This past week, my friend Jilson and I headed downtown to the Mozambique consulate to get visas for our spring break trip. I cannot believe my time in Cape Town has already gone by so fast. I leave for Johannesburg at the end of this week! I will spend a night with cousins before meeting up with friends on Saturday. We will then depart for our three day safari in Kruger Park. The second half of the week we will be in Mozambique, relaxing in the sun.
While spring break is so near, I still have school work to do before I depart. Between my classes and internship, I am always busy. I have a lot of reading to do, as well as a term paper due the Monday after break for my Conservation Biology class. Who assigns homework over spring break? My classes at UCT are strenuous, however my Trinity class is a lot of fun and the work is a little more manageable.
My ‘Imagining Cape Town’ class is taught by a professor from Trinity College, Sibs. She lives in Stellenbosch and drives into Cape Town every Wednesday to teach us and treat us to dinner.
Recently we read Rhian Malan’s novel, My Traitor’s Heart. This book was sold out all over Cape Town.—surprising considering it has been in print for more than 10 years.
The novel begins with the history of Malan’s ancestors—members of the Boer tribe, the original white settlers in South Africa. Malan quickly transitions to expresses his emotional journey and struggle with identity as a white liberal journalist whose lineage relates him to the ‘black oppressor’.
The book creates a captivating outline of South African history. Through gruesome imagery and personal recounts, the violent events before, during, and after Apartheid are presented. If you’re looking for a good read, definitely pick this up!
This week we are reading and researching Nelson Mandela.
I checked the book pictured above out from the library. It has great comics and I was able to read this quickly to get an outline of Mandela’s life. I also checked out ‘No Easy Walk to Freedom’ and focused on reading the Rivonia Trial section.
School work is definitely taking over my life but I continue to study the anthropology of South Africa from a social view, specifically Cape Town’s nightlife.
Friday night I went to a bar called, Orphanage. Mentioned in Cape Town Magazine, it is located just off of Long Street on Orphan Road. The name is the road derived back in 1918 when the Spanish Flu left many children parentless and a pastor from the nearby St. Paul’s church founded one of the first homes for orphaned children. The bar had great music and some of the best cocktails I have ever had. The ‘More Tea Vicar?’ was made with rooibos tea and vanilla infused vodka (I can talk about alcohol because it’s legal here). I didn’t realize it until later, but a portion of the proceeds from the drinks go towards nearby children’s foundations.
By Saturday night I fell asleep at 9:00. I had planned to go out but after a long Thursday night of dancing at the ‘Tin Roof,’ and a late Friday night, I was exhausted. Whoever said you can sleep when you’re dead, lied. I need my sleep and without it, I’m not so fun to be around. Getting a good night’s rest was worth it because on Sunday several of us hiked Table Mountain. We took the Platteklip Trail, which took two and a half hours to get to the summit. The view from the top was excellent!
Catherine, Shaina, and Kathryn at the top
I sat on the edge and took this picture for you, mom!
We took the cable car down which was almost as exciting as the view of the whole city of Cape Town. The floor rotated like a ride at Disney World, allowing everyone to face the open window at some point during the ride. If Bill Stenger adds this feature to the tram at Jay Peak, I would take it more often (or avoid it completely, depending on how many non-skiers it attracts).
This week, I plan to be drowned with school work. #workingfortheweekend
Simona Fried 