Transportation: A Luxury

We’re in the middle of taking finals right now. My first one was today and I have 3 more this week. The greatest thing about finals is our transportation! Due to the awkward final times and stress of mini bus taxis we have a private driver taking us to and from school. This cuts down our trip by a whole hour one way. In order to understand this luxury more fully, I need to explain our normal mode of transportation, mini bus taxis.

Normally to get to the University of the Western Cape (UWC) I give myself an hour and a half. It starts by walking outside my building onto main road to catch the first taxi. At this point, the ideal taxi to catch is an almost full Michael’s Plain taxi. I want it to be almost full so that there is enough room for me (although if it’s full they’ll make a seat on the ceiling). Plus I want it full so that the taxi doesn’t stand at corners waiting for more people. Also I want it to be a Michael’s Plain taxi, because they go all the way to Mowbray Station.

Once at Mowbray Station, I transfer to a Bellville taxi. A perfect Bellville taxi is one that is very full of UWC students, because then we go quickly to campus. Of course that doesn’t usually happen. Instead the taxi could be half empty and stop at every corner hoping for more people. Some cases it could be pulled over by the police, and I find my driver arrested (this one kind of puts you in a bind). Also there is always the possibility of an accident (like the door falling off and landing on another car). Usually though, it just takes me about an hour and a half to get to campus.

During my time in taxis I have learned to forfeit personal space. Really I didn’t have much choice, because we’re all packed together as tightly as possible. Though, the true forfeit came when I finally let my body relax next to the people around me. Instead of tensing up, I now just rest. In these moments I don’t have to try to discover South Africa, because I’m simply living it.

(But don’t worry, I’ll be ready to live with private transportation again once I get home!)

Marion Institute

The last couple of months I have been volunteering at a daycare/preschool/kindergarten called Marion Institute. The staff was more than welcoming to me, and very invested in the kids. It was just down the road from where we live, so I walked to it. My time there was spent playing with the kids and providing an extra set of hands.

Being at Marion reminded me kids are kids everywhere. For example, I played the same games with the Marion kids that I do with kids at home (I have to say I am a pretty good duck, fish, dog, lion, elephant, horse, and the list is endless). At the same time it showed me, if they aren’t given the necessary lessons early they’ll quickly fall behind. I saw this in the kindergarten class, where most of the class still does not know their basic colors. The problem of education is not unique to Marion’s, but is a very large social political issue in South Africa. With only 14 years of democracy, the new South Africa is still young. Hopefully in years to come the story of education will be changed.

Stellenbosch

I spent four days exploring the city Stellenbosch with friends, Julia and Greg. The city is just 45 minutes east of Cape Town and in the heart of South African wine country.

The scenery was absolutely gorgeous with mountains, vineyards, trees, and Cape Dutch architecture. While we were there we enjoyed simple pleasures: wine, food, tea, biking, running, walking, and reading.
on our bike ride

so much good food

vineyards all around

One of the most restful things in Stellenbosch was the safety. Compared to our neighborhood in Cape Town, we could let our guard down. At night, we walked for blocks and blocks without worry. Also, I was able to run alone!

Stellenbosch reminded me of one of the lessons I’m learning, because there I had a taste of what I left behind. At home, I live my days according to how I choose. A good example is running. I simply put on my shoes and walk out the door in the States. But in Cape Town, if I want to run alone (like right now!), I can not. I have to find someone to go with me. Running always depends on someone else in Cape Town. Most everything here depends on other people. At home, at an everyday level, I live independently. My day is lived at the beat of my own drum. In Cape Town, I’ve had to learn how to listen to other beats. And to be honest, I’m a little tired of listening right now