Stupid Giants!

So the past week has been a little less eventful than past weeks. We had our international student orientation which was ridiculously unnecessary since I have been here for a few weeks and have already learned the ways of the land on my own, gosh I am practically South African. I don’t actually believe that but after seeing another 400 Americans show up this week and constantly ask stupid questions that everyone on my program knows the answers to, it instilled a superiority complex within all of us. Its weird to think I have been in South Africa long enough to stop asking dumb questions…well, in theory at least.

Anyway, on Sunday, the first day of orientation, around 400 American students loaded busses to go on a tour of the Cape Peninsula which is a bunch of pretty beaches and, yup you guessed it, mountains that outline the coast of Cape Town. It was so strange to get on and off of a bus looking at beautiful places. It was honestly the first time I have felt like a tourist since being here, and it makes me quite happy that I am in Africa and do not feel completely incapacitated. The beaches were beautiful and climbing mountains has just become routine, so I do not even know if that is worth commenting on at this point. But, something that made the whole experience really worthwhile (Brian, get excited) was that I saw African penguins on the beach. It was so strange to see penguins on a beach, but they were adorable and quite entertaining. Penguins definitely lead interesting lives. I was focusing my attention toward one in particular who was trying to make a move on another penguin and got rejected…but he was persistent and tried again. Sadly, he once again, his pursuit failed and he seemed rather dejected. I felt emotionally attached to this penguin, so I named him George. Wherever George is, I hope he is feeling a little better.

Anyway, though parts of orientation were unnecessary, I can now officially say that I know my way around the campus of UCT which is great. It is so beautiful, I hope I do not get too distracted and forget to go to class. So obviously Table Mountain is in the background and upper campus rests on a hill, so you can see the elaborate buildings adorned with ivy. You just feel smart walking around the campus. Along with a bunch of people, I climbed up to the Cecil Rhodes Memorial. Looking out, you can see what seems to be the whole of Cape Town. I realized at that point that I do not think I will ever be desensitized to the beauty that surrounds me.

Orientation did however allow me to get very excited about my classes. Though I have gained so much from this experience, I feel as though I have had to actively search for the meaning and cultural significance of each situation. I have forgotten how fulfilling intellectual stimulation through facts, through context can be. The classes I am taking that I believe will open this world to me once more are: A sociology course called “Poverty, Development and Globalization;” a history class called “Liberation in Southern Africa;” a religion class called “Religion, Sexuality and Gender” (shocker..I know); and lastly an Archaeology class called “The Roots of Black Identity: The People of South Africa” (I think we get to dig stuff up for this one). So it seems that once I start classes and stop discovering the wonders of Cape Town, I will have lots more interesting stories and insights to share. I cannot wait to have an academic grasp of the culture and people of this country.

On Wednesday, we got the opportunity to visit volunteer sites of the primary campus community service group. One of the first reasons I considered coming to South Africa was because I saw a brochure for this organization, SHAWCO, at a fair of some sort during my first semester as a sophomore. They have a variety of projects to choose from: tutoring young kids and older kids in a variety of subjects, HIV/AIDS education, working in a medical clinic etc. I visited a community center in Kensington, a colored (this I not a racist term in South Africa, rather it refers to a large percentage of the population that is not white or dark enough to be considered black) community. We were only there for about a half hour listening to the different options in that area. Oh and for like ten seconds, they took us to a room to watch little kids sleep. I am pretty sure the planners added that part to emphasize the cute factor. While they were adorable, I think that I would prefer to work with older kids, high school age perhaps. I think that working with little kids would be extremely educational and fun, but I think it might be more challenging, eye-opening and rewarding to volunteer with older kids.

While our visit to Kensington was brief, I could sense that volunteering will become a very significant part of this experience. I want to understand the problems that I keep bringing up from first-hand experience. But I also want to be exposed to the rich culture that I am told exists in these communities. I do not want to drive through areas where townships and poor communities are visible and simply cringe and feel lucky, I want to meet people, contextualize their lives in a way that is not relative to my own. It is so hard to not victimize, to not perceive these people as the exact opposite of all that I am, but still feel compassion and desire to make a difference. It is not about simply helping, it is about understanding, it is about learning from each other. I will be just as much a student as I will be a teacher.

Continuing on with the theme of a multi-dimensional learning experience, today I explored a few museums and had an all around intellectual experience. In the morning we visited the District Six Museum, a museum that documents the tumultuous past of the Sixth Municipal District of Cap Town through pictures, personal narrative and an abundance of important facts. In the mid 20^th century District Six was a melting pot of cultures, religions and races. But in 1966 it was deemed a white-only area and 60,000 people were removed from there homes, destroying the rich lives led by so many within it. Reading the personal stories of the people who were forced out of their land into unsanitary, awful conditions, I began to see the personal ramifications of Apartheid more so than the cultural norms that have been ingrained in South Africa as a result. The reality of unwarranted superiority and hatred became more tangible today; the reality of pain and suffering began to make me question human’s capacity to do what is good.

In the afternoon, we visited the South African Jewish Museum which acted as an interesting contrast. While the story of District Six is one of loss and rootlessness, the story of the Jews of South Africa is one of hope and the setting of a strong foundation. The museum offered a comprehensive history of Judaism as well as South African Jews, a breathtaking photography exhibit of pictures taken of different rituals of various religions, a life size model of a European Shtetl and more.

After both experiences, in my head I attempted to connect the two narratives. While it is a long shot, this is what I came up with. I think that each population fostered a deep appreciation for their community, history and those who shared these things with them; district six was rife with spirit and pride while Jews in South Africa have sustained their connections to each other and to their faith. Both histories have been interrupted by selfishness, by greed, by hate. While District Six and World Jewry both have their issues, it seemed to me that each group subsisted on the grounds of feeling responsible for one another and on the grounds that because fulfillment could be found in multiple ways, that they were happy with what they had. This joint responsibility compelled me to not only know more, but to do more, to actively accept my responsibility on this chain. I hope that volunteering will be one of the many ways to do this.

After the museums, we went to a very cool, independent book store to hear a well-known South African historian, named Martin Meredith, speak. While I do not believe that I possess the foundation of knowledge of South African history to fully understand his words, his discussion of the flaws of Cecil Rhodes and the awful atrocities being committed by Zimbabwe’s horrible, fascist leader, Robert Mugabe strengthened my hunger for understanding. I know that I speak of this hunger rather often and it may seem a little trivial, but I sincerely feel a need to know where I am for the sake of understanding and of appreciating what I have and hopefully what I may do in the future. It is not ok that Robert Mugabe willingly compares himself to Hitler and few people in the world know about him. It is not ok that we focus on one or two specific problematic issues in the world and deem ourselves informed of human suffering and inequality. It is rampant, it is not just in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Darfur. Pain and lack of agency exist in countless places and until we recognize that these problems cannot just be fixed but rather our expectations of leadership, of each other need to change. This is our responsibility.

Uch sorry for getting all preachy again. I am very aware that saying these things does not mean that I have made any contribution to the world, but I hope that documenting this and thinking it through does motivate me to know and do something to fulfill my obligation to the world around me. One tiny miniscule thing I did to start this process is buy Nelson Mandela’s 700 page memoir and Martin Meredith’s analysis of Mugabe. I am certain that further posts will reference these two books, along with the facts and insights I learn from classes.

Well off to a new community called Sea Point for Shabbat followed by a five day trip next week along the Garden route, a trail that outlines the bottom coast of South Africa involving more beaches, mountains, animals and I think even caves. I am hoping to have more interesting insights to share with you afterward. Oh right and then next Friday begins classes…I knew I was hear for some reason.

Way to go, you earned another word to add to your growing South African vocabulary:

Row – noun – pronounced RO – an argument

Suzanna, a huge New York Giants fan, and Quinton, a huge Philadelphia Eagles fan, got into a row after the stupid Giants won the Super Bowl.

Uch!!