Week 6

This week was extremely busy! I am so happy that midterms are over. I was really stressing, but when it came down to the test, it was sooooo easy. Even easy for the people that did not study which was a little disappointing because I felt like I wasted my time working so hard. But I guess I was “learning” so it really is not time wasted. Getting to practice was hard this week so I mostly worked out on my own which was torture. I had a really hard work out on Friday that I did not hit any of the times for. The workout was actually really depressing because I just could not get it right….. I feel like I also might have to start working out a little more by myself because the team I am practicing with is just not as rigorous…. Sometimes I feel like I go to their practices and waste my time too……

So I have not yet discussed what Paris is really like??? Paris marked with beautiful parks, streets, buildings and people. It has a very prehistoric feeling. When I watch French movies that take place in Paris, the building have not changed in almost 60 years. They have the same street signs and the same culture of cafes on every block. Everything is very traditional. Some people that I have met here reason that the French just simply do not like change, which could be true on the surface. Paris is also a typical city at the same time… Metros are always crowded. You get that usual funky smell every now and then when you are walking down the street….the streets are somewhat grungy, old and sometimes cobble stoned. You can bet that you will step in some dog mess at least once in Paris because everyone has a dog and no one “pooper scoops.” French pets are very interesting, mostly the dogs. The dogs are the most disciplines pets I have ever seen. French people take their pets everywhere, the train, cafes, and grocery stores. What you will often see at grocery stores are people’s dogs sitting outside or sometimes inside the door waiting. They are never tied up to anything and they never bother anyone. They just wait patiently, something my dog would never do. By the time I would have finished grocery shopping my dog would be in the next state.

Food in Paris is always fresh, especially the bread. Once they sell out for the day, they do not make any more either. Restaurants and cafes are usually open until midnight to 1am. Shopping is very expensive. I once was looking around a department store and I happened to be glancing at the planners and one of them that I was interested in was 300 Euros! For a planner, they must be out of their mind…..it was no mistake either.

This week I also saw a ballet for the first time at the Opera. It was a ballet by gorge Balanchine, called Jewel (Joyaux). There was no storyline but his goal was to represent the dance and music from different nations. It was nice to have gone once but I would not say it is something I would do again. But I really admire ballet dancers for their commitment to such a rigorous sport. I never realized how much strength and balance a person needs to be a ballet dancer.

Lastly, I took a short and very cheap day trip to Giverny, the home of Monet. It was the last weekend that his home would be open. Giverny is a little quaint home on the outskirts of the city of Vernon. While the house was beautiful, the best is his gardens. This was not the ideal time to go, as the flower were not in full bloom but there the beautiful autumn colors were just as beautiful as the summer and spring flowers I would imagine. My friend, Avery and I decided to walk back to the train station after our visit. They walked was a bit long and we thought we might miss our train so we hitchhiked!!! I always find myself doing something crazy with her, bungyjumping and hitchhiking! We met this nice man whose first topic of conversation was to praise Obama. Then he told us that he thought he was Muslim and asked if we thought that was okay. Lol We laughed and said that was a stereotype because of his name. But it was nice to see he still liked him despite what his heritage might be. It was a funny conversation but short because we only needed a lift about 5 minutes up the road.

Week 5

Things with my family have gotten a little better since that fight. Now that they understand me things have been okay. They are even letting me eat with them seven days a week which is not a part of my program so that I don’t have spend so much money on food at restaurants and what not.

I have been training with this French club team for two weeks now. My impression of athletics in France is that they are much inferior to the sports in the US. While I get a good work out each day, the work outs aren’t nearly as intense. I find myself having to do a lot extra on my own. I am still glad I get practice with other people because it makes training more fun and so much easier. My teammates call me "RiCan" which is the slang word for american.

I also don’t think the people on my team here take track as seriously. I feel like super woman when I practice with them. They warm up for like 10 minutes; I warm up for like 35 minutes. I do abs and cool down everyday but they just leave right after the workout. The weightlifting program is extremely easy. They lift 1 time a week instead of the two or three times I do. Also, they are always always late!; even the coach. One day, he showed up like an hour late. Some people on the team just left but I need to work out regardless so I did a running workout on my own.

I got another new roommate this week. This will be my third roommate in Paris. My second roommate was a male that was 30 years old, named Daniel. Daniel is from Switzerland and he took an intense French class in Paris for two weeks. His French was much better than my first roommate. He is confident and even when he doesn’t know the word or expression he still speaks. I liked him but it was a little awkward for us to ever go out together at night so we only ever communicated at dinner. My third and final roommate is here! She is from Columbia. Her French is soooooooo good! I am super excited to hang out with her. We had a very special dinner for her arrival. We drank champagne and red wine! I definitely did not get that when I arrived  but oh well, at least I get to have it in honor of other people.

This week, I went to a French cooking class! It was amazing; we learned how to cook salmon. It was probably the best salmon I ever had. It was only a 45 minute cooking class, so things were prepared very quickly. We rapped the salmon in this thing flat bread with tomatoes, onions and seasoning. We then cut the green beans and made a special mayonnaise sauce for them. Then the ten of us sat around the table had small talk while everything was cooking. It was difficult for me to following the directions in French but I did pick up a couple words like “preheat.” It was a great little cooking class and the food was soooo good. I also had some smoked salmon in Paris at this café called Paul’s and it was the best I ever had. Maybe salmon is just better in France.

This weekend my school had picnic at this park known as "Parc de Flora" next to Chateau Vincennes. It is a beautiful parc but it was raining so it was cold and wet. We had so much food, but it was mostly junk. It was a nice get together. I got to know a lot more people, french and american.

I have midterms next week! I think I am going to rip my hair out. I really don’t feel like I am ready. I barely understand the reading in French, but I am going to office hours to figure it all out. I have a presentation on Monday and a written midterm on Thursday. As luck would have it, my French professor decided to make it open book, she has mercy for us. Usually that means t hest is going to be harder but hopefully not. Pray for me!

Week 3/4

Time is flying by in Paris. I cannot believe I am about to start my 5th week. These past two weeks were a bit hectic. I am taking a large course load, so work is piling up. I was also doing a crazy search trying to find somewhere to train. It was not looking good for a while but luckily a family friend helped me get connected with some people to train with. I train from 6:30pm-8:00pm every day except Wednesday. I am usually dirt tired after practice but sometimes I have to force myself to go out and be social despite my fatigue. I practice with this young guy name Styves who likes to speak to me in English even though he knows I am trying to learn French. It is really funny to hear his views about Americans. Once he told me the best way for black people to make money in America was to play sports and rap and that is the reason why he wants to live in America……

I went bread tasting last week with my program in this little neighborhood called La Crimée. We went to a bakery that uses special ingredients to make the bread healthier. This bakery was also special because it was run by a woman. She explained that it is very rare to have women in this profession. This is ironic to me because in the US, I associate baking with females. The Bing Family who donates a lot of money to Stanford Overseas programs also funded a visit to La Comédie Française, the oldest theatre in the world. It was founded by Louis the XIV and is mostly associated with the works of Moliere, the father comédie.

Last weekend I also had a friend come and visit from Ireland. I had not seen him in six years. We went to middle school and high school together in Alaska. I remember playing the alto saxophone with him when we were younger. I took them around town for the weekend. We went to a Club called Erasmus, hung out in front of the Eiffel tower, and went to dinner one night. We also stumbled upon a small wine fest at Sacré-Coeur, a famous church near my apartment.

My family and I also had the biggest fight since I have been here. There was screaming and crying. Basically, the volcano erupted after my host mom, Nadine, came home and saw that I had made myself some spaghetti. She said it is not convenient to have me cooking in her kitchen and that she basically did not like sharing her kitchen. Then my host dad got involved, as usual, interrupting and yelling about how I didn’t recycle properly in the middle of my conversation with Nadine. Then he started saying I do not talk at all and maybe I should live in the campus dorms because I prefer to be alone. Then Nadine agreed with his suggestion because she said I do not transition well into the order of their household. She said she can never do her regular housework because I am in the house during the day instead of in class or out exploring. However, all my classes are in the evening so I sleep later and start my day later. Then are starting defending myself and my host dad though it would be okay to “sh” me while I was talking, and then I started getting loud and all hell broke loose. I told him that I thought he was anti-American because he is always criticizing how fat people are and I told him I did not like the tone he spoke to me in because it was condescending. Basically I told him I felt like he attacked me on a daily basis and that it was not very welcoming. This entire conversation was in broken French but I got it all out and he understood. After I told him how I felt he told me I was like a cat, always on the defense. After the arguing was over I went to my room, after which Nadine followed and she started questioning me again and that’s when I started crying.....Then she started hugging me like she was nice and then I went to the movies alone and ate two bars of chocolate. Before I did this I called Estelle, the director of the program and was crying to her and then I called my mom to complain.

Week 2

My host family and I had a falling out this week. I couldn’t really defend myself because my level of French is not where it needs to be. I happen to be the first American they have hosted and there are some really extreme cultural differences between the French and Americans. The biggest difference for me is the FOOD! My host family got mad at me for snacking. They also constantly criticize Americans for being “fat” or “grosse” as they would say it. This is a little frustrating, as I am not obese so for them to continue to make comments is insulting. The French also eat a lot of cheese and bread which to me is a direct link to obesity. The French think that they stay skinny because they eat healthier but I actually think it is because they smoke and smoking is known to reduce appetite. I tried to explain to my host family that eating 5 small meals a day is healthier then three regular ones but they insist that I am wrong. What I have noticed and appreciate more about the French diet is that they eat their meals very slowly. Meals can take up to 2 to 3 hours. When I take this long to eat my food, it is more filling then when I eat in 15 minutes. When I eat too fast, I find myself hungry within the hour.

I realized after the first week of dinner that all the main dishes were basically cheese, I had to let them know that I could eat like this for 3 months. So I asked them if they would make more chicken and fish. This is when they grabbed their scrapbook and showed me what students had wrote about their food after staying with them. Of course all the notes said the food was “fabulous,” which I think is totally subjective. I think the food is good, I just prefer meat and vegetables instead of cheese and bread.

I also later asked my host mom if she would give me a basket or a drawer for my underwear. Evidently, French people do not use drawers…. She also insisted that hang my jackets in my room instead of on the hooks for jackets in the hall. Seeing as my closet is 2X2Ft, I was not happy with this request. They got mad at both of my requests and said that no one else that had ever stayed with them requested these things. And I told them that I was not the other people that stayed in their apartment and that I would appreciate it if they stop comparing me to other students.

My French family also has a funny habit of just waltzing in my room when they feel like, and I am most of the time not dressed and after they see that I am not dressed they continue to talk to me about whatever they came in for….. In general my host family is just very judgmental and I cannot stand it. Once I told them that my French Politics class was a bit difficult because of the language barrier and my host dad responded by telling me it was so easy and that I should have a problem with it. I thought this was a very condescending thing to say as I am not French so of course it is going to be a little more difficult for me.

Besides the family drama, l also visited Musee D’Orsay. I really liked it; I think my favorite artists are Van Gogh and Manet. I think I like Van Gogh mostly because of his mysterious personality and the way he conveyed it through his paintings. My favorites are his self portraits; it is always interesting to see how people see themselves. I remember being really interested in Van Gogh when I was younger. I remade the picture of Van Gogh’s room with paint. I was also interested in Picasso but they did not have any of his paintings. My favorite painting by Manet is Olympia. This painting was interesting because the description in the audio guide said it was promiscuous not because she was nude but because she was nude and staring directly into the eyes of the person that is looking at the painting.

This week I also met up with an old family friend who is famous for the harmonica. He was performing at La Cigale, a famous theatre close to the Moulin Rouge. When I was younger I used to go over his house and practice the alto saxophone. I do not know how he tolerated my awful saxophone playing because he is now a renowned artist. We had coffee one morning and then went walking around the area. He took me to this little art neighborhood where dozens of artist just sat outside sketching and painting. We also passed by Van Gogh’s old apartment. He pointed out that you can distinguish between an apartment of an artist and a regular family or person because the artists have these huge windows in their apartments for good lighting. To get to these apartments we had to run up this huge flight of stairs next to the Sacre-Coeur. You would not think I was the athlete because I was soooo tired lol. He was running up them so fast and effortlessly.

I also met a Parisian. His name is Vira and he took me out to coffee one night, His mom is from Senegal and his dad is from Mali but he was born in Paris. He lives in this little apart of Paris that I like to call “Little Africa.” When you are in Little African you feel like you actually on the continent. Women are walking around in these bright colored traditional costumes and sitting on the sidewalks selling their fruit and vegetables. I got lost there one day while I was walking around. It was nice to get lost there because I was able to find all the hair stuff I needed! I actually met Vira on the metro, which is supposed to be really sketchy but he turned out really nice. He has a lot of patience too because it was a lot of work have a conversation together because of the language barrier. He speaks no English.

First Week in Paris

I haven’t said much about Vietnam because I just did not have time to write blogs. I will catch up on it later but right now I am having lots of thoughts about Paris. Obviously, I came very nervous about using my French. But when I stepped off the plane using French was like my survival skill. Many people might think that the most Parisians speak English but in my experience they don’t. If they do speak English, it is very minimal. When I arrived I had a 70 pound duffle bag with no wheels, a purse, and a small carry-on that had wheels. For the sake of getting to my destination for cheap and with as little hassle as possible, I first asked the representatives at the train station if they spoke any English so I would get direction in English and not get lost. To my surprise, they only spoke French. Despite this fact I still made it to my destination with little difficulties. While on the train I was bombarded by Parisians and it was very difficult to move around with all my stuff because I had to change trains a couple times. But it was worth the small hassle, 8 Euros opposed to a 60 euro cab ride. Another stereotypical thought about Parisians is that they are little more laid back. In some sense they are but not the way I thought. The stores and life definitely does not start until about 10 or 11am but in the train station, everyone was walking so fast. If you do not know where you are going, you better move out the way before you get run over because people will bump and push and will not even say excuse me. And do not ever ask for directions….

There is a lot I still need to get used to. One thing that is extremely annoying is the fact that you have to pay for public bathroom. I always have to go so bad and sometime I am on verge on wetting myself and I can never get in. The lack great internet access here is also very frustrating. But I guess the great bread, fresh fruits and vegetables, and the wonderful food makes up for that. There is also another concept I am very foreign to, “les bisoux,” which are the kisses they give to greet one another. I almost always put my hand out to greet with a handshake because forget the cultural difference. And the other day I was sitting in the hairdresser when a man came in and greeted us all and when I turned to try and give “les bisoux” I kissed him on the mouth! It was disgusting. I thought I was going to die from swine flu from kissing his crusty lips. Ugh! While I was at the hairdresser, I became friend which the lady that was doing my hair and she told me that this man has been trying to talk to her for a long time and he always comes in the shop trying to get her to go out with him. THIS MAN HAS A WIFE AND KIDS! She said the men here are like that….. She also said that it is in style for white men to be dating African woman….BIZARRE! Everything seems to be about style here.

The family I am living with is nice. They speak no English so we have t speak French. They get whatever food I want, clean my room, wash my dished, and do my laundry. Although, have gotten mad at me a couple times. The first night I locked myself out the apartment. I had no cell phone and they have no intercom to call up to the apartment. So I sat outside for hours before someone finally came home and opened the door. But then there is another door after the ground floor that I was still locked out of. After another hour of waiting I started searching my pockets and found my code. The next day I locked myself out again. At this point my host dad was like you are really irresponsible, which was in some ways true  They also got mad at me for slamming the front door when I come in and out the apartment. I live with another girl that is Japanese. She speaks no French and it is very frustrating because she doesn’t not understand simple things like, “where are you from,” or “what do you want to eat” So she only speak in English with me and I do not want to do that so I just don’t talk to her. Last think that was super awkward, yesterday my host family walked into my room while I was in my bra and underwear…!>!>!>!! And they proceeded to talk to me after they noticed! Awkward!

Interesting 2 days

Last night a group of us decided to go out to a bar for westerners across from the hotel. As we were walking out the same little kids I usually see outside the hotel were still there. I wonder where there parents are? They are only about 8 years old. They are very smart little kids. One of them speaks to me in french, english, and vietnemese. He usually wants me to buy a postcard from him. When I turned them down this time, they decided to pull a prank on me. I was just trying to ignore the little kids but they are so persistent. As they followed me down the street, they picked up a little lizard and decided it would be funny to place it on my back without me knowing. I started to feel it crawl up my back and I went crazy. I had just walked into the bar and I screamed so loudly, trying to frantically brush it off of me. My friend finally grabbed me and brushed it off and had to restrain me because I was surely going to march out and get those little kids back. The female bartenders came rushing over asking if I was okay. I didnt know what to do after that. One man in the bar told me it could be worse and that in India they put tarantulas on peoples backs.

Tonight was a free afternoon on our first day in Hanoi. Hanoi reminds me a lot of Saigon. We decided to explore the city a little. Me and my roommate Adrianna went walking around the hostel area in search for some lunch and some junk food. Finding somewhere to eat in Vietnam tends to be a struggle. But later on for dinner, we picked out one of nicer restaruants in town. We traveled in a large group to the restaurant. This always makes ths more difficults. Deciding whether we were going ride or walk was a task in itself. Finally we decided to walk. As we were walking a young vietnemese women in red who was obviously not right in some way started to follow us to the restaurant. She followed our every move. At first we thought she was trying to steal our purses but she was just ginuinely interested in us I think. She never said a word, she only stared. We thought this was a little creepy so we then got into a taxi.

On our way back home we decided to take a taxi from the start. But we accidently got into a "fake" cab. He had one of those meters that kept that moved faster than normal. He also drove like a lunatic. He acted as if he didnt understand me when I confronted him about the meter. Than I asked if he spoke french an he did. When I confronted him in french he still tried to ignore me. In the end we got jipped and almost ran over som bikers in the process because of his reckless driving.

September 3, 2009

I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, the southern part of Viet Nam on August 30th. I am traveling with 12 students from my university from all different backgrounds. We have students majoring in biology, mechanical engineering, international relations, and political science. My seminar is on American in Viet Nam: After Three Decades. After being here for five days I have had so many thoughts and reactions to the places I have visited and the people I have seen. I cannot help but continually compare my experience in South Africa to my experience here.

Ironically, it is rainy season here, like it was in South Africa, except it is actually really really warm outside. The heat here is the kind of weather that makes you feel like taking a shower every hour. One of the dress requirements of the trip is that we cannot wear shorts or spaghetti straps because the dress culture in Viet Nam is more conservative. Besides the weather the food has also been really great. Most of the dishes are composed of seafood, noodles, rice, and many exotic fruits. My favorite has been the catfish, spring rolls, and fried rice. I love all the fruits. We have not had any sushi. The breakfast is very Americanized so most of the time I feel like I am in America for this meal. I have my scrambled eggs, yoghurt, fruit, and coffee. All of our meal are family style because we our traveling on a tourist package so we do not have much freedom when it comes to choosing different types of dishes.

Vietnam is not so tourist friendly. Most people speak very little English or no English at all. Luckily we have to people in our group that are Vietnamese. Our group package also have been providing accommodations in hotels and restaurants that our very westernized and what our tourist guide refers to as “tourist sites.” I do not know whether to be frustrated that we are only getting a tourist prospective or whether to be thankful. Part of me likes to be pampered of course but it is like being a sheltered kid in some ways. Although, my professors continually warns that we have to be careful here. While Vietnam is by no mean dangerous, we are not to consume the water or eat fruits without thick skins, and stay away from street foods.
Our tour guides name is Cong; he is a character. He really gets on my nerves on so many levels. However, I feel that I should be more understanding towards his attitudes because he represents a generation whose thought are identified by old traditions and a lifetime of struggle caused by the Vietnam War or as they call it, the American War. He is about 60 years old, and I feel once you hit a certain age, it is difficult to change the attitudes and opinions of a person because at some point their thoughts and opinions are so ingrained. There is also a sense of seniority that they often feel entitled to.

I have been tired for most of the time I have been here. It is difficult to enjoy, the tours we have been going on because I am so jetlagged. We have very long days. We start as early at 8am and we are going until about 5 or 6pm. My group spends most of our time together. There is not much independence on this trip. I got a message for an hour that only costs $7. The services here are so cheap. Nails cost would cost me $1-2.

As I write this blog I am in Hoi An, Vietnam right now. This is considered central Viet Nam. It was an hour plane ride from Ho Chi Minh City. Flew into Danang, Vietnam and then drove to Hoi An. We are staying in a beautiful resort called Hoi An Trails. This town is very small and intimate and very relaxing. It is also shopping city. It is the town where you can get anything made: jackets, shoes, dresses, you name it, they have it. It has been raining a lot here though. The water is sometimes one to two feet deep. One night we went out to dinner and trekked for the water to look for a restaurant. We had very bad luck. However, we did eventually stumble into a hole in the wall that we decided to settle on because the rain was just unbearable. I could feel the chunks of dirt and trash run across my feel as we walk through the water. That was my queue to sit down and eat at the first place we found. It ended up not being too bad. We had good conversation and when I look back on it, it was sort of like an adventure getting to the restaurant.

FINAL CAPE TOWN BLOG ENTRY

Things have been going down since I last wrote on my blog. This will probably be my last entry for South Africa. I feel like I have been hanging by a thread during my last two weeks here. As my departure time comes closer and closer I feel more anxious to go home and escape South Africa without any serious incidents. But I guess I could not escape.

A group of friends and I went to our favorite bar in Observatory one last time last Friday. The night was going smoothly. We had an amazing meal at a restaurant called Five Flies and then we met up with some girlfriends to go dancing. We had only been in Observatory for 15 minutes before things started going down. It was a regular routine. We would fine a park, clear the car of any item so the car would not be broke into, and then tip our car guard. Car guards are “supposed” to protect your cars from theft or vandalism but sometimes that does not always happen. Jess is a generous tipper so she tipped our guard well as usually and we headed into the bar. My friends were dancing on the dance floor while I was sitting at the bar. Groove did not have its usually vibe. It was Friday and no one was really in there and the music was not typical so my place at the bar was my camp out until the music changed. But it did not change, so I left the club looking for other places that we could all go. But it seemed that all of Observatory was dead. Meanwhile, my friends got nervous and thought something had happened to me because I was no longer in Groove. In somewhat of a panic, they went into the street looking for me. Our car guard told Jessica that he knew where I went and pointed her in the direction. Jessica followed his direction and began yelling my name. As she headed down the street, our car guard grabbed her purse out of her hands and ran off. Our car keys were in the purse which was the only thing that really mattered. There was only about $5 in the purse and a cell phone. He really hit the jackpot. As I walked back, I saw Sarah in the street and the first thing she says to me is “Things have gone doen since you left.” Then I see Liese rushing around saying we need the police with that regular determined look on her face. Our next courses of action were very carefully planned out. We ended up being stranded in Observatory for brief period while 2 of us went back to Jessica’s house to get the spare keys while the other three of us stood outside guarding the car. The next day Jessica saw her mugger in the grocery store. She confronted him and he acted like he didn’t know what she was talking about. She then went and got a police to intimidate him, but he still never fessed up. We call her mugger the man with the uni-brow. The next day Jessica spotted him in the grocery store and she confronted him but still no keys. Cape Town is such a small place, what are the odds of her running into him again?

More stuff continued to do down the following week. I had not noticed how many strikes had been going on in South Africa until it directly affected my life here. The doctors were striking during my first couple weeks and later the workers building the FIFA World Cup stadium were striking. But this week the mini bus taxis decided to strike. The minibus taxi is basically what all the people from the townships use to get to work. We ended up not going out to the township to work this day because the drivers of the minibus taxis were attacking people with rocks and other objects so it was way too dangerous. After this strike the bus and train systems also followed suit. I have heard that the most strike occur in Cape Town because it is the only place in South Africa not ruled by the African National Congress (ANC).

Since I have been here, I have been told horror stories, from mugging to stabbing in broad day light. Never have I thought, it is not going to happen to me. I walk down the street always cautious of my surroundings, looking over my shoulders constantly and often intensely grasping the handle of my maze. I came so close to an incident during my final days. A homeless man was upset by something my cab driver was saying to him in Afrikaans so he picked up a brick a proceeded to throw a brick at the car but I was able t stop him as I screeched for him to not hit the car because it was my last day in Cape Town. Despite my increasing concern for my safety, I have fallen in love with South Africa. It is one of the most unique and beautiful places I have ever traveled. I have only been here for 2 months but over the course of my stay, I have developed my own little family and community. Some people I was not so close to but I was able to learn something from them but others I know I will be friends with life.

August 3, 2009

Yesterday my interview at Kiddies never happened. The principal didn’t show up because she was doing some kind of teacher training. She has teacher training for the rest of the week… At the beginning of my internship, showing up to find that the principal had forgotten about the interview was frustrating, now it happens so regularly that it doesn’t faze me… Today I went to Sackhingomso, the very first crèche I ever visited, and the one where I am most familiar with the children and staff. It was actually really stressful. Now that I have gone to most of the crèches I have something to compare Sackhingomso with. The same three little boys that fought over seats at specific place at the lunch table my first day visiting, were still at there old habits today. I could see even clearer the habits of the children after visiting so many times. The children were extremely difficult today. I underestimated the severity of the rock incident with the boy who wanted my water bottle. The same boy who was throwing rocks at me over the water bottle that I wouldn’t share with him tried to attack me again today. I was sitting in the chair just observing the kids and he came up to me and tried to rip my sweater off. Then when I told him to stop, he proceeded by biting my leg really intensely with his teeth. That’s when I got loud and grabbed him and asked him what he was doing. He obviously did not understand me but Constance, the teacher, knew exactly what was going on because he is one of the regular troublemakers. The later on a girl with down syndrome bit me in the leg again. I can still feel the bite marks in my legs as I am writing this. She is really crazy sometimes. Every time someone walks in the door she runs up to them screaming and she is often really aggressive with everyone else. Sometimes she will ask me to feed her and then she will throw her lunch on me. Everything I touch or do at the crèche, she must mimic, and if it is not the way she likes it, she flips out. The kids were just overall really violent today. There were other instances where kids were literally fist fighting over toys… It was a crazy afternoon.

August 3, 2009

It is about time for another quarter report on my progress. I am doing a much better job at recording my interviews. However, it is still a struggle. I have gotten smarter and am now doing most of my work on my laptop because it is more reliable than our work computers. Most of my coworkers have finished their internships and returned home. It is kind of lonely in the office. This is probably why I am getting more work done because I have no one to talk to. My mentor, Isabel is still gone. She returns this week so my goal is to get everything recorded before she gets back I have been working more closely with director’s wife, Jane Keen. I like her a lot. She does a really great job at checking in on everyone and figuring out where she can assist. We had a lot of confusion last week because the oversight over the intern’s projects has been lacking. Another girl is doing similar research and our interviews were overlapping. This was really frustrating because we were asking the same questions and the principal has a lot of work to do and I felt as if I was wasting both of our time. Jane straightened everything out so now everything is on track. My last interview is today with a crèche called Kiddies.

This past weekend my roommates and I went to Kruger National Park to try our luck at seeing the Big 5. The Big 5 are historically the most dangerous animals to hunt; they include the elephant, the rhino, the lion, the leopard, and African buffalo. We flew to Johannesburg early Friday morning and then drove almost 8 hours to get to our rest camp on the park known as Olifants, which is in the northern section of the camp. We needed to get to the park by 5:30 because the gates close to the park so we were running very close on time. When we got to the airport there were no automatics available so this delayed us for an hour and a half. Then we drove into a pothole and had to stop somewhere for someone to put on the spare. We got there well before 5:30 but then as soon as we got onto the park, Liese got a speeding ticket. It was her first ticket. She had to pay a $60 dollar ticket. She was not happy. The night we arrived we went on a night drive and the next day on a morning drive. The morning drive started at 4:30am; Sarah and I were knocked out underneath the blankets they had provided. We would only wake up when we stopped to see some wildlife. We had to checkout at 9am so then we went on our own little safari in our rental vehicle and drove the southern part of the camp. We saw elephants, giraffe, impala, hyenas, vevet monkeys, spring hare, waterbuck, zebra, crocodile, hippos, a jackal, wildebeest, warthogs, and some exotic birds. We once were almost 5 feet away from an elephant. We sat and took some pictures briefly. We later read in our guide book that we should have kept driving because elephants have tendency to stump vehicles. We ended up on seeing 3 of the Big 5. We saw no cats.

The second night we stayed in a hostel in this small town right outside the southern side of the park called Hazyview. That night I slept with all my valuables in my sleeping bag: my Garmin, cell phone, and wallet. I am going to be so ready to hostel my way through Europe by the time I get there. I am getting a lot of practice with Liese and Sarah. On Sunday we drove back to Johannesburg. Before doing so we had to switch out the rental so we were not driving on a spare anymore. This was drama filled, as our insurance did not cover the tire and they charged us a fee to fix it. When this was all over we got on the road to Johannesburg. We visited Soweto, the most developed township in South Africa. It is home to many of the apartheid activists. It is very different than the township I work in. I did not see any farm animals just roaming the street and there were no shacks in the area we were in. We were pretty brave because we decided not to take an organized tour and drove the rental into the township. We visited the Mandela home. One of the interesting facts I learned while was that US intelligence contributed to arrest and capture of Nelson Mandela. This was a pretty quick tour because the home was really small. After this we went to another museum in Soweto where we learned mainly about the student Soweto Uprising in 1976.

Later we met up with friend in Johannesburg who was letting us crash on his floor. His name is Nick; Jessica introduced us in Cape Town. He graduated from Duke and is currently doing a Fulbright. He has done some amazing things after undergrad. He decided to spend a year in Haiti where he was working with medicine and now he is doing some research for a year in Johannesburg. He plans to go to medical school after his travels. We went out to a nice dinner and hung out afterwards on one of the really busy streets close to his house.

July 30,2009

This weekend was an adrenaline rush. We went on a road trip along the coast of South Africa on what is popularly known as the Garden Route. Five of us hopped in a car with a map and some PB&J’s to drive as much as we could in a two-day trip in what was supposed to be at least a ten day road trip. The plan was to leave at 7am on Saturday morning but we ran into a couple obstacles that greatly delayed our trip. We had forgotten our passport which was required to make payment on the reservation for the car and we also had trouble finding the rental place in the city. Finally we got on the road around 11am. We made minimal stops and made it all the way to Plettenberg Bay to stay in a youth hostel for the night. Along the route there hundreds of people hitch hiking. It seemed as if it was a common form of transport. Even men in business suits were waiting for a ride. It would be my first time ever staying in a youth hostel. It was beyond freezing in the hostel. I wore all the clothes that I was wearing for the next day, my coat, two scarves, and a rag on my head. I looked like a crazy person but it was so worth it to be warm.

The next day the biggest adrenaline rush came. I decided to bungee jump off the highest bungee jumping bridge in the world. No one had been sure the night before that they were actually going to do it. I was definitely a chicken. I had once cried my way off a roller coaster and this was definitely a time where I would want to cry my way out of bungee jumping or someone was going to have to push me off. But we drove up to the bungee jump anyway the next morning. Sarah signed up right away and then Avery. Once I looked at the bridge, I started to feel sick to my stomach. It took me like 20 minutes to sign up because I was so unsure if I wanted to take such a large risk. Finally, I just paid the money and once you pay there are no refunds so I guess in a way you have to do or I would have wasted almost $80. When it was finally time to jump, we walked this really long and jagged walkway underneath the bridge that led to the bungee site. It was almost as frightening as the jump. If you looked underneath your feet, you were literally are hundreds of meters up from a valley filled with trees and a stream. It was like being at the top of a skyscraper and looking over the edge of the building. I could not look down of course before the jump. I just looked straight forward so I wouldn’t chicken out. Surprisingly, I was very calm but I know my face was blank and my body language gave off a nervous vibe. I just felt like it was the end right before the jump. Sarah had given one of the girls on the trip, Lizzie, her mother's phone number so that she could call if anything should happen…. As they were hooking my feet up, the people kept talking to me but I had no idea what he was saying or what was going on. All I could think was I was about to kill myself and why would I do this? As I scooted up to the edge I just closed my eyes and then leaped into the air. The feeling was awkwardly not adrenaline filled for me. It was the anticipation of the jump that had my adrenaline pumping. But the jump was beautiful and smooth. I felt light and I was just gliding. Of course I screamed when I jumped off but then once the jump was over I just kept saying OMG to myself. The view was beautiful. It was great! But I would never do it again. It is a once and a life time thing.

After bungee jumping we went to an ostrich farm and road some ostriches. This for me was much scarier than the bungee jumping. I was so terrified. Ostriches are the most awkward and ugly animals I think I have ever seen. They are just so big. So in order to ride the ostrich, the people working at the farm would grab them by the neck with this medal hook at the end of a wooden pole and then put a bag over its head. Then they would push the ostrich over to us so that we could mount it. There was no saddle, stirrups or reins. It was just a bizarre experience. And in some ways I felt bad that we were riding them because I felt like we were torturing the animals…We sat at the edge of the ostrich’s back because there is hump in the center of its back that makes it difficult to sit in the cent and we rapped our feet around the front part of its body to stay mounted. The most ridiculous part is that we grabbed its wings to use as reins. It was such an unnatural thing and all I could think is that this animal was not ever meant to ride. The men working at the farm gave us no instructions and just told us to get straight on. Before we had even entered the area to ride the ostrich they pointed at a sign saying, RIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK. I am assuming this was kind of like the sign I saw when I petted the cheetah. But no they are not comparable. The cheetah just laid there while I petted it, when riding the ostrich, it was just me and the ostrich….. I was so scared…. The thing kept hissing at me. I screamed and yelled the entire time I was on it…Avery even fell off the ostrich onto the ground because the ostrich was not having it…. She also got stumped as she tried to mount it…. But she was brave and it didn’t even faze her….. She got right back on that scary animal… I would have been like I am through after that beast knocked me off….Sarah was another brave one too. She was riding it like she was a pro…. The event was hilarious and bit ridiculous…..

July 24, 2009 MIDSUMMER REPORT

Volunteering at SAEP has been as much rewarding as it is challenging. My first days at the organization were filled with frustration due to the work culture of a non-profit organization. It was a totally new experience characterized by a more relaxed atmosphere. I was welcomed not with a tour of the office or any formal lunch dates to get to know the staff but instead a 200 page binder that provided background on my research and explained what I would be doing for the next 9 weeks. Having worked at an international corporation the summer before, my expectations of the work environment were very different. The internet often doesn’t work, the computers are over a decade old, there is limited office space, and I was given no direction for anything. My first few days at SAEP were filled with aggravation but it has made me more resourceful during my time here.

As I have gotten more acclimated to the work environment, my research which involves visiting the crèches (pre-schools) gave me a more rewarding experience. My project is to provide SAEP follow-up research on the status of each crèche. The information I am collecting includes inventory, finances, registration and requirements, and other basic needs that should be fulfilled by each crèche so that they can eventually act independently of SAEP. My research will better assist SAEP in deciding what areas of each crèche most need assistance in order for them to “graduate” from SAEP. More specifically, my work is part of the Early Childhood Development section of SAEP. The most difficult part of my project has been the language barrier. Sometimes it is difficult for the principals to understand my questions. They often just nod their heads and say yes even when they do not understand instead of asking me to rephrase the question or statement. The office etiquette is somewhat different and often unpredictable. The principals will often arrange meetings and not be there when I arrive or sometimes we have our meetings out in the middle of the playground instead of in the office.

I go out to a township known as Phillipi on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays of each week. My Mondays and Fridays are used to document my interviews with the principal. I usually spend one day at each crèche just observing their daily habits and schedule and then I come a second time and interview the principal. My days at the crèches are often spent helping the staff cook, playing with the children, some cleaning. Some crèche principals have asked me to help make them make phone calls to places like the Department of Education so that they can fulfill the requirements to become an official school. My main crèche is known as Sackingomso Educare. This is where I have gotten to know the children and the staff the most. Although I have spent the most time here; however, it is always a challenge to learn the children’s African names. Sometimes the kids laugh at me when I try to say the clicks in their names. The children do not know very much English so my authority as their “Sisi” (Sister/Teacher) is somewhat limited.

Lastly, my development has been a very important part of my summer. I keep a weekly blog to track my progress and document my thoughts and reactions. I have also incorporated my coworkers and my roommates to help me achieve my goals. I get a lot of feedback in both settings. While I am confident that I will achieve my work goals by the end of my 9 weeks, my personal development has been the most difficult and I do not feel they will be fully achieved. Progress feels slow for my personal development plan but the community I have developed since I have been here have been very encouraging and often remind me that I have conquered the first step of recognizing things I need to work on as well as being aware of my goals in every setting. I will continue to keep you all posted on my experiences and progress in Cape Town.

July 20, 2009

Today I freaked out because I thought I lost my passport. I basically ripped my house apart for an hour. This was the first time I realized how important my passport was for the rest of my travel plans for the summer. It has my Vietnam Visa in it and it will get me out of South Africa at the end of my trip. I was not so much concerned about getting out of the country but I was concerned about Vietnam because it take 3 weeks to process a new visa and another $100. Since I am living on a budget and all my trips are right after the other, I would have been screwed. Liese kept asking me if I need help as I was panicking but I only brought so much stuff and I had already gone through all of it. Finally I just sat down on my bed and inhaled, trying to think back to time I last saw it. Then I found it! It was between the pages of one my books. Thank GOD! I showed up to work so late but I felt like I had a really good excuse...

Work was not work today.... When I arrived the internet was down for almost three hours so nobody was doing any work. We were mostly just sitting and chatting. There was a bake sale on the third floor of our building so we all went upstairs instead of working and had some treats. Then my coworker Ellie took us on a hike. The entire early childhood development office left and walked up to the University of Cape Town. We were given a tour of the campus and than taken on a hike in the woods behind the university. It was beautiful. It was my favorite view in Cape Town. It was overall a very relaxing day besides my hectic morning raid for my passport.

July 19, 2009

This weekend was really busy. A lot of people were visiting Cape Town for a really huge AIDS conference. My friend Avery, who took a seminar on South Africa with me before coming this summer came down from Pretoria and stayed with us. My roommates and I showed her around town and went out a couple of times. She is also here for the AIDS conference. I participated in the AIDS march on Sunday after church. It was pretty exciting. Everyone was singing African songs and dancing. We stood out like a sore thumb. People always stare. I still wonder why they suspect I am different. The children were so fascinated with Sarah and Jessica’s hair. They would come up to them and just stroke their head because I am assuming that they are very curious about the long straight hair. Before the march started we all stood around talking. We were yelling “Amadla” which believe means freedom. People were passing out baggies of water and posters while we waited for the march to begin. It was a very peaceful demonstration. We were also suspicious of what type of demonstration it would be because we had a Stanford Student out in Cape Town on a Fulbright Scholarship that was killed in a protest. She was targeted because she was white and the people that committed the crime were sent to jail because the case was considered something like “an act of passion.” I do not know if I am using the right term but because it was a freedom march the case was looked upon differently.

After church on Sunday we also went to visit my friend Ntombi at her house. She invited us over to show us around and she also took us down the street from her home in Gugulatu where we had some traditional South African beer made by the local women. I have to say that beer is universally nasty….. This beer had bits of sediment in it and tasted nothing like alcohol. It was like someone rung a sponge into my cup and then I had to drink it. Although it was not the best drink I ever had, I am glad I got to try it. While we were all trying the beer this handicapped man came up to us in his wheelchair and started to make a scene. At first I thought he was just greeting us but his speech started on high and then went downhill. He told us how he was so happy we had come to visit and welcomes us humbly to South Africa. But then he started to say people needed to see how they live, that the African people have nothing, and that he lives in a shack. He also said he is now 58 years old and has nothing to show for it and the government has down nothing to help the people. He continued by emphasizing that he was handicapped and that he could barely use the bathroom because it is not accessible for the handicap. His greeting which became a speech was somewhat overwhelming and I began to cry. I was embarrassed and ashamed that I was there trying their beer. We had all just come from church dressed in nice clothes and appearing foreigners. For the first time while I was in the townships I felt like a tourist and it seem as though I should not have been there. When we he started making this speech, everyone was to leave instantly because it was just an uncomfortable situation. Even the adults that were sitting around the house watching us have the beer wanted him to be quiet. They explained to Ntombi that he was only doing it so that we would give him money. And I sure was ready just to empty my purse and give him everything. His speech made me feel bad for who I am, where I come from, and how I live. Sometimes I wonder how I sleep I night knowing these people are actually living like this while I get to shower whenever I want with clean water, have a blanket and a bed at night and basically live in excess….

July 18, 2009

My development plan is becoming more difficult with every passing week. It is also sometimes discouraging when I cannot observe much progress. I am getting a lot of feedback from my coworkers. One really great piece of advice was that the goal shouldn’t be to change myself but to change the way I am perceived by other people. Another great piece of advice was that I should pick and choose my battles more carefully. I never thought it would be this difficult to change my personal habits. They have been so ingrained into my behavior and the person I have become, it seems impossible to shake. I also realized that I left an important element out of my plan. I knew that Sarah and Liese would play an important role in my progress but I totally forgot to explain to them my goals. Bus my coworkers suggested that it is good that I didn’t tell them in the outset because now they have had time to observe my tendencies and now they can better observe whether I have made progress. I also had an advisor at work that was supposed to be helping me with my development plan but she left this week for 3 weeks. This is not helpful but I will work it out. I now have temporary advisor but I don’t think it will be productive to explain my development plan to my temporary advisor as she will not be working in the office very often and will be helping at a distance(email, phone, etc).I have been working on my email etiquette. I sometimes feel dumb when I am writing to one of my friends or my family using “Hello Mom” and “Best, Brittni.” I figured I would use it for everyone so I would get in the habit.

Work this week was really busy. I have been continuing my interviews. The most tedious part about interviewing is recording the information into an organized document afterwards. I have not been doing a good job of this. My advisor also decided that I should add more crèches onto my research. This may affect whether I can finish the project. I have faith I will get it done though. Wednesday was the dirtiest I got with the kids. I felt like a walking germ. Kids coughing in my face, the neighborhood dog jumping all over me, helping to build a roof on a house. It was truly a long day and then I went to see Harry Potter after my long day of work, not haven taken a shower…. One little kid was licking my co-worker, Adanna on her neck as she held him in her arms. Adanna and I both went to Sackinghomso that day. It was a somewhat frustrating day because the principal was putting off the meeting she had arranged with her. I felt so gross but I am still alive so I guess it wasn’t so bad.

Sarah and I went sightseeing downtown today. We visited the Castle of Good Hope which is the oldest building in Cape Town and currently acts as military post. We went into the dungeons of the military post and got to go into the artillery and torture rooms. It was pretty cool. We also visited District Six Museum. This museum was made in commemoration of the families that were forcibly moved out of their homes in the 1960’s because the government decided to declare their neighborhood, District Six, a white’s only neighborhood. Over 60,000 families were removed and all of their homes were bulldozed. This displacement greatly contributed to the development of the Townships/Cape Flats. When President Mbeki was in office he was able to reverse the discriminatory laws that displaced thousands of people and today homes are continually being returned to their rightful owners. The people that do not want to return are given about 17000 rand (a little over $1700) as compensation. This obviously does not make up for their loss and some families are still struggling to get their homes back because of the broken judicial system. After this museum we went to the Slave Lodge, which was my favorite. The Slave Lodge explained the complete history of how the VOC or the Dutch East India Trading Company developed the system of slavery. Interestingly, the African people in the areas of Cape Town were not the original people enslaved by the VOC, they actually imported slaved from Madagascar and Mozambique first. The African people in Cape Town were originally the colonialist’s business partners but eventually they were enslaved too. Slaves were often given names from the Bible which was often also done to pets as well. There was also a section of the museum that focused on Steve Biko that emphasized the parallels between American leaders and movements. Most notable was the Malcolm X as having overlapping strategies for empowering their followers.

After our museum quest I went to a braai for one of my coworker’s birthday and then late met my roommates on Long Street where I learned how to belly dance. I was really awful. It ended up being and early night because Sarah was feeling sick and my feet were hurting from trying to dress too cute.

Tuesday July 14, 2009

So we had a braai (Afrikkaans for barbeque) on Sunday. It was an absolute disaster. We knew it was going to rain on Sunday but my feeling about rain is that it really should not inhibit our plans but I was so wrong. Janine insisted on doing all the cooking so I didn’t really help with that. It was supposed to be a really South African experience. She invited all her Afrikaans friends and I invited people from work and some people from Stanford. It was raining really bad outside and people had a difficult time getting in the house because of the rain. Evidently the rain was reaching people’s thighs. I was somewhat oblivious because I was inside just enjoying conversation, food and drinks, while Liese was shuttling people back and forth from the front gate with umbrellas to the house because she was the only one that brought rain boots. We had to supply everyone towels and clothes. I still do not know where my two Stanford sweaters are. Anyways once everyone was there, Janine started panicking because she couldn’t find her cat and the house looked like it was going to flood. The garage was also getting flooded and she was worried about her car. We evidently live in the lowest point in Rondebosch, so our house is very vulnerable to floods. The last time the house flooded, the water reached the attic. Finally I realized the extent of the storm when Janine told us to grab our passports pack our bags, and grab all of our cash. Everyone had to evacuate the house. No one had any food yet. Everyone was just getting there but she was worried that we would get trapped in the house. Liese and I were contemplating checking into a hotel for the night. At this point the house was chaotic. Everyone was rushing up and down the stairs moving all Sarah’s clothes out of her room up to the attic. When I think back on this it is very comical. Once we had everyone out of the house Sarah, Liese, and I went to Janine’s, niece’s house to try and wait it out. We had some interesting conversation with Nu (her niece) and her roommate Laura. They are both from Zimbabwe, which they refer to as Zim. They told us about how they were violently pushed off their farms by the government. Nu and Laura shared that men with machetes, guns, and other weapons showed up to their farm and forced them to leave or die if they stayed. They had no choice but to leave. Currently most people that can leave Zimbabwe have left already because these forced removals have caused the entire economic system to collapse. Now there are Africans living on these farms that do not know how to farm so Zimbabwe is no longer exporting any food. She also explained that though there was clearly large inequality the economic system, in some ways having the whites continue to own the farm was to Zim’s advantage. The system that was put in place would have helped the African people to assimilate into the farming business. These white farms employed up to 400 workers and a school was also in place to educate the people. The forced removal of these white farmers totally damaged this system and now everything is falling apart. People who owned farms were required to hire so many African workers and were also required to have a school on the farm to teach the workers. We also talked about the African prospective of American. You can probably guess what that was, a strong disdain for American attitudes. It was great getting together with people our age; we also mocked each others accents and talked about the differences in our upbringing. It was really cool getting to know them.

Monday I went to the International film festival in the city. I saw the most amazing movie. It was called the “The Age of Stupid” which referenced the ignorance that plagues the world. It basically argues that the world is knowingly committing suicide because we are not doing enough to combat global warming. I went with my friend from work, Ellie. The movie made her really sad but it made me really mad at myself for being so wasteful and our world leaders for being all about money. The movie discussed the American problem of consumerism. Some little kids in Iraq who were clearly resentful of American destroying their way of life expressed that American are wasteful. One example the two kids gave were that American never wear their shoes until they fall apart. In Iraq they explained after their shoes are worn out, they simply fix them and keep on wearing them. It also revealed the horrible things that Shell Gas and Oil Company has done to small villages in rural areas of Africa. They are deepening poverty levels by polluting the water, preventing fish from growing full size and eliminating all clean drinking water. They also promised these villages that they would contribute monetarily to their development in exchange for allowing to them to drill for oil but nothing has been done to improve the living standards. After watching this movie I thought about how wasteful I was with everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This movie predicts that the world will basically at its end in 2055 if we continue with our wasteful habits because global warming effects will be accelerated. What can we all do individually to make a large difference?

July 13, 2008

FYI (FOR YOUR INFORMATION), every time my friends and I go out here in Cape Town, we are very safe when we go out and drink. We travel in groups and we stay together the entire time. We don’t walk the streets at night even if we are in a group. We always take taxis. We all have cell phones, I never carry a purse, and I always have mace on me. And I honestly think alcohol is among the nastiest drinks on earth. There is something about being in a social setting with people your age that makes not drinking antisocial. I don’t want to be the anti social person. There are some drinks that I can tolerate that taste like juice. One time when we went out on Long’s Street I just had some coffee and the question of the night was why I hadn’t I gotten a drink. In some ways it was annoying for people to keep asking that questions about my drink preferences so I prefer to just go with the flow, order a fruity drink and go along with my peers.

Let me tell you about my roommates… Since I haven’t said much about their personalities….Sooo we are a very interesting dynamic. Sarah is “wild woman.” Liese is “by the book” and me I guess I’ll leave it to them to describe. Sarah is from the suburbs of Seattle, Washington. She is interested in the becoming a doctor in the future and is into Public Policy, specifically concerning health. Sarah has a very interesting background. She was born in Korea, lived in Canada for awhile where she went to a French immersion school, and then her family immigrated to the US. She is very religious which I would say was motivated by her father’s role as a Minister. Sarah likes to party all the time and has let us know that she doesn’t need much sleep to function. Sarah would go out every night if she could. But I can’t hang; so I guess Liese and I both are party poopers. Liese and I would both would rather chill some nights and just curl up in bed and watch movies or do something at home and go out a couple nights a week. Sarah is also the celebrity gossip queen. She likes looking at gossip websites and finding out the scoop. She also loves to read in general (books, news, etc). Sarah is really outgoing and really fun to be around; I do not think there are any dull moments with Sarah.

Liese is also very interesting. Her name is pronounces like “Lisa” except the “s” sounds like a “z.” She is very particular about this. She is also a genius. The girl has a 3.9 at Stanford and is double majoring in Anthropology and Human Biology. When she was younger she used to be a competitive dancer. Now her ankles are really weak and she trips a lot whenever we go out. One day I am going to have to save her life because there are so many times when I think she is going to hit the ground face first. I laugh all the time about this. She is super intense about her work. Something I have also noticed about her is that she is super into following all rules. That is why I mentioned before she is the most responsible out of all of us. I think this quality will make her a really great doctor. She will not miss a beat. She really knows what she wants and she has her academic life all planned out on a spread sheet. Her organization makes me look really messy. I like being around her because she knows so much. She is always telling me a lot of really interesting facts…. She is like a walking and talking dictionary. She tells me I eat too much meat. She says it is going to take a toll on my kidneys…… But I love meat for every meal….

I have not written a blog in awhile because I have been lazy and my internet does not work very well. This is not good as one of the things that I wrote on my development plan is to keep with my journal so that I can assess my goals at the end of the summer. Progress has been limited…. As of last Thursday, I have been in Cape Town for 3 weeks. I had a three-week evaluation with my mentor last Friday. It was very interesting. In her evaluation she told me that she really enjoys my energetic personality and admires my ability to self-direct my research. However…. Yes, there is always a “however.” She feels that I can improve my email etiquette and be more aware of my surroundings. Some examples that were relevant to her concerns was when I accidently shut one of my coworkers in the office when we were all going out to the townships for the day. My only defense to that concern was that I honestly thought she was staying back because she was sitting down for a really long time as if she wasn’t leaving with us and most times everyone doesn’t go because we do not have enough room in the car. I guess I should have asked. As for emails, she said that I should respond to every email with a “thank you” if I request information or when I send emails with attachments I should write a message describing what it is. These are both understandable comments concerning email etiquette. I guess I have somewhat changed my professional posture in this work setting. When I worked for Pricewaterhouse Coopers last summer, I definitely always responded to emails and used proper language because I had to communicate with partners. Like I mentioned in a previous blog, the work setting is very laid-back and somewhat not as professional as many of the work experiences I have usually had. People come and go to the office as they please. There is no monitoring throughout the week. I could go the entire week without reporting anything on the progress of my work.

I decided to do some sightseeing on my own. Ever since my roommates arrived, I have been trying to do everything in a group because it is safer, cheaper, and most of the time more fun. But sometimes I feel like I am not doing the stuff I actually want to do because the entire group doesn’t want to. So I caught the train from work after my eventful work evaluation and went downtown. The train is the sketchiest form of transportation. I was really uneasy the entire time I was riding the train. Most of the time when I travel throughout Cape Town people stare a lot. There are a couple reasons why I think they stare. One they may obviously see that I am American and are just curious. But another reason I believe to be very unsettling is that I hang out with my two roommates most of the time. One is Korean, the other White, and I look colored to the people here. Colored is a type culture that describes people that are mostly mixed race and speak Afrikaans. Colored people can also be white or African descent. Having these races interact in Cape Town is a little unusual because of the racial separation that is still very apparent in Cape Town. When people stare it just makes me feel like they are plotting to do something. The stares aren’t friendly either; they are rarely accompanied by a smile or “hello.” When I finally got to the train station it was a relief. I clung to the guards in the station so I didn’t look like I was a lost foreigner. I simply followed them straight out as if I knew where I was going. When I stepped out the of the train station, there was a market. The market was a little different; the stalls had people running barbershops businesses and woman braiding hair. I headed to Long’s street which has a lot of small boutiques that have African jewelry and furniture shops. I window shopped for a while. I bought my only pairs of clothes for the trip. I got two dresses from a shop that only sales clothes made by South African designers. After, Long’s Street I went to the Two Ocean Aquarium close to the waterfront. I felt like a really BIG KID in the aquarium because everyone that was running around there was under 4ft tall and under 10 years of age. The aquarium was okay. I tried to read all the blurbs about the fish but for the most part I felt like the facts were complicated. I also have very bad memory so I would probably not remember the blurbs anyway. The most interesting part of the aquarium was when they had the turtle and ray feeding. The fish were like 3 times the size of me. When the people in the tank were feeding them they would put their entire hand in the mouth of the ray. But the turtle crushes the food when it eats so they didn’t do that for them. I don’t know why but sharks are the most fascinating to me. In the last 14 years, the size of shark population has been reduced by 80% due to overfishing. We kill over 100 million sharks every year. There are also over 300 species of sharks and only 40 of them are deadly to humans. After I finished at the aquarium, I walked around the waterfront, went to my favorite crepe place in the mall. I also saw some live African performances. Then I headed home.

The next day we rented a car and drove 2 hours to Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope. It is supposed to be the farthest southern point of Africa. Although, some people tell us that is fact is not actually true. Cape Point and Cape of Good Hope is mostly scenery and wildlife. The trip to Cape Point was interesting because this was the first time any of us would be driving on the right side of the road. I thought I was going to die at first because Sarah put the car in neutral when she was trying to reverse…..I was beginning to think she lied to about having a driver’s license… But after a little practice around a nearby parking lot she got the hang of it. We got there and back safely.

Sunday, July 05, 2009

This weekend was awesome!!!!!!!!!! So Friday Sarah, Liese, and I met up with the Duke and UNC students from my work for a night of Bar Golf. Jessica also decided to hang out with us that night. This was my first time playing and it ended up be a crazzzzzzzzzzy night. So there were 9 holes and the object of the game was to have the least amount of points at the end of the game. Therefore if you were playing to win, which I was, you had to drink mostly eagles, which were -2 points. Each bar had designated drinks and as the night went on the drinks got worse and worse. We had 40 minutes at each bar with 5 minutes walking time to the next bar. A girl named Ainslie at my work was the official timer. And if you went to the bathroom, were late to the next bar, didn’t finish a drink or ordered water you had to add points to the score. Whisky and water had to be the worst drink I ever had in my life. I couldn’t even drink it. I just gave it to someone else in the bar it was so bad. By the third bar, the game had really brought out some personalities….. Me and Jessica snuck into a club through the kitchen because we did not want to pay the cover fee. It had the best music of all the clubs but it was very segregated. All the people in the club were Indians so we obviously were sticking out being the only white and black girl in the club. We danced for a little bit and then ran out the back door again. As we ran out Jessica handed the workers tips for letting us come in.Jessica has by far been my favorite person in Cape Town. She is just really fun and gives a lot of great advice. She also has a really big heart. She is always giving selflessly and you can just tell by the small thing she does. She loves people and she doesn’t judge. She can find a way to feel comfortable in any setting and she is a great people person. It sad to think that it took a flight 20+ hours away from my campus to find the Stanford students I can most relate to. It makes me wonder how many others I have not met.

After a long night out on the row of bars in Observatory we managed to wake up at 8am the next morning. I honestly was not trying to move. I wouldn’t have made it if it wasn’t for my roommate Liese, who has shown to be the most responsible out of all of us. She woke me up with 20 minutes to eat and shower before the cab arrived at our house. Headache and all I was off to Table Mountain, which according to our cab driver is in the running for 7th place to become one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Table Mountain has 300 routes up and down. It is also over 1000 meters high. It takes 2 ½ hours to hike up to the top. Hikers have died every year on the trail; therefore, we were warned to stay on the trail at all times. We went on the hike with people from that Sarah’s work, the Gender Health and Research Unit at the University of Cape Town. Amad was the expert hiker and our guide up the mountain. He made sure we had plenty as breaks as we were hiking. It was really difficult to hike. And for me it was more difficult than it had to be because of several reasons: lack of sleep, hangover, lack of water and food. I had rushed out of the house so fast that morning that I had forgotten water which was the most important thing. The hangover gave me a throbbing headache which was made worse by the fact that I had just gotten my braids in a couple days before and my scalp still felt like it was being ripped from my forehead. It was all good though, I made it up that mountain like none of that was bothering me. I brought my ipod and listened to Beyoncé all the way up the mountain. Comparatively to other hikers we were really really slow. One guy had gone down and up the mountain twice on the path we were taking before we made it to the top. When we got to the top, you could see all of Cape Town on one side and the other was a beautiful view of the Atlantic Ocean. There was a restaurant and a bunch of gift shops at the top. It was a perfect day to hike up the mountain and probably one of the few days while we are here that we will miss the rain so it is good we got ourselves out of bed. We did not end up walking down the mountain. We instead, took a revolving cable car that took about 4 minutes to get down the mountain compared to our 2 ½ hours up. At the end of the hike we were all happy we made the trip up the mountain because we were able to appreciate the scenery and feel a since of an accomplishment after hiking up the mountain.

After our long hike up the mountain we went to eat at a café and the rested up for the night. I had to go to sleep if I was going to go out on the 4th of July. So for the 4th of July we celebrated with a group of Yale students that live in Sea Point. They had a barbecue with 4th of July balloons and drinks to top it off. We ate hot dogs and some other American style food on behalf of the holiday. Most of the Yale students work with me at SAEP (Austin, Adanna, and Ellie). There are also some other Yale students that are staying with them that are working with other organizations. The Yale students live in luxury. They live in one the nicest places in Cape Town in an apartment that faces the ocean. They have personal drivers to take them to and from work and have organized trips designed by their school for some weekends while they are in Cape Town. It must be nice…. After this party we went to another party with people from Sarah’s work..... I just could not hang. By the time we got to this spot I was so out of it…. I tried to be social…. They had fireworks and everything for the party…But I had to turn in early and I just caught a cab home along and went to sleep…

The next morning we all went to church with Jessica in Guguletu. I am starting to understand the organization of the service. They always start with a little AIDS education and then they go into empowering the people, introducing visitors, etc. Nosi, Luzuko, and Knesa, the kids I had gone with my first weekend did not join us this time because their mother had forbidden them to go to their church again. It was sad because I was excited to tell them about R Kelley, since they were really into celebrities. We ended ups topping by their house to say “hi” afterwords. I told them I have been learning some Xhosa, and they laughed when I told them the words I knew because it made no sense. After our visit to the township for church we went home and just rested…. It was a long weekend…

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Today I visited a different crèche than Sakingomso. My advisor and I decided that the research would achieve better results if I spent a day at each crèche before I actually did the interviews. Sometimes this will help with the questions because the principals do not always understand what I am saying and they will often nod yes as if they do. The crèche I went to today was called Zamukhanyo. It means with clear eyes they can see the light. When the principal tried to explain the meaning to me she used a metaphor; she said it was like using a torch to light a fire and that by equipping the children with social, academic, mental, and other skills she would be giving the children the tools to create opportunities for themselves. The principal at Zamukhanyo was called Nburito. This crèche was far superior to Sakhingomso. They were housed in an actual building, the outside play area was cleared of all sharp objects, and they had an actual set curriculum. The kids were also much cleaner. I was less apprehensive to touch these children as they looked healthier. They were also very well behaved and loved to play with me. None of the kids tried to hit me here and they all played very nicely together. At Sakhingomoso, the kids fed each other sand, slapped, and hit each other. All the kids refer to me as “missy” at Zamukanyo. I wonder if they know that I do not understand a word they say to me because they still call for me and ask me questions and tattle on the other kids. Most of my interaction with the kids was during recess. All of them wanted me to push them on swings. When I pushed them I would say “wee” as they flew up into the air. Than all the children started to copy me and say “wee” every time someone was swinging. Then I got on the swings and all the kids surrounded the swing and they all wanted to push me. They also wanted me to pick all of them up and throw them in the air after they slid down the slide. I was getting so tired but they kept calling for “missy.” I have picked up some of the words and phrases they use in the classroom. I do not really know what I am saying but all the kids respond. I do not think they kids really understand the meaning of the English words they are saying either. One kid sometimes chanted “there is a fire in the mountain” and when he says this all the kids respond with something in Xhosa while running around in circle around the playground.

Later on in the day the cook walked me down the street in the township. These were moments when I felt increased anxiety and uneasiness. The glares that I get just look so suspicious. Sometimes I think I blend because of my brown skin and braids so I assume they cannot tell I am a foreigner. But other times I feel as if they “just know.” Of course as soon as I open my mouth and say hello, everyone knows, so I try and stay quiet and just act like I know what I am doing and where I am going. As we were walking to the corner store, I saw a man outside his shack cutting the heads off of goats and chickens. They eat the head here. Actually they eat every part of the animal, eyeballs and all. It was a little bit freaky to see this because blood was still leaking out off the heads they were all just sitting in a pile. When I got back to crèche and they offered me chicken for lunch, I simply could not eat it. I was sickened by the sight of the animal heads.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

I went back to Sakingomso today and started my research. I had to basically spend an hour and a half interviewing her. When I called her the day before, she did not mention that the crèche were going to be under construction this week so this ended up limiting the interview. She had no financial documents to show me so we just had to stick with questions mostly concerning infrastructure, curriculum, and staff training. Again, working for this organization is such a different experience. I never have been so informal in a work setting in my life. It was odd for me to have our interview basically in the middle of the playground. We sat in two chairs, no desk no electronics or anything to assist with documentation and I wrote on my note pad as I asked her questions. Having spent time there before, interviewing Phelisa, made the interview go much more smoothly. Phelisa speaks great English but she does not always understand what I am saying or asking so some things I was familiar with and could answer myself. For instance, I asked her to explain their curriculum and their daily activities and she didn’t exactly answer that with complete understanding of what I was asking. The thing that shocked me the most during this interview is how much it takes to open up a school. The staff do not get paid adequately because their salary depends on whether parents pay school fees. Phelisa explained that a lot of times they do not pressure the parents to pay because they know they are struggling to eat and pay for medical problems. She said that some of them only get paid $100 dollars a month. But this obviously sometimes decreases. It is hard to believe that people live on such little money.

The meals they serve the children also depend on the money they get from parents. The meals don’t have very much nutrients and proteins. I brought my lunch to the crèche today and I shared my food with the staff. They seemed really excited to just have some sliced cucumbers and strawberries. I was also drinking bottled water and all the kids flocked around me wanting a sip of my water. I didn’t understand at first why the kids wanted my water so bad because they get plenty of food and their parents pack them juice. One little boy wouldn’t leave me alone and followed me around for all his recess trying to get my water. He even tried to like hurt me by throwing stones and hitting me with metal rods. It was kind of frightening. He also kept punching my leg… I guess I will never bring my lunch again… The kids at Sackingomso are really violent sometimes…. It bothers me that the teachers do not do anything…. Today I also met another new little girl that had some sort of mental problems. After snack time she was running around with food all over her face and half chewed remnants still in her mouth trying to get my attention. She also followed me around most of the time.

Overall the day was eventful and a lot different than my first couple visits. I learned about the things that they actually needed. It gives me a better prospective of my so called public service in the US. While I know that community service is helping the community, I often give material things to organizations that need it. Many times I have run clothing drives and other drives to collect items to give away to organizations and groups that need them. But I realize that a lot of time I would be helping them out more if money was given because when we buy things and give it away we are deciding what they need… which is not fair, we are taking away their ability to make choices for themselves. The money would go towards areas that could help them out a lot more in the long run… the best thing I could recommend to people is do what I am doing and actually go and work with the organizations so you can actually see and ask what the organizations needs… Many times Americans do not want to do this type of ground work… I am not saying go to a foreign country or anything like that. I am just saying find an organization or a group of people that you’re interested and helping and learn about the people so that you can truly value and understand what your contributions are doing for them. I can guarantee if everyone did this, prospective would be broadened and more group and organizations that need help would get it.

Monday June 29, 2009

Today was a traditional work day. I finished my development plan finally at work… At work my goals are the following: first, to increase flexibility and just go with the flow. Relax and don’t stress. Second, to expand knowledge on the education debate in South Africa. Understand the current education system and how it has evolved since apartheid. Find out what the government objectives and emphasis on education. Interact with students, parents, and teachers. And third, to develop and improve research skills by completing research within the 9 week period. Off the job, my goals are to learn to share, keep a positive attitude, and be respectful of differences. The subset of these goals as a means to accomplish them are to stop cursing, stop complaining, spend more time listening and observing, at home learn to share space with roommates, engage with different people, learn and reflect on experiences by talking to others and writing down thoughts. Another priority/goal is to get to know Cape Town: I plan to accomplish this by having new experiences: be adventurous while being street smart (safety!), developing relationships (get to know the natives, listen and talk to people), and document interesting points in blog. I had to turn this development plan into my supervisor with more detailed description on how I am going to accomplish and monitor my goals.

The highlight of the day was my night at the R Kelley concert. Well at first I had the battle of trying to figure out who was going to go with me because it is not safe to travel alone, and no one wanted to go… not even my roommates… So I was talking to some people at work about what my plans were for the day and they happened to be going!!! Unfortunately the tickets in their section were sold out. So I had to buy floor tickets…. Bummer right… The concert was supposed to be sold out but it was nowhere near being sold out even though that was what the sponsors published in the media the day of the concert. While I was standing in my assigned section which was pretty close for me because my first concert was the Lil Bow Wow Christmas tour in DC where I was in the nose bleed section… I was feeling pretty privileged. I spent about $40 dollars on the ticket. As luck would have it, a bouncer was walking around giving some people in my section red bracelets to be located right in front of the stage. I was one of the lucky ones!!!!!!! I was literally 2 feet away from R Kelley. He even jumped into the crowd where I was standing about 3 times. He came over to my section and was giving out free hugs!!! I rubbed his balled head and I even held his hand for a second. He was crazy though because the men in the audience that were next to me were man-handling his face. He was brave for coming out into the crowd. The people here are some really R Kelley fans. They knew the words to all of his songs, songs that I had never even heard of. One man next to me kept saying “I love you” and “we forgive you” (for his jail time) while he was on stage. R Kelley also threw is towel right on to my head and I almost got my head ripped off. Everyone was fighting over the towel. Finally I just let go because I was like what am I going to do with a towel…… At the end of the night I met a journalist named Myrna from Johannesburg that invited me to the after party with R Kelley. But again no one wanted to go with me  So I called it a night.
I later found out that R Kelley was here for a lawsuit concerning money laundering…..

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Saturday, we woke up late after a long night and went on a late tour of Robben Island. Visiting Robben Island is something everyone must do when they come to Cape Town. It highlights the political activists of the apartheid era. The Robben prison has been often been compared to Alcatraz in San Francisco. Today people still live on Robben Island which mostly includes the tour guides and their families. Children in elementary and middle school have school on the island. We took a 45 minute boat out to the island and then had a 2 hours tour with a guide that was actually a prisoner in the jail during the apartheid era. His name was Michael Ntando Mbatha. The political activists were regarded as more dangerous than murderers and rapists. I thought the tour was an amazing experience but I was a little disappointed in my guide. His presentation was very impersonal and sounded too rehearsed. He used words like “in conclusion” and “thus” that were just a little awkward for the type of speech I expected. He talked little about himself so I really could not tell you about what he was actually in prison for… Most of the information he gave highlighted Mandela. This was frustrating because many people already know something about Mandela before going on this tour and therefore, I was more interested in learning about the other people that were in the prison. After the tour we had lunch on the pier and happened to see fight at the restaurant at the bar next to us. They were fighting over a soccer game....silly... Anyways while we were waiting for the cab to come pick us up I thought I was going to have to use my mase. This man was begging for money but we said no and I gave him some food instead. But then he got mad and jumped at us and swung his arms in our faces. He was speaking another language so we could not understand what he was saying. We all got up real fast and ran off...

We later had dinner with Jessica and her friend Ntombi. Jessica cooked for us at her house. Ntombi works with Jessica. I met her at church my first weekend there. She lives in Gugulathu. Ntombi also invited us to an R Kelly concert before the night was over but we will see if we can get tickets for this week. We stayed there for a couple hours and then went home and watched a movie. Sarah, Liese, and I were all tired but we stayed up all night talking after the movie, knowing the next morning we had to wake up at the crack of dawn for a wine tour.

Sunday, We got up at 8am to leave for a 10+ hour wine tour in the surrounding suburbs of Cape Town. The Boogie Bus took us around to the wineries. The Bus is a taxi/cab service that was referred to us by my advisor at school. Our driver’s name is Steve; he is a character….He gives us really cheap fares and does not try to rob us like most of the cab drivers here. I cannot tell you how many times I was cheated out of money before I met him. Luckily most things are cheap here so cheating me out of money means like I paying $12 opposed to $8 for cab fare. Steve took my roommates and I and a group of Notre Dame students to 5 farms in three different small towns. We also went to a cheetah farm. I got to pet an adult cheetah. Cheetahs are endangered because of poaching but mostly due to the evolution of its habitat. There is only 850 cheetahs left on the continent of Africa. Cheetahs also only live for about 8 years. Later we continued to go from farm to farm wine tasting. To test about 5-8 different kinds of wine; it costs around $2-4. I found that wine is very much an acquired taste. Most of the wine tasted like finger nail polish remover to me… I learned today that I only like the sweet wines which were mostly desert wines. I also prefer white wine. We finally got home around 8pm. We were all tired and some of fell asleep on the Boogie bus. Sarah's head was on Emily and it was kind of funny because we had just met her and the other Notre Dame students that morning and we had grown so comfortable over the course of the trip. We got home we talked to Janine about our day and then went to bed...

Friday , June 26, 2009

Experiencing different culture is the best thing I would say about visiting new countries. The other day I visited the mall to pick up some rain boots and I learned that South Africans call rain boots “wellingtons.” I also stopped at the food court where I ordered food and then was sent to a table, where they brought my food to me on glass plates with silver utensils. It was an odd experience because in America everything is made “fast” with plastic utensils and Styrofoam or paper containers for the food. It was like dining at a restaurant except it was actually “fast food” that was being served. I went to a place called Steers, a burger place, which many Americans consider the Wendy’s of Cape Town. The differences in culture is evident everywhere. I can observe it from simply shopping at the local grocery stores, which are commonly known here as PicknPay, Checkers, or Woolworths. I tried to buy peanut butter and jelly and the peanut butter I bought was “smooth” but it ended up being hard as a brick and the jelly had actual grapes in it. Everything was a little off from the traditional American PB&J. South Africa also has very unique languages. I had my first Xhosa lesson Thursday. The gap year students at SAEP that we teach gave me a private lesson. Xhosa is the hardest language I have ever tried to learn. I could not get any of the clicking right and I feel so silly trying to speak. The students were laughing at me. That is how bad I was. I told them I would practice over the weekend but I do not know how far that I will get….

I had my first cultural Cape Town social outing today. I went out to dinner with my two roommates Sarah and Liese and Sandile who was supposed to room with us but ended up living a couple blocks away. Sandile is a graduate student in the International Policy Studies Program at Stanford. She picked us up in this beat up old bug that she rented to get to and from work. It is actually quite comical, it sounds like the car is dying, and each push on the gas sounds like its last gasp for air. But it got us to and from where we needed to go. We met with two people, Alex and Sharon, for dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant. Yes, I ate Ethiopian food, first time ever! Alex graduated from UCT in engineering but currently works in consulting. He talked to me a lot about nuclear power because he used to be one of the primary engineers for the nuclear plants hear in SA but now he is interested in development and eventually using his business expertise to start a project/business to build better infrastructure in the townships. Sharon is also engineering major. She was the former runner-up to Miss South Africa in 2004. She explained her involvement in the pageants as pure luck. She had not had any trainers, never put make up on before the auditions, and had no idea what she was getting herself into. She said she got sucked into the modeling world but realized at the end of her pageant days that modeling meant nothing and in the long run would not take her very far. African families often see pageants as a sign that a woman is not doing much with her life…her dad was so angry with her for trying out and kept reminding her that he had paid school fees for her to education and that she was wasting his investment…

Alex and Sharon took us to a club called Jade in Green Point, this is down town Cape Town. The music and people in the club gave it a very European feel. When I got into the club, I felt very much out of place because I felt so young and out of touch with this type of scene. I went to the bar and I did'nt even know what drinks to get. There was no menu either…. I was just supposed to know….Alcohol for the most part to me tastes like poison, so I want the closest thing to juice! I was successful in finding that but I do not know what it was that I ordered…..Everyone in the club looked like a model and the club was very conservative. No one was grinding on each other. Being traditional westerners, we stood out clearly as non-natives on the dance floor. We were chanting for Michael Jackson and dancing in a circle. Other American in the club started to flock to us. We tried to start a soul train line but no one really understood what that actually was.lol I guess that’s an American thing…. When I heard the first MJ song of the night, it was kind of sad, recognizing that it was the end of an era. But after that all his songs were a celebration. I still cannot believe he died and why did it have to be on Christmas….

After we left Jade, Alex and Sharon got us into this other club for free called Fashion TV. This club was more my type; it has more college aged people. Although I saw some guy who was at least 80 years old, yea this was a little odd. They had a hair straightener in the women’s bathroom that you had to pay a couple cents to the machine to use for 10 minutes. I didn’t see why anyone would need a straightener in a club… It had all the American R&B and Rap music. They also played some South African house music and some MJ. I danced on stage most of the night because I didn’t want any drinks spilled on me or someone to burn me with their cigarette on accident. I met some guy name Emannuel that was from Belgium, him and his friend Damien spoke to me in French while I was there. My French was awful but I needed the practice… unfortunately I could barely hear him most the time. Anyways the night was fun!