Positive Life Choices: March 23rd – 24th

This morning was a little wet and rainy, and the house was very quiet when I woke up and took my laptop into the front room to check my email. It was then that I saw an email from the San Francisco Department of Public Health, unfortunately updating me that I had not been selected to progress further in the interview process for the Summer HIV/AIDS Research Program. I was crestfallen and a little surprised, and just sat there and breathed for a while. I knew I was shooting high with this opportunity, but after my first interview I came away feeling pretty good. After processing this for a few minutes, I realized it meant my indecision/uncertainty about the summer was ended: I was going to stay in South Africa.

Dubious Life Choices: March 21st – 22nd

What a weekend this was. On Friday morning, I had signed up to do a 5k run with Melanie, Katrina, and Savannah out near Tygerberg, in Cape Town’s northern suburbs. Mel and Katrina were running a half marathon, so in order for them to be there on time we got up around 5:00am to take a taxi out there. Given the planned physical exertion of the day, I should have probably made wiser decisions the previous night. Here’s that story.

On Safety

Safety is complex topic here. I believe that as a person in Cape Town, I experience safety in different shades, in different places, at different times, in different ways. There are an infinite number of ways to be exposed to danger or risk in Cape Town: by walking down the street, by climbing Lion’s Head, by taking the train, or by eating a sandwich. I will share my impressions about safety as it relates to a recent experience.

March 15th -17th: Cape Town Nights

We have Fridays off, so on this particular day I jumped on the train and traveled to St. James, a nice little beach on the False Bay side of the Cape Peninsula. The beach is just a minute’s walk from the train station, and there’s a spacious tidal pool and some nice sand to lay out on. I remember having recently talked about safety with my parents, yet the most dangerous thing I did this entire weekend was nearly choke on a turkey sandwich while sitting on the beach. It was a delicious sandwich though.

March 14th: Amandla!

Today was the morning of the big TAC march to Parliament. Lauren and Emily and I got up early to travel into the city, and Sarah and Manuela tagged along to witness the event. Once in Cape Town, we headed for Kaisergracht, the staging area where the march would begin.

March 10th – 13th: Within the Informal Settlements

Firstly, I realize it’s been a long time since the last update. Apologies- I’ve been on the road! Many exciting developments have come to pass in the last few weeks. Let’s catch up with where I left things off.

In my time in Cape Town so far, I have had the opportunity to enter the informal settlements on two distinct occasions. Usually seen from the road or highway as I drive by, on both these occasions I was able to navigate the settlements on foot and enter people’s homes. The first time was when Isaac from Africa Unite brought a group of us to his home in Europe before we had lunch at Mzoli’s. The minibus trundled down the narrow dirt road, barely passing shacks and fences and children by inches on either side, and Isaac showed us his home and his immediate community. I have detailed this experience in a prior blog post.

March 8th & 9th: Happy Birthday

Sat March 8^th

I decided that today was my honorary birthday celebration day, since March 9^th itself fell on a Sunday and I thought that it would be best to make the best of at Saturday. We headed out early for Old Biscuit Mill, a trendy food market with shopping in Salt River. I went HAM on the food vendors. Ever since surviving my hell ride up and down Devil’s Peak, I had decided to enter “treat yo self” mode, feeling that life was too short and fragile to not indulge. (I literally promised myself any kind of food or drink I desired as incentive for my ragged body to complete that brutal hike.)