Steve BIko, Scenery that doesn't suck and a Touch of Madness

Steve Biko, Scenery that doesn't suck, and A Touch of Madness

Monday, June 29 10pm.

I can't believe I've already been here for almost a week...it feels like I've been here for a month already. Time seems to pass by pretty slowly, which is great because I am just loving every second of this experience. The group is really coming together, but I can start to see some of the cliques breaking off. We're definitely forming a sense of group dynamic. Elayna and I hang out with Chris quite often and he always says "Yeah yeah yeah!" when in conversation, so now we have started doing it constantly. It reminds me of that paper I wrote at UofM about language usage in groups and how we had our own AGD talk back at 1322 Hill...the same thing is happening here and we laugh every time we go YEAH YEAH YEAH. I guess it's just further proof that these are some awesome people I'm around.

Today was a lecture day (South Africa 94-present) and then we had our first group discussion session. One of the educational components of the trip includes four group discussion sections led by a panel of teachers. Today was the history seminar and it included "hooters". South African's call blow horns "hooters" and we first heard the term used when Kay said it a few days back about how if we hear the hooter when we are up on Table Mountain we need to return to the cable car ASAP because of strong winds. Well, the "hooter" has turned into a huge joke and the group today bought soccer horns to sound when we needed to wrap up discussion. The session was really interesting - the group asked what one event is South African history is the most definitive. We had a great discussion and debate on many events from the initial colonization, to the spread of the Bantu people, the 1994 election, and the apartheid. These people are seriously SO smart when it comes to SA history...I'm just really looking forward to the lit and culture section which begins tomorrow. My group presents on Wednesday.

This afternoon we headed to the Slave Lodge Museum which had a great exhibit about the Cape Town Slave Trade and the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The highlight, however, was a traveling exhibit on Steve Biko who was an organizer of the Black Conscious movement who was killed by police brutality in 1977. The police went on record to say that he died of a hunger strike, when in reality he was killed by a blow to the head and was left to die on the floor of a jail cell during the apartheid. It was quite possibly one of the most moving exhibits I have seen in my life...everyone in the group agreed that it was very poignant and emotional for everyone. I am excited because it was a traveling exhibit from the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg and we will be there in a few weeks. so if the Biko exhibit was any indication, the museum will be great.

To decompress after the museum, Chris, Mary and I decided to walk down to the beach to get some of our reading done. Yes, I actually have to do some work over here, so don't worry, your tax dollars are going to good use. We stopped and got coffee on the way and found a bench right on the beach on the running path. Another beautiful day (about 65 and sunny) with a perfectly clear sunset. We read for about 45 minutes before we were too inspired by the scenery and had to snap some pictures. It was impossible not to get a good shot or an amazing view. It was by far one of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen in my life...right up there with Glen Arbor, Michigan and the Caribbean. While I was sitting there soaking in the warm rays, the musky sea air, sounds of waves crashing paired with the sounds of children playing on the swing set 100 yards away, I couldn't help to be thankful for this entire experience and pinch myself again because I AM IN AFRICA.

At UWC today we asked Xolani, our lecture coordinator, what his favorite restaurant in Cape Town was. He suggested we go to a tiny place called A Touch of Madness out in the Observatory neighborhood. A group of us hailed a cab to the restaurant and ended up in this little tiny house converted into a restaurant on a side street in a social neighborhood. The house was full of antiques and the restaurant featured different events each night. Tonight they had a poetry reading, but unfortunately it wasn't going on when we were there. The food was delicious and the company was even better. It was definitely one of those restaurants with so much character (not to mention good food - and reasonable!). I love going to truly "local" places like that - it really allows you to get the pulse of the city or neighborhood.

Well I've got some reading to finish, postcards to write...and YEAH YEAH YEAH. :)

Peace, Love and Africa! :)

Brazilian Celebration!

Sunset at the beach in Capetown

My People: Elayna and Chris

Kim and I afraid to fall off the mountain

Some pictures

Yeah, the scenery at Cape Town beach doesn't suck or anything.... ;)



Miss K food cafe!!! :)






View from Table Mountain

YES WE CAN! or...WE JUST MIGHT!!!

Sunday, June 28 11:38 pm

Ahh what a night!! A group of us went out to watch the Confederation Cup Finals which featured Brazil and the good ole USA. Going into it, many of us thought US had NO chance to beat Brazil in the finals, but we still wanted to experience the atmosphere while in S. Africa. We headed to the V&A waterfront to watch the game, and we were conveniently placed next to a group from Brazil. We all decided that we needed to represent, so we attempted to cheer louder than them. We demonstrated our patriotism by standing up and boastfully singing the National Anthem...the Brazilians fired back with an even more boastful rendition of their national anthem. As the game started, Chris attempted to explain all the crazy soccer rules to me (hey, I don't watch it at home, but when in Cape town...) while Kori from Hawaii, Mary, Elayna and I spent time deciding which member of the US team was the best looking...we all agreed that we had a love for the goalie, Howard. But, I digress...the first half was awesome and the US scored 2 goals! We were going crazy and then someone in the group started chanting YES WE CAN a la Barack Obama. We proceeded to scream that continuously throughout the first half while the Brazilians just looked on in shame because they were down 2-0. The energy was awesome and we were having a blast, as usual. I'm finding that it is impossible NOT to have fun every second I'm with these people. At the start of the second half, Brazil came out on fire and immediately scored on us. The witty Brazilians fired back with NO YOU CAN'T!! We responded with WE JUST MIGHT!! With each subsequent goal, their chants and taunts got more and more boisterous and it was such fun to watch them exhibit so much passion for their team. They continued to chant NO YOU CAN'T and in the end, after a 3-2 loss, we chanted “WE SHOWED UP!” back at them. In the end we all shook hands and congratulated the Brazil team for the win....

So I don't know what it is, but I seem to have quite fortuitous luck when it comes to being in the right place at the right time when it comes to major soccer tournaments...first the World Cup in 2006 and in Italy when they won, and now to see the South African game as well as the US final in Cape Town. This might just have me interested in soccer...and if all else fails, it is good eye candy!!!

Later kids!! :) And hey...GO USA! :) YES WE CAN!

OH and how could I forget!!! On the way to the V&A we walked by the MOST AWESOME STORE EVER. It was called MissK Food Cafe. I can't even make that up. So naturally I have my picture by it, and you can bet it will become a staple of room 213 for years to come! :)

Free WIFI

Tadashi, Elayna, Kim and I are at a FREE WIFI cafe in Capetown...YES THEY EXIST! Now I can actually type an entry as I'm here and post some more pictures. My internet usage has only been at 30 minutes at a time for about $2.50, so it's always a rush to post.

The weather today was beautiful...I actually didn't have to wear a jacket!! We had the morning off so I slept until 8 and then a few of us headed down to a local craft market. I bought a wood carving of a baboon and an awesome tapestry painting. There were so many other neat things I wanted to buy, but I managed to keep the shopping in check. After shopping Heather from AZ and I headed to the grocery store and got a quick take away lunch and then we sat out in the sun. This afternoon we went to the National Gallery of SA and Jewish Museum.

The National Gallery was small. but had some pretty good collections. I really enjoyed a photo exhibit by a bouncer in Cape Town in the 1960's. He photographed all sorts of counter culture people at the bar to sell them the pictures. Years later the negatives were found an an artist asked the photographer if he could print the pictures and put together an exhibit. He agreed, but unfortunately the photographer was killed just 2 weeks before the exhibit first ran. We also watched a short film about a guy who threw bowling balls at pigeons throughout downtown London. Not sure why it was so entertaining...I blame the company I was with. :) The Jewish museum had a Holocaust section which drew comparisons between the Apartheid and the Holocaust.

This evening we are heading out to watch the USA soccer game. It's back to school for us tomorrow...1994-present history.

I wish I could post some pictures...but it takes FOREVER to upload some pictures...so I will do the best I can...

a few pics

Here I am at Robben Island - Cape Town and Table Mountain are in the back.

What a Saturday!!!

`Saturday, June 27 – One of the best days of my life.

Today...wow...just wow. But before I blog about today I wanted to update from Friday. Friday was our day of lectures...three South African History Lectures to be exact. They ranged from Earliest Times to 1800, 1800-1948, and 1948-1994. In a total span of 4.5 hours, that sure is a lot to soak in. Our first professor covered the entire history of SA up until 1800 in about 10 minutes and then proceeded to spend the remaining hour or so talking about the Bushmen's history and their rock paintings. It was truly fascinating, and this guy was your typical college professor. He knew a TON but kept going off in 5000 different directions. Needless to say he was very entertaining and often stopped lecture to ask us if we were confused because he got off task again. The rock paintings that he talked about will be things we will be able to hike up and see later on in the trip when we stay in the Drakensberg mountains. The highlight of the lecture, however, was when he was trying to teach us the various different “clicks” used the the African tribal languages of Zulu, Xhosa etc. It was VERY entertaining to have a room of 25 people attempted to replicate different clicks. We had more than a few laughs. Our second lecture covered 1800-1948 which was pre-apartheid, but SO much history occurred during that time. The female professor took an interesting spin on it by relating some of the events to her Master's thesis on female slavery experiences in South Africa. She of course also talked about the history, but she shared some primary sources. Finally, our third lecture was by far the best. The professor is the head of the PoliSci dept at the University of Cape Town and will be a visiting scholar at Oakland University this fall. I would LOVE to audit his class. He spoke all about the Apartheid including the bans and other laws passed during the time. During the segregation he spoke about the status of schooling. The ratio of resources and spending for white students vs black students during the period was 100:1 which then increased to 1000:1. This was something I found to be truly shocking. The best thing about the professor was that he always related the South African History to American History. His ability to make connections between the Apartheid and the Trail of Tears along with the Civil Rights Movement made his lecture engaging and really helps me to work in some of the non-fiction into my American Lit course next year. All in all, I learned a TON, but I Feel like there is just so so so much more to know. I really would like to audit a class or two on the subject...but I'll figure that out later!

On the way home from the university, we always pass by the townships. We were stuck in heavy traffic on the way back so we got a closer look as the bus was stopped often. One of the saddest things I saw were the “street boys” who would go car to car and knock on the windows when they were stuck at a red light or in traffic. They begged for money, and it just broke my heart to see these young boys as young as 7 or 8 doing this to survive. Later on the drive home, a man selling tangerines approached our bus. A few of us were interested in purchasing the fruit from him so he boarded our bus. He sold a bag of about 30-40 tangerines for 3 rand, which is the equivalent of about 45-50 cents. I guess it was one of his ways to make a living...truly truly sad. But, on the flip side, I bought some and they truly are delicious. The disparity of wealth in Cape Town and across the country (as I would imagine) is truly disheartening...from mulch million dollar houses in Cape Town to the shanty towns full of poverty and crime just outside the city.

Friday night we ventured out on the town and 11 of us ended up at a Pan-Asian restaurant which included Thai, Chinese, and Japanese food. It was such a social and enjoyable dinner. We got to know one another very well and shared many laughs. The highlight of the dinner was when people shared their worst first date stories...I was laughing so hard tears were streaming down my face... And yes, I told that infamous one from college...(Umich girls – love you and miss you all! :)) After dinner a few of us headed out the Camps Bay, one o the wealthiest areas of Cape Town. One of the guys on the trip, Kim, has a brother living in Cape Town so 5 of us piled in his tiny hatch back car (including poor Tadashi in the actual hatch back of the car...too funny!) and headed out to see the city by night.

Ok, ok, on to today...what you've been waiting for. Today consisted of two things I was looking forward to most on the trip: visiting Robben Island and heading up to Table Mountain. We left on the 9am ferry to Robben Island to tour the museum where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for over 20 years. The experience was akin to my visit to Mathausen Concentration Camp in Austria a few years back. We were lead through the jail by a former inmate. Our tour leader was arrested for joining the ANC (African National Congress), and specifically for acts of terrorism. He was sent to Robben Island when he was just 17 years old and remained there for 7 years until 1990 when he was freed. He spoke of his experiences of sharing a cell room with 60 inmates with access to only 3 showers. He spoke of the torture, and of the labor. One person asked him if it troubled him to be back in the prison sharing his experience over and over, and his response was that it was very difficult at first, but has “helped to heal his heart.” The thousands of political prisoners who spent years and years there were put under higher security than those of the common prisoners including rapists and murderers. We also got to visit Nelson Mandela's 2 meter x 2 meter cell where he spent over 20 years of his life. Our guide showed us where Mandela hid his book “Long Walk to Freedom” which he wrote while he was imprisoned The entire experience was very moving and one that I will never forget. It just amazes me that the apartheid – something so horrible – occurred during MY lifetime and ended just 15 years ago. At the conclusion of the tour we headed back to Cape Town and were treated with more fantastic views of the city.

The planned activity for the afternoon was to visit a local craft market, but the day was just too beautiful so Kay and Rich decided we should head of Table Mountain. Now, I have seen some fantastic sites in my life, but I honestly can say that Table Mountain rivals, and exceeds almost all of them. Being at the top of that mountain overlooking the city of Cape Town and the Atlantic Ocean is truly breathtaking. I can't even put it into words...and unfortunately, like always, the pictures just do not do it justice. The day was sunny and clear and there was just a slight amount of clouds over the mountain, also known as the “tablecloth.” During the hour and a half I spent up there I took SO many pictures and just sucked it all in. In true Tracy fashion, I ventured off on my own after taking some fun pictures with my new friends. To me, there is just something about taking a moment of self reflection while experiencing such beautiful sights. I only wish I had my journal with me so I could have written an entry from the top. There really aren't any words to describe the beautiful views...and this is coming from a verbose English teacher. It was just...AWESOME.

I just got home (it's 1am now) and we headed to this AMAZING Italian restaurant and had a great dinner. I tried Springbok (kind of like an antelope) and it was pretty good. Not too gamey. Again, another fun dinner with fun friends. The restaurant had a graffitti all over the place where people had signed their names so we wrote all our names on a ceiling tile. Good fun!! Great night.

And to continue my list of random things I've observed/learned while being in South Africa:

1. South Africans really like Americans now that Obama is in office. One of our bus tour guides on Robben Island told me to say hi to Obama for him and tell Michelle Obama that he is waiting for her... The sure do have a great sense of humor!

2. Apparently when I tell a South African that I am from Michigan, they think I say MACHINE GUN. On the cable car up the mountain today I got in the tram and started singing “I”m so Excited” because, as many of you know, I do enjoy breaking into song every now and again. When the tram conductor heard me, he told me I was his VIP tram rider and made me sit next to him on the way up the mountain. This was when he asked me where I'm from, and well, the rest is history.

3. Food is REALLY cheap. I had the most AMAZING falafel sandwich from a stand and it cost me about $2.50 which also included a bottle of water. I am still sad that I haven't found any Doner Kebab stands...I could really go for one of those. It's been3 years..>I guess I need to go back to Europe!!

So all in all, I am having an AMAZING time. The people and places are just awesome. I miss you all and wish you could be here with me to experience all this...but for now, you'll just have to settle with experiencing it through my blog!!

Mom – I wore my pink shirt today! :)

Day 3?

Day 2...or is it Day 1? I don't know what day it is!! Friday, June 26 at 12:21am

So I'm well adjusted to Cape Town time....just not the actual day!! I'm so confused as to what day it actually is!! I guess that's a good sign that I'm enjoying myself! The past 2 (or is it 3?) days have been crazy busy but full of excitement! The people in my group are fantastic – such an eclectic group: from a former cattle rancher turned 6th grade English teacher, an Alaskan by way of California Social Studies teacher and finally an inner city teacher in Georgia who also happens to be a Chief in Ghana. Everyone has a story and it is just fascinating learning from all these people and swapping some of our life changing adventures. I can't believe how well traveled some of these teachers are: Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, South Korea, China, Egypt, all over Europe, Japan...the list goes on and on. They inspire me to see more, and do more...(hopefully with the aid of another one of these fabulous grant programs!). I think I will learn more from some of these people than I will from all the lectures and seminars during these 6 weeks. That's truly the beauty of stepping out of one's comfort zone and seeing the world and meeting others. I can definitely say that some of my best “life influencing” moments occurred in the company of new friends and often times, in foreign countries. I hope that in the end I can say the same thing about this experience. As I always try to stress to my students (shout out to those of you reading this!) that one learns so much more from just LIVING life than from any book. Thanks to my parents for helping me realize that from a young age!

The program directors, Rich and Kay, are a riot. They love sharing stories just as much as we do. They told us some stories about certain people on some of their previous grant trip...and needless to say, none of us want to be one of those people they tell stories about!! :) The group is really bonding and I'm really clicking with my friend Elayna from Wisconsin and Chris from DC. Chris has traveled all over and even taught in Belfast, so we swapped some awesome Ireland stories. What isn't awesome about Ireland stories? We always manage to find humor and sarcasm in the most ordinary situations, so it makes even a lecture about hot springs engaging. Yes, a lecture about hot springs.

We ventured to UWC (University of Western Cape) for our lectures for our next 2 weeks in Cape Town. UWC is located outside Cape Town and near many of the townships where blacks were forced during the apartheid. There are thousands of “houses” in these shanty towns where the underprivileged still live. Despite changes since the end of the Apartheid, there are still millions of black South Africans struggling to get by. Such a contrast from the opulence in down town Cape Town. We will be going on a township tour next week (and on another one in Soweto outside of Jo burg in a few weeks). The image that really struck me was we drove past these shanty towns was a graffiti mural facing the freeway which read “Third World Beauty” Very sad. I will write more about the townships after visiting them. We also have the option of staying the night in a B&B within one of Cape Town's townships and I am considering it...just don't know if we'll have enough time. I think that would be a truly humbling experience.

After our afternoon lecture about Tourism and Geography of South Africa ( and yes, hot springs too), we headed to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront mall. It is on the working harbor of Cape Town and is a HUGE conglomerate of shops, restaurants, an aquarium, movie theater, hotels etc. It is essentially one giant tourist gathering spot, but it is convenient as it is only 10 minutes from the hotel and is safe. A group of us had dinner at a fish and chips place and had a decent meal for just 35 rand = 4.50. Not too bad. After dinner and exploring the mall (puts Sommerset to shame!), we headed to a pub to watch the South Africa vs. Brazil football match in the Confederates Cup. Unfortunately South Africa lost after Brazil scored in the last 5 minutes of the game. The atmosphere was awesome: South Africans singing the national anthem, and cheering like crazy for their team. SA dominated the game, but unfortunately Brazil got the lucky break in the end. The final match for the cup is on Sunday – USA vs. Brazil. We'll definitely be watching that one and cheering for the Red White and Blue!

All in all I am loving my experience thus far...it truly is a whirlwind and I really need to sleep now so I don't nod off tomorrow during our 3 lectures. We are covering ALL of South African History from the Early times through 1994 tomorrow. So, on that note, good night and PEACE!!!

Oh – things I've learned about South Africa thus far:

1. They don't believe in heat. I am constantly freezing.

2. It is NOT as warm as I expected. I should have listened to the whole “rainy season” thing. It is rather cold and damp. Let's hope it warms up...or at least doesn't rain!

3. I packed WAAAAY too many short sleeve shirts.... and I thought I was being so so efficient. Hope ya'll are enjoying that super HOT weather...I'll send some chilly Cape Town weather your way!!

Arrived in Cape Town!

I'm here. It's dark. It's cold. It's raining...BUT I'M IN AFRICA!!

I wrote this blog when I was on the plane from Amsterdam to Cape Town. Talk to you all soon!!!


Wednesday, June 24, 2009 5:41 pm somewhere over Africa
And thus it begins...here I am sitting on my flight to Cape Town from Amsterdam. Only 3 more hours to go in the air...thank goodness!! Mom dropped me off at the Detroit airport around 2pm yesterday...and we had a bit of an ordeal checking in. The lady at the desk could hardly speak English and when my bag was 2lbs over limit she wanted me to fill up another one. Then the check-in wouldn't read my passport...and it was just a big cluster, but I managed to get through it and only had to take out some granola bars to stash in my carry-on. I said good bye to my mom (thanks for the awesome card, mom!) and made my way through security. No problems there. Then I began pacing the McNamara terminal. With the forthcoming 19 hrs on the flight, the LAST thing I was going to do was sit down in the airport. I think I went back and forth at least 3 times...which was a good walk! I got to the gate and they started boarding REALLY early. Only then did I realize that I was at the wrong gate for the flight to Amsterdam that was leaving an hour and a half before mine. Thankfully I realized it before I went to board! I finally found the right gate and met up with my new Wisconsin friends, John and Elayna. Elayna and I became faceboook friends, so we've been talking about the trip for weeks now via the internet. We finally boarded our flight and we were off!
These long flights are BRUTAL. My add is seriously kicking in. I've tried watching movies only to doze off and then wake up in a contorted position. I did manage to make it through The Reader and I enjoyed that very much. The first flight to Amsterdam went pretty well. I managed to change my seat to an aisle at the last minute, and luck have it, I ended up sitting next to another person from my program – John – from Wisconsin. We talked a lot about the trip and shared our love for cheesy 80's music. I managed to get about 1-2 hours of sleep on that flight. Once I finally fell asleep (around midnight our time), they turned on the lights and served us breakfast as we were preparing to land. After finally getting off the plane, we ventured to our gate and met some of the group. I am really excited for the group – everyone seems very friendly and excited. The group is primarily females (probably 65% or so) and there is a range of ages, but most of us are late 20s – 30s. I can't wait to get to know these fascinating people!
The best part of the flight was when we boarded our 11.5 hr flight to Cape Town to find a practically empty plane. We were able to move seats and I have an entire row of three just for myself. It is probably the best gift I've ever got from an airline! Thank you to everyone out there who decided NOT to fly Amsterdam – Capetown on Wednesday June 24! I was finally able to get some good sleep all sprawled out on my seats. I actually slept for 4 hours straight! Hopefully this will help with the jetlag. We land in Cape Town at 9pm and then have to go through customs and catch the bus to our hotel (about a 40 minute ride). By the time we check into the hotel, I hope that I'll be able to sleep because we have an early morning tomorrow heading to the university for a full day of orientation...
I still can't believe I'm almost in AFRICA!!!! Later, kids! :)

Leavin' on a jet plane...

My flight to Amsterdam takes off at 5:40pm today! Let the fun begin! I just want to BE there...19 hrs on the plane might kill me. I'm hoping for some in-flight wi-fi so I can blog from the cruising altitude of 35,000 ft! :)

See you all August 6!!!! South Africa HERE I COME!

10 Days!!

I can't believe it - only 10 days until I'll be boarding my plane to Amsterdam en route to Cape Town!! Anyway - I am just testing out my new netbook for my trip. The key board takes some getting used to, but hey, that's what spell check is for!! I think I'm going to be very glad I got this to take on my trip - it will be convenient for drafting emails and blog entries so that I can quickly send them off when I have access to wireless! I hope that we'll have wireless access when we're at the University during most days in the early part of the trip. I set up a skype account, so please do let me know if you're a skype user. My user name is tkrzezew so add me to your skype list, and maybe we can connect from Africa!

I still have a few things to pick up, and I'm waiting for a few things from ebay (case for the netbook, AC plug for my ipod). School is over so it allows for more time to get things organized and ready. I feel like there are so many loose ends I need to tie up before I leave!!

Well, on that note, Im going to read some more of Mandela's book on this dreary saturday.