Cape Town's transformation during the Southern autumn has left the Southern Suburbs covered in red, orange and yellow leaves. The temperatures do not fall below 55, but the wind and (light) rain can cause a chill. Beautiful crisp and clear days continue to impress -- in fact, my clearest day in Cape Town permitted me to see the Drakenstein Mountains without any haze or fog across the Cape Flats from the UCT Upper Campus. The summer wildfire season or general smog always obscured part of the Drakenstein, but the winter northwesterly winds brilliantly clear the air.
The Southern Hemisphere, in general, offers a cleaner environment and moderate temperatures. The relatively smaller population down here (just about 10% of the global total) produces less garbage and carbon emissions than our (wealthier and more numerous) neighbours in the North. Since weather patterns generally move west to east (and not north to south), very little Northern Hemisphere pollution reaches the South. Also, oceans cover the vast majority of the Southern world, leaving a calmer climate with fewer temperature extremes.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Responding to the Body and Soul
I regret the lull in blog activity during the past few weeks. Again, catch-up will be necessary to explain the adventures of my Garden Route weekend road trip. The trip set me back and caused a rough week of adjustment in Cape Town -- my computer's hard drive stopped working and I injured my left hand and lower back. I spent most of last week taking care of the body and sorting out my computer. My hand and fingers became very swollen, but the swelling subsided with ice and Advil. I still have a bruise on the hand, but the pain no longer impacts the area. I'm also relieved that my lower back no longer aches when I lift an item, open a window or sneeze.
Finally, I rented a computer for the remainder of my time in South Africa. I will deal with the repair and Lenovo customer service when I return stateside in July. The laptop rental arrived just in time to get me through the final stretch of essays before my exams at the end of the month!
Finally, I rented a computer for the remainder of my time in South Africa. I will deal with the repair and Lenovo customer service when I return stateside in July. The laptop rental arrived just in time to get me through the final stretch of essays before my exams at the end of the month!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Further Gastronomic Experiences
Tuesday proved another epic day of eating and seeing more of the Southern Suburbs. I mentioned Ida Cooper's programme in my previous post, but I must elaborate further to offer context to Tuesday's exciting activities.
Emory and several other American universities arrange for Ida Cooper and Associates to book our accommodations in Cape Town and fetch us from the airport. I began corresponding with Ida six months ago about my housing preferences for this semester (of course, I could not be more pleased with my apartment). I benefited from learning all about Ida's programme from Danny and other Emory study abroad alumni.
Before classes began at UCT, Ida hosted all 50 (or so) semester study abroad students at her home for a full meal and meet n' greet in February. Ida and her team take sick students to her family doctor, track down landlords (one student's mattress was infected by bedbugs), provide tourist programming and manage our registration at UCT. I could not imagine a study abroad programme without this support network!
Most importantly, Ida takes all her students out to high tea. I met Ida and her friend Isabella for tea yesterday at the Gardener's Cottage Restaurant and Coffee Shop in the Montebello Design Centre. I had planned to go with my roommates -- Rachel and Kim -- for tea, but it proved too difficult to find a mutually agreeable time for the three of us. I went ahead and scheduled my own tea. I sat down to a delicious buttered croissant stuffed with scrambled eggs, cream cheese and smoked salmon slices. Delicious! I sipped roobios tea and devoured my meal.
Afternoon tea with Ida also includes dessert, and I selected an incredible crepe filled with ice cream topped with caramel sauce and toasted almonds, served with fresh strawberries, plums and banana slices. I highly recommend combining these wonderful sweets into a masterpiece. It did not take me more than a few minutes to finish off the crepe, and we were off to pick up Ida's granddaughter at an afternoon drama activity.
We fetched Ida's granddaughter (a sophomore in high school) in Rondebosch and delivered her to a friend's house in Claremont. By this time, afternoon traffic clogged the streets and we moved slowly. I enjoyed listening to the conversation about Cape Town safety, especially security on the trains. Ida dropped me back at the Lodge shortly after 5 p.m.
I was out again within 30 minutes for a lecture on campus focusing on the National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA) decision to drop charges about ANC President Jacob Zuma. (The NPA released its decision while I was on holiday in Botswana, and I even asked the passport agent at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg for the news when I returned to South Africa.) Last night's lecturer, who teaches at the nearby University of the Western Cape (a primarily coloured institution), presented a very detailed and thorough legal explanation of the NPA's decision. Personally, I would have preferred an open conversation about the national elections (today is Election Day, a public holiday here), but the lecture was certainly more stimulating than my four-times-a-week course on South African Politics!
I raced from the UCT Upper Campus to the Hussar Grill on Main Road in Rondebosch for Lanre's birthday dinner. The Hussar came with strong (rather, epic) recommendation from Sarah (who has waited patiently for proper treatment in this blog). The Hussar Grill is much like Raleigh's Angus Barn, a fantastic steakhouse with excellent service. The catch is that a 14 oz. fillet costs no more than $15.00. I ordered a very conservative steak roll sandwich (remember, I had just eaten a magnificent spread during afternoon tea and was not particularly hungry). Kim ordered a kudu fillet, Deborah a sirloin, Mike a fillet mignon (called the carpetbagger) -- the others ordered lamb and more flesh (naturally). Lanre, the birthday boy, ordered flesh cooked in chocolate sauce. I do believe we will return for another meal (maybe my birthday?) and I will come with an empty stomach.
After a busy afternoon and evening of eating (and one political speaker), I retired to The Lodge to read about famine in Zimbabwe. No classes today on account of the national elections, but I am working an essay for submission tomorrow as well as making reservations for accommodations and activities for the weekend road trip to the Garden Route.
Emory and several other American universities arrange for Ida Cooper and Associates to book our accommodations in Cape Town and fetch us from the airport. I began corresponding with Ida six months ago about my housing preferences for this semester (of course, I could not be more pleased with my apartment). I benefited from learning all about Ida's programme from Danny and other Emory study abroad alumni.
Before classes began at UCT, Ida hosted all 50 (or so) semester study abroad students at her home for a full meal and meet n' greet in February. Ida and her team take sick students to her family doctor, track down landlords (one student's mattress was infected by bedbugs), provide tourist programming and manage our registration at UCT. I could not imagine a study abroad programme without this support network!
Most importantly, Ida takes all her students out to high tea. I met Ida and her friend Isabella for tea yesterday at the Gardener's Cottage Restaurant and Coffee Shop in the Montebello Design Centre. I had planned to go with my roommates -- Rachel and Kim -- for tea, but it proved too difficult to find a mutually agreeable time for the three of us. I went ahead and scheduled my own tea. I sat down to a delicious buttered croissant stuffed with scrambled eggs, cream cheese and smoked salmon slices. Delicious! I sipped roobios tea and devoured my meal.
Afternoon tea with Ida also includes dessert, and I selected an incredible crepe filled with ice cream topped with caramel sauce and toasted almonds, served with fresh strawberries, plums and banana slices. I highly recommend combining these wonderful sweets into a masterpiece. It did not take me more than a few minutes to finish off the crepe, and we were off to pick up Ida's granddaughter at an afternoon drama activity.
We fetched Ida's granddaughter (a sophomore in high school) in Rondebosch and delivered her to a friend's house in Claremont. By this time, afternoon traffic clogged the streets and we moved slowly. I enjoyed listening to the conversation about Cape Town safety, especially security on the trains. Ida dropped me back at the Lodge shortly after 5 p.m.
I was out again within 30 minutes for a lecture on campus focusing on the National Prosecuting Authority's (NPA) decision to drop charges about ANC President Jacob Zuma. (The NPA released its decision while I was on holiday in Botswana, and I even asked the passport agent at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg for the news when I returned to South Africa.) Last night's lecturer, who teaches at the nearby University of the Western Cape (a primarily coloured institution), presented a very detailed and thorough legal explanation of the NPA's decision. Personally, I would have preferred an open conversation about the national elections (today is Election Day, a public holiday here), but the lecture was certainly more stimulating than my four-times-a-week course on South African Politics!
I raced from the UCT Upper Campus to the Hussar Grill on Main Road in Rondebosch for Lanre's birthday dinner. The Hussar came with strong (rather, epic) recommendation from Sarah (who has waited patiently for proper treatment in this blog). The Hussar Grill is much like Raleigh's Angus Barn, a fantastic steakhouse with excellent service. The catch is that a 14 oz. fillet costs no more than $15.00. I ordered a very conservative steak roll sandwich (remember, I had just eaten a magnificent spread during afternoon tea and was not particularly hungry). Kim ordered a kudu fillet, Deborah a sirloin, Mike a fillet mignon (called the carpetbagger) -- the others ordered lamb and more flesh (naturally). Lanre, the birthday boy, ordered flesh cooked in chocolate sauce. I do believe we will return for another meal (maybe my birthday?) and I will come with an empty stomach.
After a busy afternoon and evening of eating (and one political speaker), I retired to The Lodge to read about famine in Zimbabwe. No classes today on account of the national elections, but I am working an essay for submission tomorrow as well as making reservations for accommodations and activities for the weekend road trip to the Garden Route.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Weekend Road Trip to the Garden Route
I am leaving on Friday for three nights along the Western Cape's Garden Route. Among the exciting attractions, I will have the opportunity to:
- Ride an ostrich
- Explore the Cango Caves
- Take a zip line tour of a tree-top canopy
- Pet a cheetah
- See lemurs in MonkeyLand
- Visit Cape Aghulas, Africa's southern-most point and the spot where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet
Gastronomic Experiences in Cape Town
While I continue to slave away at my trip report recounting my ten days in Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, I feel I should provide an update on the readjustment to civilisation, including hot water and a warm bed.
I arrived home in Rondebosch at a decent hour on Monday the 13th, permitting me to buy fresh milk and bread before the stores closed at 22h00 (10 p.m.). After a wonderful sleep, I went back to class at UCT on Tuesday morning. My Feasts and Famine class began our consideration of Zimbabwe's economic meltdown -- entirely appropriate as I had flown out of Zimbabwe just the day before.
The autumn has just arrived in the Southern world -- the leaves are changing colours along the main avenues of Cape Town's Southern Suburbs. It appears the shorts are done for the season too, but they will reappear before I return to the sweltering U.S. in July. Cape Town experiences mild winters, I am told. The main cause for concern is the rain, which will bring grey skies and much gloom to this part of the country until the end of August. I stocked up more Five Roses rooibos tea -- South Africa's national hot drink made from red bushes in the Northern Cape.
For the most part, I've used this week to get to know some acquaintances at UCT better. Reetu, a semester study abroad student from UC-Berkeley, and I had coffee and croissants on Wednesday afternoon at Cocoa Wah Wah, a beloved destination for semester study abroad students in Rondebosch. I invited a South African friend named Kwajo over for dinner just yesterday (Sunday). I prepared matzah ball soup, breadcrumb chicken and fresh broccoli with sliced watermelon for dessert. Kwajo has many Jewish friends at home in Johannesburg and felt comfortable with the soup.
Sunday afternoon before dinner, I shopped at the fancy Pick n Pay supermarket in nearby Newlands and found some wonderful favorites from home: Manischewitz Passover fruit slices (imported from Secaucus, N.J.), Israeli Elite Mikupelet milk chocolate, sliced deli-fresh roast beef, baking parchment paper and red horseradish and matzah. As I missed a seder this year, the horseradish, fruit slices and matzah ball soup provided the basics!
I ate dinner tonight with Elisabeth, a Norwegian student completing her full degree at UCT. We ate at a nice sushi, pasta and pizza restaurant (quite a hybrid!) in Claremont near the Cavendish Mall. Claremont is a 30-minute walk from my apartment in Rondebosch along the Main Road (the M4). [As I side note: wherever I travel, Claremont (sometimes spelled Clairmont) is always a very nice place. I have lived on the desirable Clairmont Campus at Emory, Claremont in Cape Town hosts a trendy shopping mall called Cavendish and Claremont in Oakland, Calif., includes a golf club and banquet halls.]
Elisabeth and I have the exact same class schedule -- all classes and tutorials are the same every day of the week. This came in handy when Elisabeth printed my midterm essay for me after I departed for Botswana.
Technically an "international student" like me, Elisabeth is based at UCT and studies here all semesters of college. Her parents come from Norway and Tanzania, so her mixed heritage provides her with a special vantage point to observe South Africa. She explained how her treatment improves at restaurants or clubs when waiters and waitresses hear her foreign accent. Once they identify her as "international," their attitude completely changes and service usually improves. The Western Cape is home to many people of mixed white and black heritage -- legally classified as "coloureds." They account for more than 50% of the Western Cape's population and their unique English/Afrikaans accent fills the air around the taxis. Nowhere else in the world does coloured culture thrive like in Cape Town.
Coloureds found slightly preferential treatment compared to blacks during Apartheid, leading to continued resentment and bad feelings between the two groups even after the end of the Apartheid system. I have learned that it is not unusual for a black waiter to offer poor service to a coloured table or vice versa. To South Africa's detriment, the Apartheid programme masterfully succeeded at driving a wedge between these two communities.
Several of my friends on Ida Cooper's study abroad programme and I screened 101 Dalmatians at the Charltan House in Mowbry last Friday. After Pongo rescued the puppies from Cruella de Ville's evil plot (with help from the Twilight Bark), we began to plan our upcoming weekend excursion (more in a later post).
The Lodge (my apartment) hosted a UCT professor and several students for dinner on Saturday. We may have an opportunity to take a trip up the West Coast with the professor in the not too distant future.
Finally, we are celebrating Lanre's birthday tomorrow at the Hussar Grill. (Danny and Sarah highly recommend this restaurant, and I look forward to trying the flesh.) Lanre is a friend in the Ida programme from UC-Berkeley.
I'd love to hear what is new with you in the States. Please leave a comment!
I arrived home in Rondebosch at a decent hour on Monday the 13th, permitting me to buy fresh milk and bread before the stores closed at 22h00 (10 p.m.). After a wonderful sleep, I went back to class at UCT on Tuesday morning. My Feasts and Famine class began our consideration of Zimbabwe's economic meltdown -- entirely appropriate as I had flown out of Zimbabwe just the day before.
The autumn has just arrived in the Southern world -- the leaves are changing colours along the main avenues of Cape Town's Southern Suburbs. It appears the shorts are done for the season too, but they will reappear before I return to the sweltering U.S. in July. Cape Town experiences mild winters, I am told. The main cause for concern is the rain, which will bring grey skies and much gloom to this part of the country until the end of August. I stocked up more Five Roses rooibos tea -- South Africa's national hot drink made from red bushes in the Northern Cape.
For the most part, I've used this week to get to know some acquaintances at UCT better. Reetu, a semester study abroad student from UC-Berkeley, and I had coffee and croissants on Wednesday afternoon at Cocoa Wah Wah, a beloved destination for semester study abroad students in Rondebosch. I invited a South African friend named Kwajo over for dinner just yesterday (Sunday). I prepared matzah ball soup, breadcrumb chicken and fresh broccoli with sliced watermelon for dessert. Kwajo has many Jewish friends at home in Johannesburg and felt comfortable with the soup.
Sunday afternoon before dinner, I shopped at the fancy Pick n Pay supermarket in nearby Newlands and found some wonderful favorites from home: Manischewitz Passover fruit slices (imported from Secaucus, N.J.), Israeli Elite Mikupelet milk chocolate, sliced deli-fresh roast beef, baking parchment paper and red horseradish and matzah. As I missed a seder this year, the horseradish, fruit slices and matzah ball soup provided the basics!
I ate dinner tonight with Elisabeth, a Norwegian student completing her full degree at UCT. We ate at a nice sushi, pasta and pizza restaurant (quite a hybrid!) in Claremont near the Cavendish Mall. Claremont is a 30-minute walk from my apartment in Rondebosch along the Main Road (the M4). [As I side note: wherever I travel, Claremont (sometimes spelled Clairmont) is always a very nice place. I have lived on the desirable Clairmont Campus at Emory, Claremont in Cape Town hosts a trendy shopping mall called Cavendish and Claremont in Oakland, Calif., includes a golf club and banquet halls.]
Elisabeth and I have the exact same class schedule -- all classes and tutorials are the same every day of the week. This came in handy when Elisabeth printed my midterm essay for me after I departed for Botswana.
Technically an "international student" like me, Elisabeth is based at UCT and studies here all semesters of college. Her parents come from Norway and Tanzania, so her mixed heritage provides her with a special vantage point to observe South Africa. She explained how her treatment improves at restaurants or clubs when waiters and waitresses hear her foreign accent. Once they identify her as "international," their attitude completely changes and service usually improves. The Western Cape is home to many people of mixed white and black heritage -- legally classified as "coloureds." They account for more than 50% of the Western Cape's population and their unique English/Afrikaans accent fills the air around the taxis. Nowhere else in the world does coloured culture thrive like in Cape Town.
Coloureds found slightly preferential treatment compared to blacks during Apartheid, leading to continued resentment and bad feelings between the two groups even after the end of the Apartheid system. I have learned that it is not unusual for a black waiter to offer poor service to a coloured table or vice versa. To South Africa's detriment, the Apartheid programme masterfully succeeded at driving a wedge between these two communities.
Several of my friends on Ida Cooper's study abroad programme and I screened 101 Dalmatians at the Charltan House in Mowbry last Friday. After Pongo rescued the puppies from Cruella de Ville's evil plot (with help from the Twilight Bark), we began to plan our upcoming weekend excursion (more in a later post).
The Lodge (my apartment) hosted a UCT professor and several students for dinner on Saturday. We may have an opportunity to take a trip up the West Coast with the professor in the not too distant future.
Finally, we are celebrating Lanre's birthday tomorrow at the Hussar Grill. (Danny and Sarah highly recommend this restaurant, and I look forward to trying the flesh.) Lanre is a friend in the Ida programme from UC-Berkeley.
I'd love to hear what is new with you in the States. Please leave a comment!
Friday, April 17, 2009
New Emory Wheel Articles
I returned to the Mother City late Monday evening after nine unforgettable days exploring Botswana, Chobe National Park, the Okavango River Delta, Zambia, Victoria Falls and Zimbabwe. After so many nights in a tent and sleeping bag, it felt great to sleep in a bed again. I continue to unpack and process my trip -- please look for several posts about the trip by the end of the weekend.
In the mean time, I wanted to share two new columns published in the Emory Wheel during the past few weeks.
1. Playing Political Football With (and Losing to) the Dalai Lama
2. As Things Fall Apart in Africa’s Old Breadbasket
Enjoy!
In the mean time, I wanted to share two new columns published in the Emory Wheel during the past few weeks.
1. Playing Political Football With (and Losing to) the Dalai Lama
2. As Things Fall Apart in Africa’s Old Breadbasket
Enjoy!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
T.I.A. Moment #2
Most South African license plates end with a provincial abbreviation for the car's registration. The license plates from Johannesburg, which is located in Gauteng Province, thus end in "GP."
But due to the exceedingly high crime rates in Joburg, many refer to the GP as "Gangsta Paradise."
But due to the exceedingly high crime rates in Joburg, many refer to the GP as "Gangsta Paradise."
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