This time for Africa!!

The World Cup being in South Africa is an experience on it’s own. Things are quite different now that the World Cup is finally here. There are a lot more foreigners no matter where you go, prices have shot up, and excitement is always in the air.

The week of the opening match of the World Cup was a lot of fun. Vuvuzela’s were blowing NON-STOP out on the streets outside of our office windows in town. At first it was really annoying, but once you buy your own vuvuzela and join in it becomes a lot more fun. At noon on the day before the opening ceremony, everyone ran out on to the streets in their Bafana Bafana gear, dancing, screaming, cheering, and blowing vuvuzelas. That was when all the excitement really started. There is a FanFest (a public viewing area that holds 25,000 people for all the matches) right outside of our office. Whenever a game is on, we go onto the roof of our building and watch the match with a perfect view of the giant screen and the entire crowd below. It’s been so much fun getting together with friends to watch all the matches.

It’s been even more exciting being able to actually go to two matches in Cape Town. I had tickets to Italy vs. Paraguay and England vs. Algeria. Although both of those matches sucked and ended in draws, the atmosphere was still phenomenal. It was really weird to actually be at a World Cup match, at night, in one of the most beautiful soccer stadiums. It’s so much fun to be able to cheer for a World Cup game live at the stadium while everyone else is watching it on TV. Oh, and apparently I was on TV for a split-second as the camera panned across the crowd.

Since the start of the Cup, it seems as though some of the excitement has died down. I’m not sure if that’s really the case or if it’s just the way I feel since I’ve been really busy for the past two weeks. Or maybe it’s because I’m still depressed because Bafana Bafana didn’t make it out of the group stage. Either way, it’s still constantly exciting to have the World Cup here. Even now, as I sit in bed writing this blog at 11:50 pm, I here someone walk by my house every so often blowing a vuvuzela or playing the Waka Waka song by Shakira.

Time is flying by.......

I’ve been doing a lot more exploring of Cape Town, visiting some nice beaches and doing some more hiking. On our second Sunday in South Africa, Sunny and I joined two of our ABF staff members from the townships for a day at Mzoli’s. Mzoli’s is butchery in Gugulethu where you can order kilos and kilos of fresh meat and have it braii-ed (barbequed) for you on the spot. It was the most delicious meat I’ve ever had and definitely the most meat I’ve ever eaten. Later that day, Sunny, Thomas (a friend from Holland), and I spent the afternoon in the township, meeting a lot of people and really getting to know and experience the Xhosa culture. The only problem with Mzoli’s is that it has become a very popular tourist attraction, especially on the weekends. When we were there, white people were everywhere, and black people were nowhere to be found. It’s kind of sad that all these white tourists think that they’re actually “experiencing” what the townships are like just by going to Mzoli’s to party all day with their friends.

Two weekends ago, Sunny and I visited Camps Bay and Hout Bay, which are two of the most beautiful beaches here in Cape Town. We also spent an entire afternoon exploring the Green Point Stadium and Sea Point. That is definitely the coolest World Cup stadium in South Africa. We’ve also climbed to the peak of the most well known peak of Table Mountain – Devil’s Peak. It was a pretty scary hike…kind of reminded me of Alaska. By the time we got near the top of the mountain, it was really cold, really rainy, really cloudy, and really windy. We couldn’t see more than 2 meters in front of us and it even got so windy that we had to stand in one place and hold on to giant boulders or else we would lose our balance and fall. Normally, when you reach the top, there’s an amazing view of Cape Town. But when we reached the top, everything around us was white and wet, and we couldn’t even stand up straight because the wind was so strong. It was not the hike I was hoping for but at least I can say I’ve hiked Devil’s Peak.

Some other cool things that I’ve done…let’s see…I’ve tried chicken feet (which taste just like chicken), I’ve had breakfast with Archbishop Desmond Tutu (and I’m having breakfast again with him tomorrow), I’ve done a lot of driving around South Africa (on the left side of the road), and I’ve been to two World Cup Matches!

Busy days and sleepless nights

It’s been way too long since the last time I updated my blog. I’ve been extremely busy in the last three weeks, especially with our Amy Biehl Winter Soccer Cup.

The South African schools began their winter break on June 9, which was also the last day of my Afterschool program at Siyazingisa Primary School. On the second to last week of school, my debate class competed in the final round of a debate competition in the township. After two weeks of training and practicing with my class, their hard work finally paid off…my kids won 1^st place! It was a perfect end to the semester.

Since the start of winter holiday, we’ve been busy planning and executing our Soccer Cup. We had a lot of organizing to do before the start of our tournament. And thank you very much to everyone who was able to help us out by donating! With all of our donations, we are able to provide each child with a team jersey, food after each day’s matches, trophies/medals for the winning teams, and a nice sports complex in which we will hold the Finals and Semifinals. These kids are definitely having fun playing in their own World Cup. We began the group stage of the tournament on Monday of this week and tomorrow is the final day of the group stage. The quarterfinals, semi-finals, and finals will be held next week.

I’ve also been kept busy with the Amy Biehl Winter Holiday Camps. The Amy Biehl Foundation is holding two Holiday Camps during the holiday break, one of which was held this past weekend. The second camp will be held from July 2 – July 5. Sunny and I are facilitators for both camps, so we’ve spent a lot of time planning out the camp schedules in addition to planning out five educational sessions that teach the kids life skills such as public speaking, teamwork, decision making, and goal planning. Sunny and I left Cape Town very early Saturday morning and didn’t return until Monday afternoon…and we were exhausted by the time we got back. It was a very, very tiring, but extremely fun weekend! The kids are so crazy; they keep you awake all night. The boys, especially the older ones, either try to break out of their rooms every night, put toothpaste on someone else’s face while they’re asleep, or beat each other with belts. I loved being able to mess around and play with the kids. I know them all a lot better now and most of them now feel more comfortable around me. Also, the location of the camp was a huge bonus. The location of the camp was actually on a wine farm about an hour and a half east of Cape Town in a place called Grabouw. The scenery surrounding our lodges was some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve seen yet. Check out my pictures on Facebook!

Call for help to all my family and friends

Dear Family and Friends,

I have a special request for all of you. This summer I am working in Cape Town, South Africa with the Amy Biehl Foundation – a wonderful nonprofit organization whose programs are designed to develop and empower 5-18 year old youth in the poverty-stricken townships of Cape Town. As many of you know, the World Cup begins on June 11^th in South Africa, and although this tournament is bringing a lot of wealth and excitement to the established parts of Cape Town, the townships and the children living there have largely been left out of these benefits and, in some cases, have been negatively impacted.

So, I, along with my fellow interns, have decided to bring the World Cup to the children in the townships by organizing Amy Biehl’s Soccer Winter Cup, a 3-week Soccer Tournament for 200 children in the townships of Cape Town. There will be a total of 32 participating teams with each team hosting 6 players. The children will get to enjoy competing against each other as well as learning about the location, culture, and people of their assigned country.

So far we have been able to raise $800, and are half way towards our goal of $1600 but still need more money to make the tournament a success, as we want to provide:

-Printed T-shirts of all countries for every player and referee

-Safe transport to the tournament facilities

-Trophies and medals for the winning teams

-Materials for educational programs

-Soccer balls and small goals for games

-Food and drinks

So this is a friendly request to all of you to please donate towards the Amy Biehl Winter World Cup, even if the donation is small: only $20 can already supply one team with t-shirts, food and drink for all three weeks! So many of us around the world will be enjoying the World Cup as we party and celebrate. I ask you to give a few seconds of thought for these kids who live in South Africa but can’t even experience the mere excitement of watching the World Cup games on a big screen. Let’s bring the World Cup to South Africa’s townships!

If you wish to donate, you can send a paypal link to jhage@unc.edu or email me and I can send you my bank details so you can transfer money. After you have donated, I will send you a confirmation from the Amy Biehl Foundation to make the donation tax deductible.

Thank you so much!

Gugulethu - "Our Pride"

On my first day at Siyazingisa Primary School (the school that I work at), the kids actually gave me a Xhosa name – Luthando (pronounced Lu-tahn-doe) – which means ‘filled with loved.’ I have no idea why I got that name :) . So now, all the Xhosa kids know me as Luthando. The Xhosa employees in the ABF office even call me Luthando.

It’s been really interesting working with the kids in Gugulethu (the township I work in)…most of them are older (between 12 and 16) so it’s definitely a lot easier to communicate with them. Hearing these kids debate is one of the most inspiring things. They debate in English about issues such as poverty, HIV/AIDS, gangs, crime, drugs, etc. and their level of understanding about these issues is amazing. These kids really have dreams of rising out of their post-Apartheid poverty-stricken lives to make better futures for themselves.

The sad reality is that many of these kids excel up through secondary school, but rarely have the funds and means to attend a university. There are still so many barriers to overcome. Apartheid has left an obvious deep scar on society in South Africa. It’s obvious all over the streets of Cape Town as well as in the townships. Many Blacks and Coloreds in South Africa still resort to begging, gangs, crime, and drugs as a way of life…no one can be blamed for this except Apartheid. For hundreds of years, non-whites in South Africa were deprived of the education and respect that we, today, believe all humans deserve. Blacks were forcefully removed from their homes and forced to move into ‘all Black’ areas known as townships. Townships are very impoverished communities on the outskirts of major cities in South Africa. Life is completely different there than in the city. These people live every single day fighting the remnants of Apartheid. Uneducated parents must raise large families in single room, square houses or tin sheds. Because these people were denied the right to education, they are often ineffective parents who are unable to support their children. How can they get a decent job and earn decent wages if they are lacking the education needed? Many of the older generation will not even put forward the effort to work because they have no hope that they will ever achieve.

However, what’s impressive is the fact that these people still wake up each morning to fight through life. The kids go to their schools – schools with broken doors and windows, schools with no basic necessities like classroom supplies, a cafeteria, or computers. These kids ARE their schools and they’re fine with that. They live life in such a good mood. In fact, the township that I work in – Gugulethu – has a very interesting name. One of the Program Directors at ABF named Easy explained to us that Gugulethu means ‘our pride’ in Xhosa. When Gugulethu was formed, the people of the township vowed to make a stand against their oppressors. They vowed to always maintain their livelihood regardless of where they were forced to go or what they were forced to do. So, even today, the township maintains an amazing mentality of brotherhood. On the weekends, people are out on the street socializing, partying, and having a great time. The people of Gugulethu will always enjoy life as long as they are lucky enough to see the next morning.

BaFanA BAfAnA!!

It’s been two weeks since I arrived in Cape Town and I feel like I’ve already been here for a month. I’ve learned my way around the city pretty well now and I definitely feel like I belong. I guess it helps that I blend in really well with the ‘Colored’ race in South Africa. In case you don’t know, South Africa’s racial groups consist of Blacks, Whites, Coloreds, and Indians. The Colored people of South Africa normally have a very confusing blend of ethnicities in their family tree, so (based on physical appearances) they can often be easily confused as Whites, Blacks, or anything else.

South Africa is definitely the most diverse place I have ever visited, not only in terms of race, but also in terms of religion, social class, and geographic landscape. It’s strange being in a place where there is no obvious ethnic or religious minority – South Africa really is the Rainbow Nation. The scenery is also amazing! Every morning, I walk out of the front door of my house in Observatory (a small ‘college student’ suburb of Cape Town) and find myself staring at Devil’s Peak, a beautiful mountain peak that is part of Table Mountain. As you travel through Cape Town, you are always surrounded by mountains on one side and water on the other. The landscape reminds me so much of Lebanon – mountains on the beach. Oh and the driving reminds me of Lebanon too haha. There are not really driving rules here; they’re more like guidelines. It makes the roads seem scary at first but you soon realize that people are attentive and cautious when they drive, even though they might be crazy.

Of course, the World Cup is another big aspect of life here. FIFA is definitely impacting everyday life here in South Africa and the South Africans don’t like it too much. Construction is everywhere and major cleanups are going on just to prepare for all of the tourists. I feel like a lot of the South Africans see the World Cup as a big event that’s just imposing on their everyday lives. Most of my South African friends here do not actually have tickets for any of the games because of the high price of tickets. It’s exciting that the World Cup is coming, but at the same time, it seems like FIFA is forcing changes on a nation without the people’s consent. On the other hand, people are definitely getting excited. Everywhere you look, South Africa flags are hanging and waving. Every Friday, South Africans wear Bafana Bafana (South Africa’s soccer team) gear in support of their team. I bought a jersey for myself J. I’m anxious to see what life is going to be like once the Cup starts. No doubt it will be nonstop fun for all of us!

Anyways, Sunny and I have been working with the Amy Biehl Foundation for seven days now and we’re making big progress. Every morning, Sunny and I take a mini-bus (a ghetto old van with about 16 people packed into it) into town. We head into the ABF office for a few hours to do some planning for our afternoon classes. At around 1pm each day, we are driven into the townships where we work with the children in afterschool programs until 5pm. I have been working with an HIV/AIDS Peer Education class. But actually, for the past week, we have been preparing for a debate competition that my class will be competing in on Wednesday, June 2^nd. The last day of school is on June 9th, then they begin their winter holiday. While on holiday, we will be organizing several camps for these kids as well as a Soccer World Cup for the township. Right now, Sunny, Andrew (an intern from Miami), and Darren (an intern from Holland), and I are finalizing all of the details for our 2 ½ week long World Cup. It’s a lot of work to plan but it will definitely be a lot of fun!

Okay, here’s the paragraph where I talk about all that I’ve done so far in South Africa. Life in Cape Town is never boring; there are so many things for us to see and do and I’m worried that we wont be able to do it all. On my first weekend in Cape Town, Sunny and I were lucky enough to get a personal tour through most of town by Faizel (one of our great friends who is also a program coordinator for ABF). This past weekend, we rode a ferry to Robben Island with a new friend from Holland. In case you don’t know, Robben Island is where all of the prisoners were held during the Apartheid regime, including Nelson Mandela (check out my pics on Facebook!). After our trip to Robben Island, we checked out the Castle of Good Hope in the center of Cape Town. It’s a really old Dutch castle in the shape of a star. The Castle of Good Hope was built when the Dutch first settled in Cape Town. We’ve also visited the beautiful Waterfront a few times. The Waterfront is a very nice, high-class, touristy area along the Cape Town harbor. There are a lot of expensive stores and restaurants there to attract all of the tourists, especially for the World Cup this year. It’s a great place to hang out but it basically sucks because it does not feel like South Africa at all…just feels like I’m back in America when I go there. On weekend nights, we’ve enjoyed going out on Long Street (the ‘night life’ street which is amazing!) Long Street has a bunch of great clubs, bars, and restaurants. Last weekend, we went to a restaurant on Long St called Mama Africa where I tried an Ostrich steak and Crocodile meat….delicious!!! We’ve also checked out St. George’s Cathedral in the center of town. St. George’s is the huge Anglican Church where Desmond Tutu often holds mass when in Cape Town. Also, on our first Sunday in South Africa, Sunny and I joined Faizel and a few of his friends for a morning hike up Silvermine Trail in Table Mountain National Park. The trail eventually led to a gigantic cave called ‘Elephant’s Eye.’ We sat in the cave for a while looking over all of Cape Town…probably one of the most gorgeous views I’ve seen so far. So…that was a quick wrap up of my past two weeks :)