Last two weeks!

So as my last two weeks here come to close, I'm inundated with things to do and places to go and papers to write, so I doubt that I'll be updating this blog much more before I leave. I've also realized how fast all my money has gone, and loading graphics and things like my blog uses up all of my internet bandwidth, and I really wouldn't like to purchase more internet before I leave. On that note, Marita McComiskey, who is the UConn professor accompanying us on this trip, has become a skilled blogger and has put mine to shame. So if you'd like to find out more about our time in Cape Town, along with pictures and other student's insights and even the Cape Town weather forecast, you should look at her blog: http://marita4peace.blogspot.com. :)

It's been awhile!

Hello all,

So I'm down to my last three weeks in Cape Town and I realize yes, I haven't updated this blog since probably February.....I apologize! We've been so busy here, it's shocking to me that I've already been in South Africa for three months! But I've been having so much fun and learning so much--I don't think I'm ready to go home!

We just recently came back from our "spring" break excursion (I say "spring" because here it's turning into fall!). We took a week off and flew out to Durban, which is a coastal city farther up north. It was beautiful! We drove straight from the airport in Durban to a little village in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, called Hluhluwe (I will never be able to pronounce that). We stayed at a lodge there where antelopes and buffalo roamed the fields behind our chalets and there were lightning storms every afternoon. While we were there we got to go on a safari at the Umfolozi Game Reserve--absolutely amazing. Hands down one of the most exciting things since I've been in the country. We didn't see any elephants or lions (:( sadly enough) but we saw: warthogs, giraffes, zebras, impalas, inyalas (two types of antelope), buffalo, rhinos, a cheetah (from very far away, but still, a cheetah!), and all kinds of birds. Unfortunately it was a rainy day but it was still really cool. The next day we went on a ferry boat tour of the St. Lucia Estuary and got to see hippos and crocodiles and kingfishers. Then we drove back to Durban, which is so much greener and country-er than Cape Town, and stayed for a couple days in a hotel right on the beach. We went out to some really nice restaurants (a revolving one, one of 37 in the world), went to the beach, and went to an Indian market--Durban has a very high Indian population. From there we drove east to the Drakensberg Mountains, which I have officially decided is my new favorite place in the entire WORLD. The mountains are just endless. Our view out over our backyard was this huge green mountain, and every afternoon there would be a lightning and thunder storm over it and it would pour. The resort we stayed at was beyond beautiful, with a swimming pool and tennis courts and a human-size chess set. I could have stayed there forever. We did some hiking in the Drakensberg, and saw waterfalls and plenty of baboons. All in all, it was absolutely the best spring break I've ever had.

Of course, as soon as I got home RACHEL was here to visit! So it was really nice to be able to spend time with her and get to do more sightseeing in Cape Town. We climbed Table Mountain and even rented a car! I was so excited (but extremely nervous!) to drive on the wrong side of the road--I think we both agreed that it was the best day spent in South Africa, driving down to the Cape of Good Hope and to Boulder Beach to see the penguins. Since then, the school I intern at has been on holiday, so I've had some nice time off. I actually won't go back until the last week we're here, which is pretty sad because I do want to go back, but it's given me time to relax and get homework done and catch up on things like my BLOG! For the last three weeks, we're just all trying to cram in as much as we can and still get all our homework done! We plan on maximizing our beach time, although autumn is moving in and lately it's been about 60 degrees Fahrenheit, which is definitely a shock to the usual 90 degree weather!

I'm excited to go home and see everyone, but at the same time I know that as soon as I get home I'll only wish to be back in Africa. This trip has definitely opened doors for me and inspired me for my future--I'm pretty sure I've decided I want to become a children's social worker and work for an international non-profit, ideally. This trip has been so amazing, and I know the last three weeks will be even more spectacular--I'll update at least a couple more times before I go home, I promise. I hope all of you are well! :)

I am actually LIVING in South Africa now

Hi everyone,

Well, I’ve almost been here for a full month. In some ways, it feels like I’ve been here for only a week or two, but I also feel like I haven’t been home in ages. It’s a strange feeling. Things are going well though, my internship and classes have started and everything's good.

I’m interning at Christel House, an international school started by a woman named Christel de Haan. There are also schools in the US, Mexico, India, and Venezuela. It’s a school that only accepts about 60 incoming students a year, out of 600 applicants. The kids are accepted based on their family’s income and situation. Many of the kids come from families suffering from AIDS in one way or another, abusive families, and from extremely impoverished neighborhoods. We took a tour through one town, called Langa, that a lot of the kids are from and it was just horrible. Some of the worst poverty I’ve ever seen, it was heartbreaking. But despite their backgrounds, these kids are adorable and so sweet. So far, I’ve just been working as a teacher’s aid for a first grade and third grade class, but I’m hoping to work with the social worker soon. Since I’ve been there, two kids have already had their mothers die (one little girl in my first grade class). It’s really sad, but it’s great work and hopefully preparing me for a job in my future (this is exactly what I want to do!).

Classes have started, and are definitely way more interesting than classes at Storrs. One class is a politics of South Africa class, and my professor knows just about everything there is to know about South Africa. He was involved in the political movement before the end of apartheid too, so he’s a great resource. It’s a lot of work, but it’s really interesting and I like it. Our second class is a seminar to go with our internship, mostly just discussing our internships and talking about any issues that may come up with them. Despite how easy it sounds, we actually have a bunch of papers for it so it might be more difficult than I’m thinking! Our last class is a women’s studies class given by our professor that came with us. Most of it is pretty easy, but there’s a lot of work with it. It’s interesting though, especially learning it in a foreign country and in relation to that country.

Other than that, I’ve been going to the beach a lot and having a good time! It’s fun meeting people (and hearing what they have to say about America) and luckily, I got a really good roommate, so that makes it so much better. I really like the people living with me in my house. I’m in a house of 9 other UConn students, while the other 17 live in a bigger house a couple towns over. Most places are within walking distance, and we’re also really close to the train, university bus, and taxis, so that’s nice. It’s definitely a new experience, and I’m loving every minute of it!

**Here’s an online photo album I’ve started, if you want to take a look: www.ruthsinafrica.shutterfly.com**

My internship at Christel House

So these past three days have been crazy. My inernship at Christel House is going all right, so far. I've been in a first grade class and a third grade class

South African children are adorable

A letter that I got from a 7-year-old student at Christel House today, in perfect cursive, who I barely even remember meeting:

"Dear: Miss Ruth
I love you very much and you my best teacher. You are a star. Thank you for the love you share with us. We will love you and think of you were evey you are. Love learner: Janicia Miller"

These kids are too cute. Other things they talked about:

"I want to go to America when I grow up. In America, everyone wears nice clothes and dresses like a model."
"You live near New York? Which movie stars have you seen?"
"I like white people. Are you a white lady? I've never seen a white lady."
"Do you live in a 2 story house? You're from America, you must have a 2 story house."

Living in a foreign country

Some fun things about South Africa I've discovered:

-Traffic lights are called robots, and they're all on posts on the street corners, not hanging above
-Currency is in rand. We divide by seven to get the American equivalent, so if a sandwich is R30, it's really only about 4 US dollars.
-The general taxis are called minibus taxis. We took out first one the other day--a pretty interesting experience. All the drivers try to haggle you into taking their bus instead of someone else's. They cram as many people as they can into this van-type thing, and stop and get out every few blocks to try and haggle other people. We went from downtown Cape Town to our suburb town, about a 15 minute drive, for only R4--less than a dollar!
-There are places called townships out on the Cape Flats, which are primarily informal settlements that blacks were forced into during apartheid. They are now slums, made up entirely of black people, often housing 10 people in one little shack.
-This country LOVES curry. There's a high Indian population here. I wish I liked spicy foods more!
-I still have not gotten used to driving on the wrong side of the road. It's hard to cross streets when we're so used to the American way. I also got thrown off by the "LEFT turn on red."
-I'm slowly learning some Xhosa, which is one of the eleven official languages here. It's one of the tribal languages and is spoken by many, along with English and Afrikaans. The x signifies a "click," which is really weird to hear. The langauge is full of clicks, as is Zulu. I'm pretty sure I'll never be able to click! (We just pronounce it "Koe-sah," without the click.)

Things are slowly starting to become natural to me, so if I think of anything else that I haven't realized, I'll add it. Still no internet at home, but we're working on it!

First blog ever.....I am not a blogger

Hi everyone!
I've been busy here and we still don't have internet in my house, so I doubt I'll get to this regularly! I haven't been able to post
any pictures yet either, but hopefully I will soon.

Cape Town is great! We've already been to so many museums and beaches and great
places--our first eight days were all orientation. These next few days
we'll spend visiting our internship sites, I'm working at a school called
Christel House (check out their website: www.christelhouse.org). Then we
begin classes on Thursday. I have three: Politics of South Africa, Global
Women's Studies, and a seminar to go with our internship. We've decided to
hold all three classes on Thursday, instead of Thursday and Friday, so
we'll have a nice three day weekend that we can hopefully use for trips.
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we work at our internships. So far, it
really has just felt like a vacation here, but I'm sure soon once we start
work and class it'll really hit me that I'm actually living here.
Believe it or not, I've actually drawn some parallels between ZA and
Haiti, despite how far away they are. I'm glad I have that experience to
help me adjust here. Two days ago we visited the townships, which are
informal settlements on the edge of the Cape, it's just rows and rows of
shacks. I think already having been to Haiti prepared me for seeing that
though, because I think I would have been shocked if I hadn't. Most of the
houses are just made of tin nailed together, and usually house an average
of 7 people. It's crazy here, the disparity between the wealthy and the
poor--just blocks away from these townships are mansions and really nice
properties with gated yards and BMWs. Very interesting to see.
I actually just got a couple pictures up on Facebook, if anyone can get to
that. I'll definitely update this more when I can! Hope to talk to you all
soon!