Molweni

1. Lion's Head Peak, Cape Town

2. Sunset over Camp's Bay, Cape Town

3. Table Mountain, Cape Town

I know it has taken me a little bit to get this first post up, and for that I do apologize. We don’t have internet in our house yet so I have indeed been lazy about blogging. But this will be an extra long one to make up for it…

So this is the start of Day 9 in Cape Town and all 8 until this point have been action-packed. I’ll start with the small amount of bad news and move toward the better. The mood of the country is very dark right now. The violence and recent xenophobic attacks have cooled, but have left large scars. Refugee camps are being constructed outside of Cape Town to house the nearly 20,000 foreign-born Africans that have fled or been forced out of their communities in the southern portion of the country. Unfortunately, many of these families now want to leave South Africa as soon as possible. Until now, South Africa was known as “the Rainbow Nation” for its past acceptance of all peoples and extremely multicultural landscape. Many have speculated that this crisis speculates the end of the “honeymoon” of the fall of apartheid, when South Africa realizes that although equal by law, the country is still heavily and unequally divided by race. Many are frustrated, and a hotly contested presidential election awaits later this year. Some of the country’s largest papers are already calling for the current President’s resignation.

I recently attended a rally against the xenophobic attacks, in which some of the leaders in the Cape Town community spoke about the new challenges facing South Africa and the possibilities for reversing the inequalities that manifested themselves through the disgraceful actions of the last weeks. I hope this mood overpowers the feelings of hatred and frustration that currently hold such a toxic grip upon the country.

Other bad news thus far is that Sanford, Sarah, and I had a slight airport emergency when arriving in Johannesburg for our connection flight to Cape Town. The airline we were booked on went out of business a month and a half ago, but no one bothered to let us know. Luckily we found a rush flight into the Cape for $100, but it was a bit of a startling beginning to our stay here. So the lesson here for all world travelers: Double-check the existence of your airline company before leaving if you book a flight on Orbitz!

On to the good news! Cape Town is quite possibly one of the most beautiful cities in the world. (See sunset and Table Mountain pictures…) I have seen random sections of the city, but all have been equally breathtaking. Unfortunately it will soon be full-blown winter here, but the weather has been mild thus far. Walking out my front door every morning I can look up to see the peak of Lion’s Head, one of the many mountains towering over the city.

The people of South Africa are warm and welcoming, and the youth I have met thus far are so in tune with their country and its triumphs and struggles. I have a lot of exposure to the culture of people that live in and near Cape Town, the Xhosa (say it with a tongue click!)

Hard to ignore is the disparity between the beauty of the city and the terrible conditions in the townships of shacks that surround it. There are huge populations of incredibly impoverished people, commonly living without electricity or running water, within a 10 minute drive of the city’s edge. The schools in these communities are serviced by the organization I am working for.

Working with SAEP is fantastic, relaxed and challenging. I’m surrounded by a very positive environment of great and fun people. Right now the SAEP family of twenty-somethings includes myself, Sanford, Sarah, Liz, and Seychelle from the USA, Heloise & Pauline from France, Mark from the UK, Isabel from Germany, and Danielle, two Asandas, and Zandile from South Africa. Sanford and I have dubbed our office “The Nucleus” and can be heard singing Neil Diamond and Chicago tunes throughout the day.

12 Cambridge Rd: The house that Sarah, Sanford, and I are staying in is very nice, and has been home to a few appetizer and wine nights with Heloise, Pauline, and our French roommate Antoine (complete with French soundtrack.)

Other fun stuff about South Africa: traffic lights are called “robots,” great South African wine is about $4 a bottle, there are a lot of British accents, and Nando’s fast food chain serves amazing chicken & rice bowls.

I used most of my first weekend in the city driving out to the refugee mini-camps or at a donation center, but we slipped out to Camp’s Bay on Sunday evening (near the Cape of Good Hope, the southern-most tip of Africa) with Heloise and Pauline to see this amazing sunset and walk in the cold ocean. We also went to an Africa Day celebration to hear some good local music, enjoy the sunshine, and make ourselves targets for pigeon poop (Sanford got hit.)

So all in all, life is great and I am truly enjoying the adventure.

More stories soon!

much love,

ryan

1. Tiny Ryan & Tiny Heloise in a place that looks far more natural than it really was... Camp's Bay, Cape Town

2. Cold, swirly ocean

3. Dinner at 12 Cambridge Rd!