Molwueni!! (aka, hello, to more than one person in Afrikans!) Fear not, despite my lack of blogging for the past 48 hours, I am alive! I supposed I could do a brief recap of the past few days…
The first full day as a group in Cape Town we did a tour of the city. We started the tour at The Castle of Good Hope, which is South Africa’s oldest surviving building (too bad I cant remember the year…) built by the Dutch, shortly after arriving at the Cape. We got there right as they were doing the changing of the guards which was rather neat to see.
From the top of the fourt: in the center is Table Mtn, currently under the clouds
They took us down to the basement of the building, which had a “room” which salves were kept before transport. There are about 30 of us in our group and it was a tight fit for us in the room, then the guide informed us that over 200 slaves were kept in the room at one time. In the middle of the room was a 3ftx1ft hole, which was used for ventilation and the bathroom. It was rather eye-opening.
After the castle, we headed to the District 6 Museum. District 6 was a black (anyone who was not white was considered black during apartheid) community near the city center who’s inhabitants were forcefully removed to the cities periphery, mostly to Cape Flats, during apartheid. The area was supposed to be zoned for white housing, all of the homes were destroyed but nothing was ever built on the land, which now sits abandoned.
Quote on the floor of hte museum I found intresting:
After the Museum, we went to the suburb of Langa Township which is one of the many areas in South Africa that was designated for Black Africans before the apartheid era. It is the oldest of such suburbs in Cape Town and was the location of much resistance to apartheid. Cape Town is very westernized puts a bit of a shield over your eyes as to what South African culture and community really is. Lanka painted a true picture of the way many of the people of SRA live, but even within this community you could see the different classes that formed among the community.
This woman is working with hte chopped heads of lamb, they cook the discarded heads and eat whatever they can get form them
Kids playing with tops in the common yard area
One of hte apartements, there are 4 or 5 aparentments that share a common kitchen/eating area/laundry that is as equall sparse as the room. If they have children, the kids sleep in the rooms, and the parents on the tables in the kitchen, to protect them
One of our professors bought oranges in their "market" to take back to the hotel. The children swamed him to try to get some for themselves
There was a really neat community center, where we were treated to South African Music (which is really enjoyable, even for someone with no rhythm.) They had students playing instruments and doing the native dance but I decided to skip that, I don’t think Howard is ready for that on Day 1! They also had some really cool artwork, I bought my picture for the trip – a awesome giraffe, made of sand on canvas! What was cool about the center was that all of the artists there lived in the community for free, but they were required to teach their trade to the younger members of the community.
Music the children played in hte community center
Today, we had our first full day of classes. I am planning on taking three classes while I am here: International Business (IBT); Comparative Constitutional Law (CCL); and Human Rights/Sustainable Development (HRSD). IBT and HRSD are tough by professors from Howard, they both seems rather nice although out HRSD professor may be the most outspoken liberal I have ever met. To each their own, but my one problem with it is that half of our class is made up of South African Students, and the rather outlandish comments he is making is the only views that these students are getting which I do not think is right (today he was said that when during the most recent market drop, people were “jumping out of windows because they felt they could not go on with their lives if their net worth dropped from 8 million to 6 million dollars.” And that “the stock market is not something that American people can use to judge our economy because there are so many supposedly American companies who do business outside America.”) BUT, on a positive note he is allowing me to read a book (The Empathic Civilization, Jeremy Rifkin –oh boy I’m gonna die!) and write a reflection on it as opposed to doing half of the final, which will satisfy the writing requirement that Marquette Requires for my prospective requirement, therefore 4 credits will transfer not as electives but as fulfillments of required classes!
The exciting class will be CCL (I never though the words exciting and conlaw would come out of my mouth - or type, you know what I mean!) which is taught by Justice Albe Sach’s, one of the framers of South Africa’s constitution and Justice of the Supreme Court. His life story is rather amazing, he was a white member of ANC, and a huge part of the Apartheid movement. He lost his right arm and eye in a car bomb that was placed in his vehicle by South African Security because og his involvement with the ANC. The reading for the class is his most recent book The Strange Alchemy of Life and Law. Between the prologue and the first 20 pages I am hooked and recommend it to anyone looking for a good, yet rather serious, read.
After class Jameelah, tuunne (Tune) and I went ot the City Center (Downtown) to walk around for the afternoon. We saw the Adderley Street Flower market and walked around Green Market Square Square and had lunch on Long Street. On the way back to the hotel we hopped in a Taxi van, not to be mistaken with a taxi, which was a really fun experience. The way the Taxi vans work is that they park on busy street corners and pick up riders for 5 Rand (less than a dollar) and takes you to anywhere in the city limits, but on the way they are always looking for new fares. People jump in and out of the van’s all the time and it takes a more indirect route which goes through the residential areas of Cape Town. There is a guy in the van whose sole job is to constantly be yelling out the window looking for new riders. It was a really fun experience and much less experience than taking a taxi!
Adderley Flower Market
Some shots from Green Market Square
OH, and how could I forget about a roommate/life update. Jameelah is one my suitemates and she is great. She goes to Hamline law in MSP, and worked for 3M for 4 years after she got her masters in engineering. The other suitemates are also very nice, in fact last night they sat me down and tough me about the difference between weaves, braids and twists; relaxers and perms, sewn in extensions and braided in and a plethora of other knowledge that I am sure will totally *never* come in handy in my life. I will say (yes mom and B I am saying this) it drives me absolutely crazy if anyone leaves their dishes ect., or just leave their dishes in the sink after they make something! I am proud to say that after neatly unpacking I have made my bed every morning, washed each dish upon using it, put away my clothes every day and whenever I am done with something I put it back (even in my own room!) I know its hard to belive!
I MISS EVERYONE, especially Mr Boo, Night, Trity and Ozz Man!
I was supposed to go Shark Diving tomorrow, but due to the large ocean swells that are coming in my dive was pushed back to next weekend… BOOOOO. Instead, I am going to climb Table Mountain which overlooks the entire city of Cape Town. I promise tomorrows blog will be much more entertaining, and not as long, I mean after all it is me attempting to climb up AND DOWN a mountain!
