Welcome to the Mother City: Jan 15th & 16th

Jan 15^th

Here’s our first official day in Cape Town. Much of it was spent exploring Rondebosch, the busy suburb nearby. This area essentially served as World 1-1 for us, an introductory zone where we could figure out how to navigate, use ATMs, and cross the street without being annihilated by traffic, which is a lot harder than you might imagine (they drive on the left side of the street here! FYI!).

South Africa v. Mali, Green Point Stadium.

In the afternoon we got to head into the city for the very first time and then out to Green Point, where we saw a soccer match in the city’s gleaming stadium. South Africa v. Mali- they ultimately tied, but the R20 beer and enthusiasm in the audience made it a great experience. Also, I was moved by the recitation of the South African National anthem, as people all across the stadium sang it, it’s four stanzas in four different languages. The stadium wasn’t particularly packed, so it carried only like a murmur, but I looked around and saw and heard people singing, mouthing the words- an older white man, a young black kid, a young white kid, a colored family, a black woman- all singing the same words in unison, just loud enough to hear. It was really cool.

The crowds. Also, $2 beer! Just saying.

Jan 16^th

Today was spent getting oriented at the University of Cape Town and receiving security lectures. UCT is one hell of a beautiful campus, a series of vine-draped buildings rising up the side of a mountain, Devil’s peak. You can see it for miles. We received a security lecture from a private security guard, who opened with the question, “Is Campus Safe?”. And the answer he was waiting for, was “no”. This is such a departure from UConn, or really any other University I’ve visited. After nightfall, it’s just not safe to be out walking, even in a group- you just never know what you’re going to run into. So the security talk at UCT was pretty sobering. Amusingly, he outlined a scenario where a group of students are held up or assailed by someone, and he was saying “While your friend’s getting in there fighting with him, keeping him busy, make sure you get a good look at his face so we can identify him later!” Ben and Marita later affirmed to us that they did not expect us to try to take on any muggers or assailants, and to just let that piece of advice slide.

The view from UCT. It’s pretty stunning.

We then took off to Westlake for a rendezvous with the staff at the US Consulate. We met a few friendly staff members, and then received another stern security briefing, this time from a dude by the hilarious but entirely real name of “Chad Cannon”. Better yet, his partner’s name is something like “Mike Hammer”, or I don’t know. He pretty much advised us to avoid all forms of public transit, restrict our activities to the V&A waterfront, beware baboons and snow on Table mountain, and don’t get blown up or robbed at an ATM. It was kinda hard to take him seriously for some of it, though considering what his job entails, I don’t blame him for fixating on the bad stuff- probably every bad thing that happens to an American in Cape Town comes through his office. Another staff member then told us to be careful and not fall off Table Mountain, because apparently that has killed Americans in the past. She did, however, encourage us to go shark cage diving, so…

We were not allowed to take pictures at or near the consulate. So, imagine this picture is actually a picture of the consulate. It’s not, though. Not even close.

We then went to a jazz place in Wetton, an area out on the Cape Flats. The music was great, though it’s a pretty weird dynamic, 21 American women walking into a bar where there’s only about 8 other people. I warmed up the dance floor with Tina while everyone else watched slacken jawed, floored by our ardent sensuality. Also, as an RA, it’s pretty surreal to sit and talk with a UConn professor while drinking beer, and even more surreal when I turn around and watch a group of 18 and 19 year old girls doing the same. We are definitely not in the US. Not even the same hemisphere.