Archbishop Desmond Tutu (September 26th)

My program got the opportunity to meet Desmond Tutu (click his name if you do not know who he is) the same week we got back from the Garden Route. Although, I was still very exhausted from Spring Break, and not exactly looking forward to getting up before sunrise on a Friday morning, I could not miss the opportunity to meet Desmond Tutu. Desmond Tutu is the first Black Archbishop of the Anglican Church of South Africa and a human rights activist who became famous for his fight against Apartheid. He won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts too. I cannot even describe all the things he has done, and how important he has been to South Africa and the world.

It was a dark, wet morning. It was really storming. I barely got out of bed (I had to get up at 4:00am!), but I did it somehow and headed to the bus. We drove to Capetown to St. George’s Cathedral to attend a Eucharist service with Tutu acting as the priest. Now, I have never attended church services other than Baptist ones, so I was a little nervous. I was not sure if I would be going against any of my own beliefs. But, God is God. There are people who are Baptist that would do me wrong… so, why miss praising God with a man who has risked his life to do God’s work?

I had joked earlier, “Man… for getting up this early, Desmond Tutu better be giving me communion or something!” I was really tired. I would have hated to wake up so early and just see Tutu for five minutes. I was like, “He better shake my hand or something!” Hahaha… Yall know how I am! It was great though.. like… DESMOND TUTU SERIOUSLY GAVE ME COMMUNION! He gave us all communion.

He led us all in prayers and read passages from the Bible. The service was very different from the ones I am used to having at church. I’m used to shouting, singing, clapping, and words seemingly coming from the heart. This service was more scripted. Like, we had to read from this prayer book. Tutu would say his part, and then we would respond. It was a little too mechanical for my taste, but I still felt God’s love. I hate to belittle Tutu, because he’s done so much in his life, but HE’S SO CUTE! He’s really short, old, and hilarious. He was making jokes the entire service. He also gave us all communion. Communion was different than what I’m used to. A lady and a man helped Tutu give out communion. I think he put the wafer in my hand, I put it in my mouth, then stepped to the left to a woman who had a cup of REAL WINE (like.. I got a little tipsy afterwards… you know I’m a light weight.) and I sipped from it. I also had to cross my heart with my hands like the Catholics do. I was a little apprehensive of drinking out of the same cup as strangers, including the ones on my trip (some of them are seriously nasty), but I just thought “God will protect me,” and I drank from the cup anyway.

After the service, we all got a picture with him and a few people sought out their own private pictures and time with Tutu. At the end of the trip, I was so happy that I had gone. When we returned to campus, that racist chick from the “drama” post came up to me and was like, “We need to talk.” I saw it coming from A MILE AWAY.. Literally.. a mile. She was staring at me and my friends the entire service, and she was eyeing me when I got on the bus. I saw her waiting around outside before I got off the bus, and I just knew she was waiting for me. I had expected it. People like her seize opportunities like that; if they’re unhappy, they want you to be too. "Misery loves company" as they say. Anyway, I completely ignored her (and I still am to this day). I was just like, “You should have wanted to talk to me BEFORE you started talking about me to other people. Simple. I don’t care what you said, you shouldn’t have said anything at all.” The sad thing is, I had GREAT day. Like, seriously. It was so cool; I feel like I learned something from Tutu. Like, although you know there is so much wrong and hate going on in the world, you can still laugh and enjoy yourself without feeling guilty at the end of the day about loving your life, yourself, and God. His laughter made me feel so good. Plus, I finally got to go to church. I needed it. But, she was too busy looking at us and probably thinking about how she was going to “confront” me to really take in the experience. And, that is a shame.

Hiking up Table Mountain

I don't know why I always do stupid poses when I hike. But that's a great view from the top of the mountain.

Table Mountain is like the first thing you notice when you visit Capetown. I remember I snuck a peek of it through someone else’s window in my row on the airplane when we first arrived here back in July. From the air, it was easy to tell that it was Table Mountain because it was so flat on top. So, when the opportunity came to hike the famous mountain, I couldn’t say no.

I actually decided to do it at the last minute. Yall know how I am? I got the email, I wanted to do it, but I forgot about it until someone else reminded me about it. By the time I remembered, I didn’t think their would be any spots left. However, my friend Andrea decided not to go and gave me her spot.

It was a windy but sunny day out; the temperature was perfect for hiking. I didn’t want to be late, so I hurried over to the meeting spot, but of course, when I am finally on time, no one else is. So, we waited a good extra 15 minutes for people to arrive. I was a little worried about lunch. I had forgotten about breakfast (a very dumb mistake on my part) and had stolen my flatmate’s peanut butter to make 2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but with all that hiking, I wasn't sure that it would be enough. My friend Cassie and her Asian-Canadian flatmate, ?Mugoobe?, also came to hike up Table Mountain. Cassie forgot to pack her lunch, so I offered one of my pb&js, even though I was already worried about it not being enough for myself.

Anyway, we hopped on the bus and headed to Capetown. There is an airlift that takes people to the top of the mountain. THE LINE FOR THE AIRLIFT WAS SO LONG! There were so many tourists there. The airlift looked scary to me though. You know how I am with heights and machinery (I refuse to ride roller coasters); I’d rather hike up! We were going to hike up Table Mountain via the “Platteklip Gorge” route, which was actually down the road from the lift, so we had a long walk before we even really began hiking up the mountain. The beginning of the hike was BRUTAL. I mean, straight up climbing up over huge step after step after step. This was seriously the worst part of the entire hike. Cassie and I were the first ones to have to take a break, but we weren't the only ones. I was like, “Dang.. I don’t want to be at the end of the line, holding up the group!,” but I had to. It was really hard. We didn’t hold up the group at all either; they just kept on going. It was nice. I got to set my own pace. Casey and I started getting on each others’ nerves [hey, it happens!], so we separated and started really concentrating on making it up the mountain.

That mountain was so intense. It was like being on a “stair master” for 2 or 3 hours straight. I caught up with the group and even passed a few folks though. As we got towards the top, the hike got easier. There were a few friendly people too. One couple was coming down and they were like, “You’re about 10 minutes away.” Once they said that, I practically ran up the rest of that mountain! I was so happy to be done.

At the top.. it is COMPLETELY FLAT! I couldn’t believe it because it was so hard to get up and steep. But the top is completely flat. The mountain is really like a table! And there was a beautiful view of all of Capetown and all of Cape Point (which I’ve been to before, but I’m still waiting on Jayden to give me the pictures before I talk about it.). It was beautiful. The best part was THERE WAS A RESTAURANT AT THE TOP! There was all kinds of food; I had the cheese pizza! I hadn’t brought any money, so instead of me giving Cassie my sandwich, Cassie ended up paying for my food! Funny how that worked out!

After eating and chatting with some African tourists, it was time to head back to the bus. I ran down the mountain by myself. I just hate walking down mountains; it takes too long, and my knees start hurting. Running down is better. Walking down is how you get hurt. When you run down, your feet barely touch a rock for longer than a split second, so you have no chance of spraining your ankle or slipping.

I ran down by myself, and, when I got to the bottom, I felt so accomplished. I felt like I had conquered Capetown!

Men and the Club Scene

I guess I haven’t been fair to the men here in my past posts. The men that are usually disrespectful to me are the poor men and the construction workers. The male students and guys that I meet are actually really conservative acting and nice. I meet many guys at the club we like to go to called Lush! They love us really. We know the club owner Dylan. He always lets us in free, takes our coats and makes sure they are safe, and gives us free drinks. He is really sweet. I think we have a pretty good buzz going there too. We’re the Black American girls that come and dance and get “crunk! “ The guys aren’t touching all over me or being disrespectful. They don’t grind… they usually dance with a girl face to face doing little moves and stuff. They are really nice.
However, there has been a few creepers. There was this one guy who was pretty nice looking or whatever, but he was all in my grill. I HATE BEING SMOTHERED BY ANYONE. Ugh.. it gets on my nerves. He was all over me… rubbing my leg, not in a sexual way either. He was rubbing my leg like we had been dating for years… in a caring, familiar way. It creeped me completely out. I ducked and dodged my way away from him. And, when I was dancing on the speakers (you know I have to be seen!), here he come trying to get a dance. He was like “Come down here and dance with me!” I was like, “Nah.. this my jam!” Hahaha… I played it off real well I suppose. But, he was definitely a creepy one. I saw him looking for me all night.
Then, there was this guy the other day who picked me up and drove me home when I was walking home with groceries. He seemed real nice until we got closer to the dorm. He was trying to get my number and set up a date. I gave him my number, because in South Africa, you can’t give people the wrong number. THEY CALL YOU RIGHT THEN AND THERE AND MAKE SURE YOU GAVE THEM THE RIGHT NUMBER! So, basically.. he’s called my phone at least six times in two days. Ugh…
But like I was saying, most of the guys are really nice and respectful. Here’s the thing about students and wealthier men here. They can D-R-E-S-S dress! They dress a little too good for my tastes. And, they LOVE LOVE LOVE their jeans to be a little tight. Like… the one thing every guy must have is FLARED (yes bell-bottom-ish) LEVI JEANS! Those are the must-haves for any man here. They do look nice though, but it’s not my taste.
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this about the club scene here, but it’s basically unofficially segregated. There are two Colored clubs and the rest are White clubs in Stellenbosch. There are no Black clubs here. Lush is a colored club. All the clubs play hip-hop for about an hour, then switch to something else. The biggest music here in South Africa, and apparently in Europe too, is house music, which basically, to me, sounds like techno music. It sucks! I’m getting used to it though, but I cannot stand listening to songs with absolutely no words. I still have fun when I go out though. I like to go to Cubana’s, this restaurant that has really good food and drinks. It’s like an open space, with music, and a nice lounge feel to it. We go to Cubana’s and eat (and/or drink, which I don’t do anymore) and then head to a club to dance. I really have a good time. I just like to dance and chill. I like to go out on Wednesday nights now. Like, Wednesday night is perfect! Lush is always packed and fun. I get to have my weekends to do other activities and do my homework instead of being too tired. And, we just have fun!

i love kristen kirksey!

I'm nearing in on my last month here in Stellenbosch, South Africa. I love South Africa. It's so beautiful here, and I know that one day, probably soon, I will be back here to vacation, live, learn, and aid the people here.

I am really looking foward to coming home though. Like, I am SO glad that my friend Kristen is studying abroad in the Dominican Republic too, because otherwise, I feel like NO ONE would understand where I was coming from right now. After talking with her, I felt so relieved that she was feeling the same way. I had to talk about it on the blog so that my family and friends can know exactly how I've been feeling. At first I wasn't going to write about it, because I know that people in my program look at my blog too and I didn't want it to be big deal or something. But, whatever. This is for my friends and family; I must be honest.

I MISS MY FAMILY. You guys are crazy, silly, and so supportive. I miss feeling cozy. I miss making fun of my momma with Greg until she makes both of us leave the room. I miss going to my dad's and Tomyra's house watching crazy movies that no one has ever heard of and playing PHASE 10! Thanksgiving will be really special for me this year; I am thankful to have you guys in my life.. although yall are crazy.

Missing my family has come natural. What I didn't expect to be so strong is my longing for my friends. I MISS YALL! Like so much. I cannot believe I am lucky enough to know these people! People here... I don't know how to explain it without it seeming negative. They are like my temporary friends. Like, I don't trust them that much. Not through any particular fault of their own, but I just can't trust people I barely know. And, sometimes I get the feeling that if you weren't there for the conversation, you were the conversation. I found myself talking about people behind their back, and I am just not like that at home. So, I kind of tried to stop doing that. I think I've been doing a pretty good job at it.

I was at first going over my friends' house like everyday. But, after Spring Break.. after doing so much and spending, what was probably, too much time around the same people, I took a good look at myself. I am just not the type of person to be following folks around like that. I am too independent. I'm usually the hermit crab. I first and foremost need my privacy. I don't like the whole world knowing what I am doing. When I would be alone in my room, it would be lonely, because I always had David to light up the room back in Nashville. But, now, all of a sudden in South Africa, I needed to be around people!!??

Uh.. no. That's just not me. So, since then, I haven't been going there as often (not at all really, and I guess I should have transitioned that better because some of the students there are like "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? WHAT'S WRONG?"). I've still been doing many activities, getting out and doing stuff everyday, and having fun with other people. I've met many South African students since then, and I really like it. It's amazing how much they know about America. I like going to my room at night and just chilling. At first, I was like spending the night over there and having to run back to my room and take a shower before class and doing all this stuff.. like ridiculous. Who was that girl?

What it is is when you get here, they stress being social and making friends. So, you get into "make friends immediately" mode. When, in my usual world, I don't care about other people like that! I really don't. I know who I am, and I know how I can be percieved. It's not that you need to tell me what you think about me... NO.. I know what you think. I'm not oblivious to what you think... I just don't care what people think about me. My close friends are the ones that can actually make me upset and hurt me or make me happy and cheer me up.

Like, I care about the friends I've made here. If they needed me I would try my best to be there for them, because I am not heartless or anything. I am Christian, and I try to do my best. I feel like when people have needed me (when they're sick, or drunk, or having troubles), I've been there. But, at the end of the day, I don't expect them to do the same things for me. The only thing I expect from them is to have a good time with me. That's it. We can go out... party... have a good time... hike.. shop... have lunch.... or whatever. But, at the end of the day, I know not to expect them to be a David Law or a Kristen Kirksey. There are a few people that I hope I can keep in contact with; they're cool people, and I learn a lot from them.

I feel SO GOOD since I've realized this stuff. I mean.. I feel like I've gained piece of mind. I don't know what I was thinking about before. I came in thinking we'd be getting matching tattoos and stuff and that I would have some kind of unbreakable bond or something with everyone. I was so naïve. I guess I do sort of share a bond with them; we've expierenced South Africa together. But, I am definitely not getting the tattoo! Hahaha.

Heritage Day - September 24th

September 24 is Heritage Day in South Africa, where people are supposed to remember their heritage. There was no school, because it's a national holiday, so a few friends and I decided to do something fun and cultural.
I looked on the internet and found a lot of ideas on capetownmagazine.com. The plan was to catch the train to Capetown, get a camera for Brittney, go to a photography exhibit at Joao Ferreira Gallery, shop a bit, go see some poetry at the African Center, and then be back on the train to Stellenbosch by 5:30p. WE DID NOT STICK TO THIS PLAN! hahaha.

We went to catch the train, but apparently the train schedule is different on holidays, and it had already left. So, we had to call a cab to take us to Capetown. While we waited, we stayed in Stellenbosch and ate a some KFC. The cab that came to pick us up was a nice, clean van driven by an Afrikaner, young woman. She was really nice, and we really made her laugh with our ridiculous conversations. She took us to the Waterfront Mall, in order for Brittney to buy a camera. For us to go to Capetown and back to Stellenbosch was 480Rand... that's about $70. Split 3-ways, that's not a lot of money, but when you're broke, like I am, it is. The CRAZIEST part is, she told us to wait until she picked us up later to pay her!!! I have never been trusted like that in my life! We could have easily not called her to pick us up, took another way back home, and saved 240Rand. We decided to do the right thing though, since she trusted us so much, and because we are trying to be good!

By the time we found Brittney a new camera (a really nice, hot pink, touch-screen camera), it was around 2 oclock. We didn't have enough time to go to the photography exhibit, because the poetry thing started at three. So, we made our way outside to catch a local cab. Cabs in South Africa are confusing! There are cabs like the ones I am used to seeing, then there are rusty, old vans, and then there are nice vans, and then there are really nice, expensive looking regular cabs. We decided to take an old, rusty van, because it would be cheaper. We got into the van, and we told them where we wanted to go. There were people already on there, so they dropped them off. And, then they proceeded to tell us that if we want to go directly to the poetry thing, we have to pay like 60Rand or something OR we could just pay 1 rand and they could drop us off as close as they were willing to get. We were just like "UM.. NO!" So, we only paid the 1Rand.

Me, Cassie, and Brittney sitting in the back of the taxi.

These fools drove to some business, took a cigarette break, and waited for the women who were getting off work to catch a ride. Meanwhile, we sitting around looking, thinking that were were about to be late for the poetry tour. It was ridiculous. After they had just about filled the van to full capacity, they told us to get out. Cassie and Brittney were put in the front seat, and I had to sit closer to the door so that they could drop us off first. They had packed the van up so much that while Cassie and Brittney got to be cozy with each other, I had to litterally share my seat with one of the guys who drove the van. He kept moving and hitting me with his elbows, because he was trying to collect money from the women behind us. Also, he smelled like cigarettes and pee pee. I felt a little confused and abused. Hahaha.


They took us to Long Street, and we walked the rest of the way to the African Center. We arrived just in time. The event we went to was called the Badilisha African Poetry X-Change. What they did was take us around to different rooms and perform different poetry that related to Heritage Day. It was really cool and so interesting. I am really happy we went. The poets were all different and had interesting things to say.

Winslow performing his poetry.

At first, I was a little niave. Heritage Day sounded like a good idea to me, but then after listening to a few poets, I realized that it's like Black History Month, except they only get ONE DAY to remember their heritage. What are they supposed to be remembering all the other days? Apartheid? Apparently, all the other days of the year, they are being told to forget their past and are being forcecd to fit into Western ideals of beauty, education, religion, etc. That's kind of messed up.

The poetry was really deep, and it was so good. Even when some of the words were in Xhosa or Afrikaans, we could still find meaning in the way they spoke and their actions. There was even a musician at the end who sung a few songs and had us singing along too. Afterwards, we networked. We met some interesting people. One girl was actually from America and working at a school outside of Capetown. It was nice to hear her New York accent. One older woman had a dignified look about her that let me know she was rich. She said she had visited America many times and that her son was about to marry an American girl. We also met Winslow, who invited us along to another poetry session and party at a near-by club. We didn't think we could go, but once the older lady found out that we were from Stellenbosch, she offered us not only her favorite driver's number but also she offered to let us STAY IN HER GUEST HOUSE IF WE GOT STUCK IN CAPETOWN! That's twice, we were trusted by strangers..! crazy.
We decided that we might as well stay in Capetown a little longer and go to the poetry session, called Verses. We called the taxi-girl from earlier, and she agreed to pick us up later.
The only thing that was standing in the way of us and more poetry was OUR CLOTHES! I looked a little too casual to be going to a bar/party, and the other girls wanted to get dolled-up too. So we decided to catch another cab back to the mall and buy outfits for the night. This time, we passed on the raggedy van and got a nicer cab. I tried to keep it cheap. I bought a shirt-dress at Woolworths (it's kind of like Target) and some black tights and black flats from Edgar's (which is like Goodys). I still ended up completely broke by the end of the night.

After changing clothes in the mall bathroom and eating at Subway (We found a Subway! It tasted just like it does at home.), we caught another nice cab to the Zula Bar to expierence Verses. Verses is like an open-mic poetry night; anyone that wants to come up and do some poetry can. Winslow was the host! This poetry was just as good as the poetry at the African Center. Even a few rappers and singers came on stage and performed. They were all so talented. I didn't get any pictures or video, because my camera had died. At the end, there was a live band that performed. The music was really good, but by that time, I was so tired I couldn't keep my eyes open. Every song that they did sounded like "rock-a-bye-baby" in my head. While other people were jamming, I had my head in my lap. I WAS THAT TIRED!!
After the band was done, the party started. They played some pretty good rap music. A lot of it was old, but some of it was new. I danced a little bit, but the party really wasn't "poppin'." I think Cassie and Brittney were tired too. So, we said "Goodbye" to Winslow, called our cab from Stellenbosch, and left Capetown around midnight. We paid her her money (except I didn't have any more cash so Brittney had to spot me.. .I KNOW I STILL OWE YOU THAT MONEY GIRL. I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN!!!! )

Althought we didn't stick to our schedule, I had a great day in Capetown. It was so much fun, and even when it's raining, the city is still beautiful.