage is to protect you from the sharks and visa versa. The water was so cold at first that my
stomach dropped and I lost my breath. I can’t imagine what it would have been
like without the wetsuit, floating idly in the water for 20-30 minutes at a
time.
While in the
cage the boatmen throw chum, dead fish parts, blood and oil, in the water just
outside the cage. They also float
a tuna head on a line a few feet out. Once the sharks appear, they lure it
toward the cage with the tuna head. At one point I could have touched a shark
it was so close to the cage and fought every inclination to do so with some
difficulty.
The sharks are
much less scary than one would imagine. They are beautiful animals and
fantastically graceful in the water. Of those that we saw, none were in anyway
aggressive. Once they unfastened the tuna head from the line, they were on
their merry way. Much more
frightening, for me, were the HUNDREDS of other fish—the scaly, gross kind, of
different colors and sizes that swam right next to and sometimes into the
cage. Horrific!
Hermanus
This seaside
town is home to the groom’s father and is also where, once a year, pregnant whales
come to delivery their calves. We
stopped in Hermanus on the way back from Gaansbai and for a post-wedding brunch
and saw several whales on both occasions. It’s a cute spot for lunch and a
wander.
Safari
A few days after
the wedding the guests split off to various destinations. Anna, Joel and I
hopped on a flight to Johannesburg where we departed for a safari at Kruger
Park. Because my return flight to
Suriname was out of Cape Town, I didn’t have the opportunity to see
Johannesburg proper, or Sowetto (its most famous township), like the others,
but the safari was well worth it.
Our trio opted
for a three day, two night trip with Outlook Safari company. It was a perfect
amount of time in the park—we managed to see all of the “big five,” and the drive
out and back was equally enjoyable. Included in the package were transportation
to and from the airport, accommodation at the company’s tourist lodge outside
Johannesburg the night prior to departure, travel to and from the Kruger and
lodging and meals while in the park.
A variety of accommodation options are available, but we chose to stay
in tents in Kruger Park.
The weather at
the Kruger was hot, quite the contrast from mild, breezy Cape Town and
temperate Johannesburg. It was
much more of the “Africa” that I had envisioned prior to the trip. I was overwhelmed by just how many
animals we saw in the park. Having lived in Suriname for almost two years now,
I’ve only ever seen about ten or fifteen different kinds of wildlife. At the
Kruger, we saw more than ten different kinds of animals on the first day alone:
impala, kudu, water buffalo, zebras, elephants, giraffes, lions, hyenas,
chameleons, rhinos, yellow-billed southern hornbills, etc. Each evening we had
a three-course meal and as much wine as we could drink at the camp. The food was great, too: Fresh bread,
salads, kebabs, poached pears, barbequed ostrich, toffee pudding. Highlights
from our stay in the park included getting stuck in a water buffalo traffic
jam, getting charged by a young male elephant and seeing a leopard on our last
full day.
On the way back
to Jo-burg we stopped at God’s View, Lisbon Falls, the Three Rondavels and a little chalet
town in Mpumalanga whose name I can't remember (Dullstrom or Nelspruit maybe) just before Belfast. We missed the view at God’s
View because the mountains were completely enveloped in clouds. All that was forgotten,
though, after a very satisfying breakfast of pancakes, eggs and rooibos
lattes. Lisbon Falls was a few
kilometers further down the road.
A picturesque waterfall dropping into a cool, moss covered gorge. I
would have liked to hike down to the river, but time didn’t allow. Between Lisbon Falls and
the little chalet town, our lunch destination, we drove through rolling green hills dotted
with sheep and grey boulders. If you had told me we were in Ireland, I would
have believed you. Even in late spring it was very cool.
The town, whose name I cannot remember, was chalked full of restaurants and shops. For the Michiganders
among you, it reminded me of a combination of Gaylord (Michigan) and Chamonix
(France). We had lunch at a combination restaurant
and general store with a front room full of every kind of sweet treat you can
imagine. Mid-meal we had to come indoors because a cloud consumed the mountain
and the temperature dropped about ten degrees. We were caught in the ensuing storm for the remainder of the
drive back. Our driver smartly navigated the way through a barrage of hail and
blinding rain.
The Wedding
Since this was a
personal affair, I won’t go into the details. Suffice it to say that the venue
was perfect, the bride was stunning, the groom was dashing and the food and
music left nothing to the imagination. Ringa and Andrew have set the bar far
too high for the rest of us. Best
wishes to them as a married couple and many thanks for the opportunity to be a
part of it :)
Almost Done
At long last my
brain dump nears a close. I hope the anecdotes weren’t too mundane. I have seven months left in my Peace
Corps service and a three-week holiday in America with my loving family and
friends to look forward to. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next
entry! Photos forthcoming--I don't have time to upload them at the moment.
