I’ll wrap up the last two days in Cape Town with a quick overview – others may add some write-ups and photos over the next couple of days as well.
After the first day at Rondevlei (Monday), we ended a little early to take advantage of a relatively windless day to take the cable car to the top of Table Mountain. The ride was steep, and the views from the top absolutely breathtaking.
On Tuesday, we returned to Rondevlei, this time for some serious work (at least for a while). We walked out into the fields in the reserve, where Penny explained to us some of the challenges of non-native flora in the fynbos region (especially the amount of water they consume). She showed us some samples of the Erica plant:
which had become extinct in the wild but was being brought back by careful cultivation. We then went to work pulling “Port Arthur” plants – pernicious weeds that were much stronger – and harder to pull – than they looked! Note the strain and the triumph on our faces!
After the hard work, we were treated to a tour of the rest of the region, which included Zookevlei Nature Reserve, a sewage treatment plant, and a land fill. All of this (with Rondevlei) is supposed to become the False Bay Ecological Park in the next several years, when the landfill closes. It already is host to innumerable birds, and there are plan to bring in more animal species and significantly develop the educational programs for the region.
Finally, on Tuesday evening we were honored to have the chance to meet with Ms. Bandi Biko, sister of murdered resistance leader Steve Biko. She stayed for dinner and talked with us about her own work developing homes for AIDS orphans, and about her brother and his life and work.
Well, the trip comes to an end tomorrow, and it has been an incredible and unforgettable experience. All my photos are available here: http://community.webshots.com/user/chughes13; anyone is welcome to look through, print, or download anything you would like. Japan photos are there as well, but all photos from this trip are in 6 folders labeled “Cape Town.” Enjoy!
Chris H.
We boarded the bus at 8 on Monday morning for the Rondevlei Nature Reserve not knowing what to expect. When we got there, however, it was clear that we were in for an experience uniquely South African. Our guide, Penny, was pleasantly eager to educate us about her career and the animals she worked with. She showed us all of the different types of birds in South Africa and we discovered that we would be counting these birds for a good portion of our time at the reserve. After a short presentation of the flora and fauna, we split up into two different groups and embarked upon different trails through the park.
The paths wound through labyrinths of reeds and marsh to various bird “hides”. These hides were set up like hunters’ camoflagued lookouts and were excellent for viewing birds in their natural habitat without disturbing their natural cycles. Rondevlei is a park located in an area of wetlands in Cape Town making it the perfect ecosystem for water birds, small antelope, mongeese, and even a hippo population. Birds of all shapes and hue perched, swooped and swam in the marshes as we watched in secret (or so it would seem, although the birds probably knew we were there) from the hides. During one of the birding sprees, it was thought that hippos were spotted and excitement filled the air as they watched what appeared to be ears and nostrils rise and submerge. This hippo sighting, however, was later retracted and relabeled as a sighting of spawning fish instead.
After naming and counting all the birds we had encountered it was time for us to meet Pippa the porcupine. Afrcian porcupines are large black and white nocturnal rodents with sharp spines on their backs. Pippa, however, was quite friendly and came out for us during the day. Being a genial porcupine she allowed students to pet and play with her and even licked some girls’ arms. Other conservationists then taught us how to “ring” birds, which is basically tagging birds for identification and conservation purposes. They showed us by ringing two magestic yellow-billed kites with metal rings so that they could be identified in the future.
Everyone at the reserve was enthusiastic about their work and I was ecstatic to see this attitude. At most reserves, conservationists and naturalists are downtrodden in their labor because it is so hard to convince citizens and politicians alike that nature is worth preserving. For this reason not many people seem to stay at one reserve too long but at Rondevlei there was hope. They showed us a comprehensive plan for the future and were excited about what they could do and didn’t foucus on what they couldn’t. This was truly inspiring to me and I believe the whole group felt the same.
Emily
Friday was emotionally exhausting, yet it concluded with a sighting of a whale!
We spent the first part of the morning working at the Recreation Center in Bloekombos (a middle-range township—not the worst of the worst), preparing both a stew for the children to eat on Saturday morning and sandwiches to distribute on the streets to children returning home from school that day. I actually traveled for part of this session with the director (Tessa, who organizes this simple but important food distribution every day) to shop for goods, while others from our group stayed back peeling, chopping, dicing, and stirring. Then we spent the remainder of the morning with Carol Jooste, the director of the program to help AIDS patients in the township who are well enough to be home, walking through the shanty town with two of her assistants, visiting the shacks of her clients, talking with them, learning about their lives and illnesses, distributing health care packs and bags of food.
That was emotionally wrenching—the powerful illness, the terrible poverty, the heat, street after street. There is a ghastly emptiness in the neighborhoods, a ghastly emptiness of hope and life. We ended the morning distributing sandwiches, with children running to us with their bowls. Several of the children in the neighborhood were bathing in a small pool in front of the house of one of the workers—the only way Tessa (the food provider) could get their parents to agree to allow her to bathe them.
We then headed for the dock and the ferry to Robben Island.
We toured the prison with a man who had been incarcerated there for 20 years—Patrick went in in 1967, at the age of 18. I am four months older than he. He entered prison the year I graduated from high school and was released while I was teaching at my first teaching job, following graduate school. He pointed up a narrow staircase where the dreaded censor reviewed every letter, cutting out what he considered inappropriate communication. He pointed to a room where prisoners were beaten. We stood in the courtyard where prisoners pounded rocks and where they also played tennis, occasionally hiding a written message in the tennis ball and knocking it out of the yard for someone to find and carry to the mainland. Cape Town sits across the water from Robben Island like a magical city, just close enough and just out of reach.
Patrick is a friend of Nelson Mandela (they played chess together, Patrick beating him more often than not) and took us to Mandela’s cell. Mandela spent 18 years of his 27 years if imprisonment there—his eating utensils are still there. It is a stark, empty place. One window looks out onto the courtyard. One can hardly imagine life reduced to simpler terms. Patrick then spoke ever so powerfully about reconciliation and forgiveness, and working hard for the future. A frank, honest, realistic, and deeply inspirational man.
Then, on the way back to Cape Town, a whale arced near the boat. A natural rainbow…
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The most memorable image for me of this day of prison cells of the present and off the past: the limestone quarry where the Robben Island prisoners worked for 8 hrs, five days per week and became sick (some terminally) from the dust. (Mandela’s tear ducts are blocked because of the years of limestone dust, thus the reason why he cannot have flash photographs taken.) In 1995 the prisoners still alive, all free by this time, returned to the quarry and, with Mandela leading, built a cairn on the site, one stone upon another, in memory of the battle they fought there.
On Saturday morning we checked out of the hotel and loaded up the bus bright and early to head to the De Hoop nature reserve. After a long and tiring four hour drive, we finally arrived and got into our rooms (wooden floors and bunk beds- it felt like we were at sleepaway camp!) to change our clothes and get ready to head down to the beach. After a short presentation about the beach cleanup we would be doing that day, we drove another 45 minutes to the beach.
When we arrived at the beach, we were completely amazed by the gorgeous view of the Indian Ocean – it was the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. We walked along the beach in small groups picking up litter, and I couldn’t believe how much we found – tires, bottles, glow sticks – it was disgusting. After we finished working, we walked over to the tidal pools and went wading in the Indian Ocean.
Tee-jay was unfortunately stung by one of the many small blue jelly fish swimming around, and the rest of us just barely avoided them. By that point we were very tired, and very ready to head back to the reserve for dinner. We ate, showered (warm water was unavailable 
) and some of us went on a nocturnal nature walk (complete with a very exciting South African beetle sighting) while the rest of us headed to bed early. On Sunday morning we took a very beautiful, and very strenous hike up Potberg Mountain to the radio station situated there, and when we reached the bottom again we were very glad to have made it back down.
We ate lunch, packed up, and headed back to Cape Town. We were very, very glad to see the cityscape once more. A few of us headed down to the waterfront for some gelato and shopping (our friends and families are going to love their gifts) and then back to the hotel for an early night. The weekend was fun and packed with some interesting and priceless experiences, but personally, I’m ready to get to bed.
More Later.
Jessica
Greetings from South Africa!
At 5:00 Saturday morning, we awoke to leave on a four-hour bus ride into the great unknown. After the long bus ride, we finally made it to De Hoop Nature Reserve, where we bunked girl scout-style. We spent Saturday on a beautiful beach (on the Indian Ocean) located on the reserve and helped clean up the beach. One of the most interesting pieces of trash we found was a refrigerator door from Korea. On the way back from the beach to our cabins, we saw Zebras, and even made friends with some ostriches!
The most intense physical activity we encountered was our 2.5-mile hike, which was straight up Potsberg (which means Pots Mountain in Afrikaans). The strenuous hike (we went from sea level to about 3000 feet and back) was worth it because once we made it to the top you could see for miles. It was simply gorgeous.
After the hike, we ate a quick lunch and packed in the bus for our long journey back to Cape Town.
Katie and Ashley.
If you are reading the blogs in order, we are sure that by this time you have read about the schools we have visited, the children, etc. However, while that is one part of the trip, the other part is the townships and disease. In addition to school children, we have visited several communities that are fighting the AIDS epidemic. On these trips we met with them, heard their stories, and distributed food and Care Kits that consist of ordinary things such as a towel, toothpaste, and basic vitamins. We also visited a hospice center, which was described by the manager as a place for people too sick to stay at home, and not sick enough to be at the hospital. After the manager finished his introduction of the hospice center, we were allowed to walk around and visit with the patients.
It is our belief that it is one thing to read about people with AIDS, and to be able to recognize the numbers, and a completely different thing to sit in a room that has 10 people with the disease. Seeing firsthand what these people were going through, and seeing how they still managed to smile at all of us when we walked into the room was enough to help us understand that it is really happening and it is really a problem. While some people were saddened by this experience, others were uplifted and inspired. It gave us a feeling that we can help if we just open our eyes and put forth the energy needed.
When walking through the townships, we felt as though there was a difference between seeing these lean-tos on Google and actually walking down the street. Seeing what these people had made us all realize just how much we have. Simple toiletries were rare in the township, alongside running water and food. However, something that these townships were rich in was energy. It seems weird to say, but that is the only way that we know how to describe it. When you were walking down the street, there was music playing, and people dancing in the streets. Everyone shared a smile as we walked down the street. It is amazing how these people seem to us to have so little, but they can still be happy and dancing.
Victoria and Mason
OK – still can’t add pictures yet, but a quick update for the last two days. On Thursday we were back at the Recreation Center, working mostly with the day-care kids they have there: playing with them and fixing their lunch, then bagging up bread, cracker, and cookie crumbs that they take home to add to their breakfast porridge. Thursday night was a completely different view of Cape Town, as we enjoyed dinner at Bishops school, a stunning boys’ prep school in the shadows of Cape Town’s mountains. The girls enjoyed the scenery, I believe (and maybe the mountains, to0…).
Friday was an incredible day – an emotionally draining one. We divided into two groups: one stayed at the Rec center at first, preparing food, and the other went into the Township (Bloekombos). There, the group met with several women and their children (Carol’s “clients”) at a care clinic and talked to the director of the clinic, then walked through the Township and visited a couple more clients in their homes. Late morning, the groups switched and the second group walked to several client homes in the township while the first finished cooking. Then, all of us went into another neighborhood and served lunch to children coming home from school. (Did I mention it topped 100 degrees today?)
Our late afternoon was spent traveling to Robben Island – an intense and moving experience of its own. To stand at Mandela’s cell, being guided by a 20-year political prisoner whose cell was four down from Mandela’s…unbelievable.
Tomorrow and Sunday we’re off to De Hoop nature reserve for some environmental work – I assume no internet and no blog updates, so I hope to have some more students add their voices in on Monday.
Sorry there’s been a delay in posting – the Hotel’s wireless went out! I still can’t get many pictures up, but they’ll come as I can load them. As you’ll see below, several students added blog sections talking mostly about the primary school where we spent most of our day. We are working with the I-Care program of Grace Fellowship Africa. The director, Carol, guided us to the school where we spent several hours with the children, playing games and preparing and serving breakfast and lunch for them.
At the end of the school day (2:00), we drove the 5.2 km back to the township where most of the school’s children live. The school has been asking for a bus for years with no response, so the children walk – or they don’t. Of a student population of 244, the principal told us on many days they only get 60-90 kids – in bad weather it can be even fewer. In the township (which was once an illegal “squatter town”) we stopped in at a hospice care center called Eagle’s Rest. It housed 15 beds in two rooms (one for men and one for women) – the beds were all full and the director told us they are always filled to capacity. The vast majority of their patients are HIV-positive and several also have tuberculosis. We were told that the HIV rate for Bloekombos is 62%, and the TB rate is 69%. The sudden shift from the joy of the schoolyard to the solemnity of the hospice had a profound and sobering impact on the group.
After Eagle’s Rest, we had the honor of being invited into some homes within the township of Bloekombos. Divided into smaller groups, we were welcomed into the houses of some of Carol’s “clients” to meet them. The houses in the township ranged from one-room tin shacks to multi-room cement homes. Inside some of the homes were barely furnished at all, and some were clearly better equipped. Alan pointed out that this township was neither remarkably poor nor particularly well-off. Throughout our time in the township, we were consistently greeted with gracious smiles and waves – and much curiosity.
