Mama Africa

This week we had dinner one night at HQ – a restaurant with only one meal option of salad, steak, and chips (fries).  We tried this place because my roommate Rebekah’s boss’s mother-in-law visited while she was at work.  Her son plays in the reggae band that performs on Monday nights.  She proceeded to call and make reservations for them insisting that they go.  The steak was delicious; it is organic, free-range, and imported from Namibia.  After dinner the drum player Diago came over to talk to us.  He is from the Congo and was busy explaining where his band went each night and asking if we were free.  Basically he insisted we become groupies and he gave me his number so I could call him anytime to figure out where they were playing that night.

Last week Kenyatta was sick with a cold, now Rebekah and Emma are.  Also Vivian who I work with was feeling a little off.  So far I have managed to stay healthy, and hopefully that doesn’t change. I made sure to stay in a couple nights this week and get lots of sleep.

Wednesday I accompanied the roomies to Active Sushi where I only drank wine since I hate sushi.  Thursday and Kenyatta’s official last night, we went to Mama Africa.  It is a popular tourist restaurant because it serves a variety of African dishes.  I had the mixed grill which included venison, kudu, ostrich, springbok, and crocodile.  My favorite was either the crocodile or the springbok.  Afterward Paco took us to a bar down by Greenpoint.  There are lots of homeless people and beggars in Cape Town.  A young boy was in the streets during stopped traffic trying to get money so I rolled down the window and gave him my leftovers.  

I had an unfortunate encounter with a homeless person on my way to work on Friday.  Vivian and I got off the bus and the man approached us wanting money for food.  We kept on walking and went in to the KFC to grab some breakfast.  He followed us in.  After we ordered and were sitting down he harassed us for 5 minutes telling us he only wanted some coffee and that we were rude tourists.  Finally the police came in and got him away from us, but I was not happy that KFC let him bother us and get near us for so long.  A policy here is that you shouldn’t give money to the homeless people because it fuels the cycle instead of fixing it, especially by foreigners in the country.

On Saturday we went to the Hope Street market which is very close to where I live. It has a bunch of delicious things to buy and fresh bread and fruit.  I liked it better than the Old Biscuit Mill and will try to make it there as many Saturdays as I can.  We walked to the CTICC (Cape Town International Convention Center) where the Thailand Trade Show was going on.  We wandered around through the stalls, but to me a lot of it wasn’t that reminiscent of Thailand. 

Emma and I walked the rest of the way to the waterfront to go to the Diamond Museum.  The entrance fee was supposed to be 50 Rand, but somehow they said we could go in for free.  South Africa has a rich history with diamonds that were discovered in the Kimberly area.  The De Beers family owned the land, but so many squatters came in and wouldn’t leave that they were forced to sell their land for much less than it was worth especially considering all of the diamonds buried in the earth.  Diamonds are still being mined in South Africa today.  We then went to the District 6 museum.  We arrived 20 minutes before it closed so they also let us in free of charge!  District 6 is one of the many areas in Cape Town that was deemed white only during the Apartheid era.  All blacks were forced to leave and move to townships of their race out on the Cape Flats.  Today most of these people still live in their designated area even though the ban was lifted when apartheid ended 2 decades ago.  

Saturday night Emma and I went to the local bar to watch the Spain vs. France Euro cup match.  The food I ordered was not very good, and even after a couple drinks remained unappetizing.  The waitress asked me what was wrong and I politely said I just didn’t like it.  Somehow this led to me not paying for it, getting a free burger to go, both of us getting free shooters, and the manager and chef coming out, apologizing, and offering us whatever we wanted.  I have no idea how this came out of me not liking my meal, but South African people can be very nice.

Tonight we went to the Philharmonic Choir of Cape Town’s performance of Die Schopfung (The Creation).  It was in the Cape Town City Hall where Nelson Mandela made his first speech on the balcony after his freedom was granted.  The performance started right on time which surprised us since most things like this run on Africa time.  When we walked in the entire chorus and orchestra was already on stage about to start.  We sat down and 30 seconds later it began.  The performance was in German and really interesting to watch.  We were some of the youngest people in the crowd. 

After living in Cape Town for over 3 weeks I have learned several things:

·         To look right and then left when crossing the road because cars drive on the left here.  I do this correctly over 50% of the time now.

·         How to manage the bus system.  There was a slight hiccup last week where Vivian and I forgot to get off at our stop and had to get off at the one after it.  The good news was it was only a 5 minute extra walk to get to work.  The next morning the bus driver, who recognizes us, laughed and said we had missed our stop yesterday.  I also took one bus home that said it was going to City which is my stop.  It turns out it did not stop there, drove past, so I got out a little further from home than anticipated and had to walk extra to get home that day.

·         To call for an Excite taxi when I need a cab ride.  Every time I get in a cab that is right by me and is not an Excite taxi, I regret it.  Their meters run up a lot faster and then my cab fare is more expensive.

·         To carry my reusable shopping bag with me for grocery shopping – although I did do this in America too.  They charge for bags here at stores which is cheap but could rack up over time.

·         Stores are not open long on Sundays, if they even open at all.  The same goes for Saturdays, which creates the problem of when I can do certain things since they are only open during my working hours Monday through Friday.  This includes the breakfast place Bread Milk & Honey which I really want to go to.

Things I have not learned:

·         To greet people by saying “howzit.”  I always forget.

·         How to properly buy milk that will last more than 2 days before going bad.  The preservatives are different in the milk here and every time I purchase milk it spoils before I can use most of it.

·         To take pictures – I was doing so well and then this week/weekend I took a total of 7…

Robben Island

My roommate Kenyatta heads back to Chicago on Friday, so we went out Saturday night to celebrate.  We were told that Long Street is where you go to find the dance clubs and bars.  You definitely lose track of time and meet some interesting people when you are out.  A highlight for me was when several guys from Botswana thought I was South African.

Sunday morning we went to the waterfront to take a ferry to Robben Island.  This is where Nelson Mandela (the first president of South Africa elected in a democratic election in 1994) served 18 years of his 27 years in prison.  The ferry takes about 45 minutes to sail out across Table Bay to the island.  You could see jellyfish floating around in the bay on the trip over.  The wall to protect the harbor was covered in more birds than I have ever seen in one place in my life.  The island is now a UNESCO World Heritage site.  There are 200 residents of the island who live and work there.  They have a post office, a super market, but no police force because the crime rate is zero.  We started the tour on foot in the prison.  Here a former inmate showed us around the facilities.  He spent 5 years in jail for protesting being taught at University in Afrikaans.  He had been in the lower security rooms where they stick up to 60 people in at a time.  He spoke of how international organizations had intervened somewhat to provide them with blankets/mattress to sleep on and to give them hot water for their showers.  They were very grateful for these changes. 

The high security political prisoners, including Mandela, were kept in tiny cells with only a pot for a toilet, a cup for water, and a bamboo mat for a bed. In the prison there is a little courtyard where Mandela was allowed to have a garden for a brief period of time.  The well behaved inmates were allowed to have study time as well.  Outside of the prison there is the quarry where the inmates had to collect limestone.  They were told it was a 6 month project, but it ended up lasting for 13 years.  The dust was so bad that all of the prisoner’s eyesight was ruined.  In the quarry there is a little cave where, they went to use the bathroom during the day in buckets.  Over 70% of the prisoners were college grads, lawyers, and political figures – very highly educated.  They taught all the other prisoners to write on the dust in the floor of this cave and they taught them to read.  Then those prisoners could study at the prison and most of them went on to higher education after being released.  Lots of these individuals are in high power positions today.  Parts of the Constitution of South Africa were discussed in this cave.  I read the abridged version of Nelson Mandela’s first book A Long Walk to Freedom last week.  He wrote the majority of this book from that prison cell on Robben Island.

The island was a mental hospital and a facility for those suffering from leprosy before its days as a prison. We passed a graveyard of 1,500 people who died from leprosy. When they built the prison every single building but one church was destroyed for fear of contamination.  The island is home to many bird species and even penguins that were just waddling around on the side of the road.  There is an exceptional view of Cape Town with Table Mountain in the backdrop. This used to give the prisoners hope.

At this point I have to share one of the funniest coincidences that has ever occurred in my life.  At the bars Saturday night the guy in front of us at one of the bars bought 5 shots – 1 for himself and 1 each for four of us girls.  We left the bar right away afterward to get away from him.  It turns out he was on our 4 hour Robben Island tour with his girlfriend… We didn’t see him until Emma made eye contact with him once getting off the ferry and it made the entire trip so incredibly awkward and hilarious when we got anywhere near him.  Amy – I am sharing this story because I know you will appreciate it.

We walked to Green Market Square after sailing back to the mainland to see what stalls were open and what they were selling.  The market was nice, but we must have been looking exceptionally like tourists because we kept getting hit up for money by everyone which was really uncomfortable.

We attended supper club Sunday night.  Leila is South African, a chef, and she lives in our building.  A group of us went up to have a 3 course meal that she prepared.  It was absolutely delicious.  Afterward Paco and Fabrice who are from the Democratic Republic of Congo were talking about different parts of their countries history which was really interesting to learn about.  The DRC is right next to Rwanda where all of the conflict between the Hutus and Tutsis occurred.  I have seen the movie Hotel Rwanda that relates to this conflict, but hearing about the genocide from a neighboring country was horrifying and makes me appreciate the USA.

Edge of the World: Cape Point

Rebekah cooked family dinner for us Thursday night – a delicious meal of salmon, potatoes, and broccoli all purchased from our favorite store Fruit and Veg City.  It is only a couple blocks away from us and has a very good array of fruits, vegetables, breads, and meats.  I go there at least twice a week after work, while Rebekah goes pretty much every day.  Later that night we went to the Kimberly Hotel bar to watch the Spain-Ireland football match. 

Friday night I met up with Emma and some other people to attend Auma Obama’s book reading and signing.  She is our president’s half-sister and her life story was very interesting.  She grew up in Kenya and moved to Germany for a long time.  I didn’t buy her book, “And Then Life Happens,” because it cost 250 Rand in hard cover while the German edition was only 100 Rand in paperback.  We then went back to the Kimberly Hotel to watch the Sweden-England match because Sara is from Sweden and wanted to support them.

For those who don’t know much about South African history, June 16 is Youth Day.  It commemorates the start of the Soweto riots of 1976.  The students protested being taught only in Afrikaans in schools not in English.  The police shot and killed many of the children with roughly 176 people killed.  This occurred during the Apartheid era.

Saturday I got up early to go on a tourist trip with a bunch of other interns through my program – 42 people to be exact.  This is a very big crowd and my program manager was running the event. Somehow I got stuck with checking everyone in as we got on the bus which was difficult because I do not know everyone’s names yet.  We took the bus about 30 minutes around Table Mountain to the other side on False Bay (as opposed to the Atlantic Ocean). False Bay is named that because ships sailing from the Indian Ocean would think they had reached the Atlantic coast and head north only to realize they were wrong and the cape was still in the way.  We stopped on the side of the road at a viewing station to take pictures.  We were right over one of the beaches on False Bay on the cliffs.  This is where the shark watcher sits – a lifeguard of sorts sits all day and watches for sharks.  If they see one, they notify everyone so that they clear out of the water and hopefully don’t get attacked.  There have been several recent shark attacks including the death of a surfer in these waters.  False Bay has warmer water that comes from the Indian Ocean, not the Atlantic Ocean.  Parts of Shark Week are filmed here.

We made our next stop at Boulder’s Beach.  This area is on False Bay and it is home to many African Penguins.  They all just hang out on the beach and do whatever it is penguins do.  The huge group of us scared them a little bit, but in some areas of the beach there were quite a few of them.  These penguins are only found in this area of South Africa.  We then continued on the road to Simons Town.  Here we stopped to have lunch on the dock at Bertha’s.  

Afterward we continued on into a portion of Table Mountain National Park.  We passed quite a few baboons walking along the side of the road.  The mama baboons carry their young on their back and it is so cute.  We drove out to the area where you hike to Cape Point.  I climbed all the way to the top where the old lighthouse sits.  When it was used the lighthouse was too high and out of sight of the incoming ships during foggy weather.  There are a number of shipwrecks along this this area of South Africa including the SS Lusitania.  They built a new lighthouse at the end of Cape Point near the water so that it can alert all the ships safely. It also has the highest powered bulb in South Africa.  It was incredibly windy up there and really everywhere.  Cape Town is the windiest place I have ever been. From up here you could see Cape Point in front of you with False Bay to your left and the Atlantic Ocean to your right.  The Cape of Good Hope is on the right and Bellows Rock is out in the water – where several ships have hit and wrecked.

Rebekah and I proceeded back down the path from the old light house to walk to the end of the Cape Point peninsula near the new lighthouse.  The path takes about 20 minutes to hike.  The wind was so strong you could barely talk to each other.  Also the path ended at a viewing point, but there was another area further ahead that looked like it would have an even better view.  So we hiked over the wall and down our own path to get to the edge of the world.  Looking south the next land mass is Antarctica.  

The bus next stopped at the Cape of Good Hope.  This is the most southwesterly point in all of Africa. Rebekah and I accidently missed the group photo shot because we had walked away to the edge by the Atlantic Coast. We climbed along the edge to this incredible spot where the waves crashed over the rocks.  On the ride home through the national park we drove passed a bunch of zebras walking in the flat expanse of land.

IRB Junior World Cup (Rugby)

I witnessed my first mugging on Monday.  We have been taught to be very cautious of our surroundings and our belongings and to never walk alone at night. A group of us were at a free Wi-Fi café for dinner and internet and about to head home.  It was dark out.  I’m not sure how the girl was standing, but she was outside the door I believe on her cell phone.  She was holding her laptop in the other hand.  (Rule 1 is never ever let people know that you have valuables.  My laptop is always hidden in my backpack whenever I am outside so that you don’t know I have one on me.)  Anyway, she was holding hers and a black man with a hoodie up just strolled down the street toward her, grabbed her laptop, and took off running.  The manager of the restaurant hopped the bar and sprinted after him in a matter of half a second.  He did not catch the guy and we left as they were calling the police.  I guarantee she will not see her laptop again.  Purse snatching is also very common here, especially for non-locals. 

Tuesday night a huge group of us went to Cape Town Stadium where the FIFA World Cup 2010 was held to watch a rugby match.  The International Rugby Board (IRB) junior world championships are currently going on in South Africa.  These are the under 21 teams.  We saw the match between South Africa and England.  I had absolutely no knowledge of how rugby is played before the game began.  Fortunately I was sitting at the edge of our group by a 14 year old South African boy and the 7 year old boy with him (his dad’s friend’s son).  We had front row seats behind the goal post (not sure the rugby term).  Both of them proceeded to explain various aspects of the game to me including scoring, penalties, and the purpose of the scrum.  Rugby is a very physical sport and, unlike American football, fast.  They have two 40 minute halves with a 10 minute half time.  No timeouts, no stopping the clock (unless a serious medical emergency occurs), and they finish in less than 2 hours.  All of the players are very muscular.  At half time, similar to in the movie Pretty Woman, they have people go out onto the field and pick up the clumps of grass that have been torn up.  One of my favorite parts is when they throw in the ball from the sidelines and the players trying to get it are lifted into the air like gymnasts by their team members to snag the ball.  By the end of the game I knew when a good play occurred and to stand up and shout my support for South Africa of course.  South Africa won 28 to 15, keeping them in the running for the championship game.  Unfortunately most of the games are all sold out as they are being held at smaller venues including one at the University of Cape Town.  This match was moved from a smaller venue in Stellenbosch because the heavy rains we have been having along with the matches that were already played there tore up the field.

This week Vivian and I made a friend on our bus ride to work.  She is a South African woman who lives 20 minutes north of Cape Town in Table View.  She catches the same bus as us from the main city station and goes to work at some stop after we already get off.  She gives us advice on what to do in and around the city.  She also taught me how to buy weekly bus passes that will save me 10 Rand a week.  A highlight of my work week has been sitting in on an online live session from Harvard while they discussed Adolescents and HIV. 

The Encounters film festival is currently going on in Cape Town. They are screening a bunch of documentaries over the course of a couple weeks.  Last night I attended one at the NuMetro.  The first short one (about 20 minutes) was called Strong Bones.  It was about grannies from a small town playing football (as in soccer) to keep active.  They began playing to improve their health.  Lots of them had never played before or wore trousers so they played in skirts until they got more comfortable wearing pants.  They even had a match against the neighboring town’s grannies team which was hilarious to watch.  The second documentary was called Progress.  It was about a club rugby team from a town in the Eastern Cape.  They beat a team at a Stellenbosch which was impressive for their disadvantaged club against one with better financing.  However, they lost in the semifinals of the club championship tournament.  One of the people, either a player or the club owner (I forget), went to the rugby match while his wife was in the hospital having his child.  I would not be happy if my husband did that.  

Abseiling Table Mountain

The roommates, Melinda, and I woke up very early to begin our day.  We caught the 9:00 direct bus to Table Mountain and the streets were empty.  No one was up and about in the city because everything is closed.  We tried to go to Bread, Milk, & Honey for breakfast, but it wasn’t open.  The only place open was KFC breakfast. 

The bus dropped us off at the lower cable station for the cable car up to Table Mountain.  The cable car has been open for 80 years and it takes only about 5 minutes to reach the top.  It is made of glass and has a rotating floor so that you get an entire 360 degree view during your trip up to the top.  The weather was gorgeous and fairly sunny, but still cold especially once we got out at the top 1000 meters above sea level.

Here we booked our trip with Abseil Africa.  Andrew taught us how to work the ropes and the safety precautions.  Then we climbed up and over the pathways and went to the edge of the mountain.  Kenyatta and I went first.  We were harnessed in and had a safety rope as well as our own belaying rope.  Then you slowly lean back until you are tipped off the edge of the mountain.  Here they put on the safety mechanism, you let go with your hands and take an awesome photograph hanging off the side. 

Then we began repelling down.  You can just slowly step down and release the cord or you can jump and release.  I spent most of the time leaping backward from the cliff face and rebounding back inward.  The view was absolutely spectacular.  We were on the Camps Bay side overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the 12 Apostles.  About 1/3 of the way down the rock face disappears and you start free falling without any rock support.  You descend based on the speed you are belaying at.  We ended the abseiling 112 meters down – over 300 feet from where we started.  Once all 5 of us completed the trip, we had a 30 minute hike back up to the top of the mountain.  It turns out that it is on one of the more experienced paths.  There was vegetation everywhere and little trickles of water that seep through the rocks. I can see how people get lost when hiking the mountain which is typically a 3.5-4 hour trek from the lower cable station up.

Back on top of the mountain we wandered over the flat surface learning about the extremely diverse ecosystem of plants and animals that live up there.  We had lunch at the restaurant.  Then we saw one of the strange animals, a Dassie.  It was posing for us on the rocks. Apparently they favor sunshine, although it was very cold still despite the sun.  We took the cable car back down the mountain and got on the red bus.

We once again went back to the waterfront; my 3^rd time since I arrived in Cape Town.  We took the canal tour which came free with our bus tickets. The canals are in the back area of the waterfront by luxurious apartments and hotels.  Apparently Oprah owns one of the apartments and Mariah Carey came for the grand hotel opening.  We shopped around through the local craft markets before ending our bus tour.  We had dinner at the Eastern Food Bazzar which has a bunch of different stalls selling delicious Indian food.

Hop On Hop Off

Saturday we were ultimate tourists and bought 2-day passes for the red and blue lines of the city sightseeing bus.  My roommates and I set off to get on at the closest stop which was the District 6 museum. We passed quite a few places including the Cape Town International Convention Center (CTICC), St. George’s Catherdral, Castle of Good Hope, and Mount Nelson Hotel, but these are all fairly near our location and within walking distance so we decided to save those for another day.

The bus is double decker with the majority of the top portion roofless so you can sit outside and enjoy the unimpeded view.  The first place we got off at was Camps Bay.  It is also by the Atlantic coast, but it is on the other side of Lion’s head and Table Mountain than us.  The beach was absolutely gorgeous.  This side of Table Mountain has what is known as the twelve apostles, which are the names for the buttresses on the back of the mountain that channel the wind down and create a very strong breeze.  Ironically there are 17 of them not 12 and no one remembers why they are named this; “It has been lost in the ages of time” according to the bus audio tour. The wind is called the Cape Doctor because it blows the city smog out to sea leaving fresh air behind.  The wind is so powerful on certain parts of the coast that it comes in low and all the short trees are angled inland very steeply. The wind then rebounds off the buildings and mountain and comes back so the tall trees are angled skyward. 

After driving around more stops we switched to the wine tour bus that took us to Groot Constantia Wine Estate.  It is the oldest vineyard in South Africa.  Here we toured the old manor house and wine cellar from 1692.  Then we proceeded to go have a wine tasting.  They let you pick out 5 wines.  Then they pour you a third of a glass full of wine for each selection which is very generous.  One of our selections was the wine they are most famous for – their Sauvignon Blanc.  Then we picked the most expensive ones that they let you sample.  We started the wine tasting with only 25 minutes before the next bus left so we had to taste very quickly.  By the time we finished and got back on the bus, we were feeling very good. In fact we thought we were going to miss it and ran through the pathways to get there on time. 

We got off the next time at the V&A Waterfront.  When it got dark out, we rode the giant Ferris wheel to look down at all the lights of the city. It took us around 5 times so we got our fill of the night sky.  Then we went to the City Grill for dinner. Kenyatta ordered the special – zebra.  I tasted it and it was very tender and quite delicious.

Several phrases used in South Africa:

• Robot = traffic light.  As in turn left at the second robot.
• Just now = in a couple hours.  As in they run on “Africa” time.  Saying the meeting is “just now” means that it will occur in a sometime.
• Sorry = excuse me.  As in they want your attention for something.
• Biscuit = cookie.  As in the snack you leave for Santa is a biscuit. 
• Flapjack = pancake.  As in I want syrup on my flapjacks.
• Cab = taxi.  As in the call the cab to pick you up.
• Black taxi = minivan.  As in the black taxi is cheaper than the bus.
• Air time = cell phone minutes.  As in I go buy air time for my pay as you go phone.

Sauna Time

I spent 4 straight nights up in the sauna this week.  Kenyatta, Rebekah, and I (sometimes Emma) go sit up there for the views and the warmth.  It has been an exceptionally rainy and cold week.  Also my office is air conditioned so I think they are trying to freeze me out.   On Wednesday night the huge lights on Table Mountain were turned on creating an amazing view.

After completing my first work week, I am happy to say I enjoy my job. It is similar to some of the work I did at East Meets West in Vietnam this spring, but I definitely enjoy the focus on HIV prevention and treatment.  My office is in a huge area called the Waverly Complex that houses a bunch of other businesses.  There is a security gate and I have to buzz in every day and then go through the revolving door.  This weeks’ main office tasks included transcribing video footage from the Botswana 2011 conference into passages for the annual proceedings booklet and background research on various grants and funding opportunities to plan for the December 2012 conference in Cape Town. This is my place of employment. My office is on the ground level on the right hand side.

I have mastered the bus route to and from Mowbray. All that is left is to buy a bus pass instead of paying with change every day – but I really don’t want to wake up any earlier to do that before work.  The stop before mine is the Groote Schuur Hospital that is famous because it is where the first human heart transplant took place. 

I also have adapted to living in my apartment complex.  First we scan in through the doors with a key card.  Then I scan in through the turnstile by the security desk (you also scan out through a turnstile and scan to open the door).  Then I proceed to take an elevator up to the fifth floor (6^th in American buildings).  The elevators move fast and stop quickly like you are on a roller coaster.  They also open the doors before they are completely level with the floor so you are about 8 inches off for a second before it levels out.  We always take the stairs the 6 flights down because the elevator doesn’t like to come back to our floor. 

We have a regular key to get into the apartment.  Unlike some of the other interns on the upper floors who have a view, mine is windows of the other half of the apartment complex. That is disappointing but after a couple months there are fewer interns here so I get to move upstairs. One of the weird things about the apartments is how you get electricity.  It is pre-pay so we take the card on our electricity box down to the front desk with our money.  They give you a code that you type into the box in your room.  During the week you slowly watch the Rand tick away until you have to go add more.  It definitely makes you electricity conscious and we try to keep the lights off at all times.

My new favorite kitchen gadget is the electric kettle.  It is phenomenal.  It heats my water up so fast!  Then me and Rebekah sit and drink hot chocolate to stay warm (since we do not have heating in our unit and the temperature indoors is pretty cold).

We had a roomie movie night on Tuesday where we introduced Kenyatta to “Bridesmaids” because she had never seen it before.  Wednesday was pizza and Wi-Fi at Narona where I proceeded to knock over Emma’s Martini and break a glass – oops.  Last night was drinks night at the Best Western bar where we had around 50 people in my program meet up.  It was good to meet up with more new people.

I have some incredible plans for the next 4 weekends! J

First Days in Africa

I have arrived in Africa!

I met my first new friends in Detroit – they were boarding the same flight to Amsterdam connecting to Cape Town.  After the 6 hour flight followed by the 11.5 I arrived in Cape Town!  It turns out 11 people in my group were on the same flight.  We were taken to our apartment complex where 2 of my roommates were (they arrived a week ago) – Kenyatta and Rebecca.  Emma would arrive the next morning.  On the roof of the apartment complex (the 19th floor) the view is absolutely incredible.  Table Mountain is on one side with Lion’s Head and Lion’s Rump.  The other direction is the harbor and the Atlantic Ocean waterfront.  I live in the city center area which is called the city bowl because we are surrounded by Table Mountain.

Saturday morning Kenyatta, Rebecca, and I went to the Biscuit Mill.  It is a trendy place where they have an open market selling crafts and all sorts of foods. I had yet to get any Rand so Rebecca bought me a mango-orange smoothy.  When we returned Emma had arrived so I had a roommate.  That night 16 of us went to dinner together down on Park St. We managed to take 2 cabs with 8 per cab which was a tight squeeze.  After dinner we had margaritas at the Fat Cactus, which were very cheap.

On Sunday a group of us went down to the waterfront.  It reminded me of San Francisco. There is a huge shopping mall and lots of places to eat on the harbor.  We heard some local music and then ate with Table Mountain in the background.  It was almost a full moon so the reflection from the Mountain was impressive.

Monday I started work at the Paediatric AIDS Treatment for Africa.  We were driven there in the morning by our coordinator who introduced me to my boss – Daniela.  The office is in Mowbray which is a 15ish minute bus ride from my area of Cape Town.  I will be working from 8-4:30 Monday through Friday.  I work with another girl, Vivan, who is a pharmacist from the UK.  We have to leave our apartment complex at 7:20 to walk the 10-15 minutes to the bus station.  Then we catch the 7:40 bus to Mowbray and walk 5 minutes to our office.

PATA has a small office in Cape Town and over 144 clinics in over 15 different countries in Africa. They all have a team of a doctor, pharmacist, councilor, and nurse along with a new person called the expert patient. I am not sure yet what my task list will be at work, but I have learned a lot about HIV and AIDS all over Africa.  Monday night I went to a play called “Brothers Size” at the University of Cape Town.

Today my alarm didn’t go off so I woke up when Emma’s did at 7:10.  I was still downstairs at 7:20 which I thought was impressive.  From now on I am setting multiple alarms just to be safe.  It was also the first day it rained, thankfully not in my rush this morning.  The wind and rain combo is pretty fierce and it makes it colder out.  It is winter so the weather is usually around 60-70 degrees.  We have a sauna up on the 18th floor so the roomies and I go up there and admire the beautiful view and warm up.