Feb 10th – Feb 12th
We were back at the Commission this week, which continued to work towards collecting testimony from SAPS witnesses and members of community policing forums. Several of the witnesses were very difficult to listen to, as it seemed like they couldn’t answer the questions concisely or directly. I did enjoy classes this week, especially Marita’s class, where we had a lengthy guest lecture from a Marxist economist. I can’t say I know much about Marxism besides some basics, but I found his talk compelling and he answered several of my questions afterwards. If I’m at all interested in Critical Medical Anthropology I will need to bone up on Marxist principles… we’ll see. We also received a presentation from Chantel, who coordinates the home stay program we’ll be participating in this weekend.
Also, this week is notable because at this time I was working overtime to complete internship and scholarship applications, which were a total drag. I encountered a couple of roadblocks (including our unreliable internet) that were enough to stress me out right through Thursday afternoon, when we departed for Oceanview. I am thoroughly pleased to be done with them, so can get back to living my Cape Town experience. The following content was posted on the UConn Cape Town blog describing my experiences in Oceanview.
Feb 13th – 16th
I spent the weekend in the colored township of Oceanview for a home stay experience. Located between rocky hills and shores on the Cape Peninsula, maybe ten miles south of the city, Oceanview was originally established when colored people were forcibly removed from the surrounding coastal towns during Apartheid. Suddenly, people were distanced from their livelihoods in these fishing towns and moved into the hills, where they had to make a new community amongst new neighbors. Many of the current homeowners are first generation Oceanview residents, including my host father.
In a home stay, students are placed in the homes of community members and are essentially welcomed into the home as family for the duration of the stay. Ryan and I were placed in a home with a host father, mother, sister, and our family had hosted students on multiple occasions before. There were also older children out of the home, and one of the young grandchildren spent the weekend with us.
We spent Friday working with young children at the crèche across the street, which is South Africa’s equivalent of a day care. We did a fun activity with the kids and then took them to a nearby petting zoo. I only had one child to look after, but even looking after one kid for a couple of hours was enough to completely exhaust me. I can’t even imagine it being my life. That evening my host sister took Ryan and I to see a Valentine’s Day beauty pageant / talent show at the local high school. It was a really extensive production, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more enthusiastic audience for any event.
My family spent the day at the beach on Saturday. We piled in my host brother’s car and made our way to Fish Hoek, a picturesque beach on the False Bay side of the peninsula. There was a really social vibe going on at the beach, as it was apparent that a lot of folks from Oceanview and friends were there for the day. We were there for hours, talking and swimming and exploring, and other host families joined us. My host parents had relatives who also lived in Oceanview, and they were at the beach with us, and were also hosting students from my program. That evening we came back home and hosted a Braii at our house, and welcomed a bunch of family members. There was great conversation, and the meat was delicious.
Sunday morning was devoted to church. My host father is a minister, so we attended his service, which is held in a classroom in the nearby primary school. The service was filled with rock music, complete with a drum set, and my entire host family participated, even the dog. After mass, we headed back home and had another delicious meal, before walking with our host parents back out of Oceanview and to the bus, where we said our goodbyes.
While I treasure my weekends in Cape Town as an opportunity to get out and enjoy my free time, I really valued my home stay experience. I don’t often get to spend time with other families, and really enjoyed the fact that so much of my experience felt familiar. The house, which my host father largely built, felt very similar to homes I’ve been in before in the US, albeit with a few rough edges here and there and fewer automatic comforts. When we laid back on the couch and watched a South African soap opera, it reminded me of the time I’ve spent kicked back on the couch in my dad’s house, with Brazilian soap operas on the TV. Really, I gained an appreciation for how familiar life was in this different home and community, that there were the same tasks and pleasures to be had: taking care of the granddaughter for the weekend, figuring out how to fit everyone in the car, wondering where the dog is, spending time with family.
I also bonded with the dog, Sasha. When we first came into Oceanview, I saw her out on the street and couldn’t tell whether she was a stray or belonged to someone, but she was very soft and friendly, and appreciated my scratching. Turned out she belonged to my host mother, and spent most of her time outside and about. When we left the crèche on Friday, she accompanied the whole train of volunteers and children as we winded through Oceanview, before apparently coming into another dog’s territory and getting chased out of there. She would follow family members to and from the house, and came with us to church, where she took up residence in the aisle during the service. My host mother told me all about how she has to navigate Oceanview according to the different dog territories, and how she’ll accompany Anne to the market, but have to take detours at certain places to avoid certain dogs. I formulated a sense of a separate dog community, another layer of social organization that existed in Oceanview. I’m glad I had the opportunity to experience it and grow.
Later on Sunday afternoon, after returning to the city, we went as a group to see Freshlyground perform at Kirstenbosch, part of the Sunday concert series. It was another wonderful afternoon of music, relaxation, and beautiful surroundings. Shout-out to Emily B for a great conversation and walk around the gardens.
What David Does 