Happy Birthday Nelson Mandela!

I feel so bad for not writing the past couple of days, because they have truly been eye-opening. In such a short time, I have learned so much about South Africa and all of its intricacies.

On Thursday we heard a talk from SHAWCO, the main volunteer organization on campus, and they took us to a Black township called Khayelitsha, which means “our new home,” referring to the relocation of Blacks during apartheid. We got to see the school rooms where SHAWCO does its work, but most importantly we got to meet the kids. They were SO incredibly cute and sweet! At one point we were standing in a classroom and all the kids were huddled around right outside the door staring at us, and since I was near the doorway I reached out to wave to them, and one little boy grabbed my hand and wouldn’t let go! It was so cute. They were very loving and gave us hugs and everything, and they spoke Xhosa so it was somewhat of a barrier, but they also speak English.

On the way back though, I was crying the whole time. I had this heavy, sinking feeling in my heart because of the conditions these kids are living in. The township is populated by over a million people, and it is just a bunch of little shacks all heaped together… it’s hard to describe, but I have a couple pictures you’ll see soon. Anyway, in many of their homes there is no electricity, no running water, and in their schools they don’t have access to many of the basic things we do. We were learning about how the apartheid system messed up the South African school system so horribly, and it just really sunk in at that moment. During apartheid (which is impossible to believe it was only 14 years ago!) schools were funded as follows: $600 per pupil at a White school, $300 per pupil at a Colored school, and $100 per pupil at a Black school. Just to learn that they would assign these values to people, to children who need to learn in order to succeed, is just so disturbing to me, and it’s so obvious that even though legal apartheid has ended, there is still an incredibly unequal distribution of resources. I guess one of the main reasons it disturbed me so much was because I am so concerned with these problems of educational inequality back at home in the U.S., but I understand that it’s a hard problem to overcome because we live in a majority-white society where it’s harder to get the majority to see that there are incredible racial disparities. But we are in AFRICA and it is still impossible for me to wrap my brain around the fact that Black people are still disenfranchised here, despite the fact that they are the overwhelming majority. It just gave me a terrible, hopeless feeling inside, like we’re never going to solve these problems. But I have to have hope and faith because I know in my heart that I can do something, even if it’s small, and hopefully I can try to convince others to do something about it, too.

On Friday we registered for classes, and my schedule is wonderful:

10 am: History of Southern Africa in the 21st Century
11 am: Sociology- Individual & Society (about modern problems in South Africa)
12-2 pm: LUNCH
2 pm: Social Work- Community Connections (we have field trips- should be amazing!)
3 pm: Sociology- Workers, Trade Unions and Rights

My schedule is FLY, I love it! After we got registered we went on a tour of three other community service sites: a homeless shelter, a TB hospital, and a charter school. The TB hospital was sad, but a great experience, because we got to play with the kids and see all these little babies – they were SO cute! It was good to see they were getting the help they need. The charter school was the best, though – I’m DEFINITELY volunteering there. It’s called the LEAP School of Science & Mathematics and it’s mostly Black, and the guy who runs it is amazing. He’s very young and very conscious and wants to ensure that these kids not only learn, but become empowered and proud of their Black heritage. Apartheid has had such negative impacts on sense of self-worth in this country, and Blacks have definitely had it the worst, so I love that he focuses on that kind of empowerment. I have to find a way to fit it in my schedule, but I definitely will do what it takes. After the tour (at the end of which the bus broke down – luckily we were just a couple blocks away from my dorm!) we went to a club for this party that one of the SOLmates was throwing. It was SO much fun because all the SOLmates and tons of CIEE kids were there. We definitely had a good time!

Today we went to a soccer game! Just so you guys know, soccer is a HUGE deal here. Seriously. And the game was a big one: Manchester United vs. Kaizer Chiefs (that’s South Africa’s team). It was so weird, though: half of the fans were rooting for Manchester! Quinton, our program director, said most Whites and Coloreds root for Manchester and the other British teams, while Blacks root for the home team. That kind of disturbed me… a lot. How are you not gonna root for the home team because you’re a different color? I was kind of upset by that. I guess it’s just another learning experience, though. As for me, I was wearing the Kaizer Chief’s yellow and black! It ended in a tie, 1-1, which was pretty whack, but it was still a really fun game. Oh yeah, and yesterday was Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday, so we sang happy birthday at the game! It was so cool.

Everything here revolves around race, and it’s so interesting to me. It was so weird filling out a form the other day and seeing check-mark boxes that read: BLACK, COLORED, WHITE, OTHER. This is just what I wanted, though – being in a completely new place where I can get a new perspective on these issues. I can’t wait to start class on Monday, because I think I’ll be learning a LOT.

Funny sidebar: so me and Terrance were out to dinner with Lowena, one of the SOLmates, and she walked us to the shuttle bus stop, but we waited like 45 minutes and the shuttle never came. Our dorm is kind of in the hood, so they suggest we don’t walk there at night. But there were these four girls at the stop with us and they were calling their friend for a ride to this other place, and they asked her if she would mind taking us to our dorm, too! It was such a nice thing to do! So six of them crammed into the back seat and me and Terrance crammed into the front seat of this car and we didn’t even know the girl who was driving! And she was NOT a good driver! But the girls we were with were SO funny and it was just a really funny adventure… you had to be there. But it definitely spiced up my day! Now I guess we’re going out to another club… people party HARD here, I’m telling you! I got to sleep in today, though, so I’ll be ok. I can’t wait for church tomorrow… I love that church we go to so much. And then there’s a braai tomorrow, yay! I love it here.