My Legs Are Sore

We climbed Table Mountain on Saturday, which is beautiful and incredible (and cold!) but my thighs are still recovering! This is a very quick post because I have about 5 min left on the internet and I need to finish writing in my learning journal so recap:

We got an amazing tour of Langa, the township we are staying in. We saw so much more of the people and businesses and just life in general. It was difficult though because we would be going into these small rooms where 16 different people lived and it would feel like we were being so incredibly invasive. We talked about that a lot as a group as well, the idea of poverty tourism and it giving poor people an income but at what cost? It's something that I've accepted that I won't have incredible pictures of what I've seen and experienced here and I apologize to all of you who I would love to share it with but it's about respect and respecting the lives of the people that we are so lucky to interact with and it's hard not to take a picture to remember and share but taking out a camera and taking a snapshot of the way a person lives can be taken in many different ways. I believe that it is the responsibility of a traveler to take back what they have learned/experienced and share that with as many people as he/she can so it's about a cultural exchange and a different way of spreading knowledge and information. Images are very powerful and are a great tool to use and it makes me a bit sad to think I won't have that to use or just to have to remember the people and places but again, I want to respect the place and community that I am in first and foremost. But the tour itself was enlightening. Langa is an important township and a very close knit community. There is a huge range of people living here, from tiny, informal shanty houses to larger established homes. It was nice too, because there are township tours that go through townships on buses and stare at people as if they are in fishbowls and we were lucky enough to be on the ground, walking and interacting with different people. (Also people were very interested that we are staying here in Langa.) Also, our group discussed being a student rather than a tourist and what we can expect to get out of this and maybe a different attitude coming into it because of that. There is also a place, that is illegal, where they make a traditional beer in shanty housing and we got to sit in there and talk to some people. Even though it's illegal it's been there for a long time, something the government just turns its head.

We've had amazing lectures and discussions about apartheid and its effects socially, politically and structurely. Identity is really interesting here. During apartheid it was split into basically three categories: whites, coloreds and blacks. There's so much to say about race within the context and what we are learning that it doesn't make sense to even begin to write about it here but it's definitely something to keep in mind and it affects everything we do. I, obviously, can't stop thinking about Bosnia while I'm here and how there are so many connections.

Also we have case studies (like we did in Delhi and will have in Buenos Aires) and we have already split into our groups, even though the days assigned to it are a week or so away. I'm in the HIV group and it is going to be very interesting. We have already been making so many contacts that I can't wait to hit the ground running. Actually on Sunday Rashidah and I went with our host brother to this huge block party-esque thing in Guguletu (another township) where there is great chicken and music and drinks everywhere! People come from all different townships and it is definitely and place to be for young people. We met an incredible woman (a friend of our host brother) who works for an organization for the prevention of HIV and we are talking with her too. That's my favorite thing, to be social and also learn so so much at the same time. Great conversation and a great environment is always better than a classroom!

This Sunday we'll move to Bo Kaap, our other homestay. It's in the city so that will be different and I think it will be fun for us to be able to explore a little more too. I feel so comfortable here in Cape Town and also in Langa but we've been warned about the violence so I am also on my guard. It's almost like I can't trust my instincts to be comfortable...I don't know, it's tricky.

Vacation is coming up and I need to make plans for that...it snuck up on me! I'll let you guys know what I'm planning. Miss you all!
xoxo