South Africa!

03/09

This is going to be a looooong one so be ready! South Africa is absolutely amazing!!! I have to admit that this port was not one that I was not especially excited for but not for any particular reason. It just has never been a destination that I had a desire to visit but at the end of 6 days I was wishing I could spend 6 more and planning to come back in 3 years. I made the mistake of not writing the entire time I was in port so I’m going to do my best to remember every detail and try to describe it as vividly as I experienced it though I make no promises. I doubt that I’ll be able to convey my emotions/experience/thought process appropriately but I promise my best efforts.

I’ll start with the days leading to our arrival in South Africa. As many of you know, Archbishop Desmund Tutu is traveling with us throughout the voyage as a guest lecturer. I had the privilege of having him lecture for 3 of my classes and it was remarkable. I always see him roaming the halls and eating in the cafeteria so the star struck feeling has diminished quite a bit but hearing him speak in such a small venue really was an astounding experience. I’m not sure if he ever has anything prepared but he just enters the rooms and speaks from the heart without a paper in hand and with no notes to refer but he never skips a beat and stays on topic. Just his presence lightens the room. I wish I could somehow attach a sound bite of his laugh! It’s the most contagious thing I’ve ever heard!!! He is always smiling and laughing about what seems like an inside joke but can very easily transition into serious topics. He is a very knowledgeable and wise man. He spoke about gender roles, love, relationships, Apartheid, the search for success, racism, inequality and much more.

Ship life other than that is ok…the food is getting worse and worse as the days go by but it’s tolerable. The classes are going ok also…I’m not doing as well as I anticipated but, admittedly, I’m not too worried about it. I know that sounds bad but everything I’m learning inside and outside of the classroom cannot be measured with grades. Don’t get me wrong, I’m taking care of business but I’m not beating myself up like I have in the past. I’m getting just barely better than average (Bs and one 78) which would have made me nuts at CU but I refuse to let anything bother me too much. I do stay on task a lot more than other students though! I get kinda frustrated when all I do is read to stay on top of my work and see all these foolios on deck 7 working on their tans from sunup to sundown. But then I don’t feel too bad because I’ll be enjoying my fresh, wrinkle-free skin in 30 years and they’ll be sad they spent 100 days baking in the sun! haha ;)

LOGISITICS:
- South Africa has 11 official languages (including English) with sign language being the most recently added
- Currency = the Rand, exchange rate is 7:1
- Population = diverse but not integrated (yes, there are white South Africans)
- Apartheid ended in ‘94
- We were docked in Cape Town, my Safari was in Mthothlmusa near Mozembique

Ok…now on to the port time!

At the advise of many we woke up bright and early (actually so early it wasn’t even bright yet) to see Table Mountain as we pulled into port. It was definitely worth the sleep to see such a sight. The sun was just peaking over Table Mountain as we pulled up and it was beautiful! We docked at Victoria Wharf which is definitely not was I expected South Africa to be like. I’m not sure what I expected really but it wasn’t a grand mall with expensive retail stores and gourmet dining. I felt like I was some place in California or something. There were a lot of fancy restaurants and shops that I definitely couldn’t afford.

The first day in South Africa we went to Robben Island, an island which housed the prison where political prisoners were sent during apartheid. It was really interesting and I wish we had another hour or two for the museum. Our tour guide was an ex- political prisoner and had spent 8 years of his life there. It was strange to think that this jail wasn’t used too long ago and the events that took place there are rather recent, apartheid just ended in April of ’94. We saw Nelson Mandela’s cell. As we were leaving the museum, our guide made sure to let us know that he did not want us to remember “Robben Island as a place of suffering and pain but rather of triumph of the human spirit”. It’s interesting to imagine someone who had spent 8 years confined to such a small place to not have feelings of anger and remorse but rather hopeful for future progress.

The second day we met up with Jazmin and Mando’s friend, Gerald. It was a GREAT day! We went to visit the “other” side of South Africa aside from the glamorous mall and luxurious Waterfront Resort that was literally right dockside the ship. We visited several townships which definitely weren’t as diverse as had been described to us by the interport student from University of Cape Town in South Africa. She told us that everyone on the ship could pass as South African and the population was very similar to The States in that there are people of every shade and ethnicity. She said that everyone got along and that there were no divisions. It was very disheartening that she was sponsored through SAS to come speak to us when I later realized that everything she said was untrue. Superficially I think she is right. At the mall I saw a very diverse community that seemed to have mutual respect for one another and I couldn’t tell who was South African and who was a tourist. I guess we just had to travel half an hour north to see such distinct division and immense disparity. Another thing that I don’t like about the ship is they keep us very scared but I guess it’s for our own good. They tell us to not go anywhere at night and be extremely cautious of our surroundings and basically don’t trust anyone which is good advise – essentially to have common sense as anyone should when traveling internationally. But they do it to an extent where students protect their pockets and go into defense mode every time anyone glances at them. But I digress. Anyways, the community in these townships were 100% different than the one surrounding our ship. It’s hard to believe that some of the shacks composed of tin and wood were home to many. And I guess I’ve had the luxury of never having to imagine living in those conditions. The only white people that could be found for miles were Val, Celina and I. We were considered white and Michael was considered colored according to Gerald. Greg was considered black or possibly colored because of his hair. In South Africa, colored refers to a multi racial person or someone with lighter skin tone and is completely acceptable terminology. Colored Africans are generally treated better than Black Africans. It definitely was not the diverse community working together as was described by the interport student as there were even divisions between black and colored Africans. We visited the gas station where Amy Biehl, an American student that was stoned to death, was killed and placed rocks at her memorial. It’s custom here to place rocks out of respect and memoriam as we do with flowers in the States. There were a lot of advertisements promoting AIDS awareness and prevention. We probably saw dozens within a couple miles. Gerald found it strange that sex education is such a taboo in the states and that people prefer abstinence only education. He didn’t understand why anyone would teach that model. We had some amazing traditional food, I wish I knew how to spell it but it was a feat to attempt just to say it. It had a click sound in it…Mn(click)osha…We went to a local bar in one of the townships and shared a few beers with a few of Gerald’s friends. They were very friendly and willing to share their opinions on several topics and interested in hearing our stories as well. We met the best pop/locker ever! He could lock every joint in his body including all his fingers! We then went to a butchery named Maphindi’s and it was heaven! Remember the best steak I ever had in Puerto Rico? Well, that did not even compare to this! We chose the meat we wanted (steak, lamb, sausage, pork) and they cooked it in a fire oven and brought it out to us on a big cookie sheet and nothing else. No plates or silverware. We tore it up! Then we went to Gerlad’s house and saw all his advertisements. I had no idea he was a model and basically a super star! He is in Smirnoff ads and Shell Oil cut outs and even on the box of Frosted Flakes. After that we went to another township bar. It was pretty full but people were quick to offer us some seats at their table. We had great conversations with them. We were the first Americans that many of them had met. Overall the experience was priceless and we all felt so blessed in many ways. Blessed to have the opportunity through networks (thanks sooo much Jaz and Mando!), blessed to have met the friends we did (we exchanged emails), blessed to have our lives and a warm bed to go home to, just blessed in many many aspects! At the end of the day we were sad that we had to leave for four days for our Safari, we wished we could stay in Cape Town longer.

The next day we woke up at 5 am to leave for our Safari. We had to take an airplane to Johannesburg, then another flight to Mthlothomusa, then a bus to Bongani, then a safari truck to get to our lodge. It was a mission. Our lodge was gorgeous! I was expecting a tiny room with 2 beds and a bathroom but it was an entire villa or perhaps bungalow would be a little bit better of a description. It had one room with two beds, two bathrooms, a living room and bar. We would wake up every morning at 5 am, have tea and biscuits (biscuits are cookies here), then go on a game drive to find some animals, come back for breakfast at 9, eat lunch at 1, then meet up again for another game drive at 4, and dinner around 8. We saw lots of animals! Again, not something I was expecting. I really don’t know what I’m expecting but everything is the opposite…I thought I would be driving in terrain straight off the Lion King. Open space, some trees, lots of sand and tall grass. It was mountainous was a lot of dense trees and bushes. We drove around in land rovers that could get over ANYTHING. I loooooved it! We saw giraffes, rhinos, elephants, water buffalo, impalas, ngalas, lions, hippos, and a crocodile. They were really close too and we didn’t have a roof on our car! There were a lot of thorn bushes so we had to duck and dodge them. It was kinda scary but I had so much fun. I never realized how much I loved elephants, they’re my favorite now! We ate a fruit called Amarula right off the ground. It was really good! It’s about the size of a golf ball and a yellowish peach color. They have an alcohol made of it that I wish I could bring back so you guys could try it but alcohol is not allowed on the ship :(.

We ate at a restaurant Ocean Basket that had all sorts of sea food for really cheap. Fish and chips was 25 Rand which about $3. We made a lot of friends in South Africa and exchanged email addresses on many accounts. Everyone is so friendly!

We’re on our way to Mauritius now and should be there in 6 days. It’s VERY VERY VERY rocky right now! They even bolted our windows shut for some reason. My room is on the lowest floor possible so maybe it’s rocking under water or something. My floor is kinda like a dungeon, I feel like the lower class on Titanic! Hhaha, but I don’t mind it because it’s a lot quieter down here and a lot less rocking. Celina and Val are on the highest possible floor and all of their stuff crashes to the floor all the time and it sounds like the boat engine is kept in their closet!

I miss you guys a lot! I enjoy reading your emails! I’ll be back in about 2 months! LOVE YAS!