Every day that I am here, I am more and more stunned by the two distinct faces I am presented with every day. The fact that it just came out of a history as appalling as the slavery days in the United States starts to make one come to realize why this country is in such a state of disarray. The theme that seems to be recurring to me most recently, though, is that of a two-sided coin. Just like a quarter, or Two Face from Batman, there is always one side that is wonderful and magnificent, but then just as easily as you may flip a quarter to the other side, South Africa shows her scarred, ugly face.
Recently, we have been taking tours of the peninsula and getting to know the country more generally as well. On this tour, we drove past the V&A Waterfront, with houses just as magnificent as those on the shores of Malibu beach. After a quick fifteen-minute drive down the road, though, we are in a township called Ocean View. Here the houses barely have roofs that keep the weather out, the people are in clothes that have clearly been around for generations, and if they are lucky, they may be driving a broken-down bike to get around. Once we get inside the community center, though, none of this matters. The people are amazingly welcoming and joyous, as though inside this community center are all the riches in the world. These are the two faces of Africa.
Another example of this gave me my first true glance at the fact that I am living in a poverty-stricken area. As we were all hanging out in my apartment the other night, a girl on the trip from DU named Chelsea runs in asking for help. A lady that had been walking back to her apartment from the bus stop had just been robbed. Within three minutes the cops are there taking reports and making sure that no one else may come back to that area that night. Here is the two faces I saw in this case. Obviously the ugly side came when two men ran up behind this woman with a knife in her face telling her to give them money, and then when they stole her wallet and phone. The beautiful part comes in now. A man who had been meeting a friend came over offering all the help that he could. He had had the same bank card as the lady and told her exactly how to cancel it and make it so that no one could use it. After driving us all to the ATM where she could cancel her card, he drove us back and made sure we all made it safely home.
Today we took a trip to the beach, and used the train to get there. Even the train has these two sides. The “first-class” train, where we were told to buy our tickets seemed really safe and I didn’t feel threatened at all. We were told, though, that the other train is often very unsafe and that we should not travel on it.
The beach in Muizenburg was absolutely stunning, with perfect waves and a gorgeous beach, and of course the background of the mountains and Devil’s Peak. As we were all sitting on the beach watching the waves crash ashore, a seal playfully surfed the water directly in front of us, reminding all of us how beautiful this place is. After this, Natalie, Grace, and I walked around the town and found a cute little coffee/ bread shop. We stepped inside and ordered and then were ushered out back, where we sat with a few locals talking about life. They told us how great the surfing is and told us that while staying in Cape Town, surfing will have to become a normal activity. Can’t wait… Another gorgeous day down and only 4 more months to go!
African word of the day: “The Burg” meaning the town of Muizenburg
Here are some pictures just to update you on what I've been doing!
At a beach on the penninsula with Geoff, Lill, and Nats, and penguins playing at Boulder Beach.
Cape of Good Hope and the lighthouse at the top! Also a pole pointing to all the different cities of the world.
Friends at the bottom of Cape Point.
Thembe and Charles (my mentor) at a bar on Long's Street singing karaoke.
