Week 7...

So the 18th marked the milestone of being abroad for two months- wahooo! I figured two months in is the appropriate time to acknowledge that I'm a bit homesick. Not a crippling "I want to sit in my room and cry all night" kind of homesickness, but a definite "I sometimes crave vegan chili from Lowry" type of homesickness. Since I don't really have wifi except in coffee shops it has been really difficult contacting family, friends, and most of all my poppa. And when I check facebook (which is evil I'm still convinced) I get bummed when I see everyone partying it up without me! I think this feeling will definitely pass though and this feeling only reaffirms to me my decision to do a program that jumps from place to place. Whenever I feel a bit down I just have to wait a few days to immerse myself in the excitement of traveling to the next place! And coincidentally enough, I am leaving the beautiful Bo-Kaap this evening and moving to the township of Langa (which is about 15 minutes outside of the central city). 

 But anyways, more about this past week! Despite these crazy insane South-Easter winds that apparently no one is phased by besides us Americans, Cape Town is still just as amazing as when I stepped foot off the plane. I think our professors have eased up a bit on our workload and we as a group are less stressed than we were in Sao Paulo. School-wise, we had guest lecturers come and speak to us about Crime, Transportation, Migration, and Economics within the city, which were all surprisingly thought-provoking and well presented. 

I left off my last post saying that I was heading to Mzoli's, which is a giant brai place in the township of Gugulethu. I went with my friends Allegra and Libbe and were immediately in love with the place. We waited 45 minutes in line, picked out some delicious cuts of rib, chicken, and sausage, and watched as it was barbecued right in front of us! Allegra being the charming girl that she is met Mzoli himself and SOMEHOW got us into the VIP seating section. We sat, stuffed our faces, and danced the day away with some random South African TV star. What a ridiculous day. 

Monday we took trips to different townships in an attempt to better understand the housing crisis that is facing Cape Town. Myself and eight other students traveled to Vahalla Park in the Cape Flats, where we met Auntie Gertie, her daughter Miena, and a bevy of incredibly impressive women who fought teeth and nail to get noticed by the government. Many people in Cape Town who live in informal homes have been on a wait list for 10, 15, 20+ years and are forced to remain in their backyard shanties or informal shacks. The women in Vahalla Park were tired of this oversight by the government and staged a stand-in in the laundry mat that involved almost all of the community. Forced to address the ever-growing protest, city officials finally rescinded and built a huge outdoor recreation area, improved the library, and made plans for more housing units in the community. There we were taken on a tour of the community (we had to stay in the van because we were told it was unsafe for us to walk around) and were invited into Auntie Gertie's home. Inside I had a great talk with her 30-something daughter Miena, who was supporting her three children on a limited budget. We immediately bonded and she told me as I was leaving that she wanted to tell me everything about herself because she could tell I had a pure soul. It was honestly one of the nicest compliments I have ever received and made my heart swell. We are meeting for tea next week hopefully! 

Wednesday we did not have class since it was Eid Mubarak. My host sister Natalie and I spent the morning in a coffee shop to grab a bit of internet and then climbed in the back of our host dad's pick up truck to go to our host sisters home. Auntie Zee had spent all of Tuesday, Tuesday night, and Wednesday morning cooking, so we knew we were in for a treat. Natalie and I were floored when we arrived at her sisters house. We had expected to eat in a cramped apartment much like the one we are living in, but instead found ourselves in an absolutely beautiful home in the Cape Flats that had a pool, a huge flatscreen, and a live-in maid. I did not expect to spend much time in homes that were "extravagant" while I was abroad and was a bit uncomfortable eating roti (this delicious pancake served with curry) while people pranced around in heels. Natalie and I were both super thankful though to be included in a celebration such as this, especially since I will not be home for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We also forced ourselves to do a few ab exercises to make up for the amount of food we ingested. 

My favorite day by far was Saturday. I have felt super lethargic, lazy, and frustrated about the lack of energy/time I have to exercise while I'm abroad. Five of us decided to bone up and climb Table Mountain. We left around 2:45 and after a harrowing two and a half our hike finally made it up. It was the hardest hike that I have ever done and was not made easier by the fact that I am super out of shape. After huffing and puffing our way to the top we realized that it was 100% worth it. The clouds were literally pouring over us and I felt like I was in Avatar… Pictures can not do the climb justice, but climbing Table Mountain is something everyone should do once in their life. Just saying. 

I have to jet because I have lots of packing to do before Langa and limited internet but as per usual I promise to do a more in depth post next week!

Eid dinner with Zaraa and Dexter!

Climbing Table Mountain...

SO FREAKING PRETTY

I can't. 

Weeeeee

 Allegra, Libbe, and I at Mzoli's

Warning: NSFW...