Free, free at last!

Wow it feels amazing to be online and back in business. As most of you know, I did not complete the week-long rural homestay because I got sick and had to be hospitalized. Yes, hospitalized in Africa. Rural Africa. Oh, there are many anecotes, including going into "town" to see the doctor via donkey-cart. Indeed, you read that correctly, a cart pulled by donkeys... four small, skinny-ass, mangey, probably diseased donkeys.

Anyway the hospital was not as bad I'm making it out to be. It was totally clean and non-sketchy, and I had a private room. Plus I got to be on morphine for a couple of days which was awesome. I'm still on antibiotics and painkillers, which are def essential bc I'm more than totally depressed about baseball. At least I'm not in Massachusetts having to live through this, and besides, there's a lot more to life than baseball. I'm not going to make a list now, but let's just say that not being confined to a hospital bed def puts things into perspective (I was in quarantine, aka not allowed out of my room in hospital and I was there for 6 days... human contact whittled down to nurses and my friends on Days of Our Lives).



Well, I'm back with the group now, currently staying in Durban in really nice apartments on the beach.






Actually I should probably head back to those now bc the group should be getting back soon, plus the Bold and the Beautiful is on...
Lots of love to all, and extra love to those who sent flowers, get-well emails, and who called me while I was in the hospital!!

-EVE

p.s yes, 6 days in the hospital+painkillers=addication to crappy american soaps

Africa Update

Molweni Abahlobo, (Hello friends)

Life in SA have been going pretty well, as usual, despite having to deal with huge inconvenience of no phone/money/credit cards/ID etc... as well as dealing with tons of bugbites all over my body (yeah, it's those damn bedbugs again).

Last weekend we participated in a short program with the Direct Action Center for Peace and Memory. The center was created by a bunch of former-MK guys (militant branch of the African National Congress which was responsible for the so-called acts of terrorism that helped bring down the apartheid govt) and they showed us around all the different townships around Cape Town. The experience of actually standing in places where the police opened fire with live ammunition on groups of children, of hearing stories of how they watched their friends die and of how they fled the country to receive military training was quite intense. Most of them were in their mid- to late-thirties, meaning that they started participating in the armed struggle when they were kids, like 14 or 15 yrs old. To say the least, it was amazing and very emotional to interact with these guys...






The rest of the weekend was the complete polar opposite. My friend Liza's parents were in Cape Town on their way to a safari trip, and they got us a hotel room where they were staying. The Cape Grace is the nicest hotel in Cape Town and five of us (Liza, Sara, Jamie, Elliot, and myself--aka the Select 5) were treated to 24-hrs of luxury--definitely a nice change from Langa, but slightly surreal and disconcerting after the earlier experiences of the weekend. Liza's parents took us out to a fab sushi dinner and then bankrolled a night of drinking and debauchery at several of the Cape Town hotspots (is it just me or do I sound like some corny tour guide? who actually uses the word "hotspots"?).
On Sunday we had an amazing brunch at the hotel, chillaxed at the Waterfront, went to the movies (Harold and Kumar go to Whitecastle--that's how hungover we were), and then took a chauffered new 7-series beamer back to good ol' Langa.

The week otherwise has been somewhat uneventful, but it was our last one in Langa homestay. I'm definitely going to miss my over-protective mama constantly asking me if I'm hungry and baking fresh bread for me; little sisi Tina who I taught to "high-five" and who, upon seeing my copy of Long Walk to Freedom, cried out, "Mandela!"; the kids in Langa who yell out "mlungo!" (whitey) when they see me walking around; laying on the bed with the whole family and watching American soaps and random movies like Under Siege 2... I will not however miss the cockroaches, or the bedbugs, or the bathtub that has no shower head (super practical for washing my long hair), or getting up at the ass-crack of dawn every morning. We have a farewell party tonight with all of the host families coming together and then tomorrow we head out to the Eastern Cape.

Our workload has def intensified, but it's still pretty easy. Xhosa is going well-- I can tell you to go to hell and describe in detail the process of washing dishes, but I'm not really sure how to ask where the bathroom is.

Anyway, off to the Eastern Cape tomorrow morning, bright and early! The eastern cape province is a rural and poor province, and we'll be staying there with Xhosa-speaking families for a week (apparently their English is VERY limited). Picture mud huts, grazing cattle, chickens and goats running free, women balancing huge water jugs on their heads... your basic imperialistic perspective of traditional African societies. After a week there, we are being treated to a weekend on the coast where we can chill on the beach etc. before heading to Durban for a week of classes. Then back to CT on Oct 24! Woohoo. All that to say that I won't be in touch for about 10 days. I know it'll be hard for some of you, BUT one of the program directors has lent me a cell phone until I can get a new one.
I miss you all and hope that life is good, whichever continent you find yourself on,

Yitschani esihogweni,

Eve

p.s sorry about ending with that last sentence with a preposition
p.p.s "Yitschani esihogweni" means go to hell

super fun news!

Hey everyone!
Quick update on the fun activities of this past weekend. I had a true South African night on Saturday because, you guessed it, I got my handbag stolen! Or as they say here, I "involuntarily redistributed my wealth."
So my wallet containing cash, credit cards, health insurance info, etc PLUS my new cell phone are gone... meaning I have none of your phone numbers AND there is no way to reach me. Obviously I'm thrilled at having this unique experience, as are my parents who are busy canceling cards and trying to get new ones sent to me in Africa. I love this place.

Eve's in Africa

Molo everyone!

Well the week of orientation/getting-to-know-you went quite well. It took place at a semi-crappy hotel in the mountains outside Cape Town.... the beautiful location and hotsprings pool made up for the cold-ish nights and the bedbugs (seriously, there were literal bedbugs).



At the end of the week, we (the group is 22 people) went to Cape Town and stayed at a backpackers (basically a hostel) on the Waterfront. On the first afternoon in the city, we had a drop-off; bascially they gave each of us a little assignment and dropped us off in random places all around the city. Some examples were researching student life, or going to a museum... Mine was to research queer/gay culture in Cape Town. I was a little intimidated by the topic, but once I was dropped off, I get into my element. I actually ended up talking to tons of random people who were so enthusiastic to talk to me and so curious about what I was doing. After an hour or so off wandering from place to place, I found a gay bar and basically chilled with a bunch of gay guys, drinking beer and chatting for about 2 hours before heading back and reporting to the group in a "de-brief" session.

On Friday night we went to UCT to hear Nelson Mandela speak, which was amazing.
The lecture was a tribute to Steve Biko, a very prominent political thinker and member of his political party (ANC) who was tortured and murdered under apatheid. Since we had to read Mandela's autobiography before coming (Long Walk to Freedom, which I highly recommend btw) we could really follow what he was talking about... plus, despite his age, he is still a very moving and emotional speaker.



Anyway the time at the Waterfront was a nice time to get further acquainted with the city and party a bit. The night life in Cape Town is great. It feels pretty Euro, but with an African flair--like London and New Orleans had a kid and raised it in Jamaica. Plus it is SO CHEAP... a dinner for 5 people, including drinks and dessert at one of the best restaurants in the city cost about $180 (for real); and cocktails at most bars are about $3! Such a refreshing change from a summer of big-spending in London and NYC .

Well on Saturday we moved in to our homestays in Langa, the Xhosa (black) township on the borders of Cape Town. It's basically a ghetto--kids running around in the dusty streets, mangy dogs in small packs, fruit stands by the road--and the families are quite poor. However, they are so excited that we are here to learn about their culture, as well as learn about the US. They are so warm and welcoming! I'm living with a woman, Florence, who was a housekeeper and cook for many years (she baked fresh bread and muffins for me!) and is now retired; her 25-yr-old daughter Pimkie, who works at a university cafeteria; and Pimkie's daughter Tina who is the cutest and sweetest little 3-yr-old ever. They all share one room and sleep in the same bed, which is traditional here, and I have a small bedroom to myself. Despite it's size and location, the house is clean and decently maintained (besides the odd cockroach here and there). But it's still in a township, meaning it's not safe to go out at night, and it's not even that safe for me to wander the streets alone during the day. Thank god for little Tina who accompanied me on my strolls around the neighborhood on Sunday when I visited my friends living nearby.

So that was the weekend, and we started classes yesterday. Actually that's a lie because we started our Xhosa (the X is a click sound, very tricky) classes during orientation. Anyway the program, though affiliated with the University of CT, does not have classroom facilities on the UCT campus, but we have full access to the computer labs and libraries, and the profs come to lecture to us. The campus is a very long steep walk up hill, which is annoying, but a great workout.

Ok everyone, I'll stop boring you with the details of my life... as you can probably tell, I'm really enjoying myself and the program is off to a great start. It will certainly be a life-changing experience.
Hope that you're all doing well!!
Kisses,

Eve