Fall Break

Ciao. My apologies for the extended time without an update. October got away from me. The most exciting part of October was Fall Break. After a stressful week of midterms we were off for a week to travel to our hearts desires. The University organized a study trip to Poland and that is where I spent the first seven days of my break.

We began in Warsaw, the capital. The airport was an hour and a half outside the city (thank you cheap airlines) so we had to take a cab into the city center. My friend and I ended up in a cab with a Polish couple recently returning from their honeymoon. The groom is working on his doctorate in History, so he was telling us all about Polish history, especially during World War II. It was a interesting and unexpected introduction to our trip. We spent two night in Warsaw, spending time wandering around the city center and old square. The Polish food is fabulous and a welcome change from the pasta, pasta, and more pasta of Rome. My favorite dish was probably beet soup with beef dumplings, yum. We went to the Warsaw Uprising museum and learned about the Pole’s attempt to liberate themselves at the end of the war as the Soviets invaded from the east. They were unsuccessful, and the Western part of Warsaw was obliterated by the Nazi army. Not a building was left intact. You would never know it from the way the city looks now, modern and bustling.

We took a train to Torun, in the North of Poland, home to Nicholas Copernicus University and the only city left untouched during WWII. There we attended a Human Rights Symposium on Human Trafficking. Sunday evening we watched a sobering film called Sisters, that explicitly depicted the life of girls who are trafficked for sex slavery. Monday morning we came together with a study abroad program from Spring Hill in Louisiana and other law students from the host university to listen to two speakers. The first gave us many statistics on human trafficking. The second speaker, Iana Matei, runs a shelter in Romania for repatriated women who have been trafficked. She also works on the political level lobbying for laws against traffickers. Her presentation was an interactive discussion, answering our questions about human trafficking. She was a very dynamic speaker and impassioned activist. The conference was altogether too short and there was no follow up discussion on what we had learned, but I consider myself more educated on the issues of human trafficking.

We then took a very long train ride to Krakow. Spending most of our free time wandering around the old square admiring the architecture and browsing the markets. The group went to the Schindler Museum which was a comprehensive overview of life in Krakow during WWII for Jews, Poles, and Germans. Wednesday we went to the Auschwitz and Birkineau concentration camps. There are not any good adjectives to describe that experience except for that it was in fact an experience. After studying the war and the Holocaust for a long time in grade and high school, being in the camps was a bit surreal. The most incredible experience for me was walking into a still intact gas chamber where thousands of people had been killed. It was important to see the camps. It is important to know what human beings are capable of and to ensure that no such massacre can be allowed to happen again.

Overall I very much enjoyed my time in Poland. The weather was cold and foggy and all the leaves were changing colors. I was happy to get a taste of fall that I will not have in Rome. With a weekend of break left, I went with my friends to Paris.

The weekend was jam packed with tourist destinations: the Louvre, Notre Dame, Pompadour, the Eiffel Tour, Versailles, Sacre Coure, and Musee de Orsay. My favorite destination was the gardens at Versailles. O they were so beautiful! Miles of tailored green space with fountains and sculptures. Versailles was every bit as extravagant as you would expect it to be, just ridiculous really. The Eiffel Tour is just how you’d imagine it as well. I ate raw beef, not on purpose, but I had forgotten what “tartar” meant. It actually just tasted like a hamburger, a very rare hamburger.

I was exhausted after a week of traveling. But I have only six weeks left in Rome and I intend to enjoy every one of them.  Happy November!

Five Weeks In...

The wedding in Amalfi was wonderful. It was really great to be with the family, if only for an evening. Amalfi is a fun little town, despite being full of tourists. We spent Saturday on the beach and swam in the Mediterranean. In the evening we found a little church for mass. I was the youngest person there, and if I hadn’t been there, my parents would have been the youngest. It was so fun to see all these cute old people singing their hearts out and responding enthusiastically to the liturgy. I have no idea what the gospel was, or what the homily was about, but I found so much joy in this Saturday evening ritual. My favorite part of the weekend was riding the boat back to Salerno. The water was blue, the coast was green, I may as well have been on a postcard.

Mom and dad stayed the rest of the week in Rome. We explored the Catacombs on Monday. They are incredible. Three stories of underground tombs that expand for miles! I was totally impressed. On Wednesday we ventured to Orvieto, a hill town in the region of Tuscany. The basilica there has the most intricate façade. There are huge mosaics that tell different bible stories and intricate carvings of stone that must have taken a hundred years to finish. I climbed 254 stairs to the top of the clock tower from which there were fabulous views of the surrounding countryside. Then the family and I headed back south to Naples to spend the weekend with my Aunt Vicki. Her flat has the most incredible view of the coast and we spent some quality time on the patio eating and drinking wine. Her boyfriend Antonio cooked us the most delicious dinner. The lobster we ate on our pasta was brought home alive from the market! It was all so fresh and mmm, wonderful. We spent Saturday on the island of Ischia at a hot water pools spa. It was beyond luxurious, but so relaxing. Sunday night mom and dad came to campus for evening mass and we said our goodbyes.

This past weekend was the first that has not been planned out for me since I arrived. I spent Friday wandering about the south of Rome exploring some churches, one claiming to have relics of Jesus’ cross… Another church, called Scala Santa supposedly has the steps that Jesus walked up and down during his trial with Pilot. On these specific set of stairs you are only allowed to climb up on your knees. It was really moving to see all these different tourists and people of faith climb the stairs in reverent prayer. I may return and climb the steps myself, but I feel it would take a certain preparation. Saturday I went to the beach with some friends. It was a bit windy for my taste, but the sun was hot and the water bearable.

Life at JFRC goes on as usual. With my parents here for two weeks, I felt like I never really got into a routine of classes and such things. I cannot call our campus home, not yet. I have been craving the human rights, social justice, and international relations curriculum that I am used to. I do not get that in any of my classes, unfortunately. There is an intramural Calcio (an abbreviated version of soccer) league with the students that play every Wednesday. I had my first game this week. It was exhausting, but so much fun to have a greater portion of the community together cheering each other on. I have also begun to lead a CLC, only one so far, but I am happy to have a spiritual community on campus.

I have found what I think will become my favorite spot in Rome. Our campus is on a hill and there is a park that opens up to overlook the whole city. There is a fallen tree, that is comfortable enough and I just love being in nature, but the view is unreal. Much time of contemplation is bound to happen there. Happy October! Peace. 

Pasta and Wine

It has been a little over two weeks in Italy. My classes have started and my favorite thus far is a writing of fiction class. It is an on sight class so we read stories that take place in Rome, walk to those places and discuss the stories, and use the city of Rome as our inspiration to write our own fictions. I have the same fun professor for European Masterpieces and Italian Film. I will read some great novels and watch some great films by the end of the semester. Tonio Kroger by Thomas Mann is our first book. (Let me actually read it and I’ll let you know what I think). We watched Cabiria, a silent film made in 1914. Revolutionary for its day, I am glad movies have come so far. Finally there is Italian 101. I am far from fluent, but my professor is very patient and it is a fun class.

I spent a wonderful weekend in Tuscany to finish off our orientation to the JFRC. There was a lot of good food and a lot of good wine. For my taste the weekend was heavy with tours of quaint and quite Tuscan towns. My most favorite moment was sitting on the front of the boat on our lake tour and simply basking in the Tuscan sun and taking in the sights of the surrounding villages. I was able to meet a few more people as well. There are two hundred here in our program and I will not get to know each one of them, but it is nice to know names and see familiar smiles in the halls.

“How is Rome?!?” My friends at home have been asking, and I actually don’t quite know how to answer. Rome is old, ancient in fact. There is history around every corner, much of which I will never learn. Ruins mix with tourists, mix with fashionable locals, mix with an inefficient bus system. I am lucky to have already experienced studying abroad because it has taught me to be patient and open with the quirks of another country. I also know that it will take me some time to fall in love with Rome, and that is ok.

The official conclusion of orientation was mass of the Holy Spirit at the Ignatius chapel down town this past Wednesday. It was fun for the community to come together, all dressed up for mass in this gigantic church. The homily was about how we are to believe in the human spirit. Father Al began with a story from the 1936 Olympic Games where Hitler was determined to exemplify the dominance of the German race. Jesse Owens, an African American runner, beat out the German hope Carl Long in the long jump event. During the medal ceremony, Owens with gold and Long with silver, Hitler stormed out of the stadium. After the anthem, Long embraced Owens and they walked off the field arm in arm. This was quite a brave act on behalf of Long, but what a testament to the human spirit. That story stuck with me and is an inspiration for me to live in love…

Tomorrow I am off the Amalfi coast for the wedding of my cousin Tony to his wonderful fiancé Lisa. It is going to be a beautiful wedding, in a beautiful place, with beautiful people. Peace.

Some day we'll laugh about it

Someday we’ll laugh about getting lost our first night in Rome! Ciao family and friends. I have arrived safely in Rome. It was an uneventful trip and my bag made it too! Everyone was exhausted by the time we got on the bus to go to campus, so it was a quite ride. What I have seen so far of our neighborhood is apartment buildings with shops at the bottom. Our campus is tucked away down a long driveway. There is a beautiful courtyard in which I see myself spending much time. My room looks out onto said courtyard and it is beautiful to just stand in the large open window and look out. We got registered and had a brief orientation yesterday. Dinner was good, but I am excited to get out and eat at the restaurants.

My first night in Rome was an adventure. There is a woman here, Jessy, who used to live and do tour guides in Rome. She offered to take us if we were up for it. I thought, in my exhaustion, yes, going downtown my first night will be an adventure. We walked three minutes from campus to the 990 bus stop to Piazza Cavour and got off at the last stop near the Vatican. We walked across the river and saw the Vatican all lit up. It was magical, and I do not think that sight will ever be less romantic. We walked then to Piazza Navona, Rome’s most famous, in the shape of the old chariot race track. It wasn’t too crowded but all the restaurant’s outdoor patios were filled with people, their chairs turned toward the center of the piazza to watch the everyone walking by. There were independent vendors selling these silly helicopter light things. It was charming to watch the lit helicopters fly up into the night sky and float peacefully back down all around the piazza.

We walked a bit further to a gelateria where I got a cone of nutella, café, and chocolate (you had to choose three flavors). It was delicious. We took our gelato to the pantheon and sat on the steps of the fountain, admiring the architectural wonder. Then the adventure begins. Our exhaustion set in and most of us decided to go back. Jessy pointed us in the direction we needed and we got back to where the bus dropped us off, but since that was the last stop, we needed to find the first stop in the direction back to campus.

We walked around for maybe an hour. We walked by a movie theatre where many hip, young Italians were chatting out in front. We dodged parked scooters on the sidewalk. We walked past the same café three times. Finally we found our stop and got home around eleven thirty. I took a cold shower to cool off and passed out.

The sun shone in bright and beautiful through the wide open window and I woke up this morning with a smile on my face. The next few days are all about orientation to campus, to Rome and to each other. I am anxious to start classes and get into a routine. I have a few friend here, recognize a few more faces and look forward to meeting many new people in the next few weeks. Update next week after the first few days of classes! Ciao 

And for all my blessings, Amen

Hello friends and family. I call this productive procrastination. I am writing this blog to reflect on my coming semester in Rome when really I should be packing and running errands. Oh well. It will all get done in time. The title by the way is the end of the prayer my family says for grace: God is great, God is good, God we thank you for this food and all our blessings, Amen.

It has been hard this summer to look forward to Rome, when my mind has been filled with so many wonderful memories of Cape Town. How blessed am I? I have the opportunity to spend nearly the whole year abroad living in two countries, learning about and observing two different cultures. I am so blessed. I am trying to put aside all expectations for Rome; the city, the campus, the people, and my classmates. This semester I am most looking forward to the moment, about two and a half months into the program, when I am comfortable in my neighborhood and go to my favorite café in my favorite piazza to sip on an espresso, and just sit and watch the beautiful people of Rome go about their day.

There are many other things to look forward to of course: The wedding of my cousin Tony to his wonderful fiancé Lisa on the Amalfi coast. Visiting with my parents and spending time with them for a week or so. Traveling to Barcelona and exploring that beautiful city, oh and maybe stopping in at the Lady Gaga concert!! A yet unplanned week off for fall break (suggestions?). And a trip to Northern Ireland over Thanksgiving to learn about peaceful conflict resolution. I am so blessed.

I am most nervous about getting sick. I won’t have wonderful babies to keep my germ count high (gosh I miss those munchkins), but my immune system has been down for the count. However, keeping an eternally positive attitude, taking a lot of Vitamin C, and knowing that I already survived two hospital visits in Cape Town makes me significantly less concerned about falling ill in Rome.

So I suspend reality for one more semester as I take on the eternal city. Once again I will try to update you weekly on my adventures, beginning with landing in Rome on Wednesday August 29. Peace, love and prayers.

I'm Glad You Came

“The sun goes down, the stars come out; and all that counts, is here and now, my universe will never be the same I’m glad you came.” This song has been stuck in my head for weeks. Besides being a really catchy song (Glad You Came by The Wanted) I am applying at least this verse to my life. I want to continue living in the moment; my life will never be the same after this semester; and I am glad I came to South Africa. Ok, don’t mind me writing that out.

I am starting to accept the reality that I will have to leave this beautiful place. One month to the day in fact. Service is good. On Monday I went to swim lessons with four of the older kids. It was more stressful that it was fun. These kids are four years old and this is only the second time they have been in a pool. They would not listen to me very well, and got really freaked out when I would try to encourage them to kick on their own with life jacket and kick boards. On Tuesday, Simpiwe (my favorite baby) discovered that he could lift himself up and stand on his own for at least a little bit. We would cheer him on until he fell back on his bum and he would smile broadly and clap for himself. What fun. This week was my last of lectures at UWC. It was odd to start thinking “this is the last time I…” I only have three more assignments due for the program and three exams to take. This next month should be pretty relaxed with lots of time to finish off my Cape Town bucket list.

Speaking of my bucket list, I can cross off wine tasting in the gorgeous Stellenbosch wine lands. It was quite a day, and I learned that my pallet prefers Sauvignon Blanc. I learned some very interesting things about wine making. It is certainly a science. Today, Sunday, I hiked up Table Mountain with my friend Emma starting in the Kierstenbosch Gardens. It was quite a long hike, but we made it to the top, the very tippy top, of Table Mountain. It was a beautiful 360˚ view of the Western Cape. My legs were shaking by the end of it, but it was a wonderful. Finally this evening I went with two house mates to mass at the Kolbe Chapel on the University of Cape Town’s campus. It was their student mass, which made me miss evening mass at Loyola. The choir was acapella and they sang in at least three different African languages. The best part was that the priest was Jesuit. I have been going through a bit of withdrawal without my Jesuit contacts. His homily was great (as Jesuit homilies usually are). He talked about how we must ask the question “For what did God choose me?” Also that with must see everything and everyone as Jesus would see them, we must listen to those who may need our attention and we must love everyone as Jesus loves us, as the gospel tonight read. So in that spirit, I love you.  Peace

Service Site Update

Hello friends and family. I apologize for the extended period of time without an update! Life is still great. Service at the children’s home is fun as always. Simpiwe recognizes me I am pretty certain. When I arrive he crawls over to me so we can get started on his standing and walking skills. Nizole, a baby who’s probably six months old, was adopted. It was so heartwarming to see the family interacting with him and loving him. I know he is going to have a really great life with two loving parents and an older brother. The adoption also gave me hope for all the other little munchkins. I had a difficult day of service last Tuesday when I was moved up to the older age group for the day. These kids are four and five years old and come from the same situations; abusive, overcrowded, or unhealthy homes where they may have been abused. When I am working with the babies I sometimes forget their background, but with these bigger kids it is hard to forget. They were out of control. I think ninety percent of them had behavioral problems. They were kicking and fighting with each other. They refuse to share. I did not feel like I could play with them because I was constantly breaking up fights. There are twenty five of these kids and they all spend most of their days together. It is truly every kid for themselves. I felt totally hopeless at the end of the day. The future for those children is not bright. At this point it is going to be very hard for them to get adopted, because families just prefer younger children that they can bring up from a young age. So these older kids are going to spend the next few years of their life in homes where all they have to interact with is each other. It is a very sad situation that is not unique to South Africa. Needless to say I am very happy that I work with the babies on a regular basis. It was good to see the other part of the organization, but I was exhausted in every sense by the end of the day.

Life and School Update

I have started my fifth class for the semester called International Institutions. I really enjoy the class because it is a smaller, upper level course and very much related to what I am most interested in studying. Thus far we have talked about the legacy of colonialism and its role in the underdevelopment of Africa. We have also talked about the erection of different institutions that are trying to unify African countries, unsuccessfully I might add. It is a difficult situation because individual countries in Africa are not equipped to participate and thrive in the global capitalist system. It is necessary that at least regional unity is reached in order to advance countries developmentally. However different countries have different types of governments and different allegiances to post-colonial powers. My professor already knows my name and he is a very interesting lecturer. I am doing well in the class and enjoying it as well. In Women and Gender Studies we have been talking a lot about masculinity and violence and the legacy of apartheid on South African society. It is very interesting stuff that I am able to apply to the United States as well in terms of a violent culture that is perpetuated by poverty. In my ethics class we are into heroes and villains of human rights such as Martin Luther King Jr and Hitler. That class is very straight forward and at times a little tedious, but every so often I stumble upon good bits of information. In class last week we were discussing Mo Tzu and Moism. His philosophy stemmed from Confucianism about 400BC and teaches that there should be mutual love between all in society and we would all live well. Therefore the problem with the violent world is that some do not love as they should. I think it is a good philosophy, but I need to read more of it. It sounds a lot like Jesus Christ and his teaching to “love one another as I have loved you.” Life otherwise is very good. I am starting to get stressed or sad or something about how little time I have left in South Africa. I am very grateful that I still have eight weeks because I am nowhere near ready to come home. There was a good moment today when I was walking around our neighborhood and had to remind myself that I was in South Africa, because it truly feels like home. We have had some birthdays in the house and it is really fun to celebrate with everyone. It is actually incredible how well all twenty one of us get along. The other students in this program are all very cool people, unique and I learn much from each of them. 

Namibia

Over the Easter weekend we all went on a rafting trip in Namibia. We spent two day of travel (there and back) and three days and four night on the river. It was a tough trip in the physical sense. We were paddling hard and for a long time. It was beautiful as well. Actually I was reminded of rafting in Colorado. The climate and the scenery were very similar with mountains extending up on either side of the river. We spent the nights under the stars. It was so beautiful. The moon was full our first night there and continued to be bright and beautiful throughout the trip. The best part of the trip was all of us being together and eating and drinking around the campfire at night. My rafting partner and I were having a bit of trouble keeping our boat on a straight path. We named our raft the “USS Spin Out” because of a signature move where if we were turning to far to one side, we would just continue in a circle until we were pointed the right direction again. It was a very fun trip besides being totally exhausting. I did miss attending all the Easter festivities like Good Friday mass and Easter Vigil at home. On the Thursday night before we left a few of us went to the feet washing service here. It was really cool. They picked twelve men from the congregation to represent the apostles, but these men were everywhere from Black to White and very young (maybe ten years old) to an older gentleman. I wish I could have taken a picture, but I will not forget that lineup. It just seemed to represent the inclusiveness that Jesus was aiming for. 

Road Tripping Across South Africa

Last week, March 16 to the 24^th was our spring break. A good portion of the group went on a road trip tour across South Africa. We followed the Garden Route into the Eastern Cape to the coast and up into Johannesburg and Kruger National Park. Our first night was spent in Nysna. Our second night was in Chinsa at a backpackers on the beach. The third and fourth nights we spent in Coffee Bay. Then to Durban for one night, Johannesburg for two nights ending in Kruger for our last two nights. We traveled by what came to be affectionately called ‘the aquarium.’ It was a large truck with very large windows for us all to see out of and for everyone to see us. It felt a bit like a circus display at times; it was a unique experience.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was the natural beauty of the country. I find God most in nature so I really enjoy beauty because I feel closest to God. The rolling green hills of the Garden Route and the Eastern Cape reminded me of Belize. The landscape was very similar I felt the same peace looking out on South Africa as I did when I was in Belize. Coffee Bay was stunning. The first night we watched the sunset paint the sky its beautiful pink orange and purple. The next morning I was up early and watched the sun rise over the crashing waves of the bay. There was an incredible sunset in Jo-burg as well. The sky was just a stunning and vibrant orange.

Another part of the trip that I really enjoyed was putting a face to the Eastern Cape. Many of the friends I have made here in Cape Town are from the Eastern Cape. I was not totally sure what the Eastern Cape was, geographically or otherwise. All I knew was that the school system was backwards and failing. I imagined crowded townships like the ones in Cape Flats, but instead found huts spread across the country side. This was a different poverty than the urban poverty found in Cape Town. It was different because the sense of community seemed stronger and people seemed generally more contented with their life (not to say that the people in the townships are especially unhappy or have no sense of community, because that is not the case).

In Coffee Bay I met a woman named Dawn who used to manage the backpackers we were staying at, but got tired and opted instead to study Montessori education. She started a small preschool in the village where we were staying and I got to go and visit the children and see them in there learning environment. Memories of my Montessori education came flooding back and I really enjoyed sitting with the kids watching them take the learning initiative.

Kruger National Park was pretty darn cool. We saw all of the ‘Big Five’(lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo, elephant) in one day among many other animals like zebras, giraffes, warthogs, hippos and crocodiles. I was singing Haukunamatata in my head throughout the game drive. The last night we spent in Kruger was really wonderful. Our guide cooked a delicious Braai and we all sat around the fire and talked and gazed upon the stars. Our guide for the trip, Jimmy, was really cool. He has an incredible life story which we got to hear pieces of including working on the police force in Soweto during apartheid and fighting in Namibia during their war for independence. He has also been around the globe visiting other countries and experiencing other cultures. All in all it was a really wonderful trip. I would very much like to go back and visit Durban towards the end of my semester here when I have some free time. We were there for less than a day and saw only a very touristy part of the city.

This week was a bit hectic. I went to service on Monday and Tuesday. Simpiwe is learning to walk very well with help. While I was there a couple came to visit with their son whom they adopted from the home. He was about nine or ten and they told him which cot he used to sleep in. It was really heartwarming to see the success of the home in putting the children in good homes where they can thrive and be happy. It gave me hope that all my little babies will have a stable happy home in which to grow up. I went to school on Wednesday, but fell very ill in the afternoon. I ended up going to the hospital for dehydration and a blood test said I had a bad bacterial infection throughout my digestive system. They gave me some good medicine and I am feeling about eighty percent myself again, but I have spent the last three days being a bum and recovering. Once April beings I will have only ten more weeks in Cape Town. I love it here and it is going to be very difficult to leave. I won’t think about that just yet. Peace

Two Months Down, Three to Go

Wow time is flying by. As of yesterday, I depart in three months from this beautiful place. I cannot believe it. I feel very at home here in Cape Town. I was talking with my friend yesterday and she asked if I had been homesick. I had to answer honestly, not really. Apart from a few episodes of missing my kitchen at home (haha why is it the kitchen I miss?) I am quite content here living in this wonderful community of people and experiencing the little things of everyday life in a different country.

I must back up and give you an update on the past few weeks. Two weekends ago the group went on a retreat at a center called Volmoed (pronounced Fulmood because it is Afrikaans) in the town of Hermanes. I was so beautiful there. We were surrounded by mountains and hills of vineyards with the ocean not but fifteen minutes away. The weekend was a vacation that I did not realize I needed. I love being in nature, especially in the mountains. Friday evening when we arrived, there were wild baboons roaming around. They looked like cows they were so big! I walked along a little creek to a waterfall and pond. Saturday morning a group of us got up early to hike and see the sunrise. We didn’t quite get to the top, because we took a wrong turn, but it was ok. We sat in the middle of the trail to watch the sun pop over the clouds. It was beautiful to watch the sun climb down the mountain side, lighting up the fauna along its way. I and two of my friends decided to continue to follow the trail instead of going back the way we came. It turned into quite an adventure through a small town, cow pasture, through the woods, over a fence and finally back to camp, just in time for fresh cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Later that day, a friend and I went on another hike up the mountains across the way. When we reached the top we could see the entire coastline and surrounding mountains. It was incredibly beautiful. I always feel closer to God when I am surrounded by nature. I certainly felt Jesus walking with me along the ridge looking over the incredible view. All in all, it was a wonderful weekend.

The following week was straightforward. I had two fun days of service with the babies. I am getting to know their personalities. I like singing “head, shoulders, knees, and toes” and the babies seem to like it too. Classes last week were not so great, but that is alright. We did a fun activity in my Grassroots class. We stimulated a community meeting where we all imagined out ideal community and wrote down details of what we saw on one white board. Then we came up with six themes that included all of our details could be categorized into. For example Environment was one of our themes, so listed under those themes were things such as open space, parks, sports fields, and public recycling bins. It was a very practical exercise that I can see myself doing with a community in a future.

On Saturday some of us went to Simon’s Town which is famous for its penguin beaches. I did not actually go onto the beach, but walked along a garden path to see the wild penguins. They were so darn cute! We stopped for lunch at an outdoor patio that looked over the beach. The beach itself looked like paradise with turquoise water and golden sand. Then before we went back home we played a pickup game of soccer with some of the children who were at the beach. To finish off a perfect day we hung our heads out the window of the train on the way back as it wound along the beach and coastline. I was a really wonderful day, in a most unexpected way.

Sunday I was quite lazy. Monday all the babies were sick with fevers, so they were unhappy and we just tried the whole day to keep them moderately happy. Tuesday they were feeling better and I spent most of the day helping one boy, Simpiwe, learn to walk. He is quite strong and can push himself backwards well, it is going forward that he needs to practice.

Classes this week were much more interesting. I learned about the Namibian war for independence from South Africa where there were human rights abuses committed (hence why we were talking about it in ethics class). I had never heard about it before, so I liked the class very much. In my Women Gender Studies class we talked about gender in music and sport. It was a stimulating conversation that really made me think about how gendered our society is. I also had two, what I might call, ‘random intelligent life conversations’ with two of my UWC friends today. I felt really cool to be able to connect with UWC students. There is such an atmosphere of yearning for knowledge on campus and I really enjoyed talking with other students about, well a lot of different things. Tonight I am packing to leave on an epic spring break trip up the Garden Route (a scenic coastal drive) to Durban and Johannesburg ending in Kruger National Park for a series of safaris (stopping for a bungee jump along the way). I am sure I will have quite a few exciting stories to tell when I return next Sunday. Until then, peace.

Time is flying by

Sorry for the extended amount of time without an update. I wrote the last one a week ago and will update you in this post from there. I promised a report on the first day of service, so here it is. I loved it! I got there a little late so the babies were already out and playing in the large common space. There are seventeen babies from a premature little angel to almost two years old. I spent the morning just sitting on the floor playing with them until bottle time. They all get a bottle and just lie on their backs and drink til they are done. It is so precious. I had to feed one little girl who gets special formula. Then we play some more. The older kids went out to the yard to play, but I stayed in with the littleter ones. Then it is lunch time, I fed a couple babies what looked liked pureed squash or something, anyway it smelled delicious. Then it is nap time. They all stay in a room together and nap for two hours. When all the "big kids" are in bed we feed and change the two babies before their nap time. I fed and changed the one babies nappie and put him in his crib. I need to start bringing a book or homework or something for the two hours that the babies are sleeping. I just sat on the couch and watched poorly recepted television with some of the other staff. Then the babies wake up. O my gosh it smells awful in that room after two hours of sleeping and they have all used their diapers, eew. So we change all their nappies and play some more. They get a few little puffy cheetoes for snack and we play for another hour and a half until dinner, which was tapioca pudding. Then they all get bathed two at a time and put into their pajamas for bed. When they come out fresh and clean and soft I got to put their pajamas on. I left shortly after that. Towards the end of the day, they were all laughing and there is this one little girl who has the most perfect baby laugh! She got all the rest of them going and it was like a laughing baby YouTube video in real life. So freaking cute. I was a very sloppy feeder and have remains from all three meals on my pants. I think I am really going to like it there.

Tuesday was much the same at service. I already feel part of the routine. I went to Ash Wednesday service here in Obs. It was quite nice. The priest kept saying “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.” It is quite a humbling thought upon reflection. When we went to mass the sky was cloudy and you could not see Devil’s Peak (which you usually can from Obs). When we left mass the sun was setting and the clouds had cleared. It was quite a beautiful scene. Thursday was a standard day at University, nothing exciting. Friday the whole group went to Lotus Park, an informal settlement in the Gugulethu township. We divided into groups of three and community leaders took us on a tour answering all our questions. So to paint a picture (since I am still struggling to upload photos) Lotus Park is what you expect a township to look like. Tin “shacks” on dirt ground, no sewage system, one water spigot for five or six households and limited electricity. The average living wage in the settlement is about two dollars a day. Real poverty. It is incredible though, how resilient and positive the people are. The community is working very hard to better themselves. They are very creative and intelligent people.

Friday night we had friends from the neighborhood over to our house for Braai (that is what South Africans call a BBQ). There were quite a few people and it was really fun. A friend and I went out with some of our friend’s downtown to a club late in the evening. That was my first time going into Cape Town to go out. The club was pretty swanky, but it was fun to dance and mingle. I met two men from Uganda. They are staying here for a year (eight months in) doing volunteer work as well. I had a very interesting conversation with one of them about how he loves the country of South Africa, but does not like the people because they have not been receptive to him as an African foreigner. He also told me that he was in South Africa because he is not accepted by his family as a gay man and he told me that homosexuality is punishable by death in Uganda. It was a very interesting conversation.

Saturday I went to a rugby game. The experience was exactly like a baseball game or football game in the states. The stadium was set against the mountains so that was really beautiful and the game was pretty easy to follow. And today, Sunday, I went to Mzoli’s which is a famous restaurant in the Gugulethu township. It was a hoot! It was like a huge barbeque where everyone is drinking and eating delicious food and there was live African music. To get the meat you walk into the butchers and pick out your meat and then you take it back to the kitchen where there is a gigantic barbeque. Then you wait a while for the meat to cook. It is so delicious and messy and crazy. I am still stuffed. I went to mass this evening and the homily was all about trusting that the desire to please God, pleases God. I really liked that thought. I am pleasing God just by trying to please God.

I am still doing very well here. I love my routine and I really like the people in the house. Sorry for the novel, but I hope you enjoyed the update. Peace.

One Month and Counting

Today I have officially been in Cape Town for one month. It seems impossible that I have already been here that long. It also seems impossible that I will be here four months more. I am quite happy. I like going to classes at Udubs (as it is affectionately called) and being on campus. I have started a routine of buying a lemon poppy seed muffin in the B Block Café. I am still enjoying my classes. Thursday we had a guest lecturer in Women and Gender Studies. She was incredible. We talked about reductive and receptive views of cultures. Her presentation was so engaging and funny. I loved it. We also had a guest lecturer in our Theology class Friday. He was a youth activist during apartheid and now works as a leader in the Christian church to encourage the ANC government to continue to pursue a path of equality and justice.

I went Shark diving on Saturday! It was very cool, incredible actually. There are only about one thousand Great White Sharks left in the oceans because people are killing them for their fins and jaws, so we were quite fortunate to see four Great White Sharks on our little excursion. It was fun even to watch the sharks swim around from atop the boat. They are very much like any other animal. I actually felt like we were cheating them throwing in bait only to pull it away at the last minute. Then when I actually got into the cage I felt like I was on some episode of shark week. One of the sharks was 3.8 meters long! It came quite close to the cage and actually hit the cage with its tail as it propelled itself out of the water to snatch the bait. O, it was so cool! I am happy to say that I retained all my appendages. I am having a bit of trouble uploading pictures to this blog, but I am trying. There will be a few from this excursion when I do.

Otherwise I am still just living the everyday life of a student in Cape Town. I start at my service site tomorrow. I am going to be working with babies, 0-12 months, at the orphanage. I think I am really going to enjoy the work. I went to mass today as well. The gospel was about the paralytic man who is lowered by his friends from the roof to be healed by Jesus. Jesus first says “Your sins are forgiven you” before he cures him and tells him to walk out with his mat. The homily was how God is a yes or no God, not in between and we as faithful people should say yes or no to him and his will for us. There was also confession after mass today, so I went and got my soul all cleaned up before Lent begins on Wednesday. I am looking forward to Lent. Since starting college it has always been a spiritually enlightening time for me. I have been given good reasons to believe in the power of prayer, so I very much appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers. Peace.

A Schedule

I finally have a picture of what my weeks will look like this semester. I have been placed at Christine Rivel, an orphanage for children 0-6. I have not visited the site yet, but I am very excited to be working with children! Some of my group members have already started their service and have given wonderful reviews. I expect to start on Tuesday so you can expect a very excited post after that day.

I have also finalized my class schedule. I will be on campus Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday taking Moral Discourse on Human Rights and Civil Society, Gender in South African Politics and Culture, and beginning in March I will take International Institutions. These are in addition to my two courses through Marquette. I made a schedule of all my homework today and call me a nerd, but it feels good to have some work to do and things to learn after practically two months of vacation.

Last night I went to a show by The Tallest Man On Earth. He was very good. I had never listened to his music before, but the show, which was just him singing and playing a variety of guitars, was great. The remainder of the weekend I am planning to spend keeping my ankle up and iced and rested. It still does not hurt, but it has started to bruise a bit (which the doctor said would happen). Thank you for your continued prayers for healing. Peace.

Remember that one time...

Remember that one time in Africa when I ruptured a ligament in my ankle? Well it has been an eventful few days, but fortunately everything has worked out as best it could.  I signed up for volley ball at UWC and at our first practice I was chasing after a ball, twisted my ankle rupturing my anterior talofibular ligament in my right ankle. I went to the emergency room that night and had some x-rays taken. The doctor in the ER thought I would have to have reconstructive surgery, which would have been really difficult. Fortunately the Orthopedic Surgeon who I went to see the next day thought my ankle would heal on its own wearing a boot. So I am in a walking boot for six weeks and will start physical therapy in two weeks. It is a bit of an inconvenience, but I am very thankful that I do not need surgery. My ankle really does not hurt either which is a blessing.

I went to UWC again today and got my final schedule figured out. I have yet to actually attend a class. Hopefully tomorrow everything will go as planned. I am very excited for the two classes that I take within the Marquette program. Grassroots Movements and Organizations will be, I think very beneficial for my future career as something of a community organizer. The Professor has taught this class since the programs inception seven years ago so she is more that knowledgeable about how to relate our experiences at our service sites to the course. The other class, Theology of Reconciliation and Forgivenss will also be a good course. I think it will challenge me to think about how my faith relates to the service that I want to continue to do. For now, prayers for a speedy recovery are welcome, thank you. Peace
P.S. pictures coming soon :)

Has It Only Been A Week?

I cannot believe that it has only been a week since landing in Cape Town. So much has happened and I am already used to life here. I do not yet have any sort of routine, but walking around the neighborhood I see familiar places. I can describe how I am feeling as survival limbo mode. I am not especially happy, but I am not particularly sad either. I am just surviving in my new environment as I adapt to new people and new places.
The woman who founded this program came to have lunch with us on Friday. She told us her intentions were that we have a well rounded experience of service, academics, and fun. Her life itself is quite incredible. After we visited with her a large part of the group went to Musenburge beach. It was very beautiful and I loved swimming in the ocean. I felt such joy in the water.
Saturday the whole group toured Robben Island which is where Nelson Mandela was kept as a political prisoner for many years. We took a boat to the island and started with a bus tour to see the general sites around the island. Then a former political prisoner gave us a tour of the maximum security prison where we saw Mandela’s cell. It was very cool to be there walking in history. They talked about how it was the unjust system of apartheid that discriminated against a certain people and held prisoners indefinitely. I could not help but to think about our own unjust prison system and how it discriminates against certain people. Shout out to Social Justice Living Learning Community where I learned about the racist institutions of the United States.
Sunday we got up very early to climb Table Mountain. The hike was brutal. It was like climbing a stair master to two and a half consecutive hours. My body was not prepared for that kind of physical exertion, but I made it to the top despite! That afternoon, after a nice nap, we had a briie at the house (that’s a South Africa barbeque). A few of us then tried to go to mass in the evening, but since neither we nor the taxi driver knew where we were going, we ended up accidentally at an Anglican service. We politely sat through and participated. God is everywhere in every form, so it was nice to be in a faith filled community.
Monday was a bit of a disaster. Being now a few days removed, it was not all that bad, but long story short my class schedule at University of the Western Cape is going to have to be entirely rearranged. It was a frustrating day, but everything in perspective, I am quite lucky to be here taking classes at all.
Tuesday was very low key. A few of us went downtown to the Aquarium, which I did not think was anything special, but the jelly fish are always mesmerizing and we stayed to see the penguins be fed which was quite fun. Peace

Adjusting to Happiness

It is day four in Cape Town. What a whirlwind! I feel as if I have lived here for weeks. I shall try to keep this brief for sake of readability. We registered for classes at the University of the Western Cape on Wednesday which, now that it is over, was not as stressful a process as I had imagined. We also had orientation yesterday, which, besides being long, was really great. It was so strange to be a foreign student at the university. The campus is beautiful and I cannot wait to interact with the students in my classes. There was a very good presentation given by (I think it was) the Chancellor of the university. He was very optimistic and had a lot of hope for our generation to change the world in a positive way.

I have gone twice now into the townships to visit service sites. That is by far going to be the most life-giving part about this semester. The townships are these vast neighborhoods of one room tin houses. I was struck by the permanency of the situation when we drove on the paved roads through the neighborhood. I have not been permanently placed at a site, but I think I may end up at an primary school with one thousand "learners" they call them. The teacher who showed us around was very realistic in terms of the situation the neighborhoods were in and seemed to encourage the community to come together to better their own situation.

There is much more to say, but for now I am very happy to have the whole group here and it's starting to feel like home. 

I Am Here!

I arrived last night in Cape Town! No trouble at all with the flights. We arrived late at the house and went to sleep after unpacking. It is humid and sunny today and smells of the ocean. I am eating breakfast at Coco Chachi. Scrambled eggs on brown toast with humus and freshly squeezed orange juice. ( I know you of the family variety are concerned about what I will have to eat, so I will regularly tell you of my meals :)

Ah, what can I say. I am happy to be here, it already feels like home. There is good energy in the air and our neighborhood, what I've see of it so far, is beautiful. I am excited to get out and about today, though I am not sure where we are going to explore. Table Mountain is beautiful. Well more to come of my adventures and orientation and such. I mostly wanted to say that I arrived safely. Peace

And so it begins...

Greetings friends and family. Welcome to my blog about my experiences abroad, first stop, Cape Town, South Africa! I am finally done packing and ready for a good nights sleep before a 30 hour travel day tomorrow. I am full of excitement and anxious to begin my adventure. I am trying hard to not create expectations and to have and open mind and an open heart.

My intention with this blog is to keep you updated weekly on the happenings in my new world with reflections and pictures. I apprectiate all your thoughts and prayers. Peace