We viewed some short documentaries that were created in response to the xenophobic violence that occurred in South Africa about three months ago. We were amazed how quickly local feelings of shock and fearful disappointment have shifted to problem-solving and open expression.
Questions around immigration policies and motives for xenophobia dominated the discussion that followed. All agreed that mindful planning in the coming months were crucial for the stability of the country.
Last Thursday, we attended a presentation on race and the future of South Africa. It was free to the public, so we thought we’d join in. It was a really interesting lecture, and conversation following. Basically, the professor spoke about the classifications based on race that still are very much a part of life in South Africa. His point was that by continuing to use the language of racial classifications we would never get away from thinking in those terms. The lack of openness, in his conclusion, should be remedied with a greater emphasis on openness for all, including the leading party ANC.
This was written on the 12th of August (we think this gets us caught up!):
We have a car. Chris timed it perfectly. We got our car on the day we moved into our new place, so we could use it to transport our luggage. It’s a Mazda, 4-door, about 10 years old. It’s surprising how much cars cost here – they are quite expensive. Ours is nice though, and as a special treat to Lisa, it’s automatic. This makes the transition to driving on the left hand side a little easier to think about.
Having a car allowed us also to load up on groceries, which in turn lead to eating Chris’ home cooked meals again. It’s a treat for both of us, although our restaurant friends are sad to see us miss our nightly pasta buffet.
Lisa’s work is going well. The two fundraisers she was busy planning went off without a hitch, and they earned nearly R400,000 total for the Youth Centre (SA spelling) she is trying to get built. They are still about a million or so short, (1 million rand is currently around $140,000) so they’re working to get it together. They should start breaking ground at the end of the year.
Chris has connected with the public radio station here, and is helping there a few times a month. He’s also looking into possibly finishing his PhD studies here, possibly at the University of Stellenbosch or UCT. He’s going to go a short seminar about the program next month at Stellenbosch.
All else is good – We miss you all and are thinking of you as we look across the beautiful and turbulent Atlantic just a few blocks from our place.
We had a a glorious day outside today. We drove to Muizenberg, on the Indian Ocean side of the Cape, in the early afternoon. We didn’t really have a plan for these few hours, we were just looking around. It was a warm and sunny day. We did find something though – a flea market by the ocean. We walked through the crowded passages, smelling the good food and the salty ocean. Then we walked along a boardwalk by the ocean. As we walked, we watched the surfers ride the rows of breaks stacked in the ocean in front of us.
After that leisurely stroll, we met up for the planned action of the day, our hike up Bishop’s Kloof to a cave near the top of the mountain. We met up with our friends in the parking lot of a grocery store, and started up the mountain. It started with a series of steps. The steps were all made of large stones. Clearly someone has been taking care of this trail, and we surely appreciated it. As we climbed up the steep sides of the mountain, we occasionly stopped to look over our should at the ocean spread out behind us.
As we climbed, the plants changed dramatically. Cape Town is a unique floral zone, and we hadn’t seen anything like it before. Once we reached the top of the ridge, we walked across the top for a while, and then we could really concentrate on the plants. It was like Alice in Wonderland. You’d look out at the beautiful colors of the fields in front of you, but not concentrate on exactly what the plants looked like. Then you’d fixate on a plant, and it was surreal. Almost like you woke up on another planet.
Our group was jolly and fun. We made it to the cave, and every crawled through a small passage (except Lisa, who walked around – a little too much claustrophobia). Then we strolled down the side of the mountain, back to the ocean, as the sun set. It was an absolutely lovely afternoon.
We went to a great party last night. The friendly people at Bush Radio invited us to their annual celebration.
We showed up at a bar in Observatory called Roots. We walked into an open courtyard, where a number of people from the station greeted us. It was a warm night, and it was tempting to stay in the open courtyard, but we could hear the good music inside, and it pulled us in.
We went into the club, and it was crowded with friends hanging out and toasting each other. We chatted with many people we bumped into as we made our way through the crowds. The dance floor was packed, and the DJs were Bush Radio personalities.
We ordered beers and took in the scene. We meet DJs and interns, all great. After finishing our drinks, we joined the group on the dance floor and took in the music. After a while, we moved into another open courtyard area. We looked up to see the stars, and sat back listening to the tunes and the four or five languages being spoken all around us. It was a Cape Town kind of night.
The furnishing included a television and a cable box. Our landlord (the apartment owner) moved overseas for a few years. Before she left she talked a number of times with the cable company here (there’s only one). Each cable box requires a card, which holds the individual’s account information. Our landlord didn’t want to leave that, so she took it, but worried how we could use the box. She went to their office (only office in the Cape Town is a 25 minutes drive from the apartment) and asked how to transfer ownership. They said, write a letter with your name and ID number on it explaining that you are allowing your renters to use the box. Have the letter verified by the police (go to the station, show your ID, and get a stamp). Then they can get their own card and account. She did that. She left the letter, the cable box, her television, and her television license (all TVs in South Africa must be licensed).
We drove out to the cable company with all of the paper documentation. Then the company said, “This letter doesn’t prove that she’s giving the box to you”. We didn’t understand. The letter said she was out of the country and we could have the box. They said “No, it just says you can use it, not have it”. We begged, we pleaded, we demanded – to no avail. After much discussion, the manager said that the matter could be resolved if we had the police endorse a statement that explained: 1) we were the couple that she refers to in the letter and 2) it is okay for us to use the cable box. Of course, the written statement was to come from us.
It was already 5:15, and we knew things were closing. We found a police station and got in just before they closed. We waited in line, a little nervous because we didn’t actually have our passports. Fortunately, Lisa just had a photocopy of hers.
Then with no hesitation, the police desk attendant glanced at the ID and stamped our quickly-written affidavit.
We rushed back to the cable office and showed them the letter. We went through the 45-minute process of entering our information to get cable and, in the end, we had a card to insert in our cable box. Only 40 more minutes telephone call to “wed” the box and the card when we got home, and presto, we had cable.
This might seem like a lot to go through for television, but sitting back and watching a rugby match and the news made it worth it. We were connected, and it was pretty nice.
Tonight we went to Caroline’s Wine Review 2008. It featured red wines from South Africa. The wine tasting was at the Cape Sun hotel in downtown.
We walked into the tasting at the end of a long workday. We came straight from our various daily activities, and met in the lobby for leftover pizza. The hotel patrons may have looked at us strangely, but we knew we needed to eat something before downing all of that wine.
Outside the actual wine tasting room, there was a large cheese booth, where cheese from all over the world was being sold. We partook of a number of different cheeses before grabbing our complimentary glass and heading into the tasting.
There were easily over 40 different wines being highlighted, and they were all the top end brands. We enjoyed the opportunity to try as many as we could (we took a mini taxi home). We started with the most expensive and went down the cost spectrum from there. The most expensive were good, but our favorites were:
Although not the most expensive, all were quite pricey, so we were glad to try them during this event.
All in all, our high opinion of South African wine was affirmed. We enjoyed seeing our friend Lynne from Main Ingredient in Sea Point, (one of our favorite shops). We definitely recommend this party hosted by Caroline’s! The next one is white wines!
Stumble It!
