the social scene

i've been getting a lot of emails on what i do on my spare time and what the clubs are like so this the best i can do. i've been to a few clubs and lounges. the first one was very much like boston clubs, wack! and to make matters worse everyone smokes, and the stench get all in ur clothes, i hate that, so u know im all set with that! the lounge gave me some laughs. well it was called cool runnings. so if uve seen that movie u could prob guess what the decor and atmosphere was like. very much a jamaican vibe. flags everywhere, dread heads everywhere (white, black, coloured, asain...whatever) although they barely played any reggae (lol) but honestly there was not one jamaican in the place. and the people that own it were white south africans. (again, lol) which brings me to my next point that there are some sketchy (another word that ive picked up while being here that i wouldnt normally say), places here that if they were in the US would be very offensive to some groups of ppl. oh and did i mention cool runnings is like a smoke house as well. well they aint smokin weed, cause it is illegal, but they were smoking some other stuff out of these funny looking tube stands (hooka) or something. (and no i didnt have any) but yeah, so theres this other restaurant called spurs here that has this indian vibe to it. now when i say indian i mean cowboys & indians not the country. it was so stereotypical indian like. (lol) trust me if it were in the US it would be shut down so quick, not very politically correct. but anyway, what else have i done...i learned how to play the african drum, went to a comedy show, that wasnt that funny, went to too many house parties. drank and seen enough wine here then in my life time. and altogether i prob only had like 2-3 cups. the only thing ppl really drink here is wine and beer. and im not a fan so, ive been pretty sobber. but the funniest thing ive seen is this thing they call boxed wine. (literally) it is wine in a box. so u know its madd cheap. but not only do they come in big ugly no name brand white boxes. they also come in mini boxes. like juice boxes u would give ur kids. (lol) i swear if i brought that to the states and sipped on it in class or at work, no one would know. madd ghetto! been to the beach, didnt swim though, not warm enough for all that. had a braai (americans would know it as a BBQ) had a couple "family" dinners with my house mates, very cute. been approached by some scarey south african men. done some shopping, not much though! (those of u who know me prob think im lying, but i really havent bought much Mary! but dont worry its all for u guys) the malls here r just like the states, but bigger this one mall i went to with George when he came to vist was called Century City, and it really is like a city. it has over 500 stores!, 2 movie theaters, restaurants, the whole 9, plus theres a casino next door and 2 hotels. i went to the casino i almost forgot it was a casino, its like a entertainment wonderland, and adults dream something like the neverland racnh for kids! lol, oh and did i mention that i spent 8 hours, yes 8 hours in that mall, and i only bought batteries for my camera, can u believe it. but the clothes are nice but if you want authentic south african stuff the best place is the markets. i also went to a ruby game which is big here, that was interesting to say the least i think people are just as amped about sports as they are in the states, they just dont get as out control where they start beating each other upive done some other stuff but i cant really remember it all so i'll just end it here. but im having lots of fun. i miss u all, keep me in ur prayers!!

Reflections: Month 1

It has been 1 month today that i left Boston for Cape Town, and im shocked at how fast the time has gone. its just becoming a reality to me that this trip will be over before i know it. my experiences here have been a mixture of both good, bad and challenging; each of which have enriched my life in many ways.

The Bad:
1. Not being able to call family & friends whenever i feel like. (running out of airtime!!! its the worst!) u become dependent on ppl calling u, b/c it costs so much to call them.
2. SLOW internet
3. All my arrival drama that i experienced my 1st couple of days here
4. Being away from the ppl u love
5. Not being able to travel at night, and having to go out in large groups. its gets hard when everyone wants to do different things and u cant just go out and do what u want to do, but u have to either go along with what everyone else wants to do (which is not in my character) or just stay in.
6. Homesickness. no matter how great it is here, we all miss home at some point.

The Challenging:
1. Being away from the ppl u love. (i know i wrote this in the previous section, but its def a challenge for me)
2. Being out of your comfort zone. especially when it comes to ppl. b/c im not here with any family or friends, im kinda forced to make friends with ppl here. in general i think we all tend to flock to ppl that we feel share the same interests and values as we do, but here its hard to do that when most of the ppl im surrounded by have different interests, goals, values, morals etc.
3. Living arrangements. No matter where u go its always a challenge when u have roommates-getting along and sharing resources. it can be tough when everyone doesnt see eye 2 eye or if they dont understand one another.
4. Time management. Having to balance school work with fun. Im in a lively city where theres always something going on and something exciting to do, but i have to keep reminding myself that im here for school 1st.
5. Living in the moment/living for today. I have to remember to take things one day at a time, try to experience everything, reflect on those experiences and learn from them.

The Good:
1. Having the opportunity to just be in AFRICA, particularly in Cape Town!!
2. Being exposed to a wide array of people, cultures, foods, arts & entertainment etc.
3. Becoming more independent. Theres something about being alone in a foreign country and being far away from home that makes u ,more dependent on urself.
4. Taking African dance. Although its a lot harder than i expected, its def worth it.
5. Volunteering at the orphanage. taking time out of my week to do something for someone else is the most fulfilling feelings. far too often we get caught up in our own lives that we forget to give to others, and for the 1st time i really feel like i doing something completely selfless. the children of Khayelitsha are amazing, i love 'em already!!
6. Evolving & growing/maturing.
7. Traveling
8. Learning Xhosa. Even though i prob wont ever use it in the states, the fact that im learning it is incredible.
9. Shopping!! Those who know me well, know its my favorite pastime. Everything is soooo nice, how can i not shop? but trust me when i say that i havent bought much, im actually doing pretty well.
10. Strengthening my faith & letting God be the leader of my life. with Him i have no worries. He is with me always, and i can rest assured knowing that he watches over me everyday of my life.

Kemi Loves The Kids..

I have recently started volunteering at an orphanage (Baphumelele Children's Home) for abused/neglected and abandoned children in one of the local townships. (a township is like what we would call a ghetto, but much worse. the ppl r living in what i would describe as tin huts, no more than 6ft by 6ft. let me just point out that a lot of what Americans might consider a "ghetto" or the "projects" looks like a rich city compared to these townships.) the opportunity to read and play with these children has definitely made me appreciate the life i had as a child. anything that i may have complained about in the past, means nothing anymore, b/c for one, these children r living in a very poor community, they do not have parents, and the lack many of the resources that many of us had as children. and despite it all, they are still happy children, filled with love and energy! at first i thought i was there for them to learn from me, but after my 1st encounter, i have realized that i am learning a lot from them. they teach me Xhosa (God only knows i need the help..lol), songs, to relax and just have a good time, and most importantly that we should all make the most of our lives despite our current situation or hardships. ive only had the pleasure to be with them on 2 occasions so far, but im def fallin in love with them, and its gonna be so hard to say goodbye at the end of this trip. the 1st day it was hard...me and 1 of the toddlers had b/c friends instantly, so we laughed and played. i chased her around the playground, then she chased me, we had a blast and then b4 i knew it, it was time to go. i tried to say bye, but she just wasnt havin it. she just kept playing, like i was never gonna leave her. after many failed attempts, one of the caretakers tried to distract her, so i could make a run for it and get in the bus. i had just got to the bus and was about to put my leg in, when the lil girl run up to me and attatched herself to my leg. i didnt imagine how easy it can be to get attatched, and not just the kids to us, but us to the children. i have to keep reminding myself not to get attached, b/c eventually i will have to leave, and as much as it will hurt me, it will hurt the children. but all i can say is that these children are having a great impact on my life and i only pray that i can have one on theirs.

much love,
Kemi

Class Update

So im taking this african dance class...i thougHt it would be somewhat easy. i figured, im african, ive done some african dance, no problem. huh! yeah right. i think this will be my hardest class. but i like it though. its fun, the instructor is great, and u get a very good work out. after like the 1st 15-20 minutes i had a cramp in my left thigh, and i was in desperate need of H2O. the majority of the class is white, american students, prob like 5 or 6 blk students, then the instructor has invited about 15 south africans (majority blk & coloured) dance majors to the class to "spice it up" as he says. lol, i think it just makes all the rest of us look bad b/c they already know all the steps. but, hey it will be great.

Changed my class schedule again for like the 20th time. but im sticking with it this time. made it to Xhosa today, thank God! also a difficult class, but not the work, just the pronounciation of the words. im also taking gender and history, very interesting class. did u know that from the 1500-1870s women domanited west african societies? so up until like 1880 there were matriarchies, instead of patriarchies. oh, and lastly, remember yesterday i couldnt find one of my classes (not Xhosa) the one no dept knew about, well it turns out the reason y i couldnt find it was b/c it doesnt exist! lol, so thats how i ended up with gender and history. but im feelin' my schedule though, the majority of my classes r tues-thurs, mon i have 1 class at 10-10:45, and fridays i have off. and the best part about it is that i dont have to buy any books!! so im saving $$$.

So thats the class update, wish me luck on grades.

PEACE!

Classes....

can someone please explain to me why there is not one central location where u can find out where classes r? i understand that every school has its own way of doing things but the way things works here in reference to class venues is nuts. in order to find out where u classes r, u have to go to the dept the class is under then look it up on what they call notice boards. lets just say i missed 2 classes today. !!!!!!! im not happy about that cause i woke up extremely early, thought i was prepared and still managed to miss 2 classes. 1 of which no dept knows where its being held. ive tried everything, and still nothing. im getting a just a lil irritated now, but i will remain calm. and tues are my longest day. i have class from 10am to 7pm!!! crazy isnt it? and i only have like 1 real break, and its for 2 hrs. 1hr is reserved for lunch b/c everyone has lunch at the same time at 1pm. so please pray that i am able to get my class venues situated b/c i really dont want to miss anymore classes. oh and did i mention that 1 of the classes i missed today was my Xhosa class again! and apparently they went over all the clicks-thats like THE most important part of the class. not happy at all....pray, pray, pray b/c im in desparate need of prayer right now.

much love,
kemi

School??

for some strange reason i keep forgetting that im here for school, lol. thats prob not good huh? oh well, i will learn eventually. but hey, its my last semester so i guess thats y im not taking things that seriously, all my requirements r done.

so today is the official 1st day of classes. and i was all happy cause i was one of the few that dont have monday classes. until lunch (like 1pm) came and i ran into a friend and she told me shes in my Xhosa class and it met today. so off the bat im off to a slow start, again (lol). but its cool, she said everyone was late including the professor, and they did nothing, and she let them out early. no work assigned yet either. oh and did i mention they dont take attendance here. so at least im straight with that, but believe me i wont be missing anymore classes after today. ima be on top of my game from now on.

can i just mention what the campus is like...its def not like NU, cause NU is flat. this school has 3 levels. and not like 3 floors in like one building. theres a lower, middle, and upper campus. all of which include lots and lots on walking, particularly up and down hills and stairs. to walk from lower to upper campus is prob like a 15-20 min walk. so must ppl take the shuttles to and from lower to upper campus. so i pretty much dont have to use the gym here cause walking around campus is enough. walking from home to school from lower to upper campus is a hike!! from middle to upper campus alone i pass the soccer & rugby fields, a couple parking lots, some dorms, a few streets-its crazy, then i have to climb 3 flights of stairs. so im def not looking forward to when it gets cold and rainy, cause it will be a lot worse. did i mention theres like 20, 000 kids in this school, so its very busy.

but overall im still enjoying the experience. its all a part of the journey so im taking it all in stride. that is until i reach the culture shock part, lol.

alright, im out! Much Love!!

Robben Island & Nelson Mandela

Friday i went to the infamous Robben Island (the prison where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 yrs of his life.) very intense, thought provoking experience. upon arrival we r part on a bus that takes us around the island to show us inportant landmarks (i.e. a church, limestone quarry etc.). then after the bus tour we were then passed onto another guide who was actually a former prisoner of Robben Island. b4 going there i knew nothing about the place except the fact the mandela was there. i had no idea that it was only for blacks, coloured and asians. the blacks usuallywere usually treated worse, even when it came to diet. what struck me the most was when our guide mentioned that blacks were never given bread, for almost like 13yrs. bread was only given to coloureds & asians. i will never forget when he said, "that these ppl (those running the prisons and many prisoners) were Christains, and in the Lord's prayer they say 'give us this day, our daily bread...' but they never gave us bread from 1964 to 1977." i'll always remember those words. as part of the tour were we able to see Nelson Mandela's cell and many others. in C block (known for being the punishment block) were what they called cell stories. where those prisoners who resided there left stories of their experiences in those particular cells. each cell told a different yet devastating account of what life on Robben Island was like. for example, one prisoner spoke about how cold it was in the cells, and how many of them slept on mats on the floor. each prisoner was only given one short sleeve shirt and 1 par of shorts. no underwear socks, shoes etc. even in the colder months thats all they got. can u imagine? then having to sleep on the floor, which was cement and wet by the way. and they were only given 4 thin blankets, and in the winter 5. other prisoners spoke about the diseases they got while imprisoned, or the abuse that took place. many others were brainwashed or suffered from some sort of mental illness as a result of being in that prison. many of the ppl imprisoned were there for political reasons. those that were banished to the island for that reason were either there for 10 or 20 yrs with no chance of parole or probation. they would have to serve their entire sentence. all correspondence going in and out of the prison was monitored. political prisoners were only allowed to send 2 letters per YEAR, and they could only recieve 2 per YEAR. those that were in other blocks were able to send more, but usually only 1-3 per month. there just too many restrictions for me to list in this blog, but believe me when i say that they were herendous, and inmates in the US have it a lot better. granted being imprisoned anywhere isnt something to glorify or be happy about. but as a criminal justice major, US prisoners have it better. i say this because a lot of what we were told and even witnessed at Robben Island was very inhumane, and would not fly in the US.

Introduction

Ok so im a lil behind schedule with these blogs, but bear with me as i try to get caught up with whats been going on since i got here.

Saturday was move in day. Although i'd requested to live in the dorms with other south african students, i was placed in a house with other CIEE students (all the americans). now at first i was lil disappointed, b/c i really didnt come all the way from the USA to be with other americans, i wanted to be amongst locals. but once i saw what the houses looked like i quickly perked up. For one thing the dorms r not that great, but the houses r like Real World, South Africa. (i thought i would be funny if we actually create our own real world, so at some point we will be making a video diary, stay tuned for that, its gonna be rediculous) I live in a house of 8. 6 girls and 2 guys. the guys stay in a cottage separate from the girls, and the other 6 r divided into 2 floors. and each of have our own room...hallehujah. im the only black individual in the house, but i wasnt really surprised about that seeing that 90% of the kids in the program are white so thats no big deal. im already used to that...i go to Northeastern. but any who, we spent much of the day unpacking and getting groceries, and just getting familiar with our surroundings.

Sunday was the official 1st day of orientation. altogether theres like 300 ppl here as study abroad students. they split us up into 2 groups. half of us went on a tour of the cape pennisula, the others went to Robben Island. i was part of the pennisula tour. started off as a bus tour of cape town, and all the major touristy spots and historical monuments, then from there we stopped in various locations like the posh areas of cape town where all the rich ppl live right onthe beach. houses there range from aboud 6-12 million rand (apprx $1-2 million). but the most memorable stop was at cape point and cape hope. (pics coming soon) we went on what the tour guide called a "walk." although for me and pretty much the rest of the group was not a walk, it was a hike 1st up the furthest point of s. africa and africa itself. and then after going up (which as a lot easier cause there were stairs) we went back down. very intense. i have never done anything like that in my life. on the way down ur pretty much hiking down the actual mountain, no stairs, no railings, no harness, just rocks. one wrong move and anyone could have just fallen down the mountain. oh and did i mention theres no like guide to direct u. so...and ya (lol, i laugh cause im already picking up on the way ppl here talk. everyone says "ay" or "ya" after every sentence, just like the Dutch. which makes sense cause the British took over s. africa from the dutch) anyway, it took almost 2 hours to complete it all, and i was pretty much done after that. but there was still more. we had lunch then went to see some pengriuns. apparently they are all over the country. wasnt really that fascinated by them, but it was 1st time seeing them, so now i can say ive seen what a penguin looks like.

Since the beginning of orientation, we've had not stop activity. each day we wake early in the morning to prepare us for what we will be expereincing here in cape town, from everything to classes, volunteering, the people, nightlife, food etc. registartion for classes was this week, so far i have 3 classes, but i plan to take 4. one of which is african dance, that should be interesting. and im going to be learning Xhosa, which is one of the languages here that the locals speak. im looking forward to it but i know its gonna be hard b/c its one of those languages where u gotta make these sounds (the proper term is clicks) with the words. and let me tell u, it aint easy. i've been trying to say the word Xhosa with the clicks, since i got here and i still cant do it. the clicks isnt that hard, but clicking and say the word at the same time is a challenge.

The food here is incredible and cheap. i know my fam will be happy to hear that. im sure they're praying i put on some weight (lol). people here are nice, although they do warn us about crime. muggings r very popular here. and the funniest things about it, is that the ppl that rob u will be polite when they do it. they'll be like "sir, please give me ur phone" LOL. i thought that was hilarious. during the day u dont really have anything to worry about, but at night u really shouldnt walk around without a group.

everyone that lives here as a beautiful accent. its like a mixture of old english, dutch and their native languages. i've been practicing, so by the time i get back i should have it down. the ppl r all beautiful. so many different shades of beauty. whats interesting is the classifications based upon race. there are blacks, whites, coloureds, indians, and a few others. ppl here r always trying to categorize u, just based on ur complexion. more so here then in the US. the original definitions for these groups i found to be extremely funny. for example, a white person was defined as someone who "obviously" appeared to be white. lol, now tell me that aint funny. blacks were those of pure african descent, and coloured could possibly claim one or the other or both. it was all very confusing and kinda ridiculous. theres a lot more to it then that but i just needed to share that. it is clear after being here for even a short while that there r still some reminants of apartheid, but they r making progress. i will go into depths about that later as i learn more.

this is becoming very long, so i will end it here, but there will probably be a part 2.

DRAMA!!

Ok first let me back track for those who dont know what type of drama i was facing before today.

1st of all i was supposed to meet up with all the other boston ppl at logan airport, but for some strange reason i dint see anyone that looked like the kids i was supposed to be meeting so i spent the first flight alone, but then i figured, oh well i will c them all in london cause apparently there were like 40 kids meeting up. well...i get to london still c no one that remotely resembles an american student going abroad, so i was completely lost, alone, and confused. i dont think i have ever in my life felt so out of place, lost and alone. and for those who know me best i pretty independent when i want to be and i enjoy being by myself a lot of times, but this was nothing like i have ever expereinced. now whats strange is that all us student had the same flight #, but i still saw no one. well come to find out, after a 11 hour flight from london to cape town i was told that i was supposed to arrive the day before, with everyone else. so thats y i didnt c anyone, they were all already there. i later learned that the same flights leave out of logan like everyday so that explains y we all had the same flight #. so off the bat im a day late and a day behind everyone else, cause i have missed all introductions and the first day of orientation. (oh and i owe this mistake to the travel agent who got his days mixed up, so im a lil upset with, but whatever im here now, thats all that really matters)
2nd: then, my carry on luggage turns up missing after i get licked up from th airport. now in case u missed that, my carry-on luggage was missing...u know the one u take on the plane with u. well when i got picked up at the airport some how or another my bag gets dropped off with some other student, only God knows where. mind u that the one with all my documents, cameras, meds, etc. basically all the important stuff that i need, that i cant replace in cape town.
3rd: i buy a phone card to call home for R100 (R=rand south african currency) that only ended having R5 on it, so basically i was ripped off and couldnt even call home with that
4th: the bags that i did have had some liquid soap in them that spilled all over every pair of underwear and sock that i had, so i had to individually rinse them out by had in the bathroom sink, on the 1st night. and that took like 2 hours.
5th: day 2, i was under the assumption that since we were assigned orientation leaders and they were supposed to watch out for us i figured they would get us up in the morning seeing that none of us were able to use anything electronic that need a outlet because the s. african outlets are completely different and u need some sort of converter or adapter (which none of us had). but i was mistaken cause apparently ur supposed to wake up on ur own. well i learned the ahrd way slept till like 11am when we were supposed to be at the 1st venue at 8am. so there goes another day of missed orientation.

u can only imagine by this point i was a lil depressed, but i still managed to put on a happy face of some sort. lol, well at least i tried. well u will be happy to know that i did at least get my bag back with everything still in it, but it was like 4 days later.

Im Here!!

Im here, im here, im here!!! After about 2 days of transit. i spent like 6-7 hours from boston to london, then 12 hrs in london, and 11hrs on the plane from london to cape town!! im so happy to be off the plane. Cape Town here i come...lol that was corny, i never talk like that, disregard that last comment. i guess im just tired. my trip was pure hell, filled with a lot of emotion. but i will get to that story in the next post. but just to give you a lil taste of what i've been p to since i landed i have been out and about non-stop. our "orientation" is not what i would expect but i must say i was pleased. all the visit American students here have ben taken to all the Cape Town attractions since we got here including Table Mountain which is the most beautiful site u would ever see. they take u up on this mountain on a cable car and once on top of the mountain u can see the entire city for miles. its gorgeous, nothing like boston...lol, we barely have trees. we went to the southern most point in africa, Cape Point and i hiked up and down a mountain, can u believe it? me hiking? the thought makes me laugh. we also went to a penguin colony, didnt know they had penguins in africa, and im african. Robben Island, where South Africa's first black president was imprisonsed for like 20 yrs. hmm what else? saw a few cheetahs, learned to play the african drum, met some cool people. so far so good. tune in tomorrow for a look into the part of the trip that wasnt so good. i will be in touch....love Kemi