First off, my impression of Stellenbosch is that it has somewhat of a "California" feel, with many differences of course. What I mean by this, is that while similarities might include the climate, the vegetation, the "beach" culture and general laid back attitude of the people, one cannot help but be reminded of the town's distinct South Africanness. South Africa is a very diverse nation (coined "the Rainbow Nation" by Archbishop Desmond Tutu) and Stellenbosch reflects that diversity quite vividly. One can walk down the oak-lined streets with their posh boutiques and upscale cafes and some might forget they are in Africa. This is not because Stellenbosch is "un-African," but because most people have a very narrow concept of what counts as African. Yes, this part of the Cape region does have lots of European influence, much more than other parts of the country and definitely more than other African countries, but that doesn't make it un-African.
Going back to the idea of diversity, Stellenbosch encapsulates many themes that are present throughout South Africa in just a small area. There are native Africans, or blacks as they are called, Coloureds (the South African term for people of mixed-race or other unclassifiable racial backgrounds), whites of European descent (both English and Afrikaner) and Indians (brought to South Africa as slave labor). While many think of Stellenbosch as a "white" area, it is in fact majority Coloured. Because Coloureds and most whites speak Afrikaans, this area is a very much influenced by that language and has been thought of as the center of Afrikaner culture. But even though I've only been here for two weeks, I can already sense that this place is in the midst of huge changes as the power dynamics slowly shift to empower the previously disadvantaged segments of the population.
Just as a note, however, I have NEVER been in or seen a place with such great disparity between rich and poor. South Africa holds the unfortunate claim of having the highest income disparity (along with Brazil). As a testament to this, one can walk 15 minutes from the afore-mentioned upscale oak-lined street and find oneself in the midst of the township of Kiyamandi. This "squatter community" is made up of tens of thousands of people living in sheer poverty. It is a virtual slum with houses made of scraps of metal, limited electricity and plumbing, and street children running around with no money, no parents, and very little to be happy about in life. While their situation may seem bleak to us Americans, though, it does not mean they are sad people, as I've met some truly joyful individuals who make me wonder what it really takes to be happy in life. I am excited for the lessons I will be learning as I engage with the people in these communities through my Service Learning in Community Development class.
Dang! I have to say that I did not envision this post being so much writing, but I guess there was a lot that I wanted to say. I hope I didn't bore you. It'll be getting better, I promise. I'll now talk about my room. I live in a residence hall called "Metanoia" with 500 other South Africans. This will indeed be a major part of my "immersion" experience while I am here as I have already made friends with a good number of South Africans who have been teaching me a lot about South African culture. The residential life system here is much different than in the States, and has a lot of fun traditions and a community vibe that I don't think a lot of other big schools in the US come close to matching. I have a single room with simple furnishings in a relatively quiet part of the dorm, which I like a lot, because it can get pretty hectic (they love using that word for just about everything that has a negative sense).
Here is a picture of my room with my dresser to the left, bed, desk, shelves, etc. It's pretty boring, really, but I'm sure there are many who have not seen it yet.
Next, I thought it would be nice and informative if I posted stuff about the hike up Stellenbosch Mountain that I took last week. First off, let me just inform everyone that it is NOT a good idea to go up a mountain in 100 degree heat, blazing midday sun, and with only a single water bottle. Yeah, there's one lesson I've definitely learned so far. So basically we set out to hike up the picturesque Mt. Stellenbosch completely unprepared in just about every way. Not only did we not bring enough 1) water, 2) sunscreen, 3) proper clothing, but we also had a lack of 4) directions (both how to get to the trail, and what trail to take to get up the mountain), and 5) general sense of how long the hike was. One might think such a hike would prove disastrous and likely end in the death of one or more of our group members. You would, however, be quite wrong, my friend.
Here is a shot of Mt. Stellenbosch with the trail we hiked up and the ridge we stopped at mid-way up. It looks a lot less impressive from this angle, but let me tell you it was brutal. But no matter how hectic it is, I still want do the hike to the top again sometime soon.
We eventually found our way, realized we were stupid for thinking we could go all the way up with so little water, and just hiked up to a nice ridge where we got a great view of Stellenbosch and the whole region. As you can see, the payoff we got was well worth the grueling hike in hectic conditions and scorching heat. Atop the ridge, we could see False Bay to the south along with the Cape Peninsula, the Cape Flats, and Table Mountain to the west. The rolling hills of Stellenbosch were laid out before us, and it was quite a sight to behold. The university, with its characteristic red-tiled roofs, was also easily distinguishable, along with my dorm Metanoia (which for those of you who are looking for it, is of an uncharacteristic white color and odd shape: it looks like a figure 8 with an arm jutting off the side).
Here is an attempt at a panoramic picture, but I have to split it up to fit. It goes from looking west towards Cape Town, to north with Stellenbosch in view, to east with the Simonsberg Mountains.
Here is my hiking companion Jeremy. He's also on CIEE with me and lives just down the hall in Metanoia. His hiking expertise is probably what saved us (if he'd listened to me we'd still be on the mountain).
Here is a shot of the Stellenbosch campus, with all the main buildings distinguishable by the red tile roofs. My res, Metanoia, is visible in the center. It's the bright white building that sticks out and is oddly shaped. If you can make it out, I live at the end of the arm that sticks out to the left.
Here's Jen perched up on a sweet cliff. I kind of wish I had scampered over there too, but whatever, it just means I'll have to go up again sometime soon (preferably when it's not hotter than the inside of the sun).
Here's a video I took from the ridge halfway up Mt. Stellenbosch. It's a little windy, but gives a good view of everything from the Cape mountains, to Stellenbosch, to the Simonsberg Mountains. Beautiful rolling wine country.
After a good rest on the ridge, we made our way back down in order to escape the heat and sun that had been cooking us like a sausage over a braai. We found a little river and decided to cool off for a bit before heading home. There was this sweet suspension bridge over it for people to walk without getting wet (although that was quite the opposite of what we wanted). After getting a lot of strange looks from passers by, who most likely were wondering what a bunch of sweaty Americans were doing in the disgusting sewage-like water that no body ever swims in, we finally headed home. Upon reentering civilization, I immediately downed a 1.5 litre bottle of water and crashed down on my bed from sheer exhaustion. All in all, though, it was a very good day, all potential catastrophes were successfully averted, and we got some great views.
Here are some pictures of the group. First we have Justin, the only hardcore hiker of the group who was moderately prepared to do the hike to the top. Then we have a shot of the group cooling off. All AIFS or CIEE students (Americans). Lindsay (on the far right) along with Jeremy are the two other CIEE kids. Then we have the flippin sweet bridge that I mentioned earlier.
Well, there we are for now. Hopefully you're all slightly more acquainted with the area (as was the hope in this post, although I'm not sure how successful I was). As classes are just getting under way, I'm thinking that the time I can devote to blogging will most definitely be going down, so if posts become less frequent, just be patient. Thanks everyone, and happy Super Tuesday! Go Barack!
**Edited for typos**
1 comment:
nice comforter.
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