My Last Week :(

Wow didnt realize how far behind I had gotten on this thing! So much has happened since the last entry that I am not even sure where to begin. For one, Taylor and Erin have also left so I'm left with the boys in the house as my go-to people. I have also made some really good local friends here in Cape Town who live in an area called Sea Point (right on the water with a wonderful balcony for sunset viewing). Their names are Matt, Grant, and Gavin so I am definitely missing my girls from both here and home as well!

I've revisited some areas like Cape Point and the Wine Tour because they were both oh so beautiful and fun, plus not as expensive! I've also gotten much more acclimated to the area. I feel much more confident that if I were to come back I would be able to find my way around to the places I love so much here :) It has been helpful going around with people who have cars since we figure out together how to get places.

My parents came for the last two weeks and it was really great to see them! I hadn't realized how much I missed them until I saw them in the airport. It was a little challenging while they were here to juggle all that I have going on in CT and revisiting places with them and getting enough sleep! I hope they have forgiven me if I neglected them by now ;) They were able to come to my placement and meet the staff and most importantly my babies!! It was nice to have the take of a kindergarten teacher and an Occupational Therapist for all my abused and neglected 0-6 year olds. I wish, and I think Nomzamo wished once they left, that they had them on staff as well. That was their first taste of the township life and luckily we were able to contact Mama Ivie, who did my township tour, and she was able to take them around as well. She is a great guide since she has so much information and lives it everyday.

We also took time to go back to the Slave Lodge, which was something I really wanted to do since I felt I had extremely insufficient time the last time I was there. We were there for another hour and a half and I still didn't get to see everything. I was really struggling that night because of the extreme inequality in this country and the attempts that fail and the history all documented and displayed in the SL. Its hard to manage the idea that I am so lucky to have this chance to experience this country in the way that I am. Most people, its very evident, come to Cape Town and only delve into the tourist side and the immense beauty around every corner. Its challenging to even get into the townships without a program like the one I am in since Taxis will not travel to them and its dangerous to just drive in with your own car. It was just a night of release I think since I was with family and got the chance to own up to my privilege.

It also ended up being the best decision to not have my moms hike up Table Mountain with us! Pops kept saying it would be fine but about 10 minutes into the climb he easily agreed it would have been a poor choice! Todd, Joe, my dad and I went up the mountain again and it was another beautiful day. It was a challenge again but we made it up about a half hour quicker than the first time I did it so I was pretty proud of that :)

We experienced a lot of the local food and some shops including Green Market Square. I was in charge of the bartering since apparently I was the veteran...not sure how great of a choice that was! Mom definitely got some good stuff and hopefully all for pretty good deals.

Our Safari weekend away was very nice and I am not sure I have ever eaten or slept so much in 4 days but both were much appreciated! The cuisine was all African so it was lucky we went at the point I am now in my trip so I was actually willing to eat most things (outside of seafood of course!). The animals were beautiful and so was the weather so we couldn't have asked for more. We visited some vineyards and tasted some wine, met some great people and enjoyed each others company. We didn't even bicker alllll that much :)

Speaking of the cuisine...I'm learning to like new things!! woo-hoo. love when this happens. anywho I've started eating Calamari here since its delish everywhere we go. The guys in Sea Point did a Braai (BBQ) for me on Sunday night, they owed Erin and I a Braai but Erin is gone so I brought Joe instead! haha. They cooked lamb steaks, chicken, pork rashers, boerwoers (sp? its South African sausage) and Joe and I made veggies. If you can believe it the only thing I wasn't too keen on was the chicken! Everything else was suuuper good. Matt is an excellent Braaiman I guess :) Anywho Im proud of myself. Ive even eaten curry a number of times although I still can't say I like it.

This entire weekend was perfect weather so I was at the beach everyday including Monday after work! Saturday and Sunday we went to the Clifton beaches, mostly 2nd Beach and Monday we chilled on Camps Bay beach. Got to jump in the ocean each day and Monday I finally went allll the way in. I would have done so sooner but the waves were rather large and my suit would not have appreciated that! It was extremely cold though...it took quite a while to warm up after the dip.

Well this week is my last week and I cannot stand it. The time has flown by, as I knew it would, and I cannot say I am ready to come home. Each day is different but I still feel like I want to experience more. I'm trying to fit a lot into this week and hopefully I can pack it as full as possible- I can sleep when I get home and, fingers crossed, on the plane. I still havent visited Cape Town University Campus and it is pretty much in my backyard so hopefully that will happen in the next few days. I climbed Lion's Head (the smaller mountain to the side of Table Mountain) and it was challenging and fun and the scenery at the top was unmatchable anywhere in the world I would say...even though I'm obviously no expert. The ability to see huge mountains, beautiful sea sides, and a bustling city, and suburbs and townships all from one view is quite unbelievable. So I may try to get up there once again this week. I need to get another steak here since they are sooo good and way cheaper than in the US (the equivalent to about $14 for a 200g fillet). Other than that I wasnt to say my goodbyes and just really enjoy and appreciate my last few days.

Im most not looking forward to saying goodbye at my placement. I am really going to struggle to leave those kiddos behind since I have formed such a connection with all of them. I wish I could write a manual for what each baby likes and dislikes and how to challenge them. I also wish there were a way to get updates on all of them on a weekly basis! I know I'm crazy but I just know its going to be hard. I've already started getting emotional about a few of them and my baby (the one I am incredibly attached to) I dont think I've put down for more than about an hour each day!! wooops. I still have some painting to do, which I plan to do on Thursday, and then Friday it sounds like we're going to have a little going away thing so I am looking forward to that. I know I will miss everyone I have met here in South Africa because the people here are unlike any other. They are so sweet and welcoming and I have yet to have awful words to say about any of them. Don't get me wrong there are some nutties here but everyplace has to have those right!?

Okay thanks for reading and keeping updated on my travels even though I haven't been great about keeping up to date! I will continue to blog though because I have plans for other trips not too far in the future. I'm going to Chicago and New York in the month I get back and then I am hoping for Thailand and London after I graduate! We shall see where I end up :)

peace & love,

Alyssa

Dire Bacon Situation...

So I just asked Taylor what to title my blog and she decided upon that. We spent an hour searching on google Saturday night as we sat home for a much needed relaxing girls night (Erin, Taylor and I) searching for places to have an American breakfast. We finally found a place with pancakes, maple syrup and bacon! Taylor has been getting very frustrated because there is often Macon on menus here because there is a large Muslim population in Cape Town so many places are Kosher and Halaal meat, when all she wants is real bacon! The bacon was still a bit odd at the restaurant since it was in a circular manner and I had to send it back so it would actually be crispy. If you didn't look at it while you were eating it it was pretty close to the real thing!

Saturday Erin, Todd, Chris, Taylor, Noelle, and our SA friend Mark all went to the Western Province Rugby game against the UK Lions. It was quite rowdy but a ton of fun. We had gone on Wednesday night to the Dubliner to watch the game prior to that one and decided it would be really fun to actually go to the game. The people we went with on Wednesday were helpful in trying to teach me the rules of rugby but there are so many! I had to look it up before we went to the game on Saturday so I would be better prepared with the vocabulary etc. Its a big thing here right now because the Lions only tour every 12 years to South Africa and they play a series of games leading up to the big game against the South African Springboks (which is this Saturday). All of the games leading to that one are insignificant for whether they win or lose but will help determine who gets to play in the big game! Don't I sound so knowledgeable after just 2 incidences with the sport! :) The hardest part on Wednesday before I read up on the game was my friend kept referring to the field as a pitch and that just sent my mind to a whole different place since I take that as a verb, but that is just the rugby term for the field.

Today was really quite wonderful. Erin and I were able to spend the day at an event held in a nearby town called Newlands. Nomzamo got an invitation for a few people to attend and Ethel asked me if I would like to go and bring another volunteer. Erin has not been super thrilled with her internship placement here so I figured her interests revolve around youth as well so she would probably enjoy the day also! It was a mixture of speakers and performances from youth and adults. The adults were from sponsors like ABSA bank and then the Minister of Education for SA was there, 2 people spoke from the Department of Social Development, and a woman from the Department of Education spoke. It was pretty impressive the caliber of people in attendance but the really moving and inspirational aspects were when the youth performed or spoke. Many of them did poems, one sang, and they performed a skit and had an informal dance off at the very end! One of the young girls spoke about sexual abuse from a family member and the backlash she experienced from her father who then spread around the entire town that she was a 'slut' and even had her pastor talking to the congregation about her transgressions. She was unbelievable though at such a young age to be able to talk about it and then to continue on by saying she was strong and powerful though and couldn't let those things bring her down because she knew she was going to be somebody. I was a bit choked up by her courage. Another boy read his poem, which was quite cynical but also very moving in his belief in himself, but he spoke about not choosing his family but choosing his friends and that those are the people he loves and those are the people that love him.

There was also a young man who came in who was in the Beijing Paralymics in 2008. He was a swimmer for South Africa and had missed the world record for one of his events by .5 seconds. He joked that he wished he had just grown his finger nails a little bit longer! He told us the story of how he lost his leg and it was unbelievable! He was working with a training company for divers and water rescue persons and was out on a routine trip. He was in the water with his brother and a friend waiting for the boat to come and snatch them up fooling around humming the jaws theme song with the other two and saw a shadow near where his brother was floating. He noticed that it was indeed a shark and that it was heading right for his brother. He began to frantically drum the water hoping to get the attention of the shark away from his brother and he watched the fin turn and come straight for him. He was actually quite funny while telling the story but it was very suspenseful for the audience! The shark came at him with his jaws open and he tried to jump around the shark (as he said in a 'juke' manner) and he had decided that the best place to be would be riding on top of the shark! He didn't quite get his second leg over the shark since the shark had it in his jaws. The shark tried to drag him down but he fought back and kicked and punched until his knuckles bled. He obviously made it out alive but just barely! What a story! The day after he woke up in the hospital he decided he was going to train for the paralympics with the encouragement of his brother. That was in 2006 and he made it to the Olympics nearly breaking records by 2008!

So yeah that was today and this past week. Tomorrow we have the day off from placement because it is Youth Day which is a National Holiday to commemorate the death of a number of youth in 1976 who were non-violently protesting the implementation of exams and instruction in entirely Afrikaans which is one of the languages of South Africa but those who speak Xhosa don't normally speak Afrikaans and vice versa. Language is an interesting subject here because you often don't know how someone would have been classified in the Apartheid era until you hear them speak. Those labeled 'Black' would speak Xhosa, and the next higher up classification would be those labeled 'Colored' (anyone who is of mixed race or Malay) would speak Afrikaans. So it was a way to further oppress the most oppressed group at the time. No one knows how it turned into shooting and riots but the children were singing and all of a sudden turning and running in the opposite direction. The children who died were shot in the back. There is now a memorial for one of the famed students Hector Pieterson who died on that day to remember all that was lost but also the attention gained from the actions taken on that day. We were able to see it one of the first days we were in Cape Town. Now June 16th is a National Holiday to support the positive actions youth are taking within South Africa. That was the reason we were able to go to the Youth Day event today because most things are closed tomorrow!

Okay that was a lot of information for one post but I hope some of it was interesting and/or new! I'll update again soon.

Peace & Love,
Alyssa

The Other Other Side of Cape Town

Well it has been a pretty lazy week since this is our first week we have not had activities planned for nearly every afternoon we are here and it was quite rainy so we ended up reading and napping a lot as a group. We did go out a few nights during the week for some more karaoke and a few dinners out since it was Erica, Swapomthi, Emma, Karli, Theresa, and Ran's last week and we are all going to miss them terribly :( The good thing is we won't be spending near as much money after this week so I will be able to do some better saving!

I am getting much more information about the project I will be working on while I am here and I am really getting excited about the prospect of what it could be. I had a meeting with Luann and Tahira, my supervisors and CCS head staff, to talk about what it will mean for me to be heading this project. They are putting a lot of responsibility on me because it will end up being a project more for/through Cross Cultural Solutions than it will for Nomzamo but it will still be very beneficial for their work/mission. I was excited to hear that actually because that means more resources will be available to me when researching and making connections within the community. We are going to try to have one big day when the mural painting will take place with food, music, games etc and I am going to try (with lots of help) to get a celebrity sports player or someone like that to come and to get a radio station to broadcast from the backyard at Nomzamo. It will be a lot of networking and "creative persuasion" as Luann put it to get sponsors for the day and to make this a big event. I think it will be great for the community, for Nomzamo, and for CCS so I hope I have the skills to pull it all off! I am actually doing work on it tonight and writing up a force field analysis and maybe just for kicks also do a SWAT analysis for all you Social Workers out there! haha Anyway its feeling good to actually get to do use some of the skills I have learned this year at U of M.

On another note, I had my first attempted mugging today :( wah wah. Its okay we made it out unscathed and with just a bit less cash, but it could have been much worse. Its frustrating because it was just Erin and I and we were out during the day and we took the train into Cape Town to save some money and get to know the city a little better and this happened! We got off the train and walked out, not exactly sure where we were but we knew we were downtown Cape Town, and the day was beautious so we started walking. Well I guess we went the less traveled route and a man approached us asking for money. We said we didn't have any and tried to keep walking. Well he was not having that and was asking for a 'note' or a paper bill not just change (which I tried to give him). Then he kept saying 'I dont want to commit a crime here ladies dont make me commit a crime' and he had this real intense look in his eye that definitely scared us. He was also commenting that he just got out of jail and was trying to get some bread for his family but he was definitely not in the right mind if you get my drift. So we walked across the street while he followed (and while many other people passed us by I might add!) and I saw a man that looked nicely dressed and bigger than this guy and I just walked right up to him and stood next to him and said 'were just going to hang out here for a little while' and he was receptive but still did not say anything to this creepy man. But it did the trick and scared him off so needless to say Erin and I hurried along to the busiest street we could find and made our way but opted for a cab back to the train station for the way home!

A few of our adventure things this weekend fell through, we were supposed to go sandboarding but the weather has been pretty not great and then we were supposed to fly to Robertson on a friend's plane for the Wacky Wine Festival tomorrow, but that has also fallen through because of a double booking on the plane! Ahh well good thing I have 2 more months to experience those things :)

I'll update again soon hope everyone else is doing as fabulously as I am here in this amazing place!

peace & love,
alyssa

Placement Update

Here you go FINALLY!!

So I am placed at Nomzamo Place of Safety and there are about 15 kids I work with/for each day. There are two babies, both born from HIV+ mothers so are taking AntiRetroVirals (ARVs) until they are sure the status. One is 1 month and the other is 4 months. The 4 month old, Asina, is only 7lbs so she is in pretty tough shape. The toddlers (13) are all absolutely adorable and of course I have my favorites...Mzamo (boy)- 6months, Siabonga (boy)- 8months, and one of the older ones Yoliswa (girl)- 4yrs. They are all so sweet in their own way though! Im not allowed to post pictures of them because of the nature of their stays at Nomzamo (abuse, neglect, or abandonment).

I have been concerned until this week about the nature of my placement because the first two weeks consisted of me babysitting the children. In reality I believe I was in the trust-building stage, and still am, but I think it will benefit me in the long run to really know and care about the children I will hopefully be part of the programming for.

The nurse and the social worker at Nomzamo have taken a liking to me and my supervisor, Ethel, I think has big plans for me being there and is very sweet! Most of the workers have Xhosa as their first language, so that has been a continual barrier in getting to know them. Some speak better English than others and my language lessons have been quite minor...

In speaking with Tahira, my CCS supervisor, it looks like I will be in charge of a Community Organizing project through Nomzamo. Ethel has wanted the outer walls of Nomzamo to be painted with a Mural for some time now and has expressed that desire with Tahira in her decision to take on an intern. Tahira thinks it would be great to connect area schools, both in the townships and in the wealthier districts, to come together after building a theme and ideas and to paint the wall in tandem. Tahira suggested doing a big day of it and involving the art teachers at the wealthier schools and then using volunteers from NYU's Art Therapy program (coming in August) to complete the project with the township children. I haven't got all the details but it will be a lot of planning and visiting area schools, asking for donations, and trying to get media attention for the actual day! The only sad part will be that I will miss the actual day because that won't happen til mid-late August :( I think that will be a good learning experience for me in my studies as a Social Worker - how to give credit to the participants and not need that thanks/credit for the organizing aspect.

Okay more to come later, any advice etc would be greatly appreciated :)

peace & love,
Alyssa

Weekend Update!

Sorry this is a little late all I've been feelin real lazy the last couple of days and needed a bit of a rest after the weekend!

I will be posting an entire blog this afternoon allll about my placement so be looking forward to that. I am feeling much better about it and have a REAL Community Organizing project that I will be pretty much in charge of so I am beyond excited. We have a program today on Child Protection and Child Rights in South Africa since it is Child Protection week here.

So Friday night we went as a pretty large group to this chic little restaurant, yet still quite inexpensive, and had dinner and drinks. It was tapas style but the cuisine was Indian/Mediterranean mixed. I had butter chicken (traditional Indian Cuisine) and Vietnamese Salad Rolls. For my first drink I had a Madagascar martini, that I know my mother would have loved, which had vanilla vodka, pineapple puree, and smashed ginger. Sounds strange but was real good. For my second drink I had a Mantra which was lemon juice, vanilla vodka, sugar, and limoncello, just for Andy. Also delish :) The restaurant was called asoka with a flat line over the first a! haha

Saturday was a perfect day all around. We woke up at about 8:30 and were off on the road by 9. We started on the West Coast of lower South Africa and went past Seal Island and took tons of picture along the coast by Fish Hoek. The roads are amazing, almost like the PCH in Cali, but less scary! Then we headed east and went to see the Penguins again at Simon's Town for those people who didn't go on our trip last time. We ate at a restaurant right on the waterfront which was pretty nice. After the penguins we went South to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope. To get there you had to travel through a Nature Reserve and it was gorgeous. The nature here is just beyond anything I have ever experienced and Cape Point was really unique. There were stone walkways all the way up and colorful greenery and flowers and the views were breathtaking. Then we traveled a bit farther to Cape of Good Hope (these were the southern most points in Africa) and the beach was perfect weather for walking around and taking pictures and we stayed til Sunset and it was sooo pretty. I just sat on a rock and enjoyed :)

Sunday we got up at 4:00am! We had to travel to get to the coast in Gainsbaai for the Shark Cage Diving. We got there around 6:30 and had a nice breakfast and watched a documentary about what we would be doing and the sharks in Cape Town. It was quite interesting. I also took pictures with pictures of Brad Pitt, Leonardo Dicaprio, Matt Damon, and Anderson Cooper who have all also dove with the sharks with the same company. I felt special ;) We got onto the boat with all our gear and headed out to our spot. Along the way we spotted a whale, which I guess is relatively rare for this time of the year, so that was great. Once we got to our spot and saw the actual cage (it had been left there with bait to attract the sharks) my stomach got a little queasy! It was WAY smaller and dinkier than I expected it to be! haha. The queasiness may have also been from the horrendous stench coming from the seal island right next to us!

We put on our wetsuits, with MUCH struggle, and I jumped into the water to be part of the first dive. It was awesome! They came right up to our cage and we could see them so well. Then the other people went (there were 6 divers each dive) and we got to watch all the sharks from the boat. We saw some seals pass us frolicking in the waves and were taking pictures. Then about 2 minutes later we saw commotion about 100 feet away and the seal was eaten by the shark and the water turned alllll red and I started crying. of course :(

After that I had to wait a bit to get brave enough to get back in the water, and for my stomach to settle, and I got back into the cage. This dive was the best of them all! The shark came riiiight in front of my face and I was screaming with another girl here, Annie, under the water and near hyperventilating! Then another shark came by and charged at our cage and its tail whipped it and shook the whole thing! It was awesome!!! Then we packed up and went back to shore and had a nice warm meal. We stopped at the beach on the way home and also for some Gelato and the day was over and I was exhausted.

I will write later today all about my placement, hope you enjoyed more of my touristy updates :)

peace & love,
alyssa

Weekend Festivities and Table Mountain

Its been a filled last few days since I updated so I will surely miss some things along the way! Friday we went to Green Market Square after lunch to find some African souvenirs etc. It was extremely overwhelming but the stuff was very cool! I picked up some gifts for people but will have to go back once I've sharped my bartering skills. Every person/tent we passed yelled they had a good price and to stop in a look around that everything was 'half off today!' it was craziness! I did end up with some really great stuff though. I just need to stop laughing and smiling when I give them a number half of what they said they would sell it for! That evening we went out on the town to a few places and ended up at the Dubliner. The band was great but there weren't many locals so we will have to explore a bit more. It was a great evening with great company!

Saturday we ended up going to the vineyards instead of Cape Point because the weather was pretty bad. We ended up doing a Brandy tasting tour at one of the places...bad plan. Chalk it up to another thing I can say I've experienced!

Sunday was a much prettier day and we took the train into Simon's Town to see the Jackass Penguins, now known as African Penguins, but I like the old name better! They bray like donkeys kind of so that is why they were termed that. It was really nice and now we know a different side of travel here in the city.

I also went on the most beautiful run of my life on Sunday afternoon! I ran a ways past our house and up to this open tall grass clearing that was recommended by the staff here. There were trails throughout the entire space and there was about no way you could get lost because any way I went there was another trail heading back towards where I came. I will definitely be going back! The entire run I was looking up at a mist covered Table Mountain and you don't get better than that!

Last night we went to Dizzy's in Camps Bay and had a great night of Karaoke! We met a few people who live in Cape Town and had said it would be a good time. So we met up with them and it turned out to be really fun! Good company and karaoke is always a winning combo :)

Today was the best day so far I think! I finally got to climb table mountain!!!!! It was incredibly strenuous! That was unexpected because no one really warned me but it felt really good all the way up and then right at the top my legs just started turning to jello! Everyone seemed to feel the same way and I was really proud of our group that made it to the top! Plus today was 70+ degrees so it was a warm hike. Perfect weather for pictures and once we got to the top though. I hope I never get over how absolutely beautiful it is here and how lucky I am that I get to experience it!

I want to make a side note that I apologize for not discussing my placement. It has been quite a struggle for me so far, I am practically babysitting 12 babies and toddlers everyday and am working on trying to see the good in that for my education. If things don't change soon I will likely be moved to a new place so I will be keeping everyone posted on that. That is supposed to be the focus of my trip and much of my time currently is spent trying not to focus on that...

Tomorrow we are going to Bo Kaap which is a traditional African town in the midst of cosmopolitan Cape Town and I have heard wonderful things about it. It is one of the places I was most excited to see when I came here so I hope its a great day :)

I'll update again soon!

peace & love,
Alyssa

Robben Island

Molo! I'm learning the Xhosa language while here in Cape Town so I can at least say hello and ask people how they are doing who do not speak English. In other words, Molo means hello! and there are no clicks in that one but there are in pronouncing Xhosa :) I can do two of the clicks and sometimes get the third so I'm doing better than I thought. Ill practice and show/tell you when I get home!

Started my placement on Tuesday and its been interesting so far. I use that word because its not what I expected and I am a little apprehensive about what this experience is going to mean for my internship but I am trying to stay open-minded. The babies are adorable, I am working currently with 6-9 toddlers from 1-4 years of age. Only two of them really talk, but they speak Xhosa so its been very difficult being left to practically babysit them not speaking their language. Needless to say Ive learned to ask them their names, say sit down, be quiet, sing, yes, no, stop and thank you! They looked at me very funny when I came in the second day being able to speak to them a little bit since we didn't have our first language lesson until Tuesday night.

All of our time so far has been pretty packed tight! We are all pretty exhausted because there are a number of people only staying for 3 or 4 weeks so we have to pack A LOT into a short time. I figured I would stay out of the planning for now since I have so much more time after they leave. We went to Robben Island yesterday to see Nelson Mandela's cell and hear about the history of the personal and political oppression experienced by so many detained at the prison. It was very interesting. Especially the story of Robert Sobukwe- look it up it is very sad and powerful, especially for us Community Organizers out there!

After our walking and bus tour on the island we went to dinner at a Portuguese restaurant on the waterfront, but we had them close the windows because there is a strong smell of bird or seal poo just about everywhere along the water! But the views are unbelievable so I would still absolutely make you go there if you enter the Cape Town vicinity. Then we went for a drink at the Green Dolphin - a jazz club also along the waterfront. It was really nice and will be taking the parents there when they arrive :)

Today everyone was exhausted when we got back from placement and we had a 2 hour HIV/AIDS workshop and everyone struggled to stay awake. After that a few people took naps and then we went into Rondebosch to pick up a few necessary items, like snacks. Tonight's dinner has been the first that was actually filling and pretty good. Ill probably be eating a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, sorry Cara!!

This weekend we are heading to a market and out on the town Friday after placement, Saturday we are heading to Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point, and Sunday starts off our adventuresome activities with shark diving! I hope they come real close and hit the cage at least a little ;)

Okay I will update again after the weekend...

peace & love.
Alyssa

IM HERE. FINALLY! We have been super busy the last couple days and the flying for 18 hours didn't help my inability to write sooner. It is beautiful here. The weather was perfect yesterday, it was about 75 during the day and the sun was shining making the Cape Town scenery absolutely breathtaking!

I woke up early Monday morning, didn't get much sleep at all :( but the morning started well with a stroll with the 3 oldest members of our crew Hattie, Dee, and Ivan! We walked around the suburbs and saw the local houses which are very nice and enjoyed the beautiful morning and the view of Table Mountain from practically our back yard.

Orientation began with intros etc and then we got to walk around the surrounding town of Rondebosch/Mowbray and find some of the local shops. We found Alma's cafe which is this sweet little spot that opens to a local street and sells flapjacks and sweets and the people are very nice :) I'm excited to take a sunday morning brunch there or an afternoon snack as soon as I am not so busy.

Then we wandered (a little too far) to Rondebosch Commons which has a local supermarket filled with area foods and there were gas stations and street sellers as well. When we returned to the homebase we had a BBQ which they call a Braai something or other. The chicken was good, haha I am not thoroughly enjoying the cuisine so far so I think I will have to purchase some side foods for myself at the market.

Then we traveled into downtown Cape Town to see views of Table Mountain, Robben Island, and the coastline. We stopped at the beach and had a blast walking around and people watching. It was great to think that all of what I was enjoying were nature's creations and that way available for every person to appreciate!

Today we went on a township tour and saw the poverty that dwells in Cape Town. It was definitely sad but I was less shocked than I expected to be. We stopped at a few places so we could get a closer look of the living conditions as well as the bright spots that live inside those areas (Vicky's smallest Hotel, a preschool, and a pottery shop).

Tomorrow I begin placement and I am apprehensive but also very excited to get started with what I came here to do! I will post again later this week. This weekend we plan to travel to Cape Hope and down to see the penguins :)

peace & love - AM

p.s. uploading pictures on the computer here takes FOREVER and is expensive, since we have to pay for internet by the byte so we will see how often I post them...

My Placement!

Today I received my placement details for my South Africa internship! I will be working at a center called Nomzamo Place of Safety. The details were sent to me by Cross Cultural Solutions today and are as follows:

Nomzamo Place of Safety was established during the Apartheid to offer a temporary residence to the children of mothers who were arrested for contravening the pass laws. The babies could not be taken to prison with their mothers and an alternative placement was needed.

The 1976 to 1980 political upheavals affected the functioning of the facility and in 1980 the facility moved to Langa where a block house was secured at Zone 22- 60. Since there were no facilities for black African children at the time, the services were extended to accommodate other abandoned, neglected, orphaned and abused children as well.

The mission of Nomzamo is to transform and integrate the facility into the broader community by rendering an effective and efficient service for children under the age of 6 years that takes into consideration their special needs, ensures their safety and well-being, and reunites them with their families. Nomzamo aims to provide a place of safety for children who have been traumatized, provide care to children orphaned, abandoned, neglected, infected or affected by HIV/AIDS, and provide nursing care, spiritual and emotional support and education for orphaned and abused children.

Im extremely excited to be working with the babies but am a bit concerned that the skills I will be working on will be much more micro based then community organizing. They said I would be responsible for help implementing the program and making it run more efficiently, introducing new educational exposure to the children, assist with administrative tasks and 'domestic duties' ie cooking, cleaning and changing diapers haha. I will be speaking with my supervisor and contact at CCS about this to make sure I am not only having a wonderful experience but that my requirements are being met for school.

I can already see myself getting way too attached to these little ones so wish me luck! I will be updating often with all the adventures and what the placement is actually like :)

Peace - AM

Happy St. Patty's Day!  Just made my own green beer with neon green food coloring :)  Me and the roomie just had one, needed a refresher after a long day!  

Getting more and more excited about South Africa everyday.  I got my immunizations yesterday and I was much braver than I expected to be.  I am not a fan of needles period let alone 4 shots :(  I'm up to $600 from the friends and family letters i sent out and am hopeful that I hear from some funding grants soon.  

School is busy as ever but I am trying to stay focused and get as much as I can out of my courses and my field work at Butzel without losing my 'me' time.  Jacky is coming in from Kalamazoo this weekend and I think we'll go to Dominiks for some Sangria.  Its right up her alley and as long as its nice out its one of my favorite spots!  Haven't figured out where to head for dinner yet though.  

I talked to Leslie this week and decided that it would be pretty awesome to move to New York after graduation.  I would have her there as a very close support system and would not be far from my family in New Jersey which would be really nice.  New ideas everyday!  Its nice to have options (well as long as I can find a job;) ).  

Peace & Love -

Alyssa

My very own blog :)

  Decided it was finally time to start my own blog.  I am traveling to South Africa this summer and plan to use this to communicate with my people at home so I figured I'd start early so I can be a pro by May!  Any insight and tips will be much appreciated.

  Choosing a blog title is difficult.  Almost like choosing a title to your own movie, which I have never been good at coming up with.  I chose Echo My Song because I have been listening to India Arie a lot lately and she speaks of wanting to go where the mountains are high enough to echo her song. That is my plan for the summer and I can't wait to tackle Table Mountain.  

  More to come...