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The climate was arid and dry, and the land itself was different from
other places we have visited thus far. My favorite image from our
day is that of a bright colorful clothesline hanging in contrast
against the brown dusty mountainous terrain. Dana, Amanda, Sarah,
Ron and I decided to go for a hike across Monte Verde, which appeared
to be an extinct volcano. The hike itself was a little challenging
because there was so much loose rock, but it was still fun--Good
exercise and amazing views of the mountains and ocean. We were the
only ones hiking the mountain, too. We got the impression that
hiking wasn't typical there, which explains the cab driver's
confusion when we asked him to take us to the base of the mountain
instead of the top. Actually, there were some goats on the mountain,
too, but they weren't hiking. Once we reached the sea side, we
stopped for a nice little nap by the water before finishing the day
with a delicious seafood meal at the Foya Grill in a nearby fishing
village.
* "Going to the Chapel...": We had our first TSS wedding onboard the
ship! Gianni from Italy and Kersten from Germany. Kersten is one of
our faculty members, and she brought her partner Gianni, who she met
while working in Australia. The two of them decided to get married
on the ship, and created a beautiful ceremony, with a collection of
wedding traditions from all over the world--Buddhist and Christian
rituals, integrated with a Moroccan ceremony dance and Indian and
Ghanian dances during the reception. It was a truly a community
effort. The Captain led the ceremony. The Worlds of Art & Culture
Learning Circle students decorated with Riikka, hanging brightly
colored saris and displaying beautiful flower arrangements. There
was a little band of students and staff playing music during the
ceremony, and Amanda and Cherine sang a beautiful song together. The
crew band was asked to play during the staff reception, after
discovering their talents at the Crew Talent Show. A truly memorable
occasion.
*Dolphins--I saw dolphins; lots of dolphins! Probably over 30 of
them, leaping out of the water, into the sun. So spectacular (and I
don't use that word very often--Rico, is that your word?)! It was
early in the morning, and I was up on the sports deck, when I heard
Sarah and Ron screaming by the railing. I ran over to join them, and
there they were, leaping away (the dolphins, not Sarah and Ron)! We
were so excited.
*U.S. & Canada Cultural Show: Our third cultural show was "U.S. &
Canada Night". It was interesting to think about what defines our
North American culture and what the students chose to present. The
evening consisted of: national anthems, historical accounts/stories,
skits, a lovely Native American song and dance by Amanda, rich
soulful singing, a hip hop and step routine, and Michael Jackson's
"Thriller" dance to end the night. I was in the hip hop and step
routine. It was a blast. Ja'hnette, one of the students who is my
age, and I broke out the "old school" hip hop dances--The Running
Man, Roger Rabbit, Kid-n-Play, Cabbage Patch, and the Snake. And of
course, this was all to Kriss Kross , Bel Biv Devoe, etc.
*Pride Day & TSS Drag Idol: The Happy Club organized a "Pride Day"
for LGBT community members and allies. They decorated the ship, as
if it were one big float (which it is), with tinsel and signs from
the Cape Town Pride Parade. That evening, we had our very own
version of "American Idol", with host Ryan Secrest. What's funny is
that we really do have a student named Ryan Secrest on board, so it
worked out perfectly. What was unique about our idol event was that
it was also a drag show, so people were invited to dress as a
different gender. Amanda, Sarah, and I entered the performance,
dressed in matching grey t-shirts, jeans, backwards hats, sunglasses,
and painted-on goat -tees. Our stage names: Antoine, Sam, and
Yaunice. We created our own little special something to Young MC's
"Bust the Move." It was ridiculous and hilarious.
*Sleep Outs On Deck: Although it hasn't been consistent, a few of us
decided to sleep out on the deck the night before arriving to port.
We probably won't be able to continue after Cape Verde because of the
weather, but it's been great when we've done it. Sarah and I slept
out once during the first voyage--The whole process was pretty
funny. It took us half an hour to decide where we wanted to sleep,
given that bright lights seem to shine everywhere. We finally found
a spot on the top deck astroturf area, laid down our yoga mats,
ordered breakfast from our "Breakfast Intern" Ty (a random funny
joke), woke up around 5:00 am, at which we decided to go back to our
cabins (after a ten-minute discussion of whether or not this
"counted" as a sleep out). This voyage's sleep-outs have been more
successful. We now wear eye masks to alleviate the bright lights
issue and we lay on the lawn chairs, pulled up close to the railing
so that we can hear the ocean. The best part is waking up to sunrise
and enjoying breakfast in our lawn chair beds.
*OBL activity by Marcela and Ann--Two of our IRC's, Marcela and Ann,
led a great activity today in our OBL meeting. They had us simulate
a situation where we could only speak in the present tense and we
could only use the pronouns "we" and "us", instead of "I" and "me."
The purpose of this activity was to experience a taste of what it's
like to communicate in a non-native language, using different
grammatical rules. I found myself feeling frustrated and tired from
the activity, which is what many of our non-native English speakers
experience every day onboard the ship, both in the classroom and
during social interactions. The activity reminded my of times when I
have been with my extended family, where farsi is predominately
spoken. I feel like more of my personality is contained and that I
am not able to express myself in the way I would like or have deeper
conversations as I would like.
So, I think that covers some of the most recent shipboard
highlights. There is always more to tell, but I'll stop there for
now. Before I sign off...A special "hello" to Chris C.'s parents--
Chris mentioned you were reading my blog. Welcome! We adore your
son--He is such a gift to our team and this community!
Cape Town is a beautiful port, with Table Mountain as a backdrop, its
bustling people, and its convenience, in terms of dining options,
grocery shopping, entertainment, and safety. So far, I think this
was the port that people have been most sad about leaving.
I co-led an Academic Field Program (AFP) for the International
Communications Learning Circle during our first three days. It was
a nice opportunity to spend time with students and to learn about
topics which I might not have inquired otherwise. I then had the
last 4 days to explore other things.
Highlights of the week:
*Visiting SA Breweries in Newlands--I learned about the Black
Economic Empowerment initiatives, which attempt to re-distribute the
wealth among black business owners. These initiatives obviously aim
at reducing the SES gap among races. My question, however, is in how
these initiatives are put into practice and how they are received by
all parties involved.
*Attending lectures at the University of Cape Town--UCT is a
beautiful campus and appeared to have a very international student
population. Some of our students even expressed interest in studying
there in the future.
*Attending a comedy show at the Baxter Theatre, "Joe Barber 4 the
People"--The show was in Afrikaans and apparently very funny. I say
apparently because I probably only understood about 10% of what was
said. I still really enjoyed it, as it provided a window into local
arts and entertainment. The most amusing part: The audience was
laughing HYSTERICALLY--I mean rolling in their chairs. And then I'd
look down at our row of TSS people, and all of us have these blank
confused look on our faces. I wish I could have captured it on video.
*Going to a Rugby Game, New Zealand's Crusaders versus South Africa's
Stormers: Kim, one of our Port Programs goddesses, is from New
Zealand, and truly loves her some rugby. She organized for over 80
of us to go to the game. The only thing that I knew about Rugby
beforehand was that it resembles American football, which it did--
except the clock doesn't stop after every play, which I liked. It
was fun to be involved in a sporting event in another culture. We
had banners and all!
*Meeting South Africa Journalism Instructors from the Cape Peninsula
University of Technology (CPUT): This lecture was the highlight of
the AFP for me--It was enlightening, moving, and inspiring. There
was so much emotion and passion in the voices of our presenters as
they spoke of the apartheid days and the impact on communication and
journalism. I was able to ask some of my questions regarding race
relations today. One of the speakers spoke of the inferiority/
superiority complex that still plays out in the interpersonal
dynamics among blacks and whites. This made an impression on me and
really resonated with what I have observed.
*Cape Town Pride Parade and Festival: What a fun day this was!
Ashley, Amanda, Dan (one of our students), and I sat in a little
balcony restaurant and watched all the floats go by in all their
rainbow colors. There were floats of dance parties, people dressed
in drag, and advocates demonstrating their pride and support for the
LGBT community in Cape Town. Afterwards, the four of us went to the
Pride Festival, where we ran into some other TSS'ers--and drank wine,
danced to the band, and met some of the parade participants, all
dolled up in their outfits!
*Riikka's Birthday at Cafe Africa: It was Riikka's birthday, so she
and Greg organized a shuttle to take a big group of us to Cafe Africa
for dinner. Cafe Africa is a cute little restaurant, with lots of
traditional art and dress and delicious cuisine. My favorite moment:
Amanda and Amy started singing a traditional African song, and into
the room appears one of the wait staff joining the chorus, singing in
a voice that filled the room with its beauty and soul.
*Table Mountain Hike and Abseil: The hike up Table Mountain was a
little hard core--Pretty steep (not dangerous, though, Mom--just an
incline) and hot but worth every step. I had hiked it a couple years
ago with Michael P. (Hi Pulju!) and remember the spectacular views
along the way and at the top. We had considered taking the Cable Car
but then were in the mood to "earn" our view. Once we got to the
top, we abseiled (repelled) down the side of the mountain--crazy,
insane, and so much fun. What were we thinking hanging off the
cliff?! It's such a high--Never do I feel as present or alive as I
do in such moments.
*Cape of Good Hope Tour: Erik, Nancy, and I, along with a few other
travelers, signed up for a little biking/wine tour. Not a whole lot
of biking or wine, but still fun. We saw penguins, we hiked to the
most southwestern tip of Africa (Cape of Good Hope), we biked along
the country roads, and tasted some delicious pinotage, port, and
muscat. After the tour, Nancy and I made it just in time to see the
beautiful sun set, in all its colors, over Camps Bay.
*Lunch with Nicole: Ashley and I had lunch with one of our students
from the first voyage! She lives in Cape Town and came to the port
to meet up with us. It was so fun to see her and to exchange some
good TSS gossip:) I can only imagine what it was like for her to see
the ship again. I remember the nostalgic "homesick" feeling I felt
when I visited the ship for the first time after my SAS voyage.
*District Six Museum: District Six was the area in Cape Town where
thousands of black African families were uprooted from their homes
and communities and displaced into townships outside of the city--
where they live in meager housing conditions and among the highest
rates of crime, rape, and poverty. The museum was created to tell
their life stories and as an attempt to reclaim what had been taken
away from them during the apartheid era. The devastation among these
residents has clearly left it's mark, as is evidenced by the
artifacts, inscriptions, and quotes in the museum.
I am fascinated with South Africa and perpetually found myself
wondering what's "behind the scenes" in the daily lives of its people
following the post-apartheid movement. How does this history of
suppression play out in the present, both implicitly and explicitly?
What is the undercurrent that exists between the co-existing races?
How do people even begin to recover from a history of suppression?
Even though the apartheid system is no longer legally in place,
people must still remember, right? As you can see, the same
questions keep swimming around in my head, especially knowing that
millions of South Africans, mostly black Africans (who make up the
majority--79.5%) , continue to live in poverty, as is evidenced in
the townships. And even though 79.5% of the population is black
South African, I saw a very high concentration of whites. So how
does this reflect the current distribution of wealth and power? And
how does this reflect the places where I was and the activities I
chose to do? Definitely something to think about. What does it mean
to be privileged? I think the answer lies partly in having a
choice. I can choose to live simply or with less materialism but I
have the "privilege" of making that choice. Not everyone does.
