Saturday in Khayelitsha

Thanks to some great networking done by Hazar, she, Margaret and I spent today working with Doctors Without Borders and Treatment Action Campaign in Khayelitsha.  Our job was to go from shack to shack encouraging people to come to our tent and get tested for HIV.  Again, language was a major barrier to us being independently successful, but our guides did a great job and it was simultaneously intriguing and disconcerting to follow them in and out of informal township homes that, before, we had only seen from a distance.  We also spent a significant amount of time being entertained by dancing children and entertaining those children with our cameras. After coming back to town, we hit up our favorite deli for some hot cocoa and pizza.

Outside of the tent used for testing.

Kids dancing at the testing site to attract crowds. 

Hazar and Margaret dancing with the kids, attracting larger crowds.

They loved pictures and sometimes smiling.

Show time.

A quick shot of the Daily Deli which is both its actual name and an accurate description of our visit behavior.  It is the best place in our neighborhood for pizza or coffee or fresh produce or second dessert; anything really, it's the best.

Off to the Vineyards

We spent all of Friday touring vineyards outside of Cape Town. The weather was PERFECT and it was a wonderful, relaxing day. After returning to Cape Town, we tried to satisfy our mutual Taco Bell cravings with a trip to our first African Mexican Restaurant. 

Looking back on Table Mountain from Beyersloof Winery.

Wine testing #1 at Beyerskloof Winery

Thandi is South Africa's first fair trade winery.  Their mission is to employ previously impoverished workers from around the farm as an act of social justice and community development.

Everything was beautiful.

At Thandi. So warm. So perfect. 

Napping in the grass after lunch.

And swinging.

The disconcerted look on Kelsey's face is completely appropriate. We weren't quite sure how to digest African Mexican food.

CHIMICHANGA: served on street stalls along Mexico

My First Week at Tafelsig Clinic

I started my internship at Tafelsig Clinic this week. I spent Monday and Tuesday in the reception area pulling files and doing other administrative stuff.  For the rest of the week, I helped my supervisor, Sister (Nurse) Boezak, in the pediatric wing of the clinic. All in all, my stay at Tafelsig has been great so far. They were quick to welcome me into the family (even though I accidentally stole people's personal coffee cups during tea time for the first three days) and I have so much fun there. The pace is fairly frantic and everyone speaks Afrikaans, but I think I am probably happiest when I am kept on the very edge of my seat so it is a good fit. Also, I hold plenty of babies and learn lots about how to take care of children....both good things.

Wednesday was Africa Day and we celebrated at the Artscape theater. There was lots of music, dancing, and speaking Xhosa, including a 3 hour play which we enjoyed interpreting with our eyes. I was happy to share in the celebration of a continent that is teaching me a whole lot about the joy of shared humanity.

Thursday my cooking group and I were in charge of providing dinner for everyone.  It was something close to a disaster, but as tasty a disaster as we could've hoped for. We just laughed about it and all ate a big breakfast the next morning.

I hope all is well over the border!  I've been thinking about you all a lot this week and hope everyone is managing to avoid bad weather. Tornadoes in Missouri headlined on South African radio almost every morning this week. I'm sending lots of love and hope it warms up/calms down soon.

Robben Island

We spent Saturday walking around the waterfront and then took the ferry to Robben Island. Robben Island was originally a colony for lepers and, during apartheid, was transformed into an island for political prisoners including Nelson Mandela and current president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma.

Wall surrounding the island.

Leper Cemetery on Robben Island

World War II relic when the island was used as a defense post.

Entering the prison

Prison Kitchen

Our guide, a former political prisoner, explaining how the food prisoners were served on Robben Island varied from race to race, Bantus (Black natives) getting the least food.

The garden where Nelson Mandela buried his writings.

Nelson Mandela's Cell. He spent 18 years in isolation on Robben Island.

The view of Cape Town from Robben Island.

On the ferry back to Cape Town. Locals say that from a distance Table Mountain looks like a man sleeping on his back.

Going From Bay to Bay

We spent Friday traveling to beaches around the cape. We started at Camps Bay. After an hour or so, we moved to Hout Bay for lunch at Mariner's Wharf and market shopping. We stopped briefly at Chapman's Peak on our way to Cape Point. After some hiking and baboon dodging at Cape Point, we ended the day at Boulder's Beach with PENGUINS!!

Camps Bay

Fish and Chips at Mariner's Wharf

Hout Bay

Chapman's Peak Road

Cape Point

The walk to the lighthouse

Cape of Good Hope

We didn't see any of these.

PENGUINS!!

Baby!

Nesting ground at Boulder's Beach

I cannot get enough.

Hanging Around

Tuesday and Wednesday were pretty laid back.  On Tuesday, we had a public transportation exercise that was crazy intimidating and very educational. Wednesday was a public holiday and election day.  Between the days, I spent a lot of time at the market, the laundromat, and the internet cafe. We also had our first braai (BBQ...add some lamb) at Vernon's house Tuesday night.

Just some honey. Badger friendly.

Having lunch by Green Market Square.

Margaret and I with Les, our bus driver, at the braai. He tells really good stories.

Braai!!

A soft drink truck we ran across when we were stumbling through our public transportation exercise.