Finally in South Africa!

Saturday, June 21
After over 24 hours of traveling, I landed in Cape Town at around 5pm. All of us were absolutely exhausted and feeling pretty gross in our day-old clothes. A woman from Stellenbosch University came to pick us up in a van and take us to the school where we would be living for the next 6 weeks. We arrived at the Concordia dorm for international students at around 6:30pm and we were told that we must be ready by 6:45pm to go to dinner with the other students. It was hectic, but we managed to pull ourselves together and meet up with the group. The restaurant, Col’ Cacchio, had pizza with really interesting toppings, and it was great to eat something not handed to me by a flight attendant. After dinner, my roommate and I went back to unpack our things and get settled in our flat before going to bed. The flat has three single bedrooms, 1.5 baths, and a small kitchenette. We have a great view of the dorm’s courtyard as well as some of the nearby mountains from the window.

Sunday, June 22
This morning we woke up early to go shopping for some essentials. Someone from Stellenbosch took us to a local strip mall with a grocery store, drug store, and a place to buy cell phones. We all stocked up on food and other necessities and bought phones, surprised how cheap everything was. The exchange rate is approximately 8 Rand (the S. African currency) to one US dollar. For comparison, a 12 oz. bottle of Coke or Diet Coke is approximately 8 Rand ($1.00). Once we got back and put away our groceries, we spent the rest of the day in orientation sessions and our first lecture. I definitely wasn’t ready to hit the classroom again, but I am sure I will get used to it. After another long day, we went back to our rooms and got ready for dinner with our program, including the South African students we would be working with. On the short bus ride to dinner we saw some animals on the side of the road. It would be pretty commonplace in the US to see horses or cows, but we saw zebras. It was pretty surreal. Dinner was at Moyo, a restaurant at one of the local wineries. It was an amazing buffet of traditional African food in a huge tent with a bunch space heaters; some of the food was a little too authentic for me…I’m not quite ready for ostrich, warthog, or springbok. There were traditional South African dancers and singers and people who came around to paint our faces. Overall, it was an amazing night, and I can’t wait to see more!

Monday, June 23
Today was another early morning. We were up at 8am to go to IT to have our laptops configured for the internet. Three whole days without gmail, Facebook, and AIM were pretty rough, but there was so much going on that I didn’t really notice it. We also learned that as Stellenbosch students we don’t get unlimited internet which came as a shock to most of us. But I guess in a country where most people don’t have a computer and many don’t know how to use one, the technology infrastructure isn’t what we’re used to. We also went on a tour of the beautiful campus, surrounded by mountains on all sides. After the tour, we were back to the classroom for a guest lecture on Black Economic Empowerment. The end of apartheid was in 1994, but the government is still enacting measures to incorporate the black and colored people into the economy and business community. I had a lot of reading to do for Tuesday’s class and put it off so I was up pretty late.

Tuesday, June 24
Today we had a lecture on consulting; the class is very interesting. The lectures are aimed at helping us to change the way we think about things when it comes to problem solving; these skills will come in handy when we are finally working with our clients in the townships. After the lecture, we got lunch at the student center…I got a chicken sandwich, a bag of chips, and an apple for $3. Once we finished eating, we boarded a bus to go to one of the nearby townships. Khayelitsha is a huge township of 1.5 million people. I didn’t know exactly what to expect before we went, but there are so many houses built so close together. Some people live in little huts with no indoor plumbing, and others live in little brick houses and have their own cars. We visited a few non-profits while we were there which focus on providing the local people with the skills they need to get jobs and make money for their family. Many of these people are also learning the necessary skill to start businesses. We visited one computer class in which the students were using Macs to do graphic design on InDesign. Many of the students were on Facebook or gmail…I guess not much is different even so far from home. The crafts made by the local people were so pretty and unique. Most of us bought beaded bracelets from one of the places; I would definitely like to go back to get some more stuff from them. We also visited a neighborhood in the shanty-town of Khayelitsha. Despite the fact that these people live in poverty, they were so happy to see us and so welcoming. The children especially loved our visit. Some of the young girls performed a traditional dance for us; afterward, we went to the little convenience store and bought pieces of hard candy for the 50 or so kids who had gathered around our group. As soon as we stepped out of the store with the candy, we were immediately swarmed with little children. It was a pretty overwhelming experience. Before it was time to leave, we stopped into the local bar (The Watering Hole) where you could buy 30 oz. beers for 8 Rand ($1) so we each bought one to do our part for the local economy. On the way back to Stellenbosch, we stopped at another township to get dinner. The food was an amazing buffet. After dinner we all hung out around a fire while some South Africans played drums and guitar. It was a very relaxing end to a busy day.

Wednesday, June 25
Today was much more relaxing than the last few. We had our lecture in the morning, but I had the afternoon free. After class, I got lunch with some other people in the program then went back to my room for a quick nap. When I woke up, a few of us went down to the town to explore the center. It’s about a 10 minute walk from the dorms to the center. The weather was beautiful…about 75 and sunny so we didn’t mind walking. We didn’t really have anything specific to do so it was nice just wandering and getting a feel for the area. We visited a local craft market where they have all different things from around Africa. I got a tapestry for $15 that I can hang on my wall to cover up this Spartan dorm room. Overall, it was a good, relaxing day, but I have a lot reading to do for tomorrow’s class. I am also anxious about meeting with both of my group’s clients tomorrow in the Khayelitsha Township.