On "Africa" and Blogging

On Africa

The idea of Africa is perhaps far more powerful than the location or the geography. At least I think so. There is this psychology about being as far away as Africa is, or in as remote a place as Africa should be. There exists some strange exoticism about the continent, even when you're there.

In Massinga, Mozambique.

Quotes such as these pop up:

"TIA: This is Africa."
"What do you expect, you're in Africa now."
I'm going to study abroad in Africa. -- "Are you going to come back alive?"

You quickly realize that Cape Town is actually quite European in nature. Many preconceptions are skewed if not incorrect, but you also find some things true. A search for the real Africa begins, I guess. In my project about blogging, we talked about the effect that student blogs can have on these perceptions, both positive and negative. In one sense, students probably contribute to the exotic nature of the country, as they travel and highlight the different, the crime, the corruption, and general lack of organization.

On the other hand, I'm of the opinion that most of what students write about "Africa" is fine. It will probably be better or at least challenging to what most people think. And the truth is, there is no one Africa. The continent is obviously immensely diverse, but beyond that... it is full of contradictions. South Africa is a constant dichotomy between luxury and squalor, the modern and traditional. Sure, its true that Africa has expensive cars, beautiful beaches, some great universities, some world class hospitals, TV channels, cinemas, etc. However, it is also true that people still live in huts in many places, there are still piss poor governments and poor countries with rich governments. There isn't a hospital in Mozambique that I would trust with my life, baboons can often be seen on the sides of rural roads, and you can still travel and see women walking with enormous cargo loads atop their heads, often with no hands to support them. Circumcision and other initiation rituals still take place among Xhosa men at around age 20, and many other elements of Traditional African Religion are alive and well, often mixed with Christianity or Islam.

I guess what I'm saying, then, is that one of the overarching themes of being abroad in Africa is simply Africa. Specifically South Africa, but that gets lost in the shuffle. As one black South African student remarked in one of my classes, "We are a colonized people. Our language, our movies, our music. Even Africa isn't African anymore." Looking back, I just wanted to share that, in as much as it may make sense. How about you, has reading this blog surprised you at all about Africa?

How I will remember Johannesburg.

On This Blog

When I began this blog in January, I certainly didn't have a strong idea of what I was going for. I did, however, set a few ground rules for myself from the beginning. First, I would write for anyone that wanted to read. This meant explaining things that weren't immediately obvious, and generally avoiding inside jokes and lots of specific stories about people that readers didn't know.

More than anything though, my intention was to bring you along. Instead of just telling you what I've been doing, I wanted to capture the places, the stories, and the progression as I blogged. I've made maps, hoping not to assume that you knew where I was going, and also made a point to write often and in a way that reflected the changes that I felt happening for me.

In a way, keeping a blog is a lot like reporting the news. Tons of stuff happens everyday, you see things while walking to class, you have interactions with new people, you witness things in the city. Every so often there is a big event that requires a post, but generally... the most important stuff is hard to articulate. "Shifts" happen within as you stay longer in the country, make realizations about how things "really are", and perhaps get a better sense of where you are and the people you are around. I don't know, I hope I was able to capture some of that. It will be fun to reread my posts when I'm missing Africa.

Anyway, to these ends, I hope it made things more enjoyable to read. Lastly, I doubt anything profoundly exciting will happen in the states when I get back, like pilot whales beaching on the shores of Lake Mendota or hills completely going up in flames, but I may still blog about my adjustment back to the States.

Winter Creeps In

The past few weeks in Cape Town have ushered in a distinct autumn, and now winter has begun to rear its ugly head. Winter here is characterized by chilly temperatures and lots of wind and rain. The rain is probably the most notable, since it isn't uncommon for rainstorms to go on for several days in the months of June and July. We haven't gotten a ton of rain, but it is raining more often and the temperatures have cooled down. Think late October in WI. And although this is no Wisconsin winter, it might as well be in some cases.

When it is -10ºF at home, my bedroom is usually around 55-60º when I wake up, and I hate it. I despise waking up cold. In Cape Town right now, it may be 55º or 60º outside in the morning, but in a house that is build with no heat or insulation, and windows that are meant to keep out burglars and not drafts of air, I wake up to the same temperatures in my bedroom as I do at home. Or better yet, I get very cold at night and then wrap myself up more, only to wake up in a cold sweat. I've been trying different things recently, like layering and cocooning in a sleeping bag, which seems to help some.

The weather can be very unpredictable though, so it is a challenge to dress in the morning. Not only am I guessing what it will be outside in the sun and the shade, but guessing what the temperature will be on campus, up on the mountain, with a healthy Cape Town wind thrown in. And I usually bring my rain jacket with, because being caught in rain isn't fun and this city has a tendency to quickly destroy anything resembling an umbrella with a gust.

Panorama of UCT's Upper Campus.

Our swimming pool has shifted from a backyard paradise to an unhealthy, swampy emerald green color. We don't swim in it anymore, obviously, but our maintenance friend likes to still run the filter and add chemicals (maybe for fun, or to save it from ultimate chemical collapse), but we're still paying for the pool electricity and it is unnerving.

Swampy pool.

Life goes on though, as UCT students are now back into the swing of things after their respective Easter vacations. Things are wrapping up at school, and IAPO (department for international students) sent out an email warning students to stay vigilant about crime as they get more used to the city and their surroundings. Despite being more comfortable, crime is still a reality in the city. A few weeks ago, a girl from UW was robbed by two guys who put a knife to her neck on the other side of Obz for only a cell phone. And last weekend, two friends from my African Studies class were kidnapped in a minibus taxi and held for an hour while they withdrew hundreds of dollars from their bank accounts before letting them loose. I say this not to scare you guys or make it seem like I'm in danger, because I don't really think I am, I just don't want to paint an unreal picture of the city. I'm still loving it here, and I'm conscious of what could happen, but... it still happens. Despite that prospect, and what seems like more dreary weather, I am having more fun than ever, and we still have some nice days.

With 52 days left in my program, we've only got about three weeks of classes left. This will leave about a month of free time after classes end, and just a bit less after our final exams. I'm still looking for something to do when that free time arrives, but I have some ideas in mind. There are so many things I'd still like to do before leaving! It is actually approaching really quickly.

Travelling and spending money may prove more difficult now, though, since I have watched the exchange rate of my US Dollars to South African rands literally plummet over the last few weeks. I don't even like checking it anymore, because yesterday it reached a six month low. Ultimately, this just means that everything in the country costs me more for me than it did before. And it's dangerous because I'm used to thinking in my head "Okay, this is R300, which is just under $30." The "ten factor" works quite well and I've been spoiled. It is costing me almost $36 in reality, though. That's like 20% more! Poor me.

Exchange Rate:  Down... Down... Down.

As I get closer to coming home, I'm also having a harder time controlling my cravings for things at home. I'll cut to the chase: The first person to meet me at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago with a carnitas Chipotle burrito in hand will be on my A-list forever. Specifically: burrito, extra rice, extra black beans, Carnitas pork, corn salsa, cheese, and sour cream. Ohhhh, why did I just write that? It sounds so good. I did just fine ignoring this before, but the prospect of eating this in two months is a very tempting prospect. I'm also missing my boyfriend more than ever, and am excited to see my Matthew in a short time. It is particularly difficult since, for the last two winters in Madison, I have had him to warm me up most of the time when I'm cold in the mornings.

Next week I will be continuing my advanced diving certification, this time with a Night Dive at Long Beach on Wednesday. Here's hoping that it isn't freezing, that I will have a flashlight when I'm underwater in the dark, and that I see something cool if I see anything at all. Also, no panic attacks. :-)

Crime Hits Arnold Street... at my bedroom!

It was only a matter of time, really. I hadn't suspected, though, that of all 8 bedrooms and areas of our house, my bedroom would be the one that somebody tries to rob. My luck, I suppose.

So here's the story. I was sitting in my bedroom tonight, with the lights off, quietly watching a movie on my laptop. It was Poseidon (don't ask, I get bored, alright?). It was nearing the climax where the big wave is about to hit the ship when I heard the front gate open/clammer a bit, which is normal, since I live in the front bedroom. About 30 seconds later, though, I realized that I hadn't heard the gate on the front door, or the door itself. This piqued my interest a bit, so I turned down the movie. It should also be mentioned that I had one of my windows that faces the front yard open (Africa is hot), and I've started to keep blankets over them to keep the sun out (and bright). I then heard the grass rustle, and as I got up to investigate, heard my window move a bit. I quietly walked across the creaky hardwood floor to the locked side of the window, and pulled the curtains back. At first I didn't see anything, but upon looking further, saw a man about 3 feet from me, on the other side of the window I was peering through, crouching down with his hand inside my window.

I quickly yelled "Hey!" He calmly removed his hand, stood up, and began walking away. I moved to the open window he was at and yelled "Get the fuck outta here! And don't come back, we've got an alarm."

As he walked out, he kindly closed the gate behind him, and I still don't know how it got opened. I took a look at what he was wearing, and called the police. Remember, it's not 911, but 10111 here. I'm glad I remembered. To my contentment, the dispatcher struggled with my accent, but we worked through it. I gave them a description, and went to Kara to tell her. She's had her bedroom window closed every night for the last month, for fear of burglars. Ironically, about an hour earlier Mick and I convinced her that she had little to worry about, so she opened it for the first time. I told her about the incident, and upset, she closed it.

After a few minutes and no police, I figured I'd test my panic remote since the security company should probably be notified as well. It works! It took the police about 8 minutes to arrive, and our armed security response company about 4-5. The officer gave me the cell phone of the patrol vehicle in Observatory, since a direct call to them when there is a crime is much more effective (odd). Both parties said they'd look for the black male with a red knit cap and a green soccer shirt/jersey. Blog readers, please also be on the lookout. He wouldn't have gotten anything, though, since I don't keep anything near my window except a constantly locked closet. And we have bars to keep him out.

Then I finished watching Poseidon, which was a crime in itself. Just an excruciating and terrible movie. I'm more upset with Kurt Russell than the burglar tonight.

On a slightly unrelated topic, but related to the police, the following sign was posted on our fridge by the rental company:

I don't know much about the South African constitution, but that wouldn't fly in the US. I asked our landlord for more information, and apparently this happened in the next neighborhood down (Woodstock) last week.

The police come at like 3am and cordon off an entire city block, then proceed to search everyone's houses. And yes, they do have a warrant, apparently, to search the houses. I asked "for what?" The response: just to search. No mention of why.

They are looking for thieves and drug dealers, I hear, but that doesn't make me trust them any more. Or anybody else on Arnold Street for that matter. But hey, it was not a very big incident.

Wanted: One UW Credit Union Debit Card

If found: please return to me! Ugh. I can't find my wallet. And I don't know where it is. Luckily it only had my one debit card, my driver's license, ISIC card, and insurance card, all of which I have copies of on my computer.

I canceled the card. Now I hope I find the wallet. I bought that at Target with Kyle, David, and Eric so long ago... it was such a good wallet. Eff.

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Developing (8:11pm): It has been found! I had a pretty doldrums day after losing it, and apparently someone found the wallet and my UW Housing business card inside. She emailed my Housing account, got my Out of Office message, and talked to Mike, my boss. This is awesome! No word yet on whether the debit card is there, but it's already been canceled.