Friday, March 23, 2012

PENGUINS!

I can't believe I forgot the most exciting thing I've done since I've been here! Wednesday was a public holiday (human rights day) so we all took the train to Simon's Town and saw PENGUINS!

Here's a view of the beaches before Simon's Town from the train (photo cred. Ms Lauren Waldenburg)








I wanted to take them all home with me but there was a big sign that read "Don't Get Handsy with the Penguins". Oh well.

Toodles!



Updates from Cape Town

I've been pretty elusive these past weeks with school work and service (and swimming with the cast of Happy Feet) but I'll take a minute to update any of you who are still faithfully following my blog. For starters, service work at Masiyile is going great but it's overwhelming to know our capstone is due in just about two months. Mollie and I started an after-school drama club, hoping to provide the students a  platform for personal expression and creative growth, but sadly not too many people have showed up. The first week there were 20 students, then 10, then 5. Ouch. But, then again, can I really expect hormonal 16 and 17 years dealing with the stress and drama of high school to really want to hang out with me? A girl can dream.

Aside from trying to make a connection with the angsty Xhosa speaking teens, I've been busy doing exploring Cape Town. A few weeks ago a bunch of us went to the gay rights Pride festival and Cape Town and boy, was love in the air. Love is love, baby.



This was probably the first time since arriving in Cape Town when I've felt that class, race and gender didn't factor into the general feel of the environment. It was great!

Later that day CIEE brought us to Newlands to watch the Cape Town professional Rugby team (The Stormers- how daunting! really, they're all huge and kind of scary and wear uncomfortably short shorts). Apparently the game was as big of a deal as the Superbowl (who knew) because I was too busy trying to gather some semblance of knowledge regarding rugby rules.






The week following the rugby match CIEE brought us to Kirstenbosch, which is about 30-35 minutes out of Cape Town, to the Goldfish concert. It was a gorgeous venue- very central-park-mid-summer-with-a-mountain-in-the-background type feel. Also, not to mention Goldfish is the greatest band ever. It's as if Avicii and Duke Ellington had a love child.










Pretty much its been an amazing two months and I am still in disbelief that I've been here for that long. Every day I wake up with a new appreciation for being here but at the same time I get so sad knowing I'll have to leave! But I'm looking forward to having my mom and sisters come the week after next for spring break. Hopefully we'll be able to surf in Muzienburg, go to Stellenbosch vineyards, beach it at Camps Bay, go out on Long Street, visit District 6 and do everything in
 between!

Dankie, tots siens!
 (thanks, see you later in Afrikaans!)
-G
(Yes, the dramatic one letter name IS catching on)