Golden Dream

Restless one in a world of change

Keeping dreams aloft in the rain

Spirit free, soaring through the clouds


Of time, of time

I’m glad I have a chance right now to just sit down and write. It’s been getting pretty hectic between school and just getting more and more acclimated to life in Cape Town. I have honestly just been forgetting to write down everything. Seeing as I plan on using this as a memory resource when I return, I’m regretting not documenting everything, but I think that I’m having more fun just living in the moment than sitting in my room and writing down everything I do! Rather than discussing the monotonies or school (or not so monotonies, seeing as there are so many issues in class every day that I’ve just learned to chill out and accept everything for what it is), I’ll just hit the highlights of the last two weeks.

Last weekend was pretty cramped; CIEE brought us back to the Spier winery in Stellenbosch for a wine tasting. Although I had been looking forward to this for a while, I was slightly disappointed as there were mainly red wines, and since I don’t really like the taste of red wine, I stuck with tasting just a couple of white wines that the winery made. I ended up buying a bottle of this delicious wine that I loved (it was a Chauvignon Blanc), and as much as I would have loved to bring it home as a souvenir, it wasn’t going to be possible, so I have already drunk it. Sorry to anyone who wanted to try!

The next day we went to the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens to see a summer concert. It felt like seeing an outdoor concert back in the States, except that directly behind the stage was Table Mountain, and there’s nothing in the U.S. that can compare to that view. The concert was pretty cool, a bunch of local South African musicians, so it was nice to get to see what South African music actually sounds like, since at clubs and bars they really only play American music.

The rest of the week still seems like a kind of a blur. Everyone realized that they were slowly but surely starting to fall behind on schoolwork, so at Devonshire everyone’s really been cramping down and making sure that they get on top of their game before UCT gets the best of them. However, I did play the fun-over-education card last Tuesday, when we went to Muizenberg and I had the intention of returning in time for African Dance class. Unfortunately, we decided instead to stay on the beach for longer and go out for dinner at this place in St. James called Octopus’s Garden (named after the Beatles song, so I got the ‘Beatle’s Burger’) which was delicious. It also was one of the hottest days here thus far on that day, and I didn’t want to dance in a very hot dance studio (there are hardly any air conditioners in South Africa), so I felt I could justify the choice. I plan and not missing (m)any more!

But, now on the most important part of this entry: my trip to Johannesburg (or, as they called it here, “Jo’burg” or “Jozi”), South Africa’s “City of Gold” and Pretoria!

Friday morning (after going out on Thursday… poor choice on my part) we had to be ready to leave at 7:30AM. Quinton (our Resident Director, who was accompanying my seminar class on the trip) called me at 7:31 to tell me that he was at Devonshire to pick me up… but unfortunately the sliding glass door out of the courtyard was off the track, so I struggled very hard to make it out. Remy had to come downstairs and open it for me, so that kind of set us back a little timewise, which would probably have mattered to a U.S. itinerary, but not in South Africa, where everything is on African time. After we picked everyone up and went to the airport, we went over to the gate and got breakfast (I got Wimpy, literally the most disgusting fast food ever but the only place that had bacon & egg sandwiches), and flew off to Joburg! After landing at O.R. Tambo International Airport, we grabbed some lunch (I ate at Kuaui, which is phenomenal, and conveniently located at home right across the street with the best apple juice I’ve ever had), and headed off to the Apartheid Museum.

One funny thing about the Apartheid Museum is that it is located on the same grounds at the Gold Reef City amusement park. One thing Quinton told us was that Joburg happens to be a city controlled by contradiction, and this was one of the more blaring ones. The museum was absolutely powerful. I can only compare its gravity with the Holocaust Museum in DC. The two hours we had at the museum were not nearly enough to appreciate every artifact, every image, and every piece of text placed throughout the museum. Unfortunately, the day was made a little soured by the fact that my friend Ashley had her camera stolen at the museum. Although it was sad, it was something that we’ve all come to accept as somewhat normal; if left slightly unattended, there is a very real possibility that something will be stolen. One of the stranger sights, though, was the condom that we found on a bench at the end of the museum. Call me crazy, but I don’t think that apartheid really turns anyone on, so while we joked about it, at the same time I felt it was very disrespectful for anyone to even think that was either funny or to have actually engaged in behavior requiring a condom, which would be an outright affront to the sanctity of the museum.

From there, we drove to Soweto, where we were to say. Soweto (pronounced “so-way-too”) is a grouping of 13 townships, comprising about 4 million people. Soweto is also the home of Nelson Mandela (whose house I was staying a mere two blocks from), Desmond Tutu, and the riots that erupted in 1976 that reignited the anti-apartheid struggle. There, we were split into groups, and assigned the Bed & Breakfasts we would be staying in. I stayed at Dakalo Bed & Breakfast, a very quaint house situated in Orlando West, where we were greeted with fresh orange/mango blend juice and a chance to relax in the bedroom before we went back out.

From Soweto, we went out to dinner in Rosebank, one of the more posh neighborhoods of Joburg. One thing I learned about Joburg simply from dinner is that the people are dressed to the 9’s at all times. Additionally, the service was much quicker than at restaurants in Cape Town, indicative of the fact that the culture of Joburg is much more fast-paced than chill Cape Town. Joburg is referred to often as the “New York of Africa”, a very apt comparison, while I would place Cape Town as similar to California culture. After dinner at a lovely pizza place, we went off to the Grand Hyatt Johannesburg to see a fashion show! The show was being put on by a company, Design for Style, started by a member of the CIEE Staff. DFS provides a platform for designers, ranging from clothing to accessory to makeup to hair, to showcase their work in front of potential investors, clients, and buyers. The room was small and intimate, and my friends Rachel, Ashley, and I managed to sit at the couch right at the end of the runway, and thus had incredible views. The show, supposed to start at 9, started at 9 on African time, meaning 9:45. It was totally worth the wait, though, to be able to see what a South African fashion show was like. It was incredibly cool to be able to see what the modern South African perception of beauty is, as well as to see how the designs differed from what you would see on an American runway. After the show was over, because we were all so tired, we drove back to Soweto, and went to bed.

The next morning we began what was to be an incredibly jam-packed day. First, we had a bus tour of almost the whole of Soweto. Starting in Diepkloof Extension (the Beverly Hills of Soweto), we were able to see just how wealthy portions of the township are. But, we were also able to drive by the neighborhood of Kilptown, as well as some informal settlements, to see how poverty is still alive and well in the townships. Kliptown was an interesting place, though, because that was where the Freedom Charter was signed, so we went to the Freedom Charter monument, where you can read the document, as well as shop at a small market, where I bought a really cool brass bracelet. We also during the course of the tour stumbled across a park where our guide recognized a wedding was taking place, so we went to see the photos being taken. We also, unfortunately, saw many more funeral processions. Our guide informed us that it is often joked that you’re foolish if you can’t find a free meal in Soweto on the weekends, because so many people are dying from HIV. We did learn, however, about South African township funeral culture, where people get dressed up incredibly well to show off to each other, and also where they race after the burial back to sight of the meal, in order to avoid the long lines that form. We finished the tour of Soweto at the restaurant run by our guide, Alina, where we were treated to some incredibly South African cuisine.

After the meal at Alina’s restaurant, we began the trek up to Pretoria. We were all in food comas, and thus slept a fair amount on the way there, but were roused by Quinton once approaching Pretoria. The encroachment to Pretoria is dominated by the massive Voortrekker Monument, our first stop in Pretoria. The monument is dedicated to the Voortrekkers, the Afrikaner population who made the Great Trek from the lands of the eastern portion of the Cape Colony to escape British rule. The formal reason for the monument was to commemorate the Battle of Blood River, the battle where the Voortrekkers beat the Zulu nation, ending the mfecane. From there, some trekkers went up to Pretoria, now the Administrative capital of South Africa, but also a stronghold of Afrikaner pride. It was strange to be there, having just been to the Apartheid Museum, knowing that there are celebrations still every year at this living monument to, essentially, the history of Apartheid. I felt very uneasy the entire time I was there, and although I was glad to learn about Afrikaner history and culture, I cannot truthfully say I wasn’t somewhat excited to leave.

Our next stop, on our big school bus, was a gated community in Pretoria, the home of Dr. Sam Khalileni (I believe that’s his last name, forgive me for forgetting!), a friend of Quinton’s who agreed to host a braai at his beautiful home for us. It was great to get to see how people who were once oppressed by the apartheid regime have quickly risen in new society, and this home was a testament to that. Perhaps the best thing about this braai was that Dr. Sam invited one of his friends, a high level member of the current ANC government. It was absolutely amazing to be able to talk to someone of such importance, for we are just American college students visiting Pretoria for one day. We wound up just sitting in a circle for about an hour, discussing politics. They were all very interested to hear what we had to say, especially when it came to discussing American sentiments about Obama today. I have to say I learned a lot about the thought processes of the upper echelons of the ANC, and I cannot believe I had that opportunity. We had a rushed meal (albeit, another incredibly delicious one), where we were exposed to some Tanzanian and Kenyan food as well as some traditional South African cuisine. It was only rushed because we had another stop make that day.

That stop was Loftus Verfeld Stadium, to see the Blue Bulls play against the Highlanders. The Blue Bulls are the reigning Super 15 Rugby champions, and I was incredibly excited to see a professional caliber rugby game, as rugby is one of the sports in which South Africa excels. The culture was perhaps what I was most interested in, for rugby is the be-all and end-all of Afrikaner existence, and Pretoria was the perfect place to be exposed to this culture. The celebrations were much less muted than at the soccer game I’d been to two weeks before, which was surprising, for I though Afrikaners were very into rugby (although I realized later this was just because the Bulls were losing the entire time, and ended up losing). Perhaps most disconcertingly, my friend Taylor said that she ended up being uncomfortable where she was sitting, because the drunk guys in front of her were being to spout racist remarks. I learned that one of the most popular expressions among some people here is “I’m not racist, but…”. It’s fairly horrifying that racism still persists in this country, which professes to be the “Rainbow Nation”, but I guess 17 years truly isn’t enough time to wipe out an entire racist philosophy that has persisted for centuries. After leaving Pretoria to return to Soweto, a couple of us went out to Sakhumzi, the local bar in Orlando West, where we were the only white people. This is where I really started to figure out just how powerful the differences are between Johannesburg/Soweto and Pretoria. They are two different worlds only 30 minutes apart.

This morning we woke up and went to the Nelson Mandela museum, located at his former home, 8115 Orlando West. The museum was nothing exceptional, however there was something to be said for being in the home of black South Africa’s emotional leader. We did then a little bit more shopping from street-side vendors, and then returned home to pack. From there, we went to the airport, to find out our plane was delayed, so we went to a nice meal and finally our flight back to Cape Town.

What a whirlwind of a weekend! I’m excited to just relax for tonight, seeing as tomorrow is the UCT/Stellenbosch rugby game! This is the biggest rivalry game of the season, and it promises to be an incredible display of school spirit, which I’m really excited for!