Wake up

I am heading into the home stretch, so to speak, of my time here in South Africa but the lessons just keep on coming. The next 3 weeks are so packed full that my head is already spinning. Talk about ending on a high note.

Before I get deep into my latest learning experience, I want to clarify some things. When I would tell people that I was spending the summer in Cape Town, there were a select few who sort of chuckle and say, “Oh, so not the real Africa, huh?” Many a pompous, uninformed person – despite high levels of education – incorrectly classified this country as something of a “fake” experience of Africa. (For all of you who are faithfully reading this blog, you know this wasn’t any one of you, but nevertheless, I wanted to share this. Now that you are informed as well as what life is really like here in SA, as least from my perspective and experience, you can shake your head at these naïve statements like I do.) I never quite knew what these comments meant, but I can assume they meant that SA, filled with its paved roads, electricity, internet access, and democratic ideals didn’t quite fit in with most of the African continent. In other words, it was a “soft” experience of what Africa is truly like. Many call it “Baby Africa.”

Ha. Wake up.

While this country has no doubt made remarkable progress in the world of democracy, and does in fact have many modern comforts that are still absent in many African nations, it is very much real Africa (whatever that means). Here’s my take: all of America is not the same – rural West Virginia does not exactly look like the bustling metropolis of lower Manhattan but they’re both very much America, right? In fact, the contrast of the two is exactly what defines America. In my humble opinion – unfortunately not yet having been to other parts of Africa (cursed poor graduate student, gah) – the African continent is also diverse in the same way that different parts of the US are. Egypt and Benin are both African but are very different in many aspects. Madagascar and Morocco are also both African. Chad and South Africa. You get the idea. If everyone thinks of Africa as looking like the “development pornography” (as per my boss’s wife’s perfectly cynical description) that we see plastered across many forms of American media, then they are sorely ignorant. Wake up. Africa is chaos. It’s a world of juxtapositions, with people who have no running water or electricity but have cell phones that allow them to call someone hundreds of miles away. Governments operate each and every day, passing legislation but never even reaching their far away constituents. Million dollar houses sit in Camps Bay, perched on the edge of the world while millions of people are crammed into shacks that are shabbier than most backyard tool sheds in America in the townships of South Africa.

Before you accuse me of spouting off liberal anger, I must clarify that I’m not bitter, nor truly angry at those who are so unaware. I recognize that it is not entirely an individual’s fault of his or her misinterpretation of this country (and others in Africa, for that matter). However, I merely want to point out that these misinterpretations exist, and that is precisely why so many injustices continue, even in a place as modern as South Africa. This is not meant to be cynical and cold, but I want to be sure to provide you readers, as I have so fortunately discovered myself, that even in what we assume to be one of the most progressive states, corruption, injustice, and conflict is still very real. Just because I have internet and a grocery store doesn’t mean life is perfect.

You’re probably wondering where this all is coming from. Call it the natural end-of-experience reflection. Maybe it’s from my bittersweet feelings of my impending departure. Maybe it’s my desire to accurately describe – at least through my eyes and my humble opinion – of what life here is like, or at least what I’ve seen. Nevertheless, this is all coming from my interaction with the kindest, most genuine people I’ve ever met. Life in South Africa is very real, and that is apparent by the number of people and organizations that exist trying to make this a better place.

Yesterday, my colleague Richard and I attended the monthly meeting of the Western Cape Network for Community Peace and Development. This network consists of about 30 member organizations – all local or regional – that work in the fields of peace promotion, justice, and youth. Many organizations work to create positive alternatives to violence for kids, particularly in the form of fostering community dialogue and awareness through sport and theater. Other organizations deal with trauma issues and health issues (especially HIV/AIDS). It was one of the most inspiring experiences I’ve ever had. Before we went to the meeting, Richard told me that many of the other members were very excited to meet me, as many of them had seen my resume (possibly during my internship search, it had been passed around by people I had contacted) and had been eager to have me work for them. I was beyond flattered that these incredible practitioners wanted to work with me. The meeting was held at the German Consulate downtown. The Consulate, particularly their cultural division, is very engaged in the non-profit community of Cape Town (there is a large population of Germans living here) and I found their representative to be friendly and engaging. The office was on the 19^th floor of a building, filled with modern furniture and tight security (they took our fingerprints before entering, and assured this rights-conscious American that it would be wiped from their system in 24 hours, as it was merely a security measure). There were about 20 people in attendance, and I found everyone to be welcoming and motivated. A number of new organizations were in the process of applying to be members and made presentations to the group. The applicants were very diverse, from a youth group that focused on nonviolence to a theater group that performed playback theater in order to promote storytelling and community dialogue, to an organization focused on HIV/AIDS education and foster parent assistance. After the presentations, the member organizations voted as to whether or not they wanted to accept the applicants (all were in favor). The meeting continued with discussions about current initiatives, new projects that the network wanted to work on, and general conversation about the state of life in South Africa. One of the discussions focused on the issue of foreigners coming in for research and internship purposes, and developing a set of guidelines or a sort of orientation program so as to make sure that cultural awareness occurred AND good practices were in place. Many organizations, while open to having foreigners come work for them, have had problems in the past of people not behaving appropriately when engaging with the local community. For example, there have been instances where researchers came in and interviewed ex-combatants, and then left to publish research findings without getting consent or properly crediting those who had helped them! A horrible practice, I was appalled that people who had been in my shoes had behaved in such a way. In coming here, my goal was not only to learn about working at NGO and on the ground, but also to offer my own skills and knowledge to help people as much as I could. It’s so sad to think that others have a completely different agenda. A woman, originally born in England but has been living and working in Cape Town for five years, talked about the difficulty of entering this country, both from a cultural perspective as well as a professional perspective. The issue of gaining trust and legitimacy is huge, as there is a very fine line between helping organizations and imposing outside practices. We talked a lot about how to educate visitors as to both bring their expertise to work as well as how to appropriately take away important lessons and skills from this environment. As someone who has been through this experience, I offered to help in any way I could in spite of the fact that I’ll be leaving the country in a few weeks. They were all excited and glad that I offered to participate, and assured me that they would love to have my help, even though it would be mostly through email. The meeting in general was a wonderful experience and I met many incredible people who I hope to keep up with. As a number of current collaborations are in the works, next week Richard and I will visit the offices of 2 different organizations to exchange some materials. Both are located in 2 different townships and I’m eager to see how these grassroots organizations, literally embedded in the community, operate.

After the meeting, Richard offered to take me to his favorite fish and chips place in all of Cape Town. (By the way, Fridays in the professional world in Cape Town – especially the NGO community – are very low key days, usually with people leaving the office early. Taking advantage of this cultural norm of sorts, we decided to follow tradition and head out for lunch, anticipating returning to work after to only check email and phones and then head home for the weekend.) The fish and chips place is a dumpy looking shack of sorts, out near some warehouses and shipping area in Hout Bay, a gorgeous enclave on the Western side of the peninsula. At the restaurant, you sit outside on picnic tables with 360 degree views of mountains and ocean. It was incredible. And Richard was right – it was the best fish and chips I’ve ever had. Doused with plenty of vinegar and salt, and costing a mere R34 (about $4), it was absolutely delicious. But besides the food, the company was even better. Richard shared with me much about his childhood and what life was like in South Africa during apartheid. As a liberal white South African, he had an absolutely incredible insight: he was in the South African police force for about 20 years! I was completely unaware of this until yesterday and was fascinated that my fellow peace freak had been an employee of the apartheid government. He was posted for most of his service at the airport, before private security companies were in charge, as well as the head of the crimes unit at Camps Bay, the wealthy seaside community. He grew up all over South Africa, and has been in Cape Town for quite a while now. He shared many stories with me of the exciting and volatile time during the 1980s-1990s as the apartheid regime came to an end. He described the isolation that he and only one other fellow policeman felt during that time, as they were quite vocal about the injustices perpetrated by the government. I’m amazed that he was never forced out of his post. I guess the government decided they had bigger fish to fry. He is very wise and insightful, and listened to my many (sometimes naïve) questions. We discussed mostly how South Africa is not as perfect as many think. Looking around, you’d have to be blind not to see the blatant racial divides that still exist in many communities, though the outright racism has certainly disappeared (or is well hidden). The gap between the wealthy (mostly white) and the poor (mostly black) communities here is staggering. Despite the new government and constitution and all the progress this country has undeniably made, corruption, injustice, and poverty are still very much a problem. While I admire those who have worked so hard to make South Africa the progressive place it is today, I am struck by how hard life still is for so many.

So now you see where my whole rant came from. South Africa is indeed a wonderful place of progress and democracy. But it is by no means perfect. And it is in fact, as real as Africa can ever get.

Someone's in the kitchen with Dyna

It seems we’ve finally gotten over the hump of dreary winter here in Cape Town. A local Capetonian told me that we should expect spring in a couple of weeks. Coming from the land of endless winter, I was amazed to hear that here the dreaded season is usually a month long. However, while warm temperatures are in our future, August is supposedly the windy month. Hang on to your hats (and scarves and sunglasses and everything else)…

Speaking of whirlwind, it’s been pretty chaotic. I have about four weeks left here in Africa, only three at my internship with the last week reserved for play. I’ve been here long enough now, and despite loving it, I’m very much missing home and all things associated.

More friends have come and gone. Agnes, my energetic, bubbly buddy (who is moving to DC in August – yay!) is continuing her global adventure in London with some cousins. I’m quite jealous as I haven’t been back to London since I lived there my junior year of college and have been feeling an ache to go back. It seems whenever I travel – and wherever I go, for that matter – makes me want to continue travelling. Too bad my bank account doesn’t share this longing. My friend Jenny took a long weekend, in celebration of her 25^th birthday to head to Zambia to visit a college friend who has been working at an orphanage there for a year. They’re going to bump along in her friend’s jeep, exploring Livingston, heading on a safari, and seeing Victoria Falls. If I could pick one other place to go right now, I think my next ticket would be there. Or Namibia. Or Mozambique. Or Tanzania…oh hell, I wish I could travel more. And yes, I know, I get no pity seeing as how I AM living quite the life here. Never happy with what we’ve got.

Speaking of traveling, my boss and his family are away on holiday for the three weeks and I am house sitting (with 2 happily mooching friends joining me). His house is cozy and homey, and a welcome escape from my stale, moldy rental (not to mention a great relief from sharing a kitchen with messy roommates). There are two dogs (Toulouse and Dyna), four cats (Ninny, Molasses, Couscous, Scouter) and a hamster (Squeezy). It’s right in the same neighborhood as my rental and the office so it’s not much of a change. There’s also a woodburning stove, big comfy couches, and hundreds of books to keep me occupied. We’ve been calling it our vacation home.

Work continues to keep me busy. With my boss gone, I’m left to handle the pardons project. While another colleague can sign off on big issues, I’m definitely holding the reins (not to mention, the other colleague is at a workshop in Uganda for a week). We were able to get our meeting with representatives from the Pardons Reference Group and were pleasantly surprised with how they listened to our position and engaged in hot discussion. The meeting was held in Parliament which was impressive. It sits on a multi-building complex with (not surprisingly) a million different security check points and lots of very official people wandering around. We had our meeting in the very room that the reference group meets in. I’m not sure how much about the content of the meeting I’m allowed to divulge so I’ll have to wait to give details. One of our main concerns about the whole process was the lack of victim participation. As this process stems directly from the “unfinished business” left after the expiration of the TRC Act, it seems only natural – and we would argue, imperative – that for those who are recommended for pardons for politically motivated crimes are not the sole voice describing what happened.

My project will continue long after I’m gone but it’s been incredible part of its formulation. My final main task is draft what will eventually become the first part of a large report on this project (as we expect it to have many phases). Until I leave, that will be my big focus.

To end on a fun note: tomorrow is Nelson Mandela’s 90^th birthday. The universe works in mysterious ways, as it is also my dog, Louie’s 1^st birthday. And to think I almost named him Nelson…

Life goes on

It's been a tough couple of days for me. My family put Kacie to sleep on Monday evening and even though I'm not there, I still feel some emptiness (and lots of sadness). Losing a pet is one of the worst things ever. (Brendon usually makes fun of me for talking in absolutes but this time I really mean it.)

I don't have anything specific to blog about but because I've been feeling sad, I wanted to write as it makes me feel closer to all of you who read this. Thank you, by the way. I miss you, each and every one of you and can't wait to see you when I get home.

The weather here has been AWFUL for the past week or so. Yes, I know it's winter but enough already. It's been raining and windy and just generally dreary. It's not like rain you've ever seen before - it is truly torrential. It's so weird to think that many of you are hanging out in flip-flops (which they call slip slops here) and tank tops and enjoying the beach. I will be the only one in DC who won't complain about the sticky weather that will last through October - I am waiting for it.

We have a new intern at work. He is a graduate student in the International Peace Studies Program at Notre Dame but is originally from Liberia. He's awesome - is incredibly bright and friendly. Not to mention the fact that he's about as qualified as you can get to work at CSVR being that he worked on the Liberia Truth Commission. Ridiculous. It's been a busy few days so we haven't had too much time to chat but I'm looking forward to getting to know him.

Work continues to go well. Next week is our big meeting with members of the Pardons Reference Group. We're actually meeting at Parliament (sweet!) so I'm psyched. I've been continuing to review journal article which I'm actually enjoying. Maybe it's the fact that they're not listed on a syllabus under required reading. I've started to write an article which I hope to get published sometime this year. I've also stared a new project updating and adding to our office's video/DVD database of TJ related material. If anyone has any suggestions, please send them my way. More and more projects keep popping up each day and it's a wonderful feeling to actually be excited to go into work (despite the monsoon-like conditions that make me dread my morning walk).

Other news...

My boss is going away on vacation here for almost 3 weeks and I and 2 friends will be housesitting/pet sitting for him. His house is walking distance from work and is going to be wonderful. No more moldy walls or roommates that cook endless amounts of rice and then when they are unable to find a storage container (despite being on sale for R5 at the grocery store a 3 minute walk from our house) takes the leftovers to work IN A FLOWER VASE. (Don't even get me started. I may never stop.) My boss's house has a woodburning stove, a menagerie of animals, a fully equipped (and clean) kitchen, and plenty of books, games, and 2 huge couches (I'll be happy to take a break from our common area that consists of patio furniture in the entryway.)

I only have about a month left at my internship. I try not to get spazzy as I think about how much more I want to get done before I leave. I suppose this, like so many other things, will inevitably feel unfinished. But that's what the job hunt is for, right?...

Things that go bump in the night....and other lessons from Cape Town

Before I arrived here, I was warned about the Cape wind. As I’ve been to Cape Town before, I remembered that being down on this peninsula, it was quite windy even in the summer months. However, I don’t think I truly experienced the Cape wind until last night.

I’m up early. Early for a Sunday morning. Early for a morning after many glasses of wine and fun times with friends. I’m up early because this crazy wind woke me up. Many of you may be laughing but this is no joke. It seems wherever I live someone/something is determined to disrupt my sleep.* My room opens on to our patio (which is really an open top garage park which serves as a garden/braai/laundry drying area) as well as facing the street (read: basically on the corner of the house, though attached to the garage door in the front – sounds confusing, but just go with it). I went to bed last night at a reasonable hour last night because I’m an old lady, my tummy filled with spirits and lemon meringue pie (the drunk munchies hit a group of us and we trekked over to Café Ganesh, this mishmosh little restaurant that has some of the best lemon meringue pie I’ve ever tasted). Around 3 am, I woke up with a start. Was that the door opening? (Again, a common occurrence as I live with 4 other people who enjoy the late-night weekend life). Was someone trying to break in? (Also an unfortunate occurrence in our somewhat shady neighborhood). I grabbed my pepper spray and personal alarm (makes this absolutely horrifying noise that can wake up the entire block) and opened my bedroom door. Nothing. Not even a bug (yep, they live with us too). I realized that despite it being locked, the front door of our house was rattling, something that Brandon and I discovered it does constantly which is quite annoying (many a trick has been tried to keep it quiet). Sleepy and confused I went back to bed. But once again, I was awakened with a start around 7 am, this time almost positive someone was determined to get into our house. I’ve no longer become scared of this (well, mostly not) but am more annoyed since it was freakin’ early. Then I heard it – a bizarre slamming sound against the garage door. It sounded like someone was determined to get that metal, locked garage door open. I bravely (well, more like timidly) opened my curtains to the patio window and found the perpetrator: a cat was scrambling around with (yes) a soccer ball, AND the plastic patio chairs had blown against the garage door. This may not seem like much but they are stacked three high and are actually pretty bulky.

Effing wind.

*When I lived at Bryn Mawr, my dorm room was on the main campus drag where the Blue Bus (that ran between Bryn Mawr and Haverford) traveled. In London, the city bus was RIGHT outside my window (I could hear people’s conversations as they waited). In NYC, I had mating pigeons (no, not the expected traffic sounds but deranged birds who perched on my windowsill and went at it at all hours of the day and night). DC is the only peaceful place, strangely enough. Though my landlord’s 2 year old has a pretty loud laugh.

Anyway…

I realized I haven’t blogged all week and I apologize. I’m so settled into the swing of things that I hadn’t been keeping track of what’s going on. The weather here was truly wretched this week (and is disgustingly rainy and cold, as I sit here under the covers with my heater turned up all the way) so not a lot of exploring was on the agenda. My boss was away for a few days this week in Joburg but I still had a lot to do. His wife, Shelley, who works part time in our office and is an awesome, feisty American, shares an office with me and we share many a story. She has a great sense of humor and knows this field inside and out. We talk about everything from African politics to her kids school (they attend this amazing school called the American International School of Cape Town) to the slow internet (some days it actually hurts, it goes so slowly) to books and movies (we have the same taste in both). As Shelley worked on print material for our organization, I read journal articles and graduate student papers (my boss was an external grader for a transitional justice class at a university here and wanted my opinion on the class as a whole and the student’s work – pretty cool, huh?). Our pardons project has been progressing better than I expected. We have arranged a meeting to meet with some representatives and discuss our concerns. I get to go to Parliament (this time I’ll remember my ID, thank you) with our partner NGOs! I’m so excited to see this project continuing – it’s wonderful to see your contributions actually turning into substance. Hopefully, the meeting will go well and we’ll be reassured of the free and fair practices of the South African government.

Switching gears completely… I debated whether or not to put a lot of personal stuff on this blog but I feel like for all of you to understand not only what I do each day but how I’m experiencing life here in general, it’s necessary. As most of you know, I’m incredibly close with my family. While I love being here (and traveling in general for that matter), I know that I will have to live near them. It’s too hard being so far away, especially during difficult times. Our wonderful family dog, Kacie, has been getting older and showing it. She’s 13, which for a dog of her size, is very old. We got Kacie when I was in middle school, and she would be my faithful after-school buddy, as I came home each day on my own and did homework. She’s an incredibly affectionate dog, which most people can’t believe if they only hear her bark or see her from far away, as she resembles a small black bear. Like most old dogs, she’s developed pretty severe arthritis in her hips and has a lot of trouble getting up and moving around. Louie, my crazy little Westie, is living with my family this summer, and is totally enamored with Kacie, despite the fact that she doesn’t feel like playing most of the time. (This picture of them "standing guard" cracks me up!) Kacie hasn’t been doing very well – her arthritis seems to be causing her a lot of pain and after years of taking aspirin, her stomach can’t handle much. After many discussions and many more tears, we’ve decided to put Kacie to sleep. She’s had a wonderful life, been a perfect companion, and will be missed more than I can ever express. Pets never live long enough. It’s almost a crime that creatures who offer such unconditional love only live a fraction of our own lives. At least we’re fortunate enough to have them in our lives at all. As cheesy as it sounds, there’s nothing like the love of a pet. I’m incredibly sad and upset that I won’t be home to say a proper goodbye, but the last thing I want is for Kacie to suffer. I have fond memories of her and thanks to the brilliant technology of webcams and Skype, I’m able to see her sweet face. This is very difficult for me, but I felt was an important thing to share with all of you, as its simply part of my life. For all the people who are far from their families, whether in the services, or out in the field, I understand what a brave and difficult thing it is to be so far from the ones you love, even the four-legged ones. Again, pardon the cheese factor, but cherish the ones you love. We are all lucky to have friends, family, and loyal pets in a world that seems filled at times with corruption, hatred and greed. Even the dreary rains of Cape Town produce the most beautiful rainbows…