Hey all,
Sorry for the lack of updates. It's been a really trying week here, with just enough energy to read the chapters for the next day's class before passing out at the end of the day.
We had a great day last Sunday. It was a free day so we went wine and chocolate tasting I the Constantia wine lands around the back of table mountains. I'm not a wine person but it was pretty fun to hang out under the mountains with sweeping views of the vineyards and the bay with good company and good wine.
The travel Gods apparently stopped shining on us on Monday when someone found out the Megan's were in their own room. Long and unfortunate story short, they moved two girls into our room who made sure we knew that they were not only unhappy with being moved and now being on the top bunk, but that they perceived us as the reason. Not to have our trip ruined, and after many discussions with the director and her boss Megan and I were given a different room, with the thought that the class would be given the option to move into the now four empty beds if they wanted to spread out. So far no one has taken up the offer and we are back to a semi-peaceful and less threatening room.
This week was also exam week. Let's just say taking an exam in the TV room in a hostel as popular as ours after 5 pm is not an environment conducive to... well... thought in general. But fortunately it wasn't too hard of a test and we have one down and one to go.
Part of the exhaustion, actually probably most of it, was because we spent this week at an after school program for kids in the township area of Philipi this week. The kids were great and the program leader was amazing. I wow'd them all with my siSwati, which is essentially Zulu which is essentially Xosa which is what they spoke. Somethings were vastly different "Molo vs Sawubona" for hello but many were the same "unjani?" for how are you? They put on a wonderful little program for us at the end of the week and we brought them pizza (and then had to teach them how to eat it).
We spent Monday morning at the Heart of Cape Town Museum. Cape Town is where the first heart transplant was successfully done. Our tour guide was amazing, very charismatic and knowledgeable, and she lead us through the hospital into the old operating rooms that they have preserved and staged with wax figurines to replicate the procedure. It was a fascinating museum. It's so fun to come here for the fourth time and still do new things.
Wednesday we toured and spoke with a doctor of the Emavundleni HIV Research Center. It's a part of the Desmond Tutu HIV Research Foundation. This particular center focused on HIV vaccine research. They're currently studying the form of contraception that most women prefer, and which is the most effective against HIV. The idea is that they will combine your HIV vaccine and your birth control, to reduce stigma and to make it more manageable. It was a wonderful place with many people doing amazing things. It really was one of the highlights of the trip.
Unfortunately, with only three weeks and lots to do and see, the body wears down and it seems most of the group has been hit with a nasty cold - myself included. So today is catch up day: on the blog, on homework, and on sleep. Our last week in Cape Town begins tomorrow. We will spend most of tomorrow on a Professor P surprise exclusion. Let's hope this surprise is better than her last one. Then lots of class to catch up on before our final exam on Wednesday. Then, it'll be off to Swaziland! 🇸🇿
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Saturday, May 14, 2016
Unfortunate Decisions Made Better by Beer, and Other Adventures.
When I opened up blogger to write another post, I realized the first few sentences were rife with spelling mistakes. Apologies, and I'll try better, but blogger isn't very mobile friendly and going back to change things after they've been typed isn't easy for some reason. Many things have changed and been upgraded since my last trip to Africa; Blogger isn't one of them. Maybe that's telling of something, the fact that people don't just blog anymore. Or Google has other priorities like driverless cars as opposed to a better user interface for their blogging platform. Who knows. Moving on.
Day 4: A Series of Unfortunate Decisions
As my last post suggested in the sign off, it's been a cold and foggy week here in Cape Town. Winter is coming, as they say. Our trip to the top of Table Mountain was Scheduled for Thursday, but the director of our program made it clear that she was willing to rearrange excursions so we could have a good day to ascend the cable car up the mountain. Even thoough this would be my fourth time up the mountain, it is always exciting to me, and I hoped everyone else would get a good day too. But it was not shaping up to be that kind of day. So we hopped on the bus for what we've affectionately labeled a Professor P Surprise. Announcing we wouldnt be ascending Table Mountain that morning, we would be going to Plan B and seeing which way the wind and clouds shifted in the afternoon for a possible trip up the mountain later in the day. In the mean time, she announced excitedly, we would be taking a trip to World of Birds in Hout Bay! The reactions were varied and hilarious as the 18-19 year olds shrieked with excitement at the prospect of seeing animals and monkeys, the other Meaghans face fell ghastly white. Having announced already her fear of flying things and citing a bad experience in Costa Rica, we were literally about to live her worst nightmare. I or course, thought I could think of a million things I'd rather do than go to what I was sure would be a glorified petting zoo of birds and monkeys, but I was along for the ride.
The scenery around the back side of Table Mountain was amazing. The foothills of the mountain fell straight into the ocean, providing a place for the waves to crash spectacularly below the winding road. Up and through a valley in the mountains, we descended into Hout Bay. The bus fell eerly silent as we drove past the first township of the trip, reminding us (and showing most for the first time) of the vast differences in lifestyle and culture in South Africa. We pulled up to the World of Birds and were immediately greeted by a wall of squawking as we got off the bus. Walking in, they ran out of maps and so started our African version of the movie The Birds. The park was a circle with circular paths that jutted off the main path. To follow these paths you would pass through a wire doorway with a rudimentary pulley system to fully shut the door behind you as you entered into a caged pathway. The first few feet lead Meaghan to false hope as the parrots were behind cages, and we were soon greeted by screaming cockatoos that were clearly upset we were there. Still, at least they were behind a cage, unlike the flock of doves that flew next to our distracted heads and caused everyone to whip their heads and kink their necks, causing the first of many "bird injuries" we all joked about the rest of the trip as we tripped over the path and kinked our necks trying to watch our step and duck from flying birds while dodging their poop on the path. Needless to say I don't need to describe them next 150 pathways this place had, all equally as terrifying as the next. But not only was there countless pathways of birds, including a giant hissing owl, you could walk among the turtles (who also hiss, who knew), the Penguins (careful they bite!) and the monkeys, who will pick your pockets and jump on your head. In case you were afraid we didn't have enough time to enjoy all that the World of Birds had to offer, they extended our time to stay there so we could have enough time to play with the monkeys and see the Penguins being fed. You know how there are some things that are cool when you're a kid, and then as you get older you realize it's kinda freaky? That was this place.
We were finally back on the bus when we looked to the skies to see the sun peaking through. Still not a perfect day for Table Mountain but maybe after lunch and the trek back to Cape Town. We stopped at a place with a bunch of restaurants and Meaghan and I skipped to the Thai place for some noodles (obviously not as good as Uncle Manops cooking) and found some chocolate bars at the local shop while we waited for everyone else to buy all the beaded elephants their little hearts desired. Back on the bus the sweeping ocean views were even better as the fog had cleared, and Professor P joyfully announced we would be going to Table Mountain that day. There was nervous anticipation as everyone looked to the top to see whisps of clouds, but they must have known something we didn't about the weather. They didn't. I wouldn't even say by the time we got to the top, because even as we stood at the bottom, the top of the Mountain was covered in clouds. When we got to the top, you could barely see Cape Town stadium right along the shoreline, just before the clouds engulfed the top and it was a wall of clouds. We stood there in awe of what had just happened, laughing at what a terrible decision it was to go today, when the day before had been crystal clear, hoping the wind would shift and the clouds would give way. They didn't. We resigned to the cafe at the top for a latte and watched out the window in disbelief. A half hour later we decided to swing through the gift shop before heading down. As we entered the cable station, the clouds broke for a moment, allowing a grey, hazy view of the city. We snapped a few dreary pictures before we headed down below the mist.
A series of unfortunate decisions that day, Made me happy that this isn't my first or only time in Cape Town. My many other pictures of Cape Town from Table Mountain made me just laugh the whole time we were up there. Too bad for the others though, but I guess that's why we have so many days here. We finished out the day with class in the evening, before headed to a delicious restaurant called Knead across the street. It reminded me of a Panera but I was pleasantly surprised to find and try my first craft beer in Cape Town. The one thing Africa was missing (and I do generally mean the continent as we traveled most of it) was decent beer. SAB Miller is the producer of most South African beer, Castle and its derivatives, making all beer essentially Miller Light. AMG and I were fortunate enough to find Camelthron Berwery at the Old Busicut Mill our last trip to Cape Town and toured their facility in Windhoek, Namibia four years ago. But this trip as shown me the promise of a budding craft beer scene that has made its way from America and Europe. Devils Peak Brewery's IPA did not disappoint and redeemed a less than stellar day. But not a bad day, because I am, after all, in Cape Town.
Day 5: Another Cold Day
To no ones surprise, the wind was howling the next morning as it blew the rain clouds back out to sea. We started the day with class bright and early because, unlike most other classes, the majority of our class was near or over 30 and was too tired from the days excursions to do evening classes. Then, it was back on the bus and off to a place I had surprisingly never been in my three previous trips to Cape Town.. Robben Island. Robbed Island, like Alcatraz, is a former prison turned historical site, boasting a famous prisoner -- Nelson Mandela. Unlike Alcatraz, Robben Island is much further out, and a decent sized island. The boat ride from the waterfront took about an hour when all was said and done, and good thing I have never really had a problem with sea sickness, as that was a rocky ride. It did however, lull me into a drowsy state as we watched the Dolphins and seals play in the water. Eventually the island appeared in our view and we saw houses and buses on the island. As we pulled up, I wondered how on earth they got those buses over here as this was not a car ferry boat. I'm sure there was one somewhere though. We hopped on the bus for a bus tour of the island with our tour guide Kent and his driver Mike. They took us through the history of the island, from a Dutch India Trading Company refreshment outpost, to an island of exile for tribal chiefs who opposed colonialism, to a leper colony, to a military station, and eventually a prison. We saw the leper clinic, the town and old school house (three years ago they closed the school due to budget constraints and the children now take the hour long ferry to and from school every day) and the WWII guns that were never fired because they were completed two years after the war (Africa time, eh? our tour guide joked). Finally we got off the bus and were taken on a tour of the prison itself. One of the amazing things about Robben Island now is that the political prisoners are the ones who give the tours of the prison itself. They take you on a tour of their section, telling you their story, and what it was like in the prison at that time. Our guide served in the 1980s, originally a six month sentence that was extended for 14 years. He only served 4 though as all political prisoners were released in 1990. Each tour ends with a tour of section A and Nelson Mandelas cell. Mandela like many other leaders, were secluded to single cells, while others like our tour guide were placed in cells that held up to 60 people. His cell was small, with a mat on the floor and a bucket for a toilet, it was amazing to think of the men and the ideas that were silenced by these walls, but the isolation of the island. Or attempted silence anyway, as the apartheid government eventually fell and the ideas of a new and equal country that were formulated on the island helped shape a new South Africa.
After an equally choppy boat ride back, we landed back on the waterfront with enough time for a quick bite to eat at a new food market (new to me anyway) with some gourmet samosas before heading back to the hostel. Having semi-neglected my studies for comps, I convinced Meaghan to go to a local tapas bar with me to study. Having finished her extended presentation as a required part of our graduate curriculum, she had nothing to study but was eager to get out of our room. Our room shares a wall with a rooftop bar in the hostel. Cool idea, but for old students like us, it makes studying impossible. Fortunately it closes at 9, leaving just the downstairs bar music to float up. Thank goodness for ear plugs. We spent the evening at Chalk&Cork tasting some South African wine and studying under the full moon light. Unfortunately, it was freezing even with the wine, so the minute the clock struck 9 we headed back to the warmth of our beds.
Day 6: A Good Break
Unlike the biology class here, who has quizzes on Saturdays, we have stuck to a semi-regular class schedule and have the weekends free of class. So the group headed off (after the bio quiz of course) for a safari today. Having had my fair share of lions and impalas, I took a hard pass on the $100 trip and spent the day in local coffee shops studying for comps. The Flat White has become my cure for the jet lag I have yet to fully shake, and after three (some with double shots) this morning I felt enough energy for a run. Its a beautiful day in Cape Town today. This chill is still in the air (were anticipating a return to the 70s next week) and the clouds are hanging around the mountain, but the sun shines on the city, making it a beautiful fall day.
Well, this has been a good break from studying. Back to Biostatistics it is.
Cheers, Meg
Day 4: A Series of Unfortunate Decisions
As my last post suggested in the sign off, it's been a cold and foggy week here in Cape Town. Winter is coming, as they say. Our trip to the top of Table Mountain was Scheduled for Thursday, but the director of our program made it clear that she was willing to rearrange excursions so we could have a good day to ascend the cable car up the mountain. Even thoough this would be my fourth time up the mountain, it is always exciting to me, and I hoped everyone else would get a good day too. But it was not shaping up to be that kind of day. So we hopped on the bus for what we've affectionately labeled a Professor P Surprise. Announcing we wouldnt be ascending Table Mountain that morning, we would be going to Plan B and seeing which way the wind and clouds shifted in the afternoon for a possible trip up the mountain later in the day. In the mean time, she announced excitedly, we would be taking a trip to World of Birds in Hout Bay! The reactions were varied and hilarious as the 18-19 year olds shrieked with excitement at the prospect of seeing animals and monkeys, the other Meaghans face fell ghastly white. Having announced already her fear of flying things and citing a bad experience in Costa Rica, we were literally about to live her worst nightmare. I or course, thought I could think of a million things I'd rather do than go to what I was sure would be a glorified petting zoo of birds and monkeys, but I was along for the ride.
The scenery around the back side of Table Mountain was amazing. The foothills of the mountain fell straight into the ocean, providing a place for the waves to crash spectacularly below the winding road. Up and through a valley in the mountains, we descended into Hout Bay. The bus fell eerly silent as we drove past the first township of the trip, reminding us (and showing most for the first time) of the vast differences in lifestyle and culture in South Africa. We pulled up to the World of Birds and were immediately greeted by a wall of squawking as we got off the bus. Walking in, they ran out of maps and so started our African version of the movie The Birds. The park was a circle with circular paths that jutted off the main path. To follow these paths you would pass through a wire doorway with a rudimentary pulley system to fully shut the door behind you as you entered into a caged pathway. The first few feet lead Meaghan to false hope as the parrots were behind cages, and we were soon greeted by screaming cockatoos that were clearly upset we were there. Still, at least they were behind a cage, unlike the flock of doves that flew next to our distracted heads and caused everyone to whip their heads and kink their necks, causing the first of many "bird injuries" we all joked about the rest of the trip as we tripped over the path and kinked our necks trying to watch our step and duck from flying birds while dodging their poop on the path. Needless to say I don't need to describe them next 150 pathways this place had, all equally as terrifying as the next. But not only was there countless pathways of birds, including a giant hissing owl, you could walk among the turtles (who also hiss, who knew), the Penguins (careful they bite!) and the monkeys, who will pick your pockets and jump on your head. In case you were afraid we didn't have enough time to enjoy all that the World of Birds had to offer, they extended our time to stay there so we could have enough time to play with the monkeys and see the Penguins being fed. You know how there are some things that are cool when you're a kid, and then as you get older you realize it's kinda freaky? That was this place.
We were finally back on the bus when we looked to the skies to see the sun peaking through. Still not a perfect day for Table Mountain but maybe after lunch and the trek back to Cape Town. We stopped at a place with a bunch of restaurants and Meaghan and I skipped to the Thai place for some noodles (obviously not as good as Uncle Manops cooking) and found some chocolate bars at the local shop while we waited for everyone else to buy all the beaded elephants their little hearts desired. Back on the bus the sweeping ocean views were even better as the fog had cleared, and Professor P joyfully announced we would be going to Table Mountain that day. There was nervous anticipation as everyone looked to the top to see whisps of clouds, but they must have known something we didn't about the weather. They didn't. I wouldn't even say by the time we got to the top, because even as we stood at the bottom, the top of the Mountain was covered in clouds. When we got to the top, you could barely see Cape Town stadium right along the shoreline, just before the clouds engulfed the top and it was a wall of clouds. We stood there in awe of what had just happened, laughing at what a terrible decision it was to go today, when the day before had been crystal clear, hoping the wind would shift and the clouds would give way. They didn't. We resigned to the cafe at the top for a latte and watched out the window in disbelief. A half hour later we decided to swing through the gift shop before heading down. As we entered the cable station, the clouds broke for a moment, allowing a grey, hazy view of the city. We snapped a few dreary pictures before we headed down below the mist.
A series of unfortunate decisions that day, Made me happy that this isn't my first or only time in Cape Town. My many other pictures of Cape Town from Table Mountain made me just laugh the whole time we were up there. Too bad for the others though, but I guess that's why we have so many days here. We finished out the day with class in the evening, before headed to a delicious restaurant called Knead across the street. It reminded me of a Panera but I was pleasantly surprised to find and try my first craft beer in Cape Town. The one thing Africa was missing (and I do generally mean the continent as we traveled most of it) was decent beer. SAB Miller is the producer of most South African beer, Castle and its derivatives, making all beer essentially Miller Light. AMG and I were fortunate enough to find Camelthron Berwery at the Old Busicut Mill our last trip to Cape Town and toured their facility in Windhoek, Namibia four years ago. But this trip as shown me the promise of a budding craft beer scene that has made its way from America and Europe. Devils Peak Brewery's IPA did not disappoint and redeemed a less than stellar day. But not a bad day, because I am, after all, in Cape Town.
Day 5: Another Cold Day
To no ones surprise, the wind was howling the next morning as it blew the rain clouds back out to sea. We started the day with class bright and early because, unlike most other classes, the majority of our class was near or over 30 and was too tired from the days excursions to do evening classes. Then, it was back on the bus and off to a place I had surprisingly never been in my three previous trips to Cape Town.. Robben Island. Robbed Island, like Alcatraz, is a former prison turned historical site, boasting a famous prisoner -- Nelson Mandela. Unlike Alcatraz, Robben Island is much further out, and a decent sized island. The boat ride from the waterfront took about an hour when all was said and done, and good thing I have never really had a problem with sea sickness, as that was a rocky ride. It did however, lull me into a drowsy state as we watched the Dolphins and seals play in the water. Eventually the island appeared in our view and we saw houses and buses on the island. As we pulled up, I wondered how on earth they got those buses over here as this was not a car ferry boat. I'm sure there was one somewhere though. We hopped on the bus for a bus tour of the island with our tour guide Kent and his driver Mike. They took us through the history of the island, from a Dutch India Trading Company refreshment outpost, to an island of exile for tribal chiefs who opposed colonialism, to a leper colony, to a military station, and eventually a prison. We saw the leper clinic, the town and old school house (three years ago they closed the school due to budget constraints and the children now take the hour long ferry to and from school every day) and the WWII guns that were never fired because they were completed two years after the war (Africa time, eh? our tour guide joked). Finally we got off the bus and were taken on a tour of the prison itself. One of the amazing things about Robben Island now is that the political prisoners are the ones who give the tours of the prison itself. They take you on a tour of their section, telling you their story, and what it was like in the prison at that time. Our guide served in the 1980s, originally a six month sentence that was extended for 14 years. He only served 4 though as all political prisoners were released in 1990. Each tour ends with a tour of section A and Nelson Mandelas cell. Mandela like many other leaders, were secluded to single cells, while others like our tour guide were placed in cells that held up to 60 people. His cell was small, with a mat on the floor and a bucket for a toilet, it was amazing to think of the men and the ideas that were silenced by these walls, but the isolation of the island. Or attempted silence anyway, as the apartheid government eventually fell and the ideas of a new and equal country that were formulated on the island helped shape a new South Africa.
After an equally choppy boat ride back, we landed back on the waterfront with enough time for a quick bite to eat at a new food market (new to me anyway) with some gourmet samosas before heading back to the hostel. Having semi-neglected my studies for comps, I convinced Meaghan to go to a local tapas bar with me to study. Having finished her extended presentation as a required part of our graduate curriculum, she had nothing to study but was eager to get out of our room. Our room shares a wall with a rooftop bar in the hostel. Cool idea, but for old students like us, it makes studying impossible. Fortunately it closes at 9, leaving just the downstairs bar music to float up. Thank goodness for ear plugs. We spent the evening at Chalk&Cork tasting some South African wine and studying under the full moon light. Unfortunately, it was freezing even with the wine, so the minute the clock struck 9 we headed back to the warmth of our beds.
Day 6: A Good Break
Unlike the biology class here, who has quizzes on Saturdays, we have stuck to a semi-regular class schedule and have the weekends free of class. So the group headed off (after the bio quiz of course) for a safari today. Having had my fair share of lions and impalas, I took a hard pass on the $100 trip and spent the day in local coffee shops studying for comps. The Flat White has become my cure for the jet lag I have yet to fully shake, and after three (some with double shots) this morning I felt enough energy for a run. Its a beautiful day in Cape Town today. This chill is still in the air (were anticipating a return to the 70s next week) and the clouds are hanging around the mountain, but the sun shines on the city, making it a beautiful fall day.
Well, this has been a good break from studying. Back to Biostatistics it is.
Cheers, Meg
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Wait you have to a STUDY in Study Abroad?
Day 2:
The jet lag hasn't entirely subsided, but a good nights sleep is definitely easier to have the second night. But up before the sun, we made our way down to breakfast bright as early. I'll refer to "we" a lot because as we learned at our 9am group meeting, Meaghan and I were lucky to have each other. As the only two grade students on the trip, and 10 years older than the rest of the students, most just finishing their freshman year, we were stuck between the class and the professors. So essentially, the Megans, who are older and didn't travel to Cape Town with the group, we're definitely the outsiders of the group. Again, good thing we have each other, because what 18 year olds want to do on a study abroad trip is vastly different then 28 year olds. Generally. I have a better understanding of the large gap in the Peace Corps volunteers now.
Anyway, Day 2 began with our first day of class. There are 5 students in our class: 3 undergrad and 2 graduate students. With 2 presentations and 2 exams, the class is manageable, until you realize as a grad student you add a paper and lead another class and do it all in 16 days. Manageable, but not a cake walk study abroad class. Like actual class. I am also studying for my MPH comprehensive exam while I'm here. This is a cumulative exam over 5 core courses in Public Health that I've taken over the past year. Not an easy exam. Especially when you're frolicking around Southern Africa for the month prior. Oh well. Therefore, our nights are filled with lots of studying and reading and decent bed times to fight the jet lag. Party animals. Quite a change from my last trips to Cape Town. We all grow up sometime. Part of the reason I wanted to come back to Cape Town was to have an entirely different trip than I had on most of my other trips here. Most were characterized by filling the void that rural African life leaves in your American life: McDonalds and beer, with a sightseeing as a second priority, and only the free or cheap sights as we were paid $300 a month as PCVs. This trip I knew would hit many more museums, sights, and cultural experiences that I wasn't able to five years ago.
As excited as I was to have more tourist experiences, I was not excited to "be a tourist" something I seriously avoided as a PCV, taking public transport, avoiding the gaudy tourist buses and overland trips. But when you go with a group of 33 young Americans, most who have never been out of the country before, that feeling is inevitable. After class on the first day we were sent off to partake in the ultimate tourist experience, the Hop On Hop Off bus tour. Mercifully, they let us go off in separate groups, and not as a whole group. Meaghan and I quickly took off while everyone else was getting their group together. For all its gaudiness(apparently that's not a word but I'm rolling with it) the bus does offer a nice overview of the city and its history. We rolled through the colorful houses of Bo Kapp and up Table Mountain (we didn't get off because we'll take a group excursion there soon), and around the backside of the mountain to Camps Bay. Car-less as a Peace Corps volunteer, I never made it to Camps Bay. Settled between the backside of the mountain and the ocean, Camps Bay is the beach town of Cape Town and therefore home to lavish beach houses and delicious beach side restaurants. We "hopped off" the bus in Camps Bay, stuck our toes in the water, and meandered up and down the street and found a good looking Greek restaurant. Meaghan got her oysters (6 for $8, apparently that's a steal) and I found some good looking, fish free food and we enjoyed the beach side location, wrapped in blankets - it is winter here after all. We hopped on the next bus (after a discussion with our waiter about how sad he is that Obama is leaving office) and headed up the coast and the backside of signal hill. It was amazing to see the houses built into the cliff side rocks, squeezed together to make use of every ocean front property. 100 years ago, it was all just farmland. The familiar view of Cape Town stadium remind me of the World Cup atmosphere we were lucky to be apart of all those years ago. The bus talked of the vuvuzelas that filled the stadiums. I remember the vuvuzelas filling the airport and our homesteads as we watched Spain win the cup. We hopped off at my favorite spot in Cape Town, the water front, and moseyed through the mall. We finally stopped at the local brewery where the waiter came too quickly and I couldn't finish my warning to Meaghan that essentially every South African beer was the same, watered down type. She ordered a Hansa and said, I feel like I just ordered a Bud Light. I nodded but told her she had to try it while she was here. I ordered the brewery's pale ale and enjoyed the beginnings of the budding craft beer culture Cape Town was sorely lacking 5 years ago. We headed back to the bus to catch the last one back up to Long Street, only to find the place closed up. Somewhere between military time and winter hours, we missed the last bus. Fortunately, the cabs were near and he whisked us back to our hostel with no one the wiser. Settling in for some pizza and studying, we called it a night.
Day 3: The Tourism Continues
Our orientation to the city continued after breakfast as the group trekked down Kloof Street causing craning necks along the way, as giant groups of Americans do everywhere. The professors probably should have looked at a map before heading off as we stopped and turned around a few times, causing Meaghan and I to hang our heads low and pretend we weren't a part of the typical American tourist experience. We finally arrived at the Slave Lodge Museum at the end of the Company's Gardens. The Slave Lodge was where the Eaat India Trading Company brought the slaves they picked up in India, Indonesia, and Madagascar. Cape Town in that time was just a fueling stop for them, but soon grew with the bustling slave trade. The museum also served, as many do, as an Apartheid Museum. This one paid tribute to the newspaper The Guardian and the journalists that worked as activists first, journalists second. From the 1940s and 50s they fought against in NP, and in the 1960s and 70s when things turned violent towards the peaceful protestors, many of them were banned. It was interesting to see stories of people other than Nelson Mandela who took on the Apartheid in those times.
Next we wandered through the Company's Gardens, a small version of a Central Park, with fish ponds, vegetable gardens, sweeping views of Table Mountain, and a giant statue of Cecil Rhodes. It'll be interesting to see how much longer that statue stays, as protests at the University of Cape Town last year cause his statue to be removed from campus. We headed towards the Iziko Museum, essentially the Smithsonian of South Africa. This one was the South African history museum, with stuffed animals that roam the African continent and swim near its shores (safe to say there was a large shark area and plenty of talk of shark cage diving. Of which I will do a hard pass once again). We wandered through the ancient cave drawings and through a history of the continent itself. There were displays of the many tribes of South Africa, and I was pleased to read about the Swazis there as well. There was even a display on the Great Zimbabwe as well (see my picture around September 2012 in this blog).
We broke for lunch and headed to a burger place next to our hostel that served South Afican style burgers. Lots of blitong (their type of jerky) shavings, peri-peri sauce and other interesting combos. It was very delicious. We spent the afternoon in class and a group meeting before settling down with a cappuccino and some biostatistics in the cafe below the hostel. If that is the theme of the next few weeks, it would be a nice routine to settle into. Sight seeing in the morning, class in the afternoon with coffee and studying in the evening. There are many coffee shops around, that might be a nice niche to explore.
Ta-fa for now. It's a foggy Day 4 in Cape Town. Looks like a trip up Table Mountain will be postponed. I wonder what Plan B will be...
The jet lag hasn't entirely subsided, but a good nights sleep is definitely easier to have the second night. But up before the sun, we made our way down to breakfast bright as early. I'll refer to "we" a lot because as we learned at our 9am group meeting, Meaghan and I were lucky to have each other. As the only two grade students on the trip, and 10 years older than the rest of the students, most just finishing their freshman year, we were stuck between the class and the professors. So essentially, the Megans, who are older and didn't travel to Cape Town with the group, we're definitely the outsiders of the group. Again, good thing we have each other, because what 18 year olds want to do on a study abroad trip is vastly different then 28 year olds. Generally. I have a better understanding of the large gap in the Peace Corps volunteers now.
Anyway, Day 2 began with our first day of class. There are 5 students in our class: 3 undergrad and 2 graduate students. With 2 presentations and 2 exams, the class is manageable, until you realize as a grad student you add a paper and lead another class and do it all in 16 days. Manageable, but not a cake walk study abroad class. Like actual class. I am also studying for my MPH comprehensive exam while I'm here. This is a cumulative exam over 5 core courses in Public Health that I've taken over the past year. Not an easy exam. Especially when you're frolicking around Southern Africa for the month prior. Oh well. Therefore, our nights are filled with lots of studying and reading and decent bed times to fight the jet lag. Party animals. Quite a change from my last trips to Cape Town. We all grow up sometime. Part of the reason I wanted to come back to Cape Town was to have an entirely different trip than I had on most of my other trips here. Most were characterized by filling the void that rural African life leaves in your American life: McDonalds and beer, with a sightseeing as a second priority, and only the free or cheap sights as we were paid $300 a month as PCVs. This trip I knew would hit many more museums, sights, and cultural experiences that I wasn't able to five years ago.
As excited as I was to have more tourist experiences, I was not excited to "be a tourist" something I seriously avoided as a PCV, taking public transport, avoiding the gaudy tourist buses and overland trips. But when you go with a group of 33 young Americans, most who have never been out of the country before, that feeling is inevitable. After class on the first day we were sent off to partake in the ultimate tourist experience, the Hop On Hop Off bus tour. Mercifully, they let us go off in separate groups, and not as a whole group. Meaghan and I quickly took off while everyone else was getting their group together. For all its gaudiness(apparently that's not a word but I'm rolling with it) the bus does offer a nice overview of the city and its history. We rolled through the colorful houses of Bo Kapp and up Table Mountain (we didn't get off because we'll take a group excursion there soon), and around the backside of the mountain to Camps Bay. Car-less as a Peace Corps volunteer, I never made it to Camps Bay. Settled between the backside of the mountain and the ocean, Camps Bay is the beach town of Cape Town and therefore home to lavish beach houses and delicious beach side restaurants. We "hopped off" the bus in Camps Bay, stuck our toes in the water, and meandered up and down the street and found a good looking Greek restaurant. Meaghan got her oysters (6 for $8, apparently that's a steal) and I found some good looking, fish free food and we enjoyed the beach side location, wrapped in blankets - it is winter here after all. We hopped on the next bus (after a discussion with our waiter about how sad he is that Obama is leaving office) and headed up the coast and the backside of signal hill. It was amazing to see the houses built into the cliff side rocks, squeezed together to make use of every ocean front property. 100 years ago, it was all just farmland. The familiar view of Cape Town stadium remind me of the World Cup atmosphere we were lucky to be apart of all those years ago. The bus talked of the vuvuzelas that filled the stadiums. I remember the vuvuzelas filling the airport and our homesteads as we watched Spain win the cup. We hopped off at my favorite spot in Cape Town, the water front, and moseyed through the mall. We finally stopped at the local brewery where the waiter came too quickly and I couldn't finish my warning to Meaghan that essentially every South African beer was the same, watered down type. She ordered a Hansa and said, I feel like I just ordered a Bud Light. I nodded but told her she had to try it while she was here. I ordered the brewery's pale ale and enjoyed the beginnings of the budding craft beer culture Cape Town was sorely lacking 5 years ago. We headed back to the bus to catch the last one back up to Long Street, only to find the place closed up. Somewhere between military time and winter hours, we missed the last bus. Fortunately, the cabs were near and he whisked us back to our hostel with no one the wiser. Settling in for some pizza and studying, we called it a night.
Day 3: The Tourism Continues
Our orientation to the city continued after breakfast as the group trekked down Kloof Street causing craning necks along the way, as giant groups of Americans do everywhere. The professors probably should have looked at a map before heading off as we stopped and turned around a few times, causing Meaghan and I to hang our heads low and pretend we weren't a part of the typical American tourist experience. We finally arrived at the Slave Lodge Museum at the end of the Company's Gardens. The Slave Lodge was where the Eaat India Trading Company brought the slaves they picked up in India, Indonesia, and Madagascar. Cape Town in that time was just a fueling stop for them, but soon grew with the bustling slave trade. The museum also served, as many do, as an Apartheid Museum. This one paid tribute to the newspaper The Guardian and the journalists that worked as activists first, journalists second. From the 1940s and 50s they fought against in NP, and in the 1960s and 70s when things turned violent towards the peaceful protestors, many of them were banned. It was interesting to see stories of people other than Nelson Mandela who took on the Apartheid in those times.
Next we wandered through the Company's Gardens, a small version of a Central Park, with fish ponds, vegetable gardens, sweeping views of Table Mountain, and a giant statue of Cecil Rhodes. It'll be interesting to see how much longer that statue stays, as protests at the University of Cape Town last year cause his statue to be removed from campus. We headed towards the Iziko Museum, essentially the Smithsonian of South Africa. This one was the South African history museum, with stuffed animals that roam the African continent and swim near its shores (safe to say there was a large shark area and plenty of talk of shark cage diving. Of which I will do a hard pass once again). We wandered through the ancient cave drawings and through a history of the continent itself. There were displays of the many tribes of South Africa, and I was pleased to read about the Swazis there as well. There was even a display on the Great Zimbabwe as well (see my picture around September 2012 in this blog).
We broke for lunch and headed to a burger place next to our hostel that served South Afican style burgers. Lots of blitong (their type of jerky) shavings, peri-peri sauce and other interesting combos. It was very delicious. We spent the afternoon in class and a group meeting before settling down with a cappuccino and some biostatistics in the cafe below the hostel. If that is the theme of the next few weeks, it would be a nice routine to settle into. Sight seeing in the morning, class in the afternoon with coffee and studying in the evening. There are many coffee shops around, that might be a nice niche to explore.
Ta-fa for now. It's a foggy Day 4 in Cape Town. Looks like a trip up Table Mountain will be postponed. I wonder what Plan B will be...
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Here I Go Again...
Here we are again friends.
It's been nearly 4 years since I left Africa and since my last blog post. I've had many American adventures since: moving to California, leaving and moving back to California, a few cross country vacations and a few mountains climbed. But the travel bug is real, the wanderlust is real, and it was calling me back to a crazy venture to be had.
So when I found out my school was offering a class in Cape Town, I jumped on it and knew I'd do whatever it took to get there. It was only a bonus the class offered was an International Health class. I probably would have gone regardless of the class. ;)
I've met a lot of people in the last four years, new people I've described my African adventures to, who joined my friends and family who took the first journey to Africa with me in showing exactly zero shock in learning I was going back. Zero shock, but all excitement. So I thought I would restart the old blog, especially for those who aren't on Facebook (MOM) and show everyone the Africa I'm so in love with, and my second "crazy venture beneath African skies."
I'll be here in Cape Town for 3 weeks, then mosey back over to Swaziland for a few more weeks to meet up with an old PC friend for Bushfire and some Swazi adventures before heading down to Magubheleni to kaShabalala to see my family that I stayed with for 2 years there. It'll be a great time and I'm so stoked to be back. Here's how the trip has gone so far.
The Flight(s)
The journey started early on Saturday morning from San Francisco. (Huge thanks to B for making the late night / early morning trip with me and for his bro for putting us up for the night.) The last time I went to Southern Africa, we spent the night in Atlanta, then took the 17 hour flight to Joburg, where we spent the night again before hoping on the plane to the Swaz. Needless to say the breaking up of the trip was important - and was lacking in this current trip. I flew direct from SF to NY and for those who have done that trip, you know how long that is. With the early start, I slept for a bit, chatted with the guy next to me who was headed to Milan, read the chapter for the first day of class on Tuesday, put some flash cards together for my comprehensive exam in June, and by that time we were maybe over Denver. *ugh* Fortunately those long flights have personal TVs and I was able to catch up on a few episodes of Downton Abbey before I landed in NY. I hoofed it across JFK with enough time to snarf a pizza and send some final love from America before I was on the next plane within an hour. No bueno for the legs, but I just wanted to get there. For as long as O thought the NY leg was, the Paris leg was much longer - again, zero recollection from the last trip across the pond. Maybe it was the time difference that made it drag on. This "overnight flight" that left NY at 5pm and landed in Paris at 6 am, was really a late afternoon, evening flight Pacific time. We landed in Paris at 11pm Pacific and I had now slept a total of 2 hours tops when it was technically the next day? Who really knew where I was and what time it was, but there was no time to wonder and I hustled through security and back onto the Air France flight to Cape Town. Fortunately this one was delayed a bit, so I could pace by the gate trying to do the math on what time it actually was and how long this flight would be. Surely it wasn't really 12 hours, was it? There had to be a time change in there... No? No. No there wasn't. There was, however, no one on the plane. And no one in the entire row with me. The travel Gods were definitely looking out for my jet lagged self. I struggled to stay awake long enough to be served lunch (no I don't want more aperitifs French man, just give me the damn food so I can go to sleep!!) Mercifully, it came and on went the eyeshades and earplugs and out went Megan. A four hour, glorious nap later and we were still in Northern Africa. Fine. With slightly less enticing movies as Delta, I spent the rest of the trip (another 6+ hours) alternating between studying and sleeping and pacing the plane to circulate the blood in my legs that were tired of sitting for the 30th hour. But soon the lights appeared below: first, the familiar glow of fires that burn the grass in the villages (what do you do when you don't have a lawn mower?), then the larger, grid like lights of the townships, each light barely enough to cover 10 houses, and finally the lights of the city, the freeway and the airport. It was pitch dark when we flew in, but the lack of lights in the middle of the city told us the unmistakeable mountain was there. As Ali said, they didn't move it while I was gone. ;)
Day 1:
The travel Gods were with me again as I was put in a dorm room of the hostel with no one else. Perfect to quickly shower from 40 hours in the same clothes and pass out. For a few hours anyway. It was just beginning to be morning in California as my head hit the pillow in Cape Town. So my eyes thanked me for the nap and at 330am I was wide awake. After tossing and turning and trying to sleep, I got up and was down for breakfast at 7am when they opened. The hostel provides breakfast (score!) Greek yogurt and muesli (granola) or a croissant and a coffee of your choice. Flat white for me please (Starbucks pretended they invented a new drink that's been in every other country forever. And better) The class wasn't coming until late that night, so I ventured off into Cape Town with my list: Rand, adapter, towel. Kloof street turned into Long street snd I saw the familiar sights of my trips here in the Peace Corps. McDonalds, obviously, turned into the familiar cafes and bars next to various hostels that brought back many memories. I walked to down town and was reminded that thought this is Cape Town, it's still Africa and nothing goes quite how it should here. I walked into the first Bureau de Change to find out they were out of Rand. I was reminded of the restaurant AMG and I went to in who knows what town in what country of Africa and the restaurant we went to for lunch was "closed for lunch." "But you're a restaurant!" She said, "I thought I'd seen it all..." An exchange place out of cash, I thought I'd seen it all. She helpfully pointed me to an American Express exchange place. I walked to the counter to a nice lady who smiled and said, "we are offline, sorry angel." No idea what that meant, but I took her compliment, looked to the sky, found the tallest bank building and walked towards that. Good old Standard Bank, I knew they wouldn't fail me. Rand in hand I wandered around to where I thought the PEP store was in the map in my mind. You can tell how this story is going: they must have moved the streets. But I wandered into a Clicks Drug Store for towels and, I couldn't believe I had forgotten about them, a Top Deck chocolate bar. White and milk chocolate Cadbury in a delicious bar. Mmmmmm. I was back in my happy place for sure. I wandered back up the streets of Cape Town (and past the PEP store in its obviously new location, lol) and back to the hostel. Tired from jet lag but determined to push through, I grabbed some food at the restaurant below the hostel and enjoyed the sounds of Cape Town while I waited for the group: the South African accents, the kids screaming in the school across the way, the sounds of horns "tooting," and the khumbi conductors driving by searching for passengers...
The rest of my school group arrived that night, frazzled and jet lagged. The travel Gods smiled again as the other grad student, also named Meaghan (we'll forgive her the spelling) also from California, and I were given (accidentally I'm sure) a dorm room to ourselves. Our mouths have stayed shut since as we've enjoyed our extra space.
I'll update on yesterday's events and today's later. But now it's breakfast time for Day 3 in Cape Town.
Lots of love from the Mother City!
It's been nearly 4 years since I left Africa and since my last blog post. I've had many American adventures since: moving to California, leaving and moving back to California, a few cross country vacations and a few mountains climbed. But the travel bug is real, the wanderlust is real, and it was calling me back to a crazy venture to be had.
So when I found out my school was offering a class in Cape Town, I jumped on it and knew I'd do whatever it took to get there. It was only a bonus the class offered was an International Health class. I probably would have gone regardless of the class. ;)
I've met a lot of people in the last four years, new people I've described my African adventures to, who joined my friends and family who took the first journey to Africa with me in showing exactly zero shock in learning I was going back. Zero shock, but all excitement. So I thought I would restart the old blog, especially for those who aren't on Facebook (MOM) and show everyone the Africa I'm so in love with, and my second "crazy venture beneath African skies."
I'll be here in Cape Town for 3 weeks, then mosey back over to Swaziland for a few more weeks to meet up with an old PC friend for Bushfire and some Swazi adventures before heading down to Magubheleni to kaShabalala to see my family that I stayed with for 2 years there. It'll be a great time and I'm so stoked to be back. Here's how the trip has gone so far.
The Flight(s)
The journey started early on Saturday morning from San Francisco. (Huge thanks to B for making the late night / early morning trip with me and for his bro for putting us up for the night.) The last time I went to Southern Africa, we spent the night in Atlanta, then took the 17 hour flight to Joburg, where we spent the night again before hoping on the plane to the Swaz. Needless to say the breaking up of the trip was important - and was lacking in this current trip. I flew direct from SF to NY and for those who have done that trip, you know how long that is. With the early start, I slept for a bit, chatted with the guy next to me who was headed to Milan, read the chapter for the first day of class on Tuesday, put some flash cards together for my comprehensive exam in June, and by that time we were maybe over Denver. *ugh* Fortunately those long flights have personal TVs and I was able to catch up on a few episodes of Downton Abbey before I landed in NY. I hoofed it across JFK with enough time to snarf a pizza and send some final love from America before I was on the next plane within an hour. No bueno for the legs, but I just wanted to get there. For as long as O thought the NY leg was, the Paris leg was much longer - again, zero recollection from the last trip across the pond. Maybe it was the time difference that made it drag on. This "overnight flight" that left NY at 5pm and landed in Paris at 6 am, was really a late afternoon, evening flight Pacific time. We landed in Paris at 11pm Pacific and I had now slept a total of 2 hours tops when it was technically the next day? Who really knew where I was and what time it was, but there was no time to wonder and I hustled through security and back onto the Air France flight to Cape Town. Fortunately this one was delayed a bit, so I could pace by the gate trying to do the math on what time it actually was and how long this flight would be. Surely it wasn't really 12 hours, was it? There had to be a time change in there... No? No. No there wasn't. There was, however, no one on the plane. And no one in the entire row with me. The travel Gods were definitely looking out for my jet lagged self. I struggled to stay awake long enough to be served lunch (no I don't want more aperitifs French man, just give me the damn food so I can go to sleep!!) Mercifully, it came and on went the eyeshades and earplugs and out went Megan. A four hour, glorious nap later and we were still in Northern Africa. Fine. With slightly less enticing movies as Delta, I spent the rest of the trip (another 6+ hours) alternating between studying and sleeping and pacing the plane to circulate the blood in my legs that were tired of sitting for the 30th hour. But soon the lights appeared below: first, the familiar glow of fires that burn the grass in the villages (what do you do when you don't have a lawn mower?), then the larger, grid like lights of the townships, each light barely enough to cover 10 houses, and finally the lights of the city, the freeway and the airport. It was pitch dark when we flew in, but the lack of lights in the middle of the city told us the unmistakeable mountain was there. As Ali said, they didn't move it while I was gone. ;)
Day 1:
The travel Gods were with me again as I was put in a dorm room of the hostel with no one else. Perfect to quickly shower from 40 hours in the same clothes and pass out. For a few hours anyway. It was just beginning to be morning in California as my head hit the pillow in Cape Town. So my eyes thanked me for the nap and at 330am I was wide awake. After tossing and turning and trying to sleep, I got up and was down for breakfast at 7am when they opened. The hostel provides breakfast (score!) Greek yogurt and muesli (granola) or a croissant and a coffee of your choice. Flat white for me please (Starbucks pretended they invented a new drink that's been in every other country forever. And better) The class wasn't coming until late that night, so I ventured off into Cape Town with my list: Rand, adapter, towel. Kloof street turned into Long street snd I saw the familiar sights of my trips here in the Peace Corps. McDonalds, obviously, turned into the familiar cafes and bars next to various hostels that brought back many memories. I walked to down town and was reminded that thought this is Cape Town, it's still Africa and nothing goes quite how it should here. I walked into the first Bureau de Change to find out they were out of Rand. I was reminded of the restaurant AMG and I went to in who knows what town in what country of Africa and the restaurant we went to for lunch was "closed for lunch." "But you're a restaurant!" She said, "I thought I'd seen it all..." An exchange place out of cash, I thought I'd seen it all. She helpfully pointed me to an American Express exchange place. I walked to the counter to a nice lady who smiled and said, "we are offline, sorry angel." No idea what that meant, but I took her compliment, looked to the sky, found the tallest bank building and walked towards that. Good old Standard Bank, I knew they wouldn't fail me. Rand in hand I wandered around to where I thought the PEP store was in the map in my mind. You can tell how this story is going: they must have moved the streets. But I wandered into a Clicks Drug Store for towels and, I couldn't believe I had forgotten about them, a Top Deck chocolate bar. White and milk chocolate Cadbury in a delicious bar. Mmmmmm. I was back in my happy place for sure. I wandered back up the streets of Cape Town (and past the PEP store in its obviously new location, lol) and back to the hostel. Tired from jet lag but determined to push through, I grabbed some food at the restaurant below the hostel and enjoyed the sounds of Cape Town while I waited for the group: the South African accents, the kids screaming in the school across the way, the sounds of horns "tooting," and the khumbi conductors driving by searching for passengers...
The rest of my school group arrived that night, frazzled and jet lagged. The travel Gods smiled again as the other grad student, also named Meaghan (we'll forgive her the spelling) also from California, and I were given (accidentally I'm sure) a dorm room to ourselves. Our mouths have stayed shut since as we've enjoyed our extra space.
I'll update on yesterday's events and today's later. But now it's breakfast time for Day 3 in Cape Town.
Lots of love from the Mother City!
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