Waking up at 4 am I ran upstairs to watch us enter the Saigon River from the South China Sea. I soon realized that there was not much to see in the dark and went back to bed until 6 when the sun came up. Riding up the river was quite exciting- somewhat of a jungle cruise only we shared the water with dozens of smaller fishing boats. We docked in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) around 9 am and were greeted with a mound of mail to sort (one of our jobs as Life Long Learners). Once free of our duties, my friend Nichole and I set out to explore the city on our own.
We took a cab to the “backpacker” area of the 9 million person city (although there is debate as to where the city actually ends and some estimate the population to be as high as 20 million) in a country of 86 million. Also commonly called “motor bike city” there are 4 million registered scooters, mopeds, motorcycles, etc. in Saigon. We looked around at a couple hostels before choosing a suitable room with its own bathroom and a double bed- yes, we could have slept on the ship (which might have been my preference) but I do feel like I had a more authentic Vietnamese experience by staying there ($9 a night for each of us!) We left our things at the hotel and took off to explore the city on our own.
We first visited the War Remnants museum. Very cool, undoubtedly my favorite part of Ho Chi Minh City. Unfortunately it was under reconstruction while we were there, but the ground floor exhibit was still very impressive. I was surprised to learn from the students that they knew extremely little about the Vietnam War. After a few days, I came to the conclusion that we are just far apart enough in age that our parents are different generations. And while my dad and uncle had draft numbers, their parents were still in elementary or middle school. While I feel that I have always been aware of the Vietnam War (and its music J), most of my knowledge comes from a couple of classes in the Honors College at U of O that specifically studied the war, protests, and rhetoric of that time. The focal points of the museum for me were the many pictures depicting the consequences of war. Close ups, soldiers, aerial photos of forests wiped out, victims of chemical warfare, etc. They also had a number of US airplanes and tanks that had been shot down or bombed.
One very neat story I’d like to share I learned the next day from a local. Regarding one of the pictures in the museum- a quite famous picture of a woman running down a road naked after having been exposed to a napalm bomb. She was naked because the chemicals literally burned the clothing off of her body. She subsequently moved to Toronto and now works for the UN. The photographer of that picture actually won a Pulitzer prize for his photo and the local man also had a picture of the photographer and the woman meeting Queen Elizabeth! About ten years ago the US pilot who dropped the bomb in that specific area (a town close to the temple we went to the next day) learned about her and asked to meet her to ask for her forgiveness. She agreed and I got to see the picture of them reuniting for the first time as well.
We wandered down through the streets on our way to the market. On the way we passed a set of park blocks almost identical to Portland! I took a picture to document the similarity. The market ended up being strikingly similar to most of the markets we have seen before. Not really needing any trinkets, we did somewhat of a quick walk through. While it is cool to see all of the unique fish and meat available to buy, it is also quite smelly J. We stopped in a tailor store just to look around and walked back out with dresses ordered- ready to be picked up the next day-a tailored dress for $35! We carried on back to the “backpacker” district and found a place to sit outside for a drink. Truly great people watching- I think it was the most diverse group of nationalities I have seen on this trip yet. Travelers young and old wandered the streets, some with backpacks and other clearly staying in nicer places.
After a rather warm day, we showered and got ready for dinner. SAS had a list of suggested restaurants around the city and so we took a cab to a recommended establishment in a restored Vietnamese house. Soon we realized that though we were in a nice restaurant, it was in the center of the Japanese brothel district of town. We enjoyed a nice dinner before promptly returning back to our hostel in the “backpacker” district.
The next day we rose early and joined a driver and guide (arranged by our hotel for us) and took off on our three hour drive to the Cao Ming Temple. Our guide, Jimmy, about 50 years of age, was a hoot and loved telling us all about his homeland. The temple we went to was particularly interesting. It was built for the indigenous religion of Caodaism (the product of an attempt to create the ideal religion with aspects of Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, Islam, Christianity and native Vietnamese spirits). Worshippers of Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism gather to pray there together at 6am, 12pm, 6pm and 12am daily. While most of the worshippers are dressed in all white, the officials wear one of three colors (red, blue, or yellow) depending on their specific religion. The temple was very colorful, lots of dragons, and we were there in time to observe the 12pm chanting/prayer. We had a fantastic lunch at a local’s place near the temple. High up in our own tree house we dined on sweet and sour tofu, steamed vegetables and rice. I’m finally getting good at chopsticks!
Our next stop was the famed Cu Chi Tunnels- a 200km long system of tunnels built underground and used in times of war. “From the mid-1940s onward, the tunnels were used as a base from which the Viet Cong could launch strategic attacks and then seemingly disappear into thin air. The tunnels had well-hidden entrances and thick roofs which were capable of withstanding the weight of tanks and the impact of bombs. Most of the tunnels are 2 feet wide and 4 feet high.” We first viewed a video about the tunnels with authentic footage from the war. It was particularly interesting to hear the narration that had a very anti-American point of view, but also a sense of very legitimate pride. The Cu Chi people were protecting their land and were able to fight off well trained and equipped armies with only their own hand made weapons and tunnel system. We had the opportunity to see a number of the original bamboo traps as well as climb through the tunnels. The main tunnel for tourists has four exits- I only made it to the first one until my claustrophobia set in and I raced up to daylight, however Nichole was a trooper and made it all the way through- you literally have to crawl through 2 by 2.5 foot openings 8 meters underground- no thank you! There is also the opportunity to shoot AK 47s and other guns at a shooting range, but it didn’t really seem appropriate to me so I skipped that opportunity (plus the targets were large bunny posters!) Before our drive back to town we sampled a local staple- tapioca root dipped in crushed peanuts with sugar and salt. This interesting treat reminded me of a sweet potato but slightly stringier.
That night we met a fellow American at dinner near our hostel who is a pilot, Joe, from LA. He went to Embry-Riddle and has been flying for Delta for the last few years, however with the economic slump pilots are being given as much unpaid leave as they like. So being able to fly all over the world for practically free, he is taking advantage of the recession and seeing as much of the world as possible. After dinner I picked up my dress and we hit the hay as we had to rise early to get back to the ship for our trip to Cambodia!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Thailand!
My trip around Thailand was absolutely unbelievable! The way that the people of India really shaped my Indian experience, the landscape is undoubtedly what I will remember the most about Thailand. Never have I seen such incredible limestone cliffs and islands covered with lush jungle vegetation. I went on a five day independent trip with 90 other students that had been organized on Facebook. The tour company did an incredible job packing our days full of unique experiences, while also providing a less rigid schedule than that of the usual SAS trips. On a personal note, I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to meet and make friends with students as I often find myself hanging out with staff friends on SAS trips.
Our first day, two large double decker buses picked us up at the port of Laem Chabbang, for our two hour drive to Bangkok. The port is in an industrial area 30 minutes outside of Laem Chabbang, while not a great city to port in, it is the only one that allows ships our size. Thailand is roughly the size of Spain and has a population of 63 million. The central area of Bangkok, a city of 8 million, has a river and canal system similar to Venice. We arrived in Bangkok and took a boat taxi to a large restaurant that looked out on the main river. There they had a massive buffet of all sorts of Thai delights set up for us. I was quite impressed with all of the Thai food I had on my trip. While fearful of things being too spicy, I was pleasantly surprised by Thai foods five elements- spicy, sweet, bitter, sour, and salty. Rice with curry sauces and pad Thai noodles with chicken or tofu were staples of our trip. We also tried dragon fruit- a relative of kiwi I think – a red fruit the size of a small cantaloupe with green spikes coming out of it, while the inside is the white with black seeds similar to a kiwi. We left lunch and walked by the grand palace on our way back to the bus. Our one hour flight to Phuket included a three course meal – while most of us weren’t hungry, it was still interesting to see the difference in service.
Phuket is an island off the south tip of Thailand. While accessible from a bridge connected to the mainland- a flight was much faster than what would be a 550 mile drive from Bangkok. Phuket is about miles wide and miles long. Mostly a tourist destination, the lush vegetation is dotted with beaches and hotels. We stayed at a great resort, DuangJitt, about 2 blocks from the beach. We didn’t get in until rather late, but I ended up with a great roommate named Katie. I went out to dinner with a group of students- one of whom I know because her cousin was one of my corps members this past summer at Institute. We had great Thai food and mai tais served in pineapples. The live entertainment was truly something else! A ten person group that covered pretty much any top ten song from America’s charts in the last thirty years. We had a quick drink at a Tiki bar on the way back to the hotel before resting up for the next day.
We rose early to board 14 person vans and take off on a 2 hour drive north off of the island. I had met one of the girls in my van before, and became friends with the other ten people by later in the day. Somewhat out of my comfort zone, I was pleased to not have a staff member to just stick with. We first did an inflatable canoe trip through the jungle under limestone cliffs. We had men who paddled for us- pointing out frogs, birds, flowers, etc. At one point we stopped to swing off a large branch into the water. Apparently all of my pushups in yoga are not paying off as much as I might have hoped, because I didn’t hold on tight enough and ended up cutting my foot on a rock. Before judging my decision to jump into a river in the Thai jungle, keep in mind that the other 89 people safely landed in the water, so it’s not that it was an unsafe decision as much as an unlucky result. However, thanks to Mom I have many a band aid and my foot is almost healed (the doctor on board checked it out and said it looks good.) The cliffs were in incredible! 90 degree straight limestone cliffs with the jungle growing up on either side loomed over us. After our two hour boat ride we loaded up in the vans and headed to a Thai lunch at a jungle restaurant. There I tried my first fried pineapple and fried sweet potatoes that were delicious!
Next we were off to ride elephants through the jungle! Each elephant had its own guide and could hold up to two people on the seat attached to their bodies. I was worried about how they might treat the elephants, but was pleased to see that the elephants were quite well trained and responded to barked Thai orders. Each of the guides also had a stick with a metal hook on it in case the elephant didn’t respond to orders, but fortunately I didn’t witness it being used. I ended up with my own elephant because we were an odd number. We rode for about an hour altogether through small rivers, muddy terrain, lush grass and rocky creeks. I was also excited to see rubber trees lining the trek with their bowls full of white sap! We took a break halfway and wandered up to a waterfall while the elephants played in the water. On the ride back I got to ride on my elephant’s neck! Holding onto its massive skull it had cute prickly black hair sprouting out of its head. Ten minutes from the end, we were inundated by a full on jungle downpour! Once again, I truly felt like Aunty Mama in my trek around the world.
That night we went out to a rather famous Cabaret show with all male dancers- all the girls were actually boys J, That night we went out to Mexican food, which although not truly authentic Thai, it was a delicious treat that reminded me of home.
The next day (St. Patrick’s Day!) we rose early again and drove to the northeast corner of the island to board a boat. We had about 50 people on our boat for the day- the back of the boat filled with blow up canoes for later. We took a 30 minute ride out to James Bond Island- where they filmed part of Man with a Golden Gun back in the day. Phuket has 42 smaller islands that also belong to it which are incredible! Like nothing I have seen! Limestone cliffs covered with vegetation just popping out of the blue water. We spent half an hour exploring the small island before taking off to our next. At the next point we stopped and boarded our canoes- each one had a man paddling for you and two students. We went through some incredible tunnels/caves that opened up into open water areas inside of an island. However, this experience only prepared us for the next island! At our next island we went through a small tunnel/cave that took about 15 minutes to get through to get to the center area with open daylight. We had to lie completely flat in our canoe as the cave’s ceiling literally came inches over our faces at certain points. If anyone is claustrophobic at all- this is not the trip for you! We then entered an incredible inner bay with open sky above. The boys got out to climb on the trees- that water was pretty shallow- about a meter. One kid, Murphy, ended up getting bit on the wrist by a snake- he had two big fang mark cuts! (On the boat they had a wash to treat it- it wasn’t poisonous.) We were fortunate that of all the people on our trip, he is probably the most laid back and least worried- if it had been a girl- I am quite sure the boat would have been commandeered back to the main land to a hospital. On the way back out of the cave we were stuck in one place for about 15 minutes with only our little flashlight to see, as a large line of German tourists were coming in. (During this time I had to keep reminding myself that tsunamis are very rare and not to worry, haha.) We made it out alive and got to jump off the boat a few times before boarding.
We had a delicious Thai lunch onboard as we headed out to a larger island. I was sitting up in the front of the ship and could see huge jelly fish in the water as we zoomed by. We arrived at a beautiful beach to swim around at, but unfortunately we only had about 30 minutes there before we had to head back to Phuket. Arriving back at the hotel, a few of us went to get ridiculously inexpensive massages. I had a back and shoulder massage that I have to say was quite painful- I think I have a low tolerance for elbows sticking into my back, haha. That night we went out on the town to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the local pubs and bars.
Much of our fourth day was taken up by our traveling back to Bangkok. Upon arrival we made it to our hotel and then I wandered to meet up with my friend Janetta (one of the counselor’s onboard) at another hotel (that looked 2 blocks away on my map, but was a good 2 mile walk!) A student joined us for dinner for a unique Thai/Mexican dinner. We wandered on to the notable “Night Market” where you can buy pretty much anything you might ever need. Think Saturday market times fifty. I found a few small bargains before it closed at midnight and we headed back.
The next day we had a whirl-wind tour of Bangkok. Beginning with a river tour and ending at the Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha temple. It was hot!!! Without the nice Phuket breeze to cool us, we realized just how warm Thailand can be. Nonetheless, the palace buildings were truly impressive and fun to see. Thais are extremely proud of their royalty and revere them greatly. We took a two hour bus back to the ship where we were happily greeted by cold showers and our own beds. Thailand is probably one of my favorite countries to date. While a major part of India was experiencing the people, I feel that visiting Thailand I was overwhelmed by the unbelievable landscape. I am surprised that I have not heard more about Thailand as a travel destination in the past as I would highly recommend it to others! India blog still coming! Thank you for reading! -Rose.
Our first day, two large double decker buses picked us up at the port of Laem Chabbang, for our two hour drive to Bangkok. The port is in an industrial area 30 minutes outside of Laem Chabbang, while not a great city to port in, it is the only one that allows ships our size. Thailand is roughly the size of Spain and has a population of 63 million. The central area of Bangkok, a city of 8 million, has a river and canal system similar to Venice. We arrived in Bangkok and took a boat taxi to a large restaurant that looked out on the main river. There they had a massive buffet of all sorts of Thai delights set up for us. I was quite impressed with all of the Thai food I had on my trip. While fearful of things being too spicy, I was pleasantly surprised by Thai foods five elements- spicy, sweet, bitter, sour, and salty. Rice with curry sauces and pad Thai noodles with chicken or tofu were staples of our trip. We also tried dragon fruit- a relative of kiwi I think – a red fruit the size of a small cantaloupe with green spikes coming out of it, while the inside is the white with black seeds similar to a kiwi. We left lunch and walked by the grand palace on our way back to the bus. Our one hour flight to Phuket included a three course meal – while most of us weren’t hungry, it was still interesting to see the difference in service.
Phuket is an island off the south tip of Thailand. While accessible from a bridge connected to the mainland- a flight was much faster than what would be a 550 mile drive from Bangkok. Phuket is about miles wide and miles long. Mostly a tourist destination, the lush vegetation is dotted with beaches and hotels. We stayed at a great resort, DuangJitt, about 2 blocks from the beach. We didn’t get in until rather late, but I ended up with a great roommate named Katie. I went out to dinner with a group of students- one of whom I know because her cousin was one of my corps members this past summer at Institute. We had great Thai food and mai tais served in pineapples. The live entertainment was truly something else! A ten person group that covered pretty much any top ten song from America’s charts in the last thirty years. We had a quick drink at a Tiki bar on the way back to the hotel before resting up for the next day.
We rose early to board 14 person vans and take off on a 2 hour drive north off of the island. I had met one of the girls in my van before, and became friends with the other ten people by later in the day. Somewhat out of my comfort zone, I was pleased to not have a staff member to just stick with. We first did an inflatable canoe trip through the jungle under limestone cliffs. We had men who paddled for us- pointing out frogs, birds, flowers, etc. At one point we stopped to swing off a large branch into the water. Apparently all of my pushups in yoga are not paying off as much as I might have hoped, because I didn’t hold on tight enough and ended up cutting my foot on a rock. Before judging my decision to jump into a river in the Thai jungle, keep in mind that the other 89 people safely landed in the water, so it’s not that it was an unsafe decision as much as an unlucky result. However, thanks to Mom I have many a band aid and my foot is almost healed (the doctor on board checked it out and said it looks good.) The cliffs were in incredible! 90 degree straight limestone cliffs with the jungle growing up on either side loomed over us. After our two hour boat ride we loaded up in the vans and headed to a Thai lunch at a jungle restaurant. There I tried my first fried pineapple and fried sweet potatoes that were delicious!
Next we were off to ride elephants through the jungle! Each elephant had its own guide and could hold up to two people on the seat attached to their bodies. I was worried about how they might treat the elephants, but was pleased to see that the elephants were quite well trained and responded to barked Thai orders. Each of the guides also had a stick with a metal hook on it in case the elephant didn’t respond to orders, but fortunately I didn’t witness it being used. I ended up with my own elephant because we were an odd number. We rode for about an hour altogether through small rivers, muddy terrain, lush grass and rocky creeks. I was also excited to see rubber trees lining the trek with their bowls full of white sap! We took a break halfway and wandered up to a waterfall while the elephants played in the water. On the ride back I got to ride on my elephant’s neck! Holding onto its massive skull it had cute prickly black hair sprouting out of its head. Ten minutes from the end, we were inundated by a full on jungle downpour! Once again, I truly felt like Aunty Mama in my trek around the world.
That night we went out to a rather famous Cabaret show with all male dancers- all the girls were actually boys J, That night we went out to Mexican food, which although not truly authentic Thai, it was a delicious treat that reminded me of home.
The next day (St. Patrick’s Day!) we rose early again and drove to the northeast corner of the island to board a boat. We had about 50 people on our boat for the day- the back of the boat filled with blow up canoes for later. We took a 30 minute ride out to James Bond Island- where they filmed part of Man with a Golden Gun back in the day. Phuket has 42 smaller islands that also belong to it which are incredible! Like nothing I have seen! Limestone cliffs covered with vegetation just popping out of the blue water. We spent half an hour exploring the small island before taking off to our next. At the next point we stopped and boarded our canoes- each one had a man paddling for you and two students. We went through some incredible tunnels/caves that opened up into open water areas inside of an island. However, this experience only prepared us for the next island! At our next island we went through a small tunnel/cave that took about 15 minutes to get through to get to the center area with open daylight. We had to lie completely flat in our canoe as the cave’s ceiling literally came inches over our faces at certain points. If anyone is claustrophobic at all- this is not the trip for you! We then entered an incredible inner bay with open sky above. The boys got out to climb on the trees- that water was pretty shallow- about a meter. One kid, Murphy, ended up getting bit on the wrist by a snake- he had two big fang mark cuts! (On the boat they had a wash to treat it- it wasn’t poisonous.) We were fortunate that of all the people on our trip, he is probably the most laid back and least worried- if it had been a girl- I am quite sure the boat would have been commandeered back to the main land to a hospital. On the way back out of the cave we were stuck in one place for about 15 minutes with only our little flashlight to see, as a large line of German tourists were coming in. (During this time I had to keep reminding myself that tsunamis are very rare and not to worry, haha.) We made it out alive and got to jump off the boat a few times before boarding.
We had a delicious Thai lunch onboard as we headed out to a larger island. I was sitting up in the front of the ship and could see huge jelly fish in the water as we zoomed by. We arrived at a beautiful beach to swim around at, but unfortunately we only had about 30 minutes there before we had to head back to Phuket. Arriving back at the hotel, a few of us went to get ridiculously inexpensive massages. I had a back and shoulder massage that I have to say was quite painful- I think I have a low tolerance for elbows sticking into my back, haha. That night we went out on the town to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the local pubs and bars.
Much of our fourth day was taken up by our traveling back to Bangkok. Upon arrival we made it to our hotel and then I wandered to meet up with my friend Janetta (one of the counselor’s onboard) at another hotel (that looked 2 blocks away on my map, but was a good 2 mile walk!) A student joined us for dinner for a unique Thai/Mexican dinner. We wandered on to the notable “Night Market” where you can buy pretty much anything you might ever need. Think Saturday market times fifty. I found a few small bargains before it closed at midnight and we headed back.
The next day we had a whirl-wind tour of Bangkok. Beginning with a river tour and ending at the Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha temple. It was hot!!! Without the nice Phuket breeze to cool us, we realized just how warm Thailand can be. Nonetheless, the palace buildings were truly impressive and fun to see. Thais are extremely proud of their royalty and revere them greatly. We took a two hour bus back to the ship where we were happily greeted by cold showers and our own beds. Thailand is probably one of my favorite countries to date. While a major part of India was experiencing the people, I feel that visiting Thailand I was overwhelmed by the unbelievable landscape. I am surprised that I have not heard more about Thailand as a travel destination in the past as I would highly recommend it to others! India blog still coming! Thank you for reading! -Rose.
Friday, March 13, 2009
South Africa Part 3 of 3
My third day in South Africa was undoubtedly the most eye-opening and rewarding. I participated in an SAS service trip with an organization named Operation Hunger. With locations across South Africa, Operation Hunger is a small, but critically important, privately funded non-profit. Its goal is to supplement the diet of children in the townships. Most children eat plain bread or biscuits (the equivalent of a dried out English muffin) with tea for nearly all of their meals. Operation Hunger tries to provide one or two heartier meals each week to as many township children as possible. Ideally, they try to provide protein in the form of chicken or cheese. However, more common is a soup that they prepare from a powder mix that is fortified with protein and vitamins. Another aspect of Operation Hunger is to try and track malnutrition across the regions- both for their own knowledge and to aid in fundraising. In Cape Town, Operation Hunger has a special relationship with Semester at Sea. With only one full-time employee to serve the Cape Town region, monitoring the children is nearly impossible without helping hands. The 2-3 times a year that Semester at Sea stops in Cape Town, the students participate in what the operator named, The Semester at Sea Malnutrition Monitoring Program. Which I will come back to in my story.
Our day began with a 45 minute bus ride out to a more rural township, named Green Valley. In the majority of the townships, the shacks are built extremely close together. (This leads to problems when the government does offer to build small houses for them because one house takes up the space of three shacks, so two families are displaced. As they don’t know which of the three will end up getting the house, the people resist the change.) However, Green Valley is unique in that the shelters have small parcels of grassy land between them- each lot is probably close to the size of a small classroom. However, this allows the people to do some sustenance farming which is critical because being so far away from the city, jobs are rare. As I wrote in my previous blog, the unemployment rate in the townships is roughly 80% and education opportunities are few. I would guess 20% of the children go to school, but I’m not really sure. When I asked Lavinia Crawford Brown why people don’t vote to change the income tax structure to provide more services to these people, her response was that people might be willing to vote for such a change, but their doubt in the government’s ability to spend the money wisely (not corruptly) keeps them from voting for such change.
A group of SAS students did the same township visit as us the day before. They began a gardening project outside the community center with ten tires filled with dirt mixed with manure. We finished this project by planting seeds, setting up a very basic sprinkler system, and putting up an awning. The goal of this project is to develop seedlings that can be transplanted to people’s gardens. The students the day before also did a collection of their own money ($300) and gave it to Lavinia to buy toys. So we had the delightful job of getting to pass these toys out to the children in the community center.
The community center in Green Valley is a one room building with open doors and windows. There were three elderly women watching over twenty children under the age of two. It was truly a site that I had never seen before. Children who could barely sit up on their own, were sitting on the dirty cement floor, covered with flies and playing with bug- covered toys. When we first arrived, many of them began crying. Our guide informed us that the only white people they usually see are the doctors who come to give them shots. Parents often wait as long as possible, using home remedies, before bringing their children to the doctor, leading to the need for shots instead of medication. So their first thought upon seeing twenty of us was that twenty doctors had come to give them shots. After they calmed down we played with them, unveiling the new toys and building forts. I thought it strange that even though the majority of the parents do not have jobs, they still drop their children off for childcare during the day.
Later a number of us went on to the other community center in town where the older children pass their days. They danced and sang songs for us and we passed out stickers and played games. Most of the townships speak a rural dialect of Africant, but the children usually know a few words in English. There we measured the arm circumference, height and weight of all the children for the malnutrition tracking program. We said our goodbyes and were off to have lunch at a quite posh truck stop complete with a small grocery store and burger restaurant. The ship had packed us boxed lunches- the usual for day trips- a bologna sandwich, a chicken leg, a hardboiled egg, a lemon bar, Oreos, an apple and a Capri Sun (it’s always exactly the same, haha). Our guide encouraged us to buy bread instead of candies or other treats for the next community. Altogether, we bought out the store’s bread supply and arrived at the next township with over 80 loaves of bread.
At our next community, designated as a “coloured township,” we met a living saint named Sabil. She welcomed us into her home- by far the nicest home in the township. We learned that she lives there by choice, even though she could afford to move to a much nicer neighborhood. For over twenty years, she has served a meal to the township’s children nearly every single day. She finds funding for this through her church, Operation Hunger, another non-profit, and her own money. As much as we were overwhelmed to hear her story, she was overwhelmed by all of us there to help. While we crowded into her house to hear her story, her double garage was filling up with children. By the time she introduced us, there were over 200 people smushed into her garage sitting on the floor, smallest to largest. They sang a number of fun songs to us and we returned the favor by doing the hokey pokey. After our introduction, we promptly set to work making sandwiches out of our lunch leftovers. We peeled the shells off the eggs and mixed it with the mayonnaise and mustard packets to make egg salad. We picked the chicken off the bones and mixed it to make chicken salad. We cut up the bologna sandwiches into halves, and made egg and chicken salad sandwiches. One girl had bought a couple jars of nutella, so we made apple slice and nutella sandwiches as well.
Before the children ate, we set up a system to measure arm circumference, height and weight. The mothers were all very thankful to have this information for their own knowledge and tracking. Our guide also recorded the information for his research. To go through all 150 children, it took us about 2 hours. Afterwards, we played with the children in the front yard for about another hour or two. Once again, our stickers were very popular! The children were ecstatic to play with us. I think I gave about a hundred piggy back rides. The tall boys in our group were particularly mauled, as the children wanted to sit up on their shoulders. The children loved getting their pictures taken and borrowing our cameras to take pictures on their own. I was amazed by how clever they were- they figured out how to work my camera in about 2 seconds and later taught me about certain features I didn’t even know I had, haha. Finally, after the children had waited nearly four hours, the food was served. Meanwhile, our guide had plotted the malnutrition information from the afternoon. He said it was actually far worse than he had thought, with the boys’ malnutrition nearly off the charts. The mothers’ reply to this was that the girls stay close to home all day, near their mothers. However, the boys take off during the day, often playing in unsanitary areas of the township. Therefore, when there is a little bit of extra food around the girls are there to have some. With the boys out and about in the dirt, they consequently get diarrhea frequently- one of the most troublesome illnesses in the townships. Our guide, though shocked by the data, was very thankful to have it so that he could go back and secure more funding. We said our goodbyes and were off back to the ship.
On the extreme opposite spectrum of South Africa, we went to a professional rugby game that night. Cape Town’s Stormers against the New Zealand Reds. It was quite violent- they don’t wear any padding and frequently punch each other for no reason. I enjoyed the efficiency of the game though- more like soccer than football- the clock doesn’t stop. They play two 40 minute halves with a 15 minute half time. It was quite speedy- the game started at 7:10 and we were out of there by nine. It was very fun to watch, but I don’t think I will ever let any of my children play, haha.
The last two days I spent around Cape Town. Hayley and I did one of the red double decker bus tours one day and got to visit Camp’s Bay as well as the District 6 museum. By the last day we were exhausted and mostly hung out around the port area and did a few smaller museums. All in all, South Africa was an incredible experience and I look forward to hopefully returning someday.
More to come on India soon!!! Xoxo Rose.
Our day began with a 45 minute bus ride out to a more rural township, named Green Valley. In the majority of the townships, the shacks are built extremely close together. (This leads to problems when the government does offer to build small houses for them because one house takes up the space of three shacks, so two families are displaced. As they don’t know which of the three will end up getting the house, the people resist the change.) However, Green Valley is unique in that the shelters have small parcels of grassy land between them- each lot is probably close to the size of a small classroom. However, this allows the people to do some sustenance farming which is critical because being so far away from the city, jobs are rare. As I wrote in my previous blog, the unemployment rate in the townships is roughly 80% and education opportunities are few. I would guess 20% of the children go to school, but I’m not really sure. When I asked Lavinia Crawford Brown why people don’t vote to change the income tax structure to provide more services to these people, her response was that people might be willing to vote for such a change, but their doubt in the government’s ability to spend the money wisely (not corruptly) keeps them from voting for such change.
A group of SAS students did the same township visit as us the day before. They began a gardening project outside the community center with ten tires filled with dirt mixed with manure. We finished this project by planting seeds, setting up a very basic sprinkler system, and putting up an awning. The goal of this project is to develop seedlings that can be transplanted to people’s gardens. The students the day before also did a collection of their own money ($300) and gave it to Lavinia to buy toys. So we had the delightful job of getting to pass these toys out to the children in the community center.
The community center in Green Valley is a one room building with open doors and windows. There were three elderly women watching over twenty children under the age of two. It was truly a site that I had never seen before. Children who could barely sit up on their own, were sitting on the dirty cement floor, covered with flies and playing with bug- covered toys. When we first arrived, many of them began crying. Our guide informed us that the only white people they usually see are the doctors who come to give them shots. Parents often wait as long as possible, using home remedies, before bringing their children to the doctor, leading to the need for shots instead of medication. So their first thought upon seeing twenty of us was that twenty doctors had come to give them shots. After they calmed down we played with them, unveiling the new toys and building forts. I thought it strange that even though the majority of the parents do not have jobs, they still drop their children off for childcare during the day.
Later a number of us went on to the other community center in town where the older children pass their days. They danced and sang songs for us and we passed out stickers and played games. Most of the townships speak a rural dialect of Africant, but the children usually know a few words in English. There we measured the arm circumference, height and weight of all the children for the malnutrition tracking program. We said our goodbyes and were off to have lunch at a quite posh truck stop complete with a small grocery store and burger restaurant. The ship had packed us boxed lunches- the usual for day trips- a bologna sandwich, a chicken leg, a hardboiled egg, a lemon bar, Oreos, an apple and a Capri Sun (it’s always exactly the same, haha). Our guide encouraged us to buy bread instead of candies or other treats for the next community. Altogether, we bought out the store’s bread supply and arrived at the next township with over 80 loaves of bread.
At our next community, designated as a “coloured township,” we met a living saint named Sabil. She welcomed us into her home- by far the nicest home in the township. We learned that she lives there by choice, even though she could afford to move to a much nicer neighborhood. For over twenty years, she has served a meal to the township’s children nearly every single day. She finds funding for this through her church, Operation Hunger, another non-profit, and her own money. As much as we were overwhelmed to hear her story, she was overwhelmed by all of us there to help. While we crowded into her house to hear her story, her double garage was filling up with children. By the time she introduced us, there were over 200 people smushed into her garage sitting on the floor, smallest to largest. They sang a number of fun songs to us and we returned the favor by doing the hokey pokey. After our introduction, we promptly set to work making sandwiches out of our lunch leftovers. We peeled the shells off the eggs and mixed it with the mayonnaise and mustard packets to make egg salad. We picked the chicken off the bones and mixed it to make chicken salad. We cut up the bologna sandwiches into halves, and made egg and chicken salad sandwiches. One girl had bought a couple jars of nutella, so we made apple slice and nutella sandwiches as well.
Before the children ate, we set up a system to measure arm circumference, height and weight. The mothers were all very thankful to have this information for their own knowledge and tracking. Our guide also recorded the information for his research. To go through all 150 children, it took us about 2 hours. Afterwards, we played with the children in the front yard for about another hour or two. Once again, our stickers were very popular! The children were ecstatic to play with us. I think I gave about a hundred piggy back rides. The tall boys in our group were particularly mauled, as the children wanted to sit up on their shoulders. The children loved getting their pictures taken and borrowing our cameras to take pictures on their own. I was amazed by how clever they were- they figured out how to work my camera in about 2 seconds and later taught me about certain features I didn’t even know I had, haha. Finally, after the children had waited nearly four hours, the food was served. Meanwhile, our guide had plotted the malnutrition information from the afternoon. He said it was actually far worse than he had thought, with the boys’ malnutrition nearly off the charts. The mothers’ reply to this was that the girls stay close to home all day, near their mothers. However, the boys take off during the day, often playing in unsanitary areas of the township. Therefore, when there is a little bit of extra food around the girls are there to have some. With the boys out and about in the dirt, they consequently get diarrhea frequently- one of the most troublesome illnesses in the townships. Our guide, though shocked by the data, was very thankful to have it so that he could go back and secure more funding. We said our goodbyes and were off back to the ship.
On the extreme opposite spectrum of South Africa, we went to a professional rugby game that night. Cape Town’s Stormers against the New Zealand Reds. It was quite violent- they don’t wear any padding and frequently punch each other for no reason. I enjoyed the efficiency of the game though- more like soccer than football- the clock doesn’t stop. They play two 40 minute halves with a 15 minute half time. It was quite speedy- the game started at 7:10 and we were out of there by nine. It was very fun to watch, but I don’t think I will ever let any of my children play, haha.
The last two days I spent around Cape Town. Hayley and I did one of the red double decker bus tours one day and got to visit Camp’s Bay as well as the District 6 museum. By the last day we were exhausted and mostly hung out around the port area and did a few smaller museums. All in all, South Africa was an incredible experience and I look forward to hopefully returning someday.
More to come on India soon!!! Xoxo Rose.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
South Africa Part 2 of 3
The first of my five days in Cape Town, I went on an SAS trip to Robben Island. The ferry ride out to the island was about 25 minutes. From the island, Cape Town is quite visible, which must have made it that much more difficult to the prisoners to be so close. Robben Island had served as prison since the Dutch colonization days in the 1600’s- which is when the only successful escape ever occurred. The island is actually quite large- larger than Alcatraz. However, most of it is covered with grass and plants with buildings spaced intermittently. We took a driving trip around the island before touring the infamous political prison. The guards and their families lived on the island. Their former homes, school, church and 9 hole golf course (now deserted) still remain. A few people who currently work in the museum live on the island.
A highlight for me was the rabbit citings!! The rabbits on Robben Island are almost identical to my precious Seamus. On a sad note, I learned that over Christmas 10,000 rabbits were caught and euthanized as they were taking over the island and burrowing under the historic buildings. They have plans to try and capture the rest before they over-populate again, but fortunately I got to see a few. Robben Island is also inhabited by the African Penguin, so we got to see a number of penguins as well. (The rabbits were much cuter!)
Both traditional convicts as well as political prisoners were held on Robben Island in the last century. At first, they had them housed together. However, the convicts quickly converted to the ideals of the political prisoners and when subsequently released added to the political unrest. Shortly thereafter, the traditional convicts and political prisoners were in separate buildings on either side of the island. On our drive we passed the limestone quarry in which political prisoners worked. There was actually no need for the limestone, it was crushed and added to the roads around the island, thus the work was more a form of punishment. A number of prisoners later went blind from their years spent in the sun-drenched white quarry.
Over 60 former political prisoners now serve as guides at the infamous prison where they were held. Our guide was held at Robben Island for about 2 years in the 1970s; however we did not learn specifically why he was there. The first room was where the prisoners lost their names and were given a number- the year followed by what number entering prisoner they were that year- for example ’64-124. He showed us the room the monitored all mail coming and going through the island. Emotional torture was common- the administration would write fake letters to the prisoners from their loved ones, and likewise fake letters to their families. Often times, they would write that a wife was filing for divorce, etc. Next we visited the courtyard where prisoners sat on the ground crushing the limestone from the quarry. They had large photos of the exact courtyard filled with prisoners and guards.
Our tour led us to the highest security area where the prisoners had individual rooms, including Nelson Mandela’s cell. We went on to view the small bathroom, dining room, and chapel that these prisoners used. Next we went on to view the “bunk rooms” in which one room housed up to 30 prisoners on bunk beds. These men were kept separated from the higher security prisoners. However, one of the ways they communicated was through tennis balls. During their rec hour, they would slip notes into a slit in a tennis ball and “accidentally” hit it over to the neighboring rec courtyard. One prisoner, who was an accomplished mathematician, figured out the exact dimensions of the main key after glancing at it repeatedly on a guard’s belt. He gave these dimensions to a prisoner who was a metal worker, and at one point they had a key to every lock in the buildings. However, the key was never used; it was found hidden under a bush in one of the courtyards. When the two men confessed, they were each given an additional ten years to their sentences.
A number of reunions for former prisoners have taken place over the past years. A number of blown up photos depict these bittersweet reunions around the island. The shop at the end of the tour sold a number of books written by of course Mandela, and other prisoners. Interestingly, the island and tour have a celebratory sense to them. They do not dwell on the injustices as much as the overcoming. The theme on most of the souvenirs depicts “The triumph of the human spirit.”
That evening we were hoping to go to the top of Table Top Mountain, but the clouds prevented our journey. We ended up going out to dinner at a jazz restaurant, the Green Dolphin. Cape Town is famous for its jazz scene.
The next morning we awoke early for a day trip to the wine lands. My travel companions were three of the younger staff members, Brad, Andrea, Kate, and my fellow Life Long Learner Hayley. Our guide was a Cape Town resident by the name of Carol who was very pleasant. We piled in a large tourist van and were off on our 45 minute drive to the wine lands. It was a beautiful drive! The land cascaded from high crests to low valleys with various streams and rivers. Bike riding in the wine lands is very popular and I could see why.
Our first stop was the Andrew Beck Vineyard. Of the three we visited, this was by far the largest and most modern. Unfortunately, it is not like Napa Valley in that you do not usually get to take tours of the entire wine making process. Nonetheless, the architecture and grounds of Andrew Beck was very impressive. We sampled three whites, three reds, and champagne. As always, I liked most of the whites, was so-so on the reds, but I did think the champagne was rather good. We learned that it was actually the champagne served at Obama’s Inaugural Ball and so we each purchased a bottle to share with our fellow liberals on the ship. Unfortunately, we are only allowed to bring two bottles on alcohol on the ship in each port. While this normally is never a problem (especially seeing that we are visiting so many Muslim countries), it was kind of a bummer in South Africa.
We carried on to the next, and my favorite, vineyard. The drive took about 30 minutes climbing up into the higher region of the wine lands. Carol pointed out a hotel that Prince Harry and his girlfriend frequent, which we all, except for Brad, were very excited to see. Arriving at the second vineyard we checked in and were then whisked away in a golf cart up through the flower covered estate. The tasting room was nestled into the flower garden at the top of the estate. The woman working there was particularly friendly and knowledgeable and had just learned that she and her husband were expecting their first child which was quite exciting. Here I loved the whites, enjoyed the reds, and was not so fond of the champagne. Seeing as we had to ration how many bottles we could bring back, I bought some great coasters and Hayley had a case sent home to her brother in Texas. We boarded the trusty golf cart and were off to the motor museum on the estate- which was specifically why I voted for this winery. Four large white buildings symmetrically spread out across a large grassy field below cloud covered cliffs housed about 120 collector cars. Everything from Model T’s to a Ferrari Enzo were showcased. Needless to say, I took a number of pictures. Highlights were one of the first VW bugs ever produced, a collector’s Aston Martin convertible, and of course the Ferrari collection.
We headed into the town of Stellenbosch for lunch. It was an extremely charming town that hosts a number of upscale b & b’s and restaurants. Ironically, we ended up eating at a Lebanese restaurant while in Stellenbosch, however it was quite good. After our leisurely lunch, we carried on to our final vineyard of the day. I don’t recall the name of the third one either, but I will add it soon. Certainly the smallest and quaintest of the three, the third winery has been family owned for over 100 years. As we walked in to the small cluster of buildings we zigzagged through the barrels back to the tasting room. The room was lit with a large stain glassed window where they have been cultivating cobwebs for over thirty years! There is even a sign that says, “Please do not disturb the cobwebs.” A very nice young man was hosting the tasting, which was far more informal than the previous two. My friends liked the third winery the best, but I have to say I did not like any of the wines nor the set up of the room- very awkward. The host was very funny though and he appreciated our company. He told us that the valley can actually get very warm- two days before we were there it was 120 degrees!
We made it back to Cape Town in time to take a cab up to Table Mountain. There was somewhat of a long line for the gondola, but fortunately it went quite quickly. The ride up was far steeper than any ski gondola- it literally went right up the cliff! There are two hiking paths as well that are described as hard and harder. They each take about 4 hours so we declined the challenge. We made it to the top in time to watch the sunset. It was incredible! It reminded me a pinch of the Cliffs of Moher, but others might disagree. Fortunately, it was completely clear and we could see almost all of Cape Town as well as Camps Bay off the other side. Unfortunately, it was very windy and extremely cold so we didn’t stay terribly long. We ended up at a funky restaurant for dinner with Bob Marley posters and music. We later ventured to a famous restaurant/bar called Mama Africa’s. They had live African music with dozens of people dancing. It was an interesting mix of locals and tourists. I was quite tired, but I’m thankful for the experience to see the dancing.
A highlight for me was the rabbit citings!! The rabbits on Robben Island are almost identical to my precious Seamus. On a sad note, I learned that over Christmas 10,000 rabbits were caught and euthanized as they were taking over the island and burrowing under the historic buildings. They have plans to try and capture the rest before they over-populate again, but fortunately I got to see a few. Robben Island is also inhabited by the African Penguin, so we got to see a number of penguins as well. (The rabbits were much cuter!)
Both traditional convicts as well as political prisoners were held on Robben Island in the last century. At first, they had them housed together. However, the convicts quickly converted to the ideals of the political prisoners and when subsequently released added to the political unrest. Shortly thereafter, the traditional convicts and political prisoners were in separate buildings on either side of the island. On our drive we passed the limestone quarry in which political prisoners worked. There was actually no need for the limestone, it was crushed and added to the roads around the island, thus the work was more a form of punishment. A number of prisoners later went blind from their years spent in the sun-drenched white quarry.
Over 60 former political prisoners now serve as guides at the infamous prison where they were held. Our guide was held at Robben Island for about 2 years in the 1970s; however we did not learn specifically why he was there. The first room was where the prisoners lost their names and were given a number- the year followed by what number entering prisoner they were that year- for example ’64-124. He showed us the room the monitored all mail coming and going through the island. Emotional torture was common- the administration would write fake letters to the prisoners from their loved ones, and likewise fake letters to their families. Often times, they would write that a wife was filing for divorce, etc. Next we visited the courtyard where prisoners sat on the ground crushing the limestone from the quarry. They had large photos of the exact courtyard filled with prisoners and guards.
Our tour led us to the highest security area where the prisoners had individual rooms, including Nelson Mandela’s cell. We went on to view the small bathroom, dining room, and chapel that these prisoners used. Next we went on to view the “bunk rooms” in which one room housed up to 30 prisoners on bunk beds. These men were kept separated from the higher security prisoners. However, one of the ways they communicated was through tennis balls. During their rec hour, they would slip notes into a slit in a tennis ball and “accidentally” hit it over to the neighboring rec courtyard. One prisoner, who was an accomplished mathematician, figured out the exact dimensions of the main key after glancing at it repeatedly on a guard’s belt. He gave these dimensions to a prisoner who was a metal worker, and at one point they had a key to every lock in the buildings. However, the key was never used; it was found hidden under a bush in one of the courtyards. When the two men confessed, they were each given an additional ten years to their sentences.
A number of reunions for former prisoners have taken place over the past years. A number of blown up photos depict these bittersweet reunions around the island. The shop at the end of the tour sold a number of books written by of course Mandela, and other prisoners. Interestingly, the island and tour have a celebratory sense to them. They do not dwell on the injustices as much as the overcoming. The theme on most of the souvenirs depicts “The triumph of the human spirit.”
That evening we were hoping to go to the top of Table Top Mountain, but the clouds prevented our journey. We ended up going out to dinner at a jazz restaurant, the Green Dolphin. Cape Town is famous for its jazz scene.
The next morning we awoke early for a day trip to the wine lands. My travel companions were three of the younger staff members, Brad, Andrea, Kate, and my fellow Life Long Learner Hayley. Our guide was a Cape Town resident by the name of Carol who was very pleasant. We piled in a large tourist van and were off on our 45 minute drive to the wine lands. It was a beautiful drive! The land cascaded from high crests to low valleys with various streams and rivers. Bike riding in the wine lands is very popular and I could see why.
Our first stop was the Andrew Beck Vineyard. Of the three we visited, this was by far the largest and most modern. Unfortunately, it is not like Napa Valley in that you do not usually get to take tours of the entire wine making process. Nonetheless, the architecture and grounds of Andrew Beck was very impressive. We sampled three whites, three reds, and champagne. As always, I liked most of the whites, was so-so on the reds, but I did think the champagne was rather good. We learned that it was actually the champagne served at Obama’s Inaugural Ball and so we each purchased a bottle to share with our fellow liberals on the ship. Unfortunately, we are only allowed to bring two bottles on alcohol on the ship in each port. While this normally is never a problem (especially seeing that we are visiting so many Muslim countries), it was kind of a bummer in South Africa.
We carried on to the next, and my favorite, vineyard. The drive took about 30 minutes climbing up into the higher region of the wine lands. Carol pointed out a hotel that Prince Harry and his girlfriend frequent, which we all, except for Brad, were very excited to see. Arriving at the second vineyard we checked in and were then whisked away in a golf cart up through the flower covered estate. The tasting room was nestled into the flower garden at the top of the estate. The woman working there was particularly friendly and knowledgeable and had just learned that she and her husband were expecting their first child which was quite exciting. Here I loved the whites, enjoyed the reds, and was not so fond of the champagne. Seeing as we had to ration how many bottles we could bring back, I bought some great coasters and Hayley had a case sent home to her brother in Texas. We boarded the trusty golf cart and were off to the motor museum on the estate- which was specifically why I voted for this winery. Four large white buildings symmetrically spread out across a large grassy field below cloud covered cliffs housed about 120 collector cars. Everything from Model T’s to a Ferrari Enzo were showcased. Needless to say, I took a number of pictures. Highlights were one of the first VW bugs ever produced, a collector’s Aston Martin convertible, and of course the Ferrari collection.
We headed into the town of Stellenbosch for lunch. It was an extremely charming town that hosts a number of upscale b & b’s and restaurants. Ironically, we ended up eating at a Lebanese restaurant while in Stellenbosch, however it was quite good. After our leisurely lunch, we carried on to our final vineyard of the day. I don’t recall the name of the third one either, but I will add it soon. Certainly the smallest and quaintest of the three, the third winery has been family owned for over 100 years. As we walked in to the small cluster of buildings we zigzagged through the barrels back to the tasting room. The room was lit with a large stain glassed window where they have been cultivating cobwebs for over thirty years! There is even a sign that says, “Please do not disturb the cobwebs.” A very nice young man was hosting the tasting, which was far more informal than the previous two. My friends liked the third winery the best, but I have to say I did not like any of the wines nor the set up of the room- very awkward. The host was very funny though and he appreciated our company. He told us that the valley can actually get very warm- two days before we were there it was 120 degrees!
We made it back to Cape Town in time to take a cab up to Table Mountain. There was somewhat of a long line for the gondola, but fortunately it went quite quickly. The ride up was far steeper than any ski gondola- it literally went right up the cliff! There are two hiking paths as well that are described as hard and harder. They each take about 4 hours so we declined the challenge. We made it to the top in time to watch the sunset. It was incredible! It reminded me a pinch of the Cliffs of Moher, but others might disagree. Fortunately, it was completely clear and we could see almost all of Cape Town as well as Camps Bay off the other side. Unfortunately, it was very windy and extremely cold so we didn’t stay terribly long. We ended up at a funky restaurant for dinner with Bob Marley posters and music. We later ventured to a famous restaurant/bar called Mama Africa’s. They had live African music with dozens of people dancing. It was an interesting mix of locals and tourists. I was quite tired, but I’m thankful for the experience to see the dancing.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
South Africa Part 1 of 3
Before I get into my travels in South Africa, I feel the need to explain a bit about what I learned about the people of South Africa.
Arriving in Cape Town we were welcomed by a beautiful view of the city including Table Mountain and Lion’s Head Peak. The ship literally pulls up right into the city, one block away from a mall that rivals the Galleria in Houston. Perhaps this is representative of South Africa in general where the discrepancy between wealth and poverty overwhelms the country. Honestly, one could easily spend weeks in Cape Town without seeing the desolate state in which the majority of citizens live.
A Brief Summary of South Africa’s Socioeconomic Situation
I had the wonderful opportunity to get to know and speak with Lavinia Crawford Brown who’s husband is a professor on the ship. Lavinia and her husband are South African natives and she was actually Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu’s personal secretary for over 25 years. Needless to say, she is quite interesting. Much of the more informal information in my blog comes from our discussions.
Stemming from apartheid, South Africa is split into three social groups: the “whites”, the “blacks” and the “coloureds.” The first two being more straight forward, the third is actually not based on skin color quite as much as language ability. “Coloureds” are black, indigenous, Indian, mixed race, etc. that are able to speak English. Therefore, people who fall into the “blacks” category means they only speak their own local tongue- usually related to a tribal language. During apartheid, the three groups were quite strictly separated and opportunities were unfairly rationed out which has led to the current socioeconomic situation. South Africa is noted for its extreme difference between wealth and poverty. The “whites” being the upper class, the “coloureds” being the middle class (which is actually below the poverty line), and the “blacks” making up the lowest class. When I asked Lavinia if she felt racism led to the continuation of this segregation, she had a different answer. She said obviously racism plays some part, but she feels that socioeconomic reasons keep people in the same place. She gave the example that a wealthy person does not want anything to change in order to protect their wealth. So it is more out of protecting what one does have, that keeps the opportunities limited.
The fourth day in Cape Town I had the opportunity to visit the District 6 museum. District 6 was a neighborhood from the 1920’s through 1966 where “blacks” and “coloureds” lived a prosperous and enjoyable life. The museum commemorates this happy and progressive time and neighborhood. District 6 was close to the dock, where all of the jobs were, and allowed for people to do quite well for themselves. However in 1966, apartheid laws forced the residents to sell their homes for next to nothing and more out into the “cape flats” or townships. The city bulldozed the homes of District 6 and created high end housing for the “whites.” At various points, non-whites were not even allowed within Cape Town city limits. With few jobs outside of the city and no transportation into the city to work at the port, the once educated and prosperous “blacks” and “coloureds” fell into poverty.
Townships (basically squatter villages) cover the landscape outside of the city. People make their homes out of anything they can- pieces of plastic, tin, wood, etc. Lavinia said that the shacks within the townships of South Africa are built unusually close together. As we were driving in the countryside, the townships literally went on for miles- millions of people. Many townships have electricity through a single wire brought in from the highway and everyone hooking up to it. The government provides limited/no resources to the townships. Public education is not free, and many to most children in the townships do not attend school. Some townships have as high as 50% HIV/AIDS infection rate. While the national unemployment level is 40%, townships frequently have an unemployment rate of 80%. As people are pushed farther and farther from the city, jobs are more and more scarce.
We had a graduate student from South Africa join us between Morocco and South Africa, Dayle, who gave a number of wonderful speeches about her childhood and the current issues in her native country. South Africa has roughly 12 political parties, the ANC (Nelson Mandela’s party) has been in control since his presidency. The other 11 parties do not really actually have a chance of ever acquiring power. However, in recent years the ANC has become quite corrupt and another group split off from it making a new political party. Elections are coming up this April and for once the ANC will have significant competition from this new break off group. From what I gather, the country would be better off with this new party. The candidate for the ANC has been convicted of both major financial scandals and rape in recent years.
More to come… :-)
Arriving in Cape Town we were welcomed by a beautiful view of the city including Table Mountain and Lion’s Head Peak. The ship literally pulls up right into the city, one block away from a mall that rivals the Galleria in Houston. Perhaps this is representative of South Africa in general where the discrepancy between wealth and poverty overwhelms the country. Honestly, one could easily spend weeks in Cape Town without seeing the desolate state in which the majority of citizens live.
A Brief Summary of South Africa’s Socioeconomic Situation
I had the wonderful opportunity to get to know and speak with Lavinia Crawford Brown who’s husband is a professor on the ship. Lavinia and her husband are South African natives and she was actually Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu’s personal secretary for over 25 years. Needless to say, she is quite interesting. Much of the more informal information in my blog comes from our discussions.
Stemming from apartheid, South Africa is split into three social groups: the “whites”, the “blacks” and the “coloureds.” The first two being more straight forward, the third is actually not based on skin color quite as much as language ability. “Coloureds” are black, indigenous, Indian, mixed race, etc. that are able to speak English. Therefore, people who fall into the “blacks” category means they only speak their own local tongue- usually related to a tribal language. During apartheid, the three groups were quite strictly separated and opportunities were unfairly rationed out which has led to the current socioeconomic situation. South Africa is noted for its extreme difference between wealth and poverty. The “whites” being the upper class, the “coloureds” being the middle class (which is actually below the poverty line), and the “blacks” making up the lowest class. When I asked Lavinia if she felt racism led to the continuation of this segregation, she had a different answer. She said obviously racism plays some part, but she feels that socioeconomic reasons keep people in the same place. She gave the example that a wealthy person does not want anything to change in order to protect their wealth. So it is more out of protecting what one does have, that keeps the opportunities limited.
The fourth day in Cape Town I had the opportunity to visit the District 6 museum. District 6 was a neighborhood from the 1920’s through 1966 where “blacks” and “coloureds” lived a prosperous and enjoyable life. The museum commemorates this happy and progressive time and neighborhood. District 6 was close to the dock, where all of the jobs were, and allowed for people to do quite well for themselves. However in 1966, apartheid laws forced the residents to sell their homes for next to nothing and more out into the “cape flats” or townships. The city bulldozed the homes of District 6 and created high end housing for the “whites.” At various points, non-whites were not even allowed within Cape Town city limits. With few jobs outside of the city and no transportation into the city to work at the port, the once educated and prosperous “blacks” and “coloureds” fell into poverty.
Townships (basically squatter villages) cover the landscape outside of the city. People make their homes out of anything they can- pieces of plastic, tin, wood, etc. Lavinia said that the shacks within the townships of South Africa are built unusually close together. As we were driving in the countryside, the townships literally went on for miles- millions of people. Many townships have electricity through a single wire brought in from the highway and everyone hooking up to it. The government provides limited/no resources to the townships. Public education is not free, and many to most children in the townships do not attend school. Some townships have as high as 50% HIV/AIDS infection rate. While the national unemployment level is 40%, townships frequently have an unemployment rate of 80%. As people are pushed farther and farther from the city, jobs are more and more scarce.
We had a graduate student from South Africa join us between Morocco and South Africa, Dayle, who gave a number of wonderful speeches about her childhood and the current issues in her native country. South Africa has roughly 12 political parties, the ANC (Nelson Mandela’s party) has been in control since his presidency. The other 11 parties do not really actually have a chance of ever acquiring power. However, in recent years the ANC has become quite corrupt and another group split off from it making a new political party. Elections are coming up this April and for once the ANC will have significant competition from this new break off group. From what I gather, the country would be better off with this new party. The candidate for the ANC has been convicted of both major financial scandals and rape in recent years.
More to come… :-)
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